Chapter 248: Chapter 246: Sword Name: Dustfall

By Jiang Chen’s side, Xiao Qingyi, Little White, and Kumu all remained perfectly calm.

They were well aware of just how miraculous and powerful Jiang Chen was.

As far as they were concerned, it was Huangfu Jiang’s great honor to become Jiang Chen’s disciple. They saw nothing shocking about it at all.

But if word of this scene got out, it would be enough to shake the entire Saint Martial Dynasty.

Jiang Chen made a lifting motion with his hand, and an invisible force raised Huangfu Jiang to his feet. A calm smile on his face, he said lightly, "Since you have completed the discipleship ceremony, from this day forward, you, Huangfu Jiang, are my third disciple. Of course, for now, you can only be considered my Named Disciple. You will only become my Official Disciple on the day you break through to become a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster!"

"Yes, Master!"

Huangfu Jiang nodded, his gaze eager. He looked like he wanted to say something but held back.

He was burning with impatience!

’I’ve already become his disciple, so why hasn’t my new master taught me the method to break through to Fourth-Grade Grandmaster?’

How could someone as astute as Jiang Chen fail to see what was on Huangfu Jiang’s mind? He smiled faintly. "My disciple, do you know the fundamental difference between a Third-Grade Grandmaster and a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster?"

"The greatest difference between Third Grade and Fourth Grade should be the engraving of Inscriptions," Huangfu Jiang said.

A Third-Grade Refining Master is still stuck at the most primitive stage of engraving Inscriptions.

But a Fourth-Grade Refining Master can engrave Inscriptions using Divine Thought.

Huangfu Jiang was unable to master engraving Inscriptions with Divine Thought, which was why he had been unable to break through.

Jiang Chen nodded. "When First- to Third-Grade Refiners engrave Inscriptions during Artifact Refining, they still need to rely on an Inscription Carving Knife to guide their Divine Thought Power into the Profound Weapon. In reality, this practice damages the very structure of the Profound Weapon. You have to understand, all the forging and design work done on a Profound Weapon before the Inscriptions are engraved is based on maximizing its overall power. Using an Inscription Carving Knife to engrave Inscriptions will, to some extent, inevitably damage the Profound Weapon."

Both Huangfu Jiang and Kumu fell into thoughtful contemplation.

’It’s true!’

The forging of a Profound Weapon—from the most basic Artifact Embryo forging to its external design—is only carried out after considering all relevant factors.

Once it’s forged, it is a complete whole.

At that point, you could say the Artifact Embryo is complete.

But using a carving knife to engrave Inscriptions—even for a Third-Grade Refining Master of the highest skill—will inevitably cause damage to the Profound Weapon’s internal structure.

"Only upon reaching the level of a Fourth-Grade Refining Master can one dispense with the Inscription Carving Knife and directly engrave Inscriptions inside a Profound Weapon using Divine Thought Power. This way, not only do you avoid damaging the Profound Weapon’s integrity, but the Inscriptions themselves will also be more complete and perfect."

Jiang Chen’s eyes shone with boundless wisdom as he continued, "The reason you’ve remained a Third-grade High-Level Artifact Refiner, unable to break through, isn’t due to a lack of skill. Rather, your method of manipulating Divine Thought Power isn’t sufficiently refined. I, your master, will now pass on to you a scroll of the Vertical Thought Divine Technique. Practice diligently with the methods inside, and I believe you will be able to reach the level of a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster within a month!"

He pointed a finger, touching it to Huangfu Jiang’s forehead.

A brilliant wisp of light leaped from his fingertip and entered Huangfu Jiang’s body.

The information of the Vertical Thought Divine Technique was branded onto his soul.

Huangfu Jiang’s entire body trembled. After a brief scan of the Vertical Thought Divine Technique, his face filled with ecstasy and shock. "Amazing... what an incredible Vertical Thought Divine Technique! So my old methods for controlling Divine Thought were completely wrong. *This* is the true way to control it! With this technique, I’m confident I can break through within a month. Thank you, Master, for bestowing this upon me!"

Huangfu Jiang looked at Jiang Chen with the utmost reverence, his deep gaze filled with profound admiration.

Jiang Chen waved his hand and smiled. "I have many Secret Techniques even more advanced than the Vertical Thought Divine Technique. As long as your performance is satisfactory, there will be no shortage of rewards for you in the future."

"I will not disappoint you, Master!" Huangfu Jiang declared, thumping his chest in assurance.

And so, Jiang Chen personally gave Huangfu Jiang some pointers on his cultivation before giving Kumu a scroll containing a Secret Technique for tempering Divine Thought Power.

Both men were moved to tears of gratitude.

The guidance they received was immensely beneficial to them both.

"Alright, that’s all for today. I still have matters to attend to," Jiang Chen said with a wave of his hand.

Huangfu Jiang paused, then quickly asked, "What is it that you must do, Master? Perhaps I can take care of it for you?"

Jiang Chen blinked, then said, "I need a weapon."

"A weapon? What type of weapon do you favor, Master?" Huangfu Jiang asked.

"A sword," Jiang Chen replied.

Huangfu Jiang quickly said, "Please wait a moment, Master. I will immediately have my men bring up the best sword-shaped Profound Weapons in the Guild!"

A moment later, Cao Hao arrived with ten powerful men, who carried in ten chests and lined them up before Jiang Chen.

"You may all leave now."

Huangfu Jiang dismissed the men. With a sweep of his arm, he opened all ten chests.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Blindingly sharp glints of light shot out from the chests. Once the light faded, Jiang Chen saw a sword-shaped Profound Weapon lying in each one.

There were longswords, flexible swords, and Heavy Swords.

The variety was impressive.

Even the weakest of them was an Earth Tier Junior Profound Weapon, and three were even Earth Tier Advanced.

"Master, these are the finest sword-shaped Profound Weapons our Artifact Refiner Guild has to offer," Huangfu Jiang said. "If you see one you like, you can simply take it!"

’Now *that’s* what I call a disciple!’

The worst Profound Weapon here was worth tens of thousands of Spirit Crystals. The three Earth Tier High-level Profound Weapons were especially priceless, each worth hundreds of thousands of Spirit Crystals.

Yet Huangfu Jiang had just presented them to him with a grand gesture.

Jiang Chen nodded to himself. ’This disciple really knows how to get things done!’

His gaze swept over the Profound Weapons in the ten chests. When it reached the sixth one, his eyes narrowed, fixing on the jet-black longsword nestled within.

The sword was about a meter and a half long and three fingers wide.

The entire longsword gave off a dim, dark luster. Jiang Chen made a grasping motion in the air, and the black longsword immediately flew out of the chest and into his hand.

With a single swing, the sword let out a sharp hum—HUMMM—and a keen Sword Qi whistled forth.

Huangfu Jiang’s pupils contracted slightly. Staring intently at the black longsword in Jiang Chen’s hand, he said, "Master has a discerning eye! This Profound Weapon is the finest masterpiece of our Artifact Refiner Guild. It’s an Earth Tier High-level Profound Weapon named Dustfall!"

"Dustfall?"

Jiang Chen paused, studying the jet-black longsword in his hand. He murmured, "What a Dustfall Sword... It has a Thirteen-Stage Earth-tier Rune engraved within it, and it’s a Destruction Rune at that. Once activated, it can multiply the user’s power. The name Dustfall is fitting. On one hand, its inky black surface resembles a Divine Sword from the heavens, fallen to the mortal realm and covered in dust. On the other, it means that when this sword is drawn, enemies’ heads will fall and turn to dust. Not bad at all. I’ll take it."

"Congratulations on acquiring a Divine Soldier, Master!"

"Congratulations, Master..."

Huangfu Jiang and Kumu said in succession. "Master, would you like me to arrange a quiet room for you to refine the Dustfall Sword?"

Normally, one would need to refine a newly acquired Profound Weapon to fully unleash its power.

Jiang Chen chuckled. "No need for a quiet room. It’s a mere Earth-tier Profound Weapon. I can refine it with a flick of my wrist."

HUMMM!

The Dustfall Sword hovered in front of him. Jiang Chen formed a series of mystical Seal Techniques with his hands, sending them flying into the blade.

The light flaring from the Dustfall Sword pulsed, becoming blindingly bright.

Jiang Chen snorted. A drop of red blood gathered at his fingertip. With a flick, he sent the droplet flying into the Dustfall Sword.

SHIIING—

The sword trembled violently. A thin, blood-red line appeared down the center of the jet-black blade, giving the Dustfall Sword an exceptionally cold and deadly look.

The Dustfall Sword flew toward Jiang Chen and merged directly into his body.

He had refined an Earth Tier High-level Profound Weapon in the blink of an eye. Such a miraculous feat left Huangfu Jiang utterly dumbfounded, his admiration for Jiang Chen deepening even further.

Jiang Chen said lightly, "Now that I have the Dustfall Sword, it’s time for me to go. You two, remember to cultivate diligently. I hope you will both have made progress by the next time we meet. Especially you, Huangfu. I hope you’ll have a pleasant surprise for me then."

"We will not disappoint you, Master!"

the two men said in unison.

Jiang Chen nodded, then took Xiao Qingyi’s hand and left the Artifact Refiner Guild.

After spending a full day strolling around the Imperial Capital with Xiao Qingyi and Little White, Jiang Chen finally brought the still-insatiable Xiao Qingyi back to the Cui Mansion.

After constant pestering from Little White, Jiang Chen had no choice but to roast a Demon Beast for him personally.

After sending Little White away, Jiang Chen and Xiao Qingyi shared an intimate moment in their room.

"Pfft!"

Seeing Jiang Chen sighing in frustration, she couldn’t help but let out a giggle. Her face flushed red as she curled up in his arms, her eyes alluring. "Jiang Chen," she said softly, "Qingyi will always be yours. It’s not like I’m going anywhere."

"Mm," Jiang Chen hummed in response.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms. The night passed peacefully, and soon, it was dawn.

Jiang Chen had to return to the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Under Xiao Qingyi’s reluctant gaze, he shot into the sky and sped toward the sect.

After leaving the Imperial Capital, he had already traveled several hundred kilometers in a short time.

However, just as Jiang Chen was passing over a patch of low-lying forest, an icy aura of death made the hair on his skin stand on end. A powerful sense of unease washed over him like a storm cloud gathering in his mind...

[Fourth Update!]