Urban Martial Saint

Master Craft feared that Prince Wan Yan would not spare them. Upon hearing this, he was overjoyed and quickly said, ”You... may I ask, may I ask, as long as I know, I will definitely speak all I know!”

Prince Wan Yan didn’t respond to Master Craft’s fawning tone, nor did he look at Master Craft squarely again. He leisurely fiddled with a small ornament on the table and said softly, ”It is said that you are the most knowledgeable about antiques. There is almost nothing in the realm of antiques that you do not know. My first question is related to this antique.”

As he spoke, Prince Wan Yan finally glanced at Master Craft and said, ”It is rumored that the strongest famed instrument under heaven is the Xuanyuan Sword from the Emperor era. And in this world, the only famed instrument that can match the Xuanyuan Sword is the Minghong Knife, made of the same material as the Xuanyuan Sword. You should have heard these two names, Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife, right?”

”Of course, of course.” Master Craft nodded repeatedly and said, ”The fame of the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife has spread for thousands of years, but ever since the Emperor unified Huaxia, these two famed instruments disappeared. The world has only heard of the fame of these two famed instruments, but no one has ever seen them, so many people believe these two famed instruments are mythical objects rather than real.”

Prince Wan Yan asked, ”Then what do you think?”

”This...” Master Craft was silent for a moment. He now understood what Prince Wan Yan wanted to ask; he wanted to know about the Xuanyuan Sword and the Minghong Knife. It seemed that Prince Wan Yan still coveted these two famed instruments.

”Honestly, these two famed instruments have never appeared, and I don’t know if they really exist. I can only speculate based on the records in some historical books...” Master Craft paused and said in a low voice, ”There are not many records about the Xuanyuan Sword. Since the Emperor unified Huaxia, there have been no records about the Xuanyuan Sword. However, there are some records of the Minghong Knife, reportedly obtained by Emperor Wu of Han and later gifted to Dongfang Shuo, which is a fact recorded in history books. From this point of view, the Minghong Knife most likely exists. And if the Minghong Knife exists, then the Xuanyuan Sword is very likely real too!”

Prince Wan Yan said, ”So you’re saying, these two famed instruments both exist, right?”

”I also dare not say for sure. I can only speculate based on these historical records,” Master Craft looked at Prince Wan Yan and said in a low voice, ”Actually, whether the Minghong Knife really exists, Your Majesty should know better than I do.”

”Heh heh...” Prince Wan Yan looked at Master Craft coldly and said, ”What do you want to say?”

”The box made of Dragon Blood Wood was left by your ancestors. Dragon Blood Wood is extremely hard. How many sacred objects in this realm could carve it?” Master Craft chuckled lightly and said, ”My thinking is, your ancestors had no reason to carve this Dragon Blood Wood without obtaining an invincible holy artifact, right?”

After speaking, Master Craft quietly observed Prince Wan Yan, trying to discern any signal from his face. Prince Wan Yan smiled noncommittally, neither admitting nor denying, and said softly, ”It seems you should also be well-acquainted with famed instruments. From your many years of experience, Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife could be called the greatest instruments under heaven. What exactly is the reason? What makes these two famed instruments so special?”

Master Craft remained silent for a while and then said, ”According to the historical account of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword’s origins, it is a holy sword crafted by the gods using Shou Mountain Copper for the Emperor. The blade is engraved with the sun, moon, and stars on one side, and mountains, rivers, and forests on the other. The hilt has farming and livestock-raising techniques on one side and strategies for unifying the four seas on the other. It contains infinite power, known as a sacred sword to vanquish demons. The Emperor wielded it to defeat Chi You, a godly sword of unparalleled power, and later defeated the Three Ancient Great Evil Blades as well, showing the sword’s formidable power.”

Beside him, Wan Yan Ming impatiently exclaimed, ”Don’t talk about things everyone knows. Tell us something nobody knows, alright!”

”Young Master Wanyan, don’t rush. Let me slowly analyze,” Master Craft said with a gentle smile, ”First, let’s talk about the Xuanyuan Sword’s material, said to be collected by gods from Shou Mountain Copper. First, what do the gods mean? Is this world actually inhabited by gods, or is it simply a mythical legend? In fact, many later generations believe the Xuanyuan Sword is fabricated because of this statement, thinking it’s a mythical story concocted by ancients. However, I have a slightly different view on this.”

Prince Wan Yan remained calm, unaroused by Master Craft’s words.

”I think these gods probably refer to the martial arts masters of that era,” Master Craft explained. ”The Martial Path had already emerged. During Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor’s time, there must have been no lack of Neijia masters. However, people of that time might not have understood martial arts very well and thought these martial arts masters were gods, thus the term ’gods’ appeared.”

This caused Prince Wan Yan’s expression to slightly change, indicating that Master Craft’s analysis had piqued his interest.

”Let’s discuss the power of the Xuanyuan Sword now.” Master Craft continued, ”Known as the greatest famed instrument in the world, this reputation has not changed throughout the years. Yet, in reality, people have never seen the Xuanyuan Sword. How can it be so certain it is the greatest famed instrument? We must make a comparison. It is well known the Xuanyuan Sword defeated Chi You’s unprecedented divine sword and also defeated the Three Ancient Great Evil Blades. Chi You’s divine sword has long been lost, making comparison impossible. However, the Three Ancient Great Evil Blades appeared later, and their power rivals any contemporary famed instrument. With this comparison, the power of the Xuanyuan Sword becomes more apparent.”

Prince Wan Yan nodded slightly. Master Craft’s analysis made him agree a lot. The nearby Wanyan Ming also refrained from speaking, acknowledging Master Craft’s deep understanding in antiques, finding his analysis quite reasonable.

”Speaking of the power of the Xuanyuan Sword, we must talk about its material as well,” Master Craft continued, ”It is common knowledge that the material of the Xuanyuan Sword was obtained from Shou Mountain Copper. Where is Shou Mountain? In the eight hundred miles of Mount Funiu, the site of the ox-head is Shou Mountain. Shou Mountain Copper is undoubtedly copper contained within the mountain. However, if it’s just a Copper Sword, how could it be the greatest famed instrument? Moreover, if it’s merely a Copper Sword, why would it require the gods, that is, many martial masters, to refine it? From this, it’s apparent the Xuanyuan Sword material isn’t ordinary copper; it must be some kind of very special material, which I suspect is derived from a Meteorite from Outer Space.”

”A Meteorite from Outer Space?” Wan Yan Ming frowned slightly; he thought Master Craft’s analysis was a bit excessive.

”Actually, this is quite normal,” Master Craft said with a smile, ”Many famed instruments are made from materials not of Earth, but special metals brought by meteorites from outer space. The Cold Moon Blade, for instance, is made of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron. What exactly is this Cold Iron? Some say it’s iron buried under a glacier for millennia, but that’s incorrect. The material of the Cold Moon Blade actually contains metal from a meteorite from the depths of the universe. This meteorite persists under near absolute zero conditions, indicating the metal’s cold endurance. Its weapon absorbs too much cold air, creating remarkable ice-cold effects. The Fire Blade Sword is similar to the Cold Moon Blade, originating from a meteorite with its unique qualities.”

”Is this true?” Wan Yan Ming still had some doubts since it sounded so astonishing.

Master Craft looked at Prince Wan Yan beside him with a faint smile and said, ”If Young Master Wanyan doesn’t believe it, you can ask the great King to verify whether what I said is true.”

Prince Wan Yan ignored Wan Yan Ming, looking at Master Craft with a calm expression, saying, ”Continue.”

”In general, the more unique the material, the more peculiar its effects,” Master Craft stated, ”You might have heard that Chi You is a barbarian, portrayed as the God of War in Chinese mythology. As I mentioned earlier, the so-called ancient myths could simply be misunderstandings about martial arts masters, assuming they were gods. Therefore, it’s reasonable to suspect Chi You was actually a martial arts master. Moreover, being called the God of War implies he wasn’t weak. In many ancient records, Chi You is depicted as valiant and skilled in battle, whereas records about the Emperor focus on his leadership, strategic wisdom, and exceptional intelligence, without specifying his strength. Thus, it’s very certain that the Emperor’s strength was not equal to Chi You’s.”

Prince Wan Yan slowly nodded and said, ”Continue.”

”Actually, the Emperor and Chi You were tribal leaders who didn’t need to fight themselves. Logically, the Emperor must have had many martial arts masters on his side. As mentioned earlier, gods collected Shou Mountain Copper. If they were focused on gathering copper, why not send the strongest master to directly confront Chi You?” Master Craft chuckled softly and said, ”From this, one can judge that Chi You’s strength wasn’t simple; he was perhaps invincible under the heavens. At least, none of the masters on the Emperor’s side could be his adversary, or even withstand him. Chi You’s individual combat power might have already influenced the outcome of the war.”

Wan Yan Ming scratched his head, unable to resist saying, ”Hey, you’ve analyzed so much, what exactly are you trying to say?”