My Twin Dao Companions Are Reincarnated Empresses

Holding the saber he had just bought, Gu Yuan quickly moved away from the stall, worried that the disciple, angered by how much he had lowered the price, might suddenly decide to fight him over the deal.

After putting some distance between them, he probed the saber with his spiritual sense once more, quietly confirming that his earlier perception had been correct before storing it in his Orb of Creation.

Because his spiritual sense was stronger than average, and because he had spent four years in the forge performing maintenance on damaged weapons, Gu Yuan developed a good eye for weapons.

From experience alone he could tell that there was something unusual about this saber.

What exactly was it? He could find out once he was alone.

Having made such a good deal, Gu Yuan found himself in the mood to browse the other stalls before leaving. He still had fifty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones remaining from the ten High-Grade Spirit Stones he had obtained from Wang Ling, along with some Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his own savings.

Although he couldn’t afford anything truly expensive, he could still buy most of the things being sold here.

The market was thriving because of the war. Even so, after walking through it for a while, nothing else truly caught his eye. In the end, he made his way to the forge.

Unlike usual, when the forge was mostly empty, more than a few disciples had gathered around it this time. Some were there to repair their weapons before participating in the war, while others had come to commission Deacon Zhao to forge new ones.

”Gu Yuan, you came at the right time,” Deacon Zhao called out the moment he saw him. ”A whole pile of weapons has accumulated inside. Go and sort them out.”

”I’ll start immediately.” Gu Yuan nodded.

Yet, when he moved deeper into the forge and entered the room where weapons waiting for repair were stored, he couldn’t help but stop.

Usually, it took at least ten days for even a single barrel to fill with damaged weapons. Most of the time, the weapons were repaired by him before the barrel even had a chance to become full.

Yet now, four barrels stood before him, all of them completely filled.

It had been only one week since his last visit.

Is this the effect of the war? How amazing.

Exhaling slowly, Gu Yuan rolled up his sleeves and immediately got to work.

One weapon after another, Gu Yuan worked at a speed that would have astonished Deacon Zhao if he had seen it. Yet, if someone asked whether he was giving it his all, the answer would be no.

Gu Yuan was deliberately holding back, trying his best not to reveal that he had broken through into the Foundation Establishment Realm. But that was easier said than done.

His Metal Qi was now stronger, denser, and more refined after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, and this alone greatly increased both the speed and quality of his work.

Controlling his strength was far more difficult than he had expected.

It took him an entire barrel of weapons before he finally regained some semblance of control over his Metal Qi. Even then, he didn’t stop and simply moved on to the next barrel.

Absorbed in trying to regain control of his newfound strength, Gu Yuan didn’t notice the passage of time.

”You’re still working? And you’ve already finished this many?”

Deacon Zhao’s voice finally snapped Gu Yuan out of his concentration. He stared at the two empty barrels that had previously been filled with damaged weapons and were now empty.

For a moment, Deacon Zhao couldn’t help but wonder if Gu Yuan had done the work in a careless manner. He knew Gu Yuan’s meticulous and steady personality, but the sheer amount he had repaired in such a short time was enough to make even him suspicious.

That concern vanished the moment he examined the repaired weapons.

Not only had the quality not decreased, but the repairs were actually better than Gu Yuan’s usual work.

”If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone else had repaired these,” Deacon Zhao said, picking up one of the weapons and examining it carefully. ”Your technique has improved again. And not by a little.”

He looked at Gu Yuan with undisguised admiration.

”Good work, Gu Yuan. Very good work. Keep this up, and you’ll surpass me sooner than I expected.”

”You’re too kind, Deacon Zhao.” Gu Yuan calmly accepted the praise.

”I’m not exaggerating. With your talent for forging, you really shouldn’t waste it.”

Gu Yuan smiled but didn’t respond to that. Instead, he said, ”Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Deacon Zhao.”

He had only walked a few steps when Deacon Zhao suddenly called out.

”Wait. Take those with you.”

He pointed toward a pile of ores nearby.

”You can use these leftovers to practice later.”

Gu Yuan looked at the amount of ore Deacon Zhao was pointing toward and couldn’t help but think that, with this much, they could hardly be called leftovers anymore. There was more than enough here for him to try his hand at forging a complete saber.

”Thank you for your generous reward, Deacon Zhao.”

Gu Yuan expressed his gratitude, stored the ores away, and finally returned to his house.

Instead of cultivating after he returned, Gu Yuan took out the saber he had purchased and began examining it.

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t glean anything new from it.

”Maybe that’s not how things should be done?” Gu Yuan muttered before deciding to change his approach.

Instead of examining the saber with his senses, he decided to try repairing it.

Wasn’t complete restoration supposed to be impossible? That was true, but restoring it to a state close to its original condition should still be possible.

With his Metal Qi, he began nourishing the saber.

One breath passed, yet nothing changed.

One incense stick passed, and still nothing changed.

It was only half a day later, when his Qi reserves had been nearly depleted, that a change finally occurred. Some of the saber’s lost luster had returned.

How am I more exhausted now than after maintaining dozens of weapons in the forge? Just how high was the rank of this saber originally?

Gu Yuan stared at the saber in his hand in wonder.

Now, he was certain... he had struck gold.

Excited, Gu Yuan once again probed the saber with his senses. This time, he immediately received a response. The moment his senses touched the saber, a saber technique was transmitted directly into his mind.

His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat.

It was a Heaven-Grade technique!

Only Low-Grade, and incomplete at that, but it was still a Heaven-Grade technique!

Just how lucky was I with that deal?

Gu Yuan actually began to feel a little guilty toward that inner sect disciple.

If I see him in the market again, I’ll buy a few other things from him.

Had it been anything below a Heaven-Grade technique, Gu Yuan wouldn’t have felt too bad about taking advantage of another disciple of the Black Desolation Sect.

But a Heaven-Grade technique... his conscience really did hurt.

Shaking those thoughts away, Gu Yuan began studying the technique in his mind.

The Heaven Rend Saber Technique had five moves, but only the first two were currently available to him.

First Move: Drawing the Horizon, a lightning-fast unsheathing slash.

Second Move: Breaking the Mountain, a heavy vertical strike capable of overwhelming all defenses.

Comparing them to the Basic Saber Form he had been practicing, Gu Yuan could clearly sense how much stronger these moves were. His excitement grew until he could no longer hold himself back. He stepped out of his house, determined to practice the first move: Drawing the Horizon.

Holding the saber in his hand, he first attempted to follow the movement trajectory of the technique. But, what came out was only an awkward, clumsy slash that bore almost no resemblance to the real thing.

Even so, he wasn’t discouraged.

He simply adjusted his stance and tried again... and again.