Chapter 330: Recovery to Kingship

Xuanwu Lake was shrouded in a swirling purple mist. Golden carp occasionally leaped from the water, sending large splashes across the surface.

The island was covered in lush green grass, a place of beautiful scenery. Several ancient peach trees grew there, their blossoms in full bloom, with pink, translucent petals occasionally drifting down.

This area was remarkably peaceful, resembling a serene and harmonious painting.

Chu Feng, with a look of intense concentration, held a vibrant red flying sword. He was meticulously and earnestly carving intricate tadpole-like patterns and complex symbols onto pieces of magnet.

No one disturbed him; the island had become a sanctuary. Others kept their distance, and even the most curious among them had to remain on the shore, forbidden from entering the island.

Only the old Grandmaster from Wudang was present on the island, concerned for Chu Feng's safety.

Not long ago, various factions had reached an agreement, with many seeking to collaborate with Chu Feng.

Heaven God Biotech, with its headquarters in Jiangning, found it easiest to mobilize resources. Consequently, they were the first to send a large quantity of magnets and jade blocks, requesting Chu Feng to temper divine artifacts.

Evidently, the conglomerates had not yet fully trusted Chu Feng's capabilities.

Heaven God Biotech sent a rusty ancient sword, rumored to be an ancient treasure. They asked him to "cultivate" it, hoping to observe the effects.

From the piles of materials, Chu Feng meticulously selected the best, avoiding common jade blocks and magnets, and instead chose premium pieces for carving runes.

This was because ordinary magnets and similar materials were no longer useful to him. His primary goal was to fully form the black-and-white millstone within his body and eliminate its imperfections, which was his core objective.

Nurturing weapons for the conglomerates was merely a secondary task, something he did incidentally.

Rare jade and lustrous magnets indeed proved to be treasures with excellent effects. No sooner had Chu Feng set up the weapon-nurturing field than the entire area began to stir.

"Look quickly! All those energy particles, normally free in the world, have actually become visible and are converging on that area!" someone exclaimed from the shore.

The ancient sword, previously mottled with heavy rust, began to emit a faint glow after receiving the special energy nourishment.

This was indeed an ancient renowned artifact, truly an extraordinary weapon.

In a short time, it began to hum softly. With a faint crackling sound, rust peeled away, revealing a gleaming, greenish-blue sword body that radiated a precious luster.

Upon closer inspection, a fine line was visible on the sword's blade, a result of severe damage that had almost caused it to split.

Now, with energy surging and the ancient sword softly humming, light flowed around it. The entire sword seemed to come alive, celebrating, and even the subtle crack appeared to blur.

"This is truly surprising," Chu Feng remarked with astonishment. "This is a renowned sword from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, possessing its own spiritual essence. After I used the weapon-nurturing technique to infuse it with energy, the damage to its blade is gradually healing."

On the shore, onlookers wore expressions of awe, as the ancient sword was now glowing, emitting continuous streams of astonishing sword energy.

"Heaven God Biotech is truly remarkable; they actually possess an ancient renowned sword. We thought they were just trying to deceive us."

"This is merely an initial test. If they've already presented an extraordinary weapon, they must certainly possess even more astonishing artifacts that they are not yet ready to reveal."

Many speculated that Heaven God Biotech secretly held divine artifacts which, once enhanced by the weapon-nurturing field and improved in quality, would undoubtedly be incredible.

Three days later, the subtle crack on this ancient renowned sword had completely vanished. It had become increasingly sturdy and sharp; with a gentle swing, a hazy greenish light emanated from it, capable of effortlessly cleaving through thick metal.

"What a formidable weapon! A truly fierce sword!" some exclaimed in admiration.

"It's sufficient," Chu Feng stated. "This sword has reached its peak of refinement through nurturing, unless even more extraordinary materials are provided."

He then handed the sword over to the representatives from Heaven God Biotech.

Over those three days, other major powers also transported vast quantities of materials. Chu Feng rapidly set up weapon-nurturing fields, creating one after another across the island.

Each field contained a weapon, all provided by various major powers. Similar to Heaven God Biotech, they initially presented these items as a test.

Some were ancient artifacts, merely damaged.

Others were contemporary renowned swords, astonishingly sharp due to their excellent materials, and their owners hoped Chu Feng could help enhance them further.

Chu Feng understood that only by demonstrating sufficient capability would these individuals reveal their most prized possessions, entrusting him to elevate their quality.

Of course, such undertakings would undoubtedly remain covert, with them approaching him privately for arrangements, never in public.

Chu Feng, in setting up one weapon-nurturing field after another on the island, naturally had his own agenda: he was attempting to connect them to construct a larger, composite field.

Evidently, this initial phase of his attempt failed because it required the presence of renowned mountains!

Large-scale fields impose strict requirements, demanding specific geological formations to be constructed, which is no simple feat.

*Clang, clang, clang…*

For several days, the island had been ablaze with soaring sword light and shimmering silver spears, all from extraordinary weapons. An astonishing radiance flowed from them, emanating an unusual spiritual essence.

By this point, all major powers were convinced, having witnessed Chu Feng's remarkable abilities.

In just a few days, the weapons they provided underwent astonishing transformations, with even those not severely damaged being fully restored.

Over these past few days, Chu Feng had also made progress. His strength had recovered to the Ninth Stage of Awakening, on the verge of reaching the King-tier domain, and his black-and-white millstone had clearly become more refined.

During this time, the area outside the island was bustling. Lin Nuoyi had also visited, watching Chu Feng from a distance but not setting foot on the island herself.

No one was permitted to freely set foot on the island; whoever arrived had to wait outside.

For several days, the major conglomerates displayed a consistent attitude towards Chu Feng. At least on the surface, they all seemed equally enthusiastic, quietly waiting outside the island and striving to fulfill all of Chu Feng's material requests.

"Be cautious," the old Grandmaster warned Chu Feng. "Not all masters require weapons. For example, for me, merely performing my fist techniques is sufficient."

The old Grandmaster reminded Chu Feng not to assume that these major powers had become benevolent, nor to believe that all supreme kings in the world no longer viewed him as a threat.

Chu Feng nodded, understanding this instinctively.

Although he was now surrounded and lauded like a revered figure, he knew that these individuals could turn against him at any moment. He, in turn, would not become conceited or complacent.

For now, they were simply using each other.

Chu Feng surmised that some major powers were attempting to study the domain formations and were looking for a breakthrough point through him.

He could detect various advanced instruments scanning from a distance, and even found monitoring devices placed on the island, all aimed at observing how he set up the formations.

However, his command of formation techniques became increasingly proficient and profound. On the carved magnets, all runes would internalize, disappearing within the material itself.

Forget about secretly learning from him; even if he handed the finished pieces directly to them, they wouldn't be able to decipher them.

In fact, even teaching them hand-in-hand wouldn't guarantee they could learn. The tadpole script was complex and profound; any slight imperfection, such as the thickness of a line, the sequence of carving, or even the mental effort invested, would compromise the actual effect.

Some things can only be intuitively grasped, not explicitly taught.

In fact, some conglomerates possessed ancient texts on formations themselves. Although inferior to the one Chu Feng had acquired, they were still incomplete inheritances that, despite years of research, they had been unable to fully comprehend.

Currently, a sentiment was growing within some major powers: to invite Chu Feng, confide in him, offer him their ancient inheritances, and thus gain his friendship.

This was because they genuinely couldn't decipher the secrets of those formation manuals on their own.

Other conglomerates considered negotiating with Chu Feng, offering him their ancient texts in exchange for him taking their people as disciples and teaching them.

Naturally, there were also highly dangerous factions targeting Chu Feng, eager to capture him and exploit his abilities indefinitely for their own gain.

This was because the role of a formation researcher was not limited to tempering weapons; they could also break various restrictions, assist major conglomerates in ascending renowned mountains, and dismantle hidden formations, among other things.

On the fifth day, Chu Feng dispatched all the weapons from the island, to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

Finally, on that same day, someone delivered a piece of metal purported to be from a divine weapon.

It was a fragment, only finger-length, clearly a piece from a sword blade. It was entirely a dark, dull blue.

This fragment was sent by the Pre-Qin Research Institute. Qi Honglin informed Chu Feng that it might be a piece of the legendary divine sword, Gan Jiang.

Chu Feng was astounded. After such a long time, could a legendary divine sword truly reappear in the present era?

Gan Jiang, Mo Ye, Yu Chang… these swords were all recorded in historical texts, famed as among Ancient China's Ten Great Swords. Could he truly be fortunate enough to witness a piece of one of them?

To be precise, it was a small fragment.

Qi Honglin adamantly assured him that this small piece was indeed a fragment of the Gan Jiang sword and asked if Chu Feng could repair it.

"Old Qi, you're overthinking it," Chu Feng replied. "How can you be certain this is a remnant of the Gan Jiang sword? Furthermore, most of those legendary swords were bronze artifacts, forged under limited metallurgical conditions. Their immense fame is likely just the result of oral tradition and embellishment."

These were Chu Feng's words; he truly believed that, by modern standards, those bronze swords might not be exceptionally sharp.

"But it truly is Gan Jiang," Qi Honglin insisted. "Can it be repaired?"

Chu Feng took the fragment and examined it closely. This dark blue piece was made of an unusual material, making it impossible to identify. Yet, after being placed in the weapon-nurturing field, it suddenly blazed with intense light, a blue radiance shooting towards the sky.

"Could it be that the Ten Great Swords like Gan Jiang, Mo Ye, and Yu Chang were not forged by mortals after all, but are mythical weapons?"

Chu Feng's expression shifted to one of surprise. It wasn't just him; even the old Grandmaster and the onlookers on the shore paled, as this small fragment now radiated an astonishing, hazy multicolored light.

If the Ten Great Swords of ancient China were perfectly intact, wouldn't that mean they possessed earth-shattering power?

"This truly exceeds my expectations," Chu Feng exclaimed.

Ultimately, he could not truly "repair" it. His method was to nurture weapons, using formations to enhance their quality, not to forge them. It was impossible for him to conjure a complete form out of a mere fragment.

Nevertheless, over these few days, the fragment burst forth with divine light, convincing him that it could indeed be used as a flying sword. Through the nurturing process, its spiritual radiance had been rekindled.

The Gan Jiang fragment displayed its full sharpness, as if the dust of ages had been removed. The Pre-Qin Research Institute was highly satisfied and took it away.

Chu Feng suspected that the Pre-Qin Research Institute likely possessed more fragments of the divine Gan Jiang sword and had only presented that single piece to continue testing his abilities.

During this time, the black-and-white millstone within Chu Feng's body became clearer and more extraordinary, purifying the energy that entered him to an astonishing degree.

Two days later, Chu Feng successfully advanced into the King-tier domain. The surging power within him filled him with joy; it was a potent strength he hadn't felt in a long time!