“Don’t worry!” Amanda’s eyes radiated reassurance. “It’s not for making love potions.”
“Then what is it for?” Hao Yang cast a suspicious glance toward the massive, smoke-belching contraption in the distance, its metal shell glowing red-hot. “You’re not expecting me to stand inside and cultivate immortality, are you?”
“If you dare to step in, you’ll definitely burn to death.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Hao Yang felt Amanda was underestimating him. “I’m already a Great Sword Master now.”
“A Great Sword Master?” Amanda stared at Hao Yang in disbelief. She still couldn’t wrap her head around how Hao Yang, who had been bullied at school just half a year ago, had suddenly become such a formidable warrior. Even now, Great Sword Masters were rare in the Empire, mostly clan leaders and commanders of sword groups. Still, she insisted, “Even if you were a Sword Saint, you’d still burn to death inside my cauldron, because…”
“Because there’s Primordial Flame inside!” Hun Yuanzi bluntly revealed the answer. “Primordial Flame is the source of all fire, the best energy for forging anything. With this flame, there’s practically nothing in the world that cannot be burned to ashes.”
“Exactly,” Amanda smiled, pleased. “Without the high-temperature-resistant alloy casing I specially acquired, the cauldron itself would have melted already.”
“Then what exactly are you trying to do?” Hao Yang was puzzled. If it wasn’t for making pills, what else could that cauldron be used for?
“I want to forge you… a sword!”
“Forge a sword?”
“Yes.” Amanda extended her hand. “Where are your swords?”
“Don’t worry!” Amanda’s eyes shone with reassurance. “It’s not for making aphrodisiac pills.”
“What then?” Yang Hao eyed the massive, towering structure in the distance, its shell glowing red from the billowing smoke. “You don’t expect me to stand inside and cultivate immortality, do you?”
“If you dare step in, you’ll definitely be burned to death.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Yang Hao felt Amanda was underestimating him. “I’m already a Grand Swordsman now.”
“Grand Swordsman?” Amanda stared at him in disbelief. She couldn’t fathom how Yang Hao, who had been bullied at school just half a year ago, had suddenly become a Grand Swordsman. Even in the empire, Grand Swordsmen were rare, mostly consisting of family heads and leaders of swordsmanship orders. Still, she insisted, “Even if you were a Sword Saint, stepping into my cauldron would still burn you to death because—”
“Because it contains the Primordial Flame!” Hunyuanzi cut straight to the answer. “The Primordial Flame is the origin of all fire and the best energy for forging. With this, not just people—there’s probably nothing in this world it can’t burn away.”
“Correct.” Amanda clapped her hands, smiling. “If it weren’t for the high-temperature-resistant alloy shell I found, the cauldron itself would’ve melted first.”
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Yang Hao was utterly confused. If the cauldron wasn’t for making pills, then what?
“I’m going to help you… forge a sword!”
“Forge a sword?”
“Mm-hmm.” Amanda held out her hand. “Where are your swords?”
Trusting her instinctively, Yang Hao handed over his four flying swords. Apart from the Sword Heart still with Maya, he gave her the Flame Sword, Ice Blade, Wind Splitter, and another white flying sword he rarely used—his most reliable weapons and the reason he’d survived this long.
Amanda, however, treated them casually, tossing them to a master craftsman without a second thought.
Yang Hao had no idea what she was planning. As he followed her toward the massive cauldron furnace, she explained the difficulties of building this monstrous contraption.
Amanda wasn’t just playing around. Her family was one of the original Seven Great Craftsmen, specializing in forging techniques. Though her ancestor Steven had turned to politics, the family still retained its legacy. After Yang Hao had her build the first cauldron, Amanda became obsessed, digging through ancestral relics until she found an ancient book.
The book, *Records of the Sword Furnace*, was authored by an unknown master swordsmith from antiquity, detailing various sword-forging methods and biographies of legendary smiths.
Using these methods, Amanda built a colossal sword-forging furnace, said to be inspired by the legendary couple Ganjiang and Moye. According to legend, when Ganjiang struggled to melt the celestial iron for the King of Wu, his wife Moye sacrificed herself by leaping into the furnace, allowing the sword to be forged.
Though Amanda followed the ancient methods faithfully, Yang Hao remained skeptical. Could modern people really recreate the divine swords of old? In this era of advanced technology, most forging expertise went into constructing buildings and starships, while the art of crafting cold weapons had nearly vanished.
Though the Ten Sword Schools remained the backbone of the empire’s military, their disciples wielded ordinary alloy swords, no different from standard-issue officer blades. While sharp enough to slice through iron, these swords would shatter under excessive force.
But what use was a sword that couldn’t channel power? The strength of cold weapons lay in their ability to harness energy, making quality a persistent headache for the Ten Sword Schools. However, as the military arm of the Elder Council, their direct disciples could receive swords forged by the council’s master smiths.
These swords, made from rare materials and imbued with unique attributes, allowed disciples to unleash their school’s techniques effortlessly. Receiving such a sword was a mark of recognition for noble heirs, instantly elevating their combat prowess.
Yang Hao’s survival against formidable foes owed much to his five flying swords, which rivaled those of the Elder Council. Without them, he’d have died countless times over.
To compete with Ling Ziyan, Amanda spared no expense—spending billions to build this furnace, enlisting the Seven Great Craftsmen, and importing rare ores from Saint Bear Star. The only thing missing was the raw material.
“Why go to such lengths for me?” Yang Hao was genuinely moved but also burdened with guilt. He couldn’t promise Amanda anything—he’d already acknowledged Shi Ming’ai as his wife, and Ling Ziyan was carrying his child.
“That’s why I’m forging you a sword.” Amanda seemed to read his mind. “There’s little else I can do, but I’ll make you a blade like no other. As long as you carry it, you’ll never forget me.”
“Ah?” Yang Hao’s scalp tingled—this was classic Amanda.
“Moye gave her life to forge a sword.” Amanda idolized the ancient legend. “I’ll do the same, imprinting my soul into the blade. Ling Ziyan may have your child, but you’ll always carry my sword.”
With the furnace already built, Yang Hao had no choice but to accept. Still, he wondered—why take his trusted flying swords?
To Amanda, the answer was obvious.
“The ancient texts say celestial iron is needed for forging divine swords. Since I can’t find any, and alloys aren’t ideal, I’ll just use your swords as material.” She shrugged. “Melt them down, and we’ll have what we need.”
“What?!”
Yang Hao and Hunyuanzi roared in unison. Melt his swords? Destroy the Flame Sword, capable of unleashing fiery dragons? The Ice Blade? Even the peerless invisible sword?
Amanda remained unfazed, as if this were all for Yang Hao’s benefit.
Stunned for a moment, Yang Hao sighed inwardly and rushed to save his swords. But it was too late—the craftsman had already tossed them into the furnace like trash.
The mental connection between Yang Hao and his swords vanished instantly.
“Madness! Absolute madness!” Yang Hao exploded in fury. This wasn’t sword-forging—it was revenge for his divided affections.
Amanda watched blankly as Yang Hao shot toward the furnace like a wisp of smoke, bypassing the winding stairs entirely. She couldn’t understand his distress—weren’t they just swords? And wouldn’t he get a better one soon?
But she had no idea how crucial those swords were. Yang Hao’s two greatest strokes of luck were meeting Hunyuanzi and finding those five swords. They resonated with him perfectly, matching his skills flawlessly. If destroyed, where would he find such perfect weapons again?
By the time Yang Hao reached the top, all that remained in the furnace was a pool of molten metal. The Primordial Flame, combined with two hundred nuclear flamethrowers, had reduced his swords to liquid in an instant. Even Elder Council swords wouldn’t survive this furnace—only divine artifacts could emerge unscathed.
Amanda joined him, pleased with the results. “Add the materials,” she ordered.
Cranes dumped tons of minerals, herbs, and liquids into the furnace, yet the flames didn’t waver. The molten mass bubbled violently, indifferent to the additions.
Then Yang Hao saw something that nearly stopped his heart.
Amanda was flipping through her book. Like an apprentice who’d forgotten the steps, she muttered, “It should work like this… Why isn’t it working?”
Try again? There were no more swords left to try with.
But Amanda treated them with complete nonchalance, tossing them casually to a senior technician.
Hao Yang had no idea what Amanda was scheming in her mind. As he followed her toward the enormous cauldron furnace, he listened to her recount the difficulties in constructing this monstrous contraption.
Amanda wasn’t just playing around. Her family was one of the original seven great artisans, specializing in forging techniques. Although later generations, like Steve, had shifted into politics, the family still had a strong foundation. Ever since Hao Yang had asked Amanda to build the first pill cauldron, she had memorized its design and, upon returning home, scoured her ancestors’ heirlooms. She eventually found an ancient book.
This book was called *The Chronicles of the Sword Furnace*, the author unknown. It was believed to be written by an ancient sword-forging master, containing various forging techniques and biographies of legendary swordsmiths.
Using the methods described in *The Chronicles of the Sword Furnace*, Amanda constructed a gigantic sword-forging furnace. According to legend, this furnace had originally been created by the ancient sword-forging couple Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. Gan Jiang once tried to forge a sword for the King of Wu but couldn’t melt the celestial iron until Mo Ye sacrificed herself by jumping into the furnace, finally allowing the sword to be completed.
Although Amanda had followed the ancient methods precisely, Hao Yang remained skeptical. Could people nowadays really recreate those legendary swords? In the age of space exploration, forging technology had advanced, but it was mostly used for large-scale construction and spacecraft. Cold weapon forging had become rare.
Although the Ten Sword Sect remained the backbone of the imperial military, the swords used by its disciples were fairly ordinary, not much different from the standard issue swords of imperial officers. These common alloy swords could cut through metal like butter, but if too much energy was channeled into them, they would easily break.
But if a sword couldn’t channel energy, what use would it be? The reason cold weapons could rival firearms was the energy infused within. Thus, the quality of swords had always been a major concern for the Ten Sword Sect. However, as the military arm of the Senate, the sect’s direct disciples could still obtain precious swords granted by the Senate.
These swords were crafted by senators specializing in sword forging. Not only were the materials rare, but each sword also carried unique elemental attributes, allowing the disciples to easily execute their sect’s sword techniques.
Receiving a sword from the Senate was a symbol of recognition for aristocratic youths, and their martial prowess would skyrocket as a result.
In such a short time, Hao Yang had managed to defeat powerful enemies repeatedly, not only because of his growing strength but also due to the five flying swords he had obtained by chance. Without those swords, which could rival the Senate’s finest, Hao Yang probably wouldn’t have survived even once.
Amanda had invested heavily just to compete with Ling Ziyun. She had spent billions constructing this enormous sword-forging furnace, mobilized the Seven Great Artisans, and even transported a massive amount of ore from the Bear Star. Combined with the resources from the Three Crystal Sea, she had gathered all the necessary materials for forging a sword.
The only thing missing was the raw material.
“Why are you doing all this for me?” Hao Yang, understanding everything, felt deeply moved but also guilty. He couldn’t offer Amanda any promises. On one hand, he had already acknowledged Shi Ming’ai as his wife, and on the other, Ling Ziyun had become pregnant with his child.
“That’s why I want to forge you a sword.” Amanda seemed to read his thoughts. “I can’t do much else, but I must create a peerless sword for you to carry at all times, so you won’t forget me.”
“Huh?” Hao Yang’s scalp prickled. This was so typical of Amanda.
“Mo Ye was willing to sacrifice her life for sword forging,” Amanda declared, treating the ancient swordswoman as her idol. “I will also imprint my soul into the sword. Ling Ziyun may carry your child, but you will always carry my sword with you.”
By this point, Amanda had made up her mind, and the sword-forging furnace was already built. What could Hao Yang say? He just found it strange—why take his favorite flying swords?
When he asked Amanda, she treated the question as perfectly normal.
“The ancient book says forging a supreme sword requires celestial iron. Where am I supposed to find that? Alloys probably won’t work either, so I’ll just use your swords as the raw material.” Amanda said casually, “Melt them in the furnace, and we can forge a new sword.”
“What?!”
“What?!”
Both Hao Yang and Hun Yuanzi roared in shock. Melt the swords?
“Don’t worry!” Amanda’s eyes shone with reassurance. “It’s not for making aphrodisiac pills.”
“Then what is it for?” Yang Hao eyed the massive, towering structure in the distance, its shell glowing red from the billowing smoke. “You don’t expect me to stand inside and cultivate into an immortal, do you?”
“If you dare step inside, you’ll definitely be burned to death.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Yang Hao felt Amanda was underestimating him. “I’m already a Grand Swordsman now.”
“Grand Swordsman?” Amanda stared at Yang Hao in disbelief. She couldn’t fathom how, in just half a year, the same Yang Hao who had been bullied at school had suddenly become a Grand Swordsman. Even in the entire empire, Grand Swordsmen were rare—most were either family heads or leaders of swordsman regiments. Still, Amanda insisted, “Even if you were a Sword Saint, stepping into my cauldron would still burn you to death because…”
“Because it contains the Primordial Flame!” Hunyuanzi cut straight to the answer. “The Primordial Flame is the origin of all fire and the best energy for forging. With this, not just people—there’s probably nothing in this world it can’t reduce to ashes.”
“Correct.” Amanda clapped her hands with a smile. “If it weren’t for the high-temperature-resistant alloy shell I found, the cauldron itself would have melted first.”
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Yang Hao was baffled. If the cauldron wasn’t for making pills, then what?
“I’m going to help you… forge a sword!”
“Forge a sword?”
“Mm-hmm.” Amanda held out her hand. “Where are your swords?”
Trusting her instinctively, Yang Hao handed over his four flying swords. Apart from the Sword Heart still with Maya, he had the Flame Sword, Ice Blade, Wind Splitter, and another rarely used white flying sword—his most reliable weapons and the reason he was still alive today.
But Amanda treated them like nothing special, casually tossing them to a master craftsman.
Yang Hao had no idea what she was planning. As he followed Amanda toward the enormous cauldron furnace, she explained the difficulties of constructing this monstrous contraption.
Amanda wasn’t just fooling around. Her family was one of the original Seven Great Craftsmen, specializing in forging techniques. Though her ancestor Steve had later turned to politics, the family still retained its legacy. After Yang Hao had her build the first cauldron, Amanda had memorized its design and later dug through her ancestors’ relics, eventually discovering an ancient book.
The book, titled *Records of the Sword Furnace*, was authored by an unknown master swordsmith from antiquity. It detailed various sword-forging techniques and biographies of legendary smiths.
Using the methods from the book, Amanda built this colossal sword-forging furnace—reportedly inspired by the legendary couple Ganjiang and Moye, who had created a similar furnace in ancient times. According to legend, when Ganjiang struggled to melt the celestial iron for the King of Wu, his wife Moye sacrificed herself by leaping into the furnace, allowing the sword to be forged.
Though Amanda followed the ancient methods faithfully, Yang Hao remained skeptical. Could modern people really recreate the divine swords of old? In this era of space travel, forging techniques had advanced—but mostly for constructing buildings and starships. Few still mastered the art of crafting cold weapons.
While the Ten Sword Schools remained the backbone of the empire’s military, their disciples wielded fairly ordinary swords, no different from standard-issue officer blades. These alloy swords could slice through iron, but if overloaded with force, they’d shatter.
And what use was a sword that couldn’t channel power? The advantage of cold weapons over firearms lay in the energy they could harness. The Ten Sword Schools had long struggled with this issue, though their elite disciples were granted superior blades forged by the Senate’s master smiths.
These Senate-forged swords were made from rare materials and imbued with unique attributes, allowing their wielders to unleash their school’s techniques effortlessly. Receiving such a sword was a mark of recognition for noble heirs, instantly elevating their combat prowess.
Yang Hao’s survival against overwhelming odds had relied not just on his growing strength but also on the five flying swords he’d acquired by chance. Without those weapons—comparable to the Senate’s finest—he’d have died countless times over.
To compete with Ling Ziyan, Amanda had spared no expense. She spent billions constructing this furnace, enlisted the Seven Great Craftsmen, and shipped in rare ores from Saint Bear Star, supplementing them with local minerals from Three Crystal Sea.
The only thing missing was the raw material.
“Why go to such lengths for me?” Yang Hao was genuinely moved but also burdened with guilt. He couldn’t offer Amanda any promises—he’d already acknowledged Shi Ming’ai as his wife, and Ling Ziyan was now carrying his child.
“That’s why I’m forging you a sword.” Amanda seemed to read his thoughts. “There’s little else I can do, but I’ll make you a blade like no other. As long as you carry it, you’ll never forget me.”
“Ah?” Yang Hao’s scalp prickled—this was classic Amanda.
“Moye gave her life to forge a sword.” Amanda had taken the ancient legend as her inspiration. “I’ll do the same—imprint my soul into the blade. Ling Ziyan may have your child, but you’ll carry my sword with you always.”
With the furnace already built and Amanda’s mind made up, Yang Hao had no choice but to go along. Still, he wondered: Why take his trusted flying swords if the goal was to forge a new one?
To Amanda, the answer was obvious.
“The ancient texts say celestial iron is needed to forge divine swords. Where would I find that? Alloys wouldn’t cut it, so I figured I’d just use your swords as material.” She shrugged. “Melt them down, and we’ll have what we need.”
“What?!”
Yang Hao and Hunyuanzi roared in unison. *Melt his swords?!*
Destroy the Flame Sword—the blade that could unleash meters-long fiery waves and execute the Dragon Flame technique?
Destroy the Ice Blade, or worse, the peerless Invisible Sword?!
Amanda acted as if this were the most natural thing in the world, as if she were doing Yang Hao a favor.
For a few seconds, Yang Hao stood frozen, then sighed in despair. Without another word, he rushed to reclaim his swords. But it was too late—the craftsman had already carried them to the furnace’s summit. Before Yang Hao could shout *”Stop!”*, the man casually tossed them in like garbage.
The mental connection between Yang Hao and his swords vanished instantly.
“Madness! Absolute madness!!” Yang Hao erupted in fury. This wasn’t sword-forging—it was Amanda’s revenge for his divided affections!
Amanda watched blankly as Yang Hao shot toward the furnace like a streak of smoke, bypassing the winding iron staircase entirely. She didn’t understand his panic—they were just swords, and soon he’d have an even better one.
But she had no idea how much those blades meant to him. Yang Hao’s two greatest strokes of luck were meeting Hunyuanzi and finding those five swords. They resonated with his will, their attributes perfectly complementing his skills. If they were lost, where would he ever find such perfect weapons again?
By the time Yang Hao reached the top, it was too late. Peering into the furnace’s maw, he saw no trace of his swords—only a seething pool of molten metal.
Between the Primordial Flame and two hundred nuclear flamethrowers, the heat was so intense that even the Senate’s finest blades would have melted instantly. At the heart of all flames, almost nothing could remain intact—unless it was a divine artifact.
Amanda joined him atop the furnace. While Yang Hao stared despondently at the molten metal below, she seemed pleased with the results and waved to her subordinates. “Add the materials.”
Cranes swung into action, dumping tons of minerals, herbs, and liquids into the furnace. Yet the flames didn’t waver—the contents simply bubbled into a churning, crimson broth.
Then Yang Hao witnessed something that nearly stopped his heart.
Amanda *opened her book*. Like a forgetful apprentice, she began flipping through the ancient text, muttering, “It should work like this… Hmm, why isn’t it…?”
*Try again?* Where would he find another set of flying swords for her to ruin?
Destroy the Frost Blade and even the world-renowned invisible sword?
Amanda remained completely composed, as if everything she did was for Hao Yang’s benefit.
Hao Yang stood frozen for a few seconds, then sighed bitterly. Without another word, he rushed to retrieve his swords. Alas, they had already been taken by the technician to the very top of the furnace. Before Hao Yang could shout for mercy, the technician flung them into the furnace like trash.
The mental connection between Hao Yang and his swords was instantly severed.
“Crazy! Absolutely crazy!!” Hao Yang exploded with rage. This wasn’t forging a sword—it was pure revenge for his divided affections.
Amanda watched in shock as Hao Yang shot up toward the top of the furnace like a wisp of smoke, not even bothering with the iron staircase spiraling upward. She couldn’t understand why he was so upset. It was just a few swords, and better ones would be forged soon.
But she had no idea how precious those flying swords were to Hao Yang. His two greatest fortunes in life were meeting Hun Yuanzi and discovering those five swords. Those swords not only resonated with his mind but also perfectly matched the techniques he had learned. Without them, where could he find such perfect weapons?
Hao Yang rushed up but was too late. Peering into the furnace from the top opening, he saw no swords—only a pool of molten red metal.
With the Primordial Flame and two hundred nuclear flame jets, the heat was so intense that the swords had melted in an instant. Not even the Senate’s finest swords could withstand this furnace. Under the heat of the source of all flames, practically nothing could resist melting. If anything could emerge unscathed, it would have to be a divine artifact.
Amanda followed him up. Hao Yang stood staring at the molten iron at the bottom of the furnace, heartbroken and speechless. But Amanda was pleased with what had happened. She waved at her subordinates and said, “Add the materials.”
Immediately, the cranes swung into action, dumping tons of minerals, herbs, and liquids into the furnace. Yet the flames at the bottom of the furnace didn’t weaken in the slightest. No matter how much was thrown in, it was just another bubbling pot of red soup.
At that moment, Hao Yang witnessed a scene that made his heart shatter.
Amanda actually started flipping through the book. Like an apprentice who couldn’t remember the forging method, she began searching through her ancient tome, muttering, “It should be like this… right? Why isn’t it working…”
Another attempt? What flying swords were left for another attempt?
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