Chapter 648: 648: Official Sword Array Master
“You are holding the talisman knife very stably!” Sun Changlin said in astonishment.
Song Jian’s mouth curled up slightly, his formation skills were much higher than anyone had imagined. He only revealed a little, and it had already shocked the junior Sword Array Master.
The Sword Stone in Song Jian’s hand kept flashing, and inside, it seemed as if there was a small silver fish swimming constantly.
“Fine gold!” Song Jian whispered.
Sun Changlin was stunned for a moment and then immediately realized. He took a wooden box from the shelf, opened it, and inside was golden powder as fine as sand.
Swish~
As if a breeze blew, a thin layer of the fine gold powder was scraped from the wooden box. It looked like a golden thread, rushing towards the transparent Sword Stone in Song Jian’s hand.
Sweat began to trickle down Song Jian’s forehead, making him appear very exhausted. However, in reality, forcing out sweat was even more laborious than making the simplest Sword Array Stone in his hand.
Dragging the creation process for almost one-third longer than usual, the Sword Stone in Song Jian’s hand suddenly burst out with a dazzling white light. The Sword Array was recorded, and a fresh Sword Array Stone was produced.
The silver talisman knife seemed like a stream of light, flying out of the Sword Array Stone and landing in the wooden box.
Song Jian seemed to be drained of strength as he collapsed into a chair, and the Sword Array Stone also fell from his hand and landed on the table.
Seeing Song Jian gasping for breath, Sun Changlin fell silent.
He could not remember how long it had taken him to finally make his first Sword Array Stone in his early days, but it was definitely much longer than Song Jian’s time.
Although Song Jian tried his best to hide it, many details revealed his proficiency in making Sword Array Stones.
“This guy must have made a Sword Array Stone before, even though it’s just the simplest Starlights Sword Array Stone.” Sun Changlin thought to himself.
Ordinary Sword Array Stones could only release one Sword Qi at a time, and based on the power of the Sword Qi, they were divided into Starlight, Moonlight, and Sunburn. The complete set of Seven Stars Sword Array Stones that Song Jian had successfully made earlier was even more powerful, capable of easily slaughtering a hundred-man squad.
“Not bad, not bad. Although it’s just the simplest Starlights Sword Array Stone, it can actually be triggered three times, which is considered a minor extreme quality.” Sun Changlin picked up the Sword Array Stone on the table and examined it carefully.
The originally transparent Sword Array Stone now had golden patterns within, like fine hairs. These patterns were like a spider web, wrapping around the entire Sword Array Stone.
With just one use of internal breath, such a Sword Array Stone could shoot out a Sword Qi towards the enemy. Moreover, the quality of the Sword Array Stone that Song Jian made was quite high. It could accumulate and trigger three Sword Qi’s before it would be scrapped.
“I originally wanted to teach you something, but I didn’t expect that you had already taught yourself to this level. It’s really amazing…” Sun Changlin looked at Song Jian with complex emotions.
Taking a porcelain bottle from his bosom, Song Jian took out a pill and stuffed it into his mouth. His face gradually regained its color. Hearing Sun Changlin’s praise, a smile appeared on Song Jian’s face.
“Alright, with this Sword Array Stone, you’re now considered a junior Sword Array Master. I’ll talk to the Hall Master and sign an official contract with you. From now on, you’ll be a formal member of the Sword Array Hall!” Sun Changlin said as he waved the Sword Array Stone in his hand.
Song Jian nodded slightly, still seemingly exhausted.
Sun Changlin knew the feeling of depleting one’s mental strength. He gave a few instructions and told Song Jian to go back and rest directly. Holding the freshly made Sword Array Stone, he went to find the Sword Array Hall Master.
It didn’t take long for the entire Sword Array Hall to learn that Song Jian, after only a little over a month of practice, could independently produce a Sword Array Stone, albeit the lowest ranked Starlight Sword Qi Array Stone.
…
“Song Jian, can you deal with this Sword Stone? There seems to be some purity issues. Every time it reaches the Qi attraction point, there’s some blockage.”
“Has the Jin Yanghua arrived yet? Send someone to urge them. We can’t afford to delay the Sect Leader’s task. Song Jian, go and remind them!”
Although he had become an official Sword Array Master, Song Jian’s displayed strength was limited to producing only one Starlight Sword Array Stone per day, which was too slow. As a result, most of the time, he was busy with miscellaneous tasks.
Despite this, many people were still amazed by Song Jian’s progress in learning Sword Array techniques.
As the days went by, Song Jian didn’t seem to be in a hurry to complete the second round of the assessment task. He knew that in this world, his strength could never break through to the first-tier Combat Power. Only by completing the assessment task and leaving this world would it be possible.
If he couldn’t break through, he would arouse suspicion from others sooner or later.
Three months later, Song Jian gradually revealed his true strength. Having previously only been able to make one Starlight Sword Array Stone per day, he could now, like the other Sword Array Masters in the Sword Array Hall, complete daily tasks. Song Jian took three months to reach this point. Although his progress was astounding, nobody had any suspicions about his performance when he and the other Sword Array Masters worked together to make Sword Array Stones.
One day, Song Jian was working on some blank Sword Stones at the public workbench in the main hall of the Sword Array Hall. At that moment, a figure walked in through the door of the Sword Array Hall.
“Everyone, this month’s task has arrived. The quantity of Sword Array Stones has increased by 25% compared to last month.” Master Song said with an uneasy expression.
“What, it increased again? In recent months, the task quantity has been increasing continuously. Our current tasks are more than double those of a few months ago…”
“Yes, recently, when I sleep every night, I feel a headache coming on. If this continues, I’m afraid my consciousness will suffer permanent damage…”
“Master, you must report this to the Sect Leader and the other elders. We can’t hold on much longer like this…”
Hearing that this month’s task had increased again, it immediately caused an uproar among the Sword Array Masters.
“There’s no other way. The conflicts within the Holy Yuan Secret Realm have intensified, and our disputes with the Red-sun Sect are growing. In the past month, there have been more than a dozen small-scale battles. Our fellow apprentices in the secret realm have a great demand for Sword Array Stones. Everyone, please hold on a little longer. The Sect Leader has already ordered that all your benefits will be doubled during this time, and once we defeat the Red-sun Sect, there will be rewards based on your contributions. Everyone’s efforts won’t go unrewarded!” Master Song comforted them.
The monthly tasks were determined by the higher-ups of the Qingyun Sword Sect, and the Sword Array Masters couldn’t resist. Their complaints now were merely a way to vent their frustrations. Upon hearing about the compensation, everyone quieted down, as continuing to make a fuss wouldn’t benefit them.
Song Jian smiled faintly. A month ago, he had noticed that many of the materials in the Qingyun Sword Sect, including pills, talisman paper, weapons, and equipment, had risen in price. In particular, the prices of auxiliary combat items like Sword Array Stones were increasing rapidly.
“It seems that the Qingyun Sword Sect is not the only dominating power. The key to destroying the Qingyun Sword Sect might be in this Holy Yuan Secret Realm…” Song Jian thought to himself.
…