Asking for fire

Gluttonous Beast City.

Within the city stood the prestigious First-Rank Sword Pavilion, built against the mountain cliff, sprawling and magnificent in scale. Yet, the true residence of its master was surprisingly humble—a simple wooden house nestled before the mountain.

Before the cliff stood a weathered middle-aged man, hands clasped behind his back. His hair was short and firm, his features sharp, his eyes deep and penetrating. He resembled a carved statue of stone, exuding an aura as solid as rock.

The very embodiment of a grandmaster’s demeanor.

This man was none other than Xu Kunwu, the revered swordsmith of Gluttonous Beast City, worshipped by all within.

Yet at this moment, a faint worry shadowed his eyes.

“Father, you called?” A young man in simple attire hurried over. His face bore some resemblance to Xu Kunwu’s, about thirty years old, with a plain and honest appearance and bright eyes.

He was Xu Kunwu’s only son, Xu Sui.

“Hm.” Xu Kunwu turned around and said, “Issue the order: all valuable materials, rare treasures, finished and unfinished swords in the Sword Pavilion must be hidden—no, better yet, transported elsewhere in the city for safekeeping. Just don’t lose anything. After some time, bring them back.”

“This…” Xu Sui was quite surprised. “Why? We still have dozens of swords in progress…”

“Stop everything for now. Resume only when the situation calms down. You don’t have any major tasks anyway; a pause won’t hurt,” Xu Kunwu said decisively.

“But why?” Xu Sui was clearly puzzled. “It sounds like we’re guarding against thieves…”

“Consider it guarding against thieves,” Xu Kunwu said solemnly.

“Huh?” Xu Sui was startled. “What kind of thief dares to steal from the First-Rank Sword Pavilion? They must want to die.”

“Stealing would be the better option. I’m truly afraid she’ll just take them by force…” Xu Kunwu’s eyes flickered, clearly haunted by some unpleasant memory.

“What exactly is going on?” Xu Sui was completely baffled. He couldn’t understand why his usually composed father suddenly acted as if disaster was imminent.

“Do you remember twenty years ago, I forged a sword called the Jingyang Sword?” Xu Kunwu asked.

“Of course I remember. It was one of the famous swords you forged,” Xu Sui said with pride shining in his eyes. “It was also the key achievement that established you among the top swordsmiths of our era.”

“At that time, the pure Yang refined iron was extremely rigid. I tried dozens of divine flames but could not melt it, almost failing at the last moment,” Xu Kunwu recalled. “Eventually, after much effort, I obtained a flame called the Samadhi True Fire and finally forged the Jingyang Sword.”

---

“Samadhi True Fire? Isn’t that something only royalty possesses…”

When the Jingyang Sword was created, Xu Sui was still very young and unaware of the details. Hearing his father now, he was surprised.

Immortal art, Samadhi True Fire.

The greatest flame in the world, the spirit of ten thousand fires. Only those with the divine fire fate among the five elemental spirits can cultivate such a celestial art. But the divine fire fate is an ancestral bloodline of the Xia family—the royal house of the Yu Dynasty.

In a land where gods and demons once roamed, the emperor could not be an ordinary mortal. The supreme ruler, even if not a peerless powerhouse, must at least have the qualification to be recognized by the heavens and earth.

Before the Yu Dynasty was founded, the Xia family was one of the three ancient immortal cultivation clans.

A prodigious cultivator could establish a sect, but not a clan, because a sect can select and nurture talents, while a clan cannot guarantee brilliance in every generation—unless the clan inherits some divine bloodline.

The three ancient immortal clans were the Xia family, inheritors of the divine fire fate; the Ji family, inheritors of the Xuanyuan Eye; and the Jiang family, inheritors of the immortal spiritual body.

Not every member of these families possessed such extraordinary traits, but each generation had at least one or several exceptional individuals.

Such physiques, if nurtured properly, could rival the greatest geniuses of the age and become the backbone of their clan. Only having such elite figures generation after generation could sustain an ancient clan to the present day.

Later, amidst chaos, the Xia family rose to power and established the Yu Dynasty, becoming the royal house. To this day, their ancestral decree states that only those inheriting the divine fire fate may be crown princes—ensuring the future emperors remain formidable.

Otherwise, if a nation's ruler is easily slain, the stability of the realm is at risk.

It is well known that only the Xia family has the divine fire fate, and only those with divine fire fate can cultivate the Samadhi True Fire. Yet as the royal family, the Xia had their own imperial city swordsmith, who had always been a rival to Xu Kunwu. Logically, the royal family would not lend aid to Xu Kunwu, who served Gluttonous Beast City.

“The Samadhi True Fire isn’t possessed only by the royal family,” Xu Kunwu shook his head. “I obtained mine from elsewhere, which is how I forged the Jingyang Sword. But… sigh, I owe a favor because of it.”

“Now…” He gazed toward the distant horizon, “that person is coming.”

...

“Borrowing fire?”

Chu Liang was taken aback.

“Yes. He once borrowed fire from me,” the Empress Phoenix said proudly.

---

Chu Liang truly didn’t know about this. In his mind, if the Empress Phoenix had connections, they were surely with enemies.

Could there be positive connections?

It was astonishing.

And it was Master Kunwu...

Today’s three great swordsmiths were Chen Buyan of the Zhongshan Sword Pavilion, an old-school swordsmith; Baili Tong of the Imperial City, swordsmith to the Yu royal family; and Xu Kunwu, the First-Rank Swordsmith of Gluttonous Beast City.

Chen’s school emphasized sword intent over materials—quietly nurturing the sword’s spirit in mysterious and unorthodox ways. Though rare and highly esteemed, he forged fewer than ten swords in his lifetime, making commissioning from him nearly impossible. Technically, he was universally recognized as the top swordsmith.

Baili, serving the royal family, enjoyed great honor and forged only for royalty and court officials.

Xu Kunwu, serving Gluttonous Beast City, also held a lofty position but was the only one catering to the market. Naturally, his prices were exorbitant.

So exorbitant that Chu Liang dared not even imagine.

When the Empress Phoenix mentioned that name, Chu Liang’s first reaction was disbelief—how could she dare? Was she planning to sell the land of Silver Sword Peak? Even that wouldn’t be enough; they’d have to work as tour guides at the gate for a hundred years.

Was borrowing fire really worth that much?

“Actually, it wasn’t out of friendship. I just wanted to spite some old codgers, so I helped him once,” the Empress Phoenix scratched her head and smiled. “Who knew he’d make it big and become a renowned swordsmith today? If I hadn’t been thinking about getting you a good sword that day, I might have forgotten all about it.”

“But Master, since you already have this connection, why borrow the Xiaoyun Ancient Sword? Why not just have Master Kunwu make us a fine sword directly?” Chu Liang wondered.

He thought Master Kunwu must have many finished flying swords. Choosing a good one for himself would surpass anything available at the Shu Mountain Sword Hall, which charged exorbitant prices. If so, why bother running around with the Xiaoyun Ancient Sword, insisting on having a replica forged?

“That would be too easy to settle,” the Empress Phoenix smiled slyly. “We’ve finally caught a toad; we must squeeze out every bit of its filth and waste…”