I Am Loaded with Passive Skills-Chapter 3389 - 1687: Defying the Hammer Twice, Striking the Old Knife, Elephant Dragon First Rank Admires the Present Day_3

Elder Sang focused as he touched the edge-curled butcher’s knife, lost in thought about something unknown.

The butcher’s knife was one foot in length, as long as a forearm, and as wide as a palm. It was larger than a standard butcher’s knife, like it was made for someone special.

“Other than Uncle Yang, has anyone else come to your blacksmith shop to order knives or other weapons?”

“Not really…”

Cao Erzhu scratched the back of his head, recalling, “The town doesn’t demand high-quality equipment, and I can complete most orders casually. It’s just a large quantity, nothing special.”

He knew Elder Sang was looking for something unique, so he added at the end, “Occasionally, my dad would assign me special orders. He always meets some customers without telling me beforehand.”

Customers…

Did such customers really exist, or were they even human?

Elder Sang smiled but didn’t ask about the “special orders.”

It wouldn’t take more than a moment to realize, from Cao Erzhu’s explanation, that trying to unravel it would likely be too cumbersome—and he might not understand anyway.

Besides, this was most likely Kui Leihan’s way of truly training Cao Erzhu. He cut to the chase and asked:

“Does it involve using the God Punishment Tribulation?”

Cao Erzhu’s jaw dropped, staring as if he’d seen a deity. “It does…”

“So you can’t use it fully?”

Cao Erzhu’s eyes widened like saucers, as though he’d seen a ghost. “Dad said to forge using the methods of cultivating the God Punishment Tribulation but not to unleash its full power…”

The Water Ghost glanced at Cao Erzhu, then at Elder Sang, rubbing his chin in amusement. Was this some kind of play?

Elder Sang seemed to have eyes on the back of his head, snorted a laugh, and glanced at the Water Ghost before finally saying:

“All the knives and weapons you’ve forged while simultaneously cultivating the God Punishment Tribulation—none has succeeded even once, right? Your dad always takes them away beforehand?”

“Perhaps it’s stuck at the last step. When you think it’s about to succeed, does he step in and reject it?”

Clang!

The iron hammer struck the ground.

Cao Erzhu abruptly pulled his hands to his sides, retreating in panic like a frightened bear.

His mouth opened into an “O” shape as he felt something surge from the bottom of his feet up to the top of his head. He couldn’t suppress it and waved his arms, booming out:

“Kings and lords, are they born with divine right?!!!”

“Huh?”

Not far away, Feng Yujin’s hand trembled, nearly ruining Mo Mo’s physique during her cultivation. He turned around in disbelief.

Forging iron, and it’s gotten so dramatic?

At the forging platform, Elder Sang wore a smug expression, while the Water Ghost, initially looking amused, was now equally stunned.

Both swallowed hard, and the Water Ghost couldn’t help but ask first:

“Who taught you to say that?”

“Big Brother Shou.”

“I mean, who taught you to use it like this?”

“Big Brother Shou.”

Xu Xiaoshou, are you insane?

The Water Ghost thought Xu Xiaoshou didn’t seem like that kind of person. Was he messing with this kid? If his dad found out…

“Kings and lords, are they born with divine right, isn’t meant to express shock.” Elder Sang softly corrected, shifting the topic:

“Do you know how to reforge?”

In Cao Erzhu’s eyes, Uncle Sang was already someone greater than Hallmaster Dao Qiongcang, the Divine Sorcerer.

He was one of those people who could win others over with just a few words.

Big Brother Shou had done it, and Big Brother Shou’s master had done it too.

That didn’t mean Cao Erzhu was a man so cheap he’d be impressed easily; it was because they were genuinely extraordinary!

“Yes!”

Cao Erzhu felt the elder was going to test him.

Of course, he knew how; after twenty years of forging, what didn’t he know?

Reforging was the process of taking a completed weapon that had flaws in craftsmanship or was damaged in battle, and putting it back into the forge to refine it to perfection.

That wasn’t difficult—Cao Erzhu had practiced countless times.

His gaze shifted to the curled butcher’s knife, eager and ready to impress.

Elder Sang smiled and shook his head, putting away the butcher’s knife. “Not this one.”

He picked up the broken blade of the tenth-grade spiritual sword, stacking its remains into a presentation. “This one.”

Cao Erzhu opened his mouth, hesitant. “This, I…”

“Can’t do it?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that I can’t…”

“Never tried?”

“Hmm, it’s not that I haven’t tried…”

“Never succeeded, so you lack the confidence, afraid to boast wildly?”

“Ah! Yes!”

Cao Erzhu felt an eerie satisfaction seeing his untold fears perfectly verbalized, which quickly turned into discomfort.

He mumbled, “It’s not that I lack confidence…”

Just as he was about to accept the broken tenth-grade sword to prove himself—and prove something to his dad—

Elder Sang flipped his hand and withdrew the broken sword, producing another blade instead: “Not that one, this one.”

Cao Erzhu’s gaze locked on immediately.

The sword was breathtaking—three feet and one inch long, entirely jade-white, with golden scales floating over the blade. It glimmered with two interleaved layers of colors, exuding supreme beauty.

Its hilt resembled white ivory, curling slightly at both ends. The design was bold yet functional, evidence of the swordsmith’s boundless creativity paired with practicality.

In terms of forging craftsmanship or spiritual quality, this sword could only be described as perfect.

The “perfect” in Cao Erzhu’s eyes!

Elder Sang glanced at him, smiling at his reaction, and said:

“Elephant Dragon, originally a sixth-grade spiritual sword, was refinished and successfully advanced to first-grade.”

“What?”

The Water Ghost looked thunderstruck.

Cao Erzhu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He had never succeeded in forging a spiritual weapon before, nor in reforging one, but he had seen others try.

Typically, weapons needing reforging had flaws, and under masterful hands, their rank might be preserved.

With skillful refinements, a weapon could progress slightly within its rank—for example, from lower sixth-grade to upper sixth-grade.

To advance by an entire rank, even by one increment, meant the sword had extreme spiritual quality and the swordsmith displayed unmatched mastery, without a single mistake during the process.

But…

Skipping two ranks? Cao Erzhu had never heard of it.

Much less from a sixth-grade Master-level sword straight to a first-grade spiritual sword, eligible to become a famed sword?

Uncle Sang must be joking.

A third-grade Sovereign-level sword.

Continuing upward to second-grade and first-grade depends entirely on the spiritual quality of the divine spirit.

Swords at these levels, nourished by fame, could indeed attain the status of a famed sword.

Of course, it was just eligibility.

The Singer of the Stars and Moon remained hidden until the owner’s death. It never became famous.

Qingju, renowned across the world, ultimately broke and was buried in the Burial Sword Tomb, forgotten by all.

As for this “Elephant Dragon”…

Never heard of it!

Elder Sang obviously hadn’t finished his story. He deliberately paused before continuing:

“During the Ten High Nobles’ era, Kui Leihan comprehended Penetrating Divine Senses. Later, Bazhun’an sought this insight. Cao refined Elephant Dragon to transcend Bazhun’an, stating: ‘Our paths differ; we should not seek the same. Intent rests within this sword; success or failure lies on heaven.'”

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“Bazhun’an observed Elephant Dragon and saw it destroyed, dropping to tenth-grade.”

“Bazhun’an observed Elephant Dragon again and found it revived, returning to sixth-grade.”

“Kui Leihan then reforged Elephant Dragon, advancing it to third-grade. This sword was gifted to Bazhun’an, eventually coming into my possession.”

“Twenty years later, Elephant Dragon reached first-grade.”