Magic Chef of Ice and Fire

The man in black grudgingly said, "I've grown old. Although my skills have improved with experience, my physical strength has declined. I no longer have the energy to gather high-quality materials or craft excellent weaponry. Throughout my life, the work I am most proud of is the Righteous Sun imbued with fire magic power I created for you. It's regrettable that I crafted only one satisfactory knife in my lifetime. Since you want a look see, come with me. Let your chubby apprentice choose one randomly to make do with." Saying this, he turned and headed towards the room behind the counter.

Nian Bing and Cha Ji walked around the counter and followed the old man in black into the room. As soon as they entered, Nian Bing's brain experienced another wave of dizziness. The Ice-Snow Goddess stone's fluctuations were more intense this time. The chilling cold was so strong that even he, who practiced ice magic, struggled to bear it. Subconsciously, he touched the gemstone in his chest.

Cha Ji remarked, "Such strong murderous intent. It is well-deserved that you are the continent's number one God Zhu."

The man in black went to the side cabinet, opened the door, and said, "These are the seven knives I have left. Choose whichever you fancy. I will give you each for one hundred."

Seven knives without scabbards hung in the cabinet, each with a unique design. Under the illumination of the oil lamp, they radiated chilling light. A faint cold air swirled. The sharp edges of the seven knives flickered with a faint blue light that was both antique and flawless. As the cabinet door was opened, Nian Bing's gaze inadvertently landed on the knife on the far left. He stared at it without blinking. This knife was the plainest and the shortest amongst the seven. Lit by the oil lamp, it didn't reflect any light. Its blade was dull and about a foot long. It was uniformly black and had an aesthetically pleasing streamlined shape. Its blade was straight with a slightly raised tip, and its width is about two inches. Its blade appears to be very thick. What attracted Nian Bing to the knife was entirely due to its aura — a feeling from within his heart as if the knife belonged to him. The chill from the Ice-Snow Goddess stone intensified, as if it was summoning something.

Nian Bing robotically walked over to the cabinet. Just as Cha Ji was about to stop him, he was halted by the old man in black. "The knife is for his usage after all. Let him choose. Hmm, it seems like this young man has a good taste in knives. He's already made his decision." Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly noticed Nian Bing reaching for the knife on the far left of the cabinet. Surprised, he exclaimed in a soft voice.

Cha Ji knew very well that the quality of the seven knives varied. With all priced the same, selection is crucial. Seeing his chubby apprentice selecting the most unassuming knife, he couldn't help but inwardly curse and turned to look at the old man in black. He thought his old friend would surely wear a triumphant look at this point. However, he was surprised by the expression on the old man's face. Right now, the old man in black was staring wide-eyed at Nian Bing's hand, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but words failed him.

Nian Bing wasn't tall. He held the tip of the knife and lifted it up, plucking the unassuming knife from its place. As soon as the knife landed in his hand, Nian Bing felt an immediate chill, which made him feel satisfied. However, the magical fluctuations within his body intensified. Holding the threaded hilt, he noted a diamond-shaped hole in the hilt. As Nian Bing touched it, he could distinctly feel his body's Ice Magic power somehow connected to the knife. Without him making it so, the ice magic power naturally flowed into the knife, causing the entire knife to emit a faint blue glow.

"Master, I'll take this one," Nian Bing said, casually waving the short knife around, and bringing about glimmers of faint blue light. The room's temperature appeared to drop a few degrees.

Seeing the glowing knife and the expression on the old man's face, Cha Ji burst out laughing. "You chubby kid, it seems you've accidentally chosen well. Little Broken Knife, we'll take this one."

The man in black stared at Nian Bing in surprise. Suddenly, he zipped forward. His speed was akin to lightning, arriving in front of Nian Bing in a blink. He reached out to grab the short blade from Nian Bing's hand.

Nian Bing jumped in fright. Almost instinctively, he flipped the knife in his left hand to face the old man in black. The chilly aura was released from it. However, his left hand, after all, wasn't as well-trained as his right. Feeling a lightness in his hand, he realized the knife had landed in the old man's black hands. Dumbfounded, Nian Bing asked, "Senior, what are you doing?"

Cha Ji walked up to Nian Bing and put his hand on his shoulder, saying, "Little Broken Knife, you can't be unwilling to part with it already. What kind of knife is this?"

Gently stroking the blade, the old man in black heaved a sigh of regret, "Honestly, I didn't expect your chubby apprentice to choose this one. This is the worst of the seven knives!"

Cha Ji frowned, saying, "A knife that emits strange light, how can it be inferior? If you don't want to part with it, we can forget it. I wouldn't want to force anything on you."

The elderly man in black protested impatiently, "Do you think it's because I can't bear to part with it? There's never been a time when what I, God Zhu Hua Tian, says doesn't count. Since I said to let you choose, whatever you choose it shall be. This knife is indeed the worst among the seven. Moreover, it's also the only one I didn't forge. The reason it emits light is because of your disciple. If I'm not mistaken, your disciple should be practicing Ice Magic, otherwise, it's impossible to draw out the knife's radiance. Old Gui, I didn't expect you to actually have cultivated a mage's descendant."

Cha Ji laughed in a he-he manner and said, "It's just a matter of fate. If it's inferior, let it be. Anyway, you said that Nian Bing is young and can replace it in the future."

The elderly man in black said, "I haven't finished. Although this knife is the worst among the seven, it can also be said to be the best. Even I can't fully grasp its temperament. Initially, this cold knife was acquired from a destitute scholar, costing me only one gold coin. The knife body is built from a special mineral, extremely tenacious, the most unique aspect is its inherent cold, if it is excited by Ice Magic or cold Fighting Qi, it will emit the same kind of light as before, but do you know why I say it's the worst? Because this knife is soulless."

"Soulless?" Nian Bing and Cha Ji echoed in unison. Their eyes were filled with confusion.

The elderly man, Hua Tian, said: "Exactly, this knife is soulless. Fatty, can you guess how old I am this year?"

Nian Bing, who had been waiting for the elderly man to explain, subconsciously replied to his change of topic, "You? You should be a bit older than my master."

Hua Tian laughed heartily, "Fatty, you are kind, if it were anyone else, they would probably say that I am at least a decade older than your master. But actually, I am three years younger than your master. I practiced Douqi from a young age, and under normal circumstances, I should age much slower than ordinary people. However, at this point, I look twenty years older than my actual age. Do you know why? It's because when I forge, I use blood essence as a soul, which is absorbed into the weapon. This practice has cost me greatly, turning me into what I am now. This cold knife, on the other hand, has no knife-soul induced by blood essence, a soulless knife, regardless of how good the material is, can never reach the supreme realm. So, although its material is the best, the quality is the worst."

Cha Ji said, "With your forging skills, you could just re-forge this knife, give it a soul and it would become a supreme piece, wouldn't it?"

Hua Tian gave a bitter smile, "If you can think of it, how can't I? But despite multiple attempts, even using Jiu Li Heavenly Fire, I couldn't melt this knife. How am I supposed to re-forge it then? My knowledge of metals has not helped in identifying where it came from, so I could only keep it. If it's soulless, so be it. You guys will use it as a kitchen knife anyway. This knife is sharp enough to cut iron like mud, let alone vegetables. Just be careful not to cut the chopping board." As he spoke, he handed the knife back to Nian Bing.

Nian Bing took the knife, the sensation of merging with his body appearing once again, "Predecessor, is there no way to give it a knife's soul?"

Hua Tian said, "It's not that there are no ways. If you could find a gem with spiritual nature to inlay in the hole of the knife handle, using the stone as the soul, it might work. The result of such might even be better. However, if it's not a top tier gem, it would just be a burden after being inlaid."

An idea struck Nian Bing's mind, the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone was diamond-shaped, isn't it? The size seemed to match the hole in the knife handle. After hesitating for a moment, he took out the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone from his bosom, and said, "Predecessor, would this do?" As soon as the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone appeared, the entire room suddenly lit up with a faint blue radiance. The cold knife made a slight ding sound and surprisingly, it began to tremble slightly in Nian Bing's hand as if it had come alive. The Ice-Snow Goddess Stone usually emitted such radiance, but it was never as bright as today. The stone and the knife resonated with each other, as if they were calling out to each other.