I'm Shenji, what are you doing?

"The noise is so annoying. Don't you know that quenching is the most critical step?"

Amidst impatient complaints, a man—well, he could be considered an old man for the time being—came out.

The man's beard and hair were gray, and his voice could be considered old. But apart from that, there is nothing about the man that can be called an old man.

His face was rosy and rosy. Although he had a sense of vicissitudes of life, there were no wrinkles that an old man should have. His facial features were similar to Shirou's, but more mature.

The figure is similar, with well-defined muscles and strong lines, and looks full of strength. But this time, no one will find it strange. Forging knives is a physical job, and without enough strength, it is impossible to make a good knife.

In terms of clothing, the old man wore an extra red arm guard on his left hand than Shirou. Based on the old man's previous words, he probably just came down from the stove and hadn't had time to take it off yet. This also explained the reason why the two of them were sweating while wearing so little clothing - the temperature near the forge was too high, and they would die from the heat if they wore too much clothing.

"There are really so many wild beasts. It's just the right time to use them to test the knife."

The white-haired old man who walked into the courtyard glanced at the dark area outside the courtyard and the heavily surrounded disciples. His expression was cold, as if he was surrounded by a bunch of chickens and dogs and was not worth mentioning.

With a twist of his wrist, he turned the knife held behind his back to the front. If there were no accidents, this should be the latest work he wanted to complete even if he let his apprentice guard the door.

"Shirou, get down!"

Hearing a low shout from the old man, the surrounded red-haired boy lay down without hesitation, completely regardless of how many beasts were surrounding him or how dangerous the situation was. It was obvious that he had absolute confidence in his master.

The master did not disappoint his disciple's expectations. The moment Shirou lay down, the old man took a step forward and gently waved his sword.

Shiki's expression immediately changed.

She is also considered to be one of the top masters in Japan's mysterious world, and her swordsmanship has reached the level of "One-no-Tachi" that countless people dream of. But even so, she still didn't see clearly what the sword was about.

Those shining iridescent eyes reflected only one movement, taking a step and swinging the knife.

Then all the monsters inside and outside the fence had their throats cut, and they all fell to the ground before they could even scream.

The old man also came to the disciple's side at the moment he put away the knife. The way and trajectory of his movement were also impossible to capture.

Shirou, who was lying on the ground, put his hands on the ground and bounced up. He looked at the master with joy - er, the sword in his hand, and said excitedly: "Master, this is your latest work. It's so powerful. It's not even the legendary magic sword." That’s it.”

The old man scolded mercilessly: "Ignorant brat, don't use the name Qianzi Muramasa with this immature look. I can't afford to disgrace that man - this is not a magic sword, this is a failure, and it's the same as the one on the ground." Like this pile of broken iron pieces."

"Failed product? When I came out, you said everything went well. Why did it become a failed product now? And I can't see any failure in your trial beheading just now." Shirou pinched his chin and kept leaning forward. He almost put his face on the knife.

"You can't tell if you look at it this way. You'll understand if you try to hold it." The old man turned the handle of the knife and handed it to Shirou.

The moment his fingers touched the handle of the knife, Shirou's expression suddenly changed, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying, his cheeks twitched, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"This, this, this, this, this, this, this - the magic knife?"

"Yes, this is a great artifact that has arrived in the Demon Realm, which is what the world usually calls the Demon Sword."

Upon hearing his master's words, Shirou quickly shook his hand, trying to throw away the knife in his hand. But no matter how hard he shook his hand, he couldn't throw it away. He used his other hand to break it off, but the other hand also got on it, which made him jump around in anxiety.

"Master, Master, what on earth is going on?"

"Didn't I tell you that this is a magic sword. The karma wrapped around it will corrode the body and mind of the person holding the sword. You can't throw it away even if you want to." The old man still looked calm.

"What should we do?" Shirou became even more anxious.

"That's it."

As the old man said this, he stretched out two fingers to clamp the blade. No matter how hard he exerted force, the knife that was stuck to Shirou's hand flew out and fell accurately into the knife barrel behind the fence.

"Master is so amazing." Shirou marveled.

"There is nothing powerful or not. Whether it is a magic sword or a magic sword, a swordsmith who cannot control his own sword is not a qualified swordsmith. Kid, if you want to inherit the name of Qianzi Muramasa, you still have a lot to learn. You and I Being able to meet each other in this world is considered a fate, so work hard."

"Yes, Master. By the way, Master, why did this sword turn into a magic sword?"

"Maybe it's because of these black-skinned beasts." The old man kicked the corpse on the ground casually, "Well... the smell of corruption and death. This is not a normal life, but a monster that has been distorted by something. That's them. It affected the final quenching and led the knife to the demonic realm - do you remember what I said to you before?"

"Remember." Shirou nodded, "Tempering is the life of a swordsmith and the most critical step in making a sword. Heaven, earth, and man are indispensable."

"This is what's wrong with the ground."

"That's it." Shirou's mood dropped.

"I'm very sorry, because we..." Wei Na quickly apologized to the master and apprentice.

"It's nothing. When you forge a sword, you look at people, and when you make a sword, you look at the sky. It should have become a 'magic sword'. Even without you, there would be other factors interfering." The old man was still neither sad nor happy, and there was a look of indifference in his plain eyes. Worldly open-mindedness.

"Hey, is this knife really a failure? The aura on it is completely different from other knives."

Shiki suddenly spoke. Since just now, she has been standing by the knife barrel, staring at the newly fallen "magic knife". Even if her daughter went to apologize, she remained motionless.

"The little girl is quite beautiful, why don't you listen to what others say?" The old man mocked a little bit harshly, "Indeed, this knife is very special. It can cut through all things that are tangible and intangible. But I I have already said that it is a magic knife. It is not something that normal life should touch. What else can it be if it is not a failure? If you touch it randomly, you may suffer backlash at any time. You don’t want to be next to death, right?"

"That just suits me. I have been living next to death for many years and I have long been used to it. If you don't want it, just give me the knife. I can feel it calling me."

Shi said, stretching out his hand to the magic sword that was located in the center of the knife barrel and looked like the king of swords.

The targeted magic knife made an uncharacteristically piercing shudder. As soon as his fingers touched the handle, it bounced away, leaving a trail of bright red drops rolling down.