Being called over by Master Jack, Shi Feng was slightly surprised.
"Young man, would you allow me to take a look at that sword?" Master Jack looked at Shi Feng, his eyes filled with intense desire, his tone no longer aloof but somewhat deferential.
"This..." Shi Feng hadn't expected a grandmaster blacksmith to make such a request on his own initiative, leaving him momentarily at a loss.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
The value of a demonic weapon was self-evident, let alone a master-forged blade. Such a sword was the lifelong goal of any blacksmith. Seeing one would naturally spark the desire to examine it.
Seeing Shi Feng's hesitation, Master Jack spoke again. "Rest assured, I only need to look for a moment. And it won't be for free—name your terms."
Hearing this, Shi Feng was overjoyed.
This was a grandmaster blacksmith!
Any equipment he casually forged was Mithril-grade at worst, or even Mythril-grade. And all he asked for was to look at the sword.
Shi Feng agreed without hesitation, handing the Abyssal Sword directly to Master Jack.
NPCs couldn't snatch items from players, so he had no fear that Master Jack would take the sword. He could look as much as he wanted. Afterwards, Shi Feng could ask for a Mythril-grade one-handed sword and finally unleash a swordsman's true power.
Master Jack held the Abyssal Sword, which looked like a simple fire poker, marveling at its intricate craftsmanship and exclaiming over its formidable power. After more than ten minutes, he reluctantly returned it to Shi Feng.
"Young man, this is a good sword of immense power. However, the curse upon it is exceedingly wicked. The more you try to harness its power, the stronger the curse becomes. Ultimately, it will plunge the wielder into an endless abyss. With your current strength, mastering this sword is too difficult. It's very easy for the curse to consume you," Master Jack said earnestly.
Shi Feng naturally knew this; otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated for so long before finally having no choice but to bind the Abyssal Sword to himself.
"Master Jack, is there any way to weaken the curse?" Shi Feng asked.
Although he knew of some methods, he currently lacked the ability to execute them.
"Young man, you must understand, this sword was forged by the famous artisan Ollix. In the entire Divine Domain, there is only one, and at most thirty-five others can rival its quality. To grant these master swords unparalleled power, countless terrifying entities had to be slain. These beings are far more formidable than you can imagine. The power they left upon death was utilized by the master artisans and sealed within the swords. Without tremendous strength, suppression is impossible," Master Jack said with profound reverence, then smiled. "However, there is a way to weaken this curse."
"What method is that?" Shi Feng asked quickly.
"To suppress this immense power, a similarly powerful force is required. The power sealed in the sword is a curse. To weaken it, one needs sufficient fortune," Master Jack sighed. "On the Divine Continent, there are certain stones that have gathered the Domain's good luck. These are known as Lucky Stones. With a Lucky Stone, one can counteract this curse. Although these stones can be found anywhere across the continent, those who obtain them are exceedingly rare—even I have never seen one. Finding it is incredibly difficult. If you can locate this stone, I can help you weaken the sword's curse."
Looking at Shi Feng's stunned expression, Master Jack shook his head and consoled him. "Young man, you must know, Lucky Stones are extremely precious. It's perfectly normal not to find one, so don't be discouraged. After all, those who find a Lucky Stone are people blessed by heaven. We cannot compare."
"Master Jack, do you mean this stone?" Shi Feng took out the dark green Stardust Stone from his inventory and smiled faintly.
"Yes, that is the Lucky Stone..." Master Jack glanced at the dark green Stardust Stone and nodded, but soon froze, staring at Shi Feng as if looking at a monster.
Shi Feng shrugged, indicating it was nothing.
His earlier stunned reaction was because Master Jack could use a Lucky Stone to suppress the Abyssal Sword. In the Star-Moon Kingdom, there were many blacksmiths, but very few who could use a Lucky Stone to suppress a demonic weapon's curse—less than one hand's worth. He hadn't expected Master Jack to be one of them.
"Master Jack, can you weaken the curse now?" Shi Feng asked expectantly.
After a long moment, Master Jack finally regained his usual composure, feigning nonchalance. "Hm, no problem. Half an hour should do it."
Nearby, Heizi covered his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh. But Master Jack's astonished reaction was too much for him to hold back, and he ran into the woods to laugh loudly.
Half an hour later, Shi Feng took back the Abyssal Sword and noticed that its description had changed.
A master sword handcrafted by the famous artisan Ollix using a Black Dragon King's fang as material. It is one of the Divine Domain's thirty-six legendary swords, ranked thirty-first. However, this sword bears the Black Dragon King's curse. Besides granting the wielder astonishing power, it periodically backlashes against its holder. Thanks to Master Jack's modification, which incorporated Stardust Stone, the backlash force has been greatly diminished. If the wielder cannot suppress the backlash, they will be cursed by the Black Dragon King, suffering a permanent 50% reduction in all attributes. The item cannot be dropped or traded.
Reading this description, Shi Feng felt significantly relieved. At least for the time being, the backlash wouldn't be too severe.
Shi Feng put away the Abyssal Sword and suddenly noticed that Jimo Ruxue had sent many messages, all asking why he hadn't arrived yet and how much longer he would take to reach the Silent Forest.
"Heizi, let's go clear the dungeon," Shi Feng replied directly, saying he would arrive shortly.