Chapter 379: Welcome to My Humble Abode!
Thirty-six Sword Orbs erupted outward in a devastating barrage, filling the air with the rhythmic, mechanical roar of blue flames spitting death.
The initial kinetic roar was deafening. The projectiles streaked forward at hundreds of feet per second, leaving a blurred trail of afterimages in their wake.
Once their flight paths stabilized, silvery-white Gengjin Sword Qi sprayed from the orbs. The razor-sharp energy crisscrossed into an oppressive net of overwhelming firepower, ruthlessly plowing through every conceivable angle and blind spot within a radius of several hundred feet.
For a moment, the isolated pocket dimension was consumed by the ear-piercing shriek of tearing air.
At this velocity, the naked eye of a Foundation Establishment cultivator would only register a blurry string of blue phantoms. Surviving this onslaught required predicting the trajectories purely through spiritual sense; a fraction of a second’s hesitation meant death before a defensive Spirit Weapon could even be activated.
Observing the destruction, Jiang Chen rubbed his chin. *The raw power is exceptional, but ejecting the Sword Orbs themselves is a glaring inefficiency.*
It was a passable stopgap measure, but it absolutely required future modification. The optimal design would keep the Sword Orbs and flying swords docked within the mechanism, turning them into stationary conduits that purely fired Sword Qi.
Acting on the thought, he channeled the Metal Spiritual Power from his dantian and beckoned toward the scattered projectiles.
A chorus of sharp whistles answered his call. The thirty-six projectiles—anchored by the core Bone Sword Orb—snapped back at blinding speed, locking back into the Sword Nest with a series of heavy, mechanical *clacks*.
He could still feel the blistering heat radiating from the metal.The gourd housed three layers of spiral air chambers, giving it a maximum payload of three consecutive volleys. Each barrage drained roughly one-tenth of his total Metal Spiritual Power reserves.
Jiang Chen weighed the weapon in his hand, assessing its heft. “Since this is just the first-generation prototype,” he muttered, “I’ll call it Sword Nest No. 1.”
He then bound the weapon to himself, leaving a dual imprint of his blood and spiritual sense. He might not need to deploy it immediately, but it was better to have a trump card and not need it than to need it and be caught empty-handed.
A moment later, the system populated the weapon’s finalized specs.
**Sword Nest No. 1**
Effect 1: Honeycomb Payload
Effect 2: Rotary Mechanism Rapid Fire
Effect 3: Blue Flame Chain Lock
Effect 4: Magazine Spin Calibration
Effect 5: Emergency Ejection
With the field test concluded, Jiang Chen vanished from his personal space via Teleportation, reappearing in the outside world.
The forging room was still stiflingly hot, littered with the chaotic remnants of his obsessive crafting session. Ever meticulous, he thoroughly scrubbed and organized the workspace, erasing all traces of his methods before heading upstairs.
Upon emerging from the basement, he found the world bathed in morning light.
*Good grief,* he thought. He couldn’t even tell if he had been working through a single night or if several days had blurred together.
Forging was rarely a one-and-done process; it demanded grueling hours of trial and error. Furthermore, Sword Nest No. 1 was an experimental hybrid of the Gengjin Sword Gall and the Sunflower Sword Nest, introducing a massive margin for error. Fortunately, the prototype had succeeded on the first attempt. Both its structural quality and the complexity of its spirit patterns were exceptionally high, saving him the immense time sink of repeated refinements.
*Buzz—*
*Buzz, buzz—*
Vibrations suddenly pulsed from the Jade Green Gourd at his hip. Jiang Chen flicked his wrist, and a Communication Talisman materialized in his palm. He recognized it instantly—it was from Chen Bo.
“Senior Brother Chen?”
“Are you home?”
“Yes!”
“We’ve come out. We have some things to divide with you!”
“Alright, I’ll head to the Rain Pavilion right away.”
“No, we’re coming to your place!”
Chen Bo’s words took Jiang Chen by surprise. After all, their group included not only Qin Hao and Long Ao but also Han Xin and a Junior Sister of Qin Hao’s named Qiu Su. For such a distinguished crowd to visit his humble stone hut was somewhat overwhelming.
More importantly, Jiang Chen worried about his secrets being exposed. After breaking through to the Golden Core stage, one’s spiritual sense evolved into Divine Sense, bringing massive improvements in all aspects. Yet, he couldn’t refuse—this was likely a suggestion from someone close to him. It could be Chen Bo, Chen Tian, Long Ao, or even Han Xin. Regardless of who it was, he couldn’t afford to offend them.
Thus, he quickly agreed and immediately turned back toward the basement. He transferred everything from the forging and alchemy rooms into his personal space. Not stopping there, he manipulated the earth’s energy to merge the two rooms, integrating them into part of his cultivation chamber. This way, even if someone came down, they wouldn’t detect any traces.
After some thought, Jiang Chen began preparing a meal. At this hour, Chen Tian and the others might not need to eat, but he couldn’t be unprepared. The vegetables had to be top-grade, and the rice absolutely had to be top-quality Spirit Rice. Since it was Qin Hao and Qiu Su’s first visit, he couldn’t be stingy. In fact, this was an opportunity to boost Chen Tian and the others’ prestige.
For the main course, he cooked a pot of top-quality Spirit Rice. Then, using Scarlet Flame Fruits, he steamed nine red buns. For hot dishes, he chose braised Spirit Beast pork, stir-fried cabbage, and tofu stewed with Spirit Mushrooms—simple home-style dishes with a touch of local flavor. Considering Han Xin might drink, he specially prepared some Icy Heart Lotus Seed Soup to help sober up. For a cold dish, he casually tossed some black wood ear mushrooms. But the real highlight was five pounds of top-grade Spirit Wine. Jiang Chen suspected that Chen Tian and the others chose to divide things at his place precisely for the drinking. Perhaps there was also an element of currying favor with Qin Hao. As the top core disciple of the Cloud Sea Sect, Qin Hao’s status, position, and background were anything but simple, making him well worth cultivating.
*Caw!*
*Caw!*
*Caw!*
Just as the meal was nearly ready, the cawing of crows sounded from outside as a warning. Jiang Chen quickly switched to shared vision and indeed saw a golden sword light cutting through the sky. Unsurprisingly, it carried Qin Hao and the others. Since they were within the sect and visiting someone’s home, Qin Hao deliberately controlled his speed, not flying too fast or creating too grand a spectacle.
Long Ao pointed at the five-acre Spirit Farm below and chuckled, “We’re here.”
It was Chen Tian’s first time visiting, and he couldn’t help but examine the place alongside Qin Hao and Qiu Su. All five acres were second-grade Spirit Farms, which was nothing special. The Spirit Plants growing there were mostly familiar to everyone: Spirit Rice, medicinal herbs, and vegetables—very much fitting the stereotype of a Spirit Farmer. The only difference was that every Spirit Plant Jiang Chen cultivated, whether in color, growth, or other aspects, was noticeably better, taller, and stronger than those of ordinary Spirit Farmers.
Qin Hao nodded slightly. “No wonder he’s the only Spirit Farm Cultivator. Even with common Spirit Plants, the quality is this high.”
Chen Tian explained with a smile, “This Junior Brother of mine dislikes fighting, adventuring, and exploring. He’s utterly obsessed with farming, completely devoted to it.”
Beside him, Qiu Su blinked. “In that case, he must be an excellent cook, right?”
To this, Long Ao, Chen Bo, and Han Xin nodded in deep agreement.
“More than just good—it’s almost on par with Spirit Cuisine!”
“You’ll know once you try it!”
“The food is delicious, and the wine is superb!”
Hearing them sing such praises only heightened Qin Hao and Qiu Su’s curiosity and anticipation. Qin Hao glanced at the Fire Crows circling in the sky, then gradually retracted the sword light. Soon, everyone landed outside the fence gate of the Spirit Farm.
Chen Bo called out toward the stone hut, “Junior Brother Jiang!”
“Coming!”
From inside the stone hut, Jiang Chen responded and then walked out. He cupped his hands and bowed to the group. “Welcome, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, to my humble abode!”