Xiangzhou Qingyuan, May 13, 2017, the first day of the New World, at dusk, rays of sunset filled the sky.
The Sword Spirit, or Wang Jiu, through a few simple conversations with his mount, discovered that the changes in this world were far beyond imagination.
Perhaps he had indeed slept for too long, as there seemed to be no Jiuzhou Continent anymore; the present world is now called Xiangzhou. Naturally, the calendar no longer uses the Jiuzhou Calendar but the Xiangzhou Qingyuan Calendar. The Sword Spirit remembers the decisive battle against the Demon Emperor was in the year 3113 of the Jiuzhou Calendar, how long the battle lasted is unknown, but upon awakening, it was already May 13, 2017, in Xiangzhou Qingyuan.
Xiangzhou possesses nearly boundless and vast lands, comparable to the former Jiuzhou Continent. However, it lacked the raging warfare that engulfed Jiuzhou or the tumultuous Demon Tide that split half the realm. Here lies peace and prosperity; were it not for the Spirit Wind still permeating the world and the familiar bloodline aura within Li Qingming, the Sword Spirit would suspect he had shattered space during the battle to arrive in a completely new world.
Nevertheless, this peaceful and growing Xiangzhou New World suits Wang Jiu's taste. In the past, he fought for three years on the Immortal Demon Battlefield, slaying countless foes from the Duke Demon General down to the lesser Demon Soldiers. The ultimate world-ending battle against the Great Demon God Emperor was the epitome of combat excellence. Since the opening of the Jiuzhou Continent, there might not have been such an exciting war.
Thus, the Sword Spirit no longer desires battle, nor feels urgently driven to regain the supreme sharpness of his peak strength. He is more keen on the lifestyle discussions with old friends like Li Jiulong.
These four words are unfamiliar and intriguing to one whose early life focused on cultivating and later life on killing.
Of course, rebuilding the Sword World is still highly necessary, otherwise, he'd lack the capability for independent action, leaving talk of enjoyment meaningless. The reconstruction effort is generally progressing smoothly.
In the Sword Spirit's fuzzy memory, the decisive battle against the Demon Emperor not only devastated everything within the Sword World but also left behind a massive amount of toxic Demonic Qi. This Qi, born from the Supreme Demon Emperor, seemed like living creatures, forming factions to propagate within the Sword World, wreaking havoc. The Sword Spirit initially thought he would spend a great deal of time purging these after awakening, yet upon his nighttime inspection within the Sword World, he found it a vast, pure, new universe. Perhaps the countless years of sleep had absorbed these toxins, or maybe the losing Demon Emperor didn't want to waste precious energy in the Sword World and prematurely withdrew it... anyway, the situation was much more optimistic than anticipated.
No demons to hinder, as long as there are sufficient materials, the Sword Spirit can step by step transform this barren land into the Celestial Divine Realm. Indeed, the process may be infinitely long, but with the current peace in the world, the Demon Race already vanquished, and both the Sword Spirit and the Divine Sword Body being immortal, there's no rush, taking it one step at a time - moreover, there's a mount to handle some tasks.
In fact, without Li Qingming's awareness, she had already played a significant role.
During their initial conversation yesterday afternoon, amid shock, Li Qingming cast a large batch of Exorcism Talismans towards the Celestial Divine Sword. Though some talismans were outdated, they embodied vibrant Spiritual Power, proving to be excellent supplements for the rebuilding Sword World. Wang Jiu promptly devoured all the talismans, using their power to construct the first small Array in the Sword World.
Gentle Breeze.
Though merely a trivial foundational array offering basic purification, from then on, the Divine Sword could cleanse itself within the refreshing breeze of the array, free from dust, crucial for a cleanliness-obsessed Sword Spirit.
Additionally, the purifying power of Gentle Breeze extends to Li Qingming, not only removing dust and grime but also some simple negative effects - the proud Sword Spirit holds strict standards on his mount's hygiene.
Regarding the mount Li Qingming's quality in the Sword Spirit's eye, it is passable; her combat power is as slight as a blade of grass, yet Wang Jiu does not have stringent demands. In terms of aptitude, she might not be exceptional but inherits top-tier lineage, promising potential under his wise guidance. Though comprehension and insight are lacking, not incurable, allowing him to exhibit his tolerance and meticulousness. The sole issue is, as a mount, Li Qingming slightly lacks gentleness and obedience, not referring to him as master, instead adopting the nickname Wang Jiu...
However, upon careful consideration, it indeed has some flavor, prompting the Sword Spirit to gladly accepted this new name.
Aside from these issues, having Li Qingming as a mount offers substantial convenience in day-to-day life; for instance, she can cook dinner.
As part of enjoying life, Wang Jiu has rather optimistic expectations for Xiangzhou cuisine; though now merely a blank blade, he can, through the Master-Servant Contract, share Li Qingming's taste experience, allowing him to enjoy whenever she does, eventually drawing in delicacies independently as he regains some strength, bypassing the need for Li Qingming's intermediation.
——
That night, after ending the entanglement with the Sword Spirit, Li Qingming went off alone to the kitchen to busy herself, and not long after, a table full of dishes was ready.
With just one glance, Wang Jiu sensed something was off.
A bowl of coarse steamed buns, a big bowl of green vegetable radish soup, a small plate of dark purple pickles, a cup of rough tea, a small basket of raw vegetables... this was the entirety of the dinner contents.