Big Fatty Zhang's Spirit-Enhanced Flying Sword

Big Fatty Zhang's Spirit-Enhanced Flying Sword is the final sword in a short sequence of visually identical Spirit Stream Sect flying swords used during Big Fatty Zhang's early spirit-enhancement practice. The surviving sword is not the weapon on which he performed his apparent twofold success: both test swords are reduced to slag. Bai Xiaochun secretly substitutes a fresh sword and gives it a twofold enhancement with the Turtle-Wok, allowing Big Fatty Zhang to leave believing that his own second attempt succeeded. (Chapters 80–81)

History

Two failed test swords

Big Fatty Zhang visits Bai while studying spirit enhancement under Xu Meixiang and asks him to supply ordinary flying swords. On the first sword, Big Fatty Zhang uses ores and spirit iron to conduct an enhancement, but a mistake in controlling the fusion causes the tested weapon to turn into slag. He repeats the process on a second sword and hands it to Bai for testing out of his sight. (Chapter 80)

Concerned that failure will crush his elder brother's confidence, Bai does not immediately test the second sword. He places it in the Turtle-Wok with a one-colored flame, after which one silver design appears and the sword passes its test. Bai does not know whether Big Fatty Zhang's preparation or the wok deserves credit for that result, but he reports success. Big Fatty Zhang then attempts to add a second enhancement himself; when Bai tests the weapon without the wok, it cracks apart into slag. (Chapter 81)

Bai Xiaochun's secret substitute

As Big Fatty Zhang prepares to leave in despair, Bai produces a fresh, identical flying sword from his bag of holding. He uses the Turtle-Wok to perform a twofold spirit enhancement and emerges holding a weapon marked with two silver designs. He presents it as the sword Big Fatty Zhang had worked on and does not reveal that the original was destroyed. (Chapter 81)

Big Fatty Zhang accepts the apparent success as proof of his own talent, takes the twofold-enhanced sword, and leaves with renewed confidence. The chapter focuses on the effect of that belief on his will and future practice; it does not show the substitute in combat, identify any individual name for it, or trace it again. The title of this article therefore follows the sword's association with Big Fatty Zhang without crediting him as the actual enhancer of the surviving object. (Chapter 81)

Abilities and properties

• Twofold spirit enhancement: The final substitute bears two silver designs created by Bai's Turtle-Wok, establishing a successful twofold enhancement. Its exact increase in sharpness, durability, speed, or combat power is not tested in the documented scenes. (Chapter 81)

• Ordinary base weapon: Bai selects an identical flying sword from his bag of holding as the substitute. No unique material, maker, inscription, or pre-enhancement property is given. (Chapters 80–81)

• Indistinguishable substitution: The fresh sword resembles the destroyed test sword closely enough that Big Fatty Zhang accepts it without noticing the exchange. This is a circumstance of the deception, not a magical disguise ability. (Chapter 81)

• Separate failed objects: The first practice sword and the second sword that Big Fatty Zhang handles are both destroyed during testing. Their failures do not damage the final substitute because it is a third physical sword. (Chapters 80–81)

Ownership and custody