The Number One Sword Under Heaven

毛德远Sep 2025

2.9

Word count: 203K words
Chapters: 65

Summary

To make a living, Ou Yezi takes his daughter and son-in-law to the state of Wu to cast swords for the cruel Fuchai. When Goujian learns of this, he sends men to summon Ou Yezi in person. For the sake of peace and safety for all under heaven, Ou Yezi endures countless hardships, including the sacrifice of his own kin, and finally forges for Goujian the world-renowned Zhanlu Sword.

Editor's review

The Greatest Sword Under Heaven takes Ouyezi's forging of a sword for King Fuchai of Wu and his subsequent forging of the Zhanlu sword at the request of King Goujian of Yue as its main thread, weaving the ancient swordsmith's craft, his family's sacrifices, and the safety of all living beings into a story full of tension. What most deserves attention in this work is its double writing of the act of "sword-forging": it is both the ultimate display of craftsman skill and the helpless choice of ordinary people caught up in the power struggles of a chaotic age. Ouyezi travels far to the state of Wu with his daughter and son-in-law, and then finds himself in a dilemma because of Goujian's invitation; the episodes of his kin's sacrifice make the price behind a "famous sword" concrete and palpable. The novel's pacing follows a rather traditional narrative, focusing on characters' choices and moral conflict, suited to quiet reading time in which one follows the characters step by step toward the ending. For readers who enjoy ancient craftsman themes, the backdrop of the Wu-Yue struggle for hegemony, or retellings of folk legends, this book offers a reading experience that fills the gaps of history with human feeling and moral principle; those expecting fast-paced power intrigue or fantasy swordsman fiction should adjust their expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the historical backdrop of the Wu-Yue struggle for hegemony
Readers who enjoy ancient craftsman and sword-forging themes
Readers who prefer traditional narrative and care about moral choices
Readers of middle-school age and above who want retellings of folk legends

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast-paced power intrigue or fantasy swordsman fiction
Readers sensitive to heavy plot elements such as the sacrifice of kin
Readers who prefer modern urban or light-comedy styles

Reading tips

First understand the basic relationship between the Wu-Yue struggle and Fuchai and Goujian; the story will then read more smoothly.
Pay attention to the shifts in Ouyezi's state of mind at each sword-forging decision, and note the characters' motivations as you read.
Treat the "famous sword" as a thread rather than the protagonist, and focus on the human cost and moral conflict behind the forging.
After finishing, compare it with folk legends about the Zhanlu sword to appreciate the difference between the novel's fiction and the legends.

版权信息
楔子
第一章亡国之君
第二章你们来晚了
第三章寻找欧冶子
第四章欧冶子下山
第五章苦肉计
第六章良医治病
第七章选矿样品
第八章屈才了
第九章为国效力
第十章收留了罗依然。
第十一章欧冶祠堂
第十二章夫妻互述衷肠
第十三章勾践到访
第十四章寻找矿山
第十五章矿山风貌
第十六章冶炼选址
第十七章开山修路
第十八章歌舞升平
第十九章吹毛求疵的欧冶子
第二十章祭拜山神
第二十一章受伤的巫雕
第二十二章英雄救美
第二十三章重建家园
第二十四章冶炼炉炸裂
第二十五章把池新未完成的事业完成
第二十六章打造出第一把宝剑
第二十七章寻找粮食
第二十八章严重灾情
第二十九章饥饿引起的水肿
第三十章黄凤洁的暗恋
第三十一章黄凤洁之死
第三十二章跳水救女
第三十三章被人下套了
第三十四章不祥预感
第三十五章解救
第三十六章收留苏晶
第三十七章跳崖自尽
第三十八章吴国雇人抢宝剑
第三十九章查内奸
第四十章谁是主谋
第四十一章做妾
第四十二章采蘑菇遇毒蛇
第四十三章罗依然的真实身份
第四十四章背叛者的惨烈下场
第四十五章夜夜笙歌
第四十六章思乡病想的是范蠡
第四十七章接朱俊当人质
第四十八章陈利被说服
第四十九章独自藏匿宝剑
第五十章思念做人质的夫人
第五十一章铸剑成功
第五十二章离别
第五十三章带着五把宝剑上路压力大
第五十四章半夜黑影
第五十五章被包围了
第五十六章死里逃生
第五十七章决战
第五十八章舍命相救
第五十九章朱俊自杀
第六十章想死的心
第六十一章辞行
第六十二章伍子胥死了
第六十三章结尾隐居

FAQ

Is this book mainly about the sword or about people?

The sword is the thread; people are the core. The story revolves around Ouyezi forging swords for Fuchai and Goujian, but its focus falls on the swordsmith's choices in a chaotic age, his family's sacrifices, and his moral struggles; the birth of the Zhanlu sword is the result of these choices.

Can I read it without any historical background?

Yes. The novel advances through characters' actions and does not depend on complex historical knowledge. If you know in advance that Fuchai and Goujian were roughly set against the backdrop of the Wu-Yue conflict, your understanding of the characters' situations will be clearer as you read.

Is the story's tone rather heavy?

Overall it leans toward traditional serious drama and includes heavy plot elements such as the sacrifice of kin, but the narrative focus is on characters' moral principles and the craftsman's spirit, rather than deliberately playing up tragedy. Readers who enjoy steady narration and can accept depictions of cost will find it more to their taste.

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About the author

毛德远 Author

Mao Deyuan is a Chinese author with a fairly diverse range of subjects. Public information about him is limited, and details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the five works held in the collection, his writing spans suspense and mystery, social fiction, modern romance, and wuxia. Among them, No. 1 Major Case Unit (Complete Collection) centers on the investigation of major crimes and belongs to the suspense and mystery category; the two linked works, Beauty's Poisonous Scheme: Kill and Beauty's Poisonous Scheme: Disillusionment, appear from their titles to lean toward narratives intertwining suspense and emotion; The Greatest Sword Under Heaven is classified as wuxia, while Green Love involves modern romance. Overall, his works tend to revolve around cases, conspiracies, and emotional conflict, covering a wide range of genres and showing an approach that balances genre reading with popular storytelling. Because reliable public biographical material is lacking, this introduction describes only his creative profile based on the works in the collection and makes no speculation about his personal life.