Both Wu Yuan and The Rain Hierarch returned to Cloudhill overnight. Surprisingly, during their journey, The Rain Hierarch did not ask him about Shadow Blade. Instead, they chatted about his family, the Wu Clan.
After reaching the mountain peak, she did not summon him to the Cloud Hall either, but simply allowed him to rest in his courtyard house at the Cloud Martial Hall. It was as though she fully believed Wu Yuans lame excuse.
Within the martial chamber on the first floor of his private courtyard house, Wu Yuan sat in silence. A part of his consciousness controlled his body to consume spiritual qi and practice the ‘Majestic Earth and Oceans’. The remainder of his attention was spent pondering the day’s events. With Wu Yuan’s current soul strength, multitasking was a piece of cake for him.
Something’s not right. The Rain Hierarch is extremely astute. Gu Wang, hall master of the Inspection Hall, is known as the strategic mastermind of the sect. After observing everything today in person, he didn’t sense anything amiss? That’s not possible.
Wu Yuan refused to believe that the sect members were stupid. Even without mentioning anything else, the fact that Sect Elder Luo covered up his absence was enough to show that the sect’s higher-ups had their own judgment.
Logically, the higher-ups should suspect a connection between Shadow Blade and me. If they were to investigate our shared appearances and the timing of those encounters, a clear link would emerge easily.
The memory of his encounter at the Southdragon River lingered in Wu Yuan’s mind. He had discreetly aided his guards with throwing knives. How could Gu Ji possibly not report this?
Strange, Sect Elder Luo didn’t press me for further details, but simply announced to the public that I had not left the house. Wu Yuan shook his head. After The Rain Hierarch arrived, she had a long conversation with Gu Wang and Zhang Changsheng. Did they ultimately believe the nonsense I made up? He didn’t believe that for a second.
There are two possibilities. First, they are convinced that Shadow Blade and I share a close relationship and Shadow Blade has been protecting me in secret. But if that were the case, the Hierarch should have asked me a few questions at least. Or perhaps The Rain Hierarch hasn’t decided what to ask me yet?”
Secondly, they might suspect that I am Shadow Blade.
Wu Yuan was well aware that he hadn’t done a particularly stellar job of covering his tracks. In fact, the loopholes were everywhere. Over the past few years, his age subconsciously caused everyone to disregard this possibility.
But today, the flaws were too glaring for the higher-ups in the Cloudstride Sect to continue ignoring the possibility. Once they made that assumption and began matching past traces one by one, the probability of Wu Yuan’s exposure would skyrocket.
Will this lead to a breakdown in relations with this sect?
Wu Yuan hesitated a little. It wasnt that he was worried about the sect persecuting him. The probability existed, but it was small! The bigger concern lay in how he would explain his inexplicable transformation from an ordinary child to a prodigy at the age of fourteen.
A Grandmaster at seventeen! In the past 3000 years of the Middle Land, apart from the legendary Martial King and some individuals on the Heavenly Rankings, none could match his cultivation progress, let alone surpass it.
How could he explain this? Stating that it was due to his awakening and opening of the upper dantian lobe was no longer enough to convince others.
One’s power might be explained by talent, but their actions and character? No one was born with inherent knowledge and experience.
Face the soldiers with generals, dam the water with earth. Let’s see how the sect decides to respond.
Wu Yuan’s final decision was to adapt to the changing circumstances while staying true to himself. He didn’t want to sever ties completely with the Cloudstride Sect. For the past two years, the sect had indeed done its best to nurture him. Falling out with them was the last thing Wu Yuan wanted to see.
A man must know what to do and what not to do!
Secondly, Wu Yuans family and clan members had deep ties with the Cloudstride Sect.
The only thing I can do is to continue improving my strength. Strength is the foundation of everything.
The Rain Hierarch likely suspected something, so why were there no signs of confrontation? Ultimately, it was because the strength Wu Yuan had exhibited today was so overwhelming that the entire sect was not confident of victory.
Wu Yuan suppressed his manifold thoughts, shifting his attention to the storage artifact. Let’s have a look at the treasures I have gained today.
To Wu Yuan’s disappointment, the Grandmaster and three Savant experts carried only just over 100,000 silver taels in total. This was a considerably smaller haul compared to when he had slain Ninth Prince Jin Rensu. As for other treasures? Apart from a pile of weapons and armor, they were all cheap trinkets, and not even a single natural treasure. But it did make sense, who would burden themselves with useless treasures on an assassination mission thousands of li away?
Eight third-grade divine equipment, three weapons, four suits of soft body armor, and a pair of battle boots? Wu Yuan retrieved the pair of boots from the storage artifact.
The material was special; the outer layer was sturdy, while the inside was surprisingly supple.
In duels between martial artists, footwear played a pivotal role. A regular boot could instantly fall apart under the explosive force of tens of thousands of catties. Thus, most martial arts experts wore specialized boots. However, divine-grade battle boots were rare. They might only be third-grade divine equipment, but the difficulty and expense of creating a comfortable and well-fitting pair were far greater than for ordinary third-grade divine equipment.
A Grandmaster indeed. Wu Yuan immediately tried on the boots.
Though they were originally tailored for Wang Huang, they fit him surprisingly well. As for the other third-grade divine equipment? They weren’t much help to Wu Yuan, who already possessed third-grade divine-grade armor and weapons.
I’ll have to find an opportunity to sell these pieces of divine equipment in the future. Using them was not an option, as it would only expose him.
Wu Yuan looked at the flexible sword in front of him.
Except for this sword.
Grandmaster Wang Huang had been armed with a total of three pieces of divine equipment. The body armor and battle boots were all third-grade divine equipment. This flexible sword, however, was a second-grade divine weapon.
The Drizzle Sword. Wu Yuan carefully inspected the long sword that was recorded on the ‘Land Rankings’.
Wu Yuan recalled the fierce battle. In Wang Huang’s hands, the sword exhibited a delicate drizzle of sword light, unpredictable and ever-changing. It was a much more formidable weapon than the third-grade divine saber Wu Yuan wielded. This was one of the reasons why Wu Yuan had to spend a considerable amount of time, ultimately resorting to a desperate trade of injury for life, to finally slay Wang Huang.
This weapon isn’t quite right for me. After examining the divine weapon, he flicked his wrist, sending out several graceful arcs of sword light.
His swordsmanship was in no way inferior to that of Wang Huang. At their level of skill, their control over their bodies was so refined that while their weapons were important extensions of their bodies, they weren’t irreplaceable. Whether the saber or sword, they were merely vessels for their skills. Wu Yuan was a master of saber techniques when wielding a saber, and likewise, a master of spear techniques when wielding a spear. Even if he were to pick up a sword, his strength would not diminish by much.
For experts, what mattered in a weapon was its suitability to the user’s preferences.
Wu Yuan wasn’t particularly fond of meticulous, clever techniques. He preferred the more straightforward, explosive style of combat, favoring strength over finesse, triumphing with superior speed. The saber and poleaxe brought him the most satisfaction in life-and-death battles.
However, according to Grandmaster Fang Xia, the major difference between second-grade and first-grade divine equipment, besides the maximum force they can withstand, is their spiritual nature. A third-grade divine weapon is essentially similar to superior weapons. A second-grade divine weapon, however, is imbued with spirituality.
Wu Yuan didn’t quite understand the concept of spirituality. He had only come across it occasionally while perusing the Grandmaster’s Insights.
Why waste time thinking when I can put it to the test? Wu Yuan got up to test the sword.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In a flash, the martial chamber was bathed in the ethereal glow of sword lights, brilliant and beautiful.
After a dozen swings, I must admit, this Drizzle Sword is quite comfortable in my hands, effortlessly channeling the full force of my power.
Wu Yuan evaluated the long sword to be a decent weapon. But so far, he didn’t sense anything too profound. Its spirit? He couldn’t feel it.
He paused for a moment, pondering what to try next.
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Wu Yuan gripped the sword once more, but this time, he didn’t perform a sword dance. Instead, he enveloped himself with Soul Force, gradually perceiving the long sword from this perspective. Gradually, he felt as though his body and heart were eager to merge as one with the weapon, making it a part of his body!
In the beginning, nothing much happened. But Wu Yuan was patient. He knew that whether it was the honing of weapon techniques or the practice of qi consumption methods such as Majestic Earth and Oceans, mastery grew increasingly challenging as one reached the higher, more profound levels. Patience was key. So, Wu Yuan continued to perceive it with a quiet mind, believing that the second-grade divine weapon was not as simple as it appeared.
As time passed, Wu Yuan’s heart grew tranquil. Holding the sword, he quietly perceived it, hoping to comprehend the mysteries lying within the sword.
After two hours, when the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, Wu Yuan finally vaguely sensed the uniqueness of this divine weapon.
Patterns! Cryptic patterns! Within this second-grade divine weapon, there exist special patterns that can interact with spiritual qi, so faint they’re almost imperceptible.
Wu Yuan carefully pondered over these special symbols, which seemed to act in similar ways to the meridian circulation system.
The so-called spiritual nature of a divine sword might just refer to the sword’s ability to form a connection with the spiritual qi.
Once someone fully mastered a second-grade divine weapon, one could harness the spiritual qi through the weapon and activate its full potential, significantly elevating its power.
Unfortunately, although Chen Luo and Wang Huang possessed second-grade divine equipment, the power of their weapons did not noticeably increase in battle. The only difference was that their weapons were sharper and more durable.
Whoosh! After standing still for a long time, Wu Yuan finally swung the divine weapon again. The speed of the swing was unchanged, but the sword in his hand seemed to come alive.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Countless twinkling sword lights lit up the martial hall. Next, raindrops materialized out of thin air and fell to the ground. It was incredibly strange, like a magic spell conjured from fairytales!
Swoosh! After one last swing, Wu Yuan rotated his wrist and sheathed the sword. By now, the ground within a radius of three zhangs around him was wet with droplets. It was a spectacle that would shock any expert. One must remember that he was indoors!
Everything originates from spiritual qi. The special symbols contained in the weapon, once activated, can refine a bit of the spiritual qi, dramatically increasing the weapons power?
Just now, Wu Yuan clearly felt that a profound connection was ignited from the combination of his soul and sword, leading to the sword’s autonomous qi consumption. It had transformed the qi into droplets of water. With a single sword strike, it seemed as if a drizzle was enveloping the ground, giving Wu Yuans swordplay an even more illusory and peculiar appearance, and increasing its might threefold!
A second-grade divine weapon, containing only a tiny bit of spiritual nature, is already this mystical. Wu Yuan sheathed the Drizzle Sword. How much stronger would a legendary first-grade divine weapon be?
He had only observed the sheathed Moontide Sword from afar and had yet to witness a strike from a first-grade divine weapon. But this didn’t stop Wu Yuan from speculating.
Chen Luo and Wang Huang, both Perception-level experts, are unable to fully unleash the abilities of a second-grade divine weapon due to their weak souls. I’m guessing they can’t even achieve qi consumption.
Without the ability to consume qi, it was nearly impossible for them to tap into the weapon’s true potential. According to various texts, possessing a first-grade divine weapon would greatly enhance the strength of even a regular Grandmaster.
Could it be that a first-grade divine weapon doesnt need to be fused with the owners soul and can consume qi on its own once it is wielded?
After storing his treasures, Wu Yuan decided it was time to rest. At his level, sleeping for two hours a day was sufficient. However, after a bloody battle with a Grandmaster, the anxiety of his identity exposure, and a focused session of sword practice, Wu Yuan was indeed somewhat fatigued.