East Courtyard.
Clang
Jiang Ning drew his blade from its sheath, and the long sword in his hand emitted a soft, melodious hum, like the whisper of a dragon echoing in his ears.
He looked down at the blade. Its surface was dull and covered in patches of grayish-white stains.
He walked to the side, dipped the blade into the water, and with his index and middle fingers pressed together, he wiped the blade downward.
Zing
As his fingers left the blade, another faint hum resonated.
The grayish-white stains on the blade remained unchanged, not a single trace removed.
"It's not that simple after all. These marks must be the traces of time left on the blade," Jiang Ning muttered to himself.
"I hope these marks won't affect the spirit weapon too much."
He pressed his index and middle fingers together again, this time against the edge of the blade, and lightly slid them across.
In an instant, he felt a sharp, almost imperceptible pain, and droplets of crimson blood welled up on the pads of his fingers.
"What a sharp blade!" Jiang Ning was slightly surprised.
He had assumed that after such a long time, the blade, dull and weathered, would have lost its former sharpness.
But now, having experienced its edge firsthand, he realized he had underestimated the spirit weapon.
Even if it wasn't as sharp as it once was, it was still a divine weapon.
"Truly worthy of being called a legendary spirit weapon," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He then held his fingers above the blade, allowing the crimson blood to gather into droplets before they slowly dripped onto the blade.
In the next moment, the two droplets of blood slid down the blade.
As they descended, the droplets shrank rapidly, as if the blade was absorbing his blood.
In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to the size of grains of rice before disappearing entirely.
No trace of the blood remained on the blade.
At that moment, Jiang Ning felt a spiritual connection form between himself and the spirit weapon.
The blade in his hand now felt like an extension of his own body.
"This blade truly has a spirit," he murmured.
He then closed his eyes.
Through the spiritual bridge that had formed between him and the weapon, he began to receive fragments of information about the blade.
After a moment, Jiang Ning opened his eyes and frowned slightly as he looked at the weapon.
Just how old was this blade?
According to the information transmitted through the spiritual bridge, after the blood ritual and the establishment of the spiritual connection, he should have been able to receive the complete history of the blade.
However, the information was fragmented and incomplete.
All he knew was that this was a spirit weapon, one that had once possessed a top-tier spirit.
The source of its spirit was the remnant soul of a true dragon, whose consciousness had been erased.
Through the feedback from the spiritual bridge, he also understood that to truly master this blade and restore its former glory, he would need to nourish the spirit within it through blood sacrifices.
The spirit within the blade was no longer the original top-tier spirit, which had long since faded with time. Instead, it was a newly born spirit, drawn to him because of some unique quality he possessed.
To strengthen this new spirit and restore it to its peak, Jiang Ning would need to offer his own blood regularly.
He placed his fingers on the blade again, feeling the blade draw blood from his fingertips.
After a few breaths, he sensed a feeling of satisfaction through the spiritual bridge.
The blade had taken enough.
"It's not too bad. It doesn't need much," Jiang Ning nodded, noting that the blade had only taken about ten drops of blood.
According to the feedback, one feeding would last for many days.
After completing the blood ritual, Jiang Ning pressed his fingers to stop the bleeding and allowed the wounds to heal.
A short while later, in the courtyard, Jiang Ning held a blade in each hand.
In his left hand was the blackwood longsword Wang Jin had gifted him, forged from hundred-fold refined iron and worth a hundred taels of silver.
The blade gleamed like a mirror, reflecting the rays of the setting sun.
In his right hand was the spirit weapon he had acquired that day, an ancient blade with a newly born spirit.
Its surface was dull and covered in grayish-white stains.
He had brought both blades out to test the sharpness and durability of the spirit weapon.
In the next moment, he swung both blades, bringing their edges together in a clash.
Clang
With a loud metallic ring, the blackwood longsword in his left hand snapped in two, the tip flying off and embedding itself into the soil.
"So powerful!" Jiang Ning's eyes widened in surprise.
That night, at the forge.
"Brother Qiu, you're back!" Yang Kai frowned slightly but still greeted the man reeking of alcohol.
This man was the newly appointed manager of the forge, the true manager now.
The previous manager, the founder of the forge, had retired due to old age and was now living in a manor outside the city.
So now, the forge had only two managers: one main and one deputy.
The man before him, surnamed Qiu, was the main manager.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was merely the deputy manager.
In the forge, he still had to obey the orders of this man.
"Hmm," Qiu grunted, then asked, "Did anything important happen at the forge today?"
"Yes," Yang Kai nodded. "Jiang Ning from the Canglang Martial School came to the forge today."
"Him?" Qiu was slightly surprised. "I went to the Canglang Martial School this afternoon for Wang Jin's disciple initiation ceremony. I saw him there."
Yang Kai then asked, "What do you think of him? Do you think he has potential?"
"What are you getting at?" Qiu glared at Yang Kai.
Then his expression darkened. "Did you follow Old Gong's rule and gift that kid an expensive weapon?"
Yang Kai nodded. "It's the rule set by Old Gong when he founded the forge. I had to follow it."
"Yang Kai!" Qiu's voice suddenly rose, his tone harsh. "I'm the manager now! I've said it before, that rule should have been abolished long ago!"
"In this world, relying on others is useless. You can only rely on yourself!"
"Money is what buys precious medicines and allows your strength to grow quickly."
"In this world, your strength is the only thing you can truly rely on!"
"This is the last time I'll say this!"
As he spoke these final words, Qiu's tone was severe, and his eyes burned with anger.
Yang Kai silently watched him. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, the silence oppressive.
Only the sound of the bellows from the backyard could be heard.
After a long pause, Yang Kai slowly nodded.
"Fine."
"This time, let it go. But don't let it happen again!" Qiu said sternly.
Then he asked, "Did you give that kid the weapon from the underground armory this afternoon?"
Yang Kai replied truthfully, "The spirit weapon from the armory."
"Spirit weapon? What spirit weapon?" Qiu was momentarily confused.
Then, as if remembering something, he said, "That spirit weapon?"
"Yes," Yang Kai nodded.
Qiu frowned.
"That thing is practically useless, a mere trinket. Why would he want it?"
"Does he have some special ability? Did he discover some secret within the spirit weapon?"
He muttered to himself, then turned to Yang Kai. "Did you notice anything unusual about the spirit weapon this afternoon?"
Yang Kai nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"What was unusual?" Qiu pressed.
Yang Kai replied, "He drew the blade from its sheath."
"What?!" Qiu's eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?!"
Seeing Qiu's reaction, Yang Kai suddenly felt uneasy.
But there was no turning back now. He could only continue, "Jiang Ning drew the blade."
"He drew the blade? He drew the blade?!" Qiu's breathing became rapid.
As the new manager of the forge, he knew everything about this spirit weapon.
It was an ancient weapon, its material extraordinary, having withstood the test of time without any visible change.
It was indestructible neither intense heat nor heavy blows could damage it.
But in their eyes, it was useless because no one could draw the blade.
A weapon that couldn't be used was no better than a stick.
He had always believed that with the passing of the age of gods and immortals, no one could wield such a spirit weapon.
But now, he had just heard from Yang Kai that Jiang Ning had drawn the blade.
Upon hearing this, Qiu's breathing grew even more erratic.
Then, in a fit of rage, he shouted, "If you saw him draw the blade, why did you give it to him?"
"Don't you know how valuable a usable spirit weapon is?"
"It's priceless, worth a fortune!"
"And you just gave it to that brat!"
Yang Kai explained, "After he drew the blade, I tried to do the same. No matter how hard I tried, the blade and sheath remained as one. I couldn't budge it at all, just like before."
"This means the spirit weapon has a will of its own. It only recognizes Jiang Ning. It's useless to us."
"Since that's the case, it's better to give it to Jiang Ning. At least we can earn his gratitude."
"I believe in his potential. If he becomes a top-tier expert in the future, that gratitude will be worth its weight in gold."
"Nonsense!" Qiu roared. "A top-tier expert? A fourth-grade martial artist? What makes you think he can reach that level? Betting on him is ridiculous!"
Then Qiu continued, "If he can draw the blade, it means the spirit weapon isn't useless. It's a priceless treasure. We have to get it back."
Yang Kai frowned. "We can't take back a gift. It's against the principle."
"I said we can, so we can!" Qiu snapped.
Then he added, "You're coming with me. We're going to get it back from that kid."
"This isn't right," Yang Kai shook his head slightly.
"Enough talk!" Qiu barked. "That thing is worth a fortune. We can't just give it away for free."
"Let's go!" Qiu glared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sighed and reluctantly followed Qiu.
Under the moonlight.
[Five Animals Fist experience +1]
[Five Animals Fist experience +1]
[Five Animals Fist experience +1]
[...]
After tempering his skin, Jiang Ning continued practicing his fist techniques.
The Five Animals Fist was the foundation of his martial arts.
It was a technique that could strengthen his qi and blood.
"It's about time to sleep," Jiang Ning thought as he finished his practice, exhaling a deep breath.
He walked to the well and drew a bucket of cool, clear water.
Gulp, gulp
He drank deeply.
Then he lifted the bucket and poured the water over his head.
The cool water sent a shiver through his body.
"So refreshing!"
He then tossed the bucket back into the well.
After a few shakes, he pulled up another full bucket of water.
He poured it over himself again, letting the clean water wash away the sweat from his training.
This was his nightly routine.
Without a shower, the sticky sweat made it hard for him to sleep comfortably.
Just then, his brow furrowed.
His gaze turned toward the front courtyard.
Someone was here!
At this hour, climbing over the wall this visitor surely meant no good.
Jiang Ning's expression darkened.
He immediately set down the bucket.
With a single step, he covered several meters.
In just a few strides, he reached the tree where he had placed the spirit weapon, Longyuan.
Grasping the hilt of Longyuan, Jiang Ning felt a surge of confidence.
The test earlier in the evening had shown him the sharpness of the spirit weapon.
With a single strike, it had cut through the blackwood longsword, which was said to be forged from hundred-fold refined iron.
In battle, wielding such a weapon would give him a tremendous advantage.
Its edge was something no one could face head-on.
A single mistake could mean the loss of both weapons and life.
Even though his strength hadn't increased, Jiang Ning knew that with Longyuan in hand, his combat power was on a completely different level.
Even if he faced his former self, armed with the blackwood longsword, he would now have the upper hand.
Meanwhile, in the front courtyard.
Qiu leaped over the wall and landed in the courtyard. He glanced around and sneered.
"That kid sure knows how to live. He's got quite the place here."
Behind him, Yang Kai also climbed over the wall.
"Brother Qiu, let's be civil. It's best not to provoke Jiang Ning."
"He's a hidden dragon in the abyss. We shouldn't offend him too much."
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