“Ugh…”
“Ugh~! I’m done comprehending!”
A quarter of an hour later, Chi Ying’s brows furrowed as she let out an irritated grunt, abruptly opening her eyes and waving away the crimson-gold runes orbiting around her in the void.
“This technique is so annoying… I’d rather just use my fists,” she muttered discontentedly, as if she’d hit an insurmountable obstacle in her comprehension.
“The weapon-control technique covers a broad scope. Without sufficient patience, it’s impossible to fully grasp its fundamental principles,” the man said calmly.
“Ugh…”
Chi Ying’s cheeks puffed out, her face clouded with frustration, practically spelling out her annoyance.
But when she glanced at the two others deep in meditation, the clouds in her expression gradually cleared, replaced by a hint of acceptance.
Sigh…
Looks like this technique isn’t meant for me…
She shook her head slightly, feeling only a mild regret for failing to grasp it, without much attachment.
“By the way, may I ask who Senior is? To seal such an ominous sword single-handedly, you must have left a name in the history of the Nine Continents, right?”
Taking advantage of the others’ meditation, Chi Ying curiously inquired about the man’s identity.
“I’m just an ordinary artifact refiner. As for my name…”
“You’ll learn it in due time if fate allows.”
“…”
Seeing the man’s reluctance to reveal more about himself, Chi Ying didn’t press further. She got up and wandered around, waiting for the others to finish.
Meanwhile.
As Shen Mu delved into the scripture, he felt as if he’d fallen into a world filled with weapons and armaments.
Swords, spears, axes, halberds, staffs, hooks, forks, maces, hammers, whips, lances…
A dazzling array of weapons crisscrossed the heavens, overwhelming his senses.
Whoosh!
A mysterious-patterned staff suddenly flew toward him, hovering before him.
Understanding its intent, Shen Mu’s lips twitched slightly. He picked up the staff and swung it experimentally a few times.
“Heh… feels pretty good.”
Just then, he spotted a figure in the distance—a spiritual ape clad in golden armor and cloud boots, riding the clouds and leaping through the skies…
A fearless, untamed presence.
Its weapon was a glossy black iron staff with intricate, divine patterns.
“There’s even a surprise like this?” Shen Mu’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
No wonder—he was very familiar with this spiritual ape’s appearance, even fond of it.
Back in the day, he’d played as a similar monkey character in an action game, even facing off against the legendary Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Who would’ve thought he’d get to experience something like this today? Truly an unexpected delight.
Whoosh!
In a breath or two, the ape closed in, stopping three zhang away, beckoning Shen Mu with a finger to make his move.
“Let’s hope I don’t end up as a nobody…”
Shen Mu muttered with a slight smile, his fighting spirit surging. He leaped forward, swinging his staff, and attacked the ape!
His staff strikes were bold and sweeping, like overturning rivers and shaking the earth!
His footwork unintentionally reached new heights, swift as wind and thunder, striking like fire, growing fiercer with each clash.
“Well done, kid…”
From the outside, the man saw faint spiritual light emanating from Shen Mu’s forehead and sighed in approval.
Then, turning to the blonde girl, he noticed her eyelids trembling, beads of sweat on her forehead, as if struggling. He fell into silent contemplation.
“Sigh…”
In the end, he only sighed softly, saying, “As expected.”
Lin Yuhe’s side.
Her weapon-filled world was shrouded in dark clouds, with roaring winds, thunder, and misty rain.
She faced a stern, imposing middle-aged man wielding a sword, his presence commanding awe without effort.
“Ha… ha…”
Lin Yuhe panted, clutching a bleeding sword wound at her chest, gripping a three-foot-long sword dripping with raindrops, glaring fiercely at the man.
Despite her disheveled hair and rain-soaked clothes, she stood resolute on the muddy ground, determined to face him.
“Why do you always block my path…”
“Why do you always strip away my freedom…”
“Why…”
“Why, damn it!”
“Father!”
Lin Yuhe muttered in confusion, then roared hoarsely, venting the pent-up resentment she held against him.
But…
The middle-aged man said nothing, silently raising his sword, pointing its tip at her head.
“Because you bear the Lin name. You are a Lin, my daughter, and your life must follow my arrangements.”
As his cold, emotionless words fell, the thread of rationality in Lin Yuhe snapped.
“I’ll never accept this…”
“Never!”
Gritting her teeth, enduring the searing pain of her chest wound, her face contorted in rage, eyes bloodshot, she lunged at the man!
Within the sword-sealing site.
Seeing faint, hazy blood-red light emanating from Lin Yuhe’s spiritual platform, the man pointed a celestial blue light into her forehead, interrupting her meditation…
Snapping her back to clarity just as she teetered on the edge of losing herself to inner demons.
“Ugh!”
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Lin Yuhe groaned, clutching her racing heart as she opened her eyes, gasping heavily, as if she’d just clawed her way out of deep water.
“With inner demons unresolved, you won’t even survive the Spirit Transformation Tribulation. Take care of yourself.”
“…”
The man’s warning echoed faintly, causing Lin Yuhe to lower her head, her eyes clouded with obscure emotions.
“What’s wrong? Did you encounter an inner demon?” Chi Ying hurried to her side, crouching and asking with concern.
Lin Yuhe just shook her head, her voice tinged with defiance. “It’s nothing…”
She glanced at Shen Mu, still deep in meditation…
Her eyes carried a complex, indescribable emotion.
“Come on, come on! Keep it coming!”
“Let’s see who my next opponent is.”
Shen Mu watched the young man before him dissolve into wisps of green smoke, scanning the world around him, urging calmly.
Since narrowly defeating the spiritual ape, he’d been fighting smoother and smoother in this weapon-filled world.
It was like stumbling upon the trick to clearing a strategy game.
No matter what weapons or tactics his later opponents used, he could handle them methodically and calmly.
And…
As the battles piled up and his experience grew, he could even turn their own methods against them.
It truly reignited a long-lost confidence in him.
“Senior Brother, let’s see who’s better.”
The next moment, Jiang Ling’s sword-wielding figure stepped out from the world…
Silent and serene, blending perfectly with the natural world, his swordsmanship in complete harmony with himself.
Facing the person he least wanted to confront in reality, Shen Mu only chuckled lightly. “It’s not you I’m afraid of…”
“What I fear… is the misfortune your and her destined protagonist fates might bring me.”
“If you don’t believe me, draw your sword.”
His gaze was piercing, his heart calm and confident, as if he’d already seen through this simplistic test of the heart.