In an instant, Xia Luo’s expression shifted drastically. Her eyes were fixed intently on Zhong, on the pair of hands that were now holding aloft a magnificent, imposing great saber.
The saber’s appearance was quite strange, unlike any Xia Luo had ever seen; it was nearly as long as a spear, and she wasn't even sure if she should still call it a "saber"!
To draw a rough comparison, the "saber" Zhong Shenxiu had forged for Xia Luo bore a striking resemblance to the Green Dragon Crescent Blade wielded by Guan Yu. Yet, despite the similar silhouette, they were fundamentally different!
This blade was forged by Zhong Shenxiu using "Black Refined Essence Stone." It spanned ten feet and two inches in length, weighing over three hundred pounds. Strange, intricate totems were inlaid along the blade, each one resembling tangled vines within a deep forest!
“Catch!” Zhong Shenxiu tossed the saber toward Xia Luo with casual indifference.
Xia Luo reached out to take it, but she hadn't anticipated how incredibly heavy the blade was. Losing her footing for a moment, she accidentally let it crash onto the ground.
With a crisp clang, sparks actually flew from the impact with the floor.
Anjieliya, who had been watching from nearby, couldn't help but freeze, utterly confused. Why would Xia Luo suddenly drop the saber?
Meanwhile, Xia Luo stared dumbfounded at the heavy blade at her feet, unable to believe its sheer weight!
The blade was an overall dark, bluish-black hue, and a chilling aura seemed to seep from within it, giving one an instantaneous shiver.
Zhong Shenxiu smiled faintly and gave a slight shake of his hand. The saber then floated back into his grip as if it possessed wings.
“This saber doesn’t have a name yet; you can choose one for yourself. Now, I’ll explain how to use it!” Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile.
Xia Luo remained silent, staring straight at Zhong Shenxiu, adopting a look of readiness. However, she was still stunned when Zhong Shenxiu casually twisted the blade, causing it to separate into two distinct pieces!
In Zhong Shenxiu’s hands, one section was about three feet long—a saber—and the other was about seven feet—a staff. It was astonishing to realize this saber possessed an assembly function, meaning it could be used as three different weapons!
Zhong Shenxiu had invested considerable thought into this blade, designing it specifically by considering Xia Luo’s strength and overall attributes.
Strictly speaking, this saber could be classified as a mid-grade magical artifact, but Xia Luo’s current abilities were too limited for her to unleash its true power!
“First, drip blood to claim ownership, then try out how it feels!” Zhong Shenxiu stated calmly, tossing the reassembled saber back to Xia Luo.
This time, Xia Luo was prepared mentally and caught the saber steadily. For her, the weight felt just right—neither too heavy nor too light—though its overall length made her extremely uncomfortable! Given the saber’s length, using it one-handed would be significantly more difficult!
After the blood-binding ritual, a profound sensation immediately flooded Xia Luo’s entire body. The sudden intimacy from the saber gave her the feeling of a shared lineage. Moreover, the saber’s weight had significantly decreased!
Xia Luo couldn't resist swinging it once. Without exerting much force, she whipped up a gust of wind, and the blade emitted a clear, ringing zheng zheng sound.
Sabers, unlike swords, emphasize decisive strikes—they demand an overwhelming aura of dominance!
Although Xia Luo was a woman, due to her family lineage, she possessed immense strength from a young age, making the saber an absolutely perfect fit, one that aligned perfectly with her personality!
Watching Xia Luo swing the saber around as if swatting flies, Zhong Shenxiu was utterly speechless. If the weapon was to be used in such a manner, he seriously felt like running headfirst into a wall!
“Hey, woman!” Zhong Shenxiu suddenly barked, unable to watch Xia Luo’s comical display any longer.
Xia Luo finally stopped her “play,” looking dazedly at Zhong Shenxiu, seeming to ask, What is it?
“Display your Dou Qi and give it a try!” Zhong Shenxiu commanded.
Xia Luo nodded. The moment she activated her Dou Qi, she nearly cried out. The energy in her body began to circulate spontaneously, surging directly into the saber in her hands. It flowed like a mountain stream cascading into a vast river!
But that wasn't the most shocking part; what truly astounded her was the change in the saber itself.
The blade began to emit a faint green luminescence, and an indescribable, overwhelming majesty continually radiated from it, as if announcing to the world: I am the Sovereign of Weapons!!!
Of course, as Xia Luo’s strength improved in the future, she would be able to temper this radiance, causing the saber's imposing aura to retract so that others wouldn't immediately recognize it as a divine weapon!
However, for Xia Luo in that moment, encountering such an uncanny phenomenon for the first time left her momentarily frozen again!
“Hey, woman. Practice the ‘Dou Qi Control Method’ I taught you and execute a Void Slash!” Zhong Shenxiu’s voice drifted over again!
Xia Luo obeyed like a dutiful puppet. Yet, something happened that she couldn't have possibly imagined!
She merely channeled her Dou Qi into the blade using the special control method. Instantly, the blade flared with brilliant light. She had no time to express her astonishment before executing a void slash, seeming as if she were cleaving through the fabric of space itself. Following the arc of her swing, a beam of cold light shot out, followed by a loud boom as it struck the distant wall.
Since this area had been specially arranged by Zhong Shenxiu, the massive sound did not cause any structural damage to the wall. Despite this, Xia Luo was so excited she almost screamed out loud, because the move she had just performed was unmistakably a “Dou Qi Slash”!
The so-called “Dou Qi Slash” required a Sword Saint level of power to execute, and it consumed a massive amount of Dou Qi, rarely used unless absolutely necessary!
Yet, Xia Luo, who was far from a Sword Saint, had managed to unleash the “Dou Qi Slash.” Even more astonishingly, she hadn't felt any significant expenditure of Dou Qi when unleashing the move; it felt as effortless as a casual swing!
“Woman, you are only allowed to practice this one move. When you master its deployment and retraction, I will teach you other techniques!” After tossing out those words, Zhong Shenxiu departed.
Xia Luo, however, stood utterly motionless, as if struck by a paralysis spell!
Anjieliya, not far away, was in no better shape, watching Xia Luo with wide, astonished eyes. She, too, remained frozen!
Time passed quickly, and a week evaporated in the blink of an eye.
It was Daisy’s birthday, so she invited Wayne and the others from the Saber Class out to dinner. She had considered inviting the others from the Virtual Class, but given their less intimate relationship and not wanting to impose, she decided against it!
Daisy had initially intended to invite Zhong Shenxiu and Robin as well, but since she hadn't seen any sign of Zhong Shenxiu for days, she eventually gave up.
After their morning classes at the [Unintelligible Term] Hall, the group headed to the "Drunken Ocean Tower," forty li away, for their meal!
Upon arrival, since it coincided with the peak dining hour, they waited quite a while before finally being assigned a standard private room.
While the room wasn't overly luxurious, it was separated from the others only by finely crafted wooden partitions and curtains, meaning the soundproofing was less than ideal.
The reason Daisy and the others chose this spot wasn't for extravagance, but because there were numerous places to amuse themselves nearby; their primary goal for the trip was recreation!
The dishes arrived quickly. Everyone was laughing and chatting animatedly, discussing where they would go after dinner.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, an untimely shout erupted from the adjacent private room.
“What are you afraid of? The ‘Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy’ is trash, so what? Am I supposed to be afraid of them?” The voice was loud, making it nearly impossible for Wayne to ignore.
Instantly, the lively chatter in their room ceased, and everyone adopted solemn expressions, listening intently to the conversation next door.
“Hey, keep your voice down. Don’t let them hear us!”
“So what if they hear? I said the ‘Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy’ is trash! What can they possibly do to me?” The voice was so arrogant that one could almost picture the speaker’s face just by hearing the tone.
“What dog is barking out there? Has no one fed it? We happen to have some leftover bones here!” Wayne couldn’t stand it any longer and retorted.
At this shout, the adjacent room fell silent for a moment, but only a brief moment.
“Which bastard is that, doesn't he want to live? If you have the guts, get over here!” The voice from next door roared again.
“Your grandpa is busy right now. Go die where you belong, don’t embarrass yourself in front of the world!” Wayne shot back.
Although his recent arrogance had softened somewhat, it didn't mean he could remain indifferent to such blatant insults!
Following this exchange, the sound of plates smashing—pīlīpālā—came from the next room. It wasn't loud, but then came a sharp bang as the door to Wayne’s room was kicked open, revealing several youths who didn't look very old.
“Which bastard was just barking like that?” A youth dressed like a pampered nobleman, the spitting image of a spoiled heir, pointed furiously at Wayne and his group while shouting.
Wayne and the others hadn't expected these people to actually charge over. However, they weren't afraid; setting aside the fact that they were also aristocrats, their current strength was far superior to what it once was. Judging by the intruders’ appearance, they were likely freshmen, just like them!
“I am your grandpa. What do you want?” Wayne slammed his hand on the table and stood up, glaring defiantly at the youth.
“How dare you act so brazenly on the territory of the ‘Digging Dry Magic and Martial Arts Academy’! Boy, I think you don’t want to live anymore!”
It turned out these youths were students from the “Digging Dry Magic and Martial Arts Academy.” The “Digging Dry Academy” and the “Homebody Academy” had long been bitter rivals, and the friction between the two institutions had spilled over to the students, making them inherently hostile toward each other!
“Lüte, maybe we should just go back. These trash aren't worth it!” one youth urged, clearly afraid of escalating the situation.
However, his words were like pouring oil on a fire. Wayne immediately took offense, pointing at the youth and cursing, “You sissy, get out of the way! I think you are the trash!”
“Yeah, get lost quickly, you’re an eyesore!” Paul added angrily.
“Damn it!” The youth named Lüte’s eyes flashed with cold light, and he lunged forward in one swift motion, kicking the table over.
“Ah!” Daisy and the other girls let out gasps of alarm. Although the boys shielded them in that instant, preventing them from being hit by shattered plates and bowls, they were still splashed with food and drink, looking utterly disheveled!
Wayne and his group also saw red, grabbing chairs and hurling them toward Lüte.
Instantly, the private room descended into chaos...
Meanwhile, Zhong Shenxiu had been preoccupied with setting up that array these past few days and had only managed to carve out some rare time to rest today.
He first visited Leander, acquiring several ancient tomes from him, and then headed to the library, not emerging until dusk.
Walking back along the usual route, he suddenly spotted a few familiar figures in the distance. It was none other than Wayne and the others!
Zhong Shenxiu’s expression clearly shifted. Even in that brief glance, he had already deduced that his students were returning from a fight, and it seemed they had lost!
As for Wayne and the group, although they had changed their clothes, their hair was messy, their faces bruised and swollen, and they walked as if half-dead.
Daisy and the other girls were better off; protected by the young men, they had only sustained minor injuries.
Truthfully, they were utterly frustrated. In terms of power and numbers, they should have been significantly stronger than the opposition. Logically, they shouldn't look so battered. They blamed the enemy’s overwhelming equipment—that fellow Lüte had continuously deployed several scrolls, and those scrolls were so potent that Wayne and his group could only defend, narrowly escaping death!
“Damn it, those bastards fought dirty! If I ever find out where they bought those scrolls, I’ll buy seventy or eighty and crush them!” Wayne grumbled fiercely. He was the most severely injured among them, currently relying on Vide’s support just to walk.
“I recognize those scrolls they used!” Daisy suddenly spoke up.
“How do you recognize them?” Wayne and the others stared at Daisy in surprise.
“I recognized the trademark on their scrolls. That’s the unique insignia of the ‘Dark Merchant Guild’!” Daisy stated seriously. It was true, the girls had noticed the finer details!
“The Dark Merchant Guild? You mean that one—the ‘Dark Merchant Guild’ that became wildly popular almost immediately after it was established?” Wayne asked, astonished. He recalled visiting once, but upon seeing the incredibly long queue, he hadn't gone in!
“Yes! That’s the one!” Daisy nodded.
“Just you wait, those guys! I’ll get in line right now and buy a hundred or so. I’ll make sure those guys—” Wayne’s voice cut off abruptly, and he even broke free from Vide’s support.
Everyone found this strange and followed Wayne’s gaze, and then they all froze in disbelief!
They could never have imagined that Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, whom they rarely saw, would be standing quietly not far away, observing them!
The smile on Zhong Shenxiu’s face made their hearts suddenly race; reflected in the setting sunlight, that smile appeared incredibly wicked!