Chapter 419: Frost-Patterned Phosphorus Crystal Blade

Duan Rong followed Lu Geng into the cave.

At the cave entrance was a tightly shut stone door, and sitting before the stone door was a middle-aged man with a gaunt face.

Lu Geng handed the documents to him, and Duan Rong also gave his Sect Cloud Token to him.

After that man inspected them, he opened the stone door.

Lu Geng and Duan Rong walked inside the stone door.

Inside the stone door was a rather spacious and deep space, roughly oval in shape.

On the four-dimensional stone walls, however, recessed niches had been chiseled out, and inside the niches stood various weapons.

In a corner of the space, an old man with a gray beard and crane-like skin was sitting there smoking a dry pipe.

When the two entered, the old man merely lifted his eyelids slightly, then continued to puff on his pipe.

Looking at the room full of weapons, Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up.

Lu Geng glanced at Duan Rong's expression and smiled, "How is it? Little Disciple, the weapons here are truly dazzling, with all eighteen types of weapons present, and the blade shapes are the most numerous."

Lu Geng had naturally noticed long ago that Duan Rong had a blade tied to his waist. Judging by this, the weapon Duan Rong was accustomed to and found handy was naturally a blade.

Duan Rong's eyes were shining, but it wasn't because there were many types of weapons here or that he could pick out a weapon he was satisfied with; his eyes were shining because the moment for him to touch them had arrived again!?

A room full of weapons, and he couldn't let a single one go!?

Duan Rong walked slowly to a Long Sword nearest to the cave entrance.

Seeing Duan Rong walk to the niche of that Long Sword, Lu Geng's expression shifted slightly; he had thought Duan Rong's accustomed weapon was a blade, but he hadn't expected him to be interested in a sword.

Duan Rong grabbed the Long Sword, pulled it out of the niche, and gripped it in his hand. He stared at it intently, only to see that this Long Sword was entirely blue-black, with a smooth blade surface that was bright enough to reflect a person.

Duan Rong thought to himself, "Read Spirit Tool!"

Immediately, a set of data floated before his eyes.

Artifact: Meteor Iron Long Sword

Spirit Artifact Tier: Twelfth Tier

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 12 (Satisfied)

Devour Effect: Empty Bright Plain Heart Sword First Layer

"A Twelfth Tier Spirit Tool. First Layer?" Duan Rong's heart shook. "This is a martial art of the Qi Cyclone Realm!"

Martial arts of the Qi Cyclone Realm contain Artistic Conception!

This meant that the Spirit Tool of this Meteor Iron Long Sword contained a certain kind of Sword Intent!

Even if it had only achieved the First Layer, it meant that the Sword Intent had already initially condensed. If not for this, it would be impossible to achieve the First Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm!

Duan Rong felt joy in his heart; he hadn't expected the first weapon to be the Qi Cyclone Realm martial art he had been longing for.

"Devour!"

As Duan Rong thought this to himself, the data panel before his eyes flickered and then vanished into nothingness. Only then did he put the blue-black Long Sword back into the niche.

Next, Duan Rong moved his feet slightly and took out a hook-sword from the niche beside it.

The moment Duan Rong took out the hook-sword, Lu Geng's expression was clearly stunned.

Then, he discovered that Duan Rong would stop in front of almost every weapon's niche, take out the weapon, observe it for a while, and then put it back.

Throughout the process, Duan Rong's appearance was very focused, as if he had sunk into some kind of flow, entered some kind of state, nearly forgetting both himself and the world.

Lu Geng was slightly surprised. After a moment of contemplation, he walked to Duan Rong's side and whispered, "Disciple, is there really a need to take out some of these weapons to observe them?"

At this moment, Duan Rong was gripping a judge's pen in his hand, his eyes as bright as stars.

Duan Rong, however, smiled and looked at Lu Geng, as if he hadn't understood what he said, and replied, "Senior Brother Lu, the opportunity is rare! I will carefully observe every single weapon here."

"Observe every single one?!" Upon hearing this, Lu Geng looked at the hundreds of weapons in the room and was instantly filled with astonishment.

He truly could not understand what on earth Duan Rong was doing! Why did he have to do this?

It was just picking a weapon, was it necessary to look at every single one? And aren't you a blade user? What do that judge's pen and hook-sword have to do with you!?

Even if you want to look, just looking at them while they are in the niches is enough; why take every single one out and observe it so carefully? Is there any need for this?

After Duan Rong devoured a few more weapons, he put a Long Spear he was holding back into its niche and suddenly caught sight of Lu Geng standing there with an uncertain expression.

Only then did his heart jump; he had been so excited that he had neglected that Lu Geng was still waiting on the side.

Duan Rong smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Senior Brother Lu, why don't we go pick the cultivation technique first? That way you won't have to waste time here waiting for me."

Lu Geng's eyes flickered, and he said, "Disciple, it's not that I mind waiting for you. It's just that I don't quite understand! Why observe every single weapon like this? Do you really think it's necessary, Disciple?"

Duan Rong knew it would be hard to explain this, so he brushed it off, saying, "Senior Brother Lu, just consider it my quirk!"

"A quirk?!" Lu Geng gave Duan Rong a strange look.

"Let's go! Senior Brother, let's go pick the cultivation technique first."

Lu Geng followed Duan Rong out, somewhat reluctantly.

In fact, he had brought Duan Rong here to pick a weapon first because he didn't want to waste time waiting on the side. Because in his view, picking a weapon was relatively fast; a person knows very well what weapon they are accustomed to, and since the weapons are placed in the niches, they are clear at a glance, so one should be able to pick a suitable weapon very quickly.

Then he would take Duan Rong to the Inner Courtyard of the Scripture Repository to pick a cultivation technique. In Lu Geng's view, picking a cultivation technique would be much slower. Therefore, his original plan was to take Duan Rong there and then leave, letting Duan Rong pick slowly by himself.

Cultivation techniques are not like weapons; you need time to understand whether a set of cultivation techniques is suitable for you. Among thousands of techniques, picking one that is truly suitable for oneself is not an easy task.

Lu Geng had already made up his mind that once he took Duan Rong to the Scripture Repository and showed him the place, he would leave. After all, since he had already taken Duan Rong to the places for picking weapons and cultivation techniques, Duan Rong could go there anytime he wanted with his paperwork, and there would be no need for him to get involved further.

Lu Geng brought Duan Rong to the Inner Courtyard of the Scripture Repository, and after showing the approval slip from the Inner History Department and the Sect Cloud Token, the two walked inside.

Lu Geng prepared to lead Duan Rong around for a tour, roughly telling him which area was for blade techniques, which area was for sword techniques, and so on, before leaving.

But before Lu Geng could even open his mouth, he saw that Duan Rong had already suddenly taken a Secret Manual from the shelf beside him and said solemnly, "Senior Brother Lu, I've chosen. It's this one!"

Lu Geng was stunned. He took a look and saw that the cover of the Secret Manual in Duan Rong's hand had the three words "Six Harmonies Blade" written on it.

Lu Geng felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning; he stood there dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time.

This is picking a cultivation technique, right?!

Even buying vegetables at a market isn't this fast, is it?!

What cultivation technique one practices is such a major, important matter for a cultivator! How can one just grab any book at random, as if one were just muddling through?

This little Disciple, what kind of freak is he, anyway!

Choosing a weapon—in this vast stone chamber with hundreds of blades, he wants to observe them one by one.

Choosing a technique—such a meticulous and painstaking task, yet he acts as if it were nothing, reaching out and grabbing one just like that.

At this moment, Duan Rong was already heading out, holding that copy of the Six Harmonies Blade.

Lu Geng immediately grabbed him and earnestly advised: "Disciple! Don't blame your Senior Brother for being meddlesome! It's not that this Six Harmonies Blade can't be practiced, but you didn't even flip it open before choosing it directly—isn't that a bit too much like child's play?"

Holding the blade manual Secret Manual, Duan Rong smiled and said: "Senior Brother, all martial arts in the world are one to me! Although the martial arts Secret Manuals in this Inner Courtyard are vastly different, to me, there is no difference."

Hearing Duan Rong say this, Lu Geng's expression became as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly. If it weren't for the fact that this little Disciple was brought back by his master, and that he deeply trusted Zhu He's judgment, he would have even suspected that this little Disciple had something wrong with his brain.

"All martial arts in the world are one to you!" Who do you think you are?

Are you sick!?

Lu Geng gave an awkward laugh and mocked: "No wonder you, little Disciple, wanted to observe every single weapon in that stone chamber!? So, in your eyes, all the weapons in there were just one single blade, is that it? Your realm is truly profound!? My respects! My respects!"

Duan Rong replied solemnly: "Senior Brother, you are not wrong to say that. A hundred blades return to one blade, a thousand fists return to one path! The deepest level of martial arts is Great Unity!"

At this moment, Duan Rong's heart was still set on the hundreds of weapons in the stone chamber; he really did not want to waste any more time in this Inner Courtyard of the Scripture Repository! He was actually right; although the martial arts Secret Manuals in this Inner Courtyard were vastly different, they were completely useless to him, because he did not practice by using Secret Manuals at all.

To practice by reading Secret Manuals, one must ponder, attempt, explore, and train bitterly on one's own; only through the accumulation of time can one go from unfamiliar to proficient, from proficient to skillful, and from skillful to marvelous, finally making it one's own.

But by using the method of Devouring Artifact Spirit, he could directly obtain the martial arts realm accumulated over time, skipping all the exploration and attempts, without any detours of trial and error, entering directly into the supreme state.

He turned the complex and exploratory cultivation process into a simple, crude, and mindless manual labor; he just had to go crazy and grind, and that was it.

Although there were many Secret Manuals in the Inner Courtyard, they were naturally one to him, because they were all just waste paper.

But Duan Rong could not tell Lu Geng the truth, and he was anxious to return to the weapon stone chamber, so he just made up a few grand words to fob Lu Geng off and get it over with.

Yet, Duan Rong's last few sentences really did stun Lu Geng.

He chewed on them repeatedly and felt that the meaning was thorough and fundamental, like a faint glimmer of light suddenly flashing at the bottom of an abyss filled with fog.

"A thousand fists return to one path; the deepest level of martial arts is Great Unity!" Lu Geng muttered, repeating Duan Rong's words, a flash of shock passing through his eyes.

Just a moment ago, he had thought Duan Rong's brain was broken, but now he was hesitant.

Now he felt that Duan Rong was either a madman or a genius! In any case, he was definitely not a normal person!

Lu Geng finally stopped blocking Duan Rong. Because regardless of whether Duan Rong was a madman or a genius, he could not stop him.

If Duan Rong was a madman, why would he need to stop a madman?

If Duan Rong was a genius, what qualification did he have to stop a genius and make him choose techniques according to his own ideas?

Perhaps it was truly as he said: all martial arts in the world are one to him?

Carrying the blade manual for the Six Harmonies Blade, Duan Rong walked out of the Scripture Repository with Lu Geng.

At the entrance of the Scripture Repository, Duan Rong looked at Lu Geng and said: "Senior Brother Lu, I still need to go observe the remaining weapons. If you have things to do, Senior Brother, you don't need to accompany me!"

After saying this, Duan Rong cupped his hands slightly and walked toward the iron chains.

Lu Geng stood there, looking at Duan Rong's back with a grave expression, unable to speak for a long time.

Duan Rong returned once again to that barren mountain peak; he handed his paperwork and the Sect Cloud Token to the thin, middle-aged man at the cave entrance.

The man glanced at Duan Rong, said nothing, and did not take his paperwork or the Sect Cloud Token; with a wave of his hand, he let Duan Rong inside.

Duan Rong walked back into the stone chamber and went to the place where he had devoured before; he saw a blade placed in that niche.

That blade had a shape no different from an ordinary blade, but its entire body was a frosty white color, and the edge of the blade flickered with a strange white light.

Duan Rong gripped the blade in his palm; it felt icy cold to the touch.

Looking at the frost patterns covering the blade's surface, he secretly thought: "Spirit Reader!"

Immediately, a set of data floated before his eyes.

Artifact: Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade

Spirit Artifact Tier: Fifteenth Tier

Devouring Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 15 (Not met)

Devouring Effect: Thousand Illusions Cloud Mist Blade Fourth Layer

Looking at the data panel in front of him, Duan Rong could not help but be stunned.

"A Fifteenth Tier Spirit Artifact!?"

"Thousand Illusions Cloud Mist Blade Fourth Layer?"

This was clearly the realm of the Fourth Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm!

A sense of yearning could not help but rise in Duan Rong's heart...

The Fourth Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm was already qualified to look toward the Dongming Realm!

And cultivators of the Dongming Realm needed to comprehend Law Power.

The realm of the Fourth Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm already contained an Artistic Conception approaching Consummation.

And the deepest part of what is called Artistic Conception could already glimpse the faint light of Law.

It was precisely through the comprehension of Artistic Conception that cultivators entered the gate of Law and thereby advanced to the Dongming Realm.

It was just a pity that Duan Rong's Mental Power was only Level 12, and he could not yet devour this Spirit Artifact, so he had to put the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade back into the niche with much regret.

Lu Geng returned to Yunfu Peak, feeling somewhat worried.

Just as he turned into the veranda, Wu Shidao walked over from the opposite side. Upon seeing him, he smiled and said: "Back so soon? It seems the little Disciple is quite well-behaved!"

Hearing this, Lu Geng finally raised his head. Seeing it was Wu Shidao, he immediately asked: "Second Senior Brother, let me ask you a question; see if you have ever heard of this?"

"A thousand fists return to one path; the deepest level of martial arts is Great Unity. Have you heard this, Senior Brother?"

Lu Geng had been muttering this the whole way; he felt that the little Disciple might have seen it in some Daoist Canon and was saying it to bluff him. Wu Shidao had always been learned and wise, so as soon as Lu Geng saw him, it was as if he had met a savior, and he immediately asked the question that was on his mind.

Wu Shidao pondered the sentence and said: "I have never heard of it."

"Senior Brother, you haven't heard of it?"

Wu Shidao laughed and said, "Disciple, there is no need for surprise. How vast the world is; I am but a frog at the bottom of a well."

Lu Geng's eyes were filled with surprise; he knew that Wu Shidao had read through the Daoist Canon and possessed the ability to never forget what he had seen. If even he had never heard of it...

Wu Shidao said, "However, these words are refined and profound, and what they speak of is the ultimate truth of the Dao. I fear they were spoken by some senior expert who has achieved great cultivation, were they not?"

Lu Geng blinked his eyes and said, "I will not hide it from you, Senior Brother, these words were spoken by our youngest Disciple."

Wu Shidao was clearly stunned for a moment and did not speak for a long time, as if he were re-tasting that sentence from just a moment ago.

Lu Geng then recounted the entire experience of taking Duan Rong to choose weapons and cultivation techniques today to Wu Shidao.

"Senior Brother, would you say our youngest Disciple is a madman, or a genius?"

Wu Shidao smiled slightly and said, "This youngest Disciple is truly a fascinating person! Disciple Lu, are you aware that three years ago, during the Yougu test, our youngest Disciple was only half a step away from stepping onto the Altar?"

"Ah?!"

Lu Geng let out a cry of surprise, but his eyes suddenly lit up. After all, it was a matter from three years ago, and he had long since forgotten it; it was only now, with Wu Shidao's reminder, that he suddenly remembered. "That's right, his name is Duan Rong."

Lu Geng said, "Senior Brother, you are saying that our youngest Disciple is a genius! Therefore, he is different from ordinary people."

Wu Shidao, as if playing coy, said, "That is right, but also not right!"

Lu Geng grumbled inwardly; he knew this phrase was Wu Shidao's catchphrase, so he had to endure it and asked again, "How so?"

Wu Shidao laughed and said, "I think our youngest Disciple is both a genius and a madman! If he were not a genius, how could he have been half a step away from stepping onto the Altar? If he were not a madman, how could his behavior be so strange?"

Lu Geng was left speechless by Wu Shidao's words, and only after a while did he say, "So he is both a genius and a madman?"

"Correct! A genius is a madman!" After Wu Shidao finished speaking, he walked toward the other end of the Corridor.

As Wu Shidao turned around, the smile on his face vanished instantly. What he had just said was nothing more than empty talk to fool Lu Geng.

Wu Shidao had always been conceited; he never believed in those mysterious, grandiose words. Whatever "genius" or "madman" meant, those were merely superficial appearances.

Duan Rong was certainly very talented, but there must be a reason for such strange behavior.

As Wu Shidao walked out of the Corridor, he had already decided to go and see the place where Duan Rong had chosen his weapons. Just as Lu Geng was puzzled, Wu Shidao also could not understand why Duan Rong had to observe all several hundred weapons.

Could it be that he was looking for something? Wu Shidao thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)