Chapter 323: A Few Matters Regarding Divine Weapons, Preparation

"Too difficult..."

Inside the Shenbingtang, atop a barren hill, Xin Xin Wenhua lay sprawled on the grass, surrounded by various blades, swords, hammers, and armor.

"Which one is the Divine Weapon?"

After a while, Xin Xin Wenhua rolled over and sat up, staring at the weapons scattered on the ground, looking somewhat dazed; he almost wanted to clash them to test them, but thinking of the consequences of breaking the rules, he forcibly held back.

"Do you believe it now?"

Suddenly, a voice came.

"Who?"

Xin Wenhara was startled; turning around, he saw the old monk walking from under the moon, his two long eyebrows fluttering in the wind.

"Greetings, Daoist Master."

"Thank you, Daoist Master!"

Xin Xin Wenhua reacted quickly, overjoyed, and hurried to catch up.

Under the moonlight, Long Long Yingchan walked at a leisurely pace; soon, he led Xin Xin Wenhua to a deep valley, where a broken weapon was stuck in a reclining ox stone within the valley.

"A broken weapon."

.. ￠o

Xin Xin Wenhua felt instant disappointment in his heart.

"Divine weapons possess spirit; without affinity, one cannot be recognized as master. What is affinity? This 'Soul-Breaking Sword,' after its previous master died,

endured six hundred years of wind and rain in this valley; you taking it away today is naturally also affinity."

Outside the valley, Long Long Yingchan glanced at him, spoke only without making the decision for him; Xin Xin Wenhua frowned deeply:

"This, broken into such a state, can it still be repaired?"

"If not, then naturally there is no affinity."

Seeing his thoughts shift, Long Long Yingchan already knew what choice he would make; he smiled faintly, turned, and departed: "Take the sword, go find your master, and say that this old man wishes to descend the mountain for a walk and invites him to accompany me."

"Disciple receives the order!"

Xin Xin Wenhua sighed in his heart, bowed deeply, and walked into the valley.

"Master invited the Four Divine Artisans; perhaps there is a way to repair it?"

Before the sword was even in hand, he had already thought far ahead; at the very least, there was Li Yuan; a nearly Divine Artisan in his early twenties might one day become a Divine Artisan.

Before the wind could scatter the sound, Long Long Yingchan had already drifted far away, yet he did not descend the mountain; instead, he went to another part of the forest. As a Grand Grandmaster, he preferred disciples with outstanding talent and supreme intellect, but as the head of a Dao, he naturally would not favor some disciples over others.

Just as he guided Xin Xin Wenhua, he successively met Lin Lin Fangzhui, Shan Hong, and Fang Lue, giving them choices in the same manner and instructing them to seek their own masters afterward.

"Choice, affinity..."

Looking up at the drifting dark clouds and the dimming sky, Long Long Yingchan then flicked his sleeve and drifted away.

With a supreme-grade Divine Weapon in hand, Li Yuan's steps appeared a few paces lighter; on the way back, his entire mood was very good.

Back in the small temple, Long Xi Xiang took the Mirage Dragon Whip in his hand, casually played with it a few times; this supreme-grade Divine Weapon appeared dim and colorless in his hands:

"The Mirage Dragon Belt, this whip, I have some memory of."

"You remember, old sir?"

Li Yuan immediately became interested; it was something that could be remembered by the old Dragon Head, who suffered from severe amnesia.

"Hmm, I should have seen it in the Patriarch's Daily Records."

Long Xi Xiang thought for a moment before saying: "I remember, the main material of this whip should be a dragon molt; according to the Patriarch, this dragon molt fell from the sky."

"There is a basis for that," Li Yuan glanced at the Mirage Dragon Whip; the information within the red light could verify Long Xi Xiang's words.

"Many famous Divine Weapons in the Jianghu are said to have main materials that fell from the sky; some even say the Heavenly Fortune Profound Weapons also fell from the sky."

Long Xi Xiang paused to think after every sentence, as if his memories from early years were also very vague.

Li Yuan was long accustomed to his speaking style; while he pondered, he even took the opportunity to brew a pot of tea and bring some fruits and snacks; the master and disciple ate and spoke together.

"True or false is hard to say, but the Patriarch's Daily Records should not contain falsehoods."

"But are there mountains, rivers, forests, and peaks in the sky? How could so many things fall from there?" Long Xi Xiang murmured to himself.

That is not necessarily so.

Li Yuan looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky and muttered in his heart; he still remembered what Wang Wenyan mentioned before, that Spirit Turtle carrying a palace that fell from the sky.

If a living Spirit Turtle could fall, then a half-dead Mirage Dragon falling was hardly worth a great surprise.

"What the Patriarch left behind should not be false, right?"

Long Xi Xiang rubbed his temples; he deeply loathed his own amnesia.

"The records left by the Patriarch are naturally true."

Li Yuan felt he possessed some talent for being a straight man; his main goal was to ensure the old Dragon Head's words did not fall to the ground. This was also a small technique for coaxing an old man.

"The Daily Records say that when this Mirage Dragon molt fell, it caused a not-so-small disturbance; later, the master of the present-day Changhong Sword Sect obtained it, found a Divine Artisan, and forged it into a Divine Weapon."

"This whip comes from the Changhong Sword Sect?"

Li Yuan's eyelid jumped; he felt he might have underestimated the grudge between the Longhu Temple and the Changhong Sword Sect.

The value of a supreme-grade Divine Weapon is extremely high; the old Dragon Head's Ancient Elephant Spirit Dragon Descent is only eighth rank.

This was a prize won by the Patriarch during the Martial Arts of the Various Daos; over a thousand years have passed; could there still be any entanglement?

Glaring at Li Yuan, Long Xi Xiang shook his head in his heart.

This disciple of his has supreme talent and is quite filial and gentle; his only flaw is that he is too timid; in this regard, he is somewhat unlike himself.

Li Yuan coughed lightly: "And then?"

"Supreme-grade Divine Weapons are rare in the world; for over a thousand years, the Patriarch has not lacked attempts to wield this whip, but all failed in vain; but you..."

Long Xi Xiang frowned slightly, somewhat surprised and doubtful.

He naturally knew that Divine Weapons favor talented youths the most, but Li Yuan was perhaps receiving favor a bit too much; he had almost wanted to enter the mountain to look just now.

'Perhaps there is fate?'

Li Yuan was also 'guessing'; in fact, this was the first time he had seen so many ownerless divine weapons.

Before, he hadn't known he was so popular in the divine weapon circle.

'Except for that Black Whale Hammer.'

Li Yuan silently added in his heart, but then felt that since he had left that hammer spirit waiting for so long, by rights, he should be able to try taming it now?

It should be so.

Long Xi Xiang had no intention of digging deeper; after all, the one who took the supreme-grade divine weapon was his own disciple.

'Pity, I can only take one.'

'How many more do you want to take?'

Long Xi Xiang glared at him; that was a supreme-grade divine weapon. If Nie Xianshan found out, that old Taoist would surely be pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

'Hmm, by the way, don't show off, especially don't show off at Hushan.'

Long Xi Xiang issued a warning.

'Disciple remembers.'

Li Yuan deeply agreed; in fact, if it weren't for the requirement to register every entry and exit at the Shenbingtang, and the fact that the divine weapons' recognition of their masters made a huge commotion, he would have wanted to bring this whip back silently.

Rather than making it known to everyone.

This gave him the feeling of accidentally revealing a hole card while playing cards, which made him somewhat uncomfortable.

'Fortunately, I still have the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer; this hole card must be hidden well...' Li Yuan's thoughts drifted.

He felt his conduct was still prudent; perhaps someone suspected he was Li Li Yuanba, the master of the Black Whale Hammer, but as long as he didn't slip up, it could only remain suspicion.

'Enough.'

Long Xi Xiang still trusted Li Yuan; he took a booklet from his sleeve and tossed it to him, then issued an order to leave:

'Go out; if there's anything you don't understand, come ask me again.'

'Yes.'

Li Yuan took the booklet and glanced at it; five large characters were written on top: 'Divine Weapons: Two or Three Matters'.

'It still smells of ink.'

Li Yuan bowed deeply and closed the temple door.

At this time, the sky had already grown dim; the wind in the mountains had increased considerably, mixed with a slight dampness, obviously indicating that wind and rain were about to arrive.

'I must go prepare.'

Stuffing the booklet into his chest, Li Yuan returned to his own courtyard; the little mouse was huddled in the corner, while the little tiger cub was still playing outside.

'Eh, so much heavier?'

Li Yuan lifted the little mouse up and was startled.

He had been too busy during this period to have time to pet the rat; upon weighing it, the little fellow's size hadn't changed much, but its weight had increased by at least three times.

'What good thing did you steal in the mountains?'

Stroking the little mouse's smooth fur, Li Yuan suddenly felt the slight anxiety in his heart calm down; this must be the meaning of raising a pet?

The little mouse was very well-behaved and very close to Li Yuan; this was mainly because the latter had rarely used it to test medicines these past two years, and every now and then would leave it some spiritual rice or pills.

'Go.'

Leaving a Bone-Strengthening Pill for the little fellow, Li Yuan returned to his room and first tallied his gains, mainly the Mirage Dragon Whip.

He had to admit, he had gone in with expectations, but this Mirage Dragon Whip still gave him immense surprise.

This was the first supreme-grade divine weapon he had acquired, and among those of the same rank, it was outstanding, capable of both offense and defense, and possessing both ranged and melee capabilities.

Moreover, the control effect also belonged to the top tier.

Setting aside those two ninth-rank ones for now, just that 'Mirage Dragon Form' was enough to make him overjoyed.

'Thirteen Mortal Forms become the Flood Dragon, thirteen Spirit Forms become the Spirit Dragon, a Hundred Forms become the Mirage Dragon... Could it be changed into a hundred forms in one go?'

Just thinking about it made Li Yuan feel his heart race, with a sense of impatience.

'The control conditions for this Mirage Dragon Whip: the Spirit Dragon Form and the Serpent Transformation I can satisfy; only the Wind and Cloud Form remains.'

With anticipation in his heart, Li Yuan still suppressed his excitement and took out the booklet handwritten by Long Xi Xiang.

'Divine Weapons: Two or Three Matters' truly recorded two or three matters.

They were 'Nurturing', 'Tempering', and 'Unity of Man and Weapon'.

'The difference between a Famous Weapon and a Divine Weapon lies in spiritual nature; a weapon with spiritual nature can carry true qi and, using that spiritual nature, coordinate a rough circulation within the weapon's body.'

'So-called Nurturing, as the name suggests, is continuously infusing true qi to nourish the weapon's spiritual nature and the qi circulation within the weapon's body.'

'Tempering, on the other hand, is pouring one's own fresh blood onto the divine weapon, combined with true qi, to make the divine weapon align with oneself.'

Long Xi Xiang wrote in a simple and easy-to-understand manner; Li Yuan had read many books and had some understanding, so he understood it at a glance.

'... Unity of Man and Weapon will damage one's own qi channels, even the internal organs; it cannot be used lightly. Practicing external hardening together can resist the backlash.'

After a long while, Li Yuan closed the booklet. Outside, the sound of wind grew even louder, and thunder rolled in from a distance, exploding within the mountain ranges.

'This Taoist priest has very good luck.'

Looking across the rain curtain at the small temple opposite, Li Yuan felt deeply grateful in his heart; Old Dragon Head, with such a forgetful nature, actually thought ahead to write this booklet for him.

'Once I deal with this old ghost, I will go all out to draw Old Dragon Head's blade!'

Having withstood a hundred strikes in one battle, Daoist Li's confidence increased greatly; although he currently could not draw out the sword intent of the Zhenwu King,

in at most half a month, or as quickly as ten days, the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer would reach great perfection! Is gathering a hundred forms enough? If not...'

Li Yuan closed his eyes slightly; in the Land of Spiritual Light, the radiance flickered, and an ancient scroll slowly unfolded; it was the Split-Sea Black Whale Map.

'Subduing Demons Dragon God Form!'

Crack!

Within the night curtain, lightning snakes slashed through.

Li Yuan opened his eyes, first closed the window, then swiftly retrieved a set of night-clothes prepared years ago from the Commanding Weapon Space.

"With the Dragon Daoist following, I can't wear Li Li Yuanba's outfit; hmm, changing into this set, would the Six-Pronged Pattern Dragon Hammer suffice?"

Li Yuan pondered and deliberated carefully; he held some wariness toward that Dragon Daoist, for truly, the old man was somewhat unfathomable.

"It is better to be safe; there is never an error in that."

After deeming there were no problems, Li Yuan slightly closed his eyes.

He commanded: "Divine Fire Ten-Thousand-Forging Hammer (Sixth Tier)", "Chen Shan Zhong Hammer (Fifth Tier)", "Divine Fire Spirit Leather Boots (Fifth Tier)".

Finally, there were the three mouths of the Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammer, and the 'Split-Sea Dark Whale Hammer' which almost always occupied one slot.

"The Seventh-Tier Commanding Weapon Talisman is somewhat insufficient, but the materials needed to advance to the Eighth Tier are simply too many..." After counting carefully, Li Yuan changed into his new outfit: a grey-black hemp robe, black cloth covering his face, plus a wide-brimmed hat.

"All set!"

After adjusting himself before the mirror, Li Yuan deemed there were no flaws, then carrying the Six-Pronged Pattern Dragon Hammer, he quietly stepped out the door and walked into the thunderstorm night.

Adjusting himself before the mirror, Li Yuan figured there were no slips, then took up the Six-Edged Dragon Hammer and slipped out the door, stepping into the stormy Lei Yu night.

Thunder roared and lightning flashed; heavy rain poured down upon the earth like wine.

From a bush in the distance, the little tiger cub slowly walked out, just about to return to the house, when he saw a black shadow flash past Li Yuan's small courtyard.

From a thicket in the distance, the little tiger cub stepped out slowly. Just as it was about to head back to its room, it caught a black shadow flashing past Li Yuan's small courtyard.

The little tiger cub's eyes instantly grew cold; just as he was about to follow, he suddenly sensed something amiss. She quietly retreated into the bushes, but saw the door of the small temple opposite be pushed open, and three more figures emerged one after another, vanishing into the rainy night.

The little tiger cub's eyes instantly turned cold. Just as it was about to follow, it suddenly sensed something off. It quietly retreated back into the thicket, only to see the small temple door opposite being pushed open—three more figures stepped out one after another and vanished into the rainy night as well.

"Hmm?!"