Lu Sheng remained in the medicinal tub until the rich, murky solution gradually faded into a thin wash of gray. Only then did he rise, water streaming down his frame, feeling as though a layer of weight had been peeled off his body.
He glanced toward the Modifier screen. In the row for Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill, a new line of text pulsed softly.
Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill: Level One. Special Effect(s): Amplified Strength.
The hard-body technique clung to his skin like an invisible layer of tempered iron. Still, at merely Level One, Lu Sheng had expected no dramatic change. After drying himself, he stepped out for a bracing cold shower.
The next morning, he made his way to the Crimson Whale at dawn. During the routine meeting, the overall report was delivered—an account that made clear the battle outside the city had reached a fever pitch.
Zhen Family’s Zhen Xun had already led his forces in assaults on more than twenty Scarlet District bases. Dozens from another rising faction had also been eliminated in the process. Their methods were merciless; even the Crimson Whale Sect members responsible for clearing the aftermath had retched at the sight.
But Scarlet District retaliated with equal ferocity. On the frozen plains, they intercepted two members of the Zhen Family and killed them before reinforcements could arrive.
The killings ignited the Zhen Family’s fury, prompting them to send even more forces to support Zhen Xun. Scarlet District answered in kind. Both sides spiraled into bloodlust.
As a vassal of the Zhen Family, Crimson Whale Sect found itself dragged into the chaos. More than once, before they had even finished handling one incident, Scarlet District’s vassals struck without warning, sparking clashes that ended in mixed victories.
Those vassals belonged to a covert faction known throughout the Northern Lands—Scarlet Tower. A name whispered with dread. Their identity as Scarlet District’s subordinate force sent a shock through every corner of the sect.
Even Crimson Whale Sect dared not underestimate the reach and precision of Scarlet Tower’s intelligence network.
Their assassins were infamous not only for their precision, but for the sheer fanaticism with which they carried out their missions. Once assigned a target, they pursued it without fear of death, throwing their lives forward with almost deranged devotion. This alone created endless trouble for the Crimson Whale Sect.
During this period, several Internal Affairs Emissaries were injured, and three Elders had already fallen in battle.
Under the pretext of tending to his wounds, Lu Sheng was excused from service. Yet even from the sidelines, he sensed the rising tension suffusing the sect. Many of the higher-ranking members who attended the routine meetings were wrapped in layers of bandages.
When the meeting concluded, Lu Sheng asked about the location of the weapons section and headed there without delay.
Crimson Whale Sect’s armory was not aboard the ship but situated in a canyon near the Crimson Whale itself.
He had long wanted to acquire a proper weapon, but opportunities had been scarce—and such weapons were both rare and exorbitantly priced.
Inside Hundred Weapons Canyon, sparks danced in the dim air.
“Superior weapons require superior materials. If External Head can’t find any, why not consider a heavy weapon?” Elder Duan, the person in charge, suggested while running a hand through his beard.
“Heavy weapon?” Lu Sheng glanced at the towering blacksmith beside him, who was quenching a glowing blade in the canyon’s spring. White steam curled upward in thick clouds.
“Indeed,” Elder Duan said with a genial smile. “This old man can see External Head Lu is sturdily built. A heavy weapon—several dozen catties and forged thick—would serve you well. Against even the finest blades, you would never be at a disadvantage. It may lack razor sharpness, but its weight alone is a kind of power.”
Lu Sheng nodded, recognizing the practicality in that reasoning.
“In that case, what sort of heavy weapon does Elder Duan think suits me? My inner force is derived from Sect Master’s Ultimate Crimson Mantra. Would a hammer enhance my inner force’s strength?”
“That depends,” Elder Duan countered. “May I know if you have learned any hammer techniques?”
“Er… I don’t…” Lu Sheng admitted, shaking his head. Still, he knew he could learn if he wished. With the Modifier, even the most complex techniques could be grasped in a short time—once he had the fundamentals, mastery would come swiftly.
“Then which weapon did you reach Intent Proficiency with?” Elder Duan pressed. “Which intent did you focus on during Spirit Focus?”
“…It’s the saber,” Lu Sheng answered as realization sank in. “Looks like I’m stuck with the saber.” Intent was not something one could casually switch or cultivate overnight.
“It’s not that you’re stuck with the saber—it’s that the saber suits you perfectly,” Elder Duan said with a knowing smile. “I happen to have a pair of exceptional sabers. If you’re interested, you may try them. They were custom-made for a herculean External Affairs Emissary. Unfortunately, before they were finished, he…” The elder let out a soft sigh.
“A pair of twin sabers? Let me see them.” Lu Sheng’s interest sharpened instantly.
“Please follow me, External Head,” Elder Duan replied, guiding him deeper into the workshop. They passed rows of roaring furnaces and arrived at a pitch-black armory nestled at the canyon’s far end.
The hall-like chamber was carved entirely from stone. Rows upon rows of weapon racks stretched before them—sabers, spears, staffs, cudgels, swords, daggers, halberds. Lu Sheng felt a surge of boyish excitement, as though he had stumbled into a trove of treasures.
“This way, External Head,” Elder Duan said, leading him through the maze of armaments until they reached the heavy weapons section.
In one dim corner, he pointed toward a pair of colossal sabers being meticulously oiled by several helpers. “These are the sabers I mentioned—the twin sabers Lonely Crescent.”
Lu Sheng stepped closer.
Two thick-backed giant sabers, each a meter long, rested solidly against the rack. Their blades gleamed with a cold silver sheen, broad as signboards, with three metal hoops threaded through the spine of each blade.
The sabers were indeed thick and solid. The spine of each blade was as wide as a man’s palm, and the breadth of the blade itself was nearly the thickness of a person’s waist. Yet despite their imposing appearance, something about them felt oddly awkward to Lu Sheng.
“What do you think?” Elder Duan asked, pride unmistakable in his voice. “This pair of twin sabers—Lonely Crescent—was forged by this old man personally. Thirty-six days of relentless work, fourteen forging techniques used repeatedly. The materials were of the finest grade. In sharpness and toughness, they far surpass the average great saber.”
Lu Sheng frowned as he studied the weapons in silence.
“Elder Duan… aren’t these basically butcher knives? What Lonely Crescent? A nice name doesn’t change the fact that they look like oversized butcher knives.”
Elder Duan chuckled, shaking his head.
“Butcher knives? Hardly. Each of these sabers weighs seventy-six catties. You’ll understand what makes them exceptional once you wield them yourself. As for their shape… if they’re effective, does appearance matter?”
His words were reasonable. Lu Sheng wasn’t one to nitpick aesthetics anyway.
“Can I try holding them?”
“Naturally,” Elder Duan replied with a casual wave.
Lu Sheng rolled his shoulders, stepped forward, and wrapped his hand around the hilt of one of the Lonely Crescent sabers.
“Up!” With a surge of strength, he lifted the massive blade into the air.
Outer force techniques relied heavily on physical might. Lu Sheng had started with the Black Tiger Saber Technique, later practicing Pursuing the Wind Blade and Double-Horned Blade—each of them outer force saber arts.
Now he had two hard-body skills reinforcing his strength. Bear Wrestling Arm, which had only a single level, was already fully mastered. Added to that was Level One of the Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill.
Layered together, these outer force techniques had reshaped him from a frail, bookish scholar into a hulking Hercules with strength that bordered on the monstrous.
Veins and arteries swelled across Lu Sheng’s arms as he summoned his strength. His frame expanded instantly. Already twice as broad as Elder Duan and taller than most men, he seemed to inflate like a balloon, muscles tightening and bulging beneath his skin.
“Up!” Lu Sheng hoisted the second Lonely Crescent saber, raising both massive blades high in each hand.
Clang!
The twin sabers crossed before him, their polished surfaces reflecting his face as clearly as a mirror.
“Very fitting. Surprisingly so,” Lu Sheng murmured, genuinely impressed.
“It seems External Head Lu and Lonely Crescent are fated companions,” Elder Duan declared proudly. “In that case, I’ll give you a fifty percent discount. Just a hundred taels of silver!”
‘A hundred taels…’ Lu Sheng fell silent. This old man truly dared to ask such a price. Beyond their unusual design, the sabers were forged from ordinary steel, their strength relying almost entirely on their weight. A hundred taels was daylight robbery.
“Twenty taels.”
“Twenty taels!? Why don’t you go rob a bank! I spent my life’s blood forging these two superior—”
“Butcher knives.”
Lu Sheng cut him off cleanly, stopping Elder Duan mid-sentence.
True, the twin sabers were shaped like butcher knives—and made with a considerable amount of scrap metal—but most people would at least pretend otherwise, not point it out so bluntly.
“Twenty taels is far too low! That doesn’t even cover the cost!” Elder Duan waved his hands frantically.
“Ten taels, then.” Lu Sheng spun the sabers lightly. Despite the cheap materials, the craftsmanship was sound, and the weight distribution felt excellent. Against fast opponents, he could block most vital points with just a turn of the wrist.
“Ten taels!?” Elder Duan’s face twisted in outrage. “Fine! Fine! Fine! Twenty taels, then! You’re truly a menace! Let me tell you—if these Lonely Crescent twin sabers were sold anywhere else, you wouldn’t get them for less than two hundred taels!”
“Well, there first needs to be a buyer. With this kind of weight, do you think people will fight over them?” Lu Sheng swung the sabers lightly. A sudden gust spiraled out, whipping Elder Duan’s beard into a chaotic mess.
“You—! You’re repaying kindness with cruelty! External Head, you…” Elder Duan sputtered, at a loss for words.
“Is there somewhere I can test their power?” Lu Sheng asked, growing increasingly satisfied with the feel of the blades.
“Follow me,” Elder Duan huffed, deeply offended.
As they walked, Lu Sheng grabbed two saber sheaths from a rack. They were nothing more than pig hide wrapped with hemp ropes—a rough, cheap style. Hardly something worth two hundred taels. Elder Duan must have been dreaming.
“And another thing—‘Lonely Crescent’ doesn’t suit these sabers.”
“That’s nonsense! This old man named them personally!” Elder Duan snapped. “They’re shaped like a crescent and a sickle. I originally wanted to call them ‘Lonely Sickle,’ but it sounded awful, so I changed it to ‘Crescent.’ What, you have a problem with that?”
“Since I’m the one using them, I’ll name them as I please,” Lu Sheng replied, utterly unmoved.29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xErlwBzup
“Let’s call them Ghost Head Sabers.”
“What kind of name is that?” Elder Duan stared at him, speechless.
Lu Sheng only smiled as they stepped out of the armory and into a large room carved into the canyon wall.
The space was enclosed on all four sides with thick stone. In the center stood a wooden puppet—hardwood, reinforced, and tightly wrapped with hay.
“This is hardwood. Extremely tough. Try it.” Elder Duan pointed at the puppet with a grim satisfaction. “If you can chop through it, I’LL pay YOU twenty taels!”
Lu Sheng hefted the twin butcher-blade sabers and strode toward the puppet, a savage grin spreading across his face.
“For real?”
ns216.73.216.134da2
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