Chapter 3 of 10

Chapter 3

16 min read3,904 words

On this day, the entire Twin Blade Sect was stirred up. Countless disciples, elders, and miscellaneous servants gathered outside the Military Tactics Tower, making it virtually impossible for anyone to get through, causing a huge commotion.

Even the Sect Master, who had been in seclusion, and the Great Elder were drawn to the scene, indicating just how significant this matter was.

"That good-for-nothing Li Ke actually stepped into the ranks of the warriors... This..."

"Heavens! That good-for-nothing has been hiding his true strength for a year and a half, only to burst out now... Such a mindset is truly terrifying..."

"Hey... You still dare to call him a good-for-nothing? Have you forgotten what happened to Senior Brother Xu?"

Far away from the Military Tactics Tower, the area was densely packed with people, all of them disciples of the Twin Blade Sect. Close to the tower were the elders and core inner disciples, followed by the inner disciples, outer disciples, registered disciples, and miscellaneous servants.

Li Ke had been enduring for a year and a half, and now, with his sudden breakthrough, the entire Twin Blade Sect was in awe.

A few outer disciples who had bullied Li Ke in the past were so shocked that they were incoherent, their eyes wide open. Fortunately, nearby disciples quickly covered their mouths, and upon realizing the situation, they broke out in cold sweat.

Thinking of the severely injured Senior Brother Xu Ting, the outer disciples shivered in fear.

Outside the main gate of the Military Tactics Tower.

The Sect Master Yi Dai, Great Elder Zhao Long, Third Elder Xu Liu, and Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang stood at the front. Their expressions were varied, and their thoughts were different.

"Humph!" Third Elder Xu Liu suddenly snorted, glancing at Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang and angrily said, "Fifth Elder, Li Ke's identity is unknown, and he has been hiding for so long. Who knows what ulterior motives he has for joining our Twin Blade Sect? If we really treat him as a core disciple, what if he colludes with outsiders and destroys our sect?"

"Ha ha!" Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang laughed coldly, mocking, "Third Elder, are you afraid that Li Ke will rise and bear a grudge against your Xu family? Your Xu family's only heir has been bullying that kid Li Ke for a year. Are you afraid now?"

Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang's words hit the nail on the head, making Third Elder Xu Liu's face turn red with anger. He glared at Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang and roared, "Fifth Elder, you're asking for death! If you have the guts, let's settle this on the Divine Martial Platform!"

"Let's go! Who's afraid of who? Let's see which is stronger, the Sixth Rank Spirit Blade Willow Leaf or the Sixth Rank Spirit Blade Willow Twin Blades!" Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang immediately responded.

Third Elder Xu Liu waved his sleeve and was about to rush forward.

"Enough!" Yi Dai's face darkened, and he roared, slightly angry, "Do you want to cause trouble? Don't you know where you are? This is the Military Tactics Tower, not a place for you to cause trouble! Li Ke's talent is indeed extraordinary, a prodigy. No one can deny that. In two years, he went from nothing to the late Ninth Rank of the Qi Condensation Realm. Who in the entire Tian Nan Dynasty can do that?"

Yi Dai coldly stared at Third Elder Xu Liu and Fifth Elder Ximen Wushuang. These two were powerful forces in the Twin Blade Sect, so Yi Dai couldn't say much more. After scolding them, his expression softened, and he said, "Li Ke's identity is mysterious, and the Dominant Blade Order doesn't prove anything. Perhaps he obtained it by chance. However, whether to heavily rely on him depends on his Spirit Weapon rank. If his Spirit Weapon surpasses the Sixth Rank, it might be worth it. But if it's just a Seventh Rank Spirit Weapon, we'll reconsider."

With Yi Dai's words, Xu Liu and Ximen Wushuang couldn't say much more. They closed their mouths and stood quietly in front of the Military Tactics Tower, waiting for the results.

...

Inside the Military Tactics Tower, this was Li Ke's first time here. This place was the central hub of the entire Twin Blade Sect. The tower had seven floors, and the first floor was where all late Ninth Rank Qi Condensation Realm outer disciples came to break through and test their Spirit Weapon ranks.

As for the second floor, Li Ke had heard that it contained a large number of cultivation techniques, military tactics, and movement techniques for inner disciples to practice.

In the Divine Armament Continent, all warriors were primarily focused on their Spirit Weapons. Spirit Weapons required cultivation techniques to condense qi into weapons, refine weapons into shapes, and transform them into mystical forms. Military tactics were the techniques to unleash the power of Spirit Weapons, and movement techniques varied widely, mostly used to assist military tactics.

Cultivation techniques, military tactics, and movement techniques were divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Each grade had four sub-grades: Lower, Middle, Upper, and Supreme.

Higher-grade cultivation techniques meant faster cultivation speed, greater power, and stronger Spirit Weapons, which could be used more frequently, providing a natural advantage.

The grade of military tactics determined the power of Spirit Weapons during use. High-grade military tactics could shatter mountains and split the sky, destroy the heavens and the earth.

A person who cultivated a high-grade Spirit Weapon, practiced powerful cultivation techniques, and mastered unparalleled military tactics would be incredibly strong.

Li Ke looked around and found the first floor of the Military Tactics Tower to be quite simple. The spacious hall had only a few bronze lamps, and on the ground was a golden carpet, woven from the fur of some unknown beast. On it were countless divine blades, sharp and fierce.

Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Blade, Dragon Slaying Blade, Silver Union Blade, Eight Trigram Lightning Blade, Sawtooth Blade, Golden Clutching Phoenix Blade, Golden-Backed Ghost Head Blade, Eight Trigram Water Splitting Blade, Eight Trigram Dragon Penetrating Blade, Eight Trigram Dragon Penetrating Water Splitting Blade, Tiger Head Black麟 Blade, Seven Treasures Blade...

Various divine blades crisscrossed, their edges sharp and fierce.

Following the Spirit Blade carpet, a golden light soon appeared. This was the center of the first floor of the Military Tactics Tower, surrounded by dancing lights. In front of Li Ke were four glowing gems, emitting boundless light and a stream of spiritual energy. The four gems and the four streams of spiritual energy formed an array.

"Qi Gathering Array!" Li Ke's expression changed. With his experience, he knew that the array formed by these four spirit stones was a Qi Gathering Array. As the name suggests, it gathered more divine weapon qi, and cultivation inside the array was at least ten times faster than outside.

"Good, a sect needs a continuous Qi Gathering Array. This way, breaking through the final step of the Ninth Rank Qi Condensation Realm becomes easier!" Without hesitation, Li Ke entered the Qi Gathering Array, sat down, and began to cultivate.

At this moment, he also wanted to break through as soon as possible!

As Li Ke entered the Qi Gathering Array to cultivate, a white-haired old man slowly walked out from nearby. This old man was the reception elder who guarded the Military Tactics Tower. Seeing Li Ke sitting on the ground, his demeanor made the old man slightly startled, thinking, "This boy's aura is truly extraordinary; he's definitely not from an ordinary family!"

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.

Outside the Military Tactics Tower, it was even more bustling. Almost everyone in the Twin Blade Sect was there, from the Sect Master and the thirteen elders to the various managers, inner disciples, outer disciples, registered disciples, and miscellaneous servants. It was all because of Li Ke that the entire Twin Blade Sect was stirred up.

Just as everyone was getting anxious, a very clear sound, like a fruit being cut, suddenly came from inside the Military Tactics Tower. Although the sound was light, everyone present was a master, and their hearing was extremely sharp. They immediately understood what had happened.

"Breaking through in just an hour, indeed not simple!"

"Prodigy!"

"His Spirit Weapon must be a low-grade one, it must be!"

Outside the Military Tactics Tower, the thoughts of all the power holders in the Twin Blade Sect varied.

Under the soft lighting, the white-haired old man saw nine streams of divine weapon qi, representing the Ninth Rank Qi Condensation Realm, suddenly surge from Li Ke's body like nine white dragons, rushing into his heart. Then, the clear sound was heard. The old man knew that the young man in front of him had broken through, achieving this in just an hour. Such talent was rare, not just in the Twin Blade Sect, but in the entire Tian Nan Dynasty.

"Child, I am the one who tests Spirit Weapons in the Twin Blade Sect. You're quite good, with such fast cultivation speed. Now, let me test your Spirit Weapon rank!" The white-haired old man, eager to see, said impatiently, unable to wait to see what rank Li Ke's Spirit Weapon was.

Li Ke, hearing this, opened his eyes, looked at the white-haired old man, nodded, and walked out of the Qi Gathering Array, standing calmly in front of the old man.

"Close your eyes, think of nothing. Now, I will use my Spirit Weapon, the Illusory Mirror, to reveal your Spirit Weapon rank and guide your Spirit Weapon power!" The old man's heart emitted a flickering orange light, and a small bronze mirror, the size of a baby's palm, slowly appeared in front of Li Ke, gradually growing larger.

Orange Sixth Rank Spirit Weapon—Illusory Mirror!

Li Ke knew that the old man's Spirit Weapon was one of the rarest on the Divine Armament Continent. This type of Spirit Weapon had no great power but was indispensable on the continent because it was the only type of "Mirror Spirit" that could detect the rank of a warrior's Spirit Weapon and one of the few that could guide the power of a Spirit Weapon.

The orange Illusory Mirror was ancient and grand, covered in intricate, ethereal runes, as if forged from the void. It was both real and illusory.

The Twin Blade Sect had to go to great lengths to support this white-haired old man, something Li Ke had long heard about.

Any force that wanted to establish a sect needed not only substantial economic resources but also a few Shape Transformation Realm masters to sit in. Additionally, they needed a special Spirit Weapon like the old man's to inject powerful new forces into the sect. Only by meeting these conditions could a Fifth Rank sect be established.

On the Divine Armament Continent, there were First Rank Divine Armament Ancient Clans, Second Rank Hidden World Families, Third Rank Imperial Dynasties, Fourth Rank Ancient Cities, Fifth Rank Domain Sects, and Sixth Rank State Families.

The rise of any force had certain requirements, and failing to meet them meant it was impossible to establish a sect.

The orange Illusory Mirror slowly emitted soft light, which gradually transformed into a stream of light, entering Li Ke's heart. The scene was spectacular.

For a warrior, the heart was an independent space because a warrior's life was their Spirit Weapon, which resided in the heart.

Condensing qi to connect the soul, this soul was the Spirit Weapon, the source of a warrior's life!

The most magical power of the Illusory Mirror was to reveal the rank of Li Ke's Spirit Weapon and then use its power to guide the power of Li Ke's Spirit Weapon.

The orange stream of light entered Li Ke's heart, and after a moment, a "buzz" sound suddenly rang out. A red light burst from Li Ke's heart, dispersing the orange light of the Illusory Mirror. At the same time, a red flying blade floated in front of the white-haired old man.

"Red Seventh Rank Flying Blade Spirit Weapon?"

The white-haired old man was stunned. Seventh Rank Spirit Weapons were the lowest on the Divine Armament Continent, and the rank of a Spirit Weapon was extremely important for a warrior, determining their future achievements.

"Seventh Rank Spirit Weapon, the lowest grade, means a significant reduction in cultivation speed, and it may be impossible to break through the Weapon Refinement Realm in one's lifetime!"

"Even more unfortunate, your Spirit Weapon is a flying blade. Flying blades have minimal power, and even if they can be released externally for long-range attacks, their effectiveness is weak!"

"Moreover, the Twin Blade Sect has no military tactics for flying blades!"

"What a pity, such extraordinary talent! Sigh..."

The white-haired old man sighed deeply, and at this moment, Li Ke slowly opened his eyes.

"Red Seventh Rank Spirit Weapon!"

Li Ke's heart sank. Seventh Rank Spirit Weapons were the lowest on the Divine Armament Continent, and to a large extent, it meant that Li Ke would find it very difficult to break through the Weapon Refinement Realm in his lifetime. This couldn't be blamed on Li Ke; it could only be blamed on the low rank of his Spirit Weapon.

"Such a useless Spirit Weapon!" The white-haired old man sighed again, shook his head, and walked into the darkness.

---