Taiya's Blade (1)

In this imperial capital, within the Royal Academy, ordinary prodigal sons and rich idlers are everywhere. One more Ye Lang wouldn't make a difference, nor would one less. He was dispensable, the easiest to overlook.

This situation might seem a bit strange. When Thirteenth Young Master Ye was still an idiot, many people paid attention to him. But now that everyone knows Thirteenth Young Master Ye isn't foolish anymore, he's become increasingly ignored. His fame and attention have plummeted.

Sigh, alright, I'll just be a "normal person" again!

Actually, the decline in his fame had reasons. Perhaps it was because he was too ostentatious before, or perhaps it was because he was used to a normal life in his previous life. His behavior had always been very low-key, only occasionally stepping out of line, but that would quickly be forgotten. After all, this was the imperial capital, a place of constant change, where events happened every day.

Of course, there was another reason: he hadn't revealed his talent, making people think his aptitude was very ordinary. Everyone knew Thirteenth Young Master Ye had become smarter, but only relative to his past self. His aptitude was merely that of an ordinary person. Some even had a strange feeling, thinking that Thirteenth Young Master Ye was not as smart as he used to be.

Yes, in some aspects, that was true. In his previous life, Thirteenth Young Master Ye, when answering questions, although peculiar, often had unique insights. Now, if you asked him, his answers were correct, but they lacked those unique insights.

The more this happened, the less attention he received. Coupled with the fact that everyone knew he was a good-for-nothing with no Talent Attribute, even if he caused trouble, nothing significant would come of it.

For the people of this continent, strength was the most important indicator. Thus, they gradually forgot about Ye Lang, the "good-for-nothing" rarely seen in millennia.

"Good-for-nothing? Young Master is not a good-for-nothing, he just disdains to compete with you all." Every time Tiger Girl heard someone speak ill of her young master, she would feel very displeased, muttering to herself.

In Tiger Girl's heart, her young master was the best, even when he was foolish before, he was still the best. Now, it was even more so. If he were truly a good-for-nothing, how could he have guided her martial arts and even found her a suitable martial art and Battle Qi cultivation technique?

After Tiger Girl finished practicing her fist techniques, she moved on to weapons. She took out a long-handled weapon, a Mo Dao from the four types of Tang Dynasty sabers. The Mo Dao was an important war material for the Tang army. In the mid-Tang period, it was a military item, and private manufacturing and possession were strictly forbidden. Its predecessor evolved from the "horse-slaying sword" used by the heavy infantry of the Imperial Forest Army, the main force of infantry that fought against the Xiongnu cavalry during the Han Dynasty.

The Mo Dao was double-edged with a four-foot-long hilt, equipped for heavy infantry. It was an extremely lethal weapon, invincible and unstoppable on the battlefield. After the Tang Dynasty, the Mo Dao rarely appeared in historical records, the reason being its exorbitant cost, making it a luxury item. Without the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, it was estimated that few dynasties could afford such military expenses.

However, for just one saber, it was believed that many people could craft it. For a prodigal son like Ye Lang, it was a piece of cake.

After designing, ordering materials, and forging, with the influence of a large amount of Gold Coins, a long-handled Mo Dao with exquisite materials and fine craftsmanship, capable of lasting for a hundred generations, appeared.

Actually, this design wasn't Ye Lang's own. He based it on a book called the Weapon Compendium from the Martial Arts Treasury. According to the Mo Dao recorded in it, the Weapon Compendium not only contained records of Chinese weapons from various dynasties but also some obscure, unique weapons. It even included the legendary Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, capable of firing simultaneously with the three-bowbed siege crossbows of the Song Dynasty, and even recorded firearms.

The value of this Weapon Compendium was probably comparable to Master Ban's Alchemy Notes. However, this was only stored in Ye Lang's mind, and he wouldn't show it to anyone.

As for why Ye Lang remembered this Weapon Compendium, it was actually a common hobby for most boys: a love for researching weapons, whether ancient or modern.

So, when he discovered this Weapon Compendium, he treated it like a treasure, reading and studying it thoroughly.

Returning to the topic, his choice of the Mo Dao among the many weapons was not a coincidence but a deliberate consideration. He believed this Mo Dao was most suitable for Tiger Girl. The design page of the Mo Dao also included a modified Yang Family Spear Technique, specifically tailored for the Mo Dao, capable of unleashing its maximum potential.

The Yang Family Spear Technique was summarized from battlefield experience, consisting of the simplest and most direct moves. Although the moves were simple, their power was extraordinary. The simpler the moves, the stronger their plasticity, and the more they could be developed into techniques suitable for oneself.

When Tiger Girl saw this version of the Yang Family Spear Technique, which was no longer strictly a spear technique, her eyes brightened even more. It was clear she loved this martial art and even more so the Mo Dao Ye Lang had custom-made for her.

In fact, this Mo Dao had some differences from the actual Mo Dao of the four types of Tang Dynasty sabers. In the Weapon Compendium, there were two versions of the Mo Dao: one was the original, and the other was adapted for martial artists, making it more suitable for their use rather than solely for the battlefield, as it originated from a Martial Arts Treasury.

There was also an interesting mechanism in the middle of this modified version. However, Ye Lang felt that such a mechanism was not suitable for the martial arts of this world. But since he felt it wouldn't hurt to have it, he kept it. Anyway, he didn't care about the extra forging cost, wasn't this a better way to be a prodigal?

However, he never told anyone about it, including Tiger Girl. It wasn't that he wanted to hide it from her, but he felt Tiger Girl would never use these mechanisms. Most importantly, he understood Tiger Girl's personality and knew she wouldn't use them.

When Tiger Girl asked what this Mo Dao was called and what the martial art was called, Ye Lang thought for a moment and then said, "This Mo Dao is called Tiger Girl's Blade, and the martial art is still called Yang Family Spear Technique."

As mentioned above, Ye Lang didn't want to claim the achievements of his predecessors as his own or to rename them casually; he wanted to respect them. It was the same as the person who modified the Yang Family Spear Technique; they still called it Yang Family Spear Technique, merely adding "Modified Version by [Name]" at the end.

"... Young Master, can't you be more serious? How am I supposed to tell people about this name?" Tiger Girl said speechlessly.

"If that's not good, then... Taiya's Blade."

"... Alright, this is at least better." Tiger Girl figured that no matter how many names she changed it to, she wouldn't get a better one. So be it, at least this name was acceptable.

On this continent, many things were named this way, using the names of their owners or creators, like "Ahri's Claw," "Kro's Blade," and so on.

It's very cold today. Xiaoxiao started snowing last night, and this morning everything was covered in white. Everyone, please stay warm and get to bed early if possib