Han Fei caught the glowing object in his left hand. Looking closely now, he saw that it was a completely snow-white jade ruyi.
Although Han Fei did not know what it was for, Magic Treasures were all exceptionally powerful things. On top of that, it had been a "buy one, get one free" deal, which put him in a great mood.
Yellow Emperor: "Both of these require blood to acknowledge an owner. Let's leave first and talk later."
Han Fei nodded. His mission had been completed. He had chosen his weapon and, through a lucky coincidence, even obtained a Magic Treasure.
With the broken sword on his back and the jade ruyi put away, Han Fei strode out of the Treasure Pavilion.
When Qi Xuanxuan, who had been waiting outside, saw Han Fei emerge, she immediately came up to him. "What weapon did you choose?"
Han Fei pointed at the broken sword on his back. Qi Xuanxuan immediately frowned. "Why did you choose that? I saw it when I was picking a weapon too. What were you thinking?"
Han Fei smiled awkwardly. "I wasn't thinking much. I just liked it."
Qi Xuanxuan sighed. "Honestly, I give up on you. Did that second burst of luck happen?"
Han Fei nodded. Qi Xuanxuan let out a breath. "That's more like it. At least you didn't lose out too badly. When I get the chance later, I'll get you a top-grade treasure weapon longsword."
With that, she grabbed Han Fei and ran outside. Han Fei was dragged along with a baffled expression, having no idea where she was taking him.
"You just got a Magic Treasure. Don't you need somewhere to test it out? Come to my room."
Han Fei froze. "Y-Your room?"
When they arrived at Qi Xuanxuan's room, Han Fei was completely stunned. How was this a room? It was practically a grand hall, nearly as large as Taihe Hall.
Taihe Hall was where Daoist Sanyuan gave lectures. Every session had several hundred people attending, yet it never felt crowded.
That showed just how enormous Qi Xuanxuan's so-called room was.
"Miss, isn't your room a little too big?"
Qi Xuanxuan said, "Big? You don't think it's big once you get used to living here. This is where I usually practice swordsmanship and martial skills. Isn't it normal for a training space to be a little bigger? Otherwise, how could I move freely?"
Han Fei: "..."
Qi Xuanxuan said, "Test it here. I'll watch from a distance."
As she spoke, Qi Xuanxuan stepped aside.
Han Fei did not avoid Qi Xuanxuan. He directly took the broken sword from his back. Without a Sword Sheath, it was rather inconvenient to carry on his back.
Yellow Emperor said, "Although this sword possesses a Weapon Spirit, its blade is damaged, so the Weapon Spirit should be dormant. At present, it is roughly equivalent to a top-grade treasure weapon, possessing the hardness of one—perhaps even greater."
"Drip your blood onto the blade, and it will acknowledge you as its owner. The jade ruyi works the same way."
Han Fei understood. He gripped the hilt with his right hand and directly grabbed the blade with his left.
The sharp edges on both sides of the blade immediately cut open Han Fei's left palm. Bright red blood flowed over the broken sword.
Faint radiance gradually spread out. The rust on the surface of the sword actually began to disappear, and the entire blade seemed to be restored anew. Even so, its appearance was still not particularly attractive, falling far short of those dazzling, beautiful longswords.
The broken sword was palm-width, somewhat broader than an ordinary sword, and entirely black. Yet Han Fei rather liked both its color and appearance. Otherwise, it would not have captivated him at first sight.
Buzz. Once all the rust had completely vanished, the sword began to tremble violently. Han Fei could actually sense the sword's intentions now, but since it was broken, he could not communicate with it. He did not even know its name.
At the edge of the room, Qi Xuanxuan was beyond shocked. "Th-That's that piece of scrap iron? I never expected it to have such a powerful aura. Looks like I misjudged it."
Boom! Once the infusion of spiritual energy reached its peak, the sword erupted with dazzling light. Han Fei then swung his right hand, making the broken sword whistle through the air.
Whether it was its smoothness, its weight, or its style, everything suited Han Fei's tastes. It felt even more natural in his hand as streams of sword light continuously burst from his blade in every direction.
Amid the flying Sword Qi, Han Fei laughed joyfully.
"Good sword, good sword..."
Chiyou: "Mm, it really is a damn good sword. Looks cheap as hell."
Yan Di: "Old Chiyou, you're finished. Insulting the group leader? I personally suggest deducting the appropriate points."
Chiyou: "Deduct my ass. I've been in a bad mood these past few days, so don't provoke me."
Yan Di: "Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm so mad you're mad. What can you do about it?"
The gods: "..."
Qi Xuanxuan said, "Looks like I need to make you a Sword Sheath. You really are strange. Everyone else keeps their sword in a Storage Bag, but you insist on carrying yours on your back every day."
Han Fei did not explain further. He took out the jade ruyi. Blood from the wound inflicted by the broken sword still stained his left hand, and when he placed that blood-covered hand on the jade ruyi, it immediately began to glow.
"White Jade Ruyi, defensive Magic Treasure. Automatically absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It can withstand a full-force attack from an opponent one major realm above the user. After one use, its stored spiritual energy will be depleted and must be absorbed again. Its recovery time is tied to the user's level. It can also increase the user's fortune."
Han Fei's smile deepened. This was practically an extra life. As expected, Magic Treasures were heaven-defying things.
Qi Xuanxuan asked curiously, "What does that jade ruyi do?"
Han Fei gave a mysterious smile. "Classified."
Qi Xuanxuan curled her lips. "Stingy. I even told you what my Magic Treasure does."
Han Fei said helplessly, "It gives me an extra life. It can block a full-force strike from a Martial Artist one realm above me. And it charges automatically, so it doesn't need my spiritual energy to sustain it."
Qi Xuanxuan looked as though she had been frightened. "From what you're saying, it's at least a mid-grade Magic Treasure, right?"
Han Fei put the jade ruyi away. He did not know whether it was a mid-grade Magic Treasure, but he was quite satisfied with its abilities.
Fuxi: "There's no way it can work at every cultivation level. At most, it'll be useful at lower levels. Once your cultivation gradually rises, it won't be much use."
Han Fei said contentedly, "That's still fine. I got it for free anyway. And I feel like whether the Treasure Pavilion gives a second burst has nothing to do with luck. It seems to be decided by the owner of that aged voice. Whoever he likes gets a Magic Treasure, right?"
No one in the Primordial Group spoke. Perhaps they tacitly agreed with Han Fei's guess.
After everything had been settled, Han Fei returned to Taihe Peak before nightfall.
Early the next morning, Han Fei was still meditating when he heard Qi Xuanxuan's voice outside.
Han Fei ended his cultivation, rose to his feet, and opened the door to the Side Hall.
Qi Xuanxuan handed the finished Sword Sheath to Han Fei.
"You definitely didn't make a Sword Sheath, did you? So I had someone forge one for you. See if it fits."
Han Fei took down the broken sword and slid it into the Sword Sheath. It fit perfectly.
"Thank you, Xuanxuan. You always think of everything before I do."
Qi Xuanxuan said with a cheerful smile, "We're friends, after all."
Over the next few days, Qi Xuanxuan came to Taihe Peak almost every day to see Han Fei.
By then, everyone in the Tianyuan Divine Sect who was not blind knew that Qi Xuanxuan had probably fallen for Han Fei. Only Han Fei himself did not know—or perhaps he knew but deliberately kept his distance from her.
A week later, Han Fei bid farewell to his fellow disciples and prepared to enter the Inner Court as a Core Disciple of the Divine Sect.
Before this, Qi Xuanxuan had already explained to Han Fei that every Core Disciple in the Inner Court was a monster among monsters within the Tianyuan Divine Sect. Every one of them possessed some outstanding specialty.
Some advanced in cultivation rapidly and encountered almost no bottlenecks. Some were skilled in Formation Arrays, while others excelled at alchemy.
In combat, there were exceptional talents in strength, speed, fighting techniques, combat awareness, and more. Even long-range Martial Artists who controlled objects were all outstanding.
Of course, there were also people like Zhang Yang, whose cultivation was inflated and who ranked near the bottom among those at the same level. They were simply rare. After all, these were the best of each generation, so there was very little dead weight.
Han Fei was also filled with anticipation for this mysterious Inner Court. Competition promoted growth, and it was one of the key ways for him to become stronger quickly.
Qi Xuanxuan was once again the one who came to pick Han Fei up. Everyone had long grown accustomed to it. If it had not been Qi Xuanxuan, they might have found that strange instead.
Han Fei knelt on the ground and respectfully kowtowed to Daoist Sanyuan.
"Master, for more than six years, you've treated me well. Han Fei will remember this kindness."
Daoist Sanyuan smiled with gratification. "Though after today you and I will no longer be master and disciple, Taihe Peak will always be your home. Come back and visit when you have time. Of course, I understand that I haven't taught you much these past six years."
Han Fei's eyes grew moist. "You taught me how to be a person. Even though my cultivation progressed slowly for six years, you still cared for me deeply. That is more important than any powerful cultivation or technique. A teacher for a day is a teacher for life. Even if our master-disciple relationship is dissolved, you will always be my teacher."
With that, Han Fei bowed once more. Even someone as composed as Daoist Sanyuan could no longer hold himself together. Before everyone's eyes, tears streamed down his face.
Of course, even with several hundred disciples watching, no one laughed at Daoist Sanyuan. More than half of them were crying as well.
Before you continue