Divine Sword

No, no, no. It was better not to keep thinking about this question!

Li Ke sensed a tremendous threat and immediately made a suitable, reasonable, and perfectly legal decision: he would stop thinking about such a dangerous question.

"But what ability should I choose this time?"

Looking at his reward list, Li Ke had no idea how his abilities worked, but he was still very much looking forward to the rewards.

If it had been anything else, he wouldn't have agonized over it. Memories were out of the question. His simulations were just simulations; they didn't mean the events had actually happened in this world. There was no need to make the girls here pine for him.

After all, he was so dashing and handsome, so far above the ordinary. It was all too easy for him to break those delicate flowers' hearts.

As for vitality, that went without saying. Greater vitality meant a stronger body, and a stronger body meant greater skill with the sword and a stronger mind.

It was the very foundation. If that wasn't strong, then nothing else mattered.

But...

A good sword could greatly amplify a swordsman's strength!

Take the sword Li Ke had used before. Although it had cut through Yasuo's blade with the aid of ki, that was because Yasuo had been too careless. When you struck the back of a blade with your own, of course you could easily break a katana.

Even so, Li Ke's sword had shattered.

But if he infused Yone's sword with ki...

He'd already seen what it could do. It could slice through hair and cut through iron like mud. Against an opponent with a sword of comparable quality and skill, nothing could stop him from destroying their weapon.

And fighting an armed opponent bare-handed was basically a death sentence.

Don't be fooled by movies and TV shows where the unarmed fighter is always the toughest. In a real fight, the longer the weapon, the better.

For someone like Li Ke, a Sword Soul, the better the sword, the higher his ceiling.

Simple.

The better the sword, the longer it could hold up in his hands.

Even with Yone's sword, after using Overdrive just a few times, he'd already started worrying that it might break in some future battle.

As for the sword he'd started with, it was done for as soon as he used it.

A good sword was incredibly important to him right now. It could even make his combat strength shoot up by more than a hundred percent in an instant.

"This must be the first-rate sword Shen mentioned. If even he considers it first-rate, then it must be a powerful weapon."

After a brief struggle, Li Ke finally chose the sword.

Vitality would keep improving as he completed more simulations. But a rare sword like this was not something he could count on finding again.

Besides, since it wasn't from this world, he could always claim it was a replica if anyone saw it.

As soon as he made his choice, the Void appeared before him once more. A strange sensation stirred in his heart, and the ceaseless river surged again. After a series of fluctuations he couldn't make sense of, though somehow felt he understood, a radiant light appeared before him.

Li Ke reached out and grasped a warm, smooth sword from the light.

A scarlet scabbard held a silver-white sword covered in intricate patterns. An expensive red gemstone was set into its hilt.

Li Ke had heard of these gems before, though he'd never seen them in person. That didn't stop him from knowing what they could do.

They increased their wielder's speed, concentration, and resistance to mental and magical attacks. They also hastened the recovery of their wielder's mind and stamina.

He excitedly drew the sword, and its gleam lit up the dim room. The straight blade shone with brilliant silver light. Yet it gave off no icy chill; instead, it radiated the warmth of a spring breeze.

The moment the sword left its scabbard, Li Ke felt the immense power it contained. Magic flowed into it from all around, and the sword in turn continuously released fresh magical energy into his body. His speed and strength increased, and warmth spread through him.

It felt like lying on the grass beside a river on a spring day, beneath the sun, while a girl rested his head on her lap and gently stroked his hair with the breeze.

Most importantly, it was a straight sword, the kind Li Ke was best at using.

There was a red gemstone on each side of the blade near the hilt, both radiating intense heat. At Li Ke's thought, the sword suddenly trembled, and something astonishing happened.

A translucent red sword appeared over its blade. Li Ke reached out and gripped it. Though it was made of magical energy and somewhat shorter, it radiated scorching heat as he swung it. With a casual slash, he burned the corner of a table to charcoal!

"What a fine sword!"

All he could manage to say was those few words. Li Ke had never imagined that Irelia's family heirloom would be so powerful!

Not only was it a straight sword, the kind he was best at using, it could also create an energy blade. It was an incredibly perfect match for the Ghost Sword Technique he'd seen on the Arad Continent!

When Li Ke channeled ki into it, the sword hummed, but the blade suffered no damage at all!

The sword's material was far beyond anything Li Ke had imagined, and the magic within it kept the blade stable. Even if he used Overdrive continuously while fighting, he wouldn't damage it in the slightest!

Just this one sword had at least tripled his actual combat strength!

That wasn't a joke. It was a fact!

There was just one drawback.

"I can say it's a replica, but it's way too conspicuous—and way too ornate..."

Looking at the intricate patterns, luxurious appearance, Irelia family crest emblazoned across both sword and scabbard, and the magical gems set into it, Li Ke couldn't help feeling envious—and troubled.

It was a fine sword, but with his current standing, owning it could actually be a problem.

It was too good.

Even if he wrapped it in magic-proof cloth, the moment he used it, he would still reveal how extraordinary it was. There were countless stories of ordinary people meeting their doom over a priceless weapon. Such things were common even in the seemingly peaceful Ionia.

The saying "A treasure belongs to the worthy" had two meanings in Ionia, too.

Li Ke had actually thought of this at first. He'd figured that even if the sword were good, he could swap out the scabbard and paint the blade. Anyone who saw it would think it was a replica, and there'd be no trouble.

After all, he couldn't stop other people from using a sword of the same shape, could he?

The problem was that this sword was far better than he'd expected. Calling it first-rate was an understatement. In Li Ke's eyes, it was practically a divine weapon.

"Hmm. Looks like I can't use it every day."