Inheritance of the Ten Shadows

Lu Ping held the pitch-black crossbow and stepped over the threshold at an unhurried pace.

With a flick of his wrist, the heavy crossbow spun three times around his fingertips before landing steadily back in his palm.

The weapon's surface was icy cold, yet it fit his cursed energy perfectly, as though it were an extension of his arm.

Ogi Zenin, who stood guard outside, raised his eyelids. The moment his gaze fell upon the crossbow, his pupils abruptly contracted.

This was not part of the Cursed Tool Vault's original inventory. He checked it every day and had never seen a cursed tool with such power.

It was most likely a private collection passed down by previous clan heads, one of the Ten Shadows Cursed Tool Series.

Why was it inside the Cursed Tool Vault?

The Zenin Clan had a long-standing tradition. Whenever a Ten Shadows Technique user was born into the family, that person would most likely become the next clan head.

Over time, the clan's upper ranks began collecting and forging weapons specifically suited to the Ten Shadows Technique, passing them down through the generations.

The special quality of these cursed tools was the "resonance" of cursed energy.

The closer the user's cursed energy fluctuations were to those of the cursed tool, the higher their compatibility and the more fully they could unleash its power.

Ordinary cursed tools could be used well enough, but they were ultimately nowhere near as convenient as these specialized weapons.

And the Piercing Ox Horn Bow in Lu Ping's hands was among the finest cursed tools ever created for Ten Shadows users.

This bow had been made using the Special Grade Shikigami "Piercing Ox" as material. Though it was nominally rated as a Grade 1 Cursed Tool, in terms of pure destructive power, it even surpassed some Special Grade Cursed Tools.

Ogi Zenin stared fixedly at the black crossbow, his breathing growing somewhat heavy.

He had not expected Naobito to take out such a family heirloom and give it to a mere Grade 2 Sorcerer.

In his eyes, Lu Ping was merely a branch-family member with weak cursed energy. His awakening of the Ten Shadows Technique was nothing but absurd luck.

"Even trash like him can awaken the Ten Shadows Technique."

Ogi Zenin lowered his eyes to conceal the jealousy within them. "If this technique had awakened in me, how could Naobito have ever become clan head?"

Thinking of his two daughters, Maki and Mai, whose talent was even worse than Lu Ping's, Ogi Zenin's state of mind nearly broke apart in that instant.

But he was, after all, an old hand who had participated in struggles for the position of clan head. The muscles in his face merely twitched slightly before he quickly resumed his rigid, obedient expression.

He just got lucky. Ogi Zenin snorted coldly to himself.

He was certain that Lu Ping's meager cursed energy determined his limit. Grade 2 Sorcerer was probably the end of the road for that brat.

Only he himself should be the heir to the next generation's clan head position.

Powerful cursed tools should belong to true powerhouses.

Ogi Zenin raised his head and forced a stiff smile onto his face. "Lu Ping, items leaving the vault must go through the clan's registration process. Go take a walk in the courtyard outside first, then come back in half an hour to collect it."

"Fine," Lu Ping replied flatly. He set down the crossbow, turned, and walked outside.

He strolled leisurely along the bluestone path outside the Cursed Tool Vault when a burst of shouting came from behind the rockery ahead.

Lu Ping walked over and saw two little girls with short braids. They were none other than Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin during their childhood.

Mai held a foxtail grass stalk in her hand as she chased after her older sister.

When they saw Lu Ping approaching, the two little girls stopped and curiously sized up this older brother who had returned from Jujutsu High.

Lu Ping crouched down and picked up several smooth, round pebbles from the ground, preparing to toss them into the lake.

His fingers moved slightly, and the pebbles traced beautiful arcs through the air.

The sisters blinked. Before long, they dropped their guard and gathered around him, giggling.

Meanwhile, inside the Cursed Tool Vault.

After confirming that Lu Ping had gone far away, Ogi Zenin's expression instantly darkened. He slammed his palm down on the wooden table beside him.

With a bang, the teacups on the table rattled.

"Useless things!" Ogi Zenin turned and cursed furiously at his wife, who was kneeling nearby and attending to him.

"You gave birth to two worthless failures with no talent, making it impossible for me to hold my head up in the clan!"

His wife lowered her head, her body trembling faintly. She did not dare make a sound.

After venting his anger, Ogi Zenin turned toward the pitch-black Piercing Ox Horn Bow, a vicious gleam flashing through his eyes.

He then strode over to an ordinary weapon rack and took down a longbow that was likewise Grade 1, but had mediocre power.

With practiced ease, he switched the Piercing Ox Horn Bow out, stuffing the ordinary longbow into a heavy gift box and carefully tying it shut with a red cord.

"I am doing this to protect the interests of the Zenin main family." Ogi Zenin sneered.

He simply wanted to disgust Lu Ping, that outsider. He could not let a good thing fall into the hands of someone from a branch family.

What Ogi Zenin did not know was that, in the shadows of the side corridor beside the Cursed Tool Vault, a pair of eyes had witnessed everything.

Fifteen-year-old Naoya Zenin leaned against a pillar with a short blade in his hand.

He had intended to practice the footwork of Projection Sorcery here, but he had not expected to stumble across this scene.

Naoya watched Ogi Zenin switch the weapons, his brows drawing tightly together.

In his eyes, Lu Ping was a powerhouse who had awakened the Ten Shadows Technique. He was an older brother acknowledged by the clan head and someone worthy of his respect.

Ogi Zenin's underhanded behavior was simply despicable.

Naoya snorted coldly. His body became a blur as he swiftly rushed toward the clan head's main hall.

Inside the main hall, Naobito Zenin was still lounging carelessly against a cushion, idly drinking alone.

The doors were shoved open with a bang.

Naoya Zenin hurried inside, dropped to one knee, and recounted everything he had seen in the Cursed Tool Vault without leaving out a single detail.

"Father, Uncle Ogi switched out Brother Lu Ping's cursed tool!"

After hearing him out, Naobito merely lazily lifted his eyelids. The wine flask in his hand did not move at all.

"So he switched it out." Naobito took a sip of wine, his tone utterly unconcerned.

In his view, given Lu Ping's current strength and knowledge, the best he could find in the vault would be some fairly standard equipment.

No matter how much Ogi messed around, the replacement would definitely still be a Grade 1 Cursed Tool.

As long as it was a Grade 1 Cursed Tool, it was entirely sufficient for Lu Ping at his current level.

Although Lu Ping had awakened the Ten Shadows Technique and might become clan head in the future, that was ultimately only future "potential."

When it came to current combat strength and the clan's situation, Ogi Zenin, a Grade 1 Sorcerer, was clearly more important than Lu Ping was now.

As clan head, Naobito had to weigh every side's interests and maintain the balance of his subordinates' attitudes.

If he favored Lu Ping too much now, it would instead provoke backlash from the main family and lead to Lu Ping being ostracized even more severely.

If one day Naobito was gone, the brat's circumstances would only become more difficult.

Naoya Zenin did not know that so many twists and turns had gone through his father's mind.

He merely felt unwilling to accept it. Gritting his teeth, he loudly added:

"Father! It wasn't an ordinary cursed tool! When Brother Lu Ping entered the vault just now, an incredibly powerful cursed energy fluctuation erupted inside!"

Naoya raised his head, his expression serious. "There's an isolation barrier at the entrance to the Cursed Tool Vault, so people outside couldn't feel it. But I was inside at the time. That cursed energy fluctuation was extremely violent, almost overflowing from the vault!"

Naobito finally stopped drinking.

An ordinary cursed tool, even a Grade 1 one, could never have caused such a massive disturbance.

Unless... it was a special weapon with some unique property.

"What kind of bow was he holding?" Naobito set down his wine flask, his voice turning low.

"It was a longbow without a string, with both ends made from enormous pitch-black horns," Naoya answered truthfully.

Boom!

A violent roar rang through the air.

Naoya Zenin only saw a blur before his eyes as a gust of wild wind swept past. The old clan head was nowhere to be seen from the seat of honor.

Only the wine flask on the table remained, gently swaying.