Curious, Lin Mu let the sword rest within the sheath for another hour.
By the time he checked it again, it had reached high-grade.
Now it truly looked like a proper weapon. The metal shimmered slightly, resonating faintly with his own sword intent. It had potential. Still, it was a basic spirit sword—low ceiling, low foundation.
"Let's test your ceiling," Lin Mu said softly, letting it rest again.
This time, the transformation was not as fast.
An hour passed. Then two. Four. Six.
Only after six full hours of nurturing did the sword finally reach the peak of the spirit grade. Lin Mu pulled it out, examining it under moonlight. The blade vibrated faintly, eager and alive. Even its sword spirit had begun to coalesce—faint, immature, but present.
Lin Mu nodded to himself.
"So growth speed decreases as quality increases," he muttered, noting this down in a mental ledger. "Even without materials, you pushed it this far. Not bad at all."
But he wasn't done.
