"Through experiencing the passage of time... one can increase spiritual power…" Duan Rong blinked.
"Requires host's spiritual power to be level 9."
"If I had level 9, why would I still be interested in you?"
Duan Rong's expression suddenly shifted. "Could it be that tree-type artifact spirits can all increase spiritual power?"
Duan Rong quickly walked over to an old locust tree at the other end of the martial arts arena.
This old locust tree was already as thick as a person could reach around, its crown like a rooftop, and from its age, it was at least several decades old.
Duan Rong placed his hand on the trunk of the old locust tree and said, "Read the Artifact Spirit."
Artifact: Locust Tree (32 years old)
Artifact Spirit Tier: Not yet rated
Devouring Requirements: None
Devouring Effect: None
Seeing this set of blank slate data, Duan Rong felt a wave of disappointment.
He then had a thought.
Could it be that ancient wood reaches a certain age and suddenly enters a period of enlightenment for the artifact spirit?
Just like a person gaining an epiphany.
From a blank slate, the ignorant artifact spirit gradually develops intelligence!
"Three hundred sixty-one years." Duan Rong silently recited the age of the ancient ginkgo wood, a number for him that seemed like a figure to be verified.
Such a large old locust tree without a devouring effect made him wonder about smaller trees.
However, this also reinforced his previous hypothesis that the tier of an artifact spirit is related to the passage of time!
Duan Rong looked down at a stone table under the old locust tree, stared blankly for a while, then went over, placing his palm on the table, and silently recited, "Read the Artifact Spirit."
Artifact: Stone Table
Artifact Spirit Tier: Not yet rated
Devouring Requirements: None
Devouring Effect: None.
Duan Rong's face lit up like a child discovering a new game, and just then he heard a sharp sound at his feet.
It turned out that a piece of broken tile had fallen from the rooftop, landing by his feet.
Duan Rong looked down, picked up the piece of tile, holding it in his hand, and silently recited, "Read the Artifact Spirit."
Artifact: Broken Tile.
Artifact Spirit Tier: Damaged artifact spirit, not yet rated.
Devouring Requirements: None.
Devouring Effect: None.
As Duan Rong looked at the broken tile in his hand and the set of data that appeared before him, he slowly lifted his head.
Holding the broken tile, he glanced around at the martial arts arena's stages and weapons, and beyond to the connected houses, trees, and streets…
A sense of joy suddenly surged in Duan Rong's heart.
"All things possess spirits!"
"As long as one's spiritual power level is high enough, everything under heaven can be used by me!"
"Although some are just blank slates, with enough years of soaking, these ignorant artifact spirits will slowly develop intelligence."
At that moment, a few people dressed as escort masters walked past Duan Rong, watching him holding a tile, sometimes grinning foolishly, sometimes deep in thought, thinking they might have encountered a lunatic.
Duan Rong noticed them whispering and looking at him, suddenly realizing, he tossed the tile aside and composed himself.
That was when Duan Rong suddenly remembered the secret manual Xiao Zongting gave him today.
Duan Rong took the manual in his hands, silently reciting, "Read the Artifact Spirit!"
Artifact: A tattered book.
Artifact Spirit Tier: Not yet rated.
Devouring Requirements: None.
Devouring Effect: None.
Staring at the data floating before him, Duan Rong was utterly perplexed!
Could it be that the secret manual doesn't have a book spirit?
Duan Rong pondered for a moment, and suddenly, his eyes lit up with understanding: "If the secret manual had a book spirit, then wouldn't anyone who copies it once also have a book spirit by the same measure?"
"Of course, Laozi has Laozi's realm, but can you achieve the same realm as Laozi just by copying the Tao Te Ching once?"
"An artifact spirit cannot understand text, it is not human, it is a product of the erosion of years!"
"No matter how well-written or profound a secret manual is, its artifact spirit will not grow; it remains a blank slate!"
As Duan Rong contemplated this, he suddenly realized it was getting late, so he exited the martial arts arena and headed towards the inner warehouse of the middle courtyard to collect his items.
In the inner courtyard, at the entrance of the inner warehouse, an old man with a face full of wrinkles was sitting there, leaning against the wall, seemingly napping with his eyes closed. At a table by the entrance, a slightly plump middle-aged man was yawning.
It was almost time to lock the doors of the inner warehouse. The slightly plump middle-aged man was just about to clock out when he suddenly saw a figure emerge from the alley, clearly heading towards the inner warehouse.
The slightly plump middle-aged man clicked his tongue, glared at Duan Rong, and grumbled, "Coming at this hour, isn't it just delaying my clock out?"
Duan Rong took a slip of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of the middle-aged man.
The slightly plump middle-aged man glanced at the slip and said coldly, "Turn in here, inside is the weapons repository. Pick yourself a new Cow Tail Saber with a scabbard!"
Duan Rong turned his head to take a look, then followed the direction the middle-aged man pointed to, walking into the weapons repository.
The slightly plump middle-aged man watched Duan Rong's silhouette disappear around the corner, then glanced at the half-squinting old man behind him, got up, and headed towards the herbal storage area.
As Duan Rong entered the weapons repository, he was slightly surprised by its size. Eighteen types of weapons, all available.
Axes, hooks, forks, knives, spears, swords, halberds, whips, maces, hammers, and more. There were even some weapons whose names Duan Rong couldn't recall, most of them with strange shapes.
Among them, the most numerous were sabers!
And among those sabers, the Cow Tail Saber was the most common because it was the standard weapon of the Yuan Shun Escort Agency!
Although there's a saying that the spear is the king of weapons, it's easy to learn but hard to master and not easy to handle!
In the Jianghu, the most common and popular weapon is the saber!
This is the weapon chosen by the Jianghu travelers themselves, naturally having its reasons!
The saber, with both edge and spine, combines offense and defense, can chop and hack, stab and lift. Though not as elegant as the sword nor as powerful as the spear, it triumphs in being easy to handle.
Thus, the saber is the practical king of weapons!
Duan Rong approached a row of Cow Tail Sabers with scabbards. Just as he was about to pick one, he noticed at the very back of the weapons repository, a particular weapon was enshrined.
The weapon leaned against a shrine, the shrine backed against the wall.
Next to the shrine was an offering table, with an incense burner on top, overflowing with ashes, with scattered ash marks on the table.
What kind of weapon
is actually worshipped, with incense offered daily?
Duan Rong's curiosity was piqued, and he walked over slowly.
As he got closer, he saw that enshrined in the shrine was a Phoenix Wing Gold Inlay Halberd!
The halberd is a heavy weapon, not for common use!
Its shape resembles a fork, with side extensions like phoenix wings, hence the name Phoenix Wing Halberd!
The strange thing about this halberd was the golden gleam on its blade, as if it were plated with gold, clearly not an ordinary item!
But even more bizarre, all three blades of the halberd were chopped off.
Such a divine object, now reduced to a remnant.
Duan Rong's curiosity intensified, his eyes flickered, and he took a step forward, reaching his hand into the shrine, gripping the halberd handle, and silently chanted, "Retrieve Artifact Spirit!"
Artifact: Phoenix Wing Gold Inlay Halberd (Damaged)
Artifact Spirit Tier: Level 13.
Devouring Requirements: Host's Spiritual Power Level 13 (Not met).
Devouring Effect: Forty-Six Forms Great Success (Incomplete).
Duan Rong was shocked, a damaged artifact spirit with a level as high as 13.
And the devouring effect wasn't a jumble, but a martial art.
A martial art, and an incomplete one at that, with an artifact spirit tier reaching level 13?
From this alone, one could imagine what kind of martial art this Forty-Six Forms was, and what kind of existence this halberd's owner once was?
However, none of this concerned the current Duan Rong.
A Level 13 artifact spirit, he could only gaze at it.
"Too far beyond reach!"
Duan Rong was just about to turn to leave and select a Cow Tail Saber with a scabbard when he suddenly noticed a saber placed not far from the Phoenix Wing Gold Inlay Halberd, leaning against the corner.
The saber was unremarkable, with blade and handle in one piece, its handle wrapped with silk thread for slip resistance, and it surprisingly was unsharpened.
Duan Rong's eyes flickered.
"Since this saber is also placed at the very back of the weapons repository, it must have some background!"
Duan Rong suddenly bent down, gripping the saber in his hand, and silently chanted, "Retrieve Artifact Spirit!"
Artifact: Unsharpened Broadsword
Artifact Spirit Tier: Level 1.
Devouring Requirements: Host's Spiritual Power Level 1 (Met).
Devouring Effect: Five Tigers and Sheep Saber Mastery.
Duan Rong looked at the data in front of him, overjoyed.
This was the mastery level Five Tigers and Sheep Saber he had been longing for. By devouring this artifact spirit, not only would his combat skills in the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber reach the mastery level, but he would also have the second level of the Inner Power Heart Method.
"Just in time!" Duan Rong cheered inwardly, silently chanting, "Devour!"