Volume One, Chapter Five: A New Life

The blood-red setting sun stretched shadows long across the ground. Jiang Huan sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor, his mind stirring to manifest his spirit weapon, "Thousand Blades," into his hand.

The blade was covered in mottled cracks and numerous patches of rust. The hilt, made of some unknown hide, was stained with dust and dried blood. Jiang Huan furrowed his brows as he scrutinized his spirit weapon.

"Why does it always feel like my spirit weapon is second-hand?"

This was not the first time he had examined Thousand Blades, but as far as he knew, others' spirit weapons—even those of the same F-rank—were never as dilapidated as his.

"Hey, Thousand Blades, isn't it time for you to show yourself?"

As the words left his lips, a phantom of a man wearing a straw hat and coarse linen clothes slowly emerged from the broken blade. Just like before, his eyes were filled with exhaustion. Moreover, Jiang Huan could sense a trace of coldness in those eyes—a coldness not just toward him as a spirit master, but toward life itself.

"It seems the compatibility is still a bit low."

Jiang Huan pulled over a plastic basin he had prepared, filled halfway with clear water and some additional materials. After exchanging a glance with Thousand Blades, the phantom retreated back into the broken blade. Jiang Huan carefully placed the blade into the water and retrieved a bottle of Spirit Cleansing Liquid, a reward from his school, from the system.

He had accidentally discovered this system function: the space containing eighteen sword cases could be fully utilized as storage.

The pale blue liquid flowed into the basin. Moments later, waves of gentle energy began to seep into the broken blade. The residual bloodstains on the metal loosened, and bits of rust flaked off. Jiang Huan could clearly perceive that Thousand Blades was being nourished, and the connection between them was gradually strengthening.

[Spirit Weapon "Thousand Blades" is being nourished, compatibility +1.]
[Spirit Weapon "Thousand Blades" is being nourished, compatibility +1.]
...
[Spirit Weapon "Thousand Blades" is being nourished, compatibility +1.]

The system notifications chimed periodically, and the pale blue liquid in the basin gradually turned red, tainted by the blood and rust. Half an hour later, the notifications ceased. Jiang Huan removed the blade and used a soft cloth to wipe away the remaining grime. While rust and bloodstains still lingered on the metal, the keen edge hidden beneath was finally visible.

[Spirit Weapon "Thousand Blades" feels your care, compatibility +1.]

This unexpected increase in compatibility surprised Jiang Huan. He immediately opened the attribute page for Thousand Blades.

[Spirit Weapon: Thousand Blades]
[Quality: F]
[Effect: None]
[Experience: 103%]
[Compatibility: 36]
[Refinement Count: 0]
[Experience sufficient. Would you like to refine the spirit weapon?]

"The soaking in Spirit Cleansing Liquid increased compatibility by 10 points, and wiping it down added another one," Jiang Huan mused. "It seems that as long as the spirit weapon can feel my care, the compatibility will increase."

His gaze lingered on the last line of text. "It’s time to refine the spirit weapon..."

He selected "Yes."

A surge of powerful energy poured into the broken blade without warning. To Jiang Huan’s eyes, the remaining rust and bloodstains were fading away one by one. The blade seemed reborn, radiating a chilling aura.

[F-rank Spirit Weapon "Thousand Blades" refined into E-rank. Compatibility +10.]
[Spirit Weapon "Thousand Blades" awakened Effect 1: "Cold Glint," which channels spiritual power into the blade, extending the blade's aura and significantly increasing damage.]

Having finished refining the weapon, Jiang Huan did not hesitate to advance his own level.

[Experience sufficient. Host advancing. Host level increased from "Zero-Rank Three-Star" to "Zero-Rank Seven-Star." Physique significantly enhanced.]

A mystical energy surged into Jiang Huan's body. Within moments, he heard three or four faint cracking sounds inside him, accompanied by muffled thuds from his body.

Jiang Huan opened his eyes and saw that, at some point, the phantom of Thousand Blades had appeared above the blade once more. His expression remained cold, but the weariness in his eyes had vanished. He looked at Jiang Huan with a gaze that seemed to hold a hint of complexity. He met Jiang Huan's eyes and gave a slight nod, seemingly in gratitude. Jiang Huan noticed that the phantom looked more solid than before.

"It seems that after the quality improved, Thousand Blades' form became more substantial," he thought. "I wonder when I'll be able to make it manifest a physical form in the world without needing spiritual power infusion, just like my father's spirit weapon."

Initially, spirit weapons could only exist within the spirit master's body, manifesting externally only when fueled by spiritual power. However, if the spirit weapon's quality was high enough and the master nurtured it with care, it could exist in the world like a real object.

Jiang Huan checked his system interface.

[Host: Jiang Huan]
[Level: Zero-Rank Seven-Star]
[Experience: 3%]
[Ability: Mutual Growth]
[Martial Skill: Stealth]
[Physique: 85]

"I've broken through to the seven-star level; it feels like the last breakthrough was a year ago..."

His eyes scanned the list, and when they landed on his "Physique" rating, his eyes widened. "Damn! 85 at the seven-star level!"

Physique was a comprehensive index including spiritual power, physical strength, mental power, and endurance. Generally, each advancement in rank brought an increase in physique. While every individual’s constitution differed, the gain was usually standard. Yet, reaching 85 while only at the seven-star level was astonishing.

He opened the Thousand Blades interface again to observe carefully.

[Spirit Weapon: Thousand Blades]
[Quality: E]
[Effect 1: Cold Glint]
[Experience: 3%]
[Compatibility: 47]
[Refinement Count: 1]

"It seems that once the spirit weapon is refined, it can advance, and after advancing, its quality improves. And because of the 'Mutual Growth' ability, I gained enough experience to advance as well."

Jiang Huan walked to the window and looked toward the towering walls of Colorful Cloud City. A thought suddenly surged in his heart. "Perhaps it's time for me to go out and take a look."

With that thought, he bent down and pulled a box from under his bed. Inside were some protective gears, covered in thick dust. These were prepared by his father as a coming-of-age gift when he was still very young. He never imagined that it would take until now for him to have the courage to wear them.

By the time he had cleaned each piece of armor, night had fallen. He tried them on; they fit perfectly. "My old man really knew his stuff—he even calculated my size."

He crept into his mother's room, where she was still sound asleep. After leaving a note, he gently closed the door.

In the dead of night, an agile figure stepped out with light, steady strides, heading toward the city gates. It was as if he were not stepping into danger, but walking toward a brand-new life.