I Have 10 Equipment Slots

Chapter 398: Chapter 229: Divine Weapon Clan, the Gu Family

The members of the Xiao Family who had been reluctant, like Xiao Dutian and Xiao Duguang, were now forced to accept reality, whether they liked it or not.

So much so that when Xiao Dongxuan found a Round Mirror—one of the Enlightenment Marvels—in the depths of the treasury, no one objected to giving it to Gu Zheng.

Gu Zheng quickly took possession of the Round Mirror.

Compared to the plum blossom left behind by Xie Hongye, the Round Mirror had less than half the Dao Rhyme.

That said, the difference in Dao Rhyme between the plum blossom and the Round Mirror wasn’t actually that great.

As always, Gu Zheng first began comprehending the plum blossom.

The location was the same as before: atop Nameless Mountain, on the border between the Jing and Yue Countries.

He chose this old spot because other Noble Families wanted to make a deal for the abandoned Xie Family Ancestral Land located there.

When the representatives from these Noble Families arrived and gathered, Gu Zheng would have to be there to support Xiao Dongxuan.

...

「Zhong Family Ancestral Land.」

"How did it go? Did you succeed?"

Zhong Duxiu asked Zhong Zhengqiong, his expression grim.

"No."

Zhong Zhengqiong shook his head. "That Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade hardly ever appears. The moment it’s discovered, it vanishes. Our men can’t get near it, let alone subdue it."

After a pause, his face turned serious. "Did Gu Zheng do something to the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade?"

"..." Zhong Duxiu fell silent.

He was certain Gu Zheng hadn’t subdued the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade.

When a Divine Weapon is subdued, its aura changes in a very recognizable way.

The Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade showed no such change.

’If he didn’t subdue it, what else could he have possibly done to it?’

The Divine Weapon Spirit disliked them, but it disliked Gu Zheng just as much.

’It couldn’t be that just because Gu Zheng awakened it, the Divine Weapon Spirit of the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade now sees him in a different light and follows his commands, right?’

He had to admit...

Zhong Duxiu had guessed the truth of the matter, but that truth was too bizarre, too absurd to be believed.

This was especially true given Gu Zheng was only at the King’s Body realm, yet held the shocking achievement of having slain Xie Hongye, who was at the second stage of the King’s Body.

Questioning him directly or trying to coax the information out of him were both impossible.

Their current relationship was still decent.

But if they were to have a falling out, both sides would suffer heavy losses.

At the very least, many members of the Zhong family would die, while the Gu Family would lose very few.

"...Let’s continue trying to make contact with the Divine Weapon Spirit for now."

After a long pause, Zhong Duxiu finally spoke, "Subduing a Divine Weapon is inherently difficult. It’s not uncommon for it to be a stalemate that lasts for decades. Right now, the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade is trapped in our Ancestral Land; this is our chance. Have our people—anyone with Zhong family blood—come and give it a try."

"Alright."

Zhong Zhengqiong nodded. The inability to immediately subdue the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade was certainly frustrating, but taming a Divine Weapon truly was a test of patience.

The best way to win over a Divine Weapon was, in fact, for it to choose its own master.

Divine Weapons have spirits; they will choose their own masters.

That selection process *is* the process of winning it over.

But such events were incredibly rare.

There were recorded cases, but you could count them on one hand.

For the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade to automatically choose someone from the Zhong family, that person would have to be exceptionally compatible with it.

...

...

「At the entrance to the Xie Family Ancestral Land, by the pond.」

A back-and-forth negotiation was successfully concluded.

The Xiang Family, the Yu Family, and the Yong Family—the three Noble Families who wanted the Xie Family Ancestral Land—each received one hundred years of access rights to the Spirit Realm Space.

The price they paid was ten pieces of Thunder Essence and Fire Soul.

Gu Zheng still chose to trade the access rights to the Spirit Realm Space for Thunder Essence and Fire Soul.

Thunder Essence and Fire Soul were important cultivation resources, so even if others were suspicious, they wouldn’t think he was using them to repair a Divine Weapon.

Even if the thought crossed their minds, they wouldn’t dare make any moves.

Because with Gu Zheng’s current strength, it was perfectly reasonable for him to possess a true Divine Weapon. The others did not, and so they didn’t dare have any ideas.

...

That very day, Gu Zheng had Xiaolu absorb the ten pieces of Thunder Essence and Fire Soul from the trade to repair the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

BZZZZZ!

The humming vibration sent ripples through space.

The Heaven-piercing Halberd was wreathed in lightning and engulfed in flames.

It levitated in midair, its released aura sweeping across the land for several miles.

Wherever the aura passed, all living beings with a spirit prostrated themselves on the ground, curled up and trembling.

Fortunately, Gu Zheng had chosen a remote mountain region in advance, so no one was disturbed.

SHING~

A flash of light, and a figure shot out from the Heaven-piercing Halberd. The moment it landed, it transformed into a six or seven-year-old boy dressed in a tight-fitting black and red outfit.

Of his two eyes, one surged with lightning, the other blazed with fire.

"Haha, Master, I’m out!"

The little boy was none other than Xiaolu, the Divine Weapon Spirit of the Heaven-piercing Halberd. Now fully repaired, he could manifest his physical form.

"Not bad."

Gu Zheng crossed his arms, looked at Xiaolu’s thunder-and-fire eyes, and said, "Everything else is fine, but you’ll have to change the eyes."

"Okay!"

Xiaolu hopped on the spot twice, spun around a couple of times, and when he looked back at Gu Zheng, his eyes had changed into black pupils, just like Gu Zheng’s.

"Master, how’s this?" Xiaolu raised his head, an expression on his face as if asking for praise.

"Very good!"

Gu Zheng gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hahaha~" Xiaolu put his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and laughed heartily, spewing a long plume of flame wreathed in lightning that burned the very air and caused a large area to distort.

Gu Zheng was left speechless.

’He still needs to learn control!’

...

His eyes, his speech, his laughter, his walk...

Once Xiaolu could control most of his actions without leaking thunder and fire, Gu Zheng finally took him back to Fengzhou.

「Qingshi County.」

The former Gu Mansion, now the Qingshi Marquis’s Mansion.

"The Young Master is back!"

"Greetings, Young Master!"

"..."

As he walked in through the main gate, the guards and servants he passed all bowed and called out in greeting.

Gu Zheng nodded to them as he made his way to his personal courtyard.

As he walked, a wondrous power stirred, and he sent a telepathic message to Gu Sihai, Gu Pan’Er, Gu Xue’Er, Gu Wan’Er, Gu Feng, and Zhou Dingding, whether they were in the mansion or outside of it.

He summoned everyone home, and they entered the room one by one.

Waiting in the study, Gu Zheng put down the teacup the butler had brought, raised a hand, and shut the door.

"Big Brother, what’s going on? Why so mysterious?" Gu Xue’Er was the first to ask, unable to hold back.

"It’s definitely something good." Gu Wan’Er stood beside Gu Zheng, lifted her chin, and said in a clear voice, "Big Brother, am I right?"

"You are."

Gu Zheng ruffled Gu Wan’Er’s hair. With a thought, the Heaven-piercing Halberd flew out and hovered in an empty space on the other side of the study.

SHING~

Xiaolu immediately jumped out after it, landed on the floor, and waved to Gu Sihai, Gu Wan’Er, and the others. "Hey, everyone!"

"..."

Gu Sihai, Gu Pan’Er, and the rest of the group were dumbfounded.

’A living person appearing out of thin air?’

No, wait!

"Is... is that a... a Divine... Divine Weapon?" Gu Sihai’s body trembled. He stiffly turned his head to look at Gu Zheng and stammered, "Ping... Ping’an, is that a Divine Weapon Spirit? Am I right!?"

"Yes."

Gu Zheng nodded, then raised a hand to close Gu Wan’Er’s gaping mouth.

"This is Xiaolu, the Artifact Spirit of the Thunderfire Heaven-Slaying Halberd."

"Xiaolu, these are all members of my family." Gu Zheng made the introductions, then pointed at Gu Feng. "Except for him, I want you to leave a mark on everyone else. Dad, Big Sis... in the future, when you face enemies, you’ll be able to borrow Xiaolu’s projection power."

A Divine Weapon Mark! A Divine Weapon Projection!

Now that the Heaven-piercing Halberd was fully repaired, it too could leave marks and lend its power from a distance.

For now, Gu Zheng wasn’t going to reveal anything about the Crimson Moon Heaven-Covering Blade.

But there was no issue with using Xiaolu to give his family an extra layer of protection.

The process was simple. Xiaolu just had to do it himself, pressing his palm against a spot on the bodies of Gu Sihai, Gu Pan’Er, and the others.

"A... a Divine Weapon Seal?"

Gu Xue’Er took a deep breath, then started jumping up and down on the spot while letting out a piercing shriek, "AHHH—!"

"Keep your voice down!"

Gu Pan’Er snapped out of her daze and slapped her sister, annoyed.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Gu Xue’Er clamped a hand over her mouth, her face flushed with excitement. She whispered excitedly, "A Divine Weapon Seal! Borrowing a Divine Weapon’s Power from afar, projecting it across a thousand miles... that’s an ability only a noble youth from a Divine Weapon Family has, and soon we’ll be able to do it too! Doesn’t that mean that from now on, our Gu Family will also be a Divine Weapon Clan?"

"Well..." Gu Pan’Er was taken aback.

Gu Sihai was also stunned.

"..." Gu Zheng smiled. "You could say that."

’I hadn’t thought of it that way before. But now that Gu Xue’Er pointed it out, it’s true.’

The Heaven-piercing Halberd was a true Divine Weapon, and it could now leave its seal on others, allowing them to borrow its power via projection.

Didn’t that make the Gu Family a Divine Weapon Clan?