Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Blood Drinking Ancient Sword
For some reason, Qin Li suddenly felt as if someone, somewhere, was silently watching him. It was a warm feeling, completely devoid of malice. His heart jolted, and when he came back to his senses, the feeling of being watched was gone.
Shaking his head slightly, Qin Li thought that perhaps his experiences over the past few days had been so unbelievable that he was starting to hallucinate. He looked toward the open secret door. Inside was another room, small enough to be taken in at a single glance.
Qin Li stepped into the room. In the middle of the room was a table, and on it sat a rather large wooden box with a letter next to it. Qin Li’s brow furrowed slightly. He reached out, picked up the letter, and opened it. The somewhat familiar handwriting leapt from the page, appearing before his eyes once more.
"Greetings, my disciple. The fact that you can see this letter proves you are a kind-hearted person. Whether you are young or old, you are a junior to me, so becoming my disciple is no loss for you."
Qin Li gave a wry smile and continued reading.
"Don’t bother going to the weaponsmith and the place where the Spirit Stones are stored. Spirit Stones are the purest essence between Heaven and Earth. In my entire life, I have only managed to collect a few dozen, so what I said before was a lie. Both of those rooms contain powerful Illusion Skills. Even for a Martial Artist who cultivates the ’Only I am Venerable’ technique, escaping would be incredibly difficult. So, those places are very dangerous, and besides, there’s nothing in them."
Qin Li was speechless, a look of resignation on his face. ’Old man, you’re ruthless!’ he thought. ’Even after all this, you still had to pull a prank.’
"Everything I have learned in my life has been recorded in the books inside the wooden box next to you. I took no disciples in my youth. Now that I am old and it is truly time for me to depart, I cannot bear the thought of my life’s work being lost to time. Therefore, since fate has brought you here and allowed you to see this letter, it shall be up to you to pass these things on. As for who you pass them to, that is not important. Whether they are good or evil, after a person dies, knowledge will eventually be passed on."
Reading this, Qin Li’s respect for Prince Wu deepened. This master of his, from another generation, truly saw things with profound clarity. People could be good or evil, but knowledge itself was neutral. Whether in the hands of the righteous or the wicked, knowledge would always spread... branching out to influence more and more people.
"Inside the box is also a sword I forged in my later years. Its name is Blood Drinking. However, since the day it was forged, it has never tasted a drop of blood. Therefore, if you wish to use it, you must first refine it with your own Essence Blood. Only then will it become an extension of your will. Additionally, there are some Spirit Stones. When a Martial Artist breaks through the Celestial Level and reaches the Celestial Shattering Realm, absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi will no longer be enough to meet your needs. At that point, Spirit Stones and Elixirs become indispensable. Spirit Stones are exceedingly rare. In my life of over a thousand years, I only managed to find a hundred or so. After using some, there are about twenty or thirty left. I give them to you as a gift. Finally, there is a Pill Formula Secret Manual. It contains thirty-six Elixir Formulas needed for the Celestial Shattering Realm, and over one hundred and seventy formulas for various elixirs used by Martial Artists below the Celestial Level. You must handle this Pill Formula Secret Manual with the utmost caution! Do not underestimate the greed in the hearts of men, nor their ambition. If you wish to build a great power, these Pill Formulas will be of immense help. But you must be cautious. Cautious. Extremely cautious! Do not let it bring you harm instead!"
For an expert as mighty as an Unparalleled Venerable to give such repeated warnings showed just how important that Secret Manual filled with Pill Formulas was. Qin Li even suspected that if Prince Wu hadn’t been so determined to prevent his Ultimate Skills from being lost, he might never have passed down these formulas at all. Qin Li took Prince Wu’s warning to heart; this item was simply too precious!
A great and powerful clan like the Shangguan Family was able to produce ten new Celestial Level experts within twenty years, all because of ten Elixirs bestowed by that woman. Aside from a few high-ranking members of the Shangguan Family, Qin Li was the only outsider who knew of this—and he only knew because of Shangguan Shiyu.
What did ten Celestial Level experts signify? One had to understand that in the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom, the imperial family only had fifty-four Celestial Level Tributors on the surface! Even counting the hidden ones who operated in the shadows, the total number probably didn’t exceed a hundred!
And that alone was already considered an extremely powerful force among the surrounding kingdoms!
So, for a single family to produce ten new Celestial Level Martial Artists in just twenty years—tell me, which power wouldn’t be green with envy?
At this thought, Qin Li was so overwhelmed by the grand gift from Prince Wu that he didn’t know how to express his gratitude. After a moment’s thought, he returned to the outer room, knelt down respectfully once more, and said in a solemn voice, "Master and Mistress above, your disciple, Qin Li, has received your teachings today. I have no way to repay this kindness. I dare not disturb your spirits in the heavens. When I leave this place and find stability, I will surely set up memorial tablets in your honor and ensure the incense burns for you eternally."
With that, Qin Li stood up. As a young man from a nation with a five-thousand-year-old civilization, this was the only way he knew how to express his respect for Prince Wu, his master from another generation.
The wooden box was unlocked. Qin Li opened it directly. The first thing that met his eyes was a Treasure Sword, about three feet, three inches long. The black scabbard, made of some unknown leather, exuded an ancient and timeworn aura. It was simple yet majestic, and exquisitely crafted. There were no decorations on the entire scabbard, yet it didn’t feel plain or incomplete in the slightest.
It was heavy in his hand.
A typical sword weighed only four or five pounds. Swords were meant to be light and agile weapons, with Sword Techniques that relied mainly on finesse. Broad, sweeping moves were rare, unless it was a two-handed greatsword.
But this Treasure Sword, named Blood Drinking, felt like it weighed at least a dozen pounds! The hilt was wrapped with Black Gold Thread, which felt cool, solid, and exceptionally good in his hand.
Qin Li drew the blade out slightly, and a wave of icy cold air washed over his face.
It was a pure, crisp chill, as if he had been plunged into ten-thousand-year-old Cold Ice. There was no killing intent or murderous aura, just this simple coldness, which was enough to force Qin Li to start Cultivating just to resist it. He was horrified.
Remembering what Prince Wu had said, Qin Li didn’t hesitate. He extended the middle finger of his left hand and gently placed it on the sword’s edge... He felt almost nothing, but a deep gash was instantly cut into his finger. And this was with him being extremely careful; a reckless person might have lost their fingertip in that instant!
Blood flowed from his finger down onto the silvery-white blade and, to Qin Li’s astonishment, began to seep into it, bit by bit...
What’s more, Qin Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The sword was truly worthy of its name, Blood Drinking. With his finger pressed against the edge, he felt a sensation like tiny insects biting him as blood continuously flowed out. In just a short while, he had already lost a fair amount. While this bit of blood was nothing to Qin Li, the sight was still quite horrifying.
If Qin Li hadn’t firmly believed that Prince Wu wouldn’t be so bored as to set a trap for him like this, he would have pulled his hand away long ago.
After a good ten minutes, Qin Li even started to feel slightly dizzy before the biting sensation in his finger finally disappeared. When he looked at the limpid Treasure Sword again, its luster had become restrained and its sharp edge was no longer so prominent. It looked completely different from the brilliant, flowing light it had just emitted.
Qin Li could faintly sense a gentle feeling of attachment coming from the sword. Though he found it hard to believe, the joy in his heart was real.
SHING!
With a clear ring, the Treasure Sword left its scabbard.
A vast killing aura erupted in all directions. The faint feeling of attachment instantly transformed into... an overwhelming bloodlust. The impression it now gave Qin Li could be summed up in a single word—bloodthirsty!
