Chapter Eighteen: The Self-Proclaimed Strongest Spirit Energy Item [4K]
The Zixiao Terrace was activated.
Using the Zixiao Terrace, Luxianbei established a connection with those spirit energy items and “heard” the “voices” they emitted.
After doing all this, Zhang Hainan walked towards the edge of the Zixiao Terrace, preparing to wait there for Luxianbei to select a suitable weapon. However, before he had gone far, he sensed something, turned back to look, and opened his narrowed eyes. A hint of surprise flashed in his gaze.
Something’s not right!
The rate of spirit energy consumption from the Sword and Heart was off.
This wasn’t Zhang Hainan’s first time activating the Zixiao Terrace, utilizing the Sword and Heart to help people select spirit energy items.
In fact, every three years, Dachunyang Palace would organize a group of capable and reliable disciples to go up to the Zixiao Terrace to select suitable spirit energy items.
This was a reward for the disciples.
Of course, that group of muscle-bound disciples who specialized in body techniques would sometimes exchange this reward for an opportunity to train with lightning to strengthen their bodies. From a certain perspective, going up to the Zixiao Terrace was like receiving a special scholarship for the disciples of Dachunyang Palace.
Over the decades since becoming the headmaster, Zhang Hainan had activated the Zixiao Terrace dozens of times, with the most he ever helped at once being seventeen disciples, finding compatible spirit energy items for them.
However, even when using the Sword and Heart to simultaneously communicate with seventeen disciples regarding spirit energy items, the rate of spirit energy consumption was only slightly higher than that of Luxianbei.
While this level of spirit energy consumption was a mere drop in the bucket for Zhang Hainan, such an abnormal phenomenon was difficult not to notice.
There was only one reason for this situation: there were too many spirit energy items that had a certain compatibility with Luxianbei. Or rather, too many spirit energy items were eyeing Luxianbei!
Although the selection of spirit energy items on the Zixiao Terrace was nominally for spiritual ability users or urban legends, from a certain perspective, it was actually a two-way selection.
When the Sword and Heart translated the “language” of the spirit energy items, it also amplified their temperaments, giving them their own opinions when choosing a new master.
Some might require the new master to have a certain level of spirit energy fluctuation,
Others might require the new master to be skilled in specific techniques or spell formulas,
Yet others might seek a new master who possessed a certain type of core from an urban legend, held specific powers, or controlled special forces such as the aura of the earth’s veins.
Additionally, many of these spirit energy items originated from ancient times when spiritual ability users did not necessarily gain their spirit energy through spirit patterns; some could even require the new master to possess spirit seals, urban legend marks, or attachments to urban legend cores.
Some peculiar spirit energy items might even impose criteria regarding the new master’s height, weight, age, appearance, relationship status, wealth, preferences for sweet or savory tofu pudding, and so forth.
In fact, in the past, there had been instances when disciples of Dachunyang Palace went to the Zixiao Terrace without any compatible spirit energy items, and such occurrences weren’t particularly rare.
But
Luxianbei had spirit patterns, a core of urban legend, spirit seals, and also possessed rare powers like Royal Authority and the Thousand-Armed Giant.
Although the aura of the earth’s veins was used to maintain the stability of the God Realm Prototype and couldn’t be accessed freely, it could still be faintly sensed from her.
Moreover, her appearance was quite appealing; who doesn’t like a beautiful girl?
In short, she was very popular!
This was a dangerous signal; she might easily take away a large number of spirit energy items!
Zhang Hainan thought that if it were Luxianbei, she could definitely pull off such a thing without any doubts. If she had the chance to take away a large number of spirit energy items, the very moment she hesitated, she wouldn’t be Luxianbei anymore.
Thinking of this, Zhang Hainan felt a tightness in his chest and quickly changed direction, “No, I must go back to keep an eye on her; I can’t just let her act on her whims!”
Reducing three or five spirit energy items at once might not affect the operation of the Zixiao Terrace, but if it were hundreds or thousands, it would likely cause problems.
Besides, being favored by so many spirit energy items, without someone guiding her, Luxianbei would probably be overwhelmed with choices, right? With a massive influx of information pouring into her consciousness over a prolonged period, it could potentially harm her awareness. Zhang Hainan thought –
A multitude of voices rose and fell around him.
A vast amount of information surged into Luxianbei’s mind through the subtle connection established by the Sword and Heart. She felt a sharp pain in her temples, and her vision darkened momentarily.
She initially thought selecting spirit energy items would be like drawing cards in a mobile game, but the reality was far from what she had imagined.
It felt like a charming girl mistakenly entered a matchmaking corner in a park, as if she had joined a hyperactive chat group where messages piled up at a rate of 99+ per minute, overwhelming to the point of explosion.
If it weren’t for the protection of Royal Authority stabilizing her consciousness, Luxianbei would probably have fainted on the spot. This was entirely impossible to choose!
Watching the spirit energy item phantoms that cast burning gazes toward her, Luxianbei felt flustered but soon realized something.
It seemed that as she chose those spirit energy items, those items were also choosing her. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, and she felt a mischievous urge rising within her. Why not just take them all away?
Zhang Hainan only said to select a suitable spirit energy item; he didn’t say she couldn’t let the spirit energy items choose.
“If they want to follow me, what can I do? I’m also being forced!”
They had been waiting here for dozens, if not hundreds, of years, eager to contribute once more and let the world witness their brilliance again. I can’t ignore this deserving respect for their expectations, can I?
Thinking of this, Luxianbei raised her eyebrows slightly and quickly organized her words in her mind, inspiring the spirit energy items to leave Dachunyang Palace.
“I know all of you have been dormant for years, but your brilliance and ambitions still remain. How about considering coming down the mountain with me and embarking on a grand enterprise together to create a new world?”
Would saying this make me seem too ambitious, not like a good person?
“Follow me, and I promise to treat you well, fulfilling as many of your requests as possible!”
No, saying this felt too humble; desires are infinite. What if one day I can’t meet their needs? Some of them might revolt.
Or rather
Just as Luxianbei was secretly mulling this over, Zhang Hainan’s voice suddenly resounded in her mind, jolting her.
“Luxianbei, let me remind you, whether you choose the spirit energy items or they choose you, you can only take one item with you. If there’s even one more, I’ll explode with rage!”
Zhang Hainan’s threat had a powerful effect, successfully interrupting Luxianbei’s train of thought. In a daze, she seemed to hear the sound of glass shattering.
That was likely the sound of dreams breaking.
Luxianbei, “”
I don’t think I can be happy anymore.
Didn’t that old man say he was leaving? How did he come back again? d*mn it, don’t pry into others’ thoughts, you b*stard!
Just as she felt a wave of disappointment and endless sighing in her heart, Zhang Hainan’s voice rang out again.
“Luxianbei, one more reminder: if you don’t know how to choose, try proposing some conditions to them.” “While they may make some selections, primarily it’s still you choosing them, understand?”
“Additionally, when you propose conditions, just be straightforward; spirit energy items aren’t human. If you’re too indirect or obscure, they might not understand.”
Primarily it’s still me choosing them, Luxianbei repeated Zhang Hainan’s words in her mind, frowning slightly, then as if realizing something, her eyes lit up.
Got it! This isn’t about drawing cards in a mobile game; it’s more like a public recruitment for specific traits!
So, she cleared her throat and put forth her first condition to the spirit energy items. She was quite skilled at being straightforward.
“Cough, first of all, thank you all for your favor, but since I only understand swordsmanship, I regret to inform you all that the weapon I wish to select must at least be capable of executing sword techniques.”
No blunt weapons or peculiar weapons should come to disturb this process, especially peculiar weapons! There’s an old saying: ‘The stranger the weapon, the faster one dies,’ which is very ominous.
Moreover, I initially came to select a longsword; this time, it’s returning to my roots, Luxianbei thought.
As her words fell, many phantoms that were axes, hammers, claw-hooks, and abacuses immediately turned their gazes away from her. Some sighed in disappointment, others remained silent, and some cursed, shouting “Diversity Discrimination, d*e!” before turning to walk toward the “ocean” behind them and disappearing from sight.
The noise in her ears diminished by half.
Did it work? Luxianbei secretly sighed in relief, pondered for a moment, and presented the second condition.
“If any among you have a special purpose after leaving the Zixiao Terrace, you may leave first; my abilities are limited, and I may not be able to assist you.”
Just as Zhang Hainan said, when selecting spirit energy items, the talent is the primary factor. Luxianbei believed that controlling a spirit energy item needed to be led by her as well.
If a spirit energy item was still fixated on helping its former master fulfill uncompleted wishes, or if it required its new master to live according to its ideas, then no matter how powerful it was, it was better not to have it!
It felt like a game that released a seemingly powerful character, but upon acquiring it, one was told that to unlock all its abilities, one still had to spend more money.
That would be frustrating!
As Luxianbei stated her second condition, the cacophonous voices in her mind halted for a moment, and the phantoms in her sight once again reduced by more than half.
After succeeding twice in a row, Luxianbei gained enough confidence to become a bit bolder, quickly stating the remaining conditions. “Actually, I might have another spirit energy item in the future; I hope you all won’t mind.”
“My other spirit energy item is a heavy armor; it would be best if I could use it together, allowing me to fight independently even without wearing the armor, gaining both offense and defense!”
After listing four or five conditions in one go, the flow of information in Luxianbei’s mind gradually normalized, and her vision and awareness returned to clarity.
However, with so many spirit energy items stored within the Zixiao Terrace and her popularity, there were still numerous spirit energy items meeting the requirements. With a glance, she could see at least a hundred phantoms still floating in that “ocean.”
Luxianbei, “
Although there were many fewer now, only about one percent of the initial quantity, the selection was still very difficult! If this continues, should I just hand over the initiative to them?
After all, this is a two-way selection! I shouldn’t be too excessive, right?
Luxianbei thought, taking a deep breath, and addressed those phantoms, “Thank you all for your kindness, but I truly don’t know how to choose now…”
As she spoke halfway, she paused, her eyes glancing around, and suddenly asked, “How about this? If any of you think you are the strongest among these spirit energy items, please introduce yourselves!”
“Speaking of which, it feels a bit embarrassing, but who wouldn’t want their companion spirit energy item to be strong enough?”
“After all, this is about mutual trust and the life of a partner; don’t you agree?”
As soon as these words were spoken, before the first spirit energy item could step forward to introduce itself, more phantoms disappeared from view. These were likely the items that deemed themselves inadequate or were unwilling to fight to the d*ath for their new master. Meanwhile, in a corner that Luxianbei hadn’t noticed, a phantom that originally didn’t exist quietly manifested, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes adorned with plum blossoms, silently locking onto Luxianbei—
As Luxianbei finished her last sentence, the Zixiao Terrace fell into silence for a few seconds before erupting into noise once again. Although it wasn’t the same magnitude of information flooding in as before, the intensity of the cacophony didn’t seem to decrease much. Those spirit energy items seemed to be arguing.
One must say, the ability to stir up disputes is indeed at T1 level.
“Am I not the strongest? Who dares say I’m not the strongest? Back in the day, I killed that Jiangling evil serpent with a single sword!” “That was your former master’s strength, not yours, alright? You’ve been bragging about the same event for over two hundred years!”
“You should shut up! Your former master was a disciple of my former master; you were even forged in my style. You should be calling me dad! Why do you get a say here?”
“”
Luxianbei watched the chaotic phantoms, feeling the tense atmosphere between them and experiencing a throbbing pain in her forehead.
What to do now? This did not solve the problem at all!
Tsk, my d*mn charm, I didn’t want this to happen. If all else fails, I’ll have to ask that old man Zhang Hainan what to do!
As Luxianbei contemplated this and was about to try calling out to Zhang Hainan, he interjected, growling at her, “Luxianbei! What’s going on now? What did you say to them?”
He had thought that guiding Luxianbei to propose conditions to the spirit energy items would allow her to quickly select a suitable item and leave the Zixiao Terrace.
However, after quietly waiting for a moment, he suddenly noticed that the spirit energy consumption hadn’t diminished at all; instead, it even seemed to be on the rise, prompting him to feel that something was amiss.
“I didn’t say anything in particular…” Luxianbei murmured with a wronged tone, “I just said that if anyone among them thinks they are the strongest, they should introduce themselves, and then—”
“And then what?”
“Then they seemed like they were about to fight!” Zhang Hainan, “
Just as he was at a loss for words, a voice suddenly emerged from among the nearly hundred phantoms.
“Since everyone is arguing and can’t seem to come to a conclusion, why don’t I go meet that girl first? Please, let me through.”
As her words fell, the previously noisy Zixiao Terrace briefly sank into a dead silence.
The spirit energy item that deemed itself the strongest had appeared.
