Volume Two, The Weapon Archive, Chapter 116: What Defines a Scabbard

The Coiling Dragon Spear dissolved once more into liquid gold, a sign that it was ready to acknowledge a new master. Seeing this, Qi Bang exclaimed, "Does anyone know the current cultivation level of Young Hero Liu?"

Liu Xiaoyi stood still, his breath steady, sheathing his sword as he examined the pool of gold before him. After its physical form had been shattered head-on by the Soul-Guiding Divine Light, the Coiling Dragon Spear had lost all its former aura, transforming into this harmless liquid—a truly miraculous sight.

Deep within his consciousness, he felt a voice submitting to him; it must have been the weapon's spirit, asking what form it should take next.

He already possessed the Green Brilliance Sword, which was quite comfortable to use, and he had no skill in dual-wielding. After some thought, unable to come up with any better ideas and sensing the spirit’s eagerness beginning to wane, Liu Xiaoyi spoke: "Help me turn into a scabbard that can hold this sword."

The spirit was overjoyed. In the past, every master who had obtained it had treated it like a priceless treasure, full of urgency and excitement. Only in Liu Xiaoyi’s hands had it lacked that expected passion, which had made it quite sad.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the liquid gold surged upward, writhing in mid-air until it took the shape of a fine sword.

Just as the onlookers thought he was about to set the divine weapon into a sword’s form, it suddenly doubled in thickness and the hilt retracted inward. Liu Xiaoyi tossed the Green Brilliance Sword toward it, and it slid perfectly into the golden scabbard—the two were a flawless fit.

"It would be even better if the color weren't so conspicuous; gold is easy to get stolen on the road," Liu Xiaoyi muttered. To his surprise, the spirit responded immediately: the gold dimmed and transformed into a lustrous black, engraved with ancient, simple patterns.

To think he had turned a divine weapon into a mere scabbard! Not only were the martial artists in an uproar, but even the Old Urchin was so astonished he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Even that Third Master Xu had kept the divine weapon as a Coiling Dragon Spear for decades, carrying it by his side. How was it that in this young hero's hands, the divine weapon was only fit to be a scabbard?

A waste of heaven’s gift! A total waste! The martial artists on the sidelines whispered among themselves, filled with secret vexation and regret, feeling that the divine weapon was truly undervalued.

With a wave of his hand, the sword returned to his grasp. With the scabbard now housing the Green Brilliance Sword, its power was locked away without a single shred of leakage. When not in use, the scabbard would constantly nurture the blade; in time, it might even allow the Green Brilliance Sword to awaken its own sentience.

"City Lord Qi, I apologize for claiming the divine weapon; I truly had no such intention," Liu Xiaoyi said, slinging the sword across his back as he approached Qi Bang.

After all, this was supposed to be the final prize, but due to an unforeseen event, he had shattered it, and it had automatically recognized him as its master. It wouldn't be easy to get rid of it now.

Qi Bang waved his hand dismissively. "No matter. I have another treasure, one no less impressive than the divine weapon. Everyone, behold!"

Despite his words, Qi Bang pulled out a wooden box with a pained expression. As soon as he opened it, a fragrance filled the entire garden.

The Old Urchin let out a strange cry and said, "Kid, you’ve got quite a stash! You even have a Lingming Pill! Young Hero Liu, why don't you trade that scabbard for the Lingming Pill? That would be more practical."

The knowledgeable martial artists present stood up, moving closer to get a better look. The pill was perfectly round and plump, its smooth, delicate surface devoid of any markings, and its exotic fragrance alone was enough to refresh the spirit and soothe the soul.

Such a marvelous elixir could directly help one elevate their cultivation by an entire realm. Yet, few would be so extravagant as to consume it directly; most relied on the scent it emitted to aid their practice.

The Lingming Pill had circulated in the pugilistic world for a long time, but it was rarely seen. Its price was so high that even high-ranking officials would go bankrupt trying to buy one; it was truly priceless and rarely available.

If not for their wariness of Qi Bang’s status and the guards hidden throughout the estate, these martial artists would have been tempted to snatch it. The temptation of the Lingming Pill was simply too great.

Seeing their expressions, Qi Bang was quite satisfied. He said slowly, "As you can all see, this is a genuine Lingming Pill. Even I have only this one. It is surely enough to replace the divine weapon, is it not?"

The martial artists echoed in agreement: "The City Lord is truly generous! Willing to spare no expense for the prosperity of the Great Wilderness—we shall give our all!"

Suddenly, two whistling arrows pierced the air, and the distant Heaven-Gazing Pavilion lit up. The pitch-black night sky turned bright as day. Qi Bang’s face shifted instantly. "No! Someone has broken into the Heaven-Gazing Pavilion ahead of time!"

The Heaven-Gazing Pavilion contained auxiliary formations. Once someone entered its range, these formations would provide illumination to ensure fair competition. Since no one knew how long the struggle for the pavilion might last, it had been designed this way.

Now, it served as a warning. As the brilliant glow wavered, a pillar of light erupted from one of the towers. Qi Bang cursed in frustration, "Where did these brats come from? They’ve triggered the restrictions of the Heaven-Gazing Pavilion early! If we don't go now, we won't be able to enter!"

"City Lord Qi, then we shall take our leave! We will finish the banquet when we return!" The martial artists used their various movement techniques, rushing toward the Heaven-Gazing Pavilion.

If the pillar of light from the first tower fully expanded to cover the entire structure, those outside would have to wait for the celestial lanterns to move before they could enter again.

Within the Azure Dragon Tower, a formation spirit—an Azure Dragon—was sealed away, relying on the power of the array. The Taoist who had set the formation was clearly of profound skill; to conjure such an array with such ease put him a cut above the martial artists of Tuqiu City.

Liu Xiaoyi also wanted to go; the Lingming Pill was quite attractive to him. What he lacked was cultivation level. Dual cultivation had certainly hindered his progress, and he had been stuck at the Sixth Heaven realm for a long time, unable to find the threshold for a breakthrough.

"Go ahead. I won't be leaving for a while," the Old Urchin said, sensing Liu Xiaoyi’s hesitation. "I still have to travel to your ancestral lands with you; I’m not going anywhere."

At the Heaven-Gazing Pavilion, the mechanisms had been triggered by a man in black who had snuck in. He clearly hadn't expected such a commotion. After entering the tower, he made his way with practiced ease toward the chamber where the true form of the formation spirit was kept.

Puppets sprang from the four walls to surround him, but he merely flicked his sleeve, produced a stick of signaling incense, and lit it. The blade-wielding puppets instantly lost control and fell into a deep slumber.

He had a unique method for dealing with puppets. The Holy Monarch Palace was well-versed in the way of puppets, and the Heaven-Gazing Pavilion was filled with traps and secret passages. The man in black had come for this very reason: to extract the formation spirits from every location and destroy the Heaven-Gazing Pavilion!

The Taoists maintaining the pavilion’s formation had been sitting in their designated positions in the underground secret chamber since nightfall, and they naturally sensed the intruder.

They had expected that mobilizing a few puppet guards would be enough to eliminate the intruder, but they had not anticipated that the formation would suddenly stall, causing the puppets to lose control.

An old Taoist holding a white feather fan squinted his eyes and made a quick calculation. With a face full of joy, he muttered, "He has come. Go quickly and inform the Holy Monarch—the one we have been waiting for has arrived!"