"Tomorrow I will give you the item."
Once the words were spoken, there truly was no turning back. The next day, while Li Guanyi was practicing his cultivation technique, the blacksmith appeared at his door with a dark circle under each eye, handing over a package to Li Guanyi and saying, "It’s done."
The blade of the Battle Halberd now had a blood groove, and the tail had been altered; inside the package there was also a long staff made of ebony.
It was flexible yet sturdy.
Both the end of the hand-halberd and the top of the staff were equipped with mechanisms.
The blacksmith demonstrated and said, "Try it, put them together, and it becomes a Battle Halberd."
Li Guanyi joined the hand-halberd and the staff, and with a crisp sound, he now brandished a Battle Halberd, with a handle of ebony wood and a menacing blade. The blacksmith said with satisfaction, "Not bad, it’s worth staying up all night."
"Your cultivation level has just entered the realm. This kind of wooden staff is flexible enough to use technique to dissipate force. A pure gold Battle Halberd might have a heavy killing power when swung, but the tiger’s mouth can’t support it for long before it cracks."
Li Guanyi stepped forward, wielding the Battle Halberd and performing martial arts moves, not using the Xue Family’s combat skills but the basic moves. He also felt an ease of control, the Battle Halberd ominous, possessing the momentum and oppression of a heavy weapon but also featuring extremely exquisite moves, and this weapon perfectly matched Li Guanyi’s current height and arm length.
Li Guanyi felt that with a backhanded flick, he could unleash the power of the Wave-Rolling without destroying the weapon. Unfortunately, while the weapon was sufficient, his power was not. At this moment, Li Guanyi longed for the Entering Realm Inner Strength, and then he could truly wield the Wave-Rolling!
The blacksmith smiled slightly and said, "Not bad, right?"
Li Guanyi suddenly thought of something and said, "About the cost of the modifications..."
The blacksmith, holding a large cup, took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "Two thousand guan."
Li Guanyi’s mouth twitched.
The blacksmith looked at him puzzled and said, "Anyway, it’s charged to the young lady’s account. What are you so anxious about?"
Li Guanyi was at a loss for words and said, "Not everything is charged to the young lady’s account."
The blacksmith asked, "Are you paying?"
Li Guanyi had no reply.
While he was pondering how to answer, the voice of Xue Daoyong reached them, "Guan Yi, Shuangtao, come here."
The elder smiled and said, "Follow this old man to select an Entering Realm Cultivation Technique."
Li Guanyi’s eyes sparkled.
Finally, it was time to choose an Entering Realm Cultivation Technique. After learning it, he might be able to wield the Wave-Rolling. He shook his palm and separated the hand-halberd and the staff, both crashing into the Weapon Bag, which he then slung over his back before striding forward, full of anticipation.
The secret repository of the Xue Family.
How many could he learn, how many could he burn?
And what kind of peerless cultivation techniques might there be?
Changsun Wuchou received the first letter.
Upon opening it, the words inside were terse:
"This person should not be dead."
"Act at your discretion."
"You should seek him out quickly."
Changsun Wuchou sighed for a moment, calculating the time. This response and judgment must have come right after the first lady received the first letter, and he couldn’t help but marvel at the second lady’s sharp insight.
In Ying Country, outside Guan Yi City, within the Duke Mansion.
That second lady, with the grace of a dragon and phoenix, saw the Golden Feathered Eagle in the sky. Without even opening the second letter from Changsun Wuchou, she already smiled and said, "Such a quick second letter must indicate a change; the person must not be dead."
A younger girl beside her asked, "Sister, how did you know?"
The young lady with her hair bound in a golden crown answered, "Outside, what do you call me?"
The young girl paused, then blinked and said, "Erlang."
The young lady nodded, smiling as she unfolded the letter, and explained, "If he could see through the changes in the Western Regions, then he wouldn’t fail to see the contest in Guan Yi City. Since he has taken the risk, he must have had some confidence. He wouldn’t die so easily."
"Erlang, you really trust him."
The young lady glanced up slightly with a smile. "Wrong."
As she expected, the letter’s content proved her right.
But what happened next caused her eyes to widen in surprise.
A single man in battle, killed seven entering border martial artists?
On horseback he slew men, dismounted he composed poetry. Her gaze shifted to the poem and the smile on her face paused. After a long while, she read softly:
"Ten years to forge a sword, its frosty blade yet untested."
"Today I present it to thee."
"Who has injustices to address."
"Who has, injustices to address..."