Chapter 100: Razor Leaf
Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak and once again found a paper crane on the table outside his cabin. Upon opening it, he saw that it was a letter from Jiang Yuebai.
The last time Chu Liang returned to Mount Shu, he had sent a paper crane to Jiang Yuebai. However, he hadn't received a reply then, which meant she had yet to return to the mountain at the time.
The letter was brief. It mentioned that she had returned and that everything had gone smoothly.
A small smile appeared on Chu Liang's face when he thought about how he'd be able to learn more divine skills soon.
Just as Chu Liang was about to enter his cabin, he saw a figure in the sky, flying over unhurriedly. The figure eventually landed just in front of the hillside.
It was Wen Yulong.
Well, that's quick, Chu Liang thought.
It hadn't even been two days since Chu Liang's visit to the Hall of Weapons, yet Wen Yulong appeared to have already completed his work. Chu Liang couldn't help but marvel at Wen Yulong's efficiency. It seemed that whenever Wen Yulong had the opportunity to work on an enchanted tool that interested him, he would work on it tirelessly.
"Senior Brother Chu..." Wen Yulong began.
He was beaming with joy. It was obvious from his expression what he was going to say.
Wen Yulong continued, "Ever since you made that repair request, I've been working on it all day and night to get it done. And I've just finished repairing it!"
As he spoke, he took out a green leaf about the size of a palm. It looked more or less the same as before. The only difference was the additional black pattern in the middle of the leaf's venation.
"Oh?" Chu Liang uttered as he took the green leaf.
The green leaf felt much heavier in his hand than before, but aside from that, he couldn't tell what had changed.
Wen Yulong explained, "In addition to repairing the existing enchanted inscriptions on the leaf, I used that Black Meteor Essence Iron to add a set of offensive inscriptions. Now, this green leaf has three forms."
Chu Liang was already familiar with the defensive and flying forms. So, he immediately activated the green leaf, infused it with his foundational qi, and tried out the offensive form.
As his foundational qi circulated within the green leaf, the green leaf instantly expanded into a crescent shape, with the black blade from Master Lu's saber running neatly along its curved edge. There was a subtle beauty to it as well as the aura of something dangerous.
After carefully observing the green leaf for a moment, Chu Liang issued a command to it with his foundational qi. He directed the green leaf toward an area empty of buildings and activated its offensive inscriptions.
Due to what had happened the first time he tested out the green leaf, Chu Liang exercised great restraint this time and injected only a small amount—perhaps just an eighth—of his foundational qi.
Whoosh—
A flicker of a shadow passed by before his eyes. That green leaf had disappeared from his hand at such a great speed that it had been imperceptible to the naked eye.
"How was it? Isn't it both fast and powerful?!" Wen Yulong asked excitedly.
"Let's not talk about that for now. First, tell me..." Chu Liang said in confusion.
He was looking at the large tree he had aimed at, which remained undamaged.
"Where did it go?" Chu Liang asked.
Wen Yulong pointed at something behind Chu Liang and answered, "Isn't it in that tree?"
Chu Liang turned around and found that the blade of the green leaf was indeed embedded in a tree far behind him. It appeared that its cutting force was so strong that it had cut through quite a few trees before stopping.
Yet, this was the green leaf's prowess with only a small amount of foundational qi.
"I ingeniously combined this set of offensive inscriptions with the flight inscriptions, ensuring the green leaf could be launched at an extremely fast speed. To maximize this speed, I reshaped the saber blade into an arc. With that, the green leaf even has a rotational force that enhances its destructive power! It's just as well that I didn't name this enchanted tool when I made it. Now, I want to name it Razor Leaf!" Wen Yulong presented the name excitedly.
"But..." Chu Liang took the leaf out of the tree and examined it. "This ended up somewhere way off from my target. What's the use of increased destructive power if I can't hit the target?"
"This..." Wen Yulong scratched his head and laughed sheepishly. "The Razor Leaf's only drawback is that it's not easy to hit your target... But the leaf's rotation has a fixed pattern. As long as you diligently practice the launch technique, you should be able to greatly improve the accuracy of your attacks."
"..."
Chu Liang laughed in defeat.
Fine.
So, it turns out that I have to learn a new skill for every additional ability you add to this enchanted tool.
"Moreover, there's another advantage to this rotational force," Wen Yulong continued. "When powerful fighters engage in combat, they rely on sensing the flow of their opponent's qi. So, if you target an opponent, there's a good chance they'll be prepared for your attack and be able to evade it.
"But my Razor Leaf can aim toward the east while striking west, head south but land somewhere north. It has an unpredictable trajectory, making it extremely difficult for enemies to defend against!"
"Indeed," Chu Liang agreed with a nod.
That's true.
Chu Liang had yet to figure out the trajectory of this thing. If even the wielder of the enchanted tool didn't know where it would land, how could his enemy?
Nevertheless, Chu Liang needed to consider if he should even use the Razor Leaf's offensive ability in the future. It was probably better not to use it at all unless he had practiced so much that he had mastered using it.
Otherwise, the Razor Leaf might end up hitting a teammate instead of the targeted enemy. Such a scene might just cause the enemy to laugh themselves to death.
After checking the enchanted tool, Chu Liang put it away. He decided he would practice using it whenever he had time. The Razor Leaf had saved his life, so it was pretty fortunate that it could even be repaired.
Subsequently, Wen Yulong took out that small medicinal pill Chu Liang had left with him.
"Additionally, I have the results for that pill you asked me to identify," Wen Yulong said. "This pill is called the Essence-Concealing Pill. Due to the rarity of the raw materials, it's now a pill that's rarely concocted."
"Essence-Concealing Pill?" Chu Liang repeated.
"Yes, taking the pill will completely conceal your aura. Even if you attack someone, the fluctuations in the flow of your qi won't be visible. The effect lasts for around fifteen minutes," Wen Yulong explained. "Like the other things you showed me, this should also be part of a set of assassin gear."
Completely conceal? This pill's pretty amazing, Chu Liang thought.
The robe they'd discussed previously could only conceal the wearer's aura outside of a battle. The moment the wearer made a move, there would undoubtedly be fluctuations in their foundational qi, and concealing those was beyond the capabilities of the robe.
However, if a cultivator were to consume the Essence-Concealing Pill, they could completely conceal their aura. Coupled with the Seven Killings' divine skill, they could murder someone without being seen and then leave without a trace.
That wasn't all. With this pill, even monsters hiding in human cities could conceal their presence so well that it would be difficult to discover them. Normally, human cultivators would sense the monsters' presence when they used demonic techniques and skills, as it revealed fluctuations in their demonic qi. However, with a pill like this, their identities wouldn't be exposed even when they were casting spells.
Chu Liang carefully placed the small pill into the gourd and stored the gourd away.
"If you sell those pills, you could probably get several hundred sword coins for each one," Wen Yulong said.
Chu Liang shook his head. "I'll spend some more time thinking about it."
The moment he heard what the pill's effect was, he'd known it was a rare and valuable item. After all, such a pill could facilitate a perfect assassination or allow someone to escape unscathed from a fatal situation.
Nevertheless, Chu Liang wasn't particularly in need of money at the moment, so he'd rather keep such a precious thing for himself.
Wen Yulong continued, "Lastly, regarding the Aura-Concealing Muslin, I've already inquired about the price from Taotie City. The offered price is currently very high. It's equivalent to around eight hundred sword coins. I think that's too much, so let's just put that on hold for the time being. The price should come down after some time."
"Thanks a lot, Junior Brother Wen," Chu Liang said, expressing his heartfelt thanks.
He was unfamiliar with who to contact about the materials for enchanted tools, so it was great that he had someone to liaise with the relevant people on his behalf.
"It's nothing. If you pick up any more great enchanted tools or materials like these, just bring them over and let me forge with them, and we're good," Wen Yulong replied.
He had finally realized that Chu Liang was a pretty extraordinary person.
Chu Liang was clearly a disciple at the cultivation level of the Spiritual Awareness Realm, yet he had always managed to acquire rare and valuable items. As long as Wen Yulong could maintain a good relationship with Chu Liang, he ought to have an endless string of opportunities to forge enchanted tools in the future.
Chu Liang smiled at Wen Yulong and said softly, "You'll have to lower your fees though."