Fragments of broken black swords lay scattered across the ground, with a large pile to the left—each one nearly identical, broad-backed and black. I never found them easy to wield.
Panting, I lay on the ground. There was a faint sense of something, but I still couldn’t grasp it. As Earthly Soul had said, physical weapons and those forged from my own baleful energy are worlds apart.
"Still not working. These swords are infused with souls forged from your ghostly energy, much like a Wraith Armament, but you’re barely tapping into even twenty percent of your power. The force just doesn’t transmit well to the blade."
I grunted in response and reached out to Heavenly Soul’s extended hand. He pulled me up.
"That’s enough for today, hurry up—I’m starving."
Sylvia Blue came over with a bright smile, tugging on my arm.
"Alright, alright. Why are you always hungry?"
"Give me extra today, okay? I did all your dishes, remember?"
I smiled and shook my head helplessly. Back in the shop, it was already 4 a.m.—just over two hours until I had to go buy supplies. I took out all the leftover food, planning to grill it all for Sylvia.
The feeling of days dragging on had suddenly vanished. Maybe it was the company of family and friends, but lately I’d felt happy every day, free from worry. In just a few days, the craftsmen had made me over a thousand nearly identical swords.
These past few days, aside from running the shop, I’ve spent most of my time sparring with Heavenly Soul. I discovered something that genuinely pleased me: when my power is channeled into an object and then released, it takes on the properties of that object and increases its potency. Using pure force alone, I can reach full effect—but with a tool, I only need half the effort to achieve the same result.
I think I finally understand Heavenly Soul’s goal. He never spells it out, but his actions are just like Yin Chou’s—guiding me step by step through tangible experience.
"If you can channel your power fully into your weapon, its strength should rise to a whole new level."
I grunted in reply as Sylvia Blue hurried over to grab the food I’d just grilled.
Right now, the Dark Banquet is still trying to resolve the problems in Emperor Huang’s Domain. Emperor Blaze’s Domain is temporarily off their radar, so they haven’t bothered me lately—which I’m grateful for.
Just then, I looked up in surprise. It was Old Cat’s aura—he was standing at the door, smiling as he walked in slowly.
"Where have you been lately, Old Cat?"
Before I could finish, Old Cat squinted and smiled, sitting down as Sylvia Blue immediately glared at him in annoyance.
"Just a glass of wine for me, young lady. I’m not eating."
"That’s more like it."