Panting heavily, Wu Qingce collapsed onto the ground, limbs splayed out.
"Haah... haah... Senior Brother... I really can't catch my breath anymore... Let me... rest for a bit..."
Jiang Beiran tossed the two Shadowless Darts he had caught back beside Wu Qingce and remarked, "Your speed has indeed improved quite a bit, and your use of the Shadowless Darts isn’t bad either. I can see you’ve put in the effort."
"Th-thank you for the praise, Senior Brother."
"Can you still stand?"
"I can!"
Taking a deep breath, Wu Qingce forced himself back onto his feet. Nodding in approval, Jiang Beiran walked up to him and retrieved a raven-black sword from his Universe Ring, holding it out horizontally.
"Take it."
Wu Qingce froze for a moment before quickly bowing and accepting the sword with both hands.
"This sword is called Ten Thousand Force. It was forged by me using Nether Iron. When wielded with the thunder-attribute spiritual energy in your body, it can unleash its greatest power. It’s yours now."
"Ten Thousand Force..."
Wu Qingce murmured the name softly before snapping back to reality and exclaiming, "Thank you for bestowing this sword upon me, Senior Brother!"
"Let’s go find a place to test it out."
After swallowing a Clear Spirit Pill given to him by his senior brother earlier, Wu Qingce quickly recovered a large portion of his spiritual energy and followed Jiang Beiran down the mountain. Arriving at a valley dozens of miles away, Jiang Beiran stopped and turned to Wu Qingce, who had been struggling to keep up.
"Here will do."
"Yes!"
Thanks to the Clear Spirit Pill, Wu Qingce had already replenished all the spiritual energy he had expended during their journey, returning him to peak condition. Gripping the hilt of Ten Thousand Force, Wu Qingce glanced at his senior brother for confirmation. Seeing Jiang Beiran nod, he suddenly unsheathed the sword.
Unlike the crisp ring of an ordinary blade being drawn, Ten Thousand Force emitted a deep, thunderous rumble that sent a shiver down Wu Qingce’s spine. Admiring the azure-blue lightning-like patterns etched into the blade, Wu Qingce swung Ten Thousand Force through several sword forms.
The mere force of his movements sliced through several nearby boulders as if they were paper. Only when there was nothing left around to destroy did Wu Qingce return to Jiang Beiran’s side and bow deeply.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
"Does it feel good to use?"
"It’s incredible! Senior Brother’s forging skills are truly divine, peerless, miraculous, and unparalleled!"
"But you’re not using it correctly at all."
"Huh?"
Wu Qingce blinked in confusion.
"Give me the sword."
Jiang Beiran extended his hand. Respectfully handing Ten Thousand Force over, Wu Qingce obediently retreated dozens of meters, his eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Watch closely. I’ll only demonstrate this once."
As he spoke, Jiang Beiran tossed a green pill with a faint halo into his mouth. In the next instant, Ten Thousand Force erupted with a dazzling radiance, its blade lighting up with vivid azure lines. Then, with a flick of Jiang Beiran’s wrist, the sword shattered before Wu Qingce’s astonished eyes.
"This..."
Wu Qingce’s jaw dropped further as the seven fragments of Ten Thousand Force floated into the air, each blazing with blinding white light and crackling with thunderous energy.
"Fall."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ...
With Jiang Beiran’s quiet command, the seven fragments descended like bolts of lightning, striking the ground simultaneously. Staring at the seven charred craters before him, Wu Qingce finally understood why the sword was named Ten Thousand Force.
Before he could even close his gaping mouth, he saw the fragments rise from the craters and fly back toward Jiang Beiran, reassembling into a complete sword once more.
"Th-th-th—" Stammering, Wu Qingce stumbled toward Jiang Beiran, picking up speed until he slid into a kneel and clutched his senior brother’s leg.
"That was amazing, Senior Brother!"
"Get off me. Have some shame."
Kicking Wu Qingce away, Jiang Beiran sheathed Ten Thousand Force and asked, "Did you understand what you saw?" Still on his knees, Wu Qingce looked up.
"I saw it, but... I can’t do it..."
"After taking that Thunderflame Body Tempering Pill, the thunder-attribute spiritual energy in your body will grow stronger over time. And that energy is the key to wielding Ten Thousand Force."
Hearing this, Wu Qingce’s heart trembled. He finally understood—whether it was the Body Tempering Pill, Ten Thousand Force, or the Swiftwind Pill, Senior Brother had tailored everything specifically for him, all to ensure his victory in the upcoming Young Heroes Tournament.
"Senior Brother!!!"
Overcome with emotion, Wu Qingce lunged at Jiang Beiran again, only to be ruthlessly kicked away once more. Wiping away tears of gratitude, Wu Qingce looked up and asked, "Senior Brother... Is this Ten Thousand Force already a magical treasure?"
Jiang Beiran: "No, it’s still far from it. But it does have the potential to become one." After studying numerous magical treasures and ancient texts, Jiang Beiran had learned that there were two ways to create such artifacts.
The first was like the Cloud Feather Armor Shi Fenglan had lent him—crafted from rare, spirit-rich materials and awakened by a powerful cultivator, amplifying its effects far beyond the sum of its parts. The second was to nurture a weapon spirit.
A weapon spirit was the sentience that could develop in a weapon or piece of armor after prolonged nurturing by its wielder. These spirits were fiercely loyal to their masters and, as they grew stronger, could even develop emotions, perception, and the ability to learn, reacting autonomously to external situations.
Eventually, they could absorb spiritual energy from the world, maintain themselves, and even grow stronger independently, completing the leap from a peerless-grade weapon to a true magical treasure. Nurturing a weapon spirit was incredibly difficult. However, after extensive research, Jiang Beiran had uncovered a few key principles.
First, the object itself had to possess immense potential, achievable through superior materials and masterful craftsmanship. Second, the wielder had to be exceptionally talented, as this could resonate with the weapon and facilitate the spirit’s birth. Combining these two factors increased the chances—but only slightly.
The rest depended entirely on fate. Tossing Ten Thousand Force back to Wu Qingce, Jiang Beiran said, "Come up with a plausible story for how you obtained this sword. Don’t leave any loose ends."
"Don’t worry, Senior Brother."
Clutching the sword, Wu Qingce bowed respectfully. But when he looked up again, his senior brother had already vanished.
‘Senior Brother... I will win first place for you!’
Wu Qingce swore this silently in his heart.
(End of Chapter)