Sage of Humanity

In the training room, Lu Ye stimulated his spirit force to pour into the saber blade, and with a thought, he controlled the Boulder Mountain Saber.

Initially, it didn't go very smoothly, but soon he mastered some techniques based on the teachings of his Fourth Senior Brother. Wrapped in fiery red spirit force, the Boulder Mountain Saber floated up unsteadily like a toddling child.

Before Lu Ye could rejoice, the spirit force wrapped around the long saber dispersed and it fell heavily.

He quickly collected himself and continued to practice.

This process was very slow and consumed a great deal of his own spirit force. Had he not been in the training room, Lu Ye would not have lasted very long.

In the training room, the consumption and replenishment of spirit force could basically maintain a balance, so Lu Ye was always able to keep his spirit force ample and even had the spare energy to open the next spiritual orifice.

His days were now more fulfilling than before.

In the past, aside from his cultivation, Lu Ye would study the books brought back from Madam Yun, absorbing all sorts of knowledge about spirit runes and constructing them, and would spare time each day to fight in the Mirage Realm. Now, in addition to these activities, he had to practice the Weapon Control Technique as well.

Not only that, but after reaching Level 7, Lu Ye could also start practicing the second Dao technique listed in the Red Lotus Soaring to Sky Technique.

The first Dao technique was the Fire Phoenix Technique, which he practiced at Level 4, the second was the Fire Dragon Technique...

Perhaps because he was used to constructing spirit runes, picking up these magic and spells wasn't difficult for Lu Ye. That was also a reason why people often mistook him for a magic cultivator; his spellcasting speed was not inferior to that of true magic cultivators, only lacking in versatility, as true magic cultivators wouldn't master just one or two techniques.

Lu Ye managed to perform the Fire Dragon Technique in less than half a day, which was far simpler than mastering weapon control.

The techniques he could use at Level 7 were undoubtedly much stronger than the Fire Phoenix Technique, but they also consumed more energy. After testing the power of the Fire Dragon Technique in an uninhabited area of his residence, he didn't dwell on it anymore.

For him, having chosen the path of a combat cultivator, it was natural to stick to it to the end. As for magic and spells, a few would suffice; there was no need to delve too deeply into them.

He now focused primarily on the Weapon Control Technique. At Level 7, how could he fight others without mastering weapon control?

He continued to enter the Mirage Realm daily, even though each entry cost fifty points of merit. However, the life-and-death experiences accumulated there were worth much more than any amount of merit.

What saddened Lu Ye was that after advancing to Level 7, upon entering the Mirage Realm, he again had to deal with bizarrely shaped insects. However, this time, the insects that emerged from the mist were not comparable to Level 6 cultivators as before but matched his cultivation level—each one as formidable as Level 7!

This indicated that the creatures he encountered in the Mirage Realm were indeed related to his own cultivation level.

Considering his previous experiences, Lu Ye might need to fight through nine barriers in one go before encountering cultivators in the mist to fight against.

He had only just advanced to Level 7, still mastering weapon control, so breaching nine barriers in one go was extremely difficult. He could only progress slowly.

Time flew by, and after five days, Lu Ye couldn't take it anymore, mainly because his progress in weapon control was very slow.

He wasn't someone who couldn't handle setbacks. However, after seeing Chen Yu's Weapon Control Technique the day before, he couldn't help feeling somewhat discouraged.

Now at Level 7 in the residence, apart from him, there was only Chen Yu. Lu Ye naturally wanted to see how others controlled weapons, so he contacted Chen Yu to come and demonstrate. Chen Yu's control was so smooth, the Spiritual Artifact turned into flowing light, moving back and forth within thirty yards, light as a flying bird.

In the end, Chen Yu even commented that his display of Weapon Control Technique was hardly refined, and he had embarrassed himself in front of Lu Ye.

If Chen Yu considered his skill embarrassing, then Lu Ye felt his own was downright humiliating. After asking Chen Yu, it turned out that upon advancing to Level 7, it had taken him only three days to roughly master the technique, while looking at himself...

He returned to the residence and went to his Second Senior Sister to grab a meal.

Feeling depressed, what better cure than to eat one's fill?

Seemingly noticing something, Shui Yuan asked him while serving him food, "Is there something bothering you back at the residence?"

"Yeah, there is," Lu Ye responded vaguely.

"What's the matter?" Shui Yan asked softly, puzzled.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Lu Ye sighed and said, "I've realized I don't have much talent in the path of weapon control. What others can achieve in three days, I fear I might not achieve in a month."

Shui Yan said, "Every individual has their strengths and weaknesses; everyone excels in different areas. Little Junior Brother, you have such high talent in the path of spirit runes that Madam Yun can't stop praising you, and you're able to fight above your level.

No one can be good at everything; don't worry too much about it." Although there were many more disciples in the sect now, Shui Yuan still referred to Lu Ye as 'Little Junior Brother,' a term holding a special meaning for her, as it was this junior brother that enabled the Righteous Blood Sect to continue.

"I understand that, but I still can't help feeling frustrated."

"How about this... after we finish eating, I can give you some tips? Though my talent in weapon control is not as high as your Fourth Senior Brother's, it's still not bad."

Being a True Lake Realm cultivator herself, her skill in weapon control could hardly be lacking. The reason she had previously asked Lu Ye to consult Li Baxian was not out of laziness, but because Li Baxian's innate talent for weapon control was frighteningly high.

Normally, cultivators who had just advanced to Level 7 would control one Spiritual Artifact, and as their cultivation and control over their spirit force improved, the number of controlled artifacts might gradually increase.

However, after advancing to Level 7, Li Baxian was already capable of controlling nine. His control over his own spirit force had reached an inconceivable level, which was one of the reasons the sword master of the Beixuan Sword Sect valued him so highly.

Li Baxian's Way of Weapon Control, supplemented by his identity as a sword cultivator, was the reason he could secure the tenth position on the Spirit Stream Ranking within the 8th Heaven level of cultivation. The last time Yan Xing fought with him, he was directly hit by over a hundred blades of sword light, making him doubt his own existence.

After the meal, Shui Yuan accompanied Lu Ye to the square, stood thirty feet apart, and said with a smile, "Little junior brother, go ahead and attack with your weapon control."

Lu Ye looked around, and seeing no one else, he took out his Spiritual Artifact from his storage sack.

Seeing that he had taken out the Boulder Mountain Saber, Shui Yuan's eyebrows slightly knitted together, and her expression became a bit solemn.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye had already started to channel spirit force into the blade and said, "Please give me your guidance, senior sister."

He wasn't worried about injuring Shui Yuan; not only was there a huge gap in their strengths, but with this thirty feet distance...Lu Ye couldn't reach her.

As spirit force climbed the saber, and with a thought from Lu Ye, the saber unsheathed and transformed into a streak of fiery red light flying toward Shui Yuan.

Surprise appeared in Shui Yuan's eyes.

The speed of the light wasn't too slow, but certainly not fast; it was much slower than what Lu Ye had seen others perform in the Chess Sea. If a Level 7 cultivator's weapon control was of this standard, it posed no threat whatsoever to him. Even if dozens of weapons attacked simultaneously, he could easily dodge them.

The light stopped ten yards away from Shui Yuan, meaning Lu Ye's weapon control could only cover a distance within twenty yards.

He controlled the saber to fly around in the air a few times before the spirit force he had channeled into it was depleted, then returned it before placing it back into the scabbard.

"That's roughly it," Lu Ye scratched his head.

This was the result of five days of practicing the Weapon Control Technique.

Short, the distance was much less compared to others; using weapon control like this against someone else would surely be a big disadvantage.

Plain, the speed was slow, and the killing power was weak.

Quick, he could only maintain it for a few moments before he had to retrieve the Boulder Mountain Saber, or else, if the spirit force channeled into the saber was depleted, he would lose control over it, which might then be captured by the enemy.

Shui Yuan walked towards him and reached out her hand, "Let me see your saber."

Lu Ye drew the Boulder Mountain Saber and handed it over; Shui Yuan channeled spirit force into it, and a gentle glow enveloped the blade as she examined it.

Shortly after, her face twisted oddly as she asked, "Little junior brother, have you been using this saber to practice weapon control all along?"

"Yes."

Shui Yuan laughed and then sighed, "This saber's restrictions are completely unsuitable for weapon control. Why would you use it to practice? Besides, this saber is too heavy. Didn't your fourth senior brother tell you to pick a more suitable Spiritual Artifact for weapon control before starting?"

Lu Ye thought for a moment, "No."

Li Baxian had taught him many tips and key points about weapon control, but he never mentioned anything about the choice of Spiritual Artifacts.

Shui Yuan slapped her forehead, "That guy is really irresponsible."

"Is it the saber's fault?" Lu Ye felt somewhat anxious yet hopeful, as if someone gravely ill suddenly heard there might still be a chance for recovery.

"The issue is with the saber; it lacks appropriate restrictions for weapon control, it's significantly heavy, which is why your weapon control has such short range and slow speed. And... when you were in Chess Sea, you saw other people using weapon control; didn't you notice the difference from yours?"

"I noticed, but I thought it was my own fault."

Shui Yuan sighed, "It's impressive that you could control a weapon like this saber successfully."

"What kind of Spiritual Artifact is suitable for weapon control?"

"It should be lightweight, that's the first thing. Of course, it shouldn't be too light, or else it won't have enough killing power. It depends on your personal choice. Secondly, you should look at the restrictions within the Spiritual Artifact.

At the very least, it should have a spirit energy storage restriction, otherwise, just like what happened just now, the Spiritual Artifact will only be able to maintain weapon control for a short moment before needing to be retrieved. How could one manage weapon control like that?

A spirit energy storage restriction lets you store spirit force within the Spiritual Artifact, allowing for more sustained control."

Lu Ye took a deep breath, "So that's how it is."

Shui Yuan looked at him apologetically, "Ultimately, it's our negligence as your senior brother and sister." Mainly, it was because the Righteous Blood Sect hadn't taken in disciples for many years, and Shui Yuan hardly knew how to guide someone in cultivation anymore.

As for Li Baxian, he was only focused on teaching Lu Ye the knowledge of weapon control, completely forgetting about the Spiritual Artifact issue, perhaps assuming that Lu Ye had a suitable one.

She then detailed suitable restrictions for weapon control to Lu Ye. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

Lu Ye memorized them in his heart, and with excitement, he headed towards Heaven's Augury Hall, "I'm going to find a suitable Spiritual Artifact."

Heart uplifted, there was still hope for my Weapon Control Technique!