Duan Rong thought: The artifact spirits of the broken sabers on the weapon rack were either Tier Two or Tier Three, while the spirit of the fine saber used by Zhao Mu was not even ranked.
This indicated that the artifact spirit level actually had no direct relation to the quality of the artifact itself.
"So what determines the artifact spirit tier?"
Duan Rong frowned, pondering deeply.
Suddenly, he thought that each broken saber on the weapon rack had two or three devouring effects, and they were all different saber techniques.
Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up, and he suddenly realized that these broken sabers might have been used by more than one person, and naturally, different people practiced different saber techniques.
Zhao Mu's saber, on the other hand, had only been used by him, and it had only one devouring effect, the Entry Level Five Tigers and Sheep Saber Technique.
"In other words, the devouring effects of an artifact spirit are related to the artifact's experiences. The more experiences it has, the more devouring effects the spirit will possess."
"And it probably has something to do with one more thing…" Duan Rong's eyes suddenly narrowed as he murmured to himself, "It's time."
In principle, all martial arts can permeate into artifact spirits, but the more powerful the martial arts, the longer it probably takes to permeate the spirit.
Duan Rong had this conjecture because, when he devoured Zhao Mu's Cow Tail Saber spirit, it contained the entire training imprint of Zhao Mu. Although he digested it in one night, he could still feel that unique power belonging to time.
However, these were just Duan Rong's speculations. He planned to find an opportunity to verify these ideas after the assessment, but for now, his most pressing matter was to pass the assessment and become an apprentice.
While Duan Rong was lost in thought, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and shook him forcefully.
Instinctively, Duan Rong planted his feet firmly and twisted his right hand to break free, but when he looked up, he saw a familiar, smiling face, and his movements instantly ceased.
Yang Zhen was Duan Rong's childhood friend, a constable at the County Government Office. He was tall and burly, with fair skin, unlike Duan Rong's dark complexion.
"Potato, how's it going? Are you feeling better? I see your complexion is quite rosy!" Yang Zhen laughed.
Potato was Duan Rong's childhood nickname because he was short and dark-skinned, so he got this nickname.
When he was young, Yang Zhen was even darker than Duan Rong and chubby, but somehow he grew up fairer. His nickname back then was Black Pig.
Duan Rong found the nickname Black Pig too unpleasant and didn't say it out loud, instead replying, "I'm much better now. Thank you for taking care of me the other day."
A few days ago, the original owner of the body fell seriously ill with a persistent high fever, and it was Yang Zhen who took care of him, getting and brewing medicine for him. Although the original owner eventually passed away, Duan Rong was still grateful to this childhood friend for his efforts.
Yang Zhen punched Duan Rong's shoulder and laughed, "Since when did you become so polite? Did you get feverish and confused?"
Duan Rong's heart skipped a beat. His behavior was indeed quite different from the original.
It seemed he needed to be careful not to let anything slip, but fortunately, the original's kin were distant, with Yang Zhen being his only close acquaintance.
Duan Rong smiled awkwardly without saying anything.
Seeing Duan Rong show his familiar, shy, and quiet demeanor, Yang Zhen laughed and put an arm around Duan Rong's shoulders, saying, "Let's go, no need for formalities! I'll treat you to a good meal."
Without waiting for a response, Yang Zhen started pushing Duan Rong toward a tavern at the street corner.
Yang Zhen ordered several hearty dishes and a big jar of rice wine, and they started eating and drinking.
The reason Yang Zhen and Duan Rong became close was that they were both orphans, but Yang Zhen had a different background than Duan Rong.
Yang Zhen's second uncle worked as an accountant at a herbal shop.
For a Martial Artist, not only food supplements but also medicinal supplements were crucial.
The medicines prescribed for ordinary people were usually common herbs, but their prices were already high.
However, the medicinal herbs used by Martial Artists for supplementing their training were typically precious, and a single herb could cost an ordinary family their entire year's expenses.
The profit in this business was immense, as one could imagine.
Therefore, running a herbal shop was not something anyone could do. Without some connections and skills, how could you handle such a profitable business?
Working as an accountant in a herbal shop meant not only having a clear account and quick calculations but also winning the shopkeeper's trust.
Yang Zhen's second uncle had some skills to be an accountant there; otherwise, how could he have gotten Yang Zhen a constable position at the government office?
It's well-known that working in the government is a good career path.
Though they were childhood friends, Yang Zhen's prospects were much better than the original owner's.
Yang Zhen tore a drumstick from the roast chicken, handed it to Duan Rong, and grabbed one for himself, munching on it with rice wine.
"Do you know Xu Ruhu?" Yang Zhen asked casually, with his mouth half-full of chicken.
"What? Xu who?"
"Xu Ruhu." Yang Zhen swallowed his food and clearly repeated the name.
"I've never heard of him," Duan Rong shook his head, focusing on his food, "Never heard."
Yang Zhen rolled his eyes at Duan Rong. "Xu Ruhu is a traitor to the Taiyi Sect. He was an Outer Disciple back in the day and was wanted throughout the Taiyi Sect's territory for assaulting a fellow member."
"Assaulting a fellow member, that wild?" Duan Rong looked up from his pile of food and drink.
"This guy has been wanted by the Taiyi Sect for years, committing crimes in the southeastern Qingzhou area across four prefectures and eighteen counties."
Duan Rong blinked.
The Taiyi Sect was one of the Eight Great Sects of the Nine Provinces Continent, dominating Qingzhou and ruling it.
This Xu Ruhu had been evading capture for years despite being in Qingzhou, showing he had some ability.
After all, within Qingzhou, Taiyi Sect's spies were everywhere.
When Duan Rong first transmigrated, he found this world's social structure surprising, but after gradually adapting over the past few days, he accepted it.
The Nine Provinces Continent was actually governed by sects.
Taiyi Sect oversaw all of Qingzhou. The County Magistrate of Xianggu County was an Outer Disciple of Taiyi Sect.
When Duan Rong first transmigrated, he found this absurd, but now he started to see reason in it.
The Nine Provinces valued martial skills, and secret martial arts manuals were all held by sects.
He who holds the martial arts heritages controls the top Martial Artists.
He who controls top Martial Artists owns the right to rule.
It's akin to the notion that "power grows from the barrel of a gun."
Yang Zhen suddenly lowered his voice and cautiously said, "This guy was recently caught by our Chief Constable Jie Daohan. He was heavily injured and hiding in a brothel to recuperate when Jie Daohan, who was drinking in the establishment, accidentally ran into him."
"Every year, his wanted poster gets sent to the government office. With many years of experience, Chief Constable Jie Daohan has a sharp eye."
"He recognized him immediately, and a fight broke out. Xu Ruhu was already seriously injured, but even then, when Chief Constable Jie apprehended him, Jie suffered two hits from Xu Ruhu and has been coughing up blood at home these days."
"Is that guy that fierce?"
Jie Daohan was a notable figure in Xianggu County. It was said he came from a poor background, yet managed to rise to Chief Constable, showing both martial talent and competence.
Being able to inflict such harm on Jie Daohan, even in a weakened state, highlighted Xu Ruhu's ferocity.
"He's now kept in the dungeon, with heavy chains piercing his shoulder blades. With Chief Constable Jie severely injured, Jie Lei and I are assigned to guard the dungeon," Yang Zhen said proudly, pouring himself a bowl of rice wine and downing half of it in one go.
Duan Rong smiled slightly, realizing Yang Zhen was showing off.
This was Yang Zhen's way of displaying how Chief Constable Jie entrusted him and Jie Lei with such an important task, showing he was trusted despite being relatively new.
"Why not execute him immediately? Why keep him in the dungeon?" Duan Rong deliberately changed the subject.
Seeing Duan Rong not praising him, Yang Zhen was a bit displeased, his face dropping as he replied, "The County Government Office has already sent an urgent message to the sect. The sect replied that they will send someone to the county to take him away and execute him within the sect!"