Chapter 132: The Spirit Artifact Ranking!
Boom!
"An aerial battle involving a flying magical beast?!"
"What's going on in the capital today? Why are there so many fights in the sky?"
"Holy crap! That crimson-gold winged one dodges like crazy—the green wind blades couldn't even catch up in a full loop!"
Though the second aerial battle above the royal city wasn't as destructive as the first, the dazzling visual effects of the techniques left an impact that was no less shocking.
Jiang Lin circled in the air a few times. The glow of his crimson-gold wings had dimmed significantly when he suddenly halted mid-flight. A subtly ornate black umbrella with golden patterns appeared in his hand. With a gentle twist of the wrist, the golden designs spun rapidly, and under the infusion of Dou Qi, they formed a circular vortex of crimson, gold, and black.
Clang, clang, clang!
Just as the tri-colored vortex formed, Yao Chen's Wind Blade Burst rained down like a close-range defense cannon—no, even more intense. Countless wind blades struck the vortex, only to be instantly deflected outward. Jiang Lin's Xuan Qi Umbrella spun like a high-speed grinder cutting steel bars, flinging blue-green sparks in every direction from the edges of the spinning shield.
"Hm?"
The moment the umbrella activated, Hulei below raised his eyebrows slightly.
"That kid's luck is something else. He even managed to pick up a replica of that thing?" Hulei clearly recognized the Xuan Qi Umbrella—its unique effect was unmistakable. He had only seen records of it before in the Tiangong Pavilion under his teacher.
Just like how the Alchemist Association had a Heavenly Flame Ranking, some of the old weapon refiners from ancient clans had their own list—the Spirit Artifact Ranking. It listed only ten legendary artifacts. Ranked first: the Creation Qiankun Emperor Cauldron, followed by nine sacred weapons.
The Xuan Qi Umbrella, in its peak form, was one of those nine sacred weapons.
The nine sacred artifacts weren't ranked by strength, but by order of record. From top to bottom:
2nd: Spirit-Nurturing Immortal Gourd3rd: Dimensional Realm Stabilizer4th: Xuan Qi Umbrella5th: Dragon Soul Abyssal Sword6th: Primal Life Furnace7th: Thunderfire Tribulation Stele8th: Earthquake Rock Shield9th: Sky-Burning Vermilion Seal10th: Heavenly Flame Sealing Tower
These ten legendary artifacts had an immeasurable influence on the development of weapon refinement for generations to come, directly or indirectly shaping a thousand years of world evolution.
Very few Weapon Refiners even knew of this ranking. Hulei only knew because of his teacher, whose powerful background granted him access to many hidden secrets—secrets he passed down to his disciple.
One such secret was the reason Tiangong Pavilion held a grudge against the Spirit Tribe's ancestor, the Spirit Emperor. The records of these nine sacred artifacts came from the Spirit Emperor, who selfishly kept them all and left nothing behind. Modern refiners could only glimpse their brilliance through incomplete replicas.
The Xuan Qi Umbrella was one such replica—its value more in collection than actual use. But Hulei was now growing keenly aware of how absurd Jiang Lin's "luck" really was.
Clang, clang, clang!
The fight raged on in the sky. But everyone watching knew—the battle had been decided from the beginning. This was now Jiang Lin's solo performance.
The Xuan Qi Umbrella spun continuously as Jiang Lin advanced calmly through Yao Chen's Wind Blade Burst, striding through the air with grace.
"It's over. You're running out of Dou Qi. One more spit, and I'll shoot you with my bow. I'll have Eagle Bro grab you and aim for your little head."
Jiang Lin floated closer to Yao Chen, lightly threatening him with a smile.
Yao Chen: "…"
Cough, cough!
Yao Chen choked on his own Dou Qi and quickly shut his mouth, gasping for breath and pounding his chest.
Jiang Lin finally lifted the umbrella and hovered quietly in midair, facing the stunned gazes of everyone below.
'This Xuan Qi Umbrella's actually pretty handy. Usually, wide-range long-distance techniques like this are tough to dodge. But the more scattered the attack, the easier it is for the umbrella to deflect. Wutan City sure had some gems... Maybe I'll go hunt for treasures in the capital's marketplace in a few days.'
Instead of directly defeating Yao Chen, Jiang Lin had the "Royal Eagle" carry them both back down to the arena.
The winner was already clear. To continue would've just been humiliating—and Jiang Lin didn't enjoy embarrassing future allies.
It was just around noon on the arena floor. The sun blazed hot. Jiang Lin, standing under the black umbrella with his four-leaf wings folded like a cloak, clad in a black martial robe, looked up calmly at the viewing platform and Princess Yao Ye.
Right on cue, her cold, crisp voice rang out:
"Second match—Jiang Lin of the Weapon Refiners' Guild, victory."
Clap clap clap!
As her voice fell, thunderous applause erupted from all around. As the decision-makers of various noble families, if they still hadn't figured out what the Weapon Refiners' Guild was doing, they might as well have cut their own throats.
The whole thing about the Storm Eagle? Just a pretense. Maybe Yao Yue had simply been lucky to provoke the incident—but Jiang Lin had used it as an opportunity to launch a spectacle that no one had expected: a stunning aerial demonstration of flight Dou Devices in front of the entire Jia Ma imperial elite.
The surprise, the sensory impact—it had everyone reeling.
Shortly after, Princess Yao Ye personally stepped down to greet Jiang Lin and Yuan Bao. Fa Ma casually tossed the Xuan Spirit Pill, sealed in a small medicine vial, to Jiang Lin.
The Xuan Spirit Pill only worked for Dou Shi, so it would've been useless to Yuan Bao. It had always been intended as a gift from Hulei to Jiang Lin anyway.
"Please, both of you, follow me to the palace," Yao Ye invited Jiang Lin and Yuan Bao. She also turned to the other noble family heads and announced, "Tonight, the royal family will host a banquet for all honored guests. Your presence is requested."
The noble representatives all nodded in agreement. They understood that something major was to be discussed that night—and they could not afford to miss it. Yao Ye had left the rest of the day for them to return home, talk with their families, and assess just how much they were willing to offer.
Once everything was arranged, Yao Ye led Jiang Lin and Yuan Bao toward the splendid royal palace. The Storm Eagle nudged Yao Yue from behind, prompting her to follow along.
Meanwhile, Hulei caught up with Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma, ready to wrangle some more benefits for Jiang Lin.
There were things a master had to ask for—if Jiang Lin asked himself, it would seem greedy. But Hulei? He could raise his voice without issue, and his shamelessness always had a noble guise—"all for my disciple."
"Old Jia, Old Fa, give me some face here—got any Green Spirit Pills, Purple Spirit Pills, Shapeshifting Pills, Dou Wang Pills, anything good? Just a few for a taste."
Hulei unleashed his "face-fruit" ability. It had minimal effect—earning him two massive eye-rolls from Fa Ma.
(END CHAPTER)
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