Second Time

Chapter 25 - Metamorphosis

Three significant events occurred over the better part of a year.

First, Shao Yue achieved Absolute Resonance with the Spirit within the sword.

In a large empty room reinforced by several arrays, Shao Yue stood while testing out the new powers. Such isolation rooms were common in any city that regularly hosted powerful cultivators. She had spent five low-grade spirit stones in order to reserve it for half a day.

With every slash of her sword, a shimmering wave of heat spread through the air. She stabbed forward, sending out a pillar of fire as thick as a melon. It crashed against the wall, lighting up the lines of the protective arrays.

"These attacks are probably equivalent to a high grade four monster beast, maybe low grade five," Shao Yue observed, stroking the blade. "Unfortunately, I don't know how I would raise its power."

With normal Spirits, the cultivator would combine their qi with the Spirit's power. As the cultivator's qi grew more powerful, so would their combination. At higher cultivation levels, the impact of the Spirit's power would diminish, and only its unique abilities would matter.

Among Emperors, a grade three and grade six Spirit would be nearly identical in strength. Their qi far outgrew the Spirit's powers. Only those Spirits of grade seven and higher would have a significant impact, such as Shao Yue's and the Blood Emperor's.

However, Shao Yue couldn't apply that to the sword's Spirit.

Despite reaching Absolute Resonance with the Earth Fire Hound, she couldn't channel both it and Hu'er at the same time. Her qi couldn't mix with it, partially because her qi was water aspected and partially because Hu'er's power overwhelmed the Earth Fire Hound. Perhaps if she had fire qi and a more harmonious Spirit it might work.

Shao Yue extended her arm and sliced her wrist with the tip of the sword, allowing some of her blood to drip onto the blade before sealing the wound. As before, the blood seeped into the steel.

When Shao Yue swung her sword again, the heat had grown in intensity by a considerable amount, bringing it closer to a high-end grade five monster beast.

However, over the next dozen slashes, the power slowly waned back to its original strength.

"Not ideal," Shao Yue thought.

Not only did it require her to injure herself, it required some time to set up. To raise it to an even higher strength, she would probably need to feed it much more of her blood. The physical strain she would experience might outweigh the improved power in such a case, not to mention the time it would take.

Even without feeding it blood, the sword wouldn't be entirely useless against strong cultivators. It could easily be a distraction. After all, who would be able to entirely ignore a burst of flames flying towards them, even if they had full confidence in taking it?

With Shao Yue's hidden cultivation, it may also lower their guard, making them believe she was a weaker fire qi user. If they put up fire-specific defenses, her water qi would annihilate them.

Still, it would be better if she could improve its strength, or change to a weapon with a stronger Spirit. Tricks couldn't be relied on.

"Since the Spirit is an Earth Fire Hound, I'll call this the Earth Fire Sword," Shao Yue decided.

After playing around for a bit longer, Shao Yue left and returned to the courtyard.

Seven months after having her qi sealed, Cai Fei's Spirit evolved. Relative to the records Shao Yue had seen, the transformation had happened quite quickly.