Chapter 1284: Divine Blade

A spiritual pattern, never before seen in Kyushu, was now displayed directly before the eyes of numerous spiritual pattern masters, captivating and mesmerizing them.

All these individuals had immersed themselves in the Way of Spiritual Patterns for many years, so they could naturally discern its intricacies. In terms of overall coherence, this spiritual pattern appeared to have no major flaws. However, whether it could stably form, whether it could unleash its unique effects, and precisely what those effects would be, still required thorough verification. Carving it onto a stone wall did not automatically mean it was a genuine new spiritual pattern.

No one asked questions; they all trusted their own judgment. Consequently, the numerous spiritual pattern masters sat cross-legged, each taking out their jade tablets, and meticulously began constructing the long-blade-shaped spiritual pattern on them.

However, a spiritual pattern precisely composed of over two thousand basic elements could not be easily constructed. Even these spiritual pattern masters were bound to experience many failures; only through persistent practice would they gradually manage to form it.

That would take at least half a month or even longer, but that was a matter for later.

Lu Ye quietly withdrew from the crowd, heading straight to the back, where he stood before a plump woman in a floral dress, smiling as he stared at her.

The woman's expression was clearly uneasy. She forced a calm demeanor and asked, "Young friend, do you need something?"

Lu Ye unfastened the Mountain-Splitting Saber from his waist, held it in one hand, and handed it to her.

The woman looked at the Mountain-Splitting Saber, then at him, and sighed softly, "Let's talk outside." She had finally been cornered...

Leaving a group of spiritual pattern masters painstakingly exploring and verifying the patterns before the stone wall, Lu Ye led the way, followed by the woman in the floral dress, as they exited the spiritual pattern masters' sanctuary through the passage.

Finding a secluded spot nearby, Lu Ye stopped, turned around, and looked at the woman, "Master Yu, we finally meet!"

Although she had already suspected it, when Lu Ye called out "Master Yu," the woman still felt a headache. She simply couldn't figure out how she had been exposed.

As soon as Lu Ye arrived at the sanctuary, she recognized him—not Lu Ye himself, but his Mountain-Splitting Saber. After all, this long blade had been upgraded by her several times, making Master Yu very familiar with it.

It was only then that Master Yu realized the person who had consistently entrusted her with weapon upgrades through the Heavenly Secret Treasure Trove was actually Lu Yiye of the Bi Blood Sect!

However, their previous meetings had all taken place within the Heavenly Secret Treasure Trove, shielded by the Heavenly Secret's concealment. She had also deliberately altered her voice, so there was no logical reason for her to be recognized.

What she didn't know was that as early as when Lu Ye had just advanced to the Cloud River realm, he had already received the Heavenly Secret's favor. Her presumed concealment was completely ineffective before Lu Ye; her voice, appearance, and demeanor had long since been exposed to him.

When she entered the sanctuary, Master Yu recognized his Mountain-Splitting Saber, and he, in turn, had recognized Master Yu; he simply hadn't revealed it immediately.

It was time for the Mountain-Splitting Saber to be reforged. Originally, Lu Ye's plan was to have Ouyang Zi handle it, as he possessed the highest artifact-refining skill in Kyushu. Unfortunately, Ouyang Zi had also ascended to the Constellation realm and left Kyushu, becoming untraceable.

Lu Ye had previously considered doing it himself, as this reforging wasn't particularly complex. However, after careful consideration, he decided against it. The main issue was a lack of suitable tools and an appropriate environment for artifact refining; handling it himself would be quite troublesome.

Since he had encountered Master Yu here, he decided to entrust the task to her.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't their first encounter, but upon closer examination, it was indeed their first true meeting.

Lu Ye didn't know Master Yu's real name. He figured a woman of her charm wouldn't actually be named "Master Yu," but among cultivators, there was no need to pry too much into personal details.

"How did you recognize me?" Master Yu asked, utterly perplexed.

"For one favored by the Heavenly Secret, its concealment is completely useless," Lu Ye truthfully informed her.

Master Yu wore a helpless expression. So, her true identity had long been exposed to him; all her efforts to use an old voice every time she met Lu Ye in the Heavenly Secret Treasure Trove had been in vain.

"Another upgrade?" Master Yu asked.

Lu Ye replied, "No need for an upgrade; this time it's a reforging!" As he spoke, he casually tossed the Mountain-Splitting Saber over and stated his requirements.

Master Yu drew the Mountain-Splitting Saber, her beautiful face immediately sinking. She looked up and glared at Lu Ye, "For weapon cultivators like you, your weapon is your second life. You should cherish and protect it. How did it end up in this state?"

She looked vexed, as if the Mountain-Splitting Saber were her own.

Lu Ye scratched his chin, "I also want to cherish and protect it, but I always encounter powerful enemies. After all the cutting and slashing, it just ends up like this."

It's true that a weapon is a weapon cultivator's second life, but one can't simply abandon their blade when facing enemies. Someone like Baoshi was simply too tough, so Lu Ye couldn't be blamed.

Master Yu clearly knew this, so she didn't say much more, simply stating, "According to your requirements, some precious minerals will be needed, and also minerals of a specific nature."

Lu Ye directly took out a valuable fragment he had kept and a portion of black sand, handing them to Master Yu: "Can these two items be used?"

Master Yu took them, examined them carefully for a moment, and was visibly moved. "The quality of both these items is extremely high, especially this black sand, which I have never seen before. They are naturally suitable for reforging."

She didn't ask Lu Ye where these items came from. One of them was clearly a finished spiritual treasure, and the other resembled a rare treasure. Without asking, Master Yu knew these were spoils of war. As for which two unlucky souls had encountered this 'Sect-Destroying Leaf,' she couldn't be bothered to inquire.

"How long will it take?"

"About a month!" Master Yu assessed.

Lu Ye nodded, "Then I'll contact you in a month." The timing seemed just right; in a month, he should also be ready to advance to the Constellation realm.

"I have a condition!" Master Yu stated.

"Tell me."

"You must not tell anyone that I can refine artifacts!" Master Yu looked at Lu Ye with a serious expression.

Lu Ye asked curiously, "Refining artifacts isn't anything to be ashamed of, so why hide it?"

Master Yu sighed, "You don't understand, and there's no need to ask further. Anyway, besides you, no one else in this world knows I can refine artifacts."

Everyone has their secrets. Since she said so, Lu Ye naturally wouldn't pry further. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, this matter will be known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me. No one else will ever know."

"There's one more thing. I'd like to know what the spiritual pattern you left on the stone wall is for." If Lu Ye hadn't specifically sought her out, she would currently be with the other spiritual pattern masters, meticulously constructing that complex spiritual pattern before the stone wall and exploring its mysteries.

However, since Lu Ye himself was present, asking directly was undoubtedly better.

"That spiritual pattern... I'll tentatively call it Divine Edge!"

"Divine Edge?" Master Yu frowned.

"Consider it an advancement of the Sharpness spiritual pattern, capable of unleashing greater destructive power!"

Master Yu pondered for a moment, then commented, "If that's the case, then it's a bit flashy but impractical. Whether in combat, artifact refining, or other areas, this Divine Edge would be very difficult to apply."

Her critique was incisive. Divine Edge might indeed unleash greater destructive power than Sharpness, but its drawbacks were also obvious: it was too complex.

Its composition of over two thousand basic elements destined it to be unusable in combat. In life-or-death struggles, situations change in an instant; who would have the energy and time to construct such a complex spiritual pattern? If one were to attempt it, they would likely be dead before the spiritual pattern was successfully constructed.

Lu Ye smiled, "Indeed."

The Divine Edge spiritual pattern wasn't perfect. Its overly complex nature made it difficult to use, but Lu Ye hadn't derived this spiritual pattern for widespread adoption; he had simply intended it for his own personal use.

No matter how complex a spiritual pattern, with the Talent Tree by his side, he could construct it at will.

Moreover, with this current foundation, as his strength and cultivation improved and his mastery of the Way of Spiritual Patterns deepened in the future, there might still be an opportunity to optimize this spiritual pattern further, allowing it to become widely applicable.

Of course, this would likely only be achievable much later.

Master Yu said, "But in any case, to be able to derive a new spiritual pattern, you, Lu Yiye, are certainly worthy of being recorded in the annals of Kyushu. Indeed, the younger generation is formidable."

"Master, you're not very old yourself, are you?" Lu Ye looked at her.

Master Yu clearly didn't want to discuss her age further. She turned around, and her voice drifted back, "In that case, come and pick up the saber when it's ready." She flew directly away, without mentioning any payment to Lu Ye.

Once she left, Lu Ye sat down cross-legged.

Divine Edge had already been derived and inscribed on the stone wall of the sanctuary, but Lu Ye still had one more thing to do.

That was to inscribe Divine Edge onto the leaves of the Talent Tree. This way, in future encounters with enemies, he would be able to freely activate this spiritual pattern, imbuing his Mountain-Splitting Saber and enhancing its destructive power.

This wasn't difficult, especially considering it had already been inscribed once before.

In just over an hour, Lu Ye completed the inscription of Divine Edge. A new spiritual pattern now adorned the fiercely burning leaves of the Talent Tree.

Moreover, this new spiritual pattern undoubtedly held great significance for Lu Ye, as, strictly speaking, it was the first spiritual pattern he had autonomously derived.

His previous Void pattern didn't count; he had learned the Void spiritual pattern from books long ago, and his derivation with the Talent Tree was merely a detailed optimization of an existing pattern.

But Divine Edge truly came into existence from nothing.

It might not be perfect, and it was indeed complex, but it was like Lu Ye's first child, and he held great hopes for it.

With this successful experience, he would undoubtedly take fewer detours when attempting to derive other new spiritual patterns in the future.

Most importantly, Lu Ye felt that Divine Edge still had room for simplification and improvement, but this would require him to continuously enhance his mastery of the Way of Spiritual Patterns, and such matters couldn't be rushed.