Chapter 2591: 算账

This battle lasted a full hour, thoroughly baffling the spectators in the arena. For that entire hour, whenever Lu Ye struck with his blade, he would always hit his opponent, no matter how much they dodged or tried to avoid. The puzzling thing was that his blade techniques seemed incredibly simple, not particularly difficult to guard against. If his opponent hadn't been able to tolerate such humiliation, they might not have resorted to a secret art that consumed immense power in a desperate attempt to turn the tide, ultimately exhausting themselves. The battle would have lasted even longer otherwise.

When the death match ended, many spectators were grumbling.

In the quiet room, Lu Ye was deep in thought. Engaging in such death matches indeed significantly promoted and inspired his research into blade techniques. It was far more effective than self-study in isolation, proving that coming to the fighting arena this time was truly the right decision.

A moment later, he entered the death match arena once more, again using 'Thousand Faces' to alter his appearance. This time, his opponent was stronger than the last, having evidently reached the eighth stage of the Dao Integration realm.

Three days passed in a flash.

Lu Ye reappeared in the Treasure Crafting Workshop.

Elder Qi sat upright, appearing unchanged from a few days prior. Across from him, Lu Ye held the newly crafted scabbard, his divine sense surging as he meticulously examined it.

After a moment, he nodded slightly. "Elder Qi's craftsmanship is indeed extraordinary," he said. "This scabbard is truly a masterpiece among masterpieces."

The scabbard itself was undeniably of high quality, having been made from many precious materials. However, the crucial part was the embedded Dao patterns within the scabbard; that was the most important aspect.

Lu Ye had only given the 'Power Accumulation Dao pattern' to Elder Qi three days prior. Now, this pattern was perfectly inscribed within the scabbard, allowing Dao power to flow through it without the slightest hindrance. Moreover, Elder Qi had inscribed another Dao pattern inside, giving the scabbard a reserve function.

It could be said that this scabbard not only met Lu Ye's requirements but even slightly exceeded them, showing that Elder Qi had truly put his heart into it.

With this scabbard, he would have another trump card when facing enemies in the future.

"Stop flattering me," Elder Qi said casually. "But from what I see, you intend to use this scabbard as your second Dao weapon?"

Lu Ye nodded. "Indeed, that's my intention," he replied.

Cultivators entering the Dao might only possess one Dao weapon due to insufficient financial resources and energy. However, after Dao Integration, if conditions permit, one can consider acquiring a second Dao weapon. For example, Fu Wei had previously revealed his second Dao weapon.

Lu Ye had never had a second Dao weapon, not because he hadn't considered it, but because he had long ago decided to craft a suitable scabbard to serve as his second Dao weapon.

Therefore, this scabbard would still need to be nurtured over time. Of course, no matter its quality, it couldn't break free from the limitations of ordinary Dao weapons; its limit was forty-nine Dao patterns.

In the future, if Lu Ye were to use this scabbard to activate the 'Draw Blade Slash' secret art, the power of that single strike would increase by forty-nine Dao patterns on top of his original strength. Moreover, due to the extended period of power accumulation, the destructive power unleashed by such a strike would be far more than a simple increase of forty-nine Dao patterns.

"Enough idle talk, where is the person I want to see?" Elder Qi slapped the table and glared fiercely at Lu Ye.

Three days ago, it was clearly agreed that he would craft the scabbard for Lu Ye for free, and then he would meet that expert. But now, only Lu Ye had come, which naturally displeased him. He secretly resolved that if Lu Ye dared to deceive him, he would certainly make him pay the price.

Lu Ye sat up straight, then stared at Elder Qi with an expressionless face.

Elder Qi was baffled by his gaze. After a long moment, he frowned. "You're not trying to say that person is you, are you?" he asked.

"I don't have much time, only half a day," Lu Ye said. "If Elder Qi still wants to talk meaningless nonsense, then feel free."

Half a day later, Lu Ye left the Treasure Crafting Workshop, leaving Elder Qi sitting there, looking utterly stunned. In just half a day of discussion, he had indeed benefited greatly. While Lu Ye might not have been as knowledgeable or broad in his understanding, his insights on certain Dao patterns were often incisive and profound, which greatly inspired him. If Lu Ye hadn't mentioned he only had half a day, Elder Qi would have likely kept him for a few more days for further in-depth discussion and exchange.

Returning to Yuanxi City, the city had not changed in just a few days and was still on its journey.

Back at his residence, Lu Ye immediately began nurturing the scabbard. For ordinary cultivators, this would inevitably be a gradual and inefficient process, but Lu Ye had vast reserves of Dao power and didn't care about the consumption involved in nurturing a Dao weapon, so his progress was extremely fast. At the current rate, it would likely take no more than a few weeks for the scabbard to be fully nurtured. At that point, Lu Ye would be able to use the scabbard to accumulate power for the 'Draw Blade Slash'.

"If there's a chance, we still need to find a treasure-grade scabbard," Liao mumbled into Lu Ye's ear. "This kind of item no longer befits my status."

Lu Ye couldn't be bothered to respond.

Treasure-grade items are already rare, and finding a treasure-grade scabbard is an even greater fantasy. Lu Ye hadn't even seen such an obscure treasure-grade item in the Star Abyss Treasury; he suspected such a thing didn't exist at all. After all, treasure-grade items are birthed from supreme treasures, but he had never heard of any supreme scabbard treasure in this world... Liao wanted to find a scabbard befitting its status, but where would he find it? Having this one now was already a very good outcome.

Slender Bamboo City, as a Cosmos-grade Dao Convergence City, was naturally not small in scale. Even from afar, it resembled a majestic mountain towering in the void. This was the proper scale for a Cosmos-grade Dao Convergence City; cities like Yifu City and Yuanxi City were ultimately anomalies in this realm.

As the governor's city overseeing this war zone, Slender Bamboo City had been here since the start of the Snowfield Chaos and had not moved since. Primarily, its massive scale made movement inconvenient, a common drawback for many large Dao Convergence Cities.

Currently, numerous Dao Convergence Cities of various sizes drifted beside Slender Bamboo City. These were all from their own faction, either here for business or having suffered damage in battle and come to recuperate. All in all, the Dao Convergence Cities gathered beside Slender Bamboo City probably numbered no less than several hundred. Dao Convergence Cities constantly departed, while new ones approached. Viewed from afar, it was like stars orbiting the moon—a magnificent sight.

Yuanxi City slowly approached, like a small fish swimming into a fishpond. Compared to the much larger Dao Convergence Cities around it, it was utterly inconspicuous.

"Lord, the Governor's City has granted passage," You Die's voice rang out.

"Then let's go in," Yuanxi commanded.

Generally, Dao Convergence Cities that came here to recuperate would only hover near Slender Bamboo City. However, some needed to enter the interior of the Governor's City, so passage was not prohibited. There was also no need to worry about enemies infiltrating; Dao Convergence Cities themselves had methods to distinguish between friend and foe. Furthermore, the Governor's City was filled with powerful individuals, so which enemy would dare to infiltrate here? This, however, made things convenient for what Yuanxi intended to do next.

With a command, Yuanxi City slowly glided into Slender Bamboo City. Guided by the cultivators within the city, it sped towards a spacious location.

"Are you ready, Great Commander?" Yuanxi asked in a deep voice.

Lu Ye, standing behind her, stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Go!" The next instant, as Yuanxi cried out, her entire being transformed into a streak of light, dashing forward. Her Dao weapon was unleashed, transforming into white armor that covered her body.

At this very moment, in the grand hall, Jing Lei was leisurely sipping tea. Finally free! No more torment. He had recently contacted Chang Ming and confirmed one thing: Yuanxi City Lord had been taken away by Ni Chiluan and was on her way back to Chiluan City. And the many benefits Chang Ming had promised him would soon be delivered by a special envoy as a token of gratitude.

The benefits didn't matter; as long as Yuanxi didn't bother him again in the future, that was enough. To think that he, the dignified Deputy City Lord of the Governor's City, had been living a life more bitter than wormwood recently, all due to a single misguided thought back then. He was secretly delighted, realizing it was indeed correct to have agreed to Chang Ming's request that day. If not for Chang Ming's efforts, he would probably have had to live under the shadow of Yuanxi City Lord forever. He just didn't know when the benefits Chang Ming promised would arrive or if they could compensate for his previous losses in the fighting arena. He figured Chang Ming wouldn't be too stingy...

Just as he was musing, a voice suddenly came from beside his ear: "Jing Lei, Yuanxi is here!"

"Pfft!" Jing Lei spat out a mouthful of tea and quickly stood up like a startled rabbit. The reason was simple: the one speaking to him was none other than the City Lord of Slender Bamboo City, who was sitting in a huge chair not far away.

"City Lord, please don't joke," Jing Lei said, looking towards Slender Bamboo. Chang Ming had clearly told him that Yuanxi had been taken away by Ni Chiluan and wouldn't reappear, so how could she possibly be here? However, no sooner had his words fallen than he sensed a powerful divine sense shamelessly sweeping across the entire city, then accurately locking onto him. This divine sense felt unfamiliar; he was certain he hadn't encountered it before, yet he felt an immense threat from it. In other words, the owner of this divine sense was very powerful—too powerful for him to handle.

"Still not leaving!" Slender Bamboo's expression was serious.

Jing Lei's first thought was, where should he go? Yuanxi was here, clearly to settle accounts with him. He could, of course, deny what had happened before, but since she had already entered the city, she would most likely not listen to his explanations. He then quickly reacted, panickedly darting outwards, directly heading towards the Central Grand Hall. If he wanted to leave, there was only one place he could go: the Dao Integration Realm. As long as he hid there, he would be safe and sound; Yuanxi wouldn't possibly pursue him into the Dao Integration Realm.

"Trying to run?" On the other side, Yuanxi, who was rapidly dashing towards this location with Lu Ye trailing behind her, immediately noticed Jing Lei's unusual movement, thus confirming his identity. She instantly let out an angry shout. She had instructed You Die to steer Yuanxi City in, originally intending to catch Jing Lei off guard, but unexpectedly, he still sensed her. But this was unavoidable; if she wanted to search for Jing Lei's whereabouts, she would inevitably expose herself.

As for the previous incident, the city suffered no losses and even made a huge profit, but that was because Lu Ye provided immense assistance at the last moment. Without Lu Ye's assistance, Yuanxi City would have been destroyed in that battle, so this grudge definitely had to be avenged.