C17 The Spear of the Overlord

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Songchen," Qingtu said, nodding slowly. He then focused on the Tai Chi orb on Du Songchen's chest, his hands weaving through intricate seals. In a mere moment, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

As Qingtu's seals danced through the air, the silver ball, forged from the essence of the Five Metals Elite, responded to his gestures, morphing into countless shapes.

The ball's form began to coalesce into that of a weapon. Initially, it took on the guise of various arms: swords, spears, sabers, and halberds in all their diversity.

Eventually, the essence of the Five Metals Elite settled into the shape of a long spear, which then underwent fine-tuning. The spear's length, girth, flexibility, the texture of the grip, and the dimensions of the spearhead—all were meticulously adjusted to match Zhang Heng's unique traits.

Time seemed to stretch for Zhang Heng as he watched the silver ball rapidly shift through hundreds of forms before his eyes.

At last, Master Qingtu's voice rang out with a commanding "Condense!" In an instant, a long spear took form, descending gently from the Origin Energy Barrier to hover before Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng couldn't help but feel a profound affinity for the spear as soon as he laid eyes on it. It was a spear of the deepest black, its surface as dark as ink, with not a hint of its edge visible.

Subtle patterns adorned the shaft, with delicate silver cloud-like threads woven throughout. This spear was slightly thicker and a half-inch longer in the blade than the Wishful Blade.

Though Zhang Heng hadn't found any fault with the Damascus Steel Spear, the moment he beheld this Overlord Spear, he knew it was a better fit for him. This Overlord Spear was a high-grade yellow weapon, truly made to measure for him.

As he reached out and grasped the Overlord Spear, warmth flowed into Zhang Heng's body, yet it wasn't hot to the touch. Instead, he felt an inexplicable sense of harmony with the weapon.

Reaching out, Zhang Heng grasped the shaft of the Overlord Spear, feeling its still searing heat coursing through him. Yet, it did not scald his hands; instead, he felt an indescribable harmony with the weapon.

It was at that moment that Qing Tu Zi spoke up slowly, "Are you satisfied with this Overlord Spear?"

Zhang Heng suddenly realized he had yet to express his gratitude to Qing Tu Zi and Du Songling. He promptly clasped his hands in thanks, which they graciously accepted without demur.

Qing Tu Zi continued, "There's a surprise hidden within this Overlord Spear. You should be able to uncover it quite soon."

"Originally, I intended to fulfill one of your requests, but now I've only helped you forge a top-tier yellow spear, using your own materials... I..."

"To have a weapon crafted by Master Qing Tu Zi is more than enough to satisfy me," Zhang Heng interjected.

"If you're satisfied, I feel as though I've shortchanged you. How about I agree to another request of yours?"

"This..."

Zhang Heng thought to himself, Master Qing Tu Zi certainly has a strong personality. Are all geniuses this unconventional? Who else would insist on fulfilling another's request?

At that moment, Du Songling, who had remained quiet, chimed in, "What's the difficulty here? Master, since the young brother has no current requests, why not give him a disciple token? That way, should he ever need advice, he can use the token to seek your guidance anytime."

"This... am I dreaming?" Zhang Heng whispered to himself.

It was well-known that Master Qing Tu Zi had bestowed only four disciple tokens within the Valiantheart Academy in Lanta. And the youngest of Qing Tu Zi's four major disciples was already a direct disciple of the academy, with others having ascended to the rank of elder. The significance of such a token was immense.

Lost in his musings, Zhang Heng was suddenly presented with a green jade token. "Young brother, don't overthink it. If you have no need for guidance, consider this token a keepsake. Whenever you think of your master, you can take it out and look at it," Du Songling suggested.

With such an offer laid before him, Zhang Heng knew that declining would be an affront to Master Qing Tu Zi. With no other choice, he carefully extended his hands to receive the green jade token.

Upon receiving the green jade token, Zhang Heng theoretically assumed the role of a personal disciple. Yet, the reality was that becoming a personal disciple at Valiantheart Academy required meeting numerous criteria, particularly in terms of one's cultivation level. Zhang Heng was well aware that he had a long way to go.

With this in mind, he composed himself and carefully tucked the green jade token into his pocket.

He then observed Qing Tu Zi finish his tea with a hearty laugh and say, "Well, our break is over. Songchen, let's head back and delve into the new Origin Weapons."

Du Songchen gave a slight bow and acknowledged with a "Yes."

After the exchange, Du Songchen offered a fist-and-palm salute to Zhang Heng. Qing Tu Zi's right hand flickered with seals, and with a commanding shout of "Quick!" the Origin Energy sphere enveloping Du Songchen shrank to the size of a fist and zipped back into Qing Tu Zi's sleeve.

Qing Tu Zi then stood, glanced at the teapot and other items on the low table, and beckoned, "Return." The items obediently soared into his right sleeve, vanishing from sight.

Muttering "Off we go," Qing Tu Zi waved his hand, dissolving the Origin Energy shield around Zhang Heng and Du Songchen. Without another glance, he strode out of the Hall of Valor and disappeared in moments.

Throughout the entire encounter, Qing Tu Zi acted as if he had completely forgotten Zhang Heng's presence, never once looking his way or offering a greeting.

Watching the direction in which Qing Tu Zi had departed, Zhang Heng was struck by a sense of wistfulness.

"To arrive with enthusiasm and depart once it wanes, free from the constraints of convention—truly, only a Master could embody such an ethos!"

"Such poise surpasses even the esteemed scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties. For all their eloquence, they could not match the flair of concealing storage pouches or striding ten feet at a time, as if riding the wind itself."

Zhang Heng didn't blame the person with such a distinct personality for leaving without a word; he simply turned to attend to his own matters.

"Right, there are yellow-level, rank-1 Swift Shadow Wolves in Silverflow Canyon. My trip there will serve as both training and an opportunity to hunt some Swift Shadow Wolves for their demon crystals. Trading those could be quite beneficial."

"The trading points run by the senior students are hit or miss. I might as well check the Mission Hall for any Valiantheart Academy missions that involve purchasing demon wolf crystals. Hmm, the seniors might offer a higher price, but I feel the academy is more dependable."

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Heng made his way into the Hall of Valor's Mission Hall.

The Hall of Valor not only provided a platform for disciples to trade for natural treasures, pills, and other items but also established a separate hall for issuing academy missions.

These missions served a dual purpose: they fueled the disciples' zeal for cultivation, accelerating their advancement, and they directed students to engage more in practical training, preventing them from becoming a waste of resources—a mere facade without substance.

Completing each mission earned a corresponding number of Brave Points.

The missions were categorized into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, each divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower grades based on difficulty and danger.

Nearly every mission demanded the utmost effort from the academy's disciples to be successfully completed.

In the north side of the hall stood an enormous projection jade wall, constantly updating with new academy missions.

Zhang Heng could select his preferred missions from the information displayed on the jade wall, note down the mission number, and then seek out the relevant mission instructor for more detailed intelligence.

To discourage reckless acceptance of missions, the academy had a policy in place: detailed mission information required the exchange of Brave Points, costing one-tenth of the mission's reward.

Of course, this requirement did not apply to the impoverished newcomers.

However, newcomers were limited to accepting only one mission, and it could not exceed the upper yellow rank.

Zhang Heng approached the jade wall and scanned it briefly. He noticed a recently issued middle-grade yellow rank mission, which was anonymous and involved purchasing Swift Shadow Wolf Demonic Crystals. The minimum requirement was ten crystals, with each one being exchangeable for one Brave Point depending on its specific grade.

Zhang Heng approached the jade wall and after a brief scan, he spotted a recently posted yellow-tier anonymous mission. The task required the acquisition of Swift Shadow Demonic Wolf crystals, with a minimum of ten crystals to start. Each crystal, depending on its quality, could be exchanged for at least one Brave point.

This meant that he would need to slay at least ten Swift Shadow Demonic Wolves to complete the mission. Moreover, the reward was substantial: one Brave point could be redeemed for two bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills, a reward twice the usual amount.

However, most newcomers lacked real combat experience, and demonic beasts of the same level often surpassed the capabilities of Braves of the same rank. This made it exceedingly difficult for the average new student to hunt a beast of the same level. Apart from Zhang Heng, who was an outlier, killing ten beasts of the same level was no simple feat.

Many upperclassmen were reluctant to take on low-tier missions. So, when Zhang Heng approached the instructor and reported the mission number, he was surprised to find none of the competitive hustle he had anticipated.

"Mission number 159683."

Zhang Heng stated the number, and the dozing instructor jolted awake, squinting at Zhang Heng in his new student uniform, uncertainly asking, "Are you sure?"

Zhang Heng, not bothering with a verbal response, simply nodded.

"Alright, new students are exempt from the intelligence fee. Here's the mission information; take care of it and may it aid you in your success."

The instructor, still groggy, recited the lines mechanically and handed Zhang Heng a black wooden token before his head lolled to the side, his eyes closed, succumbing once more to sleep.

Zhang Heng infused his vital energy into the token to verify the information, gave the instructor a brief nod, and left.

He didn't bother returning to his lodgings but instead exited Valiantheart Academy, hoisting the weighty Overlord Spear on his shoulder and heading directly to the outskirts of Silverflow Canyon.

Practicing with the Overlord Spear along the way, Zhang Heng felt it become an extension of his body, an addition to his own limbs. Each thrust and maneuver was as natural as if he were using his own fingers.

By the time he arrived at the mouth of Silverflow Canyon, Zhang Heng had developed a preliminary mastery of the Overlord Spear, enhancing the power of his ultimate skill by over 30%, thanks to its synergy with his personal attributes.

Zhang Heng's mastery had become significantly more powerful, improving by over thirty percent, as it better aligned with his unique characteristics.

At his previous level, Zhang Heng had reached the pinnacle of the First Rank in Qi Refining. In his duel with Luo Zhongkun, who was hailed as a genius at the Perfection stage of the First Rank, Zhang Heng didn't manage to completely overpower him but still defeated him with relative ease.

Now, Zhang Heng felt that his combat prowess might even be a match for a warrior at the First Steps of the Second Rank in Qi Refining.

It's widely acknowledged that the gap in combat strength between each minor stage of the Qi Refining Realm is at least double, let alone when jumping across ranks.

At the peak of the First Rank, Zhang Heng was confident he could hold his own against someone at the Second Rank of Qi Refining. Even if it was just the First Steps of the Second Rank, this feat alone was enough to astonish most of the disciples at the academy.

However, the thought of Wang Yixiao, the top-ranked newcomer at the academy, immediately filled Zhang Heng with immense pressure. Wang was a prodigy capable of defeating a Qi Refining brave even before condensing his Qi Sea!

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