Chapter 767: The Godslayer Path (2)

BOOM!

The next second, a blazing flame materialized out of thin air.

It enveloped the Longsword and the other items.

His gaze pierced through the flames.

He could clearly see the strange materials rapidly melting, turning into streams of Flowing Light that merged into the sword’s body.

The metals and ores let out a faint hum as they fused, while the fangs dissipated into wisps of green smoke as they melted.

This was an Ability Hu Qi had obtained from the Alchemist Professional path.

As the name implied, it allowed one to craft all sorts of mystical items filled with mysterious power.

Although the art of Artifact Refining in this world was slightly different from that of the Cangzhou Realm, the fundamental principles remained the same.

The Artifact Refining experience he had accumulated in the Cangzhou Realm was far from useless.

Every one of Hu Qi’s movements was as precise as a ruler. Melting, shaping, and spirit-infusion were all completed in one smooth, continuous process.

If any other Alchemist were to see this, they would surely start questioning their life choices.

The entire Artifact Refining process was as smooth as flowing water, without a single flaw.

It was as if he wasn’t performing Artifact Refining, but conducting an elegant ritual.

Before long, all the materials he had collected were integrated into the Longsword.

From its appearance, the sword didn’t look much different.

But upon closer inspection, one would find that the patterns on its body had become clearer.

If a Professional were present, they would even be able to sense the dense Spirituality coiling around it.

It had been transformed from an ordinary object into a mystical item possessing mysterious power.

For a Godslayer, the most important thing aside from themself was their weapon.

This was why he had to refine this Longsword.

“Since your entire body glows with a golden light, I’ll call you ‘Dusk.'”

Hu Qi whispered, his fingertips gently caressing the sword’s blade.

He looked up at the vast, starry sky, his gaze like a torch, as if wanting to pierce through the endless firmament and reach the heavens where the gods resided.

“Dusk… the twilight of the gods…”

As his voice fell, the Longsword suddenly let out a clear, melodious hum.

The golden light flowing along its body flickered, as if responding to the name Hu Qi had given it.

“But as an Extraordinary Item, to give it a true edge, I still need to craft a special whetstone.”

—

「One day later.」

High in the sky, the wheel-sized golden crow began its descent in the west.

Twilight, like molten Gold, poured onto the stone bricks of the manor.

It dyed a man-made, square pool into an amber mirror.

By the side of the pool, a red-haired Young Man sat on the stone railing at its edge.

The Longsword was laid across his lap.

Its blade wasn’t mirror-bright silver, but a deep amber, like solidified dusk.

His left thumb rested lightly on the middle of the blade, while his right hand held the hilt, pressing it against a black whetstone and grinding it along the edge with even force.

Each slide produced a soft, rasping sound.

The moment the oilstone touched the blade, dark metal filings were scraped away, revealing a sharper line underneath.

Then, he would rinse it with water from the pool.

He would slightly twist his wrist, adjusting the angle to ensure every inch of the blade received the same degree of sharpening.

Before long, the sky began to darken.

Hu Qi stopped the motion of Sharpening the Sword.

He ran his fingertip along the edge, checking its sharpness.

——HUMMM!

Suddenly, a deep and heavy sword cry rang out in the courtyard.

Hu Qi stopped Sharpening the Sword and gently caressed the blade with the pad of his finger.

The original [Dusk] had been completely transformed—its two edges glinted with a cold light, tracing two desolate arcs in the twilight.

Dark patterns flowed along the spine of the sword, giving off a sense of deathly silence and decay.

SHHFF!

A withered leaf, caught by the autumn wind, silently split in two, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

Hu Qi stared at the renewed blade in his hand.

“Not bad!”

He called up the Crimson panel, and lines of data streamed across his retinas.

[Extraordinary Path: Godslayer]

[Sequence Nine: Sword Sharpener △ (Promotion conditions met)]

…

[Modification Points: 130,300 (7%)]

His gaze fell on the △ Rune behind “Sword Sharpener” that indicated he could advance.

“Crimson! Modify and advance me! Promote to Sword Sharpener!”

The moment he spoke, a massive amount of information regarding the Sword Sharpener Sequence flooded his mind.

At this moment, if he were capable of Introspection, he would discover that the Extraordinary Traits from the different Professional paths within his body were constantly converging, merging into a single force.

This became the power of a Sequence Nine Sword Sharpener.

Even though it was only Sequence Nine, even the power of a Sequence Seven would be ground down, leaving only this single force within Hu Qi’s body.

However, this didn’t mean the powers of those Professional paths had vanished.

They simply existed in another form now.

He could still use the powers of those Professional paths if he wished.

However, he could no longer advance the Sequences of any other Professional path.

The only one he could advance was the Godslayer Extraordinary Path.

Hu Qi looked at the panel again.

—

[Extraordinary Path: Godslayer]

[Sequence Nine: Sword Sharpener (Grants Sword Mastery, allows wielding Sword Artifacts as extensions of the body, triples physical attributes, and grinds down all foreign Extraordinary Traits within the body to supply itself.

Trait One: [Eye of Tempered Blade] Can see through the weak points of weapons.

Trait Two: [Blood Fury] Briefly increases sharpness after the blade tastes blood.

Trait Three: [Sword Heart Clarity] With a mind like a clear mirror, one can predict an opponent’s moves and sense killing intent to a certain degree.

(Advancement to Sequence Eight, Ten Thousand Slash Disciple. Advancement Ritual Requirement: Swing your sword with full force ten million times!))]

…

[Modification Points: 130,150 (7%)]

Because of the Crimson panel, he could skip the Magic Potion and Meditation Method processes. As long as the ritual was complete and he had enough Modification Points, Hu Qi completed the promotion to Sequence Nine Sword Sharpener in just an instant.

However, what surprised him a little was that advancing to Sequence Nine had actually consumed one hundred and fifty Modification Points.

This cost was almost the same as what it took to advance to Sequence Eight Fire Torturer before.

However, after seeing the description for Sequence Nine Sword Sharpener, he was relieved.

This level of power far surpassed that of a typical Sequence Nine, and even a Sequence Eight.

Sensing the changes in his body, he knew his original physical constitution, having been stacked with so many Professional Sequences, was already superhuman.

Now, it had been tripled again.

Without using any Extraordinary Traits or Spirituality, his physical strength alone now surpassed that of a typical Sequence Eight.

If he used the boost from his Spirituality, even an ordinary Sequence Seven wouldn’t be his match.

Not to mention, there were also the three Traits that came with Sword Sharpener.

Especially Trait One: Eye of Tempered Blade.

Thinking of this, his gaze slowly shifted to the pool water at his side.

Many fallen leaves floated on the surface, swaying gently in the breeze.

They created tiny ripples in the fading light.

Amidst the shimmering light on the water, his blurry silhouette was reflected.

By the last, fading rays of twilight, one could clearly see that deep within his wine-red eyes, a black, cross-shaped mark had suddenly appeared.

This was the external manifestation of the Eye of Tempered Blade.

Hu Qi focused his mind slightly, and all moving objects around him seemed to slow down.

No, it wasn’t that the objects had slowed down.

Rather, this Pupil Technique granted him extraordinary kinetic vision, making everything in his surroundings appear to move in slow motion.

“Not bad!”

He commented.

According to the Sequence information he deduced for the future, this Eye of Tempered Blade would grow stronger with each Sequence promotion, eventually reaching a terrifying level.

Then, he looked at the requirement for advancing to Sequence Eight.

‘Swing my sword with full force ten million times?’

Due to the unique nature of the Godslayer Extraordinary Path, there were no other Professional Sequences to choose from after promotion.

Each Sequence on this path was singular.

Thinking of this, he raised the Longsword in his hand.

With a flick of his wrist.

SHING!

The sound of tearing air rang out.

The blade became an afterimage as he swung it nine times.

But the speed was too great. The sounds practically blended into one, which was why only a single noise was heard.

Under normal circumstances, a professionally trained Swordsman could at most achieve 3 to 5 slashes in a second, which is an average of one swing every 0.2 seconds.

For a sport fencer’s foil, it would be even faster.

They can achieve 6 to 8 thrusts in a second.

But limited by muscle Burst power and air resistance, this is only a Burst, and cannot be sustained.

In comparison, Hu Qi’s speed was terrifyingly inhuman.

If he were to fight against those ordinary Swordsmen, he could kill them in a single exchange, before they even had a chance to draw their swords.

However, Hu Qi was not satisfied with this.