"That won't do. Although only one person from the Divine Weapon Sect has come, their strength is unmatched. You are not their opponent right now, so you must grow stronger as quickly as possible."

During their escape, Tianjing had already "confessed" to Ning Xian.

To evade the pursuit of the Divine Weapon Sect, Tianjing was the only one he could rely on.

Ning Xian's eyes darted, and his expression grew dark.

"Master Divine Beast, I am but a useless man. How can I possibly protect you?"

"Hahaha, young man, worry not. I am the Ancient Strongest Divine Weapon Beast. Even if your aptitude is low, I have plenty of ways to help you improve your strength."

Ning Xian was thrilled, "Master Divine Beast, is that true?"

"Of course I wouldn't lie to you. But if you wish to access my power, you will need a long time to train."

"Master Divine Beast, what do I need to do?" Ning Xian looked eager.

The arm guard was silent for a moment before speaking: "I am the Ancient Strongest, Supreme Compassionate, Supreme Virtuous Divine Weapon Beast. To wield my power, one must be a person of justice. The Divine Weapon Sect is now full of self-serving, hypocritical individuals, which is why I refuse to join them.

The reason I chose you..."

Tianjing paused in its speech. Ning Xian's face turned ashen.

"Is it simply because you need my help?"

"Yes, and no." Tianjing replied.

Ning Xian's eyes lit with hope. "Master Divine Beast, do I still have a chance?"

"Of course. A heart of justice is not necessarily innate; it can be cultivated through experience. As long as you can comprehend the power of justice, you will naturally be able to fully master my strength." Tianjing replied.

Ning Xian was troubled. The power of justice?

On the Heavenly Artifact Continent, the strong ruled and the weak were devoured—what justice could there possibly be?

"Master Divine Beast, what should I do?"

"Simple, start from the basics: intervene when you see injustice, draw your blade to aid others, fight the strong to help the weak, and understand the struggles of the common people."

Ning Xian's eyes grew blank. This is justice? It sounded like something only fools would do.

Never mind, he had to get the Divine Weapon Beast's power no matter what.

Ning Xian's gaze grew resolute.

...

At Jade Sword Peak.

Qin Shou watched through the communicator as Ning Xian faced the notion of justice with a bewildered expression, and let out a laugh.

"It really isn't easy to teach the locals of Heavenly Artifact Continent the way of chivalry."

But no worries, appearances are all that matter. At least he'll look like a good guy.

No, not just a good guy—he has to look like a fervent young hero!

Shaking his head, Qin Shou pulled out the Divine Light Stick. Runes of light and dark energy appeared on his skin, connecting him to the Divine Light Stick.

Though the Divine Light Stick wasn't fused with the runes, it could still serve as a weapon and assist in cultivation.

As light and dark energy flowed from within him into the stick, the energy inside it seamlessly connected to his power, strands of black and white radiance continuously flowing between them.

Feeling the rapid growth of the energy of light and dark, Qin Shou smiled with satisfaction.

"Haha, it won't take long before I reach the Unbreakable Realm Ninth Star. Ning Xian's rate of growth will need to accelerate even more."

...

Outside a village consumed by towering flames, a group of black-clad disciples sneered at the inferno, mocking coldly.

"Hmph, today we'll make an example out of this village. Once they're slaughtered, let's see if anyone dares openly rebel against the Black Snake Gang again!"

"Exactly, just because they're numerous doesn't mean we won't strike. Kill them all, leave no loose ends. Human lives are the cheapest commodity on the Heavenly Artifact Continent!"

"Haha, listen to them scream…"

"Haha, they deserve it!"

The group laughed wildly until suddenly, a blue figure erupted from a distance. A torrential spray of water descended from the sky, swiftly extinguishing the village's flames.

Upon seeing this, the group snorted coldly: "Who dares meddle in our affairs?"

"Roar!"

In the next moment, an unusual Devil Beast with blue-scaled armor, a horse-like body, a dragon-like head, and twin horns atop its forehead landed heavily on the ground and spoke in human tongue.

"Ning Xian, now's your chance!"

Ning Xian found himself speechless but had no choice but to charge at the group.

Ah, turns out meddling in others' business is what justice means.

For justice, onward!

Ning Xian bent his knees slightly and leapt forward.

"Sky Crystal Beast, transform into the Divine Weapon—Tianjing!"

In midair, Ning Xian raised the arm guard high and shouted an embarrassingly melodramatic slogan.

"Roar!!"

As if in response, the Tianjing Beast also leapt, its entire body unleashing dazzling ocean-blue radiance. Frost power surged across the earth before transforming into a whirlwind that enveloped Ning Xian completely.

"The power of justice!"

As Ning Xian shouted again, blue armor wrapped around his body, a red cape billowed in the wind, and a faint blue light appeared in the palm of his hand.

"Chime!!"

The sound of a sword's cry echoed as a long blade, resembling both a sword and a knife, gleaming with frosty ice-blue light, fell into Ning Xian's hand.

"Boom..."

The instant the Tianjing Sword touched his hand, Ning Xian's aura surged explosively, instantly breaking through the Name Weapon Master Realm and reaching the Beginner Spiritual Artifact Master stage.

If it had only amplified Ning Xian's power, his strength would have capped at the Name Weapon stage. A significant portion of this surge came from the inherent power carried by the Tianjing Beast itself.

If Tianjing Beast weren't suppressing its internal power to create the illusion of incremental "leveling up through battles," Ning Xian would already possess the strength of a peak-level Spiritual Artifact Master.

Meanwhile, the group gasped in horror as they witnessed this transformation.

"What... What is this guy's background? And that beast…"

"Breaking through from the Weapon Realm to the Spiritual Artifact Realm in an instant—this... it's because of that Spiritual Artifact!"

"That's right! It must be that Spiritual Artifact. We've struck gold…"

"Bah, shut up! Struck gold? Hurry up and run! This guy isn't someone we can handle."

Realizing their predicament, the group abandoned any notion of coveting Ning Xian's Tianjing Sword and fled in terror.

Ning Xian squinted coldly, bloodthirst swelling.

He couldn't allow them to escape, or they'd bring even greater trouble!

"Kill!!"

Raising the Tianjing Sword high, Ning Xian roared. An unmatched force burst from the blade, unleashing a boundless frost storm that condensed into a hundred-meter-long icy dragon.

"Cold Ice Break!"

"Roar!!"

The dragon roared as it spiraled out, carrying the freezing power that could lock everything in ice, sweeping toward the fleeing group.

"Boom..."

A gust of bitterly cold wind swept past, and frost climbed quickly onto the terrified faces of the group as their bodies solidified into immobile ice sculptures.

"Step..."

Landing lightly, Ning Xian brandished the Tianjing Sword and asked: "Master Divine Beast, what do we do now?"

"Slay evil, uphold justice, and you will receive the Heavenly Weapon Supreme's reward. That is what I can do for you." Tianjing replied.

Ning Xian raised an eyebrow. The Heavenly Weapon Supreme's reward?

At once, he swung his left hand, channeling vast primordial energy into a giant palm that smashed the ice sculptures into pieces.

"Buzz..."

In an instant, faint streams of energy flowed along the blade of the Tianjing Sword into his palm, quickly converting into primordial energy matching his cultivation method's attributes.

"This..."

Ning Xian was overjoyed. "This is the reward from the Heavenly Weapon Supreme?"

"So I can use this method to rapidly increase my power?"

The Tianjing Sword trembled slightly. "That's correct. Because I possess such power, I cannot fall into the hands of the wicked.

The Divine Weapon Sect Leader's Hu Po weapon, I've heard, was forged from an ancient demon god Chi You's slain mount and turned into a Demon Weapon. Although the Divine Weapon Sect uses special techniques to suppress Hu Po's demonic nature, its influence still leaks out, silently corrupting the user's mind and subtly transforming their spirit.

The current Divine Weapon Sect Leader is likely already controlled by the demonic nature, always seeking to eliminate me. Once I'm sealed away again, Hu Po will fully devour its wielder, transforming into an unparalleled Demon Weapon that will massacre the Heavenly Artifact Continent.

You, young man, bear a heavy burden. You must grow strong quickly, defeat Hu Po, and save the world!"

Ning Xian's expression darkened. He hadn't expected the divine sect leader to harbor such secrets.

Massacre the Heavenly Artifact Continent?

Could it be that not even the Divine Artifact Supreme could defeat Hu Po?

What a terrifying thought!

But...

If he were to defeat Hu Po and save the continent, wouldn't the rewards from the Divine Artifact Supreme be unimaginable?

By then...

Ambition surged wildly in Ning Xian's eyes.

...

A month later, at Jade Sword Peak.

On this day, black and white runes swirled several times within the room before gradually dimming.

Qin Shou opened his eyes, reabsorbing the black and white energy that lingered around him.

Unbreakable Realm Ninth Star!

With the Divine Light Stick's assistance, the breakthrough had been unusually smooth.

As for the Demigod Realm...

Qin Shou shook his head, utterly clueless.

Based on the experiences of Qin Long and others, advancing to the Demigod Realm required sacrificing potential, which wasn't worth it.

Even with access to the Heavenly Artifact Continent's cultivation techniques for Holy Artifact Masters, Qin Long and the others might not be able to withstand the loss of potential.

Everything remained unknown.

After tidying up, Qin Shou activated the communicator for his routine view of Ning Xian's "broadcast."

"Hmm? Why has he gone to Chicheng Mountain looking to hunt the Earth Demon? Has he grown some courage?"

Qin Shou chuckled lightly, closed the communicator, and decided to act himself.

It's time to meet some old acquaintances.

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