Divine Light Ghost-Slaying Sword

When Chu Liang stepped out of the Water Curtain Cave, he found it drizzling outside, the rain streaks shimmering with a golden hue.

Well, that’s just great. Now he had become a mobile rain cloud.

He had half a mind to head over to Lone Hanging Peak and ask that True Dragon exactly what was going on—why would dragon qi manifest as rain and follow him around? But he hesitated; he wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse, so he decided to wait and see for now.

Upon returning to Silver Sword Peak, the moment he landed, he was greeted by a chaotic scene of squawking and barking at the summit. The "roar-roar-roar" of the Golden-Haired Hou and the "coo-roo-roo" of the young Bai Ze echoed back and forth, occasionally punctuated by Liu Xiaoyu’s shout: "Watch out for the flower bed!"

It turned out they were playing a game. A couple of days ago, to amuse the young Bai Ze, Chu Liang had asked Wen Yulong to craft a jade disc engraved with a simple array. It had no combat utility, but with a gentle flick, it could fly through the air for quite a distance.

Liu Xiaoyu was throwing the disc. With a *whoosh*, the jade disc spun away, dancing nimbly through the air for a long moment. Then, with a sudden *zip*, the young Bai Ze darted after it like a bolt of white lightning.

The Golden-Haired Hou huffed and puffed as it scrambled after them. Although its massive head was trying hard and its four paws were flying, its sheer size was a hindrance, and its talent didn't lie in speed. It was consistently left several lengths behind, struggling and failing time and again.

"Coo-roo-roo!"

The young Bai Ze snatched the disc in its mouth and scurried back to Liu Xiaoyu, dropping it at her feet.

"Great job! Xiao Bai wins again," Liu Xiaoyu said, patting its head. She then smiled at the Golden-Haired Hou, "Xiao Jin, you need to work harder!"

*Xiao Bai?*

Hearing that nickname, Chu Liang couldn't help but chuckle. Although he was used to it now and Senior Sister Jiang no longer bothered to hide her true self in front of him, he still had a vivid memory of that fake name.

As for calling the Golden-Haired Hou "Xiao Jin," that was even more ridiculous; "Big-Headed Jin" would have been more accurate.

Still, seeing the trio getting along so well made Chu Liang happy. At first, he had worried that the young Bai Ze’s proud nature would make it unwilling to socialize. He soon realized that as long as it was a friend he introduced, the creature was more than happy to play. Lately, it had been having so much fun with Liu Xiaoyu and the Golden-Haired Hou that it barely paid attention to Chu Liang when he stopped by.

That actually left Chu Liang feeling a bit neglected.

Originally, the young Bai Ze’s territory at Mount Shu was limited to Guardian Peak and Pagoda Peak, but now it had added Silver Sword Peak to its list of haunts. For the past two days, besides returning to Guardian Peak to eat and sleep, it spent all its time playing on Silver Sword Peak, seemingly having forgotten all about home.

After observing them for a while, Chu Liang noticed something suspicious.

While the Golden-Haired Hou’s speed was inferior to the young Bai Ze, it shouldn't have been losing by such a large margin. Furthermore, Liu Xiaoyu’s throws were random; there were always moments when the disc drifted closer to the Hou.

Yet, every time that happened, the beast would either start by spinning in circles as if it hadn't seen the disc, or it would "accidentally" slip just as it was about to catch it, stumbling and missing the golden opportunity.

In short, it only seemed to win once out of every ten tries. Most of the time, after a fierce scramble, the young Bai Ze would narrowly clinch victory—no wonder the little creature was so happy.

"Good grief..." Chu Liang couldn't help but laugh softly.

That big-headed fellow was quite clever. It seemed to have realized that the young Bai Ze was its meal ticket at Mount Shu. So young, yet it had already mastered the essence of playing against the boss.

If you don’t eat until you’re full, who will?

...

After watching for a while, just as he was about to head back to his room, another streak of light descended.

"Junior Brother Wen," Chu Liang said, his face brightening.

"Senior Brother Chu," Wen Yulong replied with an equally beaming smile. He glanced toward the hillside where the spirit beasts were romping around and laughed, "Your Silver Sword Peak is getting livelier by the day."

"These kids just love to make a ruckus," Chu Liang said with an air of seasoned maturity, conveniently forgetting that the combined age of "these kids" was over a thousand, while he himself was not even twenty.

"Liveliness is good," Wen Yulong said, exchanging pleasantries before producing the green leaf artifact. "I’ve finished refining your artifact. Take a look."

"Oh?" Chu Liang took it. Besides the original black markings, a tiny red bead—looking much like cinnabar—was now embedded in the center of the palm-sized green leaf.

"Is it safe to test?" he asked, glancing worriedly at the spirit beasts in the distance, fearing another explosion like his previous attempts.

"There are no major changes to its power, don't worry," Wen Yulong assured him quickly.

Relieved, Chu Liang slowly channeled a wisp of true energy into the leaf. Feeling the array patterns within, he realized there was a brand-new configuration.

*Whoosh—*

With a flash of light, a green lantern suddenly appeared in his palm. Though it was formed from green leaves, it shimmered with the luster of glazed glass, the craftsmanship exquisite. At the heart of the lantern sat a red wick, looking exactly like the Red Lotus Treasure Bead.

This was...

Chu Liang looked at the familiar design, and something in his heart stirred. *A lotus lantern?*

No, it was a green-leaf lantern.

"How is it?" Wen Yulong asked proudly. "I designed the shape myself."

"Not bad. Understated luxury, quite profound," Chu Liang praised sincerely.

As he spoke, he channeled his energy again. A streak of red divine light emerged from the wick, but in an instant, the halo condensed into a beam of light extending over a yard, as solid as a real longsword.

A light sword?

This change was beyond Chu Liang’s expectations. Holding the green-leaf lantern felt like holding a sword hilt, while the condensed divine light in front was truly like a blade of light!

"Junior Brother Wen?" He looked at Wen Yulong, his eyes asking for an explanation.

"Heh heh," Wen Yulong chuckled. "That is my biggest design improvement. Previously, the Red Lotus Treasure Bead’s divine light spread over a wide area, but it was too diffused, making the damage output unfocused and weak."

"I couldn't increase the raw power of the bead itself, but I had an inspiration: I could focus its light. Before, the light covering a yard might only repel minor yin spirits, but now, condensed into a yard-long blade of light, it can kill a Ghost King in a single strike!"

"As your cultivation level increases, Senior Brother, this light sword will eventually reach a reach of nearly a hundred yards. Any ghost that touches it will perish! I call it the Divine Light Ghost-Slaying Sword!"

Chu Liang listened to his logic and felt like he had just turned a large floodlight into a tactical flashlight—shrinking the range to concentrate the intensity. It had to be said, it was indeed a brilliant design concept.

"And," Wen Yulong added, "if you want to cover a yard-wide area with this now-magnified power, you still can."

"How?" Chu Liang asked. If he could keep the condensed power while expanding the range, that would be truly perfect.

"Heh heh."

Wen Yulong gave a mysterious smile, took the green-leaf lantern, stepped back a few yards, and activated the light sword.

Then... he started swinging it wildly!

*Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish—*

Countless question marks appeared on Chu Liang’s face.

*Uh...*

*Are you okay?*

*Are you absolutely sure you’re okay?*

"Senior Brother, you just need to practice your martial arts a little... learn a sword style like mine that’s so fast not even a drop of water could pass through... and you can cover a yard-wide area with this light sword..."

Wen Yulong was spinning like a glowing disco ball, indeed creating a field of light that covered a yard. His voice drifted out from within the light curtain, filled with self-satisfaction.

"..."

Chu Liang was utterly speechless. After holding it in for a long time, only one thought cycled through his mind:

*Isn't this just a complete idiot?*