Chapter 146 Ink Blade, Eldest Young Master of the Yan Family Arrives to Congratulate
Translator: 549690339
Seeing this scene, his heart surged with great joy.
If he hadn’t guessed wrong, the Treasured Sword had already begun its initial nurturing.
It chose quite a day to do so, coinciding exactly with the completion of Qin Niu’s new residence.
Had it gained sentience and deliberately chosen this day to present Qin Niu with a congratulatory gift?
Holding the Treasured Sword in hand, there was a new and different kind of feeling compared to before.
In the past, when he held it, it felt extremely comfortable and handy, as if it had been tailor-made for him. Now, holding it felt like holding a ‘living’ creature. It seemed as if it had life and had come alive.
He tried gripping it tightly and raising it.
Shick!
Brilliant, cohesive Blade Qi burst forth from the blade. It seemed to sense its master’s intentions, resonating with his mind.
“Have you evolved sentience?”
Qin Niu looked at the Treasured Sword and asked.
Zing zing~!
It trembled, issuing its sword hum once more.
“That’s wonderful. Since you’ve gained sentience, I’ll grant you a name. When I drew you just now, you sparked with dark green electric light, so I’ll name you Ink Blade. The name isn’t overbearing, but it suits you well. With sharpness concealed and an unremarkable exterior, you actually possess the might to annihilate formidable foes. With time, I believe you’ll become powerful enough to split the heavens and cleave the earth.”
Qin Niu gently caressed the blade, and his touch unexpectedly felt a faint trace of desolate death.
Cold, dark, and full of demonic nature.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that a dark green rune within the blade was already formed. It seemed alive, constantly shifting.
“They say that to claim ownership of a Treasured Sword after nurturing, one must drip fresh blood on it. Let’s give it a try.”
Qin Niu tried cutting his fingertip with the Treasured Sword and dripped fresh blood onto the blade.
As the blood gradually got absorbed by the blade, he could clearly see strands of blood flowing into that dark green rune.
His connection with the Treasured Sword grew increasingly intimate.
He could even sense some of Ink Blade’s thoughts.
It wanted to drink Banyan Tree Blood, a lot of it.
That was the idea it conveyed to its master.
“There’s only so much Banyan Tree Blood we can take each day, with your appetite, I’m afraid we simply couldn’t keep up!”
Qin Niu said helplessly.
The cultivation of the Treasured Sword filled him with joy.
But it was like a greedy child, constantly needing to consume Banyan Tree Blood, which was quite troublesome.
The power of that Ancient Banyan Tree was unfathomably deep.
Qin Niu, taking just a bit of its blood each day, or sitting underneath it to absorb its medicinal essence for cultivation, might still be acceptable to the tree.
But if he truly threatened its safety, he believed it would definitely retaliate.
Even though Qin Niu was now an expert of the Acquired Realm’s first level, he probably wouldn’t have any chance of fighting back against the Ancient Banyan Tree.
Because through energy comparison, the Ancient Banyan Tree was like a vast ocean, while the strength he had cultivated was merely a drop or two of water.
There was no basis for comparison between the two.
Thus, he dared not recklessly take actions that might enrage the Ancient Banyan Tree.
The tree was simply ignoring him for now.
If he truly angered the Ancient Banyan Tree and forced it to eradicate him like a pest, that would truly be courting death.
He had conducted an experiment once.
He tied a chicken under the Ancient Banyan Tree, and when he went back the next day, the cloth band used to bind the chicken was still there, but not a trace of the chicken could be seen.
It was as if it had never existed.
This made him shiver with dread.
If he angered the Ancient Banyan Tree, his death might be even more miserable than that of the chicken.
“I need to take Xiao Qing with me to the city today, so it’s perfect for selfprotection.”
Qin Niu tucked the Treasured Sword into his bosom.
He secretly speculated that the Treasured Sword might not only have evolved a spirit, with its Blade Qi becoming more condensed. It was very likely it already possessed special abilities.
To know what special abilities it had, one had to try it out in battle.
Now that he had this Treasured Sword, even if he encountered a member of the City Defense Army clad in Hundred-Tempering Black Armor, he could kill them with one chop. It was even possible to cleave both armor and man in two.
He had now comprehended two martial skills, Critical Chop, which possessed incredible explosive power in one-on-one combat.
He frequently unleashed the Explosive Slash Effect, enough to strike terror into the hearts of his enemies just by the rumor of it.
Sweeping Strike, this was a Group Killing Martial Skill.
Currently, he had only just grasped the skill, but with time and practice, it wouldn’t be impossible to take on a hundred foes alone.
With one Sweeping Strike, he could easily harvest multiple lives.
For martial skills, he believed it was not about quantity, but about mastery.
Now that he had both a dueling skill and a group combat skill, what remained was diligent practice to increase their proficiency.
In time, he could become unmatched, the envy of all.
“Master, someone outside has brought a congratulatory gift for you!”
Xiao Qing reported from outside the room.
“Oh, let’s have a look!”
Qin Niu was quite surprised.
As his status rose, the number of people coming to curry favor with gifts had increased.
Stepping outside, he saw an unfamiliar middle-aged man, square-headed and big-eared, with fair skin and rather handsome features. The man was dressed in brocade, clearly no ordinary individual.
By his side, Steward Yan Qi stood respectfully.
Behind them were more than a dozen servants carrying furniture.
“I didn’t know we had distinguished guests. Please forgive me for not welcoming you from afar,” Qin Niu said as he quickly stepped forward and clasped his hands in a formal greeting.
The person who could make Steward Yan Qi stand by his side like this must be a high-ranking member of the Yan Family.
The Yan Family taking the initiative to send a congratulatory gift was slightly beyond Qin Niu’s expectations.
“Master Qin, this is the Young Master of our Yan Family,” Steward Yan Qi introduced to Qin Niu.
“So it is Young Master Yan! Please come inside and have a seat!”
Qin Niu was quietly astounded. The Yan Family surely didn’t skimp.
They had sent the Young Master himself to personally deliver the gift, a grand gesture indeed!
A common Insect Master, while greatly valued, was certainly not feared by a local heavyweight like the Yan Family.
When he first became an Insect Master, the Yan Family had made no overtures.
This was because the Family needed to maintain its dignity and pride.
Now, using the completion of his new residence as an occasion, with the Young Master personally delivering a generous gift, that was quite a different matter.
It preserved the dignity of the Yan Family while giving great face to Qin Niu.
The actions of a major family were indeed clever.
“I heard about the completion of Master Qin’s new residence, and my father specifically ordered me to bring a set of furniture as a gift to Master Qin. Please do not look down upon it. While the items are not particularly exceptional, they are made from redwood that is over a hundred years old and crafted by artisans from the City Jade Workshop, including four beds and a full set of living room furniture. We hope it can add splendor to the Qin Residence and wish Master Qin great luck and prosperity, both personally and financially,” the Young Master of the Yan Family said with refined and affable manners.
He bore no airs typical of the Young Master of Yan Family.
It was said that the Yan Family was preparing him to take over the position of head from Yan Ruohai, but with many contenders within the Family, the struggle for power was fierce.
So the matter had yet to be decided.
Any carelessness might provoke internal conflict.
It was like when a nation crowns a new emperor, and other princes dissent, potentially leading to rebellion.
This was something Yan Ruohai would never wish to see.
“Receiving such a generous gift from the Yan Family, I am honored and overwhelmed. My thanks to Young Master Yan, and please convey my gratitude to your father as well. I shall pay a visit another day to thank him in person,” Qin Niu said.
He had long admired the great renown of Yan Ruohai.
This was a figure worthy of respect.