Although Shen Chaoyue did not agree with the storybook theory, she did not turn around and leave.
Because after walking near this area, a strange feeling faintly welled up in her heart.
It was as if something was constantly calling out to her through the heavy layers of scrap iron.
Following that feeling, Shen Chaoyue continued forward, finally stopping in front of a massive pile of rust-covered weapons.
Xue Mingzhao immediately let go of her.
The critical moment had arrived.
She couldn't interfere with the female lead's performance.
Shen Chaoyue bent down, rummaged through the pile of scrap metal for a moment, and pulled out a rusted longsword.
The scabbard was already damaged, and the hilt was covered in dust.
She gripped the hilt and slowly drew the longsword.
The blade was covered in rust, and the edge was dull and dark.
Let alone slaying demons and vanquishing monsters.
Even using it to chop radishes would require a couple of extra hacks.
Mei Ziqing watched, opening her mouth as if to speak but stopping herself.
It was over.
It seemed Junior Sister Shen had really been brainwashed by Junior Sister Lin's storybook theory.
She was about to step forward to dissuade her, but Xue Mingzhao grabbed her arm and gently shook her head.
“Senior Sister Shen, could this sword have some hidden mystery?”
Shen Chaoyue did not answer.
From the moment she gripped the hilt, the voice in her heart grew clearer and clearer.
It was this one!
Contract it!
Shen Chaoyue looked around.
Aside from the Lin siblings and another inner sect disciple, there was no one else nearby.
Excellent.
No one would fight her for it this time.
Without hesitation, she condensed a drop of blood and let it drip onto the rusted blade.
Before Mei Ziqing's words of discouragement could leave her mouth, the contract was already complete!
Buzz—
The longsword, which had been silent for countless years, suddenly let out a clear chime.
A silver-white sword light soared into the sky, and the rust on the blade fell away inch by inch, revealing the bright, sharp edge beneath.
An illusory bright moon slowly rose behind the longsword.
Cold, clear moonlight spilled down, making the surrounding pile of scrap metal look a bit more valuable.
The longsword circled Shen Chaoyue three times before turning into a silver stream of light and sinking into the space between her brows.
Sword techniques accompanied by imagery flooded into her sea of consciousness.
A moment later, the silver light filling the air receded.
The longsword fell back into Shen Chaoyue's hand.
The blade vibrated gently, as if it had finally found its long-lost master.
An aloof voice then rang out in Shen Chaoyue's sea of consciousness.
“After waiting for a thousand years, I have finally found a compatible person.”
Shen Chaoyue gripped the hilt tightly.
“Xunyue...”
This was its name.
She will hug the Xunyue Sword in her arms, turning to look at the three dumbfounded people.
Finally, her gaze landed on Xue Mingzhao.
“Junior Sister Lin, thank you.”
Shen Chaoyue's tone was much more sincere than before.
“I offended you earlier. If you hadn't insisted on coming to this discarded weapons area, I might not have been able to find the Xunyue Sword.”
Xue Mingzhao quickly waved her hands.
“You're welcome, it's only right.”
Of course it was right.
She was still counting on the female lead to help her locate the Xunyang Sword.
Shen Chaoyue said apologetically, “The sect has a rule that after contracting a weapon, one will be immediately transported out by the barrier. I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill my promise to help you evaluate yours.”
“Once I return, I will prepare a generous gift to make amends.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a teleportation array lit up beneath Shen Chaoyue's feet.
With a flash of silver light, she vanished on the spot.
Mei Ziqing looked at Xue Mingzhao with admiration. “Junior Sister Lin, you are simply amazing!”
“To think a divine sword was actually hidden in such a dilapidated place.”
She rolled up her sleeves and plunged headfirst into the nearby pile of discarded weapons.
“I'll search too. Who knows, maybe there's another overlooked divine tool.”
With that, she squatted down and began earnestly rummaging through the scrap metal.
Xue Mingzhao: “...”
The original book mentioned that the Xunyang Sword had a very distinct characteristic.
A star mark was engraved on its scabbard.
Xue Mingzhao told Su Ye about this characteristic, and the two of them also began searching.
At first, Xue Mingzhao wanted to use the All-Revealing Pupil to help.
But the moment she activated the All-Revealing Pupil—
In the next instant, tens of thousands of weapon spiritual glows, residual sword Qi, and Wanjian Mountain's array runes flooded her vision simultaneously.
Red, blue, gold, black—they layered over each other in a chaotic mess, as if someone had stuffed a basket of fireworks into her eyes and lit them all at once.
Before Xue Mingzhao could look for even three breaths, the sheer stimulation brought tears to her eyes.
She quickly closed her eyes.
Excellent.
She saw everything.
And yet, she could see nothing clearly.
There were too many weapons in Wanjian Mountain, their spiritual energy was too jumbled, and with the massive number of overlapping arrays, the All-Revealing Pupil was temporarily useless here.
She could only search by hand.
Centering on the spot where Shen Chaoyue had found the Xunyue Sword, the three of them began a carpet search.
Before long, Mei Ziqing suddenly pulled a tattered umbrella out of the pile of discarded weapons.
Two of its ribs were broken, and there was a gaping hole in the canopy.
Yet, she treated it like a found treasure, running excitedly to Xue Mingzhao.
“Junior Sister Lin, I took a liking to this umbrella at first glance.”
“Hurry and help me take a look. Could it also be a hidden treasure?”
Xue Mingzhao: “...”
The female lead could pick up a divine sword from scrap metal because she had the female lead halo.
If bystanders like them tried to copy her, they would most likely only pick up actual trash.
Cang Jue suddenly spoke: “This is the Azure Mist Jade Umbrella, a high-grade Magic Treasure.”
Xue Mingzhao looked down at the umbrella, which was quite frankly in tatters.
“Are you sure?”
“I am sure.”
Cang Jue explained, “There are still remnants of the Azure Mist spirit runes on the canopy. Its previous master must have suffered a severe blow, damaging both the ribs and the core array runes, which is why it was left here as a discarded weapon.”
“What does it do?”
“When opened, it can form a large-scale protective barrier. Its defensive strength depends on the spiritual energy the user injects into it. Under normal circumstances, it can withstand attacks from an opponent one major realm higher.”
Xue Mingzhao's gaze instantly changed.
She really had picked up a treasure.
She took the broken umbrella and observed it with a look of feigned scrutiny.
“Senior Sister Mei, I saw this kind of umbrella in the ancient texts in the Library Pavilion earlier.”
“It's called the Azure Mist Jade Umbrella, a high-grade Magic Treasure. When intact, it can block attacks from an opponent one major realm higher than the user.”
Mei Ziqing's eyes lit up instantly. “It's actually a Magic Treasure?”
“Unfortunately, it's already broken.”
The joy on Mei Ziqing's face vanished instantly.
She looked down at the broken umbrella.
Earlier, the Xunyue Sword had revealed its true form after the contract was made. She had thought this umbrella might also undergo an instant refurbishment.
As it turned out, a broken umbrella was just a broken umbrella.
After contracting it, it would at most go from an ownerless leaky umbrella to an owned leaky umbrella.
Cang Jue added, “Refining the ribs with Jade Spirit Fire and repairing the array runes with Azure Mist Jade Powder will restore it to its original state.”
Xue Mingzhao cursed in her heart, Why didn't you say so earlier!
She had completely crushed the girl's hope with a single sentence, and now she had to dig it back up herself.
She quickly added, “However, it can still be repaired.”
“As long as you find Jade Spirit Fire and Azure Mist Jade Powder, you can mend the ribs and array runes.”
Mei Ziqing raised her head again. The hope that had just ignited in her eyes quickly dimmed once more.
“Both of those are rare materials.”
Xue Mingzhao did not try to persuade her further.
Whether to take it or not was Mei Ziqing's own choice.
After only a brief moment of hesitation, Mei Ziqing hugged the broken umbrella tightly.
“No matter how rare they are, I can slowly search for them in the future.”
“But if I miss out on a high-grade Magic Treasure, I might never come across one again.”
With that, she condensed a drop of blood and let it fall onto the umbrella handle.
The Azure Mist Jade Umbrella vibrated gently, and a faint green light rippled across the damaged canopy.
The contract was successful.
The teleportation array then appeared beneath Mei Ziqing's feet.
She quickly said, “Junior Sister Lin, I'll wait for you outside!”
Xue Mingzhao waved her hand.
“Go ahead.”
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