Super-Class Soul Hunter

Chapter 19: The Nine Blades of Enlightenment

024 The Nine Blades of Enlightenment Li Feng froze. Luo Ze didn’t continue, instead climbing the stairs with a sense of self-doubt. Every time a soul was sent into the cycle of reincarnation, he had to understand that soul and get along with it properly. Although Luo Ze had decided to help these souls unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation, he wasn’t planning to help just any ghost. This meant that the souls he helped were, at the very least, those he found pleasing to the eye. But people aren’t plants—who can remain heartless? Luo Ze increasingly felt as though he were constantly “killing” his soul friends. “What’s the matter? Are you really reluctant to part with this old geezer?” Old Master Luo, unusually, wasn’t sitting on the sofa or a chair but was standing by the window, clad in a long robe, looking more like a schoolteacher at that moment. “Hah! Who would miss a sharp-tongued, arrogant old man like me?!” Luo Ze shot Old Master Luo a mocking glance but lost the desire to continue. “I’m leaving. Actually, there are still some things I haven’t taught you yet. But then again, you said that if you sent me into reincarnation, I’d pass on the most important skills and knowledge from my own life to you. So I suppose it doesn’t really matter whether I pass this part on or not.” Old Master Luo flashed a hearty smile, making Luo Ze feel quite uneasy. A gentle breeze blew in through the open window. The crisp autumn air carried a slight chill, which helped Luo Ze clear his head a little. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid I’ll think it’s useless if you tell me now?” With the old man about to leave, Luo Ze, breaking his usual reserve, began to banter with him. “Hahaha, don’t worry. While I won’t be passing down any embarrassing skills like self-defense techniques for women, mastering them isn’t exactly a walk in the park either. That’s precisely why I’m insisting you hone your carving skills first—because what I’m leaving you isn’t just a skill, but a legacy!” Old Master Luo’s eyes sparkled with intensity, making Luo Ze momentarily think he was looking at his own grandfather. Luo Ze said nothing, glancing sideways at Old Master Luo. The whole “self-defense for women” business had truly disgusted him to no end, especially since that idiot Li Feng had seen it—Luo Ze felt deeply humiliated. “The greatest achievement of my life is mastering a secret art that no one has been able to master for hundreds of years—the Nine Blades of Awakening!” Old Master Luo’s tone was passionate, his face radiant with fervor. “Legend has it that ancient swordsmiths threw themselves into the forge to imbue divine swords with spirit, while the Nine Swords of Spirit Awakening is the supreme secret art among us sculptors for awakening the spirit within objects!” Luo Ze stared blankly, thinking he was listening to a myth. “Once one attains the rank of Grandmaster, isn’t it natural to be able to awaken the spirit within objects?” Luo Ze was now a Grandmaster and naturally understood the changes that came with that rank. “Oh? Then can the magical artifacts you create develop sentience? Can they perform simple reasoning?” Old Master Luo smiled faintly, unconcerned. “But you haven’t even reached the level of a Grandmaster yet!” Luo Ze hated people who didn’t get to the point. If this had been in the past… “A Grandmaster can indeed imbue an artifact with sentience, but that sentience does not grow. The Nine Blades of Enlightenment, however, is different. It’s more like bestowing a life force upon a sentient artifact, allowing it to grow!” “Although I haven’t reached the Grandmaster realm, I happened to master the Nine Blades of Enlightenment while still at the Master level. I can imbue objects with a life force—and that’s the main reason those people were hot on my trail back then!” “Normally, only a Grandmaster can truly harness the full potential of the Nine Blades of Enlightenment. At that level, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the artifacts created possess life. Ancient legends speak of the Gong family’s puppets thinking just like ordinary people—they likely used the Nine Blades of Enlightenment. However, so much time has passed that many details remain unverifiable…”Old Master Luo sighed wistfully, seemingly regretting that he hadn’t been able to verify these legends himself. “Even now, I still believe that the luckiest thing that ever happened to me in my life wasn’t obtaining the Nine Blades of Enlightenment in my youth, but meeting you after my death!” Old Master Luo’s words left Luo Ze completely dumbfounded. [Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. I can’t mess with this. A ghost who isn’t even complaining about his own death—what the hell is going on with the world these days… ] “If you hadn’t had even a basic foundation in carving, even if you’d sent me into reincarnation, the abilities and knowledge you’d gained from me would likely have been limited to things like art appreciation. Only by becoming a Grandmaster yourself could you possibly obtain the Nine Blades of Enlightenment from me! Do you understand now?” Old Master Luo’s expression was a mix of smugness and showmanship. Luo Ze nodded impassively. “So what you’re saying is, because I have absolutely no experience with fitness or physical training, that’s why I only gained the experience and memories of self-defense techniques for women? Because these are simple? Because they can be used easily without complex training? Because even if I can’t fully harness my physical strength, they’ll still be incredibly effective?” Luo Ze hadn’t even thought that far himself; he’d always assumed he’d just run into a womanizing scumbag, never once considering his own past behavior. “To be honest, when I first saw you send that con artist who was always pretending to be poor into reincarnation, I considered this possibility. After you sent off a few more, I became even more certain. I just wanted you to focus more of your energy on carving, so I waited until now to tell you!” [Fair enough, makes perfect sense…] Luo Ze scowled. [Damn it, couldn’t you have said something sooner? Even if you hadn’t, would I have spent any more time practicing my carving? ] “I know you might be mad at me for not telling you sooner, because even if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have had much time to practice anyway. But it’s precisely because you’ve had so little time to practice that I was even more reluctant to tell you right away—I was afraid that once I did, you’d lose even that little bit of practice time…” [It really is my own damn fault... Damn it!!!! ] Luo Ze stared at Old Master Luo with a defeated expression, causing the latter to burst out laughing. “Here, take this!” Old Master Luo handed him a piece of paper with a list of names written on it. Zhang Yonghao, Zhang Yongming, Zhang Yongji, Zhang Yongzhen “These are the disciples of my junior master’s lineage—they were my closest friends. Though it’s unlikely any of them are still alive, their descendants are probably still around. When the time comes, take this token of mine and pay them a visit!” “Your junior master’s lineage?” Luo Ze looked at Old Master Luo in bewilderment. Old Master Luo usually avoided discussing his past, so Luo Ze didn’t even know who had been hunting him down back then. “Yes. Our branch is, at best, a family of carpenters, while theirs are blacksmiths. Back then, I was young and headstrong; I looked down on the rough work of blacksmithing and dismissed the body-forging techniques involved as nothing special. Though those brothers were very close to me, they couldn’t change my mind!” Old Master Luo sighed. “So what? You want me to just show up and learn body forging?” Luo Zeli didn’t think they’d be that generous. “I’m not telling you to go learn it directly. I’m telling you to trade! Use your carving techniques! Or perform a Spirit Awakening for them to see! They’ll grant you every single request—every single one! As long as they’re capable of it!” Old Master Luo said in a tone that bordered on absolute certainty. “What if those people no longer exist? You know how much turmoil there’s been since then!” Luo Ze looked at Old Master Luo helplessly; he really couldn’t be bothered to make the trip. “They haven’t. Because a while back, I saw their emblem on TV. Based on current geographical coordinates, they should be in JZ Province. Go check it out when you have time!” “That’s it?” Luo Ze fell silent for a moment, staring blankly at Old Master Luo. “Is that all?” Old Man Luo looked completely bewildered. “Holy shit, what about the token??!?!?!?!” 025 Are You a Fake Brother? Old Master Luo finally departed. Under the watchful eyes of Cheng Xiaoyu, Li Feng, and Luo Ze—two ghosts and one human—he stepped into the purple-gold mist summoned by Luo Ze’s ability. Accompanied by the ethereal ringing of bells, he left this world. Luo Ze’s head was pounding. He paid no attention to Cheng Xiaoyu’s discovery regarding the thugs, nor to Li Feng’s report on handling stray cats and dogs. He was exhausted and just wanted to get a good night’s sleep. The moment Old Master Luo stepped into the mist, information regarding the Nine Blades of Enlightenment was transmitted back and poured into Luo Ze’s mind. However, the information contained within the Nine Swords of Enlightenment far exceeded his expectations. Even though he had previously absorbed the abilities of a soul skilled in analysis and learning, he still found it incredibly taxing. All things are divided into yin and yang; everything has two sides. The Nine Blades of Enlightenment can awaken the spirit within lifeless objects, seek vitality within the realm of death, and even find weaknesses in an opponent during combat. Luo Ze felt that this aspect was something even Old Master Luo had never fully grasped; after all, Old Master Luo was merely at the Master level. When used in reverse, the Nine Swords become the Devouring Spirit Nine Swords, capable of destroying vitality and severing spiritual essence. The Great Dao comprises fifty, of which Heaven manifests forty-nine; the remaining one is the number of Heaven’s creation. These nine blades are specifically designed to seek out this ‘one,’ capable of bringing life or death. Luo Ze’s mind was in utter chaos. The images before his eyes were filled with countless lines—black and white—which were eventually replaced by purple and gold lines, leaving him not only disoriented but also feeling waves of nausea. Then there was Longyuan Temple in the southern suburbs. Old Master Luo had said that the great Buddha statue in that temple was carved by him, and that it contained a mechanism he had crafted, within which his token was hidden. Overcome by an irresistible wave of exhaustion, Luo Ze furrowed his brow and fell into a deep sleep. The night passed without incident. “Meow~” A soft, purring meow caused Luo Ze to sit bolt upright in bed. Feeling wide awake, Luo Ze turned his head from side to side. Seeing no strange creatures with dual solid-liquid properties, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Meow~” “Holy shit! Li Feng!!! Where are you?!” Luo Ze immediately jumped out of bed and started pulling clothes on. “What’s up?” A head poked out from the second-floor landing. Li Feng looked up at Luo Ze, who was frantically pulling on his pants. “Outside! There’s another cat!” Luo Ze was baffled. Normally, seeing stray animals gathering at the front door should be terrifying, shouldn’t it? Why was Li Feng so unfazed? Could it be because he was a ghost? Had becoming a ghost made him unafraid of stray animals? “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m handling it. It’ll be fine in a minute!” With that, Li Feng’s head vanished from the floor. Luo Ze rubbed his head. Didn’t these little animals usually run far away when they saw ghosts and other spirits? Why was it completely the opposite when it came to him? It was the exact opposite of how it used to be! With a head full of questions, Luo Ze walked down the stairs. The familiar recliner was empty of that sturdy figure, causing Luo Ze to pause in his tracks. “The Nine Blades of Enlightenment…” [Was it worth it? ] “Woof…” A faint whimper sounded at the door, interrupting Luo Ze’s musings, so he hurried toward the entrance. “Li Feng!! What the hell are you doing!!!!!” Luo Ze stopped two meters from the door and snarled at Li Feng. The sun had just risen, and there were hardly any people on the street yet, but no fewer than twenty small animals had gathered at the entrance to Luo Ze’s shop. And Li Feng—that guy—was holding five or six large bowls, handing out food! “I’m, I’m sorry…” Li Feng, who had been busy, flinched for a moment before quickly catching himself. “No, wait—didn’t you ask me to take care of these poor stray animals? So I just fed them!” Pfft! Luo Ze felt like he was about to burst from holding it in. [I did tell you to deal with them! But who the hell deals with them like this?! You should’ve at least scared them away! Are these animals blind or something? Are you a ghost or something?! Why aren’t they afraid of you? What the hell are you? ] “Oh, I get it!” Li Feng’s eyes lit up. He suddenly stood up and floated into the back of the house. “Huh?” Luo Ze stared blankly at Li Feng, who had suddenly become energetic, then glanced at Cheng Xiaoyu’s dumbfounded expression, feeling like he’d missed something. “Hey, hey, over here, everyone, come this way!” Accompanied by a series of clinking and clanging sounds, Li Feng’s voice rang out from the other side of the house. Just as Luo Ze was about to mock Li Feng for being a delusional teenager—how could these animals possibly listen to him? —he saw them all march toward the empty lot next to the house as if obeying a command, without a moment’s hesitation, leaving Luo Ze’s eyes nearly popping out of his head. [Did I just miss something? ] After carefully checking that there were no strange-smelling objects on the ground by the door, Luo Ze slowly took a step forward. “Are you sure Li Feng understood you? Do you really think he’ll do what you expect? You’re such a dark-hearted teenager,” Cheng Xiaoyu said, sitting on the counter in a light green patterned Hanfu, holding a manga volume, her legs crossed, one hand propping her chin as she watched Luo Ze. Luo Ze rubbed his face, his expression deep in thought. [Yeah, this guy’s a total do-gooder. Hmm, a good ghost. Hell if I know what he’s going to do! ] “Holy shit, he’s not building a nest, is he?” With that, Luo Ze bolted out the door like a whirlwind and reached the open space beside the house in the blink of an eye. [You’re actually building a nest, you bastard! ] Having learned object manipulation from Cheng Xiaoyu, Li Feng picked it up very quickly. He seemed to be a natural at building little nests and could even multitask like a pro. In just a moment, nearly ten little nests had already been completed. “Even a construction crew couldn’t move this fast…” Luo Ze watched Li Feng, who was standing among the little animals, smiling happily. The golden sunlight bathed Li Feng’s face, giving him a faintly sacred aura. Luo Ze sighed as if resigned to his fate. [I’m definitely not letting that smile get to me…] “Li! Feng!” Luo Ze looked at Li Feng with a serious expression. “Hm? What’s up?” Li Feng looked at Luo Ze with a goofy grin. “If you don’t take care of these animals’ hygiene issues, I’ll…” Luo Ze had intended to threaten Li Feng, but realized he didn’t really have anything to threaten him with… “Huh??” Li Feng looked at Luo Ze with a puzzled expression, “If you don’t do a good job, I’ll—I’ll—I’ll—I’ll hit on your sister!” Luo Ze simply couldn’t think of anything else to say. “!!!!” Li Feng stared at Luo Ze with wide eyes, causing Luo Ze to burst out laughing. [That expression probably said, “I treat you like a friend, and you’re trying to hit on my sister!” ] “Don’t doubt my skills with the ladies—I’ve hooked up with more women than you’ve ever seen!” Luo Ze subtly bragged a bit; after all, this guy had been a total shut-in for nine years, so picking on him was a breeze. “……” Li Feng’s expression turned deeply conflicted, and this time it was Luo Ze’s turn to feel a sense of foreboding. “Do you really want to marry my sister?” Li Feng asked earnestly. 【Are you fucking out of your mind?! 】Luo Ze stared at Li Feng in utter disbelief. [What the hell kind of reaction is that?! Wouldn’t any normal person want to beat the shit out of a bastard who’s got his eyes on his own sister? ] [I might have run into a fake older brother! Li Yue, I really feel sorry for you…]