Chapter 53

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Chapter 53: Azure Cloud Seal Paired with Azure Cloud Cauldron

Lou Yun rubbed his noticeably swollen forehead, sneaking a glance at Lou Qian’s finger. He thought to himself, Qian’s finger is incredibly powerful! My body is considered quite resilient, yet it couldn’t withstand a single poke from her!

"Stop rubbing, no rubbing allowed! Quickly, explain what happened, or I’ll give you another poke!" Lou Qian demanded, hands on her hips, glaring fiercely.

Lou Yun hurriedly dropped his hand, forcing a bitter smile as he answered, "Alright, I’ll explain. Actually, what shattered earlier wasn’t my main magical weapon. It was a secondary magical weapon I formed using the method Teacher Han taught me—channeling external spiritual energy!"

It turned out that seeing the third assailant appear had forced Lou Yun into action. Yet defeating his immediate opponent quickly seemed impossible, so he thought of a risky plan.

His plan was to create a secondary magical weapon as a decoy for his main one, then intentionally let the enemy destroy it. Normally, if two fighters were of comparable strength, it was nearly impossible for one to shatter the other’s magical weapon. Thus, when this seemingly impossible event occurred, his opponent would be stunned. Lou Yun aimed to exploit this moment of shock to unveil his real magical weapon and launch an attack.

The reason it was risky was that Lou Yun wasn’t yet proficient in Han Tianxiao’s method of externally condensing weapons. Despite practicing for a month, he’d rarely succeeded. Earlier, during the switch of his left-hand weapon to his right, he had already withdrawn the real Dream Emperor Sword into his body. What he passed to his right hand was actually a secondary weapon condensed in that instant.

Had he failed, the ruse would’ve been instantly exposed. Fortunately, he succeeded!

"Oh… that scared me half to death! If you try something risky like that again, warn us beforehand!" Lou Qian and the others finally understood. Suddenly, Sun Danxue remembered Lou Yun’s last statement and urgently asked, "Right, Lou Yun! You said earlier you knew who those three were? Who are they? Why attack us?"

Lou Yun possessed extraordinary innate senses, recalling voices and faces of those he’d met. Though the third attacker only uttered "Careful!", he recognized the voice. The person’s true identity was Qin Wufeng.

Glancing at Xia Zhilan, Lou Yun forced a laugh and shook his head. "How should I know? They masked themselves. I was bluffing! If I knew, I would’ve exposed them earlier!"

Lou Yun lied to shield Qin Wufeng’s image for Xia Zhilan’s sake. He suspected Xia Zhilan and Qin Wufeng had an intimate relationship, and that Qin Wufeng’s animosity stemmed from his closeness to her. So he decided to give Qin Wufeng another chance.

Naturally, if Qin Wufeng targeted him again, things wouldn’t end so well next time!

Suddenly, Nie Jiu spoke up. "Hurry back now. Fighting made me hungry again!"

Everyone stared momentarily before bursting into laughter—even Xia Zhilan couldn’t suppress a small giggle.

The five of them returned to the Ancient Weapon Academy without further incident and retreated to their rooms.

The moment Lou Yun opened his bedroom door, a flash of crimson light soared onto his shoulder. Xiao Huo nuzzled his cheek affectionately.

Lou Yun often locked Xiao Huo in his room while away, preventing mischief during training. Xiao Huo resented this, but had no choice. After playing for a while and hearing Nie Jiu’s snores, Lou Yun smiled faintly. He summoned the cauldron he’d won earlier and placed it in the center of the room. Chang Xiang materialized beside him.

Amid the commotion earlier, Lou Yun hadn’t examined the cauldron closely. Now he circled it several times, scrutinizing every detail. He noticed something: a small inscription reading "Azure Cloud" between the two handles—likely the cauldron’s name, Azure Cloud Cauldron.

Chang Xiang chuckled softly. "That so-called fourth-grade skilled weapon maker truly wasted this Azure Cloud Cauldron. He never even merged his vital blood essence with it! I thought I’d have to struggle to remove his essence."

"Vital blood essence?" Lou Yun looked puzzled. Though knowledgeable about forging weapons, he understood nothing of cauldrons.

"Indeed. Forging without merging blood essence is possible. But merging it bonds the cauldron to you. It can even sense your intent or spiritual perception, making forging smoother. Don’t question it—just drip some of your blood into the cauldron. You’ll understand its function when you forge."

So Lou Yun pricked his fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall into the Azure Cloud Cauldron.

Something peculiar happened. The blood vanished instantly, as if absorbed. Then, the huge cauldron began vibrating gently with a low hum.

Countless unfamiliar symbols flooded Lou Yun’s mind. Though he recognized none, each one etched itself with perfect clarity into his consciousness.

The vibration lasted mere seconds; the humming faded into silence.

Lou Yun shook his head and looked to Chang Xiang. "What were those bizarre symbols flooding my mind? What do they mean?"

"Oh?" Chang Xiang raised an eyebrow, pointing to the desk. "Did you memorize them? Write them down so I may see!"

Lou Yun fetched paper and brush. Strangely, though the symbols were highly peculiar, he wrote without hesitation, as if born knowing them. Within moments, he’d transcribed all eighty-three symbols flawlessly.

Chang Xiang approached. After a single glance at the writing, he smiled slightly. "This is the seal!"

"Ah, this is the seal?" Lou Yun eyed the seemingly meaningless symbols with disbelief.

"Correct. Eighty-three symbols total. These two are ancient script for ‘Azure Cloud.’ Discarding these, we have eighty-one symbols—ninety-nine times nine. Grouped nine per set: nine total sets. Exactly matching the number of Awakening the Spirit Seals I taught you. These seals should correspond to the nine grades of common weapons and likely harmonize with the carvings upon the cauldron! Clearly, this is the Azure Cloud Seal forged by the exalted master who created this Azure Cloud Cauldron—born from his profound insights into the way of nature."

"Oh. Well, if I’ve mastered the nine sets of seals you taught me, studying these seems unnecessary."

Chang Xiang shook his head. "Wrong. You must learn these nine seals too."

"Why?" Lou Yun asked, perplexed. "Brother Chang, didn’t you say before that while the seals you taught me aren’t the absolute best, they’re top-tier?"

"That’s true. But I’ve never used this Azure Cloud Seal. Its potency is unknown. However, the real reason I want you to learn it is because this seal likely matches the carvings on the Azure Cloud Cauldron. If you use Azure Cloud Seal during the final stage while forging with Azure Cloud Cauldron, resonance should occur, naturally elevating the final grade of your common weapons."

Nodding in understanding—Lou Yun wasn’t foolish—he grasped the intent instantly. "Brother Chang, teach me the simplest set now, please!"

Chang Xiang eyed him sidelong with a faint, knowing smile. "Brat… don’t tell me you plan to forge weapons now?"

Facing Chang Xiang, Lou Yun saw no reason to dissemble. "Heh, you caught me. First, I crave the feel of forging with a proper cauldron. Second, I urgently need to enhance my strength. Tonight, a fraction slower and I’d be dead! Such encounters await often in the future. Only relentless self-empowerment ensures a longer path!"

Chang Xiang pondered briefly. "Forging would be permissible. But if you intend to practice Devour Weapons directly, I urge you to wait. Remember our near fate last time! I never anticipated Devour Weapons demanded such immense spiritual energy. My counsel is this: persist in Ten Refinements of the Body first. Why? Because you differ from others. Most store their spiritual energy solely in their magical weapons. But you possess your body as an additional reservoir. Complete your second body refinement first. Then attempt Devour Weapons."

Though reluctant, Lou Yun acknowledged the truth. Attempting weapon elevation last time had left Chang Xiang unconscious over a month—an outcome neither relished. Reluctantly nodding, he conceded, “Very well. If that’s the case, I’ll postpone forging too. I’ll revisit it when preparing for elevation.”

"Good. But you can study Azure Cloud Seal now. Your current seal-forming speed remains insufficient. Forging starter magical weapons might suffice. Crafting advanced ones? The entire seal succession would escape completion."

…

The next morning, stepping into the classroom, Lou Yun found himself the cynosure again. Even Teacher Bai Yue regarded him with an amused, scrutinizing gaze. Squirming under the attention, he spotted Lou Qian and Sun Danxue covering their mouths, stifling laughter—the cause became instantly clear!

Evidently, they had shared yesterday’s forging event against Xu Baichuan in Tianrang City with the class.

Sure enough, Bai Yue addressed him: "Lou Yun, please see Teacher Lei after class. Hearing of yesterday’s… achievement… he yearns deeply to discuss forging matters!"

Teacher Lei—Full name Lei Nu—was the Ancient Weapon Academy’s sole skilled weapon maker, ranked third-grade.

"Uh… understood."

After class, Lou Yun deliberately visited the Elite Division. Casually querying several students, he confirmed Qin Wufeng and the twin brothers hadn’t attended classes since nor submitted excuses. The academy planned to inform Qin Wufeng’s family.

This proved his deduction from last night correct: their attackers were Qin Wufeng’s group.

Following days settled into routine academic life. A fortnight slipped by swiftly.

One day, cultivating atop a giant boulder facing a roaring waterfall within the academy, sudden agony coursed through Lou Yun’s body. His brows arched, yet delight flooded him. His body warned him! Having absorbed maximal spiritual energy, it demanded enlargement—expansion awaited!

In simpler terms, Lou Yun stood at the threshold of undergoing his second body refinement!