Sage of Humanity

The sword wasn't a traditional cleaver. It was longer than a typical sword but the blade was very narrow, similar to the legendary Xiuchun Sword.

Lu Ye swung it a few times and found it very easy to handle.

A good outcome, the previous sword was no longer usable, and he had acquired a new weapon without needing to purchase one.

He tried to channel his own spirit force into the blade, and a faint halo immediately emerged on the longsword. The glow was not sharp, but instead conveyed a sense of solidity.

What surprised Lu Ye even more was that he felt as if something was hidden inside the blade.

He closed his eyes and used the flow of his spirit force to sense what was inside, gradually understanding the situation within the blade.

There was a spirit rune inside this sword's blade!

Is this... a Spiritual Artifact? Lu Ye showed a surprised expression.

Having frequented Qingyun Marketplace several times, his knowledge now far surpassed what it had been when he first entered the Spirit Stream battlefield. He had heard about Spiritual Artifacts, which were weapons specifically used by cultivators, and a good Spiritual Artifact could greatly benefit its owner.

Lu Ye's previous sword was an ordinary artifact which, besides being well-forged and sharp, had no special features. However, a Spiritual Artifact was different. Depending on the type of spirit rune engraved in it, each Spiritual Artifact possessed its own unique power.

This sword had a spirit rune within, and Lu Ye could easily activate the power of the spirit rune by channeling his spirit force into it, thus endowing the sword with the characteristics of the spirit rune.

After experimenting for a moment, he determined that the spirit rune was used to reinforce the blade. Thus, in combat, this Spiritual Artifact would not be easily damaged.

Lu Ye suddenly realized why his previous longsword, despite being enhanced with the Sharpness spirit rune, had failed to cut through this sword...

This was indeed a pleasant surprise. Although reinforcing the blade might not seem useful, in reality, it was an extremely practical spirit rune. Moreover, Lu Ye himself had mastered the Sharpness spirit rune and could enhance the Spiritual Artifact with sharpness anytime, significantly increasing its cutting ability.

With such a Spiritual Artifact in hand, Lu Ye's strength could increase by at least ten to twenty percent. Should he encounter enemies again, he could freely slash without worrying about the weapon breaking.

However, a Spiritual Artifact with only one spirit rune was surely the most basic kind.

"Come in!" Lu Ye sheathed the longsword and resumed his seated position with legs crossed.

A small figure slowly floated in through the entrance. Upon reaching Lu Ye, it showed a pleasing smile and said obediently, "The other person's body has also been taken care of."

Lu Ye casually threw a storage sack, which was Liew Ruyin's.

Yiyi caught it and, after examining it, said in surprise, "So much?"

Inside were more than a bottle of elixir pills and a few Spirit Stones.

"Splitting it 2-1 makes five, thank you for this time," Lu Ye nodded at her. Although he had enough Spirit Talismans and was confident he could kill that fair-skinned man on his own, doing so would definitely prevent anyone from opening the other's storage sack.

And it would have involved some risks.

When he sought the help of Big Tiger and Yiyi, he did so with the intention of using their influence. Fortunately, Yiyi was quick-witted. With just a word, she knew what to do.

And this time, their cooperation was smooth and pleasant.

There weren't many valuable things in the fair-skinned man's storage sack, except for his weapon. Liew Ruyin was somewhat wealthy, but not by much.

Moreover, at the last moment, the Spirit Talisman in Liew Ruyin's hand was activated. If it weren't for Big Tiger shielding him, Lu Ye would have had to face the power of that Spirit Talisman himself, greatly increasing the danger.

They split the belongings half and half, but the Spiritual Artifact was kept by Lu Ye himself, which, in essence, meant he had profited.

Yiyi did not expect Lu Ye to be so generous and looked at him with a complex expression, finally thanking him.

"Wait," Lu Ye called out to her.

Yiyi turned back to look at him.

"You must have heard what the woman we killed earlier said," he said.

"Yes."

"Although it was her own private action and her death is not a pity, she was after all a member of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union. I don't know how the union will react to her death, but you should probably move to another place. This location is too close to Qingyun Marketplace. If the mercantile union decides to investigate her death, they might easily trace it back to you."

"What about you?" Yiyi asked.

"I will be leaving here soon."

The recent events had taught Lu Ye a lesson. His cultivation now entirely depended on selling origin magnetic ore, and his only sales channel was the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union. Having gone there just three times, he had already caught the attention of Liew Ruyin.

Who knew if there was another Liew Ruyin lurking there.

So, he didn't plan to stay here any longer.

If reaching Spirit Stream Level 1 had qualified him to survive on the Spirit Stream battlefield, then attaining Level 2 now gave him the capital to move around.

What decisions Yiyi and Big Tiger would make was beyond his control. The Spirit Stream battlefield was vast, and chances to meet again were slim, but out of a sense of righteousness, he felt compelled to give them a word of caution.

After Yiyi left, Lu Ye took stock of the supplies in his possession.

Ninety-three Spirit-Nurturing Pills, of which eighty-one had been bought from the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, and twelve were his share of the loot with Yiyi.

Four Spirit Stones, also part of the loot, as he had used all of his own Spirit Stones to buy food.

Seven healing pills, four of which were his remaining stock, and three were retrieved from the storage sack of that fair-skinned man. Interestingly, Liew Ruyin's storage sack contained no healing pills; it seemed she hadn't anticipated needing them.

Less than thirty Spirit Talismans.

Twenty-six pieces of origin magnetic ore, both large and small.

A single low-level longsword Spiritual Artifact.

One copy of the Golden Cicada Carefree Method.

The current stock of elixir pills was sufficient for his cultivation to reach Spirit Stream Level 3. Once he reached Spirit Stream Level 3, his strength would inevitably increase again. He didn't dare claim to dominate the outer circle of the battlefield, but at least his ability to protect himself would be enhanced.

He had a vague feeling that he had forgotten something. After thinking hard for a long time, he finally remembered.

He immediately activated his Spiritual Energy and channeled it into the back of his right hand. As ripples of spirit force spread, they transformed into a blue spirit rune. The rune squirmed and shifted, revealing several lines of text within Lu Ye's field of vision.

Name: Lu Ye.

Identity: Disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect.

Cultivation: 21st orifice.

Location: Spirit Stream battlefield.

Merit: Eight.

Compared to the first time he checked the battlefield marking, his name, identity, and location remained the same, but his cultivation had improved from the 3rd orifice to the 21st orifice, a result of Lu Ye's efforts over the past two months, so it was not something to fuss over.

What concerned him was the merit!

The first time he saw this, he found it very strange, wondering exactly what this merit was and how it was obtained.

Now, he faintly understood.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

This merit, he feared, could only be obtained by killing. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

He remembered that when that fair-skinned man died, a red glow had floated from his hand and into his own.

When Liew Ruyin died, however, the glow that emerged was yellow.

Did different colors of light represent different factions?

That being the case, the fair-skinned cultivator he had killed must have been from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, while the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union was likely a neutral faction, which was why they conducted business with both sides.

However, what exactly this merit was used for, Lu Ye was not yet sure, and he could only explore it slowly in the future.