The Wraith-Bone Pen activated, drawing the wandering spirits toward Gu Sanqiu. And right on cue, he went into his standard routine: pulling out his spear and triggering the spirits’ frenzied state.
But this time, instead of using his signature spear, he swapped it out for a plain, unadorned weapon—a spear forged from iron and white iron, without any enhancements.
Roar!
He let out a fierce shout, trying to mold each strand of Geo energy into the shape of a tiger as he struck. But even as he thrust forward, the spear’s aura remained rudimentary in appearance, barely enough to fend off a spirit. With a quick reevaluation, Sanqiu dropped the idea of trying to get it perfect in one go.
The spirits’ attacks came in all forms: claws, fangs, muscled limbs bulging with strength—all targeting his weak points. But the problem was that this spear wasn’t anything close to what he was used to.
If it were just the basics—feeling the weapon’s balance or noting imperfections in the metalwork—those were things he could typically sense right away. But achieving the fluidity of his usual moves, like summoning dragon-serpent energy arcs with a single swing, was proving impossible with this spear.
“If I can’t go straight to the finish line, I’ll start from scratch,” he muttered to himself.
Sanqiu finally understood; Xiao wasn’t just giving him a task—he was testing him.
Just as Xiao had mentioned, Gu Sanqiu’s usual battles with ordinary enemies were one-sided. Because of that, he’d never really learned the art of fine control over his elemental energy; he was like someone who threw money around without ever having to budget.
“Hah!”
He thrust the spear forward, the force of the strike creating a spear aura as thick as a bowl. It pierced right through the spirit, but the spirit simply roared in fury, swiping back at him.
Sanqiu’s reflex was to raise his spear to block, but he quickly remembered that this wasn’t his old weapon. He barely managed to condense Geo energy to form a small shield, taking the impact of the spirit’s claws.
Thud!
The force flung him backward, but he rolled with the fall, immediately rising to his feet and sending another thrust toward the incoming spirit.
If he’d had his usual weapon, he’d have blocked that attack head-on. But with this one? Its quality just wasn’t up to the task.
“So I’m supposed to adjust my combat style, huh? Like, in a situation like that, I should’ve evaded instead of relying on Geo Vision to block.”
Sanqiu mulled it over, then shook his head. “No, that’s not quite it. This isn’t just about fighting like an ordinary warrior. A Vision bearer’s combat should be versatile and adaptive. Focusing on one approach alone is a mistake!”
Roar!
A fierce, echoing dragon’s cry sounded from within Sanqiu as his shield burst into existence, its sharp edges flashing.
This time, his energy didn’t just form a tiger; instead, the spear’s aura took shape as a dragon’s skeleton. Geo energy seeped from his shield, creating scales and other intricate details, forming a miniature dragon that barreled into the spirit, shattering it into fragments.
“That’s it!” Sanqiu’s eyes lit up. The Geo energy that had spread from the shield was completely under his control, and the resulting dragon had both the solidity of Geo and the sharpness of his spear aura.
Against a stronger foe, he mused, the strike wouldn’t just destroy them. It would create a network of spear wounds, piercing them from all sides.
“Perfect!”
Sanqiu let out a laugh, twisting his hands as he called forth the spear aura once more. This time, orange tabby cats, black cats, white cats—each one pounced on another spirit, scratching and biting as if it were a tasty treat.
“Original skill—Neko Formation.”
Xiao, watching nearby, raised his hand and released four or five spirits from the fray, letting them lunge at Sanqiu’s weak points.
“Oh, upping the challenge, are we?”
Sanqiu, undaunted, gripped his spear and swung it in a wide arc. All the cats leaped, arching gracefully into the air.
Roar!
In mid-air, the cats dissolved and merged, forming the ethereal figure of the Dragon King again.
Sanqiu moved swiftly, breaking through the spirit horde. With one hand now free, he tore into the remaining spirits with renewed energy.
“Not bad. One of the first rules on the battlefield: never let yourself get surrounded, no matter how strong you are,” Xiao noted.
Sanqiu grinned. “I know, right? Some people love to jump into the middle of a crowd and play the hero. I’d much rather stay on the edge and look for the winning shot.”
“Good to see you think that way. Go on—switch back to your family weapon and finish this.”
“Got it!”
Sanqiu swapped back to his ancestral spear, unleashing his energy as white flames surged up, forming armor around him once more.
“Have at it!”
…
Twenty minutes later, the area was clear of spirits. Sanqiu stowed his weapon and fished out a few restoration pills, tossing them into his mouth while removing a small needle he’d embedded in his arm.
“Xiao, I think the Wraith-Bone Pen is almost used up.”
He showed Xiao the pen, now showing visible cracks.
“It’ll probably only work one more time, and I can’t even say how long it’ll last.”
Xiao examined it briefly. “You’re right.”
“Can you keep going?”
Sanqiu patted his chest confidently. “Of course! It’s just a little overtime, right? Not my specialty, but I’m up for it.”
“Good. Rest for half an hour, then we move to the next area.”
Xiao picked up a twig from the ground and handed it to Sanqiu. “For the next round, use this to kill a spirit.”
…
Sanqiu’s face went dark. “You’re kidding, right?”
Fighting with this was like attempting a perfect, no-damage run in a brutal game using starter gear. Only with this, he couldn’t even rely on weapon durability.
“No joke,” Xiao replied evenly. “I’m being serious.”
“Fine, I’ll accept this ridiculous challenge,” Sanqiu said, knowing this was clearly another hurdle Xiao had set to test him. This was an unprocessed stick; even a slight overcharge of elemental energy could turn it to splinters.
“Your talent is better than I thought. Don’t waste it.”
Xiao hadn’t expected Sanqiu to catch on so quickly. The combat styles of an ordinary warrior and a Vision-wielder were as different as night and day.
For those with Visions, managing their inner power was paramount.
Channeling elemental energy through a weapon or swinging it with brute strength both required a fusion of techniques, like the tiger Xiao had just demonstrated.
This was real combat. And as an inheritor of the Gu family—a walking tank in his own right—Sanqiu needed these skills more than anyone. Without them, he’d barely last a second when true danger struck.
—
T/N: Is he going to fight gods???
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