All eyes focused on the weapon in Mogu’s hands.
After breaking through to Level 2, a faint white light enveloped the weapon’s surface.
The next second, the white light vanished, and Bloodland returned to its original appearance.
"This special effect from the upgrade can be turned on or off at will," Mogu explained simply.
"It’s good that it can be turned off." Qin Ziwen nodded. The weapon had never looked simple to begin with; both its style and texture were completely out of place compared to the weapons forged in the Blacksmith Shop or by the Military Equipment Supervisor.
One had a realistic style, while the other looked like something exquisitely designed for an anime or video game.
But it was still within the realm of normal comprehension.
If it were covered in a layer of white light, however, it would transcend ordinary understanding. Anyone would be able to see that the Hunting Artifact was different with just a glance.
Qin Ziwen checked its abilities. The Level 2 Bloodland Hunting Artifact had not activated its Second Stage form. It seemed reaching Level 2 alone wasn’t enough to unlock it.
"It feels a little heavier," Mogu said, hefting the greatsword. For him, a bit more weight gave it a better feel.
"It’s probably not just the weight that’s increased. The overall density—the weapon’s very quality—has likely improved as well." Qin Ziwen withdrew his gaze and let it fall upon the golden snake.
The golden snake wasn’t large, so burying it was easy.
But as the burial mound formed and the soil churned, a dark gold shaft emerged from the earth.
It looked like a shed golden snakeskin.
Its golden base was entwined with dark red, blood-like veins.
The shaft was streamlined, like a taut sinew, its surface covered in a fine, slanted scale pattern.
The shaft grew progressively dimmer down its length, but the section near the tip was a dusky yellow, lending it a sense of profound weight.
At last, the entire weapon surged from the mound. The spearhead flickered like a snake’s forked tongue. Two thin blades, one long and one short, extended from the weapon’s head; their inner edges, lined with fine serrations, resembled the gaping maw of a golden snake.
With a single glance, he fell in love with this serpent-headed Long Spear.
[Hunting Artifact]Golden Snake Elephant Dance
[Level]Level 1 (0/1000)
[Species]Snake/Fangs
[Hunting Exhibition]
First Stage: Snake Chrysalis
Second Stage: Not Activated
Third Stage: Not Activated
Fourth Stage: Not Activated
He lifted the serpent spear and silently called out ’Hunting Exhibition’. In the next instant, the golden snake pulsed, and he felt the weapon in his hand come alive.
A cold, coiling sensation crept up his arm, as if an invisible serpent was winding its way around his limb. Qin Ziwen looked down and saw that his entire right arm was now covered in a layer of golden scales.
From the outside, wearing such a thick layer of scaled armor looked like it would be somewhat uncomfortable.
But as the one experiencing it firsthand, he could clearly feel his arm moving freely, without any hindrance.
Moreover, it had no effect on his arm’s strength or speed.
If all it did was add armor to his arm, it wouldn’t be worthy of its current four-stage Hunting Exhibition potential.
Qin Ziwen hefted the Long Spear, took half a step back, and executed a backward thrust!
Qin Ziwu stared, dumbfounded.
His big brother’s backward thrust wasn’t standard; the twist of his waist and the turn of his body were only half-complete.
But the serpent spear in his hand seemed to come alive, bending nearly ninety degrees in mid-air!
He had seen another long weapon that could bend—the Silver Insect. After activating its Hunting Exhibition, the Silver Insect became incredibly flexible, but it couldn’t perform a bend as exaggerated as the golden snake’s.
The Golden Snake Elephant Dance was a long weapon, and so was the Silver Insect.
But the two were completely different.
When that Long Spear activated its Hunting Exhibition, it would also bend, but it bent like a whip—flexible, flickering, and fluid.
The Golden Snake Elephant Dance didn’t bend, however. It snapped.
Like a startled viper suddenly striking, it whipped back in an instant—fierce and vicious!
The spearhead grazed past Qin Ziwen’s waist. It wasn’t just fast; it was dangerously unpredictable, with a bending arc that defied normal comprehension.
In other words, when facing the Golden Snake Elephant Dance, one had to be prepared for an attack from any angle.
It was a coiled viper, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.
"Not bad, not bad at all. A shame there was only one." Qin Ziwen was a little regretful. It would have been great if there were more.
When Extraordinary Creatures became Hunting Artifacts, the stronger their innate talent, the greater the potential of the resulting artifact.
But this also created another problem: the more talented the creature, the rarer it was, making its artifact harder to level up. A trade-off had to be made.
Qin Ziwu was a little envious of his big brother’s and Mogu’s new weapons.
"Don’t be impatient. This map seems to have plenty of species. There should be other Extraordinary Animals around," Qin Ziwen comforted his younger brother.
Qin Ziwu nodded emphatically. He thought so too. It was only their first day on this new map, and they had already obtained three new types of Hunting Artifacts.
This underground world looked vast; there were bound to be other Extraordinary Creatures.
He would have his chance to get a Hunting Artifact then.
At this thought, Qin Ziwu’s mind drifted to the newly discovered cave system that housed the Underground Forest. The cavern was huge and filled with plants.
’The variety of species living in there must be rich,’ he thought.
...
「In an underground cavern, Cyan Stone Castle.」
Cyan Stone Castle was originally a border Dock Fortress in the northern lands of the Great Yong Dynasty, dominated by the Bai clan.
During the final years of the Great Yong Dynasty, amid rebellions and territorial disputes, Cyan Stone Castle was chosen to become a Tuiyuan.
It subsequently passed through five different worlds; this was the sixth world Cyan Stone Castle had experienced.
Within the fortress, besides the main Bai family, there were numerous private soldiers, retainers, and tenant families.
But a sudden insect swarm had inflicted heavy casualties on the retainers and tenants living on the outskirts, and a great many houses had been burned down.
Before the east gate of Cyan Stone Castle, Bai Shu, his temples frosted with white, gave a final reminder, "Zheng’er, you must be careful and cautious on this journey. Your safety comes first in all things."
At the head of the party, a tall, powerfully built man in chainmail cupped his fists and replied in a clear voice, "Rest assured, Adoptive Father. I will act with caution and protect myself."
Beside Bai Shu, a slender youth with a refined, handsome face said reluctantly, "Be careful, Adoptive Brother."
"I will!" Bai Zheng glanced at him, gave a hearty laugh, and swung himself onto his horse.
Bai Zheng rode a brown horse at the front of the column, followed by twenty armored men holding torches.
Amidst the sound of hooves, the party moved further and further away, disappearing deep into the rock tunnels, leaving only specks of firelight behind.
The firelight danced on the cavern walls, stretching the twenty-odd shadows, making them flicker between long and short.
With his back to Cyan Stone Castle, the nonchalant expression on Bai Zheng’s face gradually faded, replaced by a look of gravity.
Clearly, he was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.
They had been attacked as soon as they entered this world, suffering heavy casualties within the fortress. This was something they had never experienced in the previous five worlds, which spoke volumes about the dangers here.
Now, he was leading a team away from the Dock Fortress and deep into the caverns. The perils involved were self-evident.
Amid the clip-clop of hooves, a voice came from the ranks behind him. "Brother Zheng, you were at the very front during the rescue yesterday... and now you’re stuck with this dangerous job today. They really do dump all the dirty, thankless work on you."
Another man with a long face beside him snorted. "Exactly. They send us to do the deadly stuff, but we never get the good jobs. We don’t know a thing about this place, and they’re just sending us deeper inside."
"That’s enough," Bai Zheng said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it quelled the murmuring behind him.
The sound of hooves continued.
After a while, the long-faced man couldn’t help himself. "Brother Zheng, it’s not that we’re afraid to die. All of us brothers owe you. We just feel it’s unfair to you. Years ago, the family head had no heir and adopted you, holding you in high regard. But then Young Master Che came along..."
"Enough." The man next to him tugged his arm, and the long-faced man finally shut his mouth.
Bai Zheng said nothing. He sat on his horse with his back to the men, holding his lance inverted in his hand.
The party moved forward, the torches crackling.
Someone in the group whispered in surprise, "We actually haven’t run into anything this whole way."
"Isn’t that a good thing?"
The group rounded a corner, and the light of a brazier appeared ahead.
...
...