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Translator: Truth
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
Someone was already in the small room when he showed up. It was most likely the master artificer he employed to upgrade the Inviolable before.
Something was different though. Previously, the master artificer was completely invisible to his senses. But now, he could see her as clear as day!
As it turned out, the master artificer who accepted his request was a sexy woman. She looked to be in her thirties and wore a floral-patterned dress that clung tightly to her milky skin. It accentuated her curves wonderfully.
At first, Lu Ye did not understand why this was happening. The first time they met, the woman was completely covered in mist and indistinguishable. He couldn’t even tell from her voice if she was a man or a woman. He was pretty sure he appeared that way from the master artificer’s perspective as well.
The mist was the Heavens’ way of protecting the cultivator’s identity. For various reasons, many people did not wish to reveal their true identity when dealing in the Vault of Providence. Therefore, the Heavens bestowed the obfuscation to make it impossible for either party to tell the other person’s identity. Clearly, that wasn’t the case anymore.
[What is going on here?]
The first thing that came to Lu Ye’s mind was that the master artificer had forgotten to activate her obfuscation or something. However, he immediately discarded the thought because the mist was an automatic protection bestowed by the Heavens, and they, the target of its protection, had no way of influencing it. Whether one liked it or not, they would always appear to be obscured by a thick, impenetrable mist to the other person.
[Am I the problem?]
He was different from who he was three days ago. First, he had ascended from the Spirit Creek Realm to the Cloud River Realm. However, that could not explain why he could suddenly see through the other person’s obfuscation.
[Is it the Gift of Providence?]
Lu Ye was still wondering what was going on when the woman said, “Boy, your Spirit Artifact is ready for inspection!” before handing over the Inviolable.
Her voice sounded soft and cutesy. It was definitely nothing like the first time.
Lu Ye’s hand dipped for a second when the woman handed him the weapon. It was a much heavier weapon than before, but that was fine, because that was exactly what he ordered. The weight was perfect for his current cultivation level.
There was a flash as he unsheathed the Inviolable. The shape of the weapon hadn’t changed, but the blade was now pitch black in color. It was like a camouflage that hid its killing intent and body count. The chips and edge damage had been fully repaired as well.
The word “Inviolable” was carved into the hilt, but it was not the work of the master artificer. The word had existed since the day he saw it in the Vault of Providence.
What was new was the new image on the other side of the hilt: A feather. This one was definitely the work of the master artificer, though he did not know what it meant.
In any case, he was very satisfied with her handiwork. The saber felt as heavy as it was unbreakable.
After checking the enhancements within the Inviolable and confirming that there were eighteen of them, he sheathed the saber and nodded. “Not bad.”
“In that case, our transaction is complete,” the woman declared before pulling out the Sacred Pact they had signed three days ago. She gave it a little shake, and the pact suddenly ignited on its own. At the same time, Lu Ye felt a stir in his Battlefield Imprint. Two thousand Contribution Points had been deducted from it.
“May we meet again!” The woman declared before acting to leave the room. At the last second, she added, “Do not come to me with a Low-Grade Spirit Artifact next time! This old man has better things to do!”
If the woman could see Lu Ye’s expression, she would’ve noticed how weird he looked. It was… something to hear a woman in her thirties addressing herself as an “old man”.
The woman was gone, but Lu Ye did not leave the room immediately. He thought for a moment before declaring, “I would like to post a request to upgrade my Spirit Artifact!”
He then produced a Low-Grade Spirit Artifact from his Storage Bag and waited.
A moment later, an old man entered the small room. Just like the woman, he wasn’t obscured by the mist in the slightest. Lu Ye could see every inch of his body as clear as day.
“You wish to upgrade your Spirit Artifact?” The old man asked in a deep voice.
Lu Ye nodded and handed over the Low-Grade Spirit Artifact.
The old man gave it a quick look before commenting scornfully, “A Low-Grade Spirit Artifact? Really?”
It was exactly the same tone the woman had used before. It would seem that these master artificers considered it a dishonor to upgrade a Low-Grade Spirit Artifact.
Still, the old man asked, “What’s your price?”
[Who knows, maybe he’s a dumbass with more money than sense?]
“One hundred Contribution Points!”
The second Lu Ye said this, the old man immediately threw out the Spirit Artifact and vanished into thin air. Before he left, he swore, “Crazy bastard!”
A while later, Lu Ye exited the small room with a thoughtful expression.
He now knew that the camouflage that was supposed to keep a person’s identity a secret in the Vault of Providence did not apply to him anymore. His ascension to the Cloud River Realm obviously had nothing to do with this, so it could only be an effect of the Gift of Providence!
Neither the woman nor the old man had reacted any differently to his appearance, so he could assume that he appeared camouflaged to them. Their camouflage didn’t exist to him though.
[Did the Heavens really grant me special privilege? It’s not all that useful though. Maybe I could use the knowledge to extort someone, but really? Besides, they’re master artificers. What can I even extort from them?]
After Lu Ye had stepped out of the Sanctum of Providence, he unsheathed the Inviolable, injected it with Spiritual Power, and gave it a couple of swings.
The saber looked the same as before, but its quality had been increased to Middle-Grade, and Lu Ye himself had ascended to the Cloud River Realm. Naturally, his swings were far more powerful than before.
He was a bit unused to the weight increase, but it was perfect for his current cultivation level. He only needed to reaccustom himself with it. He returned it to its sheath.
Next, he touched his nine flying weapons with a thought. They all exited his Weapon Holder with a clear ring!
They were not the same flying weapons he used at the Spirit Creek Battlefield. He had replaced them all with Middle-Grade Spirit Artifacts.
He had tried to use them before he ascended to the Cloud River Realm and found them rather taxing to control. The main problem was that his Spiritual Power couldn’t quite keep up with the consumption. Now though, that wasn’t an issue.
Regardless, he would have to reacquaint himself with all of his skills and techniques.
A short while later, Lu Ye sought out Shui Yuan and handed the Inviolable to her. “Second senior sister, can you please check out this brand my artificer has left on the hilt of my saber? It’s just a harmless brand, right?”
Shui Yuan checked out the feather-like brand for a second before nodding smilingly. “Yes, it’s harmless. Some artificers love to leave a mark on their works. Plus, do not forget that you’ve signed a Sacred Pact. They would be crazy or suicidal to tamper with your weapon with the Heavens watching their every move.
“Speaking of which, I recognize this brand. I believe it’s Master Yu’s signature.”
“Master Yu? Do you know them?”
“No, I’ve only heard of them. They’re an excellent artificer who only produces high quality Spirit Artifacts. However, no one knows who they were or even what faction they belong to.”
“Why would they hide themselves like this?”
Shui Yuan shrugged. “Perhaps they do not wish to become famous? The Cultivation World of Jiu Zhou is a big place. There are plenty of capable people who prefer to devote themselves to their work without being bothered by the secular world. This is why Master Yu only accepts requests that are posted in the Vault of Providence. The Heavens would naturally protect their identity.”
That might be true before Lu Ye had received the Gift of Providence, but no more. Of course, he still didn’t know who that woman was even though he had seen her true appearance.
After Shui Yuan had returned the Inviolable to Lu Ye, she asked, “How do you feel after ascending to the Cloud River Realm?”
“I’m still not used to my new power.”
“It’s natural. You’ve crossed into a Major Realm after all. Take your time. You should return to normal in just a few days.”
They chatted idly for a moment longer before Lu Ye said, “I’m going to visit Lady Yun now. She told me to visit her after I ascended to the Cloud River Realm.”
“Of course.”
Lu Ye jumped into the air and flew toward the Summit of Clarity. This time, he wasn’t using his flying Spirit Artifact or Soar.
When a cultivator reached the Cloud River Realm, they became powerful enough to fly completely without aid. However, Lu Ye had just become a Cloud River Realm cultivator, and this was the first time he flew without aid. As a result, he wobbled constantly and couldn’t quite steer himself in the right direction. At first, he was still making good progress toward Lady Yun’s residence. A moment later, he found himself veering off course.
It cost a lot more Spiritual Power to fly without any aid. That was why Cloud River Realm cultivators still needed flying Spirit Artifacts. Using a flying Spirit Artifact was just faster and less taxing on his reserves.
Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to practice flying without aid until he was completely used to it.
Lu Ye abruptly realized that he still had many things to do even after he had ascended to the Cloud River Realm.
After he finally made it to the Summit of Clarity, Lu Ye followed the female attendant into the study as usual. He saw that Lady Yun was currently reading a book.
“Greetings, Lady Yun,” Lu Ye saluted her.
“Have you ascended?” Lady Yun shot him a glance.
“Yes, Lady.”
“Not bad.” She nodded approvingly before setting down her book and rising to her feet. “Follow me.”
Lady Yun left the study. Lu Ye followed closely behind her.
On the way, Lady Yun said, “The Way of Glyphs is a broad and deep subject. Even those who aren’t Glyph Warlocks use Glyphs to augment their strength. Tattoos are one such example. I’m sure you’ve fought someone like that in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, no?”
Lu Ye immediately recalled a Mutant cultivator he had fought in the Scroll of Supremacy’s battlefield. He had been wary of the guy at first because he was covered in tattoos. Later, he found out that most of them were fake, and only one was a real Tattoo…
“I have, Lady.”
“Tattoos can be Visible or Hidden; Temporary or Permanent. Generally speaking, Spirit Creek Realm cultivators can only carry a few Temporary Tattoos at most. However, Cloud River Realm cultivators can carry at least one Permanent Tattoo. In the future, there is a high chance you’re going to encounter opponents who aren’t Glyphweavers, but are capable of unleashing the power of Glyphs. These Tattoos are most likely their trump cards as well. You must be wary of such dangers and never underestimate any opponent you face.”
“I will remember this.”
“The reason I told you to visit me after you ascended to the Cloud River Realm is because I would like to give you a Permanent Tattoo. Do you have a preference?”
Thanks for the chapter! I look forward to this new part of Lu Ye’s adventures!