Chapter 183: Never-before-seen Special Quality, Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Spirituality Awakens! Seed Battle’s Super Grand Prize?
Inside the Special Affairs Office.
Nanjo Emi, who had just “tamed” Akatsuki Ran to work for her and hadn’t relaxed for two days, pinched the bridge of her nose in distress and downed the remaining 2L bottle of water on her desk.
“Phew—”
Nanjo Emi tossed the empty bottle back into the trash can in the corner.
She hadn’t even had a few good days before that guy Shangshan Che ran into some troublesome Affliction Kin again.
All I can say is, it’s good it wasn’t a Sickness Incarnation or an Affliction, or encountered in the Mortal Realm…
Normally, Affliction Kin would absolutely never appear in the Mortal Realm.
Because Calendar Doctor has been keeping an eye on Afflictions constantly, for decades even.
However, outside the Mortal Realm, Affliction Kin are quite common.
Whether it’s in the vast Eternal World Land or in the “cracks”—that’s what agents who’ve been to the Eternal World say.
Affliction Kin are like locusts or crickets in the grass and rice fields; if you take a few more steps, you’re bound to encounter them.
—Shangshan Che encountered Affliction Kin, and therefore wants to know the method to deal with Afflictions.
This is normal.
Nanjo Emi thought.
Because he had personally experienced the Red Tide not long ago and brushed shoulders with Ai Bieli, one of the Eight Sufferings.
“Also.”
Nanjo Emi took a can of cola from the cola army in the cold storage unit next to her desk and said with a hiss,
“Materials that can advance Spirit Control Technique by a step are acceptable, and there are quite a few in stock. However, it’s not entirely accurate to call this thing rare.
So if you take it, Shangshan Jun, you won’t be asking the Special Affairs Office for any more materials, pills, or the like for the rest of this month.”
—Shangshan Che glanced at the date on his mobile phone.
—2024.5.25.
Hmm, less than a week left until the end of May.
It would be more important to fill the remaining proficiency for Spirit Control Technique.
He couldn’t cultivate Spirit Control Technique in the Sengoku Period, couldn’t spare large blocks of time in the Mortal Realm, and couldn’t easily do Gacha Pulls yet.
In summary, using up this “quota” that he barely felt in daily life was extremely cost-effective.
Nanjo Emi: “Are you still in Tokyo?”
“Yes, of course,” Shangshan Che replied helplessly. “Sister Nanjo, you could find that out with a phone’s location tracking, couldn’t you?”
“I’m afraid of infringing on agents’ personal privacy.”
“I think you’re just too lazy to check…”
Nanjo Emi didn’t answer, but rather stiffly and decisively changed the subject,
“Then I’ll prepare it on my end, and you can just come to pick it up.
The reporting procedures will take about six to seven hours… but they work year-round, 24/7, so leave a little extra time, and everything will be arranged perfectly for you in eight hours!”
Eight hours?
In the Sengoku Period, that would be about five days.
This amount of time was acceptable.
Just as Shangshan Che was about to press the red hang-up button, Nanjo Emi on the other end spoke as if she could predict the future,
“Don’t hang up, don’t hang up!”
His finger, about to press, hovered in mid-air.
Shangshan Che blinked, “Is there something else, Sister Nanjo?”
“Seed Battle!”
Nanjo Emi took a breath, her voice gradually returning from urgent to languid, “I almost forgot to tell you about the Tokyo Seed Battle!”
Shangshan Che checked the time and, finding it ample, replied, “Isn’t there still some time before this Seed Battle? Why bring it up now?”
“There’s time, yes.”
Nanjo Emi chuckled,
“The key point is that the grand prize for the Seed Battle Champion, which was originally unknown and even uncertain if it existed, has been clarified recently.”
Mentioning the grand prize, Shangshan Che’s interest was immediately piqued, “What is it?”
“It seems the Five Person Council felt everyone was dragging their feet and lacked enthusiasm for this Seed Battle, so the Onmyo Assistant himself put up a legendary Tachi as the ultimate grand prize.
It’s something you can get just by defeating all your opponents and becoming the Tokyo Champion—”
In the silence, Shangshan Che heard a thunderous sword name from the other end of the phone,
“Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s, Spider Cutter.”
“Spider… Cutter?”
Spider Cutter, whose real name was Hizamaru, was originally one of the two famous swords commissioned by Minamoto no Mitsunaka, the ancestor of the Tada-Minamoto clan.
However, it was after his son, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, inherited it, and during his severe illness after slaying Shuten Doji, that he used this sword to slay the Tsuchigumo that tried to assassinate him, thus making it famous.
From then on, the great name of “Spider Cutter” spread through later generations.
Thus, even Shangshan Che was stunned.
Wait?
A Tachi whose fame spread since the Heian Period, likely reaching Legendary Grade, could just be casually given away as a prize?
He asked with disbelief, “Is the Minamoto family that generous?”
“Actually, it’s not the Minamoto family that’s generous, it’s the Assistant.”
Nanjo Emi, for once, had no complaints about her superior,
“He’s actually a pretty good person, otherwise he wouldn’t have shouldered the dual pressure from the Minamoto family and the Onmyo-ryo, leading a group of new blood to Tokyo to establish the Special Affairs Office.”
Possibly a Legendary, or at least a Super Epic grade Tachi, which would certainly be imbued with unique effect attributes.
“I do want this sword quite a bit, Sister Nanjo.”
Shangshan Che felt that with his current arm strength, wielding the sword with one hand would be no problem.
Then, Kaga Kiyomitsu in his right hand, Spider Cutter in his left.
If he swung both swords down together, the negative effects above the enemies’ heads would skyrocket and pile up like mountains!
“Is that so?”
She smiled, “In that case, Shangshan Jun, you’ll have to take this Tokyo Seed Battle more seriously.
Then, Nanjo Emi lowered her voice,
“These opponents won’t be as easily dealt with as that certain Ms. M who is currently grunting next to me and picking up documents.”
As Nanjo Emi finished speaking, several messages popped up on Line.
Shangshan Che briefly scanned the file names and found they were simple profiles of the Seed Battle opponents.
“Currently, two districts out of Tokyo’s 23 districts have confirmed their participation slots.”
“Are we one of them?”
Shangshan Che finished downloading the document and clicked on it.
Nanjo Emi shook her head, “No, they are Shinjuku and Shibuya—two people from Shinjuku, and one from Shibuya.”
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes in confusion.
As far as he knew, weren’t Shinjuku and Shibuya the most developed and populous areas in Tokyo?
Also, weren’t the Five Person Council and the Special Affairs Office Headquarters located in that area?
Logically, the competition in these two districts should be exceptionally fierce.
But he hadn’t expected them to be the first districts to confirm their participant lists and be heavily scrutinized by others.
He began to flip through the document.
“Shinjuku participants… 【Saito Ryuichi】 and 【Takizawa Kai】, both are Onmyōdō practitioners. However, the former is Three-and-a-half Star, while the latter is only Three-Star.”
Shangshan Che continued to read, and then strangely let out a surprised “Huh?” “Sister Nanjo, why is there only 【Minamoto Shizuka】 participating from Shibuya Ward? Can’t two or three people participate?”
“Ah, that reminds me.”
Nanjo Emi said faintly,
“Although Assistant is a good person, he’s not so prodigal as to hand over a renowned inherited sword.”
“So,” she paused, repeating words from a colleague from a couple of days ago, “this Spider Cutter is probably something he thought of as a roundabout way to give this Fourth Daughter of the Minamoto family a coming-of-age gift because he couldn’t refuse.”
“And this Minamoto Shizuka, just last night, single-handedly defeated all the seeds and reserve participants in Shibuya Ward, rendering them unable to fight back.
Only then was her request to participate alone approved.”
Shangshan Che carefully examined the information—
Minamoto Shizuka, the Fourth Daughter of the current generation of the Minamoto family.
She practices one of the Four Extremes Breathing Techniques, and her current progress is unknown.
At the same time, she has achieved considerable success in the ancient “Shinto Style,” and the state of mind she outwardly displays seems to have reached the “Hundred Refinements” level.
Seeing her record of positively slaying multiple Three-and-a-half Star demons, her strength is at least on par with White Bone Wax Figures, and it’s very likely she’s stronger.
In short, if she doesn’t go into a rage burst, even with himself in his Sengoku Period state, it’s hard to say whether he’d win or lose against her.
And if he only wore the mask and jade token, maintaining his human form, Shangshan Che estimated he’d be knocked to the ground in about two or three strikes by her.
But there are still one or two months before the Seed Battle begins.
No rush, absolutely no rush.
Shangshan Che: “Then, if I really win first place and take away this gift-like Spider Cutter, won’t that Onmyo Assistant secretly make things difficult for me later?”
“He’s not that narrow-minded; in fact, he’d probably be more pleased to see it.”
Nanjo Emi snorted, “It’s about time someone proved in public that the Four Extremes Breathing Technique isn’t omnipotent.
Shangshan Jun, you, go defeat her—”
“Then I’m relieved,” Shangshan Che didn’t feel much pressure.
In a month or two, who knows how long he’ll have cultivated in the Sengoku Period, and how strong his Demon Incarnation will become.
“But since even the Fourth Daughter of the Minamoto family is participating in the Seed Battle, aren’t there three people before her?”
Seizing the last bit of time, Shangshan Che asked, “Are the first three ‘big brothers and sisters’ actually weaker than her?”
Nanjo Emi was speechless, “The reason it’s called a Seed Battle is to let potential ‘seeds’ contend with each other and prove themselves.
What’s the point of bringing out already renowned powerhouses to compete?”
She said indifferently, “Not to mention Tokugawa Hoshi, whom you’ve already met, but consider the eldest daughter of the Minamoto family, 【Minamoto Shinsui】.
She defeated the current Sword Saint when she was a child, and not long ago, during the Tide, she instantly killed the most difficult-to-kill spiritual entity-type Ghost God with one strike.
She and you are completely not on the same level.”
“How do you expect to fight?”
Nanjo Emi countered,
“Should we let her come to kindergarten to beat up the newbies?”
Shangshan Che’s brow twitched as he listened.
Fine, another Ghost God level.
—It feels like Ghost God level beings are all over the streets now. Can the combat power in the Mortal Realm inflate to this extent within a few weeks?
Shangshan Che couldn’t help but inwardly complain a couple of times.
But he knew that, in reality, they had been diligently cultivating for a long time, and he was only now finding out through Nanjo Emi’s channels.
This is what is meant by “one minute on stage, ten years of practice off stage.”
Moreover, as the eldest daughter of the Minamoto family, one of the Three Great Families, it is normal for her to have Ghost God level strength.
If the strongest of the younger generation weren’t Ghost God level, that would be strange.
“Alright, Shangshan Jun,” Nanjo Emi admonished, “Their battlefield is the Imperial Grand Competition. Don’t think too much about it now; just focus on cultivating step by step.
She said as a matter of course, “With your talent, you’ll eventually catch up to them.”
Although Shangshan Che found what she said comforting, he still asked, “Then Sister Nanjo, why did you sign me and Lili Zi up for the Imperial Grand Competition before the Tide?”
“For a paid vacation! Didn’t I tell you long ago? The Special Affairs Office has so much funding, why not take advantage of it!”
Nanjo Emi stated righteously.
That statement actually seemed correct.
Shangshan Che smacked his lips and looked at the clock, which now showed nine minutes past, “Then Sister Nanjo, I’ll see you at the Special Affairs Office in eight hours.”
“See you later, see you later!” Nanjo Emi’s tone was unpleasant, “I finally get to slack off a bit, don’t pass your troublemaker physique onto me!
At least, wait until I finish my hot pot tomorrow morning!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she abruptly hung up the phone.
Shangshan Che put down his mobile phone and shrugged.
—Then so be it, it’s just a matter of picking something up anyway.
Besides, it’s time for Sister Nanjo to get some proper rest for a couple of days.
“Fortunately, the planned schedule is proceeding smoothly without any hitches.”
Shangshan Che took out the Key of History again, wondering if it was due to encountering Zashiki Warashi.
…
Inside the Ruined Temple on Mount Yamajira.
Shangshan Che opened his eyes and saw the Room Door, with its Qi Barrier intact and unmoving.
“The water pressure is almost non-existent too.”
He carefully considered what to say about “divination within the room” and pushed the door open with a faint smile on his face.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was sitting at the doorway, instantly stand up, her tone a little anxious and expectant,
“Che-kun, how were the divination results?”
The girl had temporarily removed half of her Armor during the long wait and placed it aside, so her hair had come loose.
This appearance, half in black Armor and half in a Kimono Sleeve, had a heroic and valiant charm.
Shangshan Che didn’t look much and said slowly, “Although the journey is extremely perilous, the future is vast beyond measure, far vaster than this entire world is now.”
“A perilous journey…”
Imagawa Yoshimoto softly repeated the words, her gaze becoming firm once more.
She curved her lips, “Looking back at all the famous rulers throughout history, has any of them had a smooth rise to power?”
Shangshan Che saw her take his palm and said seriously,
“Tetsu-kun, I will accept all the hardships that will inevitably come and use them to temper myself.”
Gazing at Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was not nervous or anxious at his words but rather delighted by them, Shangshan Che suddenly remembered a saying.
As the saying goes,
“To bear the nation’s disgrace is to be a ruler of the land; to bear the nation’s misfortune is to be a ruler of the world!”
Imagawa Yoshimoto may have already embarked on this path.
She casually released Shangshan Che’s wrist and then looked at the Zashiki Warashi, who was still focused on blacksmithing and hadn’t shown even the slightest distraction from the external changes,
“Tetsu-kun, the forging of Master Zashiki may be nearing completion.”
Shangshan Che also turned his gaze to the anvil where sparks were flying.
—With only a wet cloth wrapped around her chest and her body already covered in sweat, the Zashiki Warashi’s face was like ice as she raised the iron hammer that looked impossibly heavy just by looking at it.
Then, once, and again, mixed with the flickering Blazing Fortune, towards Kaga Kiyomitsu’s blade—
She struck with all her might!
With every hammer strike, she poured in her full effort!
At the same time, the angle of every strike was impeccable!
Shangshan Che could see that the brilliant golden light on Kaga Kiyomitsu, lying on the anvil, had already spread to over nine-tenths of the blade, and was about to envelop the tip.
Bang!
Between the pitch-black iron hammer and the unmoving anvil, fine sparks burst and scattered.
Bang!
The Blazing Fortune fell like rain, and Kaga Kiyomitsu, enveloped in brilliant gold, trembled violently.
“Become… mine!”
The Zashiki Warashi muttered unconsciously, her pupils reflecting the last sliver of silver-white blade tip. Taking a deep breath with all her might, she raised the iron hammer high in her hand.
Bang!
The heavy iron hammer descended, silencing all extraneous sounds.
Everything was stilled!
Swish!
A burst of intense golden light erupted, followed by the Zashiki Warashi’s voice, as if she were about to collapse,
“Mr. Hannya, I…”
“—have fulfilled my promise!”
Startled by the intense golden light, Shangshan Che, without thinking, quickly walked to the Zashiki Warashi’s side and supported her as she almost collapsed to the ground.
Shangshan Che looked down and saw a pale face radiating joy and self-satisfaction.
“Mr. Hannya, won’t you look at Little Jia first?” the Zashiki Warashi said with a weak smile, “Leave me be, I’ll rest a bit and I’ll be fine.”
She chuckled, “We blacksmiths are quite durable!”
Hummm~
As the Zashiki Warashi finished speaking, Kaga Kiyomitsu suddenly stood up from the anvil.
Immediately after, it actually began to float in the air, and then it swiftly burrowed into Shangshan Che’s palm.
Shangshan Che, supporting the Zashiki Warashi with one hand, stared dumbfoundedly at this unprecedented quality before him.
【Kaga Kiyomitsu·Blade of Parting】
【Quality: Epic → Epic+++!】
Three “+” signs after Epic?
It still hasn’t become Super Epic?
Or is it that there were originally only “+”, and this “+++” is purely because the Zashiki Warashi’s forging skill is too powerful?
He noticed that “Epic+++” was still emitting a faint glow, so he clicked it with his thought.
【Epic+++: This is an extremely special quality, which can only be forged by artisans of extremely high skill using special materials, and is not calculated between the “Epic” and “Super Epic” qualities.】
Now he understood.
This peculiar quality was a miracle achieved only by the Zashiki Warashi, who had been here for a hundred years, combined with this Suitable Spirit Gold.
Shangshan Che slowly helped the Zashiki Warashi to a nearby temple pillar.
Then, he continued to gaze with anticipation at Kaga Kiyomitsu in his hand, which was happily trembling.
【Soul Spirit Points: 0】
Hmm, there’s an extra line of text I don’t understand.
But no rush, I’ll finish reading first.
【Effect One: Thrust Enhancement·Extreme.】
【Effect Two: Soul Slaying → Soul Slaying （Unique）!
When using Kaga Kiyomitsu·Blade of Parting to slay demons and monsters, ghosts and spirits, Kaga Kiyomitsu’s quality will be improved more efficiently!
At the same time, when you slay demons, you can choose to forgo obtaining Soul Ash and convert it into Kaga Kiyomitsu’s “Soul Spirit Points.”
By consuming Soul Spirit Points, you can strengthen and enhance each of Kaga Kiyomitsu’s effects.】
Shangshan Che’s mouth slightly opened; if he had been drinking water, he would have definitely sprayed it all over Kaga Kiyomitsu.
So the Soul Spirit Points above were for this!
Accumulating Soul Spirit Points can actually be used to enhance the effects on Kaga Kiyomitsu?
Coupled with Kaga Kiyomitsu’s enhanced Soul Slaying effect…
More than absurd?
It’s simply absurd!
One could say that Kaga Kiyomitsu itself now comes with a “Deep Blue Panel”!
In fact, upon seeing this, Shangshan Che was already completely satisfied.
This one effect alone, “Soul Slaying （Unique）,” is entirely worthy of the Epic+++ quality!
But perhaps, there was more.
【Effect Three: Slash Enhancement·Extreme.】
【Effect Four: Blazing → Blazing Fortune. When slashing with Kaga Kiyomitsu·Blade of Parting, the enemy will suffer continuous dual damage to body and spirit.
At the same time, there is a small chance to improve one’s good fortune for a period of time.】
This change in the Blazing effect was likely the result of the Zashiki Warashi constantly using the iron hammer to bring down the Blazing Fortune.
This was also something only the Zashiki Warashi could do.
Seeing this, Shangshan Che couldn’t help but turn to look at the Zashiki, who was being cared for by Imagawa Yoshimoto and couldn’t suppress her beaming smile.
He felt like he owed her a huge, huge debt of gratitude.
How would he ever repay it?
Shangshan Che felt a headache coming on.
【Effect Five: Blade of Parting （Unique）.】
【Effect Six: Hundred Refinements as One. Kaga Kiyomitsu’s toughness and hardness have greatly increased, making it extremely difficult to break. At the same time, Kaga Kiyomitsu will become more adaptable to forging.】
Glancing past one of the contributors that made Kaga Kiyomitsu this way, Shangshan Che looked at the last and only newly revealed prompt.
【Effect Seven: Spirit. After being tempered by time, having drunk the blood of countless demons, and undergoing the forging by the Zashiki Warashi, Kaga Kiyomitsu·Blade of Parting’s spirituality has finally awakened to perfection.】
【—This is the Blade of the Eight Sufferings·Ai Bieli. Under the forging of the preparatory Master Craftsman·Zashiki Warashi, it has awakened its self-spirituality and is now far more resilient than before.】
Spirituality awakened?
Why is there a riddle-like effect description?
Shangshan Che carefully read the description of “Spirit.”
Then, he shook Kaga Kiyomitsu, which, besides emitting a faint golden light symbolizing good fortune from its blade, was trembling even more, and seemed to have no significant difference from before.
Shangshan Che examined it up and down again, but still couldn’t discern any fundamental change.
However, according to convention, effects consisting of just one word are usually extremely powerful.
Just like the Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation’s “Rage.”
So he flicked his finger against the beautiful blade, which, just by being unsheathed, instantly attracted the attention of all swordsmen around, and asked curiously,
“Little Jia, where did you awaken?”
Hum~
Kaga Kiyomitsu swayed its blade from side to side.
Shangshan Che was confused, “Didn’t you make humming sounds before too?”
Hummm!
Kaga Kiyomitsu vibrated with dissatisfaction.
Then it suddenly soared out of his palm, humming as it raised its blade, overflowing with pale white and brilliant gold, high into the air.
It was as if a spirit behind it was gripping its hilt.
Shangshan Che watched, dumbfounded.
What if my daito flies up and tries to kill me?
Very urgent, waiting for help online.
Seeing this, Kaga Kiyomitsu cheerfully spun a few times in mid-air, and after a moment, hummed twice at a high frequency, as if trying to tell him something.
It was then that Shangshan Che was astonished to discover.
In his heart.
Another extremely faint, extremely faint heartstring had been connected, one that he wouldn’t have perceived if he hadn’t focused his mind.
