I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 68 - Myriad Dao Green Lotus

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The disciples of True Martial Sacred Ground lived under constant pressure, many of them even sacrificed their sleep to focus on cultivation.

In fact, after stepping onto the path of martial cultivation, the need for sleep gradually diminished as one's realm increased.

Later on, some even spent years, or centuries, in closed-door cultivation without rest.

As night fell, the sky was pitch-black, sprinkled with a few twinkling stars.

Xu Zimo made his way to the Sword-Washing Pool.

The Sword-Washing Pool was a sacred place within True Martial Sacred Ground, known for significantly enhancing the spiritual nature of weapons.

Xu Zimo had gone to his father to obtain a token, one specifically for entering and exiting the Sword-Washing Pool.

For ordinary disciples, entering this place once would require a massive amount of contribution points.

But for someone like Xu Zimo, a second-generation sect heir, contribution points were never a concern.

……

The area around the Sword-Washing Pool was protected by high-tier formations, personally laid down by the Seventh Grand Elder. Without cultivation at the Empyrean Meridian Realm, trying to break in meant certain death.

Arriving at the edge of the formation, Xu Zimo saw a large tree. A hollow cavity had been carved into its trunk.

He inserted the token into the hollow, and instantly, spiritual energy surged in all directions. Wisps of white mist began to spread across the open space ahead.

In addition to the defensive array, the area was also protected by an illusionary mist formation.

The formation parted, opening a path, and Xu Zimo walked in.

Inside the Sword-Washing Pool, everything was engulfed in a white haze, nothing was visible.

But Xu Zimo knew this wasn’t just mist. These white vapors were actually a special kind of spiritual energy for nurturing weapons.

He continued walking forward. Soon, he could hear the sound of running water beneath his feet, which had become soft and slightly muddy.

Drawing his blade, Shadow Tyrant, Xu Zimo instantly felt the surrounding energy rush toward it.

After about five minutes, the mist began to thin and his vision cleared.

Ahead lay a crystal-clear lake, so transparent it looked like glass. At the center of the lake, several green lotuses bloomed quietly.

The lotus flowers were pink and fragrant, each with eight petals, rooted in the lakebed and releasing faint streams of pale green liquid into the water.

“Untouched by filth though it rises from the mud, pure and graceful in clean waters.”

The green lotus exuded a proud, holy scent, pure and sacred, as though it didn’t belong to the mortal world.

Each petal had a distinct color: white, black, yellow, red, blue, purple, gray, and green.

……

Beside the lake was a massive light-green boulder, smooth and finely textured. Its surface was engraved with countless weapon outlines, Swords, spears, staves, axes, hooks, forks, you name it.

Xu Zimo sat quietly by the lake’s edge and placed Shadow Tyrant on the part of the stone engraved with a curved blade. Then he scooped up some lake water and poured it onto the blade.

He began to sharpen his weapon against the stone.

Shhhh… shhhh…

The sound of grinding metal echoed in the air.

As the blade rubbed against the stone, Shadow Tyrant gradually grew brighter, glowing faintly with a white light.

This act of sharpening felt rhythmic and almost ceremonial. Xu Zimo slowly closed his eyes.

The surroundings were silent, only the sound of metal on stone remained.

In his mind, all was darkness.

Suddenly, a beam of white light flashed, flooding his consciousness. When the light faded, an image of a blade appeared vividly in his mind.

Though his eyes were shut, this blade was clearer to him than if it were physically right in front of him.

What exactly is a blade?

Xu Zimo once heard a saying: “A blade is a weapon of killing; blade techniques are arts of killing.”

He could feel the shape of the blade becoming clearer in his mind, not through vision, but through his soul.

To awaken a weapon’s spirit doesn’t mean giving it full sentience like a human. It means imbuing it with basic, instinctual thought, just enough for the weapon to recognize its master.

Once awakened, a weapon becomes like an extension of your arm, intuitive, seamless.

Over time, as it evolves into an Emperor-class weapon, its consciousness grows stronger, nearly indistinguishable from a living being.

At that stage, only its chosen master can wield it. No one else could even lift it.

……

“In this life… follow me to conquer the universe, shatter the skies, shoulder Heaven’s Will, gaze down upon all living things, and fight to the bitter end, how’s that sound?” Xu Zimo murmured.

His voice was soft, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps awakening something deeper.

In the next moment, the blade image in his mind magnified, clearly the shape of Shadow Tyrant.

The weapon began to tremble, perhaps it was the physical blade in his hand, or perhaps it was the one in his mind.

Or maybe… both.

A brilliant white glow burst from the blade as Shadow Tyrant began to transform.

Once a mere mortal weapon, it was now fully refined into a Yellow-grade spirit weapon.

Its curve grew sharper, the dark steel gleamed with a pure luster, almost shining like obsidian.

On the pitch-black hilt, the faint outline of a shadow dragon began to appear.

Xu Zimo looked at the newly upgraded Shadow Tyrant, pleased. He smiled and sheathed the curved blade.

The process had gone smoothly. Even without the help of the Sword-Washing Pool, he could have awakened the blade, just with more effort.

Before leaving, he glanced again at the lotuses in the center of the lake.

“Ranked 13th on the World’s Rarest Treasures List: Myriad Dao Green Lotus.”

The name sounded grand, but its use was singular, it produced the holy water that awakens a weapon’s spirit.

Legend says that there are eight Myriad Dao Green Lotuses in total, just like the flower’s eight petal colors.

The one inside the Sword-Washing Pool was just one of the green lotuses.

It was said that if all eight were gathered, they could challenge even the number one spot on the World’s Rarest Treasures List.

Records from True Martial Sacred Ground say that Grand Empress Hongtian once managed to gather all eight.

But for unknown reasons, before she ascended, she left behind only one green lotus. The other seven vanished without a trace.

……

After sheathing Shadow Tyrant, Xu Zimo left the Sword-Washing Pool.

Now that the weapon had reached Yellow-grade, it was time to begin the process of nurturing it.

There were many well-known techniques for nurturing weapons, and the method you chose would determine the weapon’s future form and path.

Xu Zimo already had a plan in mind.