「Ten days later.」

Deep beneath Monte Castle, in a secret chamber.

On a platform in the center of the chamber, a black True Flame burned quietly.

At the heart of the flame, the Dark Gold Flying Sword that had slain the Shadow Hunter floated, emitting a continuous, low hum.

The sword’s glow was dim, its former sharpness gone.

On the simple, ancient blade, many of the revealed Dao Patterns were damaged.

The most shocking damage was located just above the middle of the blade. The Thunder Punishment Dao Pattern, originally inscribed with Thunder Marrow refined from Thunder Steel, was now covered in a web of cracks.

This was the price.

Ten days ago in the corridors of Taymer Palace, that devastating strike, as magnificent as it appeared, had in fact pushed this Flying Sword—whose fundamental Artifact Quality barely held at 2.0—to the brink of degradation.

The Thunder Punishment Dao Pattern granted the Flying Sword the abilities of "Rapid," "Breaking Evil," and "Piercing," as well as the most violent of all: "Annihilation Burst."

It could focus all accumulated Thunderbolt Power and kinetic energy onto a single point in an instant, unleashing it completely to provide a momentary power boost of nearly 0.5 points.

The Shadow Hunter’s guess before he died wasn’t entirely wrong. Wielding such power did indeed come with a "burden."

However, that burden was almost entirely transferred to the sword itself.

Penetrating the Triple Shadow Shield, brutally interrupting the teleportation ritual, cleaving through a wave of darkness, and finally delivering the killing blow carried by the momentum of Black Light Mana... this series of extreme maneuvers, all exceeding the Dharma Artifact’s quality limits, inflicted nearly irreversible damage to the Flying Sword’s internal Dao Patterns and material structure.

If the sword’s core hadn’t been primarily made of Refined Gold, granting it extraordinary resilience, the blade would have exploded into countless fragments the moment it pierced the Wizard’s skull.

At the time, Murphy had already arrived when Eleanor sensed him, but he didn’t reveal himself immediately.

Instead, relying on his high-quality 3.0 Black Light Mana, the Concealing Breath technique of Thousand-Faced Illusion, and the Shadow Ring on his hand which was enchanted with a Concealment effect, he successfully minimized his presence and crept near the battlefield.

He was waiting for the perfect moment to ambush, quietly gathering his strength, adjusting his Qi and Spiritual Power to their optimal states, and silently calculating the Shadow Hunter’s position and posture.

Only when the Shadow Hunter was bewildered by Eleanor’s unnatural composure did the long-charged Flying Sword suddenly shoot forth.

The concealment proved effective, successfully bypassing most of the enemy’s active senses and inflicting a devastating, unexpected blow.

It also dealt the Shadow Hunter a heavy psychological blow.

The negotiation born from terror and the subsequent attempt to flee were precisely what gave Murphy the fatal opportunity to charge up a second time, ultimately using the Flying Sword to cut off his escape and pierce his skull.

BUZZ!

Murphy sat cross-legged before the platform, his mind completely connected to the Flying Sword within the True Flame. Every point of damage on the Dao Patterns was clearly reflected in his consciousness.

His expression was serene. He slowly extended his right hand, fingers slightly spread, and made a beckoning motion in the air.

On the stone platform, a piece of Thunder Steel about the size of a baby’s fist, its patterns the most brilliant of all, floated up silently. It traced an arc through the air and plunged into the dancing black True Flame.

Enveloped by the True Flame, the lightning-like patterns on the ore’s surface rapidly writhed and peeled away, emitting a dense SIZZLE.

Its volume shrank rapidly, revealing a deep, pure, bluish-purple luster as grayish-black iron impurities rustled off.

A moment later, a liquid metal sphere the size of a pigeon’s egg had formed. Tiny arcs of electricity constantly sparked within it, and its color was like dark purple thunder. This was the Spiritual Material, Thunder Marrow.

The focus in Murphy’s eyes intensified.

He drew upon his intangible Spiritual Power, guiding the newly formed Thunder Marrow and transforming it into a Spirit Silk thinner than a strand of hair. He then slowly directed it toward the damaged Thunder Punishment Dao Pattern on the sword.

When the Spirit Silk touched the cracks, it made a faint CRACKLE, like micro-electric welding.

Time trickled by. When the last wisp of Spirit Silk was perfectly embedded, the web of cracks was covered by new patterns flowing with a deep purple light.

The entire Thunder Punishment Dao Pattern’s glow receded, returning to its simple, unadorned state, with the patterns hidden within.

Murphy exhaled slowly and continued to temper the sword with the True Flame, allowing the new Dao Pattern to stabilize and integrate.

His gaze swept over the remaining Thunder Steel on the stone platform. This was his reserve for future enhancements.

Yes, killing the Shadow Hunter had verified that his Flying Sword, when combined with Black Light Mana, could achieve a destructive power of 7.5—enough to threaten or even kill some Official Wizards.

But this was far from enough.

According to intelligence from the Eye of the Profound, the Shadow Hunter was merely a solitary "Wild Wizard." Among Official Wizards, his strength was likely at the bottom tier. Moreover, Murphy had the advantage of a sneak attack, better intelligence, and an opponent who had underestimated him.

If he were to face a deeply established Official Wizard like Alonso from the Tower of Secret Silver, his current power would still be inadequate.

To say nothing of being besieged by multiple enemies.

’The quality must be improved, the Dao Patterns optimized, and its load-bearing limit increased,’ he thought to himself. ’The "Rapid" and "Piercing" properties from the Thunder Steel have been demonstrated, but the integration with the "immortal" foundation of Refined Gold could be deeper. Perhaps I can try introducing a third Spiritual Material to build a more stable structure for energy circulation and bursts?’

He thought about the possibility of acquiring more rare materials from the Peric Clan.

He also thought of blueprints for composite Dao Patterns formed by merging different patterns.

The growth of power was like rowing a boat against the current; with the storm already brewing, any stagnation meant risk.

’Still not enough.’ A sharp light glinted in Murphy’s eyes. ’I must become faster, stronger.’

...

The afternoon sun was warm, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the carpet as it shone through the diamond-paned windows of a small hall in Monte Castle.