Chapter 109 - New Elder; Winter’s Arrival; Dragon-Fanged Spear - Part 3

Time flew by.

Two more months passed, and Li Yuan found himself once again in the closed cultivation chamber.

He took hold of a new black weapon about half an arm’s length. At his touch, it extended itself to over ten feet—its shining blade edges emerging on either side of the spear tip, emanating a fierce gleam.

He had purchased this peculiar weapon off the black market for 150 taels of gold. Even that price had been set low because the seller considered it too odd to attract many buyers. Little did they expect someone would scoop it up right away. By the time the seller thought to raise the price, Li Yuan had already vanished.

Called the Dragon-Fanged Spear, it featured a spear tip with curved blades along each side, making it suitable for both thrusting and slashing.

More importantly, it was crafted by a puppet maker—capable of shrinking down to a short, compact form that could be hidden in a sleeve or expanding to a full-length spear at will.

Its alloy was unlike ordinary steel, though Li Yuan couldn’t identify precisely what it was.

In terms of quality, it matched the Horse Butcher that Senior Li had gifted him, but it was far more convenient to carry.

Over the course of two months, Li Yuan had maxed out both his newly bought spear and beast taming skills. He glanced at the changes in his status window.

“As I suspected, it’s called

Dark Grasp Linked Spear

, not

Heaven-Turning Spear

. Seems like it must’ve been somewhat famous, so the seller changed the name before selling it,” Li Yuan muttered to himself. “The text is incomplete, but I only need the crucial parts to learn it.”

He marveled at how the text’s opening and closing sections were relatively intact. A fully mastered spear skill could link multiple thrusts in quick succession—an unstoppable and precise barrage that could pick off ten flies in midair in one go.

“No flies around in winter,” Li Yuan thought with a faint grin, “so let’s see how it works on a hundred leaves instead.”

He eyed a stack of dried leaves he’d prepared in a corner. With a single breath, he blew them into the air, turning them into a swirling cloud. Then, in the same instant, his spear flashed forward—silent as a venomous viper.

One thrust, two thrusts, three thrusts...

Thrust after thrust in flawless succession, not the slightest sound betraying the spear’s passage. In response, the leaves seemed to explode with little popping cracks.

In just a heartbeat, the swirl of leaves rained down again—each one snapped clean in half at the tip, leaving the base unscathed. Li Yuan checked them all; no misses.

Still, compared to his Spring-Autumn Blade, this Dark Grasp Linked Spear offered no hidden marvel. It was just a standard three-segment system, tough to blend into a new integrated move. Yet he had begun to sense the faint shape of a

spear

pathway in his body.

With a casual flip of his palm, the spear in his hand warped into a blade, vibrating fiercely. Before it could erupt in a shrill whistle, Li Yuan stopped the motion.

“City Toppler works just as well with a spear. Not bad,” he mused.

Opening the chamber door, he stepped out into a light snowfall. A tiny sparrow shivered under the eaves, feathers puffed against the cold, too stiff to fly.

In the snowy courtyard, the tiny sparrow, too chilled to fly, heard a noise and turned to see someone approaching. It had escaped the fate of being caught and eaten by starving vagrants, yet still couldn’t escape the possibility of freezing to death.

Li Yuan thought to himself, “Great Avian Training Essentials didn’t boost me much, except making it easier to tame seventh rank flying beasts. But it doesn’t let me control more demonic beasts overall, so there’s little practical benefit.

“On the other hand, after I maxed it out, the skill mutated. On top of 20 ants, I can handle three ordinary birds as well, seeing what they see and hearing what they hear across a much greater distance.”

He stepped closer, exuding enough warmth and calm that the jewel-necked sparrow fluttered onto his palm, chirping softly.

Li Yuan carried it inside, warming it by the fire and feeding it a few grains of rice. Then, with a gentle push of his mind, he formed a spiritual link to the small bird.

Standing at the window, Li Yuan opened his hands, encouraging the sparrow to reenter the swirling snow. It spread its wings and soared into the sky. He closed his eyes, and in that moment—somewhere high above the wind and snow—his vision opened again.

It felt as if he were the one flying, wings extended, gazing quietly upon the winter-blanketed courtyard and buildings below.

Bridges and rooftops lay draped in white, bare branches dusted with snow, and Silver Creek’s waters frozen solid.

“At last, I don’t have to crawl around like an ant.” He brewed a pot of wine, poured himself a cup, and murmured, “I should keep a few birds in the house from now on.”

Just then, the main gate opened, and Xue Ning appeared, wrapped in a warm fur-lined coat, her beauty all the more striking in winter’s chill. She held a jar of wine in her hand.

“Dearest, new wine arrived today,” she called.

“Where’s it from?” he asked.

She set down the jar. “More and more outsiders are flowing into the county; refugees from the Central Plains, no doubt. That means more goods coming in. The local officials can’t control them, so your sect will have your hands full soon enough.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Beyond Gemhill County, in a ramshackle mountain stronghold, a burly man paced back and forth in a suit of armor, reeking of body odor.

He was the so-called Fragrant General, and right now, he looked extremely anxious.

“That man was defeated too, so he’s bringing back what’s left of his army from the Central Plains.

“But with these heavy snows, the roads should be blocked for a while... Still, a month—two at most—and he’ll arrive.

“What am I going to do? I have to seize a county first. If I don’t have a walled town before he shows up, he’ll swallow me whole.

“Scouts! Hurry up and gather intel!”

That same night, the Fragrant General gathered his men, standing atop a tall rocky ledge in the swirling wind and snow. He raised his voice.

“I know some of you hail from Gemhill, some from Southsky, and some from Flowerpath.

“I don’t care about your past. Now, you’re all my soldiers. And this is your chance.

“We need intel on each of the three counties. If you can do this well, hmm...”

His eyes glinted darkly. He slapped the spot beside him. “Whoever proves himself might just earn this seat here by my side. But secrecy is key, so I’m only sending two men per county to start with.”

An excited murmuring spread through the crowd.

Bear, formerly of Gemhill County, felt his heart racing. He stared at the empty seat to the general’s left, then took a deep breath and jumped up. “General! General! I’m from Gemhill County!”

But he wasn’t the only one; men from other corners of the makeshift army also clamored to be chosen for the Gemhill mission. Voices overlapped.

“I’m from Gemhill too! My uncle lives in Union Town.”

“What’s Union Town worth? It’s nothing but chaos, no intel there. My aunt lives in Silver Creek. That’s the heart of Gemhill County, right next to the Blood Blade Sect’s inner district. Who are

you

to compete with me?”

Bear’s excitement turned to panic at their endless arguing, so he roared above the din, “I know the Blood Blade Sect’s Elder Li! I’m telling you, I know Li Yuan. He and I used to hunt together, we’re practically brothers!”

Yet his cries were swallowed in the snowy wind, drowned out by the others. Then, abruptly, the Fragrant General lifted a hand, and the crowd fell silent.

He fixed his gaze on Bear. “You said what?”

Bear, panting heavily, looked anxious. “I-I know Elder Li. He used to live in Little Ink Village with me, both of us hunters. My woman, Feng’er, was close friends with his wife, Yan Yu. They used to be inseparable.”

The Fragrant General’s eyes narrowed, his tone harsh. “Which Li Yuan? I know of him. He’s no simple man... No, he’s

very

far from simple. Last spring he left Little Ink Vllage to join the Blood Blade Sect; in less than a year, he’s jumped three ranks and become an elder. And

you

claim you know him?”

Bear sweated profusely but forced himself to continue. “Y-yes, we hunted together. My woman and his were best friends... Ha, haha...”

The Fragrant General studied him with a calculating look, then broke into a grin. “All right. If you can get close to Li Yuan, figure out the sect’s hidden cards—even if we end up not attacking Gemhill County—you’ll become a hundred-man captain at the very least.”

He then called out to his men below. “Someone bring him traveling money. He leaves tonight!”