You promised yourself to be a caged bird, but you became the supreme young master?

After bidding farewell to Lu Jinnian at the teahouse, Lu Heng went to the Internal Affairs Hall once again.

"What is it?" The steward of the Internal Affairs Hall, still dressed in a plain gray robe, stroked his beard with one hand and asked calmly.

"Esteemed steward, I've come to retrieve a copy of 'Basic Sword Techniques' and the sword to accompany it," Lu Heng said, showing off his outer courtyard token.

Looking around, he couldn't help but sigh. The so-called stewards of the Internal Affairs Hall could not possibly be cultivators from the Qi Refining Secret Realm of the branch family.

A cultivator of this level could never possibly be reduced to being in charge of a small internal affairs hall in the outer courtyard.

What truly moves him now is…

A month ago, the Household Affairs Hall steward was so imposing just by standing there, but now he seems to be just so-so.

It now seems that the opponent is at most a cultivator at the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Secret Realm.

The fastest way to dispel mystique is to get closer, and even closer. All that is unattainable and supreme will collapse into something ordinary when examined up close.

Those practitioners who seemed so distant and even unbelievable in their past lives now appear to be just ordinary people.

Aspiration is the furthest distance of understanding.

Of course, that's all there is to it for cultivators in the Body Refinement Secret Realm.

Even in my past life, I couldn't have become a superhero just by wearing my underwear on the outside.

He can only be considered an ordinary person with ridiculously strong physical abilities.

………………

"This is 'Basic Sword Techniques'."

As for your training sword, come with me.

"You need to make the choice yourself." The steward of the Household Department showed no negligence.

In any case, the boy in front of him is currently still in the outer courtyard. Since that's the case, he has the potential to grow into a great figure that he can look up to.

If someone harbors ill intentions because of his attitude, it could lead to utter ruin.

Even if there is nothing, what loss is there?

Lu Heng, naturally indifferent, nodded in agreement.

Following the gray-robed steward of the Internal Affairs Department through several layers of blue stone corridors, we arrived at the storage room deeper inside the Internal Affairs Department.

When the heavy wooden door was pushed open by the butler, it made a dull creaking sound, and a smell mixed with rust, pine resin and old wood wafted out.

What caught his eye was—

The storage room was lined with wooden shelves, which were spotless. Hundreds of swords were neatly arranged and categorized.

Judging from the spotless appearance of the scabbard, it was clear that someone had carefully cleaned and wiped it recently.

These swords are divided into three categories: one category is short swords with blades less than half a foot long, and the scabbards are mostly wrapped with plain ropes, making them easy to conceal by tying them around the waist.

One type is a longsword of moderate length, with a guard either carved with cloud patterns or cast with animal heads, which is the most common form;

Another type is a giant sword with a blade over ten feet long and a heavy scabbard, which requires both hands to hold. Just looking at it exudes an awe-inspiring power.

"These swords are not spiritual weapons; they can only be considered failed products of the family's weapon refiners. However, with their material that can cut through iron like mud, they would definitely be considered top-grade in the outside world."

It will give you a significant advantage in weaponry when you clash with other cultivators of the same level.

If it weren't for being born into the Lu family…

Here we go again, here we go again.

Lu Heng glanced at the steward of the Internal Affairs Hall with a somewhat helpless expression.

When we first met, the other party pointed to the Lu family's Qi-refining method and made the same gesture.

Why is this person like this?

Despite being a member of a branch family, they have the awareness of being a member of the main family.

Is it some kind of Stockholm syndrome?! It's really hard to understand.

However, according to the description of the steward of the Internal Affairs Hall, all the swords in this storage room belong to the top tier below the spiritual weapon category.

Based on the information he found in the book, the estimated price in the market would be at least ten taels of gold.

Since that's the case, and the Lu family isn't a charity, how could they be so kind?

as predicted,

The steward of the Household Department quickly added more information.

"You can now choose one you like from among them, but remember this."

The swords received from the family are not to be traded with anyone; if discovered, the perpetrator will be executed without mercy.

Furthermore, if one fails to graduate from the outer academy, the family will also take back the sword upon elimination.

"I see." Upon hearing this, Lu Heng finally understood and felt a sense of relief.

Otherwise, if the Lu family were to give away such a huge benefit for free, it would be obvious that there's a trap involved.

He will probably have to live in fear and anxiety for a while.

Lu Heng, realizing what was happening, couldn't help but find it both funny and exasperating.

In this absurd world, even gaining a small benefit requires careful consideration.

………………

Without much hesitation, Lu Heng decisively chose his sword according to his own preferences and needs.

It is neither a cunning and stealthy short sword suitable for sneak attacks, nor a powerful and sweeping greatsword adept at crushing blows.

Instead, it is the most common and moderate longsword.

It doesn't have any particularly obvious strengths, but it also doesn't have any particularly fatal weaknesses.

When faced with two evils, choose the lesser; when faced with two benefits, choose the greater.

Perhaps because of the country he lived in in his previous life, Lu Heng did not pursue so-called extremes, but rather preferred balance.

His gaze swept carefully over the longsword.

Perhaps it was a feeling from the depths of his being, but Lu Heng quickly realized that it was not a feeling at all.

Rather, it was an intuition that the panel gave him.

The current panel can still only display its own information.

However, his entry into the country not only allows for the display of his personal information, but also enables a deeper examination of the information.

Lu Heng had already obtained some information from it that he was unaware of before.

However, the panel still cannot display any information other than himself.

However, Lu Heng did not hesitate at all. No matter what, the panel was his essence, and he would not harm himself.

Guided by an inexplicable intuition, Lu Heng's gaze swept over the hundred longswords on the shelf, and with an almost subconscious flick of his finger, he drew one out.

This is an ordinary longsword. The scabbard is made of plain ebony wood, without any carvings. The guard is also made of plain iron, and even the rope wrapped around the handle has some worn edges.

It blended in seamlessly among hundreds of swords.

This is a sword with a spirit!

After further locking onto the target, Lu Heng, whose intuition was heightened by the panel, made a judgment almost immediately.

This is also what he saw in the book.

And it was one of the most memorable books he read among the many miscellaneous books he read.

Strange and unusual stories.

It tells four chapters about demons and monsters.

Of course, the latter three are not related to the so-called spirit.

And it is precisely in the first type, which is also the longest of the four chapters on demons and monsters, that the existence of spirits is mentioned only briefly in the chapter on demons.

What is a demon? A creature of heaven and earth, born with intelligence after being bathed in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The so-called spirit, however, is even more special.