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nLiam studied Subject No. 421 intently. The Elders took a quick glance at the body, but they didn’t need to stay.

nLiam would fill them in later anyway. He’d make sure they revised everything 20 times over, too.

nThat paranoia wasn’t a joke, they all thought as they left.

nLiam honed his attention on the Subject.

nThe man’s uneven skin was pure black, protruding with spiked, teeth-like bones from every orifice.

nHis mouth had also broadened wider with the scream. Filled with sharp, palisade teeth.

nIf the Subject didn’t lose control over his powers, Liam was sure that killing him wouldn’t have been easy.

nThe Triumvirate Body gave the user full control over everything.

nA single slash to the neck was a hundred percent survivable if adapted to correctly.

n‘The reason he lost control was because of the pain that must come with the procedure.’

n‘Although the sea of consciousness is disconnected from the rest of the body, everything pours in once the new nerves connect to it.’

n‘The only difference between his process and mine would be the Chaos Pearl. But it’s so small, it shouldn’t prove too difficult.’

nLiam shrugged. Pain was an old friend. One he knew quite well.

nAfter studying the specimen for a few more hours, Liam moved on and began to cultivate.

nLiam’s abdomen suddenly tightened.

nAll his muscles were pressing against his core as tight as they possibly could.

nAs it did, Liam started to cultivate.

nFor a few seconds, the gaseous contents of his core were forcibly turned into a liquid drop due to the pressure on it!

nThis was the method of cultivation that Usan helped inscribe for him.

nIt consisted of bringing together the walls of the core, in order for its gaseous contents to condense into liquid.

nAs Liam cultivated, he was experiencing double the nourishment a normal gaseous cultivator would experience.

nBut his core walls were starting to buckle and shake under the might of a single liquid-stage bead.

nLiam untensed his abdomen muscles, and the walls of his core were back to normal.

n‘Only half an hour is my limit,’ Liam pursed his lips. He wasn’t dissatisfied. ‘Good enough.’

nIt gave him twice the progress speed in exchange for a short usage period.

nThat said, Liam was starting to get worried.

nUsan was still quiet for some reason.

nDid the man digest the fruit properly?

nThe Eternal Sword’s inheritance was just a week away from the deadline.

nWith no method of contacting him, Liam attempted to find research about the Celestial.

nIt was hard.

nEven finding info about a Zenith – not even a powerhouse – was difficult.

nBut he did find bits and pieces of his name – he went by many, not just the Eternal Sword – riddled around Ilali.

nMyths, legends and folklore. 𝒷𝓭ℴ𝓋𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶

nStories of a man cutting the earth with a lithe swing of his blade made out of a fallen star.

nHe severed mountains with a finger gesture.

nThere was no description of him. But they say his eyes were so sharp, no one could meet his gaze without going blind.

nAs much as they were exaggerated, Liam thought it wasn’t doing the man justice.

nThis was a Celestial.

nSomething beyond the scope of what a powerhouse could produce.

nLiam made his way back to his quarters.

nUntil Usan’s breakthrough, there was nothing for him to do except train and arm himself.

nAnd he did exactly that.

nLiam had made himself a new weapon solely for the inheritance.

nFor a Celestial who had ‘Sword’ in his name, it was obvious what the trial was going to be about.

nSwordsmanship.

nLiam’s swordsmanship, was, in his own words, ‘good’.

nOver time, his fighting style had changed.

nThe Dusk Blade wasn’t compatible with the Phantom Edge martial arts.

nThey were meant to rip and claw through its victim’s flesh, while the Phantom’s Edge was built for severing in swift slashes.

nFor that reason, Liam hadn’t been using the Phantom’s Edge as much.

nBut swordsmen valued sharpness out of everything.

nFor that, Liam had to revert to his previous fighting style.

nAnd that’s why he forged a new weapon.

nJust one.

nLiam took out the weapon from his space ring. It made a soft shing noise, even though it wasn’t from a scabbard.

nIt was a sleek odachi. Single-edged and covered with a soft sheen.

nTiny vampiric characters lined its entire surface, but they didn’t look disorderly or displeasing, creating a beautiful display of artistry.

nThe Black Blade.

nA peak Rank 3 item!

nFrom what Liam was told, the Eternal Sword was a single-sword wielder.

nAnd although there were no restrictions on what weapons they could use, Liam wanted to be on the safe side.

nUsing an odachi was pretty similar to using a katana, the only difference being the length.

nAnd since Liam wasn’t going to use a wakizashi, the odachi was the safest option for him to go pursue.

nA peak Rank 3 item was no joke.

nPrimordial Forging and Blood Weaving combined to a singular front to create the weapon.

nWhat did all the inscriptions on its surface do?

nSimple.

nThey sharpened the blade.

nAnd that was it.

nThat was all the Black Blade was about.

nOn the other hand, its special ability allowed for long range slashes to form with each swing.

nWhich also carried the Blood Weaving’s strength behind them.

nA marvelous design.

nLiam said so himself.

n***

n6 days were left until the Eternal Sword’s inheritance.

nUsan was still in seclusion.

nNobody knew where he was.

nLiam started to get a bad feeling rising in his chest. But he continued

n2 more days passed.

nSilence.

nJust silence.

nThen 2 more days passed.

nEven Ilali started to question where exactly the Unforgiven Shadow had gone.

nThe Seven Clans and major Sects contacted the Temple repeatedly.

nDid the Miracle Fruit kill him?

nWas it poisoned by the Moyong family?

nLiam already knew Usan was sick.

nDid his sickness do him in?

nWhere was he?!

nThen, it happened.

nLiam was outside when he thought the world was ending.

nIt was daytime.

nBut the world’s light had sputtered out.

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