Why were the Nine Great Psychic Weapons so rarely purchased?
There was only one reason.
They were difficult. So difficult that it bordered on the impossible.
These were the pinnacle weapons of mental cultivators. Each of the nine possessed its own strengths and weaknesses, and each required specific combinations of Laws to be wielded properly.
Take Luo Feng's Divine Armament, for example.
Metal and Space. Only by comprehending both Laws could one truly unleash its power, and each successive form was stronger than the last.
But to grasp two Laws simultaneously was something only peerless geniuses could achieve.
Water and Wood. Fire and Earth. Metal and Time.
Any cultivator capable of truly wielding one of the Nine Great Psychic Weapons was, without exception, a favored child of the heavens.
At this moment, the Second Prince's face was ashen.
He could not understand what Rowan had said to his father, nor why the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor's attitude had changed so drastically.
What was worse was that his father had actually gifted his personal weapon to Rowan.
That weapon, the Starflare Riftblade, was the cornerstone of the Emperor's strength. With it, he possessed Marquis-level Immortal combat power. Without it, his strength would barely remain at that level.
As everyone stared in shock, the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor patted Rowan on the shoulder and asked calmly,
"I have some experience with the Starflare Riftblade. How about it? Would you like me to teach you?"
Those words detonated another wave of disbelief.
The Black Dragon Mountain Emperor was famously strict. He rarely taught even his own children, holding a clan-wide lecture only once every ten years, lasting five days at most.
Yet now, not only was he personally guiding an outsider, his attitude was warm and approachable. A smile like this was something many had never seen in their entire lives.
"Of course I'd love that," Rowan replied without hesitation. "Thanks in advance, old man."
Old man?
What kind of address was that?
The Emperor's expression stiffened slightly. This brat truly had no sense of propriety.
"Fine," he said at last. "You'll stay here for a while."
He immediately arranged accommodations for Rowan, only to be politely refused.
"I'll stay with Bolan," Rowan said easily.
The Emperor did not object, and Bolan was so delighted she nearly floated off the ground. Being able to live with Rowan and see him every day was exactly what she had always wanted.
As the two left together, the atmosphere in the arena turned unbearably awkward.
"Disperse," the Emperor said with a wave of his hand.
Everyone bowed and vanished, leaving only one person standing there, lost in confusion.
The Second Prince.
"What is going on? Can someone tell me what just happened?"
His mind was a mess.
Beside him, his mentor Gillah sighed softly. He understood, but there was no point explaining.
The reason was obvious.
Talent.
If Gillah were not bound to Black Dragon Mountain, he would have done everything in his power to recruit Rowan as a disciple. This young man's potential was terrifying.
As long as he did not fall, Black Dragon Mountain would one day be nothing more than a small stepping stone beneath his feet.
Bolan brought Rowan to her residence, a floating island suspended above the lake behind the imperial gardens.
The island spanned more than seven kilometers.
The entire castle belonged to Bolan alone.
Stellar-grade guards patrolled the perimeter, and beneath the waters below swam schools of exquisitely beautiful aquatic creatures. The environment was serene and vibrant, like a paradise.
Bolan showed Rowan around the castle, the two chatting and laughing as they walked. Despite having obtained the Starflare Riftblade, Rowan did not rush into cultivation.
Instead, he spent several days with Bolan.
He did not want his actions to seem calculated or transactional.
Sure enough, during those days, Rowan noticed discreet observers placed around the castle. New servants had replaced Bolan's original attendants.
The Emperor was watching him.
Rowan noticed but made no effort to change his behavior.
Eight days later, the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor arrived in person.
After exchanging a few words with Bolan, he turned directly to Rowan.
"Are you ready?"
Rowan nodded.
The Emperor led him to the castle's cultivation chamber, an enormous space of nearly one hundred square meters. Weapons of the third and fourth tier lined the walls, and more than fifty training robots stood in neat rows.
Each robot possessed the strength of a ninth-stage Stellar cultivator, though their speed was only second-stage Stellar. They were clad in C-grade armor, nearly indestructible below Universe level.
"The Starflare Riftblade is one of the Nine Great Psychic Weapons," the Emperor said. "It focuses on the Laws of Fire and Time."
He looked at Rowan.
"How much do you understand about it?"
Rowan answered without hesitation.
"The Starflare Riftblade has eight forms. If one only comprehends Fire or Time alone, its true power cannot be unleashed. Only by mastering both Laws can its advantage truly manifest. Otherwise, it is only marginally stronger than a standard sixth-tier energy weapon."
"The interaction between the two Laws is what amplifies its power."
Rowan continued, explaining his understanding in detail.
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction.
"The Starflare Riftblade consists of one hundred eighty thousand five hundred blade fragments. Controlling it requires immense mental strength. To command all of them simultaneously is a tremendous burden."
"With your ninth-stage Stellar mental power, once you can freely control all of them, you will naturally master the first form."
Control one hundred eighty thousand blades.
Rowan gripped the Starflare Riftblade, a faint smile forming on his lips.
This was a challenge he welcomed.
The one-point-two-meter-long black-gold blade shimmered like scattered starlight. Just looking at it was captivating.
As Rowan's mental energy surged into the weapon, it erupted in dazzling light.
The next instant, the blade shattered.
Hundreds of thousands of razor-thin fragments burst outward, orbiting Rowan at high speed, forming a dense silver vortex. Each fragment carried immense mental power.
Rowan's expression hardened.
Controlling so many blades at once felt like pouring his mental strength into a bottomless abyss.
"Steady. Don't rush," the Emperor instructed. "Distribute your mental power evenly. Feel each blade as if it were part of your body."
Rowan clenched his teeth. Sweat poured down his face as his mental strength wavered like a candle in a storm.
This was unavoidable.
Each blade behaved like an unruly sprite, colliding and rebelling against his control.
"Focus. Eliminate all stray thoughts. Imprint your will onto them," the Emperor commanded.
Rowan took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
He sank his consciousness deep into his mental sea, forging a stronger connection with the blades. Gradually, the chaos subsided. The fragments began to rotate in stable, precise patterns.
But this was only the beginning.
Minutes later, Rowan's mental strength was completely exhausted. The blades clattered to the ground.
As his mental energy withdrew, the fragments flowed back together, reforming the Starflare Riftblade in midair.
Rowan stared at it, speechless.
He collapsed onto the floor, arms spread wide, his body drenched in sweat.
"Three hours and nine minutes," he muttered. "That's my limit."
Each blade fragment weighed nearly ten pounds despite its thinness. The sheer mass of one hundred eighty thousand fragments was staggering.
The Emperor stood calmly, but inwardly he was shaken.
A Stellar cultivator controlling all fragments on his first day.
When he himself had first obtained the Starflare Riftblade, it had taken over a year to achieve the same feat.
Rowan had done it in a single attempt.
This was not merely talent. It was monstrous.
"Rest for ten hours," the Emperor said at last. "I'll return then."
He left without another word.
After he was gone, Babata hopped onto Rowan's shoulder.
"Well? Not exactly pleasant, was it?" Babata said with a mischievous grin.
Rowan shot him a glare. He barely had the strength to argue.
Babata chuckled and continued, "The Starflare Riftblade is the hardest to master among the Nine Great Psychic Weapons, but it is also the most destructive. Even the Divine Armament can't compare in raw offense."
"With this weapon, you can suppress anyone wielding a Divine Armament at the same level."
Rowan felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Lie still," Babata added. "I'll buy you some mental recovery medicine from the Virtual Universe. You'll pay me back."
And with that, Babata vanished into the Virtual Universe network.
Rowan smacked his lips weakly.
"If only I'd brought the Mind Stone…"