Swing! Swing!! SWING!!!
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
Basically, Xu Qing could swing his sword once every second, and each swing granted one point of Experience. So, after a little over ten seconds, Xu Qing had already swung his sword ten times.
[Iron Sword Level 1: 10/10 (Upgradeable!)]
'This is way too easy.'
Xu Qing remarked to himself. 'Compared to Martial Arts, leveling up this Iron Sword just requires me to swing it. Each swing only takes a second, and the stamina cost is minimal.'
"Upgrade,"
Xu Qing commanded.
BUZZ!
A fluorescent light flashed from the Encyclopedia of All Things.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!
In that instant, Xu Qing saw a vision of a scorching hot blacksmith's forge. A burly, bald blacksmith, shirtless, gripped a hammer tightly and relentlessly pounded a sword blank.
Looking closely, he realized the sword blank was the very Iron Sword in his hand.
CLANG!
Finally, with one last crisp sound, the quenching was done.
The Iron Sword was forged.
SWOOSH!
A white light flashed over the Iron Sword in Xu Qing's hand.
[Iron Sword Level 2: 0/20 (An Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron by a common blacksmith. It possesses the attribute of sharpness.)]
"Not bad."
Xu Qing weighed the Iron Sword in his hand. He noticed its weight had increased slightly, and both the body and the edge of the blade now gleamed with a faint, cold light.
Clearly, this was no longer an ordinary Iron Sword. It could now be considered an ordinarily sharp iron sword.
"Again."
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!! SWOOSH!!!
Swing! Swing!! SWING!!!
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
In less than half a minute, Xu Qing had already swung his sword twenty times.
[Iron Sword Level 2: 20/20 (Upgradeable!)]
"Upgrade."
BUZZ!
The same thing happened again.
A fluorescent light flickered from the Encyclopedia of All Things, and a white glow, visible only to Xu Qing, appeared on the Iron Sword, transforming it.
In a flash, Xu Qing once again saw the Iron Sword being returned to the forge and reforged.
[Iron Sword Level 3: 0/40 (A sharp Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron by a common blacksmith. It is extremely sharp and can cut through iron as if it were mud.)]
"Good."
Xu Qing looked at the Iron Sword in his hand. It had changed considerably. The blade now glinted with a cold light; it was a far cry from the plain Iron Sword it had been before.
"Again,"
Xu Qing said.
And so, a minute later...
[Iron Sword Level 3: 40/40 (Upgradeable!)]
The Experience Points were full again.
"Upgrade,"
Xu Qing said.
BUZZ!
The same situation occurred.
The Encyclopedia of All Things glowed, and a white light flashed across the Iron Sword in Xu Qing's hand. The already sharp Iron Sword became even sharper, and also quite tough.
Vaguely, Xu Qing once more saw the vision of his Iron Sword being reforged.
[Iron Sword Level 4: 0/80 (A sharp Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron by an artisan blacksmith. It can cut through iron as if it were mud, and its body is tough and not easily damaged.)]
"Not bad."
Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction.
One could say that just a few nights ago, when Xu Qing first encountered the Corpse Ghost at his residence, if he had possessed an Iron Sword like this that could cut through iron like mud, he could have decapitated it with a single strike. There would have been no need for close-quarters combat.
He could have finished it in one blow.
Therefore, a powerful weapon like this could significantly boost a Martial Artist's combat effectiveness.
"Continue,"
Xu Qing said.
Swing! Swing!! SWING!!!
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
Since leveling up the Iron Sword was so easy—just requiring swings to gain Experience Points—Xu Qing decided to keep upgrading it.
In the blink of an eye, two minutes later...
[Iron Sword Level 4: 80/80 (Upgradeable!)]
"Upgrade,"
Xu Qing said.
BUZZ!
A white light flashed.
The Iron Sword in Xu Qing's hand leveled up again.
It had reached Level 5.
[Iron Sword Level 5: 0/160 (An Iron Sword meticulously forged from Refined Iron by an artisan blacksmith, who poured his heart and soul into it. It is incredibly sharp, with a tough blade, and possesses the Armor-Piercing attribute.)]
"Level 5,"
Xu Qing said. "This Level is already the same as my Baji Fist."
"Again."
But Xu Qing wasn't satisfied. He wanted to continue leveling it up.
Thus, Xu Qing stayed in his residence, endlessly swinging the Iron Sword in his hand. Flashes of cold light from the blade flickered incessantly throughout the room.
The Iron Sword was upgraded again and again.
...
[Iron Sword Level 6: 0/320 (An Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron by a Master Blacksmith. Incredibly sharp, it cuts through iron like mud. The blade is tough, not easily broken, and possesses the Armor-Piercing attribute, capable of piercing three layers of armor.)]
...
[Iron Sword Level 7: 0/640 (An Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron with great effort by a Master Blacksmith. Incredibly sharp, it cuts through iron like mud. The blade is tough, not easily broken, and possesses the Armor-Piercing attribute, capable of piercing ten layers of armor.)]
...
[Iron Sword Level 8: 0/1280 (An Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron by a Master Blacksmith. Incredibly sharp, it cuts through iron like mud. The blade is tough, not easily broken, and possesses the Armor-Piercing attribute, capable of piercing thirty layers of armor. It is truly a rare Treasure Sword in the Mortal World.)]
...
[Iron Sword Level 9: 0/2560 (An Iron Sword forged from Refined Iron with great and painstaking effort by a Master Blacksmith. Incredibly sharp, it cuts through iron like mud. The blade is tough, not easily broken, and possesses the Armor-Piercing attribute, capable of piercing a hundred layers of armor. It is truly a rare Treasure Sword in the Mortal World.)]
...
[Iron Sword Level 10: 0/5120 (An Iron Sword forged from Profound Crystal Iron with painstaking effort by a Master Blacksmith who poured his very lifeblood into it. Incredibly sharp, it cuts through iron like mud. The blade is tough, not easily broken, and possesses the Armor-Piercing attribute, capable of piercing three hundred layers of armor. It also has the Breaking Evil attribute. It is truly a rare Divine Weapon in the Mortal World.)]
...
All in all, an hour and a half went by.
Xu Qing had swung the sword again and again, at least five thousand times in such a short period. His arm was sore, feeling like it was about to give out.
If Xu Qing weren't no longer an ordinary person, but a practitioner who had cultivated An Jin, with physical conditioning far beyond that of a normal person, it would have been impossible to swing the sword continuously for so long.
However, Xu Qing had also managed to upgrade an Iron Sword to Level 10, transforming an ordinary blade into a rare Divine Weapon of the Mortal World.
At the same time, just as the Iron Sword reached Level 10, corresponding information came from the Encyclopedia of All Things.
Because the Iron Sword had reached Level 10, if he continued to upgrade it, the sword would develop Spirituality.
At that point, with Xu Qing's current Cultivation and Realm, he might suffer a backlash. Therefore, it was best not to upgrade it any further for now.
CLANG!
Xu Qing gripped the Level 10 Iron Sword. A cold light overflowed from its blade before slowly retracting, as if the sword itself possessed a faint Spirituality, knowing to conceal its brilliance and hide its true nature.
Moreover, Xu Qing could completely control this Iron Sword and feel its power.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction. 'This is the first item I've ever upgraded to Level 10. Even though it was just a plain Iron Sword, after reaching Level 10, it has become a Divine Weapon.'
"This will do."
Xu Qing sheathed the Iron Sword. He could feel that the scabbard could not contain the blade's sharpness; it felt as if the sword's edge would slice the scabbard to pieces in the next moment.
'Oh no.'
A look of alarm crossed Xu Qing's face. He glanced at the sky—it was getting late. 'Crap, it's almost time. I'm going to be late...'
Without further hesitation, Xu Qing rushed out of his room.
Fortunately, just before night fell, Xu Qing finally managed to reach the pre-arranged meeting point. He was met by the sight of Yang Ye, whose face was extremely grim, and Wang Changye, who was openly gloating.
The others showed no expression. Qin Daniu said nothing.
"Xu Qing."
Yang Ye's expression darkened. He scolded, "You're late, do you know that? You're late by half an incense stick's time. Don't think that just because you have connections with Chief Zhao, you can do whatever you want and show up whenever you please."
"Next time it happens,"
"I'll dock your pay for the day."
"Heh heh."
Wang Changye sneered. "Some people just don't deserve their position."
"Captain Yang's reprimand is justified."
Xu Qing cupped his fists towards Yang Ye and lowered his head.
"Let's get a move on."
Yang Ye shot Xu Qing a glare and snapped, "The other Patrol Teams have already set out. We're the only ones still here. If something really happens on Red Leaf Street and we're late for our patrol, when our superiors come down on us, it won't just be me taking the heat. You'll all be in for it too."
"Yes."
"As you command, Captain."
"Move out."
"..."
The entire Xin Night Patrol Team set out, rushing to Red Leaf Street at top speed. Yang Ye then assigned the duties: he would lead Xu Qing, Wang Changye, and the others to patrol the first half of the night, while Qin Daniu would lead another group to patrol Red Leaf Street during the second half, ensuring the area's safety.
The first day of patrol was uneventful.
Everything was peaceful and safe.
Xu Qing had expected to encounter a Corpse Ghost, but nothing happened. A few of the other Patrol Teams did run into several Corpse Ghosts, but they were all dealt with.
In the morning, the patrol ended. Xu Qing collected his pay of two taels of silver and left.
"Not bad."
Xu Qing shrugged. 'After joining the Government Office's Night Patrol Team, I just have to patrol for either the first or second half of the night, six hours total. If nothing happens, I can get two taels of silver.'
'Also, even though I'm only a non-staff member of the Night Patrol Team, I'm still affiliated with the Government Office. If anything major happens, I'll be among the first to know.'
For example, the previous night, Xu Qing had been on patrol with Yang Ye. By asking questions indirectly, he had managed to learn from Yang Ye about some of the recent events in Qingbei Town.
It had all started a month ago. Corpse Ghosts began appearing in the Outer City of Qingbei Town. At first, there weren't many of them, and the number of victims was low, so it was considered a minor issue.
However, the Corpse Ghosts in the Outer City seemed endless. Every time they were killed, more would soon appear, as if they could never be completely eradicated.
This feeling... it was as if someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes. But even now, the Government Office hadn't been able to figure out if there was a mastermind, what their motive was, or who they could be.
A whole month had passed, and the Government Office could be said to have absolutely no leads.
'Is someone really creating Corpse Ghosts on purpose?'
Xu Qing pondered. 'What would their motive be? Why do this? Forget it, this kind of thing doesn't have much to do with me. If Qingbei Town is really done for, I'll just leave and go to another town. It's all the same.'
'I was originally a beggar. I have no family in this world, nothing to tie me down. I can go wherever I want. No one can stop me, and no one can ever trap me.'