It was a pair of knuckle dusters, looking somewhat worn and shabby. Their light was dim, covered in dust, and the tips were spotted with rust.
"Knuckle dusters? I didn't expect to find a Soul Weapon here. How lucky — thank you, ancestors of the Tian Hen Family!" Nie Li couldn't help but think to himself as he took the pair off their hook.
"You want that?"
"Yeah!" Nie Li nodded.
He had wanted to get rid of these knuckle dusters for a long time, but because they looked so battered and no one could tell what kind of power they might have, nobody had been willing to take them. He had simply kept them around. The family treasury was already nearly empty — at least these could help fill it out a bit.
In Nie Hai's view, there were still one or two genuinely valuable treasures in the family treasury. Why had Nie Li only chosen these knuckle dusters?
Nie Li stuffed the pair of knuckle dusters into his Space Ring and continued examining the family treasury. There were a few decent items, but Nie Li didn't take any of them since they wouldn't help him improve his strength. Securing these knuckle dusters alone had already made the trip worthwhile. His gaze ultimately settled on the last two items.
One of them was a blueprint depicting various runic patterns and the design of some kind of artifact.
Seeing Nie Li staring at the blueprint, Nie Hai explained, "Nobody knows what this blueprint is for. No one in our Tian Hen Family has ever been able to build whatever it depicts. The design looks like some kind of bird."
Nie Li studied the blueprint for a moment, then it all came back to him. This was the work of dark artificers, called a Spirit Puppet. It was a bird-type Spirit Puppet. During the early era of the Holy Empire, a group of dark Demon Spirit Masters had been active on the continent. They were eerie and mysterious beings who frequently did things of an evil nature — like creating Spirit Puppets. After crafting a Spirit Puppet, they would forcibly seal the soul of a recently deceased person inside it, then use runic patterns to control the puppet and command it to serve them. After the Holy Empire was established, dark Demon Spirit Masters were driven out on a massive scale, and blueprints like this one for Spirit Puppets were almost all destroyed.
Although these things had flourished for a time, after the Holy Empire they became exceedingly rare. On top of that, having survived the Dark Age when demon beasts ran rampant, Spirit Puppet blueprints had become scarcer still — practically forgotten in the river of history.
Nie Li never expected to find another Spirit Puppet blueprint here. Back in the Holy Empire era, being caught with something like this would have meant the confiscation of your entire estate!
"I'll take this one too!" Nie Li placed the blueprint into his Space Ring. Although he had no intention of forcibly sealing other people's souls into Spirit Puppets — that sort of thing was far too evil — it didn't prevent him from wanting to study the art of Spirit Puppets.
When Nie Li took the blueprint, Nie Hai raised no objections. After all, Nie Li had given the Tian Hen Family so many pills and Demon Spirit Coins that they had already gained an enormous advantage. He would have been delighted for Nie Li to take even more.
He would study this blueprint later, Nie Li thought, turning his gaze to the next item. It was a round bead, completely pitch-black, crystal clear, and shimmering with a dark luster. One glance at it gave the impression of being drawn into its depths.
This bead was definitely extraordinary, though even Nie Li couldn't determine its origin.
"I'll take this one too!" Nie Li said.
"Anything else is fine, but this bead..." Nie Hai hesitated.
"What? Is there a problem?" Nie Li frowned slightly and looked at Nie Hai.
"It's not that the bead is particularly valuable, but rather that it was left behind by the first patriarch of the family. It holds great sentimental significance for future generations, so it must be preserved carefully," Nie Hai said.
"I'm also a descendant of the Tian Hen Family, so there shouldn't be any problem with me taking it. I'll take good care of this bead. Here are two hundred million Demon Spirit Coins — use them to add some items to the family treasury, so it doesn't look so bare!" With a flick of his right hand, Nie Li produced a Space Ring and handed it to Nie Hai.
This move of Nie Li's was something Nie Hai truly had no defense against. Weighing his options, Nie Hai looked at the Space Ring in Nie Li's hand, then at the bead of unknown purpose, and nodded with a bitter smile. "All right."
Nie Li's monetary assault was simply too devastating!
"Good!" Nie Li smiled faintly. This trip had been a bountiful haul. That pitch-black bead's nature was still a mystery, but it was almost certainly no ordinary object. The Spirit Puppet blueprint was a nice find as well. And the Soul Weapon alone was something money couldn't buy.
"Family Head Nie Hai, I'll head back now!" Nie Li said, looking at Nie Hai.
"Of course!" Nie Hai escorted Nie Li out all the way. Nie Li was now the family's wealthiest member by far — with just a little money from him, the family's strength could skyrocket. Because of Nie Li, the entire Tian Hen Family had changed. Of course he would treat Nie Li like a lord!
Any family with a descendant like Nie Li would have its family head smiling in their sleep.
Returning to his own courtyard, Nie Li took out the pair of Soul Weapon knuckle dusters. They looked like nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. Nie Li let out a low shout, activating his Soul Sea. Streams of Soul Power surged forth from within, flowing into the knuckle dusters as Nie Li continuously refined the Soul Weapon with his soul power.
The rust spots on the knuckle duster Soul Weapon gradually faded away, slowly revealing a dazzling, brilliant luster. In the end, a faint resonance formed with Nie Li's soul. The pair of knuckle dusters vibrated不断ently, slowly rising into the air before bursting apart with a soft boom.
The knuckle duster Soul Weapon transformed into a streak of light and, with a whoosh, entered Nie Li's Soul Sea.
A Soul Weapon's power was closely linked to its owner's Soul Power. Generally, it was one tier above the wielder's Soul Power level — meaning that while Nie Li's Soul Power was at the Silver tier, this Soul Weapon possessed Gold-tier strength. Even a Gold-tier expert could be wounded by it if they were careless.
Once Nie Li advanced in strength, the Soul Weapon would advance with him.
"Soul Weapons were the masterwork of lightning-type Demon Spirit Masters in the late Wind Snow era. Only they could forge Soul Weapons, and only a handful of lightning Demon Spirit Masters knew the method. Only a few lightning Demon Spirit Master families possessed the knowledge. Each person could own only one Soul Weapon in their lifetime, and when the owner died, the Soul Weapon perished as well. That's why so few Soul Weapons survived from that era. These fools couldn't even tell what they had — they treated a Soul Weapon like an ordinary weapon! What a waste! Thankfully it fell into my hands. Who knows how much longer it would have gathered dust otherwise!" Nie Li thought to himself with a smile.