Hearing Ling Fan's question, Lan Junjie was overjoyed, thinking there was hope!
His current cultivation had reached the peak of the mid-stage Qi Refining realm, just one step away from the late-stage Qi Refining realm.
The speed of his progress these past few days was comparable to Yun Rui, the young city lord of Yunmeng City, before.
If he could add a true Yellow-tier spirit weapon…
Lan Junjie's heart pounded, he dared not even imagine it.
He quickly took out his weapon and respectfully presented it to Ling Fan with both hands.
"Brother-in-law, look! This is my weapon."
Lan Junjie's weapon was a slender straight saber. Its blade was gleaming, and a sharp, silver-thread-like offensive inscription ran through the blade, making it a top-tier mortal weapon.
It was meticulously crafted by Li Shan, using the entire Lan family's weapon workshop's strength, specifically for Lan Junjie.
This saber was made from excellent materials. If it were in the hands of a Yellow-tier weapon master, it could have been forged into a true Yellow-tier spirit weapon.
"Brother-in-law, this saber of mine is no ordinary item. It's more than enough to forge a Yellow-tier spirit weapon. Do you think you can upgrade it for me!"
"With my current strength, if I had a spirit saber with extremely high compatibility, I would even be confident in winning the martial competition!"
Lan Junjie looked at Ling Fan expectantly, his words filled with strong confidence.
Ling Fan glanced at him, and Lan Junjie immediately flinched, swallowing the boastful words he was about to utter.
He appeared somewhat anxious.
He now felt like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he saw Ling Fan, which troubled him greatly.
Even though Ling Fan was a seemingly ordinary person with no strength to even tie a chicken, he could, without exaggeration, defeat him with just one finger.
Yet, he was still afraid of Ling Fan.
Ling Fan's perpetually cold and calm expression always put him under immense pressure.
"Can he do it?"
Lan Junjie muttered to himself.
Ling Fan looked at him and said, "It's not difficult to elevate this saber to the spirit weapon level, but there isn't enough time."
If Lan Junjie had come to him a day earlier, there would have been enough time.
"Alas… alright! It seems I can only rely on my own raw strength." Lan Junjie sighed in disappointment.
"However…"
"However what!" Hope rekindled in Lan Junjie's eyes.
Ling Fan said lightly, "I can set up a simple spirit array within your saber, allowing it to unleash the power of a spirit weapon for a short period."
"Really!"
Lan Junjie was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. He had never heard of such a miraculous technique.
His gaze towards Ling Fan became even more reverent.
"Let me be clear, to gain power beyond your own requires a price. This spirit array is called 'Self-Sacrifice,' which exchanges one's own vital blood for a burst of power in a short time. It's a desperate measure with considerable side effects. Are you afraid?"
Ling Fan said calmly.
Lan Junjie was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "I'm not afraid, I can handle it. This concerns the rise and fall of our family. How can I shrink back? Should my sister, a mere woman, charge into battle? If there's charging and desperate fighting to be done, it should be me, a man!"
"Very well."
A hint of admiration flashed in Ling Fan's eyes.
He took Lan Junjie's saber, made a cut on Lan Junjie's wrist, and used the blood as ink, drawing on the saber like dragons and snakes.
Instantly, intricate blood talismans appeared all over the saber.
Ling Fan formed a peculiar hand seal, touched the saber, and the blood talismans merged into the saber, disappearing without a trace. Lan Junjie, standing beside him, was already stunned by this display.
It wasn't until Ling Fan tossed the saber back to him that he snapped out of his shock.
Looking at the long saber he had carried day and night, he suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
Yet, there was also a strange feeling of blood connection.
"When you use it, simply nourish it with your own blood!"
Ling Fan said calmly. After a moment's thought, he still reminded him, "Act within your capabilities. Don't be too reckless."
"Yes! Thank you, thank you, brother-in-law."
Lan Junjie bowed deeply to Ling Fan. The words "thank you" were spoken with great difficulty.
This was the first time he had ever thanked Ling Fan so solemnly; it had never happened before.
"Let's go."
Ling Fan stepped out of the door. Lan Junjie, behind him, paused, then chased after him, shouting, "Brother-in-law, you're going too! My sister will be very happy to see you there. Haha, you're in for a treat. You'll see your brother-in-law slaughtering his way through the martial competition, with all sorts of geniuses submitting to my blood saber!"
"What nonsense are you spouting."
Ling Fan, uncharacteristically, broke character and cursed with a laugh.
Seeing Ling Fan smile, Lan Junjie's pressure immediately eased, and he stuck out his tongue.
Otherwise, when Ling Fan had his usual stern expression, he felt too much pressure.
For some reason, upon learning that Ling Fan was also going to the martial competition, he felt inexplicably more at ease, as if he had gained considerable confidence.
...
At this moment, on the White Jade Plaza of the City Lord's Mansion.
Major powers and prominent families had all arrived.
Geniuses from all sides were also flexing their muscles, appearing eager to compete.
Spectators, the powerhouses of Jiangnan City, filled the stands layer upon layer, crowding the entire area. They surrounded the central arena so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through, numbering in the tens of thousands.
A rough estimate revealed at least ten thousand people!
Virtually all the respectable powerhouses in Jiangnan City were present.
The Jiangnan City Martial Arts Summit was already the most anticipated martial arts event. Moreover, this year's martial arts competition was related to the ownership of a priceless fire crystal vein, further stirring the hearts of various factions and countless individuals.
"So many geniuses…"
"Lv Qingniu of the Lv family is here, Mi Xiang of Tiannan Martial Arts Hall is here, Hua Xiaolou of the Hua family, and… Fu Long of the Fu family. These individuals are all renowned. It is said their strength is close to that of the Ten Great Young Masters, but they were not ranked among them due to their slightly lower origins!"
"Jiangnan City's number one beauty, Lan Xueyi, is also here! Why isn't her brother Lan Junjie with her? I heard Lan Junjie is also very strong."
"And her good-for-nothing husband Ling… pfft, forgive my tongue, he's Master Ling now! Master Ling hasn't arrived either."
"Look, look, the Ten Great Young Masters!"
"That's Young Master Ding Ku of the Ding family, ranked ninth among the Ten Great Young Masters…"
"Meng Ziqiu, ranked eighth, Wu Jianxin, ranked fourth, Tang Sanyang, ranked sixth…"
Many people recited the names of these thunderous geniuses as if they were familiar with them.
"Is that Tan Tianyang of the Tan family? He's ranked third among the Ten Great Young Masters. I heard he reached the late stage of Qi Refining long ago. I wonder how far he has progressed now."
"Look quickly, Huo Wuguang of the Huo family is also here, ranked second among the Ten Great Young Masters! Last year, he shone brightly at the martial competition, second only to the one from the City Lord's Mansion. He is definitely one of the favorites to win this year."
"Huh, Jin Wudao of the Jin family is also here!"
Many people were slightly surprised.