Chapter 1229: Chapter 1226: Coercion and Enticement
The Sword Spirit of the Sword of the King was silent for a while, as if thinking, then said, "You seem to have a point, but I still can’t follow you, because you are not cultivating King Arthur’s techniques."
Damn it, I wasted my breath. Lin Tian almost wanted to curse, this Sword Spirit’s thinking is too stubborn, it’s just dead set.
However, he still patiently said, "Friend, let me tell you, if you follow him, it would be a great disrespect to King Arthur, an insult." Nice words didn’t work, let me provoke you a little.
Sure enough, the Sword Spirit immediately shouted angrily, "What do you mean? He’s the heir of King Arthur, how is it an insult to follow him? You better make it clear, or I’ll hit you!"
As it spoke, the Sword of the King buzzed loudly, perhaps out of anger, or preparing to strike.
Gotcha. Lin Tian’s lips curled into a smile, but he spoke with a serious tone, "Back then, King Arthur used the Sword of the King to achieve countless feats, bringing glory to both him and the Sword. But this guy here on the ground, he’s not strong enough, many people could defeat him."
"If he is defeated, that means the Sword of the King is defeated too. Can you and him live up to the glory King Arthur created? I think this is even an insult!" Lin Tian raised his voice at the end, expressing strong condemnation.
"You make a lot of sense, but he has inherited King Arthur’s abilities, it’s really tricky." The Sword Spirit appeared to be very troubled. Lin Tian thought there was hope and just as he was about to smile, the Sword Spirit suddenly said, "But, as long as you give me time, I can help him increase his power. No one understands King Arthur’s techniques better than I do."
"Damn it!" Lin Tian couldn’t help but curse. This Sword Spirit is just like a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard. Since soft words don’t work, I’ll try something more forceful.
His body flickered and he vanished, only to reappear under the Sword of the King. Lin Tian leaped with the speed of a rocket, instantly reaching the top of the Roman column where the Sword of the King was embedded.
Lin Tian reached out to grab the hilt, but the Sword of the King vibrated ahead of time, and with a swoosh, it slipped away, embedding itself in another Roman column, leaving Lin Tian grabbing empty air.
"I knew you would try to ambush me. You can’t catch me." The Sword Spirit said smugly, like a child playing hide-and-seek.
But as soon as it finished speaking, a shadow flashed by, and the Sword of the King was grasped by the shadow, pulled out. This shadow was Lin Tian. Not wanting to risk a long night, he pursued the Sword Spirit with the utmost speed, finally managing to grasp the Sword of the King.
"You... you’re so fast." The Sword Spirit said in shock.
Lin Tian jumped to the ground, smirking, "Just now, out of respect for King Arthur, I didn’t want to be rough with his sword. But since you’re so obstinate, I’ll have to use force."
With a hum, the Sword of the King vibrated violently. The Sword Spirit was clearly unsatisfied and tried to break free from Lin Tian’s grasp. The vibration of the sword was powerful, and Lin Tian, caught off guard, actually let it escape.
The Sword of the King shot out, embedding itself in another Roman column. The Sword Spirit couldn’t fly but could move by ricocheting, and it was quite fast at that.
"I’m angry now!" The Sword Spirit said furiously, and this time it was truly angry because golden sword light shone from its blade, then it slashed at Lin Tian.
The Sword of the King was broad, its blade wider than a palm, and its slashing momentum was no weaker than a large sabre. Plus, with the sword light on its blade, it looked like it was going to chop Lin Tian in half.
The Sword of the King was fast, but Lin Tian was faster. He threw a punch, striking the blade.
With a rumbling sound, massive shockwaves spread out, shaking the temple as if it would collapse at any moment. As the energy erupted, with a "crack," a clear sound rang out, and then Lin Tian was dumbfounded. The Sword of the King broke into two pieces right in the center of its blade.
Damn it, I broke the Sword of the King! Lin Tian couldn’t believe it, did I use too much force?
The two broken pieces of the Sword of the King fell to the ground, and a golden light ball emerged from the hilt. As soon as it came out, it tried to run out of the temple. Lin Tian wouldn’t let it succeed; he moved swiftly and appeared in front of the broken sword, reaching out like lightning and caught the golden light ball.
The light ball shrank in size, thrashing around in his palm, trying to escape. Lin Tian tightened his grip, and the little thing immediately calmed down.
"Stop, stop squeezing, you’ll crush me!" A panicked voice came from the light ball, sounding very anxious.
Lin Tian’s face was full of black lines, this little thing’s talking was utterly ridiculous, making it seem as if he was squeezing its balls.
"Quit pretending. I’ve finally figured you out; you’re not trustworthy at all. You’re more cunning than anyone. Now, tell me, what’s going on with the Sword of the King, why did it break?" Lin Tian asked unceremoniously.
"You’re so impolite. I’m older than you and am your senior. You should speak more gentlemanly." The Sword Spirit rattled on, its voice like a little boy yet speaking with an old-fashioned air, sounding awkward.
Lin Tian finally realized this was the true nature of the Sword Spirit, a voice of a little boy but essentially an old fox. An old guy from hundreds of years ago, I can’t believe I thought it was genuine earlier, Lin Tian thought grudgingly.
He said coldly, "Don’t talk to me about being a gentleman. What even is a gentleman? You know better than I do, having served with King Arthur and seen all those so-called gentlemen of the royal court plenty. Answer my question!"
The Sword Spirit paused, then said, "The Sword of the King breaking was your doing. That question should be asked to yourself."
"I’ll give you one more chance, think it through before answering." Lin Tian was not buying it, coldly stating.
"Maybe, possibly, probably because the Sword of the King has been left for too long, and its blade rotted; you know, nothing in this world is eternal, not even a treasured sword." The Sword Spirit dodged, not directly addressing the question.
Lin Tian’s eyes flickered with cold light, and his right hand’s five fingers tightened simultaneously, producing an ear-piercing creak.
Then came an exaggerated scream from the Sword Spirit, "It’s about to break, you’re going to crush it..."
"I told you to think it through before answering." Lin Tian showed no pity, his grip tightening further, making the Sword Spirit’s screams more exaggerated.
"Brother, take it easy. If you squeeze any harder, it will really burst. I’ll tell the truth, just stop." The Sword Spirit pleaded, though whether it was genuinely conceding, only it knew.
"Go ahead, no more nonsense." Lin Tian warned.
The Sword Spirit hesitated for a moment, then somewhat sheepishly said, "Actually, it’s because I’ve been absorbing the Sword of the King’s energy, causing the sword itself to weaken."