Chapter 142: Pinky

Xie Xiu's POV:

After I became the leader of the sect, I discovered that my unique-grade 'Red Willow Katana' had changed color from red to pink. In the past, whenever I was in a critical situation it would sometimes do this temporarily, but it would always return to red after some time had passed. However, after the day I became the sect leader, no matter how much time had passed, the blade still remained pink. So, I went to ask the little monster who had taken up residence in the sect leader's personal library. Since that little maniac had made it her mission to read every last book in the sect before leaving, I thought she might know something about my blade, and I was not wrong.

"Wow! That's a nice-looking evolution you got there! You want me to give it a sword spirit, or do you want to make your own?"

"Sword spirit? Never mind that! Can you tell me what's wrong with it?"

"Silly Kissy! Nothing is wrong with it! It just got enough exp to evolve is all!"

"Exp? Evolve?"

"*sigh* Do the stableboys teach you horses nothing these days?"

"Could you just talk normally? And stop calling me a horse, you short little-!"

*Bonk*

"AAAAAHHH!"

"It's your lucky day rude horsy! This great teacher will explain how weapon evolution works!"

"You see, when a sword like yours is exposed to enough aura, souls of the dead or pretty much any spiritual force or entity it might come into contact with. It gets infused with what I call experience points or exp for short. If it gets enough exp it can level up and evolve into a new form, gaining new power and abilities in the process. That pink color is a result of being infused with your second stage aura for a prolonged period. And by the looks of things, it seems that it now qualifies as a legendary-grade artifact. Congratulations horsy girl! You did it!"

"Wait! WHAT?! HOLY SHIT! ARE YOU SERIOUSE?! THIS CAN HAPPEN?!"

"Yep! And as per the rule of the universe, all good things come in three! Which is why the sword can make one more evolution before reaching its final form!"

"ARE YOU SAYING THIS THING CAN GROW EVEN STRONGER?! WHAT THE HELL DID MY MASTER GIVE ME?!"

"He only gave you a unique-grade sword! It was you who raised it into a legendary one! Anyways back to the lesson! After it has made this first metamorphosis, it becomes suitable to contain a sentient spirit that can help in using, unlocking and even developing new abilities within the weapon. These are known as sword spirits and they usually form a soul from soul fragments in its surroundings over a long period of time, much like how babies form their souls from within the womb or egg depending on the lifeform."

"A baby? WAIT, A BABY?! I'M NOT READY TO BE A MOTHER!"

"Well, it'll take decades, maybe even centuries to form on its own! So, if you would just give it to me I can just shove some old farts soul into it instead! Hey, where are you going?"

"THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I'M LETTING YOU MESS WITH MY BABY YOU LITTLE TWERP! YOU SAID IT WOULD TAKE DECADES RIGHT! I'LL PROBABLY BE READY FOR IT THEN, SO KEEP YOUR GRUBBY LITTLE HANDS OF IT!" I shouted as I ran away from the little freak of nature.

Awhile later.

After leaving the library, I was met with a dilemma.

"So, what should I call you now?" I asked as I looked up at my pink katana.

With its new appearance its old name didn't quite fit it anymore. Plus, it didn't seem right to me to call my future child by that name either.

"Mei, Hua, Li, Ai, or maybe Xiao Mei! Argh! This is too annoying!" I muttered as I was trying to come up with a good name.

"Screw it! Let's just call it 'Pinky' for now!" I said, deciding to kick the problem further down the line.

A few days later I would come to regret this decision as the temporary name I gave it had somehow been etched onto the hilt of the blade, as it somehow became a permanent part of its identity. According to what that twerp told me, everything I do or say around this thing will affect what kind of sword spirit I get, even if it's not born yet. I should have put some more thought into the name, because no matter what I do or say, the name won't change, and I am now stuck with 'Pinky'. There is apparently a small chance it could change over time if I keep at it, but apparently traits like this are hard to change once they have taken roots.