The purple light faded, and a semicircular silhouette slowly took form.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!"
March 7th gazed at the longbow in her hands, utterly captivated by its design from the very first glance.
The sky-blue bow body traced an elegant curve, its ends flaring backward into three luminous branches. Gold accents stretched outward from the arrow's nock, adorned with luxurious cloud motifs. The grip and the main body were divided into two layers, joined by faint blue streams of light, resembling the strings of a harp.
"What kind of bow is this?"
Though she was asking, March 7th's eyes lingered on the weapon with unconcealed affection.
Even though she had recently sworn to master swordsmanship, she had never forgotten that the bow was her true calling.
And this one—just the aura it emitted—surpassed any bow she had ever seen before. Whether it was an ancient bow imbued with strange powers or a modern masterpiece infused with cutting-edge tech, none could compare!
Yanqing and Yunli were equally stunned. For one, they had expected a sword—not a bow—to appear.
But more surprisingly, this bow radiated an extraordinary energy—one distinct from both the power of the Paths and the force of Concepts!
Sylvester's lips curved in a knowing smile as soon as he saw the bowstring. He was far too familiar with this thing; even without consulting the system's details, he already knew its nature.
Still, emerging from a Curio Trash Can should have greatly enhanced its power beyond its original form.
And sure enough—
After reading the detailed data, Sylvester smiled faintly. "This bow is called the [Elegy for the End]. It's a weapon once belonging to a god from another world. After adapting to this universe, its power has grown even greater."
As he spoke, he cast a sidelong glance at Yanqing, seated in the rest area, and added casually, "That god was about the same height as Yanqing here—and their voice sounded a bit alike too."
"Huh? There's such a coincidence?"
Yanqing was completely baffled by Sylvester's words.
Hmm… maybe it's just a resemblance, he thought.
He certainly wasn't about to let his imagination run wild, dreaming up some melodramatic family saga about long-lost relatives being reunited.
He was a true-born Luofu native—raised in a happy, complete family. There was no way he had a godly relative in some parallel world.
"[Elegy for the End]—even the name sounds powerful!"
March 7th's eyes roamed over the bow inch by inch, the longer she looked, the more enamored she became.
She straightened her stance, left arm extended, right hand drawing the string—instantly, the bow curved into a perfect full moon.
"So smooth!"
As expected of a divine weapon—even without the pulley system of a compound bow, the string of light drew effortlessly beneath her fingers.
And the moment she pulled it to full draw, a radiant arrow of pure light materialized—its tip swirling with a storm that distorted the very air.
And she hadn't even used a drop of her Path energy yet! If she went all out, wouldn't the firepower rival a star destroyer's main cannon?!
"It's that strong?"
"Of course," Sylvester said with a calm smile. "As a divine weapon, its destructive power is naturally formidable. But compared to its special effect, raw damage is merely a side feature."
"There's more?"
March 7th's eyes lit up with excitement. "It has another ability?"
"A god's weapon always carries a fragment of their authority," Sylvester explained as he poured another cup of tea. "Its first ability increases the wielder's energy recovery rate by fifty percent."
"The power of the Path flows like a great river when consumed, yet returns only as gently as a trickling stream—slowly absorbed and transformed from the world around you. Even someone like General Jing Yuan faces the same limitation. Their ultimate techniques are rarely used—not because of cooldowns like in some action game—but because recovering energy is slow and difficult. That's why battles are often decided in one decisive strike."
He took a sip of tea and continued, "But with this bow, things change. You can unleash your most extreme attack right from the start, catching your opponent off guard. If your tactics are sharp enough, that single move could decide the entire fight."
He finished his tea in one gulp, placing the cup down with a crisp clink. "You're all martial experts; you understand what this means. A fifty-percent increase in recovery—this is a power multiplier!"
"It really has that strong an effect?"
March 7th lifted the longbow reverently, her heart burning with excitement.
Of course she understood what Sylvester meant.
Every Pathstrider had their signature skill. For her, it was Glacial Cascade—its power was over five times stronger than her next-best ability! Yet the energy it consumed wasn't five times greater.
Mathematically, spamming that skill would be the most efficient choice.
But her total Path energy was far too low; she couldn't even cast it twice in a row!
Now, with the [Elegy for the End], she could use Glacial Cascade twice in a single battle—and maybe even more in a prolonged fight!
In that case, her combat performance wouldn't just double—it could easily triple!
Standing beside them, Yunli nodded slightly. With [Avalon] in her grasp, her energy reserves were practically endless. Though she found the bow impressive, it didn't strike her as game-changing.
Yanqing, however, was another story entirely.
His mind flashed back to his duel with General Feixiao when he first wielded the Massacre Ruler.
Back then, he had used only an improvised variant of Celestial River Collapse.What if he could have combined it with the genuine version?
Or even the evolved form he grasped during his battle against Jingliu—Celestial River Collapse: Dream?
With that—and the [Elegy for the End]—perhaps he could actually stand toe-to-toe with an Emanator-level foe.
He might not win, but he certainly wouldn't lose in a single blow!
Both Yanqing and March 7th were deeply shaken. The effect's description was simple, yet the impact was enormous.
No flashy gimmicks—just pure, elegant numerical brilliance.
"I can't believe something this beautiful is also this brutal. It's perfect!"
The more March 7th thought about it, the more flawless the bow seemed to her.
She was a bit of a looks fanatic, and this bow—beautiful and powerful—had no flaws to speak of.
"No," Sylvester said, shaking his head, "it's even more perfect than you think."
"Miss March, try casting four non-damaging skills—doesn't matter if they're not from the bow itself."
"Huh? Why?"
Though puzzled, March 7th followed his instruction.
She cast her defensive skills one by one, granting shimmering shields to her two masters and Stelle.
"Oh? So this is little March's defensive technique? Quite comprehensive—much more versatile than an iron block defense," Yunli remarked, tapping lightly on the spherical shield. A brief inspection told her that its durability far exceeded March's offensive strength.
"And then? Shopkeeper Sylvester, what does this do for Miss March?"
"It's not just for her," Sylvester said with a smile. "It benefits all of you!"
He gestured downward with both hands, grinning. "Close your eyes and feel the change for yourselves."
"?"
Everyone looked even more confused. What change? It was just a shield, wasn't it? Strong, sure—but how could they feel anything from that?
Maybe the bow amplified shield strength? That would still be amazing—but could they even tell the difference firsthand?
Still, they all closed their eyes as told.
A second later, their eyes flew open—in shock.
"How is this possible?!"
March 7th gasped. Even she hadn't expected this. The improvement wasn't in the shields—it was in their attack power!
Her Path energy had surged in quality; any attack she launched now would hit at least forty percent harder!
"It can actually boost everyone's Path power?"
Yunli was stunned. This bow didn't just strengthen March 7th—it empowered the entire team!
On a battlefield, if such an effect were extended to thousands of soldiers… what a sight that would be!
"Not just that!"
Among the four, Yanqing alone still had his eyes closed, brow furrowed tightly. "Focus—there's another mysterious force being bestowed upon us!"