Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

Ignoring what Asher had said, Arianna spoke again with her usual commanding tone, "Your current cultivation base may be low, but still, it is enough for you to take on the High Stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. But when it comes to Peak Stage, then unless they are some random nobodies, you will get your butt handed back to you."

"Then what should I do to bridge the gap? I don't want to get killed just because my level wasn't high enough. Not to forget, I got girls to protect there. Even if they are strong enough to defend themselves, I am not going to risk it." Asher replied with concern in his voice as he started thinking about possible solutions available within reach.

Arianna crossed her arms beneath her breasts, which only served to emphasize its size even further while she nodded at him before speaking, "You already know what you need... Techniques!"

Hearing her words made sense considering how much difference there could be between two people fighting against each other even though both might belong to the same cultivation realm or even lower than that if one party possessed superior techniques.

In fact, many times it happened during the Twilight Mist Sect's disciple selection process too, where most participants who had no proper guidance ended up getting defeated by those who did despite having a higher cultivation base compared to their opponents!

"But that isn't all you need. You have to change your weapon from that sword of yours to something more suitable." Arianna said after a brief moment of silence between them.

Asher's brows creased upon hearing what she said. "What do you mean by changing my weapons? Do you think I am not good enough with this sword or what? And I am not one to brag, but even Teacher Rias said that I am a genius at learning sword arts. So I don't see any point in going through all the hassle of learning a new weapon with the limited time left."

Seeing him react like this didn't surprise her one bit, as if expecting such behavior from him beforehand.

After letting out an exasperated sigh mixed with amusement, Arianna replied, "You have said it yourself, 'genius at learning'. If you are so good with a sword, then what will happen when you pick up another weapon that is more suitable for you? Tell me, how many weapons have you tried before, and what was your experience with them? Did you like the sensation of swinging around those weapons in your hands?"

"..." Asher didn't say anything and just stayed silent.

"I can't believe it! You never even bothered trying anything else other than a sword because it was the only thing you were familiar with?" Arianna shook her head at the revelation that Asher hadn't been experimenting with different types of weaponry available out there for him to try out and choose whichever suited best according to his own personal preference.

Then she continued speaking once more without waiting for his response, "Well, now that I think about it again, maybe there is nothing to be surprised about here since most people tend to stick with what they already know instead of exploring new possibilities... But still... for someone like yourself who is capable enough in terms of skills and talents required for mastering various martial arts techniques out there... not giving it some thought is quite disappointing."

She stopped talking for a second as if wanting him to understand exactly where he had gone wrong before continuing further with her speech.

"So let me explain further why I am insisting on changing your main weapon from a sword to something else." Arianna said before continuing, "As you know, we have a Spirit that is a manifestation of our soul. And these Spirits can take any form possible depending upon their owner's personality, innate element affinity, and talent."

"So? What does that have anything to do with weapons or me?" Asher asked with confusion visible across his face.

"It has everything to do with you because your Spirit is that of a devouring serpent! It means if you choose to learn techniques compatible with such a spirit and weapons that go hand-in-hand together, then they will be more powerful and effective in battles than otherwise," Arianna clarified before stopping once again for Asher's sake so that he could process everything better.

Asher frowned while thinking hard about whatever information was just shared by his grandmother before nodding at last when it finally made sense inside his mind.

"Alright... I understand what you are trying to say, but still... Wouldn't this take time? We only have 1 month left before the secret realm opens. How am I supposed to master another weapon within that period?"

"Don't worry about the time limit too much and focus on learning instead of worrying over unnecessary things." Arianna waved her hand without any signs of concern visible on her beautiful visage. "I have already thought about everything beforehand, and you need not bother yourself with such trivialities as these. Just trust in me, alright? And don't forget that I am here for your sake alone, so stop hesitating and start moving forward toward your goals."

With those words spoken aloud from her lips, Arianna extended one slender arm outward, where a dark spear appeared out of thin air before landing perfectly into her waiting palm, which grasped onto its shaft and pointed it toward Asher's direction.

It looked majestic as if being crafted by someone who had been honing their skills over centuries just to create something truly unique like this masterpiece itself!

Its entire length gave off an ominous aura while exuding immense power within its depths, giving anyone who saw it an impression that it could kill Gods with ease alone.

The spearhead was sharp with a dark crystal fitted at its very center, and its blade had intricate patterns engraved all across its smooth surface.

The shaft part seemed to be carved from some kind of dark wood with fine engravings done over its surface, giving off a sleek look overall without losing any bit of elegance or gracefulness in appearance whatsoever.

All in all, it appeared like something straight out of myths and legends about weapons used by legendary characters during ancient times, making anyone's breath catch inside their throats upon seeing such an artifact before their own two eyes for the first time ever since birth!

Yet due to its eerie nature combined with sinister vibes radiating from every corner of its body, most people wouldn't dare touch it even if they were given permission to do so.

But then again... Who would want to risk getting cursed after touching something like that anyway?!

"This is?" Asher asked while feeling his heart skip several beats due to sheer amazement at what he was witnessing right now.

In response, Arianna threw the spear towards him, "It's called 'Midnight Tempest'. This is a 9 Star Grade weapon, something that even the Emperor Rank experts would drool for."

Catching the spear with one hand, Asher couldn't help but marvel at its perfect balance between weight and length.

And as he held onto this weapon within his grasp, it almost seemed like the sword he had used before was nothing more than a child's toy compared to this masterpiece itself!!

Even though Asher was a Nascent Soul Realm expert, he could feel the power surging within this weapon. It made him realize that even if he used all his strength, there was no way he would be able to wield this thing.

"Hey... Why are you giving me such a powerful weapon? Isn't this too much? Don't you think I am not ready for it yet?"

"Indeed... You aren't." Arianna replied with an amused smile on her lips. "But don't worry. This weapon already has seals placed over it, so you won't have to worry about not being able to use it because of the difference in cultivation base. Moreover, these seals can be broken by you once you get strong enough."

"I see..." Asher muttered as he started studying every aspect visible across the surface area available for inspection. Find adventures on empire

Seeing that, Arianna explained further about the artifact in detail while adding certain details regarding its capabilities and abilities.

"This spear has been crafted using different types of materials combined together into one single unit to create something truly unique out there! From what I know about it, there are three main components used during the forging process. The first one being 'Dark Meteorite Ore', which forms a spearhead. It was found in one of the meteorites, having immense toughness along with incredible sharpness, allowing the spearhead to pierce through almost everything."

She stopped talking for a moment before continuing again.

"The second component being used here is called 'Nightshade Wood'. This wood has a very high degree of flexibility along with enough toughness required to withstand powerful impacts without breaking apart. Hence, this makes it perfect material for making shafts like these!"

After finishing her explanation regarding the second component, Arianna moved onto explaining the last part remaining left out from her speech.

"Lastly, there's the most important aspect present within this spear... And that's none other than the rarest crystal found anywhere across our world, the 'Soul-Eater Crystal'." She paused once more before continuing further after taking a deep breath first. "This particular type of crystal contains a special kind of energy capable of harming and devouring souls and spirits! Hence its name."

"Why do I feel that this weapon is made just for me?" Asher asked after hearing all the details. It was too much of a perfect match to be a coincidence.

"Indeed, it was forged after getting inspiration from your Spirit. The blacksmith who made this spear is an acquaintance of mine. So it wasn't much trouble convincing him to create it according to your requirements." Arianna smiled back at him before adding, "I hope you will make good use of it."