Chapter 281: Ruyi Jingu Bang

The cramped living room of Adrian’s house was buzzing with. Mara, Eli, Charles, Jeffery, Karl, Serena, Von, Nyra, and Damien. Every single one of his Vassals were all present in the small room, their eyes filled with anticipation.They had spent the first few minutes bombarding him with questions. Karl, in particular, was relentless. "Come on, Adrian! The Silver League is brutal! I’m stuck fighting these four-armed insect guys who are faster than lightning. What’s it like up in Diamond? Do they really have arenas in deep space? Do you get your own locker room?"

Adrian answered what he could, sharing tales of the missions, cultivation rooms and the sheer scale of the higher leagues.

He saw the hunger in their eyes, not just for glory, but for the strength to protect their people. They were all interested in how he had gotten so strong so quickly as well.

"I’ll save the details of my own strength for later," Adrian said, silencing the room with a raised hand. "But since you’ve all been asking how I got stronger... what if I told you I can make you all stronger as well? Right now."

A collective gasp went through the room.

Adrian had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he said, "Now... who wants to go first?"

As expected, Karl shot to his feet so fast he nearly knocked over the small table. "Me! Pick me!" He was the only one who had a clue what was coming.

Adrian had met him briefly in the Factory days ago and requested his spear for "modifications." Karl had been vibrating with anticipation ever since.

Adrian smiled and, with a thought, materialized Karl’s spear from his [Inventory]. To Karl’s surprise and excitement, the weapon didn’t look much different.

If anything, it looked a bit simpler, closer to its original form before the first upgrade.

Adrian held up the spear, balancing it effortlessly on one finger. "Tell me, Karl. Have you ever heard of Sun Wukong?"

Karl blinked, confusion washing over his eager face. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. ’This must be a test,’ he thought internally. ’A secret password to unlock the weapon’s true power. If I fail, maybe I don’t deserve the spear...’

He masked his fear with a wide, confident grin. "Of course! Who hasn’t heard of the legendary Sun Wukong?" he declared, his voice booming with a certainty that shocked even Adrian.

The rest of the room looked at him blankly. Even the oldest, Von, looked confused. Serena took the initiative. "I haven’t heard of him. Who is Sun Wukong?"

Adrian simply pointed his head toward his friend, hiding a smirk. "Go on, Karl. Explain to us. We’re curious."

"Yes, Karl," Charles demanded. "Enlighten us."

"Uh..." Karl stalled, his eyes darting around the room. "He... well, he’s a legend! A... a legendary Spear Fighter! From ancient times!"

Adrian could not hold it in any longer. He chuckled and shamed his head. "Close enough, Karl. Sun Wukong is a legend indeed. But he was also a trickster god, and a warrior of immense power known as the Monkey King. He single-handedly challenged the armies of Heaven and won. And his weapon..." Adrian hefted the spear. "It was a magical staff called the Ruyi Jingu Bang. It could change its size and shape at will, grow heavy enough to crush mountains or light enough to carry behind his ear, duplicate itself, and much more."

"Wow..." The reaction was universal. The idea of a weapon that could challenge heaven itself was awe-inspiring.

"And this," Adrian said, handing the spear to Karl, "is your own Ruyi Jingu Bang. I’ve infused it with special goodies. And now, it has the potential to rival Wukong’s own staff in the future."

Karl took the spear. His arm immediately dipped under the unexpected weight. It felt incredibly dense, as if the mass of a small moon had been compressed into the shaft. But as he channeled his mana into it, the weight vanished, becoming light as a feather. It was perfect.

Suddenly, Karl’s eyes went wide. He stared at the spear in his hands, then snapped his head up to look at Adrian in shock.

"Adrian! It... it talks!!"

Adrian was taken aback. "It talks?" He never did anything to help with that, so hearing that it talked surprised him. "What did it say?"

Karl’s face split into a grin of pure, unadulterated joy. "It said... ’Spear happy!’" He laughed, a manic sound. "This is a dream come true! Finally! A weapon that understands me! I’m going to call you... Lark!"

’Lark likes!’ a childish voice echoed in Karl’s mind.

"Hehe!" Karl giggled, stroking the shaft of the spear affectionately.

The others looked at Karl with a mix of skepticism and concern. Only Karl could hear the spear, so they didn’t fully believe him until Adrian confirmed it. "I just confirmed, and it can really talk. I guess it will learn and grow with him."

Karl didn’t feel like waiting any longer. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Adrian! Permission to use the Simulation Chamber? Lark and I need to bond! We need to break some stuff!"

"Granted," Adrian said with a smile. With a wave of his hand, he teleported Karl directly into the Factory’s training grounds.

"Phew..." Adrian sighed, looking back at the expectant faces of his other friends. "Who’s next?"

This time, the hesitation was gone. Having seen the insane, sentient weapon Adrian had just gifted Karl, everyone wanted to go next. Damien was eyeing Adrian hungrily, and even Nyra looked eager.

"How about this," Charles suggested, stepping forward with a diplomatic smile. "To keep things fair, let’s play a game. Whoever wins gets to go first. We’ll play rounds until the final person."

Adrian agreed immediately. "That sounds fair." Everyone nodded their heads, eager to prove their luck or skill to get their hands on their own upgrades.

Now, the only question remained.

"What game are we to play now...?"