Lu Ye speculated that this was related to the recent enhancement of his strength. The stronger he was, the more powerful the spirit runes he could activate were. Ultimately, spirit runes existed on the basis of his spirit force.
Moreover, the long knife in his hand barely qualified as a Spiritual Artifact, no longer the mundane iron sword he had used before. With the same spirit runes bolstered on a Spiritual Artifact and on a mundane iron sword, the effects were distinctively different.
A single Fire Serpent Talisman and a slash aided by Sharpness allowed Lu Ye, at Spirit Stream Level 2, to cut down a physique cultivator at Level 3.
His figure hardly paused as he crossed the fallen bodyguard and immediately attacked the well-dressed Young Master.