Chapter 377

Chapter 377: Transformation

"My sister has been spoiled by our family."

After Zuo Xiaolan left, Zuo Xiaomo sighed with a wry smile and said to Wang Chen, "Brother Wang, please don’t take it to heart."

He introduced Zuo Xiaolan to Wang Chen mainly to help his sister expand her connections within the Inner Sect.

Zuo Xiaolan’s talent surpassed Zuo Xiaomo’s, and she had a promising chance of being promoted to the Inner Sect.

However, promotion from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect was no easy feat unless one possessed extraordinary talent.

In critical moments, a little extra support could tip the scales between success and failure.

Wang Chen, who hailed from a remote area without any influential background, was, in Zuo Xiaomo’s eyes, the most valuable person to befriend.

Those with prestigious identities and backgrounds were beyond the reach of both him and Zuo Xiaolan.

Unless they were willing to pay a hefty price!

Unfortunately, Zuo Xiaomo’s well-meaning efforts were not appreciated by his sister.

Zuo Xiaolan clearly had other plans; she treated Wang Chen with indifference and soon excused herself to leave.

Zuo Xiaomo felt helpless and could only apologize to Wang Chen.

"It’s alright."

Wang Chen smiled and said, "Brother Zuo, let’s continue our conversation."

He didn’t mind Zuo Xiaolan’s departure; her leaving actually made their discussion more convenient.

Zuo Xiaomo was a member of the Zuo Family in Wailing City. Although he belonged to a collateral branch, his family boasted a Golden Core true master.

Most importantly, Zuo Xiaomo had a rich family heritage and was a local native, making him an ideal source for Wang Chen to gain deeper insights into the West Sea Sect’s internal and external affairs, helping him avoid detours in his plans.

With Zuo Xiaomo eager to make amends, he answered all of Wang Chen’s questions openly and thoroughly.

The two conversed from morning until afternoon.

In the evening, Zuo Xiaomo invited Wang Chen to a nearby tavern, which significantly strengthened their bond.

After the banquet, Wang Chen politely declined Zuo Xiaomo’s invitation to the brothels and chose to explore Wailing City alone.

Wailing City at night was even more vibrant than during the day; the shops along the street lit up thousands of Obsidian Lamps, illuminating the entire street and reflecting the neatly arranged pavilions and buildings.

The pedestrians on the street brushed past each other in an endless flow, and Wang Chen could see practitioners everywhere, like fish crossing a river.

Being amongst them, Wang Chen felt as if he were a fish back in water, experiencing an indescribable sense of ease.

After all, he still preferred the bustling atmosphere.

After wandering around the city for half an hour, Wang Chen entered a shop.

The name of the shop was quite simple: "Sword Shop," and everything sold there was related to swords.

This included flying swords and legal swords.

"Esteemed guest, how may I assist you?"

The shopkeeper was an elderly man with white hair and perfect mastery in Qi Training, who wore a kind expression and greeted him warmly.

Wang Chen took out his Wind and Thunder Sword from his storage bag and asked, "Can this spirit sword be transformed?"

The Wind and Thunder Sword was the trophy Wang Chen acquired after defeating the Golden Core seed, Liu Yingxiu, from Wufeng Mountain.

This second-grade spirit sword possessed special powers of Wind Control and lightning condensation, and as Wang Chen migrated from Yunyang to the West Sea Spiritual Realm, he defeated numerous enemies with it.

However, despite the Wind and Thunder Sword’s outstanding quality, it did not perfectly match Wang Chen’s affinity.

As he primarily harnessed fire in his cultivation, he struggled to wield the spirit sword with complete ease in battle.

He had long wanted to transform or enhance the Wind and Thunder Sword but had never found the right opportunity.

Now that he was finally settled, the thought resurfaced.

This "Sword Shop" was not a random choice for Wang Chen; he had specifically asked Zuo Xiaomo, who recommended this shop said to have a Golden Core weapon refining master behind it.

"A good sword."

The shopkeeper took the Wind and Thunder Sword with both hands, displaying a gleam of appreciation in his eyes.

He was clearly a connoisseur of swords; he held the sword in his left hand and gently flicked the spine of the sword with his right finger.

The Wind and Thunder Sword suddenly emitted a clear, resonating sound, and faint lightning shimmered along the blade.

After admiring it for a moment, the shopkeeper asked, "This Wind and Thunder Sword comes from a renowned master and has reached a high level. What kind of transformation do you wish to make?"

Wang Chen replied without hesitation, "I primarily harness fire."

The shopkeeper promptly understood, saying, "I see."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Our shop recently acquired a piece of lightning fire essence. If we infuse this into your Wind and Thunder Sword and reforge it, we can enhance its lightning and Fire Attribute, elevating its grade to the highest level."

"But once reforged, it won’t be able to be improved further."

This really could work!

Wang Chen ignored the last two sentences and straightforwardly asked, "How many spirit stones will it cost?"

The shopkeeper stroked his white whisk, smiling, "One thousand five hundred Intermediate Spirits."

He added, "Our shop does not haggle."

One thousand five hundred Intermediate Spirits?

Wang Chen’s eyes twitched.

By the usual conversion rate, one Intermediate Spirit was equivalent to one hundred spirit fragments, meaning that one thousand five hundred Intermediate Spirits equated to one hundred fifty thousand spirit fragments.

But in reality, one hundred spirit fragments could never be exchanged for one Intermediate Spirit.

The shopkeeper, sensing his reaction, added, "If you also include three taels of fire essence, the fire capabilities of this spirit sword will increase by another thirty percent, doubling the power of your fire-based techniques!"

"Three taels of fire essence will only cost one thousand Intermediate Spirits."

Wang Chen looked up at the sign hanging on the shelf, confirming it read "Sword Shop" and not "Bar."

But he felt a deep sense of regret.

With a budget of three thousand, it was turning into ninety-eight thousand!

He initially intended to spend a few thousand spirit stones to modify the Wind and Thunder Sword and enhance his combat power.

Settling into the inner sect of the West Sea Sect for cultivation and exchanging techniques and cultivation resources all required contribution points.

Contribution points could only be earned through completing sect tasks.

This meant he would often face fierce battles, and stronger weapons and equipment were essential.

He hadn’t expected to fall into such an enormous pit!

"I can do it!"

Wang Chen gritted his teeth and said, "Two thousand five hundred Intermediate Spirits; I won’t haggle, but you have to give me a flying sword for sending messages."

A flying sword for messaging requires a specially crafted flying sword. This flying sword serves as a professional delivery tool, lacking substantial lethality but excelling in speed and distance, far superior to a message crane.

The West Sea Sect’s mountain gates were too vast, and communicating with others via crane was too slow and not very safe.

Buying a flying sword for messaging was a necessity.

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright."

Two thousand five hundred Intermediate Spirits, according to the current market exchange rate, amounted to three hundred thousand spirit fragments.

Wang Chen first paid half of the deposit: one hundred fifty thousand spirit stones.

To be honest, it was impossible not to feel pain.

After all, this half deposit was worth more than the Wind and Thunder Sword itself.

But as the saying goes, "You can’t catch a wolf without losing a child." For the long term, Wang Chen gritted his teeth and made this significant sacrifice.

He just hoped it would be worth it!