Chapter 86
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Chapter 86: Good Sword! Good Bargain
By the time Zhang Yang broke through, night had already fallen. Remembering that he had promised to go again the next day to save face, he refrained from leaving immediately, as he still cared about his reputation.
Instead, he continued his cultivation, aiming to stabilize his Nine Extremes Returning to Origin realm.
For the first time in his life, he experienced a profound respect for martial arts.
Whether it was because his cultivation speed had been too fast or because the first gate of the immortal path was not as simple as it appeared, he suddenly felt his martial arts foundation tremble, showing signs of instability.
After consulting with Xue Feishuang, he learned that he had indeed advanced too quickly.
Martial arts required a solid foundation, just as building a house needed a firm base.
He would need time to consolidate his progress.
However, Xue Feishuang also mentioned that while others might need over half a year to consolidate, Zhang Yang might require far less, since he was often an exception to the norm in martial arts.
Regardless of his talent, consolidation remained essential.
That night, Zhang Yang devoted himself fully to the process. Consolidation also required careful observation.
Upon thorough inspection, he discovered that his current vital energy naturally carried the nine essential traits of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness. These traits seemed to diffuse into invisible particles that continuously nourished and stabilized his martial arts foundation.
He wondered if this was the first step toward establishing a foundation for the immortal path.
It was entirely possible. After all, his path was different from others. Even Chi Zhenyi had mentioned that future cultivation paths might evolve. The immortal path would certainly not end with just the first gate—there would undoubtedly be a second, third, and even fourth gate. Zhang Yang had already prepared himself for such changes.
The night passed without incident.
The three of them either practiced or continued researching the treasures.
Martial artists, particularly after entering the third major realm of the Returning to Origin realm, needed only to meditate and recuperate for an hour to gain more benefit than ordinary people would from eight hours of sleep.
The next day dawned bright and clear.
After breakfast,
Zhang Yang prepared for another foray.
Yuluan was full of excitement, having already set her sights on many of the non-sale items.
Even Xue Feishuang seemed eager, silently wondering if her junior brother had led her astray.
As they stepped outside, they encountered a hurried Lou Pingfan.
"Old Lou, I was just looking for you," Zhang Yang greeted him with a smile.
To Lou Pingfan, that smile looked more like the grin of a devil.
"Master, I was also looking for you," Lou Pingfan replied, instinctively spreading his arms to block Zhang Yang’s path. "Look, this is the Shadowless Bamboo, crafted into the Shadowless Sword."
With a flick of his wrist, a sword appeared in his hand.
The sword was less than a meter long, dark and dull, its sharpness only faintly apparent. However, when Lou Pingfan infused it with elemental energy, the blade and hilt gradually became translucent, as though they were about to vanish entirely.
Zhang Yang’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "What a good sword!"
Lou Pingfan clicked his tongue in frustration, realizing he had offered something so valuable just to prevent Zhang Yang from tricking him again. He had even stayed up late to forge this exceptional killing sword.
"Wait a minute," Zhang Yang said, accepting the sword and examining it carefully. His brow furrowed as he added, "Old Lou, I gave you a piece of Shadowless Bamboo that was two meters long, but you made a sword that’s less than one meter? Are you trying to cheat me out of my bamboo? No way! I’m going to confront them. This is outrageous! I’m giving away four hundred thousand spirit stones for free!"
Lou Pingfan nearly jumped up in anger, barely restraining himself from cursing. "You took a sword worth less than ten million and think you’re being cheated when you’ve already received free goods worth over a hundred million? You didn’t spend a single spirit stone!"
"Master," he said through gritted teeth, "forging this sword overnight required a tremendous amount of materials and energy. It’s normal for some losses during crafting. You must understand that creating a boundless sword from a single piece of Shadowless Bamboo is worth far more than the bamboo itself. Besides, they will need ten days to rest and recover before they can work again."
Zhang Yang stroked his chin thoughtfully and muttered, "That’s true. After all, it’s a boundless artifact. Hmm… how about this: I’ll give them four hundred thousand spirit stones as a gift. Old Lou, let’s bring them some thank-you presents—just something under ten million. You know me, I’m a generous man."
Lou Pingfan clenched his fists, barely resisting the urge to throw a punch.
Zhang Yang continued, "Old Lou, let’s go to your place and have a seat."
"No need!" Lou Pingfan declined immediately.
"I say, Old Lou, are you afraid I can’t pay with spirit stones?" Zhang Yang asked coldly. "That’s a bit offensive to this master."
Lou Pingfan silently cursed, thinking this so-called master was nothing but trouble.
Aloud, he replied, "I’m only thinking of what’s best for you. This sword was just successfully forged and needs to be refined immediately. If your bloodline is strong enough, it could even enhance the sword’s quality. We can’t afford to delay."
“Is that so?” Zhang Yang asked.
“Of course. Many marvelous materials were added to this sword, all to ensure you could settle down,” Lou Pingfan replied.
“Ah? Settle down?” Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow. “Am I not settled? Who said that? I’ll go find him and settle the score.”
Lou Pingfan quickly apologized. In the end, he had to pay a hundred Spirit Stones to calm this troublesome master down.
Spirit Stones were a high-grade version of regular spirit stones, with one Spirit Stone worth ten thousand spirit stones. However, the support they provided for cultivation was immeasurable. The aura within Spirit Stones was so pure that one could effortlessly refine it into elemental energy, not only saving time but also preserving the purity of the elemental energy. Thus, any major power basically used Spirit Stones for cultivation.
The Shadowless Sword had truly been a surprise for Xue Feishuang.
She immediately returned to her room to refine it in seclusion.
When it came to bloodlines, hers had not been particularly remarkable, but after being baptized in saint’s blood, it underwent an astonishing transformation. Additionally, with her experience of coming back to life, Xue Feishuang was no longer comparable to her former self.
The process of refining took Xue Feishuang half a day. Once she fully mastered it, combined with her Boundless Shadow Technique and the speed granted by the three True Spirits of Wind, she was indeed on her way to surpassing those assassins step by step.
She cherished the Shadowless Sword greatly.
However, after adapting to it, Xue Feishuang put the Shadowless Sword away and turned her attention to the beast scale. After some research, she made a few discoveries and grew increasingly interested in the beast scale, believing it would be very useful.
Zhang Yang also rummaged through over two hundred treasures to build up his collection, which was key to gradually strengthening his foundation, as he never knew when it might come in handy in the future.
What began as a peaceful day—especially for Lou Pingfan—was expected to be lovely and uneventful.
Who would have thought that an angry shout would break the tranquility?
It came from the courtyard where Zhang Yang was, and it was Yuluan’s voice.
He and Xue Feishuang rushed out of their rooms at the same time.
Xue Feishuang remained in a shadowy, invisible state.
They saw Yuluan, red with anger, pointing at the Iron Guards’ leader, Tie Gu.
“What happened?” Zhang Yang asked.
Yuluan angrily pointed at Tie Gu and gritted her teeth. “He dared to speak filthy words to me.”
Tie Gu, however, acted as if he didn’t care at all. “Master, it’s just your maid. What’s the big deal?”
In an instant, a surge of rage erupted from Zhang Yang’s chest, and he said coldly, “Kill him!”
Yuluan didn’t give Tie Gu a chance to speak again and swung her sword toward him.
Whoosh!
Having already reached the Touching Heaven realm, she completely disregarded Tie Gu, who was only at the ninth level of the Ascending to Heaven realm.
The sword light flickered, and a line of blood appeared on Tie Gu’s neck. He screamed and fell to the ground.
In an instant, the Iron Guards surged forward, drawing their swords and encircling them.
Zhang Yang smiled coldly. “Young Master Liu Feijue, is this the Iron Guards you arranged to protect me?!”
His laughter was eerie, lacking warmth.
