Chapter 7
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 7: Getting Into Trouble
Until Li Hui walked into the Artifact Pavilion with a fist-sized faint glow above his head, he finally realized that Cheng Zihuan had truly given him a chance to select an artifact.
Although he could only choose a low-level artifact with three Spirit Motion marks, it was an extremely rare opportunity for him.
Such chances typically required a certain amount of sect contributions, and one had to toil for three to four years to earn it. The six-link chain had already given him triple the return; adding a low-level artifact, the returns could exceed tenfold.
This made Li Hui feel contemplative, realizing he should treat others with sincerity going forward. Since joining the sect, he had been too cunning and too focused on petty gains, which had led his heart to become slightly askew; cultivation was also about nurturing the heart.
As for the faint glow above his head, it represented his eligibility to acquire an artifact.
“Copper Coin Sword?”
Li Hui’s eyes lit up as he spotted over thirty Copper Coin Swords hovering above a massive stone table.
These Copper Coin Swords were crafted from specific ancient coins, strung together in varying sizes from five inches to two feet. Usually, they didn’t possess much offensive power but could defend against evil spirits and poisonous insects.
In the center of the many Copper Coin Swords hovered a Silver Coin Sword.
This Silver Coin Sword was only around four inches long, and each silver coin on it was just the size of a fingernail, yet it firmly captured Li Hui’s gaze.
“There’s even a Silver Coin Sword! Just selling the ancient silver coins on it could get me five silver money symbols—five silver money symbols! That would be enough to feed those little ones at Chuxia Mountain for a month.”
Li Hui took a deep breath and finally averted his gaze, stepping around the massive stone table.
This area was the first level of the Artifact Pavilion, storing low-level artifacts with three marks and below. Artifacts were crafted in other rooms, and after two outer disciples left, it grew exceptionally quiet, leaving only him.
Crafting artifacts was not the main focus of the Jade Symbol Sect; talisman-making was their primary business, so the Artifact Pavilion also contained many talismans.
Next, Li Hui saw numerous spirit talismans floating in the air. However, talismans were consumables, and even though a few could be reused, they lacked the reliability of artifacts.
In fact, talismans had their advantages, such as being easy to activate, having great power, being easy to carry, and offering multiple functions with very low requirements for the user’s cultivation.
Although Li Hui understood that using an artifact required the user’s cultivation to be adequate, he still hoped to acquire one before leaving the sect—even if just as a souvenir, it would surely be useful once his cultivation improved in the future.
Putting aside the talismans, he noticed metal nets floating on the surrounding stone platforms.
These metal nets had a certain reputation within the Jade Symbol Sect.
The smaller silver net, called "Prisoner," was mainly used to capture prisoners. The larger silver net, called "Lockdown," could automatically chase enemies when deployed.
Additionally, there were two types of golden nets. The smaller golden net, called "Heaven’s Net," could transform into golden mist to traverse obstacles and ensnare enemies. The larger golden net, called "Sunshade," was specifically used to conceal one’s whereabouts, making it difficult for dozens of individuals to be detected while hiding beneath it.
“What treasures! Prisoner, Lockdown, Heaven’s Net, Sunshade—amazing!” Li Hui exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. He envisioned a day when he would elegantly wave his sleeves to release dozens of golden and silver nets, thrilling at the thought of how impressive that would look.
He continued walking forward, wanting to absorb as much as he could, even if he could only choose one artifact.
Before him, the stone table displayed mirrors, shields, and seals, but they looked somewhat rough and lacked the allure of the golden and silver nets.
Wandering for half an hour without encountering another disciple, Li Hui was deeply satisfied.
Finally, he stopped before a triangular stone platform, his eyes fixated on an iron sword adorned with three bright red flame patterns. He slowly reached out, as if afraid the sword might run away at any moment.
“The artifact patterns are striking! This sword is definitely a gem of this place.”
Li Hui felt that he had struck it rich. Even if he were to leave the sect after this, having this three-pattern iron sword as a prized possession would at least allow him to sell it in times of need to get through difficult situations.
While beautiful thoughts swirled in his mind, the moment his right hand touched the iron sword, the silver snake bracelet coiled around his wrist seemed to twitch.
“Eh? What’s this?” Before Li Hui could react, the silver snake bracelet appeared to come to life, gently opening its mouth and sucking in several bright red lights from the three-pattern iron sword.
These bright red lights were only the size of a needle tip, like tiny fireworks, constantly splattering scattered light outward, and in an instant, they rushed into the snake’s mouth, vanishing without a trace.
“Alive?”
Li Hui was startled and quickly retracted his hand, but when he looked at the silver snake bracelet, there were no abnormalities; it remained just a bracelet, and the previous scene felt like a mirage.
“What on earth?”
In just a few breaths, Li Hui remained in shock, not expecting to see the iron sword embedded in the stone platform develop large cracks, and within moments, it shattered at a visible speed.
One moment, this iron sword had an imposing presence and a superb appearance.
The next moment, it collapsed and broke, lying in scraps on the stone platform.
“No, this has nothing to do with me.”
Li Hui’s face fell, and he quickly scanned his surroundings, relieved that few disciples had entered the first level of the Artifact Pavilion and no figures were in sight.
“I need to get out of here; someone must be setting me up.”
Thinking this, Li Hui turned to run, but as he was about to exit the Artifact Pavilion, he realized that the faint glow above his head, representing his selection eligibility, had not dissipated.
“Wait, calm down, I must stay calm!”
“The eligibility is still here; if I leave like this, Brother Cheng will definitely suspect me. No matter who secretly put this strange bracelet on me, they must be looking for a way to incriminate me.”
“I need to choose another piece, just any piece.”
Li Hui forced himself to calm down and then ran to the stone table storing the Copper Coin Swords, deliberately reaching out with his left hand.
“Buzz…” Just as his fingers were about to touch the Copper Coin Sword, a strange silver light appeared at his fingertips. Li Hui watched as a faint glow flew out from the Copper Coin Sword.
“What’s this?” The needle-tip-sized faint glow automatically flew toward the silver snake bracelet, vanishing without a trace in an instant. The Copper Coin Sword showed minor cracks, instantly losing its spiritual quality.
“Oh my! What is happening? Why is this happening?” Li Hui panicked and reached out to grab another Copper Coin Sword in disbelief.
The result was no different. Just as his finger was about to touch the blade, it instantly sucked away a bit of the blue light, and the Copper Coin Sword was now covered in small cracks, clearly unusable.
“Who is it? Who is trying to harm me?”
Li Hui felt a headache coming on, unable to believe what was happening before him as the ground and walls filled with palm-sized characters, swiftly moving like schools of fish.
Suddenly, millions of characters charged at him, and frightened, he cried out as he waved his arms: “No, don’t come closer!”
This wild waving had dire consequences; all thirty-odd Copper Coin Swords on the table, including the central Silver Coin Sword, contributed a bit of faint glow, which then collapsed like a house of cards.
In Li Hui’s vision, the characters multiplied—Ancient seal characters, oracle bone script, and sturdy cursive script danced like demons, giving him an overwhelming sense of being swallowed up, never to awaken again.
