Chapter 7

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Chapter 7: A Rare Commodity Holds Its Value

Early the next morning, when members of the Lou Family saw Lou Yun actually walking outside the clan grounds, they involuntarily felt startled.

\"Today the sun really rose from the west—he\’s actually headed out!\"

\"No kidding! In nine years, his outings probably don’t add up to five times total. What’s gotten into him today?\"

\"Who knows? Since his father got injured these past two months, I haven’t seen him at all. Heard he’s been training hard. Ha! What’s the use? Waste stays waste. Look—no change at all!\"

Hearing his clansmen’s sarcastic remarks again, Lou Yun only gave a cold laugh, utterly ignoring them. Though these two months of intense training had brought him significant progress, outwardly he’d only grown taller and sturdier, with no other visible changes—after all, he still hadn’t condensed a magical weapon.

Though merely a midsize city under Gu Feng Nation, Lingjiang City buzzed with activity—crowds streamed across its streets, making it intensely lively.

Lou Yun had rarely left the clan since age six, yet Lingjiang City had changed little over these nine years. He quickly found his destination: a shop dedicated solely to selling common weapons.

Within Lingjiang City, three prominent families existed: the Lou Family, the Lin Family, and the Wang Family. Roughly equal in power, they contended fiercely, dividing most city industries between them, thus controlling the economic lifelines of Lingjiang City.

These three families schemed openly and covertly against one another, constantly plotting to devour their rivals and dominate Lingjiang City alone. Thus, tensions ran perpetually high between them.

The industries under these families were diverse and numerous. Yet only one shop sold common weapons, belonging to none of the three clans—it belonged solely to Lingjiang City’s lone skilled weapon maker, Xu Yangteng.

Though Xu Yangteng was merely a second-tier skilled weapon maker and only an intermediate three-star magical weapons master by strength, all three families desperately wished to recruit him. Yet Xu Yangteng proved an eccentric man—ignoring all, he ran his own common weapon shop independently.

Owing to the exalted status of skilled weapon makers, the three families never opposed him—instead, they fawned upon him wherever possible. Consequently, this common weapon shop’s business thrived splendidly.

Despite flourishing trade, Xu Yangteng enforced two bizarre rules: First, sell no more than five common weapons monthly, accept no reservations. Regardless of one’s influence or cultivation level, buying required queueing at his shop. Second, goods seek fated owners. Beyond selling, his weapons sought destined individuals. Who counted as fated? Only Xu Yangteng decided. Meaning, if he deemed you fated, you got the weapon even penniless. If deemed unfated, even mountains of gold wouldn’t buy one.

Rumor held that Xu Yangteng’s shop had operated for ten years, yet not one fated owner appeared! Yet he truly sold at most five weapons monthly—sometimes selling none at all for an entire month.

Gradually, people concluded both rules were mere publicity stunts designed to inflate his weapon prices.

Lou Yun naturally knew these rules. Since today was the month’s final day, he brought not only all his savings from fifteen years but also arrived exceptionally early.

Standing outside the closed shop, he saw many waiting eagerly—twenty at least. A quick inquiry revealed two weapons sold this month, leaving three final pieces. Thus the anxious crowd waited.

Lou Yun counted heads, mentally calculating odds—his chances seemed fair. Resolute about securing one weapon, he joined the waiting line.

Moments later, the door cracked open slightly. A boy’s head peeped out—around ten years old, sturdy and lively. Scanning the crowd, it withdrew instantly, the door shutting again.

Though impatient, nobody dared shove forward. Offending Xu Yangteng was no trivial matter!

Finally, the door opened fully. That boy stood center doorway like a mini adult, hands on hips: \"No crowding! Line up nicely. Enter in order! Ten at a time enter!\"

Lou Yun was in the third group. This boosted his confidence—even if the first two groups each bought one weapon, he still had hope for the last piece.

The first ten entered exultantly. Half an hour later, they emerged wholly crestfallen—none had managed to buy one.

Lou Yun pitied them slightly, yet inwardly rejoiced. The fewer sellers before him, the greater his prospects. Still, he worried over potential rejection.

Lou Yun gripped his plump money pouch, feeling slightly more assured. As the clan head’s son, his substantial pocket money—untouched for years—represented considerable savings. If Xu Yangteng’s rules were truly just publicity gimmicks, this wealth should suffice to buy one weapon.

Next, the second group of ten entered gleefully. Lou Yun’s position advanced considerably.

Suddenly, Chang Xiang’s impatient voice broke out: \"Hmph! Just some lousy second-tier skilled weapon maker, yet so many damn rules!\"

As Lou Yun meant to reply, sharp shouts cut through: \"Move aside! Out the way! Let my young master through!\"

Lou Yun glanced toward the sound. Five or six figures clustered around a youth, shoving past the queue forcefully.

Most bystanders seethed silently. This youth mattered greatly—Lin Yuehua, son of the Lin Family’s clan head, equal in status to the Lou Family.

Lou Yun had met Lin Yuehua a few times years ago. He knew her as vicious—her family’s power let her rampage freely through Lingjiang City. In her youth, locals already called her \"the little tyrant.\"

Seeing that Lin Yuehua had also come to buy a common weapon, Lou Yun\’s brow furrowed slightly. His spiritual senses could detect that Lin Yuehua currently possessed a beginner one-star magical weapon within her body.

Though Lou Yun disapproved of Lin Yuehua\’s behavior, he had no wish for trouble. Just as he was about to turn away and pretend not to see her, suddenly Lin Yuehua\’s eyes lit up; she had spotted him too!

A mocking smile spread across Lin Yuehua\’s face. Swaggering towards Lou Yun, she burst out laughing: \"Haha! I thought you looked familiar! So it’s you, Brother Lou Yun, Lou Yun! What, are you here to buy a common weapon too?\"

Her tone abruptly shifted as she reached out and lightly tapped her own forehead. \"Oh! Oh! What a memory I have! How could I have forgotten? Brother Lou is the famously prodigious genius of our Lingjiang City! Achieving ten ranks of weapon spirit power by age six! You\’re fifteen this year, right? Still haven\’t managed to coalesce a magical weapon? Guess you need to buy a common weapon now to keep up appearances!\"

As for Lou Yun\’s fame, scarcely anyone in all of Lingjiang City hadn\’t heard of it. However, since Lou Yun lived very secludedly, few had actually seen him in person. Hearing Lin Yuehua say this now, the surrounding people immediately realized: so this was Lou Yun!

Remembering Lou Yun\’s story, a variety of expressions surfaced on the faces of the onlookers, with undisguised mockery being the most common.

Hearing Lin Yuehua\’s words, Lou Yun didn\’t get angry. Instead, he smiled lightly. \"That\’s right. I couldn\’t coalesce a magical weapon, so I can only buy a common weapon to use. Unlike you, Young Master Lin. With your brand-new beginner one-star magical weapon, you\’re already the bully of Lingjiang City! And judging by your behaviour just now, the title \’bully\’ fits you perfectly!\"

\"You! Looking to die?!\"

Lin Yuehua lacked Lou Yun\’s depth or composure. This sarcastic retort instantly ignited her temper. Her eyes bulged in fury, and her right hand shot towards Lou Yun\’s shoulder. She intended to give him a hard shove, sending him tumbling and making a fool of himself.

However, today\’s Lou Yun was not the same as before. Two consecutive months of rigorous training, coupled with having just completed the first stage of body refinement, had made his body as hard as rock even in a relaxed state. Furthermore, Lou Yun deliberately wanted to give it a try and test his current condition. Seeing Lin Yuehua push him, he let out a cold inner laugh. He didn\’t dodge. Instead, he focused slightly, tightening his body.

The moment Lin Yuehua\’s hand made contact with Lou Yun\’s body, she vaguely sensed something was wrong. But before she could think, she abruptly increased her pushing force. Instantly, a rebounding force, at least twice as strong as her push, surged back from Lou Yun\’s shoulder.

This force traveled up Lin Yuehua\’s arm, through her shoulder, and slammed into her entire body like a heavy punch. She was flung backwards involuntarily. Her feet stumbled, and with a loud thump, she landed flat on her back, limbs splayed.

The surrounding crowd was momentarily stunned; then, a wave of raucous laughter erupted.

Lin Yuehua lay on the ground, dazed, unable to comprehend what had just happened. But when she caught the flash of a contemptuous smirk at the corner of Lou Yun\’s mouth, she snapped back to reality. Furious, she scrambled to her feet in one swift motion.

Lin Yuehua glared fixedly at Lou Yun, her eyes seeming to gleam with fire. She had intended to teach Lou Yun a lesson, yet instead, she had utterly embarrassed herself. She absolutely couldn\’t swallow this insult.

Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared in her hand. A silver-colored rod, about one and a half meters long, materialized in her grip. Embarrassed and infuriated, she had summoned her magical weapon, determined to properly teach Lou Yun a lesson this time.

Lou Yun had no formal combat experience. Still, the brief encounter moments ago had filled him with confidence. So, even seeing Lin Yuehua draw out her magical weapon didn\’t frighten him in the slightest. On the contrary, his expression became even more derisive. \"Well, well, Young Master Lin. To deal with one unarmed little kid like me, you actually need to use your magical weapon? You certainly live up to your title of \’little bully\’!\"

This remark instantly provoked fresh waves of mocking laughter from the onlookers. Indeed, Lou Yun\’s notoriety stemmed solely from his inability to coalesce a magical weapon despite his supposed talent. For Lin Yuehua to now use hers against him was utterly contemptible! Coupled with Lin Yuehua\’s usual bullying ways, which everyone in Lingjiang City despised, the crowd naturally sided entirely with Lou Yun at this point.

The mockery from the crowd struck Lin Yuehua\’s ears, turning her face pale with rage. Part of her knew this action was indeed excessive. But now that her magical weapon was already out, putting it away would be an even greater humiliation.

Just as Lin Yuehua was stuck in this impossible position, a childish voice suddenly rang out: \"No matter who you are, if you want to buy a common weapon, you must wait in line properly! If you want to cause trouble, take it elsewhere!\"

The speaker was the same young boy who had opened the door earlier. Though Lin Yuehua was accustomed to throwing her weight around, she dared not offend Xu Yangteng. After all, this skilled weapon maker was someone even her father treated with considerable respect. This gave her the perfect chance to save face. She retracted her magical weapon, glaring venomously at Lou Yun. \"Lou Yun! In less than a year, it\’s the scheduled duel between our three great families! I\’ll make sure you know my true strength then!\"

With that, she turned around and, flanked by her attendants, strode towards the very head of the queue. As she walked, she announced loudly, \"I have been waiting in line properly this whole time! And I was first in line!\"

Watching Lin Yuehua brazenly claim the first position, the crowd bristled with silent indignation, cursing her inwardly. The young boy observed Lin Yuehua\’s triumphant display with a cold snort but said nothing more.

Outside Lingjiang City lay a relatively small spiritual crystal mine, the source of spiritual crystals.

Spiritual crystals are stones rich in abundant spiritual energy. They are a precious resource for cultivators to absorb energy and enhance their cultivation. Thus, spiritual crystals command high prices, making the value of a spiritual crystal mine itself truly immeasurable.

As coincidence had it, this particular mine had been discovered simultaneously by members of the three great families. Though small in scale, none were willing to relinquish their claim. To settle the dispute over ownership of the spiritual crystal mine, the three families agreed to hold a duel every three years. The victorious family would obtain the mining rights for the subsequent three years.

The previous year, under the leadership of Lou Tianming, the Lou Family had successfully won the duel and secured the mining rights. Next year once again marked the time for the duel. That\’s why Lin Yuehua had issued her challenge to Lou Yun.

Lou Yun coldly sneered inwardly. \"That day, I will teach you a thorough lesson!\"

Half an hour later, the second group emerged from the shop. Judging by their expressions, they had all come out empty-handed!

Lou Yun’s heartbeat immediately quickened. He licked his slightly dry lips. It was finally his turn!