High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

The stall owner was a tall, skinny man. When he saw Gao Fei, the corners of his eyes crinkled into a smile as he familiarly came forward to greet him.

"Well, if it isn’t Xiaofei. Bringing a friend to hunt for some treasures today?"

"Uncle Zhang, you got any good stuff?"

Gao Fei slapped the counter familiarly. "My brother here is in a hurry. He needs a Wingsuit with a Spiritual Energy Path. You got any in stock?"

"Yes, of course."

The stall owner, addressed as Uncle Zhang, answered and turned to drag a heavy canvas bag out from under the table.

SMACK!

The canvas bag was thrown heavily onto the counter, kicking up a nearly invisible cloud of dust.

Old Zhang straightened up, pinched out the cigarette butt hanging from his lips, and dusted off his hands. He then unhurriedly pulled open the bag’s zipper.

Inside the bag, ten long, rectangular packages were neatly stacked.

They were all wrapped in heavy, black oilcloth, still stained with hardened motor oil, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"This is a batch I just acquired. Haven’t had time to unwrap and appraise them yet."

Old Zhang pointed at the packages, his eyes glinting with the unique cunning of an old hand.

"They’re all Wingsuits. Some were dug out of ruins, others were given to me by down-on-their-luck Hunters to settle debts."

He looked at Han Feng and continued, "The worst one in here has a market buyback price of at least fifteen thousand."

"The best one... if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, could sell for thirty-five thousand or more."

He held up two fingers.

"Twenty thousand Contribution Points."

"Pick any one of these ten bags and take it with you."

Old Zhang grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking.

"If you pick a Top Grade item, it’s your good luck."

"If you pick a dud, well, that’s just your fate."

"This way, no one owes anyone anything. We can still be uncle and nephew when we see each other next time. How about it?"

Gao Fei’s eyes went wide.

"Uncle Zhang, you’re playing for such high stakes? What if he picks your prized treasure? Won’t you be heartbroken?"

"You win some, you lose some."

Old Zhang waved his hand dismissively.

"In a place like the Black Market, it all comes down to luck."

"When your luck is in, you can’t stop it. When it’s not, you could be holding gold and it’ll turn to a pile of shit."

Han Feng looked at the ten oilcloth packages, the corner of his mouth curling into an almost imperceptible arc.

’A game of luck?’

’For him, this was basically an open-book test.’

"Alright, we’ll do as Uncle Zhang says."

Han Feng didn’t hesitate, agreeing readily.

He walked up and, for show, reached out to touch and tap each of the oilcloth packages, as if discerning their material and weight.

With a thought, his [Spiritual Vision] quietly activated.

In an instant, the dim world before him was replaced by a brilliant glow of energy.

The ten oilcloth packages seemed to have been instantly stripped of their coverings, their internal energy fluctuations clearly displayed before his eyes.

The first one emitted a faint, grayish light, as weak as a guttering candle.

Its Energy Circuits were intermittent. It was clearly a defective item.

The second was a bit brighter, its white light mixed with a hint of murky green.

’Probably an ordinary Tier One Spiritual Energy Power Wingsuit.’

Han Feng’s fingers slid imperceptibly over the third, the fourth...

Most of them were common goods, their glow dim. A few even had completely blocked Spiritual Power nodes, like dead pieces of scrap metal.

Until his hand stopped on the most inconspicuous package in the corner, the one whose oilcloth was even caked with a patch of dried mud.

BUZZ!

Han Feng’s gaze narrowed slightly.

A deep, pure, azure light, like an oceanic whirlpool, shone out from the filthy package, almost searing his eyes!

The light wasn’t dazzling, but it was exceptionally concentrated.

Its internal Energy Circuits were as complex as an intricate labyrinth. Countless tiny points of light flowed rapidly within them, forming a flawless energy cycle.

The intensity of this energy was even brighter than the Tier Two Spiritual Energy Armor at a neighboring stall, which was priced at eighty thousand Contribution Points!

Han Feng’s breathing remained steady, his expression as calm as still water.

He didn’t pick up the package directly. Instead, he calmly moved his hand away and patted a few other packages, pretending to weigh his final choice.

"Brother Feng, pick the long one! It looks heavy!"

Gao Fei gave useless advice from the side, anxiously scratching his head.

"Or that one! That one’s wrapped up tight, it must have something good inside!"

Old Zhang also had the look of someone enjoying a good show, leaning against a shelf with his arms crossed.

"Young man, don’t listen to this fatty’s nonsense. This stuff isn’t sold by the pound. Trust your intuition."

Han Feng smiled, his palm finally landing back on the mud-stained package.

"This one."

He hooked it with a finger and pulled the unimpressive-looking package out.

Old Zhang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"You sure?"

"That one’s the worst-looking of the batch. When I got it, it was practically rotting in the mud."

"Since it’s a game of luck, you have to take the unconventional route."

Han Feng patted the dirt off it. "I just feel a connection with it."

Gao Fei looked constipated. "Brother Feng, this... this is too filthy. It looks like it was fished out of a garbage dump. Why not switch to a cleaner one?"

"No switching. The deal is done."

Han Feng’s tone was certain.

Old Zhang didn’t waste any more words. He pulled a folding knife from his waist, and with a flash of the blade, deftly cut the ropes on the oilcloth.

RRRIP—

As the layers of oilcloth were peeled away, the faint, cool scent of metal filled the air.

When the last layer of oilcloth fell, the dim stall seemed to brighten for a moment.

It was a neatly folded Wingsuit.

The entire suit was a matte, dark gray. The material was neither metal nor wood; it was cool and smooth to the touch, like the tanned hide of some kind of High Tier Demon Beast.

A row of small, deep blue crystals was embedded along the Wingsuit’s spinal frame.

The most striking feature was the edge of its Wing Membrane. It wasn’t a straight line but was covered in fine, serrated patterns. A faint shimmer of light seemed to flash within each groove.

Seeing the item in its entirety, Old Zhang’s casual expression instantly froze.

His perpetually half-lidded eyes suddenly shot wide open, his pupils trembling. The folding knife in his hand fell onto the counter with a CLANG.

"Ho... ly..."

Although Gao Fei wasn’t an expert, just by looking at its design and texture, he knew it was no Mortal Grade item. He stared at Old Zhang with his mouth agape.

"Uncle Zhang, what... what the hell is this thing?"

Old Zhang ignored him. As if he had seen a ghost, he tremblingly picked up the Wingsuit and examined the inscriptions on its spinal frame over and over.

After a long moment, he let out a heavy breath. With a pained expression, he looked up at Han Feng as if staring at a monster.

"You kid... have your hands been blessed or something?"

Old Zhang shook his head with a bitter smile and picked up the Wingsuit.

"This is a ’Ghost Bat.’ And it’s the original military prototype."

"Ghost Bat?"

Gao Fei scratched his head. "Sounds pretty scary."

"No kidding! How could it not be scary?"

Old Zhang pointed at the serrations on the Wing Membrane’s edge, his voice cracking.

"This thing was designed for nighttime infiltration!"

"See these serrations?"

"This is a miniature Wind Rune Array!"

"It can cut through the airflow during high-speed flight, not only achieving complete silence but also generating extra lift!"

"Its frame is synthesized from the spinal bone powder of a Tier Two Demon Beast, the ’Shadow Leopard.’ It’s light and incredibly tough!"

"Although it’s nominally a Tier One Upper Grade, its actual performance can absolutely smoke most of the entry-level Tier Two Spiritual Energy Power Wingsuits on the market!"

The more Old Zhang spoke, the more pained he looked, practically clutching his chest.

"When I first acquired this batch, I thought this was just a common replica. Who knew it was the genuine, original article!"

"If this thing were taken to auction and an expert saw it, it would go for thirty-five thousand, easy!"

Hearing this, Gao Fei was so happy he nearly jumped for joy, throwing an arm around Han Feng’s neck.

"I knew it!"

"Brother Feng, your luck is just insane!"

"It’s like we didn’t even pay for it! We just got a Top Grade item for free!"

Han Feng stroked the cool surface of the Wingsuit, a slight tingling sensation spreading from his fingertips.

In his Perception, the Energy Circuits inside the Wingsuit were exceptionally clear, even seeming eager to resonate with his Sword Essence.

’This is a good "sword."’

’An absolutely good sword!’

If he combined it with his , the device’s aerial maneuverability would likely reach an unimaginable level.

Old Zhang sighed, pushed the folded Wingsuit toward Han Feng, then picked up the heavy money pouch and tossed it under the counter without a second glance.

"Take it, take it, just get it out of my sight. It’s pissing me off."

Old Zhang lit another cigarette and took a deep drag, looking at Han Feng with a meaningful gaze.

"Young man, with luck like yours, it’d be a real shame not to try the ’blind boxes’ over there."

Han Feng’s eyebrow twitched. "Blind boxes?"

"Just ahead, turn left into that big hall."

Old Zhang pointed deeper into the passageway. "It’s the Black Market’s special weekly event. All the items are dug up from the Sky-Mist Ruins or the Fallen Zones. Some have special rune seals on them, so you can’t scan them with Divine Sense, and instruments can’t get an accurate reading."

Gao Fei’s eyes lit up as soon as he heard this.

"Brother Feng! Uncle Zhang is talking about the ’Fog Plate’ auction!"

He excitedly grabbed Han Feng’s arm and shook it.

"That place is great!"

"Last time, I heard someone spent five hundred points on a broken iron box and ended up opening it to find a perfectly preserved ancient Spirit Plant Seed. He turned around and sold it for two hundred thousand!"

"Became rich overnight!"

Han Feng rubbed his chin.

’This thing... it’s a bit like the ’stone gambling’ I heard about in my past life.’

’Though nine out of ten bets are losses.’

’But since there’s a place that relies entirely on ’vision,’ it would be a waste not to check it out.’

’After all, his ’vision’ was basically a cheat.’

"Let’s go take a look."

Han Feng picked up the Wingsuit bag, his tone relaxed.

"You got it! Let’s go!"

Gao Fei excitedly led the way, filling Han Feng in as they walked.

"These ’Fog Plates’ are really just a gamble."

"Some of the boxes brought back from the ruins might have intact seals, but inside there could just be a handful of ash or a rotten stone."

"But they could also hide Ancient Technique Fragments, rare metals, or even some kind of unknown technological core."

The two of them passed through several narrow passageways. The surrounding stalls became fewer and fewer, and the environment grew quieter.

A heavy, soundproof door appeared ahead, with two heavily armed guards standing at the entrance.

Gao Fei flashed an entry pass, and only then did the guards step aside to let them through.

Pushing the door open, the scene inside was completely different from the chaotic market outside.

It was a small auction hall, similar to a university lecture hall, that could hold about two hundred people.

It was currently about seventy to eighty percent full. The air was a mixture of cigar smoke and perfume, and the atmosphere was subtly tense.

At the front was a half-meter-high display platform. Behind it stood a middle-aged auctioneer in a tuxedo, who was adjusting his collar while holding a small gavel.

Han Feng and Gao Fei found a corner to sit in near the back.