Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

That night, neither of them slept well.

By the next evening, they had returned to sleeping in the cave.

After all... they were accustomed to it.

The outside was too noisy; from time to time, the ghastly howling of beasts affected their sleep.

Though the cave was a bit damp, a bit stuffy, a bit dark, had a strong earthy smell, and the air was a bit murky...

But it was quiet. As long as one could sleep soundly, what did it matter where they slept?

...

Early morning

"Zzzt~"

"Crack!"

In the courtyard, a small mouse was struck by a Palm Thunder, pulverized into bits.

"Once you reach a proficient level, there are seldom any mishaps, and the speed of casting is also much faster. Now I can control it within one second, but this casting speed is still too slow... In one second, I can unleash four bursts of Spiritual Power with my fingertips, swing my sword more than ten times, and run a full fifty meters... Most battles end within a second!" Chen Li thought to himself, silently chanting again to continue practicing.

As a First Order Level Four technique, with his current level of Qi Cultivation Stage Five, he could cast it with full force six times.

However, after casting it four times, he stopped, extravagantly taking out a Qi Replenishing Pill and a Qi and Blood Elixir from two porcelain vials, swallowing them in one go, and letting their medicinal strength disseminate slowly to restore his Spiritual Power.

Then he picked up his sword and began practicing his swordsmanship.

His current income was already enough to support such expenditures.

...

Time flew by, and over a month had passed in a blink of an eye.

Spring faded and summer arrived.

The situation in the shantytown deteriorated further.

As humanity retreated step by step, and fewer and fewer people ventured into the forest for adventures, it gradually became a forbidden zone for humans. At the same time, Demon Beasts coming to the shantytown for food became more frequent.

It was as if a large group of prey nearby always attracted various predators to converge.

Although the Demon Beasts near the shantytown were continuously killed by cultivators in an on-and-off manner, their numbers did not decrease but instead continued to grow.

Here, food was abundant, and everyone was a cultivator with flesh and blood rich in Spiritual Power, incomparable to the common beasts of the forest. Once a Demon Beast tasted the sweetness, it would not leave easily.

...

Marketplace.

"Big brother, it’s in the Yu Family’s pill shop," said Zhao Lin.

Having Zhao Lin inquire about the news on magic swords, Chen Li finally made progress and hastily went to the agreed time and place of the transaction, carrying all his savings.

"This old guy is quite stubborn and has a foul temper, claiming it’s a hereditary sword, boasting that his ancestors were at the Foundation Establishment level... heh, if his ancestors were so glorious, they wouldn’t have fallen to this state..." Zhao Lin talked nonstop along the way.

Chen Li listened while continuously waving off the flies and mosquitoes that came his way.

The trash in the marketplace piled up more and more, unattended and rotting under the summer heat; the stench made it nearly impossible for one to set foot there, and countless insects swarmed, persistent despite all attempts to drive them away.

Luckily, everyone here was a cultivator, with hardly any ordinary people around, and with strong resistance to diseases, otherwise, the place would have been plagued by epidemics long ago.

The transaction for the sword was to take place in a private room of the Yu Family’s pill shop.

When Chen Li entered, there were already three people inside.

One was the old Loose Cultivator who was selling the sword, another was Yu Fan Zhen, who Chen had seen before, and the last was an elder who, judging by his demeanor, seemed to be from the Yu Family.

"I didn’t expect to see Chen again. I am merely here to act as a mediator and witness the transaction, and I will not get involved in any other matters," Yu Fan Zhen said upon seeing Chen Li, standing up gracefully to state his position.

"I didn’t expect it either, greetings to Fellow Daoist Yu!" Chen Li bowed his hands in greeting.

One could see that after this period of training, she had become much more experienced in handling matters.

At least she now dared to look at his ferocious ’butcher’s face.’

"Let me introduce you. This is my uncle, with the surname Yu, named Wu Feng, an expert in appraising items, he used to be in charge of the family’s business of magical instruments."

Chen Li bowed again in greeting.

After exchanging pleasantries,

Chen Li turned to the old cultivator selling the sword: "Fellow Daoist, how do you intend to sell the sword?"

"I only trust the Yu Family. I will consider the appraisal and valuation, if it satisfies me, I will sell; if not, I won’t sell, no one should try to deceive me," the old cultivator said expressionlessly. However, his efforts to control his trembling hands and feet betrayed his apparently calm emotions.

"In that case, let’s begin with the appraisal," Chen Li nodded and said without much ado.

The old cultivator carefully took out a sword wrapped in cloth from within his robe and handed it over to Yu Wu Feng.

Yu Wu Feng had little to say.

He solemnly received the object with both hands, placed it on the table, and patiently unwrapped the layers of torn cloth surrounding it.

A plain black scabbard came into view, inconspicuous and unremarkable.

He wiped it down with a clean cloth and sniffed it, "Ordinary wood scabbard, not worth a penny."

"This was replaced later," the old man muttered, his expression growing more tense.

Yu Wu Feng examined the hilt, seeming somewhat uncertain of its material.

He then grasped the hilt and slowly drew the sword.

In an instant, an invisible sharp aura permeated the elegant room.

It was as if a sharp blade was facing them, forcing Chen Li’s hairs to stand on end.

Finally, Yu Wu Feng’s expression showed a change. His lips moved silently, chanting spells. Seconds later, a light seemed to shoot from his eyes, and he stared unblinkingly at the long sword. Gradually, sweat began to form on his forehead.

It didn’t last long.

The brilliance in his eyes soon faded.

"This is a Sword Cultivator’s weapon, the sword weighs thirty-five catties, and is mainly forged from mysterious iron, mixed with a bit of ’Geng’ gold and three parts of silver essence. It was refined day and night by a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s true fire. Although the blade bears no engraved arrays, thanks to the proper refining process, a natural array came into being. Just a surge of Spiritual Power is enough to unleash boundless Sword Qi, making it incomparably sharp.

Despite lacking a spirit of its own, which makes the sword somewhat flawed, it’s actually good for the buyer. It’s easier to handle, ready to use right off and its value should be equivalent to that of a Second Order Low-grade Magical Instrument.

If one nourishes and refines it daily with their Spiritual Power and vitality, it wouldn’t be impossible for it to develop its spirit," he explained.

"Hiss!" Zhao Lin next to them sucked in a breath of cold air.

The old man was actually telling the truth.

He actually had such a treasure in his possession.

This was a Second Order magic sword. Before this, Zhao Lin had never even seen one.

Chen Li suppressed the excitement in his heart. He had to have this sword, no matter what. He sat still, his expression calm, and asked, "I wonder what Fellow Daoist Yu’s appraisal of its value is?"

"Thirty-five Mid-grade Spirit Stones," Yu Wu Feng said casually. "I wonder if both parties are willing to trade?"

Yu Fan Zhen’s expression changed upon hearing this, hesitating to speak.

"That’s the price, not a penny less!" the old cultivator blurted out quickly. "Don’t even think about bargaining. This is a family heirloom; no one can fool me out of it!"

"Let’s trade at that price," Chen Li, after a long silence, nodded expressionlessly.

He then reached into his sleeve and pulled out a heavy purse, dumping all of the Spirit Stones onto the table.

With a clattering sound,

hundreds of Spirit Stones covered the tabletop.

Most of them were Low-grade Spirit Stones, with only a handful of Mid-grade Spirit Stones among them—this was all his family’s savings.

Chen Li set aside three Mid-grade Spirit Stones and counted out sixty-five Low-grade Spirit Stones, putting them back into the purse. He then said to the old cultivator, "Count them, there should be exactly thirty-five Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

"Alright, I’ll count them," the old cultivator said excitedly, nearly fainting, trembling as he counted the considerable sum three times over.

"The count is correct!"

The transaction was completed.

Chen Li took the sword, casually clasped his hands at those present as a farewell, and left with Zhao Lin.

After Chen Li departed,

Yu Wu Feng smiled at the old cultivator, "Now that the trade has concluded, are you satisfied with this price, Fellow Daoist?"

"Satisfied, very satisfied. I wouldn’t dare forget the 20% commission and the appraisal fee," the old cultivator quickly said with a bow and an ingratiating smile. "I will give it to you now."

After giving seven Mid-grade Spirit Stones,

the old cultivator didn’t dare linger a moment longer. He quickly left, vanishing without a trace.

"Uncle, isn’t this valuation a bit too high?" Yu Fan Zhen couldn’t hold back his question. "The price of magic swords is already far lower than that of Magical Instruments, and besides, this sword is second-hand. Normally, eighteen or nineteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones would be enough."

"You’re aware of ’usual circumstances,’ but do you know the current situation, when everything is on the rise? It’s only here that the price of Magical Instruments is depressed; elsewhere, they’ve already skyrocketed. Even doubling the price would still be a bargain," Yu Wu Feng said nonchalantly.

"But to offend our peers here for this, is it really worth it? Especially now that the old ancestor..."

"Silence!" Yu Wu Feng interrupted. "It’s just a poor, backwater Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivator we’re talking about. What offense to speak of? They all have short lives. Who knows, he might die any day now. But I didn’t expect he would actually have the money,"

Yu Wu Feng sighed.

If it weren’t for the fact this place was a market bustling with people and concerned with his family’s reputation, he would have allowed the old cultivator to leave peacefully with his fortune. Just now, he had even thought about killing him and seizing the money for himself.

Twenty-eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Even he didn’t possess such wealth.