Chapter Six: Purchasing a Flying Sword

After leaving the small town, Li Chengzhu finally took out the storage ring with a mischievous grin to inspect its contents. Upon seeing what was inside, he was overwhelmed with excitement.

The ring's owner must have been either a master or someone of immense wealth and status. The storage space of this ring was at least five times larger than his own. Inside were nearly a thousand low-grade Celestial Stones, over a hundred of the medium-grade variety, and thirty-five high-grade stones, as he counted.

He had struck it rich—extraordinarily so. Li Chengzhu's smile stretched all the way to his ears.

Within the ring was also a flying sword imbued with fire attributes, undoubtedly of the highest quality, along with many advanced materials for weapon forging and pill refining, plus a heap of lower-grade materials. However, there was also a bracelet-like magical artifact whose secrets Li Chengzhu could not fathom.

The bracelet, a deep azure color, was neither an offensive nor defensive artifact, yet Li Chengzhu recognized the material—it was pure amethyst!

He had once stolen less than a couple of ounces of amethyst from his miserly master, who then raged about purging his own disciples. This incident alone revealed how precious amethyst was in the Immortal Realm, and yet the bracelet before him was crafted from a solid block of it, with no other materials added.

As far as Li Chengzhu knew, amethyst could block magical spells, and when used in moderation during forging, it greatly enhanced the quality and grade of any artifact. Staring at the bracelet, which weighed nearly two pounds, he drooled, but he still had no idea what its true purpose was.

Block others’ spells? But it was far too small—what could it possibly shield?

Perhaps it blocked one’s own spells? Li Chengzhu mocked himself—who would be so foolish as to need that?

He turned the bracelet over and over in his hands, pondering whether it was merely a decorative item.

He slipped his hand through the bracelet; it felt heavy, and somehow made him exude a hint of nobility. Even if the amethyst bracelet had no practical use, Li Chengzhu was thoroughly pleased. It was a fortune! If he exchanged it for high-grade Celestial Stones, his own storage would barely hold them.

And if he traded it for low-grade stones? Li Chengzhu glanced at the little creature perched on his shoulder, and with a sly smile said, “Even you couldn’t finish eating them in a lifetime!”

“Squeak, squeak!” The little thing jumped up excitedly.

It wasn’t until Li Chengzhu cast a Wind Step spell to speed up his flight that he discovered the true function of the amethyst bracelet.

It completely shielded his spiritual pressure fluctuations!

Li Chengzhu was ecstatic; it felt as if fortune itself had dropped onto his head.

There were isolation formations that could reduce a caster’s spiritual pressure, but to completely block it was unheard of.

To test his theory, Li Chengzhu looked around to make sure he was alone, then summoned the God-Slaying Bow, gradually channeling spiritual energy into it.

As he suspected, no matter how much spirit power he infused or how much wood essence he mobilized, his spiritual pressure was entirely shielded.

Only when he released the God-Slaying Arrow did he sense, for a brief instant, that world-destroying energy surge.

“Haha!” Li Chengzhu burst out in wild laughter. With the amethyst bracelet, he could confidently ambush others from behind. Coupled with the God-Slaying Bow, he could defeat foes much stronger than himself. If anyone mistook his cultivation for weakness, he would simply strike from the shadows—how delightful!

He stowed away the bracelet and bow, then took out a storage ring—he wasn’t sure if it belonged to Hao Meili or Cui Xiaoshao—and placed a hundred low-grade Celestial Stones inside. Adopting a kindly expression, he cleared his throat and benevolently told the little creature, “We’re brothers, so our accounts must be clear. These Celestial Stones are your share.”

“Squeak, squeak!” The little thing raised its paws in protest.

“Ahem, if you come across any treasures in the future, remember to put them in the ring—it’s yours, understood?” Li Chengzhu’s face showed not a hint of embarrassment.

“Squeak, squeak-squeak!” The little creature was thoroughly dissatisfied with Li Chengzhu’s overbearing attitude, waving its paws furiously.

Li Chengzhu ignored the protests and pressed on.

Along the road, he discovered that the little creature could swallow a storage ring whole and later spit it out intact. He could only attribute this remarkable ability to its instincts—no wonder Treasure-Seeking Mice were so renowned.

After two days of relentless travel, Li Chengzhu arrived at another small town in the Immortal Realm. Though he encountered many other cultivators along the way, everyone was good-natured, merely passing by one another. Li Chengzhu praised the excellent public order of the Immortal Realm.

Upon entering the town, his first priority was to find a weapons shop. He had two flying swords, but they were ill-gotten goods; he couldn’t risk exposing them. If someone recognized them during a fight, it would be troublesome. He was eager to acquire a sword of his own.

As soon as he entered the shop, the proprietor greeted him enthusiastically. “Are you here to buy a flying sword, sir?”

Li Chengzhu was surprised to see a shopkeeper in the Immortal Realm with such a fleshy, plump face. He nodded, “Yes.”

The owner grew even more cordial, dragging Li Chengzhu over to a pile of flying swords. “How about this one? It’s called Heaven Reliant, forged by our chief craftsman over forty-nine days from thousand-year cold iron. Its edge is so sharp it could slice a hair—if it’s not to your liking, how about this? This one is Dragon Slayer, made with thousand-year fire crystal and offers a hundred percent boost to fire spells—still not satisfied? No problem, look at this one: Blood Jade. Its fiery red blade doubles the effects of fire spells, not just one hundred but two hundred percent! It was once the weapon of the Firecloud Immortal—still not satisfied? Then look at this one…”

Li Chengzhu was dragged around by the shopkeeper’s greasy, fat hand, shown swords that were at best of medium quality for half an hour. The shopkeeper’s face never flushed nor did he run out of breath, and he seemed intent on continuing. Li Chengzhu hurriedly interrupted him, “If these are the best swords you have, then there’s no point doing business.”

The proprietor glanced at Li Chengzhu, seeing only a Nascent Soul stage novice, his attire hardly befitting someone wealthy—he didn’t even have a defensive artifact. Smiling, the owner said, “There are higher-grade flying swords, but…”

Li Chengzhu abruptly pulled out thirty high-grade Celestial Stones and slammed them onto the counter, squinting at the shopkeeper with the air of a nouveau riche.