Chapter 41: Preparation in Advance (Please Follow, Newbie in First Round PK)

"I will personally settle this matter with Lingyu Gate."

"All you need to do, Brother Qin, is ensure the Beast Tooth Rice is harvested on time."

"As for the rest, there's no need to worry too much."

Gu Qingzhao's voice was crisp as a spring, carrying an air of unquestionable authority.

Hearing her say this, Qin Ming felt reassured and let out a sigh of relief.

He hadn't expected Gu Qingzhao to blame him at all—on the contrary, she seemed to have a solution.

After concluding his conversation with Gu Qingzhao.

Qin Ming did not rush back to Qingliang Xiaozhu.

Instead, he went downstairs to find Shopkeeper Liao.

"I'd like to buy a magical artifact—do you have any recommendations, Shopkeeper?"

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Liao's eyes lit up; he beamed and said warmly, "Brother Qin, what type of magical artifact do you need? We have them all."

"Hmm, an offensive-type artifact—preferably one suited for Body Refinement cultivators," Qin Ming said after a moment's thought.

Shopkeeper Liao paused in surprise but asked no further questions.

He immediately smiled and said, "Brother Qin, please follow me to the fifth floor's Artificer Pavilion."

The fifth floor of Juxuan Pavilion.

The entire level was dedicated to selling and purchasing various magical artifacts.

As soon as Shopkeeper Liao and Qin Ming stepped onto the floor, the shop attendants rushed forward to greet them, guiding him along the dazzling display counters with detailed explanations.

"Mid-grade magical artifact: Cold Frost Sword. Its slashes are razor-sharp, imbued with a chilling ice attack. Price: three hundred and fifty spirit stones."

"Mid-grade magical artifact: Qinggang Blade. Forged from century-old cold iron by Liehuo Duanbing Shop. Price: four hundred spirit stones."

"Mid-grade magical artifact: Flame Hammer."

After walking around, Qin Ming interrupted, "Do you have any high-grade magical artifacts?"

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Liao's face flushed red and his spirits lifted instantly; he barked orders to his staff.

"Did you hear that? Bring out the hidden treasures—no more delays!"

Moments later.

Three exquisitely packaged long wooden boxes were placed before Qin Ming.

Shopkeeper Liao opened one; inside lay a jet-black long spear.

"High-grade magical artifact: Dragon Spine Spear. The spearhead and shaft are forged as one from Huoyun Jinjing, releasing flame attacks upon thrusting, with exceptional armor-piercing capability."

"Price: nine hundred spirit stones."

Shopkeeper Liao spoke smoothly, watching Qin Ming's reaction with some uncertainty.

"Continue," Qin Ming nodded.

"Next is this one: High-grade magical artifact, Stone Mountain Great Sword. Forged from extraterrestrial meteoric iron, extremely resilient, weighing a thousand jin. Price: one thousand spirit stones."

Qin Ming stared at the colossal sword—twice as wide as Yang Guo's—and whistled in amazement.

"Finally, this one—"

Shopkeeper Liao opened the long wooden box, revealing a black longblade before Qin Ming's eyes.

"High-grade magical artifact: Brother Hei Feng Blade. Forged from wind-element materials sourced from the Yin-Sha lands."

"However—" Shopkeeper Liao suddenly halted mid-sentence.

Qin Ming frowned. "What is it?"

"To wield this blade, the cultivator must possess exceptionally robust vital energy; otherwise, it is nearly impossible to control," Shopkeeper Liao explained with a nervous smile. "If your constitution is even slightly weak, you risk being devoured by the malevolent aura."

Qin Ming reached out and picked up the Brother Hei Feng Blade; instantly, a tyrannical malevolent aura surged up his arm.

He exerted just a slight force, letting his internal blood qi flow along his arm.

The blade's previously ferocious aura, as if encountering its nemesis, recoiled swiftly.

It became docile at once.

Shopkeeper Liao's smile froze; he stared, dumbfounded.

"How much for this Brother Hei Feng Blade?"

"Th-this—I didn't realize Brother Qin is a Body Refinement cultivator! Others might pay more, but for you, it's twelve hundred spirit stones," Shopkeeper Liao hurriedly replied. Qin Ming's lips twitched slightly.

What is called precise salesmanship? His spirit stone pouch happened to contain just over thirteen hundred spirit stones.

"Can you lower the price?" Qin Ming asked directly.

Shopkeeper Liao gave an awkward smile. "Brother Qin, you know our pavilion never cheats young or old—this twelve hundred is already our lowest price."

"How about this—I'll personally arrange to gift you the 'Bloodburning Blade Art,' perfectly matched to this blade, worth one hundred spirit stones."

"And as a regular customer of our pavilion, you're entitled to a twenty percent discount, saving you even more spirit stones," Shopkeeper Liao pleaded earnestly.

"Deal."

Qin Ming gritted his teeth—he had angered Jiang Kun's group and urgently needed a reliable magical artifact for protection.

He had no choice but to pay dearly.

As for the spoils from killing the five cultivators led by Ruan, they were all low-grade artifacts—he no longer needed them and would have to dispose of them eventually.

But selling them here was out of the question.

"Brother Qin, your total is one thousand and eighty spirit stones," Shopkeeper Liao said, beaming—he'd just closed another major sale.

Qin Ming swiftly counted out the spirit stones and handed them over.

He took the Brother Hei Feng Blade from Shopkeeper Liao and stowed it in his storage pouch.

Transaction complete.

"Brother Qin, why not come downstairs for some tea?" Shopkeeper Liao invited politely.

Qin Ming shook his head and said, "No, I still have important matters to attend to."

"In that case, let me see you off, Daoist Friend Qin."

The two went downstairs and arrived at the first-floor great hall.

Inside the first floor of the wine house.

"Shopkeeper!"

"Do you buy demon beast corpses here?"

"They're all mid first-rank, five or six of them."

"He～tui～"

Just as Qin Ming was about to step out the door, he saw two cultivators striding in from outside in a great flurry, shouting loudly toward the interior.

The one speaking was a bald middle-aged cultivator; after speaking, he quite casually spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground.

The cultivators eating in the wine house, hearing these words, all turned to look over with sidelong glances.

Although they found it somewhat disgusting, not one of them dared step forward to speak.

One must know.

Being able to hunt down five or six mid-rank demon beasts in one go meant they were no ordinary folk.

Both were wearing leather-made dharma robes, travel-worn; they were likely demon beast hunters who roamed the wilds year-round.

"Of course we buy them, the two Daoist Friends please come in quickly." Shopkeeper Liao had just come downstairs and encountered business at the door again; his mouth could barely close from grinning.

"Daoist Friend Qin, I have business at the door, so I won't see you off any longer. Come again another day and we'll drink to our hearts' content; I'll arrange a fine table of good wine for you."

Qin Ming nodded. "No matter, Shopkeeper, you go attend to your business."

Having said that, he lifted his foot and stepped out of Juxuan Pavilion.

He returned to Qingliang Xiaozhu.

Qin Ming could wait no longer and took out the Brother Hei Feng Blade, brandishing it.

Wherever the blade edge passed, a terrifying baleful aura whimpered in its wake.

"Truly a high-grade dharma artifact, what a fine blade!" Qin Ming fondled the blade body, unable to put it down.

Afterwards he flipped open "Blood-Burning Blade Art" and began to study it. Cultivating this blade art also required a powerful qi and blood as support; the blade art had a total of seven forms.

Once mastered, merely the first form could cleave out eighty-one blades in the blink of an eye! Wherever the Long Dao Ren passed, it could ignite qi and blood, forming flame blade gleams of tremendous power.

It is an essential technique for traveling abroad! (End of this chapter)