Chapter 70: You Actually Have the Nerve to Fake an Injury

"Ow… ow…"

"It hurts!"

"It hurts to death, damn it!"

The young man lying on the ground let out an exaggerated wail while rolling back and forth on the ground.

In his hand he still clutched a wooden box, inside of which was something like a weapon, and it produced a "clang" as the heavy object hit the ground.

At that moment, another companion hurried forward and shouted at Li Mu sternly, "Kid!"

"I'm telling you!"

"You've gotten yourself into trouble today!"

"This is a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact that my brother and I risked nine deaths to obtain from a secret realm!"

"Now you've smashed it; if you have any sense, hand over the money right away."

Li Mu had spent thirteen years crawling and struggling for survival in the mortal world; what strange thing hadn't he seen?

As for a staged injury?

That had become nothing new to him!

Usually one person lies on the ground to play the victim, while the other seizes the chance to blow the incident up, attracting onlookers!

He hadn't expected to encounter such an absurd incident inside the Ziyang Sect!

From their smooth, tacit cooperation, it was clear this wasn't their first time pulling such a stunt.

Their commotion instantly drew the attention of many passing disciples near Cangbaoge.

But the majority of them crossed their arms.

Not only did none of them step forward to speak, they all crossed their arms and looked at Li Mu and Qian Wenyi with gloating eyes.

It was obvious they were just enjoying the spectacle, not minding the trouble.

"You're talking nonsense!"

"You were the ones who bumped into us first!"

Qian Wenyi also clearly froze for a moment!

As a scion of a cultivator noble family, when had he ever encountered such a rogue act?

But just as Qian Wenyi was about to step forward and reason with the group!

Li Mu seized his neck and jerked him from the front to behind him.

Then Li Mu looked at the two, his tone even, and said, "Speak up!"

"How do you intend to resolve this?"

"Hmph!"

"Kid, you still have the nerve to ask us how we want to resolve it?"

"Do you know how precious our Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact is?"

The leading young man sneered.

He immediately opened the wooden box he was holding and drew out a three‑foot-long sword of simple design, its whole surface etched with intricate, arcane runes.

However, the sword bore a few noticeable scratches, marring its appearance.

"Kid!"

"What I'm holding is a genuine Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact, extremely rare!"

"Originally, my brother and I intended to fetch a good price for it at today's auction."

"Now look at this!"

"You've scratched it so badly that its marketability is ruined; it's now impossible to sell!"

"You must compensate!"

Saying that, the young man stood up from the ground, sword in hand, scanned Li Mu up and down, then feigned generosity and said.

"Seeing you like this, you must be fresh disciples just entering the inner peak."

"As your senior brother, I won't make it hard on you; just pay thirty thousand sect contribution points."

"Then let this matter be settled today!"

"If you can't pay!"

"Then this won't be resolved peacefully today!"

"Clack, clack, clack…"

Saying that, the two youths walked toward Li Mu, their fists cracking together.

At the same time, the terrifying aura of First-tier Concentration Realm and Second-tier Concentration Realm radiated unabashedly around them!

Although Cangbaoge's formation restricts cultivators from using true Qi here, it doesn't limit their physical strength.

A Refining Qi Realm cultivator's physical strength caps at about one hundred thousand jin, provided they don't enter the Forbidden Realm.

In contrast, a First-tier Concentration Realm cultivator?

No matter how useless or trashy he may be!

His physical strength is at least two hundred thousand jin!

Just on that basis, a Concentration Realm cultivator would easily deliver a Dimensionality Reduction Strike against a Refining Qi Realm cultivator!

"Roar…"

"Thirty thousand sect contribution points?"

"And that's merely compensation, not even covering the artifact!"

Hearing the leading youth brazenly demand thirty thousand sect contribution points from Li Mu,

made the onlookers gasp in shock!

Obviously, they were also shocked by that number!

Even though everyone present knew full well that you came to stage a scam!

But when faced with this, there are only two ways to deal with it.

Either your fist is bigger than the other's!

Or you pinch your nose and honestly admit defeat.

Pay the money to settle, spend money to avert disaster.

But Li Mu and Qian Wenyi?

One of them is at the Ten Grade Lian Qi Realm, the other at the Eight Grade Lian Qi Realm!

Even if the two of them fought, they'd be worthless; even binding them together wouldn't be enough for that youth to defeat them with a single hand, right?

And as for the Ziyang Sect's attitude toward this matter?

Laughing!

As long as you don't cause any deaths, the Ziyang Sect won't bother with these petty matters!

Thinking that.

Everyone then cast sympathetic glances toward Li Mu and Qian Wenyi.

They say wealth should not be flaunted!

It's because Li Mu just spent 30,000 contribution points buying that pile of junk metal.

He lacks solid strength himself, yet likes to show off and flaunt wealth!

Someone like this, a foolish, money‑rich fat sheep?

If you don't get slaughtered, who will?

Serves you right!

"Big brother!"

"How about I just give those 30,000 contribution points back?"

"Let's consider it a lesson bought with money; next time keep away from those people."

Qian Wenyi clearly also realized the seriousness of the situation.

Although his elder brother previously had the strength to directly Slash Lin Zehong!

But that was only after revealing all his trump cards, and it was a hard‑fought victory.

Now Li Mu's true Qi is sealed by a formation; if he truly makes a move, he'll be the one who loses.

So Qian Wenyi took out a Jade Slip, just about to hand it over, but his collar tightened again.

Immediately after,

While Qian Wenyi wore a dumbfounded expression, he was suddenly lifted by Li Mu from in front of people to behind them.

"Big brother handles things, junior, stop interrupting!"

Li Mu gave Qian Wenyi a casual glance and rebuked him with a line.

Then, when he looked at those two Inner Peak disciples, a smile appeared on his face.

He waved to the leading youth and said cheerfully, "You call this a Mid‑Grade Spiritual Artifact, then it is a Mid‑Grade Spiritual Artifact?"

"At least let me see it first; that should be fine!"

"Hmph!"

"I see you, kid, clearly don't see a coffin, don't shed tears!"

The leading youth let out a cold snort and immediately handed over the long sword he was holding.

He wasn't really worried that Li Mu would actually discern anything.

After all, the treasured sword in his hand was a genuine Mid‑Grade Spiritual Artifact.

Even if Li Mu stared his eyes out, he still couldn't find a single flaw.

However, just as the young man thought he had Li Mu nailed,

Who would have thought that Li Mu merely glanced at the long sword twice, then, in front of them, shook his head and burst into laughter.

"Kid!"

"What are you laughing at?"

"What's so funny!"

At that moment, the two youths who had tried to stage a scam, seeing Li Mu suddenly burst into laughter, felt an inexplicable surge of embarrassment!

As if Li Mu had teased them!

"What am I laughing about?"

"I laugh at how both of you are both ignorant and ridiculous as people!"

"You say, you came out to stage a scam, so it's just a scam, right?"

"In the end, you actually used this obviously fake, defective piece to pass off as a Mid‑Grade Spiritual Artifact?"

"And you keep insisting that I compensate you with 30,000 contribution points?"

"I think you've gone mad, wanting contribution points, you must have lost your mind!"

Li Mu abruptly stopped laughing, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Kid!"

"I think you're the one who's gone mad!"

"How dare you call my Mid‑Grade Spiritual Artifact long sword a defective piece?"

"I'll…"

"Heh heh heh…"

"As for whether this sword is a defective piece, I can prove it to you all right now!"

Before the young man could finish speaking, Li Mu let out a snort that cut off the rest of his words.

Then, Li Mu raised the long sword in his hand before everyone present.

"...?"

Just as the whole crowd wore puzzled expressions,

a tooth‑aching "creak" rang out!

Li Mu gave a slight push and bent the long sword?

Then, Li Mu's two hands kneaded the sword a couple of times.

Quickly!

The misshapen sword was instantly twisted by Li Mu into a round, clanging iron ball that rested in his palm.

Seeing this, the one who had just been about to threaten the young man nearly had his eyeballs pop out of their sockets!

As for his companion, he rubbed his eyes, looking as if he thought he had just seen an illusion!

"Wow…"

But before the two could recover from their shock, a huge uproar erupted on the spot.

Facts speak louder than arguments!

As a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact, it can't be indestructible, but it should at least be of solid quality, right?

Yet this sword was kneaded by a Refining Qi Realm cultivator as if it were dough, turned into an "iron ball"?

The point is, even with his own true Qi sealed, the Refining Qi Realm cultivator managed to roll it into a ball purely with wrist strength!

Anyone with a bit of common sense knows this could never be a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact!

If a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact could be destroyed so casually, who would dare take it onto the battlefield later?

Don't have your weapon break before you even wound the enemy.

That would be ridiculous!

What a clumsy set‑up!

Even the inner‑peak disciples who have long roamed Cangbaoge have never seen anything like this.

"Hahaha…"

"I'm dying of laughter!"

"What kind of trash is this?"

"Just this, and you still have the nerve to ask the junior brother for 30,000 contribution points as compensation?"

"It's a complete joke!"

"Yeah, this junk—give me a hundred contribution points."

"I'll hand‑craft a thousand identical swords right now, guaranteed to be finer than theirs."

"The key is the quality must be hard enough so it can't be casually rolled into a ball like that."

"Hahaha…"

"I can't take it!"

"This time it's really impossible!"

"Allow me to laugh for another incense stick!"

"Whoa, seriously!"

"And don't even start—these two who try to set up a scam, their IQ is truly touching!"

At this moment!

The onlookers, upon seeing the sword in Li Mu's hand turned into a solid iron ball, burst into laughter one after another.

The two who had tried to set up Li Mu were met with endless accusations, mockery, contempt, and curses.

However…

The two young men seemed to hear none of the overwhelming accusations and curses surrounding them.

Their eyes fixed on the sword Li Mu had turned into a ball, and they whispered hoarsely,

"My sword, my sword…"

"My great treasured sword…"

At that moment, both were stunned into a blank mind by the scene before them!

They had no idea how Li Mu managed all this.

But the fact before them was the Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact sword that had accompanied them for so long.

And right before Li Mu, it was forcibly turned into a "ball"?

"Ah!"

"Kid, I'm going to fight you!"

A surge of shame and anger instantly filled their chests.

They roared, clenched their fists, and lunged at Li Mu!

Since they couldn't scam Li Mu, they'd rather tear the mask off!

You, a mere Refining Qi Realm ant, are just waiting to be toyed with by us two brothers!

Anyway, today we'll vent this spite even if it risks sect punishment!

We must never let that kid Li Mu have it easy!

Only, they didn't notice that

Facing our furious retaliation.

Li Mu was not the least bit afraid, and his black eyes began to grow ever hotter!