Chapter 1012

A burly short man snatched the bag, weighed it, his face instantly darkened, and he flung the bag to the ground, Spiritual Stones scattering everywhere: "Damn! Sending off a beggar? What can this few Spiritual Stones do? I see you kid, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" He gave a sinister grin, stepped forward, his palm like a cattail fan bringing an evil wind, and grabbed straight for Han Wuxian's collar, clearly intending to use force to rob!

At the moment the greasy palm was about to touch his collar!

Han Wuxian's eyes turned icy! He couldn't reveal his strength, but he could even less allow himself to be bullied! Especially in such a place, showing weakness would only invite more wolves!

He didn't use spiritual power, nor draw his sword. His body, weightless as willow fluff, shifted minutely by a hair's breadth, while his right index finger snapped out like lightning, striking precisely on an extremely hidden nerve point on the inner side of the burly man's wrist that had grabbed him!

This finger—fast, accurate, ruthless! Contained his Golden Core Cultivator's exquisite control over the body down to the minutest detail, plus a thread of extremely weak yet pure and condensed light-path force!

"Ugh!" the burly man felt his wrist go numb, his whole arm instantly limp and powerless, as if not his own; his forward momentum stalled, he staggered, almost falling! His lackey behind him froze, not seeing what happened.

Han Wuxian didn't even glance at them; tapping the ground with his toe, his figure slipped like a fish, at an unimaginable angle and speed, sliding out through the gap in the encirclement of several people, instantly vanishing into the bustling crowd outside the tavern door.

The burly short man shook his numb, sore arm, looking both shocked and angry at the direction Han Wuxian vanished, his face alternating between green and white. He had no idea how the opponent struck! That eerie speed and precise acupressure technique sent a chill up his back.

"Damn… ran into a tough nut?" he muttered, looking at the scattered Spiritual Stones on the ground, ultimately not daring to chase after him, merely glaring venomously at the onlookers.

"What are you looking at! All of you, get lost!"

Having shaken off the few low‑life gangsters of the Sea Star Gang, Han Wuxian's specter‑like form blended into the noisy, crowded streets of Starfall City. He did not head straight to the information brokers' haunt at the Observation Tower or the Conch Tavern's info corner; instead, he deliberately wound through several chaotic alleys, pausing and lingering, even stopping a moment at a stall selling inferior talismans, to confirm no one was tailing him before proceeding toward the city's lower districts, a relatively more concealed yet more chaotic area.

The Anchorage District.

Here, near the bottom of Starfall City, built using a huge meteorite crater and naturally formed sea‑eroded caverns, the light is dim, the air damp, permeated with a stronger fishy odor, the smell of rust, and a faint mustiness.

Buildings are even more rudimentary, mostly rough stone huts and shacks made of planks. The residents' gazes are more wary, even tinged with a numb ferocity. This is a true lawless zone; the patrols of the Ascendant Light Sect rarely set foot here.

Han Wuxian's target was an information broker nicknamed Old Sea Dog. Rumor had it he had been active in Starfall City for over a hundred years, well‑informed, especially about maritime secrets and the movements of the Ascendant Light Sect, but he was eccentric, charged high fees, and dealt only with regular clients. Han Wuxian found this place via an extremely secret contact method provided by the official courier service.

In a low stone house reeking of strong tobacco and fish oil, nearly buried under assorted junk, Han Wuxian met Old Sea Dog. He was a withered old man like a dried salted fish, blind in one eye, covering it with a polished black scale, his remaining eye cloudy yet sharp, his fingers like eagle claws, his nail grooves filled with black grime.

"New face?" Old Sea Dog clenched a roll of unknown seaweed between his lips, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing, "That courier line? Tch, trouble." He sized up Han Wuxian from head to toe, his lone eye seeming to see through disguises, "You're badly hurt, kid, and you've stirred up the scent of the Ascendant Light Sect?"

Han Wuxian's heart tightened; this old geezer was indeed no simpleton. He didn't deny it, getting straight to the point: "Two pieces of news. First, the detailed provenance and seller information for the "Ancient Star Ruins Star Plate" to be auctioned at the Observation Tower in three days. Second, the specific rules and inside scoop on the Ascendant Light Sect's Inner Gate disciple selection next month at the Abyssal Arena, especially… whether it's related to searching for something." He placed a heavy little bag on the greasy wooden table; inside were two hundred medium‑grade Spiritual Stones, issuing an enticing clink.

Old Sea Dog glanced at the bag of Spiritual Stones, a flicker of greed crossing his cloudy lone eye, but he didn't immediately reach for it.

He drew a deep breath of the seaweed smoke, exhaling a thick blue‑gray haze, and drawled slowly: "Ancient Star Ruins Star Plate? Hah, the Shattered Star Guild's lot blow it out of proportion—it's just junk scavenged from a derelict observation post on the fringe of the Silent Star Ring, the runes mostly ruined, spatial coordinates chaotic, practical value limited. The seller… is a scavenger team called Stardust, led by a one‑armed Golden Core cultivator nicknamed Scarface Old Seven. The origin… heh, not exactly clean, rumor says it's tied to a gang of Ghost Ships, but there's no proof."

Silent Star Ring! Han Wuxian's heart leapt; this was exactly one of the several ancient star‑ruin sites marked on the star chart of Immortal Azure Lotus! Though merely the outskirts' wreckage, its significance is immense!

Old Sea Dog continued: "As for the Ascendant Light Sect's selection… the rule is simple: fight! Fight until only ten remain in the arena, then undergo personal examination by the sect's stewards. But…"

He lowered his voice, his lone remaining eye glinting with cunning: "This time it's indeed unusual. Word is tight, supposedly linked to a lost sect treasure! The selection is merely a front, or rather a tool for screening those with special abilities! The higher-ups have issued a death order to find a kind of… well, a very special power trace, related to light, purification, and the stars! You've probably heard about the recent movements in the Boundless Sea, right?" He gave Han Wuxian a meaningful glance.

"Understood. Thanks." Han Wuxian nodded, asked no more, turned and prepared to leave. The value of the information already far exceeded the Spiritual Stones.

"Wait!" Old Sea Dog suddenly called out to him, his voice tinged with rare solemnity, "Kid, for the sake of the Spiritual Stones, I'll give you a word. The "scent" on you is too distinctive. The Ascendant Light Sect's Star Mark Guard have noses sharper than a sea dog's; they've already spread their net. In Starfall City, trust no one, especially… beautiful women who approach you of their own accord." Having said that with deep meaning, he ignored Han Wuxian, lowered his head, and kept puffing on his irritating seaweed smoke.

Han Wuxian's steps paused slightly, he etched those words firmly in his heart, and swiftly left the stone house filled with a suffocating atmosphere.