Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 71 Second-Order Magic Sword
Neither of them slept well that night.

The next night, the two went back to sleep in the cave.

After all... we're used to sleeping in that kind of place.

It's too noisy outside; there are occasional howls and roars of wild animals, which really disturb my sleep.

The cave was a bit damp, a bit stuffy, a bit dark, a bit smelly of mud, and the air was a bit murky...

But it's peaceful. As long as you sleep soundly, it doesn't matter where you sleep.

……

early morning
"Stab~"

"Snapped!"

A little mouse in the yard was struck by a bolt of lightning and shattered to pieces.

"Once you reach the proficiency level, you rarely make mistakes, and your casting speed is much faster. You can now control it within one second, but casting is still too slow... In one second, I can activate my spiritual power four times with a flick of my finger, swing my sword more than ten times, and run fifty meters at full speed... Most battles will be over in one second!"

Chen Li thought to himself, then silently chanted the incantation and continued practicing.

As a first-tier, fourth-level spell, with his current spiritual power at the mid-stage of the fifth level of Qi Refining, he can cast the spell six times at full power.

However, after casting the spell four times, he stopped, and extravagantly took out a Qi-replenishing pill and a Qi-blood pill from the two porcelain bottles, swallowed them in one gulp, and let the medicinal power spread to slowly restore his spiritual power.

Then he picked up the sword and began practicing swordsmanship.

His current income is more than enough to support his spending habits.

……

Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Spring goes and summer comes.

The situation in the shantytowns is getting worse.

As human footprints recede step by step, fewer and fewer people venture into the forests for adventure, which have gradually become a no-go zone for humans. In contrast, the number of times monsters come to the shantytowns to forage for food is becoming more and more frequent.

Just as a large group of prey will always attract various predatory beasts to gather.

Although the number of monsters near the shantytown has been killed by cultivators intermittently, their numbers have not decreased but have instead increased.

Food is plentiful here, and everyone here is a cultivator whose flesh and blood are rich in spiritual energy. This is far superior to ordinary wild beasts in the forest. Once a beast has tasted the sweetness of the food, it will not leave easily.

……

Fangshi.

"Brother, it's at the Yu family's medicine shop."

After asking Zhao Lin to inquire about the magic sword, they finally made progress. They agreed on a time and place for the transaction, and Chen Li hurriedly went there with all his savings.

"This old man is very stubborn and has a bad temper. He keeps talking about his ancestral sword and boasting that his ancestors were Foundation Establishment cultivators... Hey, if his ancestors were so glorious, how could he have fallen to this state..." Zhao Lin kept talking all the way.

As Chen Li listened, he kept swatting away the flies and mosquitoes that came his way.

The market was filled with more and more garbage, and no one was taking the initiative to clean it up. Under the scorching summer heat, it was a stinking mess, almost impossible to walk on, and countless flies swarmed around it and couldn't be driven away.

Fortunately, everyone here is a cultivator, and there are almost no ordinary people, so they have a strong resistance to disease. Otherwise, this place would probably be ravaged by disease long ago.

The sword seller arranged to make the transaction in a private room of the Yu family's pharmacy.

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

One was an old rogue cultivator who sold swords, another was Yu Fanzhen whom Chen Li had met before, and the third was also an old man, who, judging from his demeanor, was probably from the Yu family.

"I never expected to see Fellow Daoist Chen again. I'm just here to act as an intermediary and witness this transaction. I won't get involved in anything else." Yu Fanzhen was somewhat surprised to see Chen Li, so she gracefully stood up and stated her position.

"I never expected to meet Fellow Daoist Yu!" Chen Li cupped his hands in greeting.

It is clear that, after this period of experience, she has become much more mature in handling matters.

At least I dare to look at his fierce face now.

"Let me introduce you. This is my uncle, surnamed Yu, named Wufeng. He is skilled in appraising objects and used to be in charge of the family's magical artifact business."

Chen Li greeted him again.

After some polite exchanges...

Chen Li then looked at the old cultivator selling the sword: "Fellow Daoist, how much do you want for this sword?"

"I only trust the Yu family. I'll sell based on the appraisal results and valuation. If I'm satisfied with the valuation, I'll sell; if not, I won't. Nobody can fool me." Old Xiu said expressionlessly, but judging from his hands and feet, which were still trembling despite his efforts to control them, his mood was clearly not as calm as it appeared.

"In that case, let's see how it's done with the appraisal," Chen Li nodded, having nothing more to say.

Old Xiu carefully took out a long sword wrapped in cloth from his bosom and handed it to Yu Wufeng.

Yu Wufeng didn't say much.

He solemnly accepted the sword with both hands, placed it on the table, and patiently peeled back the layers of tattered cloth, revealing an unremarkable black scabbard inside.

He carefully wiped it with a clean cloth and then smelled it: "Ordinary wooden sheath, not worth a penny."

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

Yu Wufeng looked at the sword hilt again, seemingly unsure of its material.

He then gripped the hilt and slowly pulled the sword out.

Instantly, an invisible, sharp aura filled the private room.

It felt like a sharp blade was aimed at him, and Chen Li felt a chill run down his spine.

Yu Wufeng's expression finally changed. He opened and closed his lips, chanting incantations. After a few seconds, a light seemed to shoot out from his eyes. He stared at the longsword without blinking, and gradually sweat began to appear on his forehead.

It didn't last long.

The light in his eyes dimmed.

"This is a sword for sword cultivators. It weighs thirty-five catties and is made of black iron as the main material, mixed with one qian of Geng metal and three qian of silver essence. It was forged day and night with the true fire of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although there are no magic arrays engraved on it, because of the proper forging method, the magic arrays are naturally formed. As long as the spiritual power is activated, the sword energy is unstoppable and incomparably sharp."

Although the sword lacks its own sentience, which is a flaw, it's actually a good thing for the buyer. It's easier to control and can be used right away, so its value should be comparable to a low-grade second-tier magic weapon.

If one nurtures and refines it daily with spiritual energy and heartfelt devotion, it's not impossible that it might eventually develop sentience.

"Hiss!" Zhao Lin, who was standing to the side, gasped upon hearing this.

What the old man said was actually true.

I actually have some good stuff on hand.

This is a second-tier magic sword; he had never even seen one before.

Chen Li suppressed his excitement; he was determined to have this sword no matter what. He sat upright, his expression calm, and asked, "I wonder what Fellow Daoist Yu's valuation of it?"

"Thirty-five mid-grade spirit stones," Yu Wufeng casually stated. "I wonder if both parties are willing to make the transaction?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Fanzhen's expression changed slightly, and she hesitated before speaking.

"This is the price, I won't sell it for less!" Old Xiu said hurriedly. "Don't even think about bargaining, this is an heirloom of my family, no one can fool me!"

"Let's trade at this price." Chen Li remained silent for a long time before nodding expressionlessly.

He then pulled a heavy money bag from his sleeve and poured all the spirit stones inside onto the table.

With a "whoosh".

Hundreds of spirit stones were used to pave the tabletop.

It contained almost entirely low-grade spirit stones, with only a handful of mid-grade spirit stones. This was all the family's savings.

Chen Li took three mid-grade spirit stones, counted out sixty-five low-grade spirit stones, put them back into his money bag, and said to the old cultivator, "Count them, there should be exactly thirty-five mid-grade spirit stones."

"Okay, let's count it." Old Xiu was so excited that he almost fainted. He counted the huge sum of money three times in a row with trembling hands.

"The number is correct!"

The transaction between the two parties is complete.

Chen Li took the sword, casually bowed to the people present to say goodbye, and then left with Zhao Lin.

After Chen Li left.

Yu Wufeng smiled and looked at the old cultivator: "The transaction is over. Are you satisfied with the price, fellow Daoist?"

"Satisfied, satisfied. I won't forget the 20% intermediary fee and appraisal fee." Old Xiu quickly bowed and said with a smile, "I'll give it to you right away."

After paying seven mid-grade spirit stones.

Old Xiu didn't dare linger there for a moment and quickly left, disappearing without a trace.

"Second Uncle, isn't this valuation too high?" Yu Fanzhen couldn't help but ask, "The price of a magic sword is far less than that of a magic weapon, and this magic sword is second-hand. Normally, eighteen or nineteen mid-grade spirit stones would be enough."

"You know the general situation. What's the situation now? Nothing is going up. It's just that the price of magical artifacts is low here. In other places, prices have already skyrocketed. Even doubling the price would be considered cheap," Yu Wufeng said dismissively.

"But isn't it a bit too much to offend our fellow practitioners here for this? Now, Ancestor..."

"Silence!" Yu Wufeng interrupted, "He's just a rogue cultivator from some remote, impoverished village. What's there to talk about offending him? He's destined to die a violent death any day now. But I didn't expect him to be so rich."

Yu Wufeng sighed.

If this weren't a bustling market town, with many people and eyes watching, and if it weren't for the fact that it concerned the family's reputation, leaving Old Xiu with a huge sum of money to leave safely, he would have been thinking of killing and robbing him.

Twenty-eight mid-grade spirit stones.

Even he doesn't have it.

(End of this chapter)