Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Yi Yang pushed open the dilapidated wooden door and went inside. He found the place to be very dark, with only an oil lamp lit.

The surrounding air was filled with a strange, pungent smell, a mixture of rust, tobacco, and some kind of animal fat.

This place didn't look like a legitimate trading venue, but Yi Yang knew he hadn't made a mistake.

Behind the only mahogany cabinet in the room sat a one-eyed old man, a long pipe dangling from his mouth. He was half-closing his eyes, puffing out smoke, seemingly oblivious to Yi Yang's arrival.

The billowing smoke surrounded him, making his wrinkled face appear even more blurred in the dim light.

He didn't notice anyone coming in until he finished smoking his pipe. The one-eyed old man lazily raised his eyelids, his cloudy eye sweeping over Yi Yang before finally settling on the low-brimmed straw hat on his head.

"Buy or sell?" he asked hoarsely, exhaling a puff of smoke, completely unconcerned about Yi Yang's attire; he had seen people like this before here.

Without wasting words, Yi Yang walked to the counter, took out a long, narrow object wrapped in black cloth from his storage ring, placed it on the counter, and said, "Selling swords."

Upon seeing the black cloth, the one-eyed old man became interested. He put down his pipe and slowly reached out to untie the black object on the table.

After the black cloth was lifted, a bright sword appeared in the room. Even in the dimly lit shop, the cold light, like autumn water, still made the old man squint slightly in his one eye.

"Good heavens." The old man couldn't help but exclaim. After that cold light appeared, he knew that this sword was no ordinary weapon and was very likely a top-grade treasure. You know, he could count the top-grade treasures he had handled on his fingers over the years.

The one-eyed old man cautiously extended his withered fingers, wanting to touch the sword, but when his gaze inadvertently fell on the small "Zhao" character carved in ancient seal script on the hilt, his movements suddenly stopped.

The one-eyed old man's pupils contracted for a moment. He subconsciously looked up and re-examined the man in the straw hat in front of him. A barely perceptible look of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes.

Yi Yang's face was hidden in the shadow of his bamboo hat, making it impossible to see his expression. He simply spoke in a low voice:

"What, are there still things here that you dare not accept? If you want them, just give me a straight answer."

Upon hearing Yi Yang's question, the one-eyed old man remained silent for a moment, then wrapped the sword back in the black cloth and pushed it back in front of Yi Yang.

He picked up his pipe again, took a couple of puffs, and said in a low voice, "This thing is too hot to handle. I need to ask the person behind me to decide. Please wait a moment."

Without waiting for Yi Yang's reply, he got up, lifted the dirty curtain behind him, and went into the back room of the house.

Yi Yang stood still, his divine sense already like an invisible tide, quietly covering the entire pawnshop. Although it was slightly obstructed, it could not stop him.

There are two rooms in the back hall of this old wine shop.

The room on the left houses two martial artists at the peak of the True Qi Realm, their auras calm and steady as they meditate with their eyes closed. The room on the right houses a slightly stronger expert who has already reached the threshold of the Profound Realm.

It seems these people are the source of this shady business's confidence.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The curtain was lifted again, and the one-eyed old man led out a burly middle-aged man with a hideous scar on his face.

The scarred man had sharp, eagle-like eyes. When he arrived at the front house, he first looked Yi Yang up and down before finally fixing his gaze on the long sword wrapped in black cloth.

Without hesitation, he picked up the sword, lifted the black cloth, examined it carefully for a moment, and then spoke in a steady and powerful voice:

"I heard that three days ago, a member of a collateral branch of the Zhao family in Qingzhou named Zhao Qian went missing in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. It is said that he was carrying this Azure Water Cold Light Sword with him."

As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the store seemed to freeze.

Yi Yang could clearly feel that the three auras in the back room, which had been restraining themselves, now locked onto him without any attempt to conceal their presence.

A murderous intent lurked in the shadows.

However, Yi Yang showed no sign of panic. Instead, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth, hidden beneath his bamboo hat, as he asked:

"I'm only asking you, are you going to accept it or not?"

He reached out and snatched the longsword back from the other man's hand, then flicked it lightly with his finger.

"Buzz—"

A clear, melodious sword cry echoed through the small pawnshop. The sound of the sword cry was not loud, but it carried a power that pierced the heart.

The feeling was like being stared intently at by a ferocious beast lurking in the darkness, its cold eyes fixed on you.

If I make the slightest move, I will be torn to pieces.

Sensing the killing intent, the scarred man's facial muscles twitched, and the probing aura he had exuded instantly dissipated.

He forced a smile and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Of course we'll take it! We're Juyi Pawnshop, we're open for business, we'll take anything that's valuable."

After some haggling, the "Azure Cold Light Sword," which was enough to cause bloodshed outside, was finally sold for 180 spirit crystals.

Yi Yang accepted the money bag containing spirit crystals, said no more, turned around and walked out of the pawnshop, his figure quickly disappearing into the alley where dusk was falling.

……

"Third Manager, are we just going to let him go like that?"

After Yi Yang's aura completely disappeared from the perception range, the one-eyed old man walked to the scarred man's side and asked in a low voice.

"Why not keep him? This is the best chance to get in touch with the Zhao family." The scarred man, who was also the third manager of the pawnshop, shook his head and said with a somewhat solemn expression:

"Their ideas are too tough; they're not easy to deal with."

The murderous intent he felt just now still haunts him.

"Then...should we spread this news?" the one-eyed old man asked again. "Although Zhao Qian is not highly regarded, he is still a member of the Zhao family, and they might be looking for him too."

The third manager pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head, rejecting the one-eyed old man's suggestion: "Forget it, it's better to avoid trouble. That person was disguised; it won't be easy to find out. Besides..."

He paused, a hint of lingering fear flashing in his eyes. "I have a feeling that if we tell anyone about this, something bad might happen."

Unbeknownst to them, while they were discussing this matter...

On the rooftop opposite the pawnshop, a figure stood silently in the shadows, like a ghost.

It was Yi Yang who had returned; he hadn't gone far at all.

If that third manager had shown even the slightest intention to spread the news, Yi Yang would have made this "Juyi Pawnshop" disappear completely from Hengyue Town tonight without causing a commotion.

After confirming that the other party had no such intention, Yi Yang moved swiftly and silently disappeared into the night.

A moment later, Yi Yang returned to the courtyard, but instead of resting, he sat cross-legged on the bed and took out a small porcelain bottle from his storage ring.

There were no markings on the bottle, but the moment the stopper was opened, an extremely pure burst of true energy rushed out.

This pill is called the Pure Yuan Pill, and it is a pill specifically for improving cultivation in the Profound Realm.

Even Yi Yang didn't have many.

Of the four Transcendent Realm cultivators they had previously killed—Ye Hanqian from the Nine Evil Sect, Li Chengyan from the Nine Rivers Sect, and the two martial artists from the Witch Kingdom—they only managed to loot two bottles, totaling twenty pills.

It is evident that this kind of elixir is a rare commodity even among those in the Profound Realm.

Yi Yang poured out one pill and swallowed it without hesitation. The pill entered his stomach and transformed into a powerful warm current, flowing through his meridians and into his dantian.

He immediately closed his eyes and began to circulate the profound chapter of the "Yi Wood Nourishing Life Exercise"—the "Yi Wood True Yang Scripture".

boom!

As the cultivation technique was activated, the Qi Sea within Yi Yang's body instantly began to boil.

The Mystic Light Seed, formed from his own will and identical to himself, began to emit a dazzling azure-green radiance under the catalysis of the elixir's power.

On the surface of the Seed of Mystic Light, the facial features and body shape, which were originally just outlines, began to become clear and solid at this moment.

Strands and strands of Yi Wood True Qi, like living threads, continuously coiled and wove, carving more intricate patterns on his Xuan Guang Seed.

The feeling was like a highly skilled craftsman using the finest carving knife to sculpt his own image on a piece of raw jade.

At the same time, on the panel that only Yi Yang could see, a series of numbers began to jump wildly.

6000

6000

6000

……