King of Ten Thousand Years

「Half an hour later.」

Luo Tian changed into a black robe, donned a mask, and entered the Black Market of Celestial Extreme Martial City.

The Black Market was located underground. The light was dim, but it didn’t affect one’s vision.

Many of the transactions in the Black Market involved stolen goods or items with mysterious origins that couldn’t be sold openly.

Luo Tian’s goal was to purchase some Sword Martial Skills to reduce the cost of inferring the Star Condensing Sword Point.

On the Dongchen Continent, martial arts reigned supreme. Every faction placed extreme importance on Martial Skills and didn’t allow them to be easily circulated.

Therefore, items like Martial Skills were easier to buy in the Black Market, and at lower prices too.

Luo Tian wandered around for a bit before stopping in front of a shop called the ”Ten Thousand Martial Pavilion.”

Among the shops that sold Martial Skill Secret Manuals, this one was the largest.

Inside the Ten Thousand Martial Pavilion, the few Stewards overseeing the place were all at the Seventh or Eighth Layer of Meridian Opening. Luo Tian could even sense the aura of a Spirit Sea Realm expert from deep within the pavilion.

As soon as Luo Tian walked in, an old man in gray robes greeted him with a smile. ”What can I do for you, Sir?”

”Swordsmanship-type Martial Skills. Bring them all out for me to see!”

Luo Tian declared grandly.

Hearing such bold words, the gray-robed elder’s heart skipped a beat.

’Could this be a big spender?’

Some of the other Martial Artist customers nearby also looked over in surprise.

The smile on the gray-robed elder’s face widened. Just as he was about to retrieve the Martial Skill Secret Manuals,

”Oh, right. I only want incomplete manuals!”

Luo Tian added.

”What?”

The gray-robed elder stumbled, his smile freezing on his face.

In all his years of business, this was the first time he had ever met someone who specifically came to buy incomplete Martial Skills.

Generally speaking, incomplete Martial Skills had limited power, and practicing them could easily lead to cultivation deviation. Very few people ever asked for them.

As a result, the price of incomplete Martial Skills was extremely low.

”Hmph. So he’s just some poor kid who can only afford to cultivate cheap, incomplete Martial Skills.”

The onlookers who had just been surprised now looked on with contempt and lost interest.

The gray-robed elder gave Luo Tian an odd look before heading into the back room to get busy.

THUD!

A moment later, the gray-robed elder brought out a small box and tossed it in front of Luo Tian.

”These are all of them.”

The gray-robed elder’s attitude was a bit cold.

He couldn’t make much money from someone buying incomplete Martial Skills.

Luo Tian’s eyes lit up as he began to look through them carefully.

Incomplete Martial Skills were useless to ordinary people, but it was a different story for him.

In the Holy Mansion, they didn’t specifically collect incomplete Martial Skills for fear that students might suffer from cultivation deviation.

But the Black Market had no such scruples and accepted all sorts of stolen goods with unknown origins.

This shop had been in business for who knows how many years, accumulating dozens of incomplete Sword Martial Skills, most of which were Mortal Level Upper Grade or higher.

”I’ll take all of them. What’s the price?”

Luo Tian suddenly said.

The gray-robed elder was stunned again. He then stared at Luo Tian with astonishment and suspicion, as if trying to determine if he was joking.

No sane person would buy so many incomplete Martial Skills.

”You’ll take them all?”

The gray-robed elder was pleasantly surprised and excited. After a quick calculation, he beamed and said, ”There are thirty-seven Sword Martial Skills in total, including three incomplete Spirit Level Low Grade manuals. That will be eighty Spiritual Essence Coins.”

Normally, a single Spirit Level Low Grade Martial Skill would cost at least seventy or eighty Spiritual Essence Coins, and sometimes several hundred.

But now, dozens of Martial Skills were only eighty Spiritual Essence Coins in total.

The main reason was that the value of these incomplete Martial Skills had long been exhausted. They had been accumulating in the shop for many years, gathering dust.

”That expensive?”

Luo Tian frowned. ”Not many people patronize incomplete Martial Skills. The prices should be very cheap.”

”How about this? I’ll give you a discount, Sir. Seventy Spiritual Essence Coins. I can’t go any lower.”

The gray-robed elder put on a troubled expression.

”Sixty Spiritual Essence Coins, and I’ll take them all. Otherwise, I’ll go check out other shops.”

Luo Tian looked like he wasn’t willing to argue further.

The gray-robed elder haggled for a long time but couldn’t sway Luo Tian. In the end, they settled on a price of sixty Spiritual Essence Coins.

The corner of Luo Tian’s mouth curved up. He packed all the Martial Skills into a bag and left.

”Buying so many incomplete Martial Skills? It truly takes all sorts to make a world.”

The gray-robed elder watched Luo Tian leave, feeling a sense of relief. After all, he had just sold off so many of the incomplete Martial Skills that had been piling up in the store.

’What a steal!’

After leaving the Black Market, Luo Tian grinned broadly.

To the Ten Thousand Martial Pavilion, these incomplete Martial Skills were practically worthless.

Ordinary Martial Artists wouldn’t attempt to practice incomplete Martial Skills unless they had no other choice.

But for Luo Tian, these problems didn’t exist.

Returning to the Martial City, Luo Tian checked into an inn and took out all the incomplete Martial Skill manuals.

”Celestial Book, how many pages of power are needed to perfect the Star Condensing Sword Point now?”

Luo Tian asked.

”Two pages will suffice.”

The Celestial Book replied.

Before, it would have taken a full five pages.

After collecting so many incomplete Martial Skills, Luo Tian had greatly reduced the cost.

”Recommended plan: Using the Star Condensing Sword Point and the three incomplete Spirit Level manuals as the core, fuse them with the thirty-seven Sword Martial Skills. This can raise the Martial Skill’s level.”

Another line of text appeared on the Celestial Book.

”Raise the Martial Skill’s level? Excellent! Fuse them for me!”

Luo Tian was overjoyed when he saw this line of text.

In the Holy Mansion, it wasn’t easy for ordinary Silver Students to redeem a Spirit Level Low Grade Martial Skill.

As for a Spirit Level Middle Grade Martial Skill, even Golden Students would likely have a hard time obtaining one.

Luo Tian’s Body Martial Skill, the Cloud Traveling Step, was Spirit Tier Middle Grade.

If his Attack Martial Skill also reached Spirit Level Middle Grade, his overall strength would rise to another level.

WHIRR!

The power within the Celestial Book was rapidly depleted.

The next moment, a vast amount of information flooded into Luo Tian’s mind.

Celestial Star Sword Technique: Spirit Level Middle Grade. It contains the mysteries of the stars, making the swordsmanship vast and magnificent. Among Spirit Level Middle Grade swordsmanship, its power is supreme, bordering on Spirit Level Upper Grade.

”It’s a Sword Martial Skill that’s close to Spirit Level Upper Grade!”

A look of joy appeared on Luo Tian’s face.

This fused Sword Martial Skill was half a level higher than his previous Cloud Traveling Step.

On top of that, since it was an Offensive Martial Skill, its value was at least twice as high!

However, after fusing so many Sword Martial Skills, the original Star Condensing Sword Point had become a proper Sword Martial Skill.

This was mainly because Sword Martial Skills were cheap, common, and easy to collect.

Fortunately, when he didn’t have a sword, the Celestial Star Sword Technique could be used by substituting his fingers for a blade, retaining some of the original characteristics of the Star Condensing Sword Point.

”When I get the chance, I’ll go get a sword.”

Luo Tian murmured.

After buying the whip and a pile of Sword Martial Skills, Luo Tian had spent almost all of his Spiritual Essence Coins. He couldn’t even afford a single Quasi-Treasure Artifact.

...

「Half an hour later.」

Luo Tian left Celestial Extreme Martial City, preparing to return to the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion.

Just as he left the Martial City, Luo Tian’s brow furrowed. He felt like he was being followed.

Along the way, Luo Tian suddenly accelerated, darting into a forest and disappearing from sight.

「A moment later.」

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Three figures sped past—two men and one woman.

The leader was a pale-faced youth, none other than Yan Lei of the Panshi Martial Mansion.

”Huh? Where did he go?”

”Did that kid discover we were following him and go into hiding?”

”Impossible! How could a mere Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening possibly discover us?”

The three from Panshi Martial Mansion discussed in low voices.

The three of them didn’t notice that twenty meters away, hidden in a large tree, Luo Tian was observing them.

”Go search the area!”

”That Exotic Treasure whip is definitely priceless! Once we snatch it and sell it for a few thousand Spiritual Essence Coins, it’ll be enough for us to make our fortune!”