Chapter 106 - Heartbreak Saber
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nChapter 106: Heartbreak Saber
nTranslated by: Hypersheep325
nEdited by: Michyrr
nTang Jie didn’t go to the extraction region today, instead heading for Spirit Wonder Market.
nHe made his way through the noisy crowd to the grain store. He saw that Madam Shui wasn’t there, so he went to Spirit Platform Pavilion.
nSure enough, Madam Shui was there. She saw Tang Jie and smiled. “Why did you only come today? Fengtang came to me several days ago and said that you were going to redeem a spell weapon, so I ended up waiting several days for nothing.”
nTang Jie quickly replied, “Madam, my utmost apologies. This lowly one went to the Forging Platform for several days, and the Dao of Tools was so profound and deep that I became momentarily immersed and forgot about redeeming the spell weapon. It was only today that I remembered and rushed over.”
nWhile he was respectful on the surface, he was inwardly shocked. Everyone in Basking Moon Academy, from high to low, would address Xie Fengtang as Headmaster, not even daring to add on the “Deputy”, but Madam Shui referred to him directly by name. It was apparent that she had significant status and was no hidden expert who had decided to play the role of a janitor.
nMadam Shui chuckled. “It’s fine. I was simply curious to see how you were doing. It appears that you’ve made a lot of progress.”
nShe beckoned. “Come, come. I’ve prepared a few small things. See which one is the best for you.”
nTang Jie followed Madam Shui through the main hall and into a courtyard.
nThis was a vast courtyard that even had a drilling ground. There were weapons of all sorts arranged on racks, and there were several targets set up at the other end.
nTang Jie could see that even the targets were made from high-quality diamondstone, making them difficult to break.
nA quick-witted student was already coming over with three silken boxes.
nMadam Shui opened the first box. Inside was a pair of black iron hoops.
nMadam Shui took one out and explained, “This is an Earth Loathing Ring. Spirit Platform Pavilion brought it from outside. Though it is only a middle-grade spell weapon, the materials are of high quality, and its power is rather good. Eighteen seals have been applied, creating a stellar microcosm. You can hold it in your hands to attack or toss it out. After ceremonial enchantment, only a little training will be needed to control it freely.”
nMadam Shui threw out the Earth Loathing Ring. The hoop flew out, a black figure in the air, and struck one of the distant targets, causing it to explode.
nMadam Shui beckoned, and the Earth Loathing Ring automatically flew back into her hand.
nTang Jie was alarmed. This was what “power is rather good” meant?
nThe Earth Loathing Rings were definitely at the apex of power when it came to middle-grade spell weapons. Ye Xing’s hammer would probably be too ashamed to call itself a middle-grade spell weapon in front of the Earth Loathing Rings.
nIf he shattered a weapon like this, who knew how big the golden grain he received would be…? His extraction activities had made him a little crazy. Whenever he saw a good weapon, he would get the urge to break it.
nMadam Shui put the Earth Loathing Ring back into the box. “The Earth Loathing Rings come as a pair, and they can be used one after the other. But the drawback is that their power is fixed, and they will not grow stronger with the user. They’re good if you’re lacking in strength, but if you’re already strong, you can only use them for a while before giving them up. And they favor attack and not defense, long distance over short distance. I don’t think they’re a good match for you.”
nShe opened the second box.
nInside was a fiery-red longsword.
nMadam Shui took out the red sword. Without any sort of action on her part, a flame erupted from the tip of the sword.
nThis flame floated at the tip of the sword, not flickering at all. It was evident that this flame was already very substantiated.
nIn the cultivation realm, the simplest way of determining how much damage water, fire, and wind attacks could deal was the level of substantiation.
nThe higher the substantiation, the greater the power.
nJust like how the Jade Gate was used to confirm a student’s potential, while substantiation was not absolute, it was an extremely useful reference.
nThis sword was rather similar to Zhuang Shen’s Violet Flame Sword, but this flame was clearly more substantiated. Tang Jie judged that if Zhuang Shen had had this sword, Zhuang Shen would have won that fight.
nHe could now tell that Madam Shui was giving him some special attention.
nMiddle-grade spell weapons had their own hierarchy. If she hadn’t liked him, then she probably would have given him the worst middle-grade spell weapons to choose from.
nBut Tang Jie knew how to behave himself, and Madam Shui rather liked him.
nShe had clearly taken out high-quality items, each one extremely valuable. Tang Jie probably couldn’t buy them even if he was willing to pay two thousand coins.
nMadam Shui didn’t give an explanation. After revealing the flame at the top of the sword, she put it back and opened the third box.
nInside this box was a strangely-shaped long saber.
nThe saber was black, and a third of the way up the blade, there was a V-shaped impression, taking the shape of a barb.
nMadam Shui grabbed the saber and said, “This is the Heartbreak Saber, made from black steel mixed with inkcloud stone. It is enchanted with twenty-four seals, incredibly sharp, and ideal for armor-piercing attacks. Once it plunges into the body and is pulled out, the barb will drag out the organs, dealing even more damage. Thus, it is called Heartbreak. You cultivate the Lesser Sea Grotto Metal Mantra, so this saber is the perfect fit for you. But this saber is extremely dangerous, and anyone struck by it will be crippled if not killed. You must be careful when using it…”
nMadam Shui gave Tang Jie a profound look.
nTang Jie understood that this was a warning.
nOf the three middle-grade spell weapons, the Heartbreak Saber was undoubtedly the most suitable for him.
nMoreover, Tang Jie was sorely in need of a weapon. Although he had the even more formidable golden needle, the golden needle was not suitable in the role of his usual weapon, particularly as he needed to spend ages looking for it once he threw it out.
nUpon receiving this warning from Madam Shui, Tang Jie nodded. “Yes, this student understands. This student swears that he will never bring this saber into the battleground and only use it when his life is in danger. Moreover, he promises to slash frequently and refrain from thrusting.”
nMadam Shui nodded. “It’s fine so long as you understand. So, shall I take it that you mean to pick the saber?”
nTang Jie chuckled. “Yes, I will take it.”
nMadam Shui closed the box and pushed it over to Tang Jie.
nTang Jie didn’t leave after receiving the box. Instead, he told Madam Shui that he wanted to buy some things from Spirit Platform Pavilion.
nMadam Shui chuckled. “I forgot that the sect also rewarded you with ten thousand coins. Now that I think about it, you’re quite the rich boy among the students. I should make you spend a little of that fortune here.”
nRather than attending to him personally, she had someone else take Tang Jie around the shop.
nTang Jie returned to the main hall and began to carefully seek out the things he wanted.
nSpirit Platform Pavilion had a comprehensive stock, offering pills, talismans, and tools of all kinds. Tang Jie was in no hurry and carefully looked through everything. Suddenly, he was drawn to a set of needles.
nThis was a set of flying needles, one set consisting of eighteen silver needles. Each needle was stored separately and could be kept at the waist for ready access.
nThe student responsible for taking him around saw that Tang Jie had his eyes on the needles and hurriedly said, “These Silver Cloud Needles are made from essence iron and have exceptional penetrating force. They are stored individually, but they can also be launched in unison. The needles are enchanted with seals that, when activated, can form something akin to a sword formation. Although it’s a lower-grade spell weapon, it possesses outstanding power.”
n“But what do you do after you’ve launched them?” Tang Jie asked.
n“Oh, that?” The student smiled. “You use the needle glove to bring back the flying needles. The needle glove is made from deer hide and is enchanted with a return seal that is linked to the needles. So long as the needles are within one kilometer, the needle glove can call them back.”
n“So if the enemy runs off with the needles, you’re out of luck?”
nThe student laughed. “Nothing is perfect in this world. Even if it’s a weapon that’s gone through ceremonial refinement, if the opponent is strong enough, can’t they take it from you all the same?”
n“That’s true,” Tang Jie casually said. “How much is this set of Silver Cloud Needles?”
n“Nine hundred coins,” the student replied.
n“That expensive?” Tang Jie frowned. “These needles shouldn’t have taken that much material to make, right?”
n“The flying needles don’t need much material, but the labor costs are high. Junior Brother, you should know that the smaller an item is, the more difficult it is to enchant it with seals. These Silver Cloud Needles are so small that applying a seal to them takes a lot of work.”
n“I see. Then I’ll take it.”
nHe naturally didn’t want these needles for their offensive power.
nWhile these needles were pretty good, they were still a one-time attack. Even with the needle glove to get them back, it probably wasn’t something as simple as firing them off and calling them back. The process probably required a lot of work.
nThis set had caught his eye mainly because he wanted to research the seal and see if he could use it on his golden needle.
nEven if he couldn’t do anything with that knowledge, he could at least mix in the golden needle among the Silver Cloud Needles to take the enemy by surprise. It was just that these needles were silver and his was gold, so it was hard to say how well-concealed it really was. It would mostly depend on the opponent.
nAfter buying the needles, Tang Jie continued to browse and soon spotted a set of snowsilk clothes.
nFrom the name alone, one could tell that snowsilk clothes were a high-class item. In truth, they had nothing to do with snow or silk. Rather, these were just clothes woven from special silver threads. They had little protective effect, but they were resistant to tearing and could fend off water and fire.
nOn his first trip to Tiger Roar Valley, Tang Jie had ruined his clothes in the battle with the tree sprite. Ever since then, he had been looking for a set of clothes that could endure through a battle. Ending up naked after every battle simply wasn’t acceptable. Yiyi’s “So ugly!” had badly damaged his dignity.
nAs they didn’t have a defensive effect, the snowsilk clothes weren’t expensive, but they still cost two hundred spirit coins.
nThe snowsilk clothes of Basking Moon Academy were generally designed like the uniforms. Tang Jie tried it on and looked at himself in the mirror. He decided that he looked pretty good.
nAfter buying the clothes, Tang Jie casually asked, “Right, do you sell any good materials here?”
n“What do you need?”
nTang Jie passed over a list.
nThe student gave the list a look-over and replied, “You’ll probably have to pay two thousand coins to get all this.”
nThe student shot Tang Jie a complicated look, thinking to himself, We’re all people, yet our fates are so different. This kid hasn’t even been in school for a year, but he’s gotten both a middle-grade spell weapon and so much money. Mentally sighing, he said, “We have most of it, and what we don’t have, we can find in the other stores. Please wait a moment while I get them.”
nTang Jie needed a lot of things, and the student would need some time to gather it all.
nWith nothing else to do, Tang Jie continued to browse Spirit Platform Pavilion to see if there was anything good.
nAt this time, another customer entered the store.
nIt was Shu Mingyang.
nShu Mingyang’s eyes brightened when he saw Tang Jie. “Oh? Why are you here?”
n“Shopping. What about you?” Tang Jie replied.
n“I’ve come here to sell, actually,” Shu Mingyang replied, waving around the stack of spell talismans in his hand.
nShu Mingyang was the first member of this year’s class to pick up miscellaneous studies. After the big exam, he had passed the Talisman Dao test and started to learn talismans. He actually possessed some talent in this field, and he would spend his free time making talismans.
nMaking talismans was really just recording the spells one knew on talisman paper. When needed, one simply needed to activate the talisman. It was much easier than casting in the middle of battle.
nTalismans and formations were really just different forms of spells. Talismans were fast and convenient, and besides that, they could be given to other people to allow them to use spells they normally wouldn’t be able to.
nThe Soulscour talisman had been a good example of this.
nFormations were more about power. The same spell would have its power multiplied when expressed through a formation. It was just more troublesome to use.
nThose who created weapons sold weapons, and those who made talismans naturally sold talismans. While Shu Mingyang probably had a grand time taking out talisman after talisman in a fight, the costs were actually rather high. Thus, he had to sell some of what he made every day to balance the books.
nThis was precisely why Shu Mingyang didn’t like going to the Divine Battleground. In his current situation, a fight just wasn’t worthwhile.
nTo sell goods, students could set up their own stall, or they could sell wholesale to other stores, though the latter would unavoidably result in less profit.
nShu Mingyang had an eight-cycle Jade Gate, so he didn’t need to waste cultivation time for the sake of a little more profit. Thus, he had always sold his talismans to stores.
nThe two couldn’t help but laugh upon meeting each other.
nTang Jie said, “I happen to be in the market for some talismans, so why not sell them to me? I can pay you a little extra, but you’ll have to sell it to me for cheaper than the store will.”
n“Nothing could be better!” Shu Mingyang smiled. He stuffed the talismans into Tang Jie’s hand. “Take a look and pick out whatever you need.”
n“The last time we fought, I remember you throwing out this talisman that immediately made me feel weak all over. What spell art was that?” Tang Jie asked as he looked through the talismans.
n“Oh, that was a Bloodseal talisman. It weakens the enemy by dispersing blood energy, but its effects are rather lacking. It only slightly weakens the target and doesn’t last for very long at all.”
n“I can just use a few more,” Tang Jie replied. He had already picked out the talismans he wanted from the stack.
nShu Mingyang saw that he had mostly selected weakening or strengthening talismans and curiously asked, “What are you buying all these for? Are you worried that someone might buy them to use against you?”
nTang Jie chuckled. “It’s not like I’m the only one with a strong body. I plan to use them on a rather troublesome fiend.”
n“You’re going to Tiger Roar Valley again?” Shu Mingyang asked in surprise.
n“Mm, I’ll stop after a few more trips. If my luck is good… once should be enough,” Tang Jie casually answered.
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