Chapter 104: Gaining Attention

  “I still need to strengthen my cultivation of Internal Energy and vital essence. Once my Internal Breath Like Tides reaches its peak, I’ll naturally enter Internal Fortification.”

  After tidying up his belongings and putting on a conical hat with a veil to hide his features, An Jing prepared to leave the bck market guest room. “But there’s no time. Let me see what external power I can borrow from this world.”

  Before departing, he passed by the wooden figure. Noticing the razor-sharp ssh marks on it, a thought crossed his mind. He roused the qi in his dantian, then suddenly erupted, unching a direct punch at the wooden figure’s head.

  Taibai Baleful Qi flowed seamlessly under his command, rushing into his right arm. He threw the punch, his entire arm faintly aglow with a pale silvery sheen, as though forged from metal.

  Boom!!!!

  Amid that brief, muffled crash, the ironwood figure’s head vanished instantly. A chunk of wood, crushed into a bowl-like shape with its edges shattered piece by piece, was embedded in the room’s wall.

  At the wooden figure’s neck, a smooth, razor-sharp cut looked as though it had been left by a bde, yet the punch mark at the center of its head was unmistakably clear.

  “Hoo…”

  An Jing exhaled softly, feeling a refreshing yet tingling ache in his right arm, like the sensation of medicated oil rubbed into the skin.

  Such a fierce burst of qi, even for someone with the Seven Fiends Fate, could cause some damage. It was not severe enough to affect battle; at worst, he would feel weak for a while after expending his spiritual power.

  He simply cked the physical constitution to withstand it fully. Once he raised his vital essence cultivation to Vital Essence Like Tides, he would no longer harm himself by such bursts of power.

  Now, observing the destruction caused by his sudden burst of power, he could not help feeling pleased. “Such might… it practically rivals a flying sword from a sword case! From here on, I can use the Frostfall Rifle and the sword case to attack enemies from range. Once they assume I only rely on Magical Artifacts and drop their guard, I’ll strike them hard with a punch!”

  The destructive force he’d first gained upon acquiring Baleful Qi was vastly different from the power he now had after achieving the first restriction. The former was broad but unfocused, while the tter was condensed like a bde.

  “Sir?”

  A bck market attendant’s voice came from outside, sounding confused. “We heard a strange noise. May we ask if something happened?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  An Jing opened the door, speaking apologetically. “I was testing my strength and accidentally damaged the wooden figure and the wall. How much should I pay? I’ll cover it.”

  Outside, the white-robed attendant bowed nervously. “No need, no need. The damage to the wooden figure is already included in the room tab. As for the wall… Little Ochre Mountain instructed us to put any damages on their tab.”

  “That generous?” An Jing was slightly surprised. Though he realized the person in charge must be making a considerable profit, he still sighed. “I never expected bck market shops to be so considerate.”

  “Sir, we value service above all, and reputation is paramount.” The attendant stood straighter, speaking with pride. “If our patrons aren’t satisfied or don’t feel secure, how could we expect repeat business? How would we attract new customers? How would we continue at all?”

  “Will you be extending your stay or going shopping? Please double-check you haven’t left any valuables in the room.”

  “Shopping.” An Jing nodded. “I want to buy some weapons and something like a reconnaissance drone. But I don’t know the way.”

  “Please follow this guide.” The attendant produced a round, golden metal sphere from a small box at his waist. Once activated, it lit up with spiritual inscriptions and hovered before An Jing. “This is our little guiding helper. It will lead you wherever you wish to go.”

  “All right.” An Jing eyed the golden sphere in wonder. If the puppet-mechanical technology of the Tianyuan Realm had reached this level, then the reconnaissance drone he wanted to purchase would likely be quite compact and more portable than he had imagined!

  Pleased by the prospect, he followed the golden orb toward the shop district.

  The attendant watched An Jing leave, then entered the room to check for damage.

  “It’s actually quite tidy.” After looking around, the attendant let out a soft “huh.” An Jing had spent the whole day cultivating on the gssy ptform, occasionally reading or sleeping. Before leaving, he had tidied up, leaving the guest room neat.

  But when he saw the severely damaged wooden figure, his eyes widened in astonishment. “So he… actually smashed it like this?”

  Hurrying over, he examined the figure closely and noticed many details. “This… is extremely pure five metal qi. Both its quantity and purity are quite high.”

  “A single moment of eruption, creating this level of destruction barehanded… What kind of cultivation method is that?”

  He stepped back, frowning. “He’s so young, yet even for a barbarian, possessing Qi Refining strength is impressive. Is he from a major tribe?”

  He did not dwell on it too much. After all, the bck market was full of powerful individuals. Still, he could tell An Jing was very young—fifteen or sixteen at most, even with his features concealed—and the rarity of his cultivation technique surprised him.

  Having Qi Refining at fifteen or sixteen, with such pure spiritual energy, pced him among geniuses of the highest caliber.

  Qi Refining in the Tianyuan Realm was notoriously difficult. In their Xuanye City, if you had Qi Refining capability by the high school entrance exam, you could be admitted to a key school without testing. Even by the time of the Sacred Selection Exam, most people still struggled to refine qi.

  Whether or not one could refine qi was precisely the dividing line for admission into various academies.

  If a person had reached the seventh yer of Qi Refining—or even the sixth—by the first Sacred Selection Exam, they could be directly recommended to the Four Great Dao Academies, becoming a core seed for special training.

  With the talent An Jing had shown, he could practically guarantee acceptance to a Dao Academy. After that, whether he joined a major conglomerate or entered the military, it would pose no difficulty.

  After a moment’s thought, the attendant’s eyes flickered. His internal chip reyed this information to the bck market’s management.

  Management soon responded.

  【One occurrence can lead to another; we cannot let wild thoughts run rampant. We only ignore the conglomerates’ rules, but we must uphold our own. Otherwise, would that not be wlessness?】

  【Any tribal power capable of producing such a genius must be significant. Treat him well and build a foundation of trust. Do not follow him; do not investigate. If he needs us, he will contact us himself. This revetion of his cultivation method was surely a probe.】

  【Remember: service above all, reputation first.】

  “Understood.”

  After receiving these orders, the attendant bowed respectfully. “I will record his name and await our next opportunity to cooperate.”

  “You realize, that initial ssh mark you left wasn’t so conspicuous, but the punch you threw right before leaving will catch the attention of anyone observant. They’ll see your cultivation is advanced, and your spiritual energy is refined. Your background is hardly ordinary.”

  As An Jing followed the little helper to the bck market’s shop district, the Sword Spirit spoke softly in his mind, “You want to attract attention. That might bring opportunity, or it might bring nothing at all. But there’s an even greater chance it will make others covet what you have.”

  “Why risk it?”

  “Because I have the ability to take risks, yet I ck the privilege of staying safe,” An Jing answered calmly in his mind.

  Continuing deeper into the brighter part of the market, he went on, “Steady growth? Do I have time for that? I’m just a minor cultivator. Even if I dispy an advanced cultivation method, they’ll see I only have it up to Qi Refining, not beyond.”

  “In that scenario, they’ll have to wonder: what kind of force is behind me that holds such a ‘high-level legacy’?”

  “Even if greed consumes them, they won’t make a big move against me here in their own bck market. They’ll likely wait until I leave. By then, you and I will have bought enough weapons, and we can return to the Huaixu Realm at any time.”

  “If I can’t escape this tribution, then I’ll die in Huaixu. If I do escape the sinborn demon and the demonic sect’s pursuit, I’ll still have a chance to return to Tianyuan… By then, I’ll be stronger. I can alter my appearance, disguise myself as someone else—I can even change my spiritual energy signature.”

  “In that case, if the bck market meant to attack me before, I’d simply evade them. But if they want to bring me in or invest in me, why not accept? I can leave whenever I want, without any cost. Why be overly wary and not make a move?”

  “So I might as well be ostentatious and look for more opportunities. Besides, whether it’s that junkyard recycler or the person in charge at Little Ochre Mountain, both believe I’m a barbarian prodigy—so I’ll let them think so.”

  “If they try to win me over or invest in me, I won’t let them suffer a loss.”

  “Either way, it’s no issue—why not give it a shot?”

  Though An Jing sounded calm, the Sword Spirit knew he was quietly excited.

  Ever since awakening his Heaven-Ordained Fate, he had decred he would flee the demonic sect—and he did. He vowed to kill the Manor Lord—and he did. He never spoke empty words; whenever he set out to do something, he simply did it. Now, a nameless power stirred within him, driving him to accomplish something greater.

  He refused to wait passively for chance; he was determined to create his own opportunities.

  He would not allow himself to waste time idly. Every single moment mattered.

  Was it the 【Seven Fiends】 that shaped this temperament, or was it that only someone with such a temperament could awaken the 【Seven Fiends】?

  “You are the Swordbearer.” Thus, Fuxie gave a rare smile. “Since you already have a pn in mind, rather than acting on impulse, then proceed.”

  At that moment, with the little helper floating ahead, An Jing returned to the shop district.

  Compared to the dimmer lighting of Little Ochre Mountain’s free-trade floor, this zone bristled with the Baleful Qi of countless weapons and steel, enough to make a person instinctively shrink back.

  They had arrived at the “Armory District.”

  (End of Chapter)