The attendant's words may have sounded a bit arrogant, but considering that the Heavenly Armory Pavilion was the largest native artifact shop in the Great Qi cultivation world, his confidence wasn't entirely unwarranted.
After all, with such a massive inventory of magical tools, it would be overwhelming for anyone. It was rare for someone to walk out completely unimpressed.
However, Song Qingxing had always been different from others. When choosing a magical artifact, he relied more on his "heart" than his eyes.
To be fair, the artifacts at the Heavenly Armory Pavilion were exceptional in both form and quality, worthy of the name "Heavenly Armory."
Unfortunately, in Song Qingxing's eyes, all these items were no better than the worn-out sword he carried in his arms. One broken sword was already enough. What need was there for more?
Song Qingxi had originally felt a bit disappointed, but when she heard that there were even better items hidden away, her eyes lit up at once. "We'd appreciate it if you could show us," she said.
"Right this way, please," the attendant replied promptly.
He led them to a middle-aged man and explained their request. The man frowned immediately, looking like he was about to scold the attendant.
The pavilion's treasured items weren't something just anyone could casually view.
But seeing Song Qingxi and the others nearby, and unwilling to damage the pavilion's reputation, the man held back his irritation. He took a deep breath and said flatly, "Honored guests, while these ten artifacts are indeed of exceptional quality, their prices are quite steep, comparable to mid-tier spiritual tools. Are you sure you wish to see them?"
He was trying to dissuade them with the high price.
Song Qingxi arched a delicate brow and replied calmly, "Since we're already here, we may as well not leave empty-handed. We do have some coins to spend."
"In that case… please take a look." The middle-aged man relented. With a wave of his hand, the wall behind him slid open, revealing ten neatly arranged low-grade second-tier magical artifacts.
Among them, four were swords, each unique in shape and design, with a faint spiritual glow flowing across their surfaces. One glance was enough to elicit admiration. "What fine swords!"
In terms of quality, they were indeed in a different league compared to those on display outside.
Even the well-traveled Old Ghost Redfire had to admit that these were rare finds. Unconsciously, he turned his gaze toward the ever-silent Song Qingxing, curious to see what this young man with unusually high standards would choose.
Song Qingxing's gaze swept over the four swords, but it soon stopped on a long sword that was entirely pitch black.
That sword gave him a very unique feeling, something none of the other artifacts had.
Though he didn't show it outwardly, Song Qingxi had known him for years and could read him well. Understanding his unspoken desire, she turned to the middle-aged man and asked, "How much for that sword?"
The man glanced at it, and a flicker of surprise flashed through his eyes. He frowned and replied, "To be honest, that sword was retrieved from an underground ruin by one of our elders. Over the years, several buyers have taken an interest in it, but all returned it in the end because they couldn't refine it.
It's been sitting here for over a century, and no one has ever successfully refined it. The Pavilion Master only keeps it here to fill out the display. I'd advise you to choose another."
"Unrefinable? How could that be?" Song Qingxi frowned. Thanks to Song Changsheng's example, she'd read extensively since childhood, yet this was the first time she'd heard of an artifact that couldn't be refined.
The steward let out a sigh. "This matter even caught the attention of our Pavilion Master back then, but he couldn't discern anything unusual about it either."
"What a strange case... Should we pick something else?" Song Qingxi looked to Song Qingxing.
To her surprise, he spoke a rare occurrence.
"No," he said, simply and firmly.
That was all, but it was enough.
Understanding his resolve, Song Qingxi nodded without hesitation. "No need to look further. We'll take that sword. Please name your price."
The middle-aged man frowned again. He had meant well by warning them, but they didn't appreciate it.
Still, it wasn't his concern. The items were for sale, and if someone wanted to buy, he wasn't about to stop them.
"Since you're serious buyers, I'll give you a discount. The listed price is 25,000 low-grade spirit stones. I'll let it go for 20,000."
"Deal. The stones are all in here, please count them," Song Qingxi replied.
The transaction was quickly completed, and while Song Qingxi's purse was significantly lighter, she was in high spirits. After all, they had finally found a magical weapon that suited Song Qingxing.
She had always known that Song Qingxing was dissatisfied with the sword he carried, but it was just that he hadn't found a worthy replacement until now. She had kept that in mind all this time, and now, at last, he could get what he truly wanted.
The middle-aged man brought out the sword.
Its scabbard was a deep, solid black, etched with fine silver patterns. The hilt was wrapped in an unknown kind of vine, coiled in tight rings, and felt very comfortable in the hand.
A rare flicker of excitement lit up in Song Qingxing's eyes. He reached out and gently ran his fingers along the scabbard. Though his expression remained calm as ever, his heart was surging with joy.
He could feel that a voice within the sword was calling out to him, over and over again, urging him to become one with it.
This was a feeling he had never experienced before.
Sensing the joy in Song Qingxing's heart, Song Qingxi's bright eyes curved like crescent moons. She smiled happily and said, "Alright, we've pretty much spent all the spirit stones, and Uncle should be back by now. Let's head back to the inn and meet up with him."
Song Qingxing gave a slight nod. With this sword in hand, this trip was already more than worthwhile.
Just as the group was about to leave, a slightly annoying, drawling voice sounded behind them.
"Oh my, what a sword, truly a fine sword! What a pity I was just a step too late, and this young hero snatched it up first. What a shame, what a shame."
Song Qingxi turned around and saw a tall, burly young cultivator dressed in a flowing purple robe. Seven differently colored jade pendants, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, hung from his waist, clinking together melodically as he moved.
Even though the weather had already turned cool, he still held a fan embroidered with bamboo, fanning himself with flair.
His appearance was average, but his warm smile somehow made him seem quite likable.
What stood out the most, however, was the strange beast crouched behind him. Black and white, somewhere between a cat and a bear, round and cuddly, it instantly melted Song Qingxi's heart and gave her an overwhelming urge to run over and squeeze it.
Old Ghost Redfire's eyes narrowed slightly as he subtly stepped forward, positioning himself protectively between the youth and Song Qingxi and Song Qingxing. Whether it was the smiling cultivator or the strange beast behind him, both radiated powerful auras.
Noticing Redfire's cautious stance, the man quickly cupped his fists and said, "I'm Pi Xiu, a wandering cultivator. I mean no harm, so please don't misunderstand. I just found the sword in that young man's hand unique and couldn't help commenting."
He then gestured to the beast beside him. "Ah, this is my contract spirit beast. His name is A'Bao. He's very gentle. I hope he didn't startle you."
Seeing the man proactively offering goodwill, Old Ghost Redfire relaxed a little and gave a slight nod. He then turned to Song Qingxi and said, "Young Miss, we've been out long enough. The young master might already be looking for us. We should return."
"Aww, okay..." Song Qingxi reluctantly cast one last glance at A'Bao before following behind Redfire down the stairs.
Pi Xiu watched them leave, then shook his head with a sigh. "Alas, Heaven gave me such sharp eyes, and yet I'm always one step too late. How tragic, how pitiful, how sad..."
He paused for a moment, then brightened up. "Guess I'll head to the black market. Rumor has it you can dig up some real treasures there. But before that... I need a good drink to comfort my wounded soul."
At those words, the previously still A'Bao lifted its head. Its gem-like black eyes sparkled with human-like eagerness, and it nodded adorably.
"You agree, too? Ha! That's my good brother. Let's go see how the wine here in Xuzhou compares to what we had in Quanzhou."
...
Meanwhile, Song Changsheng had indeed returned to the inn before the others. As he stared at the jade slip on the table, his heart was filled with unease.
He had already read its contents and now knew the true identity of the colossal power behind the black market.
It was an existence so vast that even the mighty Golden Crow Sect was nothing in comparison, let alone a small clan like the Songs.
What troubled him most was that such a force would go to great lengths to recruit cultivators capable of seeing through spirit stones, just to find something in the so-called "Ancient Battlefield of Immortals and Demons." Not only that, but they had even given him the option to decline.
It all felt a little too surreal.
Given their heritage, Song Changsheng didn't believe they lacked cultivators with clairvoyant eye techniques. So why didn't they send their people? That would have been safer and less conspicuous.
After thinking it through, only a few possibilities remained:
One, their disciples were somehow restricted from entering that place.
Two, they lacked enough qualified cultivators, so they had to recruit externally.
That wasn't impossible. After all, cultivating eye techniques depended heavily on innate talent and carried a great risk of blindness at best, death at worst.
Even for such a massive power, only a handful might succeed in mastering such abilities.
That seemed likely, but Song Changsheng leaned toward another, more troubling possibility: the Ancient Battlefield was simply too dangerous, and they didn't want to risk sacrificing their elites. So they were recruiting outsiders... as cannon fodder.
That's what worried him most.
If it were just a risky task, he might be willing to take the chance in pursuit of breaking through to the Purple Palace realm.
But there was a big difference between taking a risk and walking to your death, and he had no intention of dying for no reason.
"I hope I do have the right to refuse," he murmured with a sigh. "Just afraid they're only being polite on the surface."
Just then, the door opened, and Song Qingxi's cheerful voice rang out: "Uncle! You're back! Was the black market fun?"
Putting aside his worries, Song Changsheng smiled. "It was quite a fruitful trip. If you all get the chance in the future, you should go too. Did you have fun today?"
"Qingxi bought a ton of stuff! But Lingyun's been sleeping the whole time... Uncle, is that normal? Is he okay?"
Song Qingxi asked worriedly.
Ever since Song Changsheng brought back Song Lingyun, the child had done nothing but sleep and drink milk. On most days, he would sleep for over twenty hours.
At one point, Song Changsheng even suspected the baby had some strange illness. But no matter how thoroughly he examined him, he couldn't find anything wrong.
What gave him some peace of mind was that, apart from his long sleep hours, Lingyun appeared no different from an ordinary child in every other aspect.
"When the time comes, we'll find a skilled master to take a proper look. No need to worry too much," Song Changsheng said with a smile to reassure her.
Then, his gaze was drawn to the pitch-black longsword in Song Qingxing's arms. His brows furrowed slightly. "May I take a look at that sword?"
Taking the sword from Song Qingxing, he examined it from top to bottom. The more he looked, the deeper his frown became.
From a craftsman's perspective, the sword was flawless, whether in material or forging technique. For a second-tier weapon, it was top of the line.
Though only a lower-grade Tier Two artifact, it already leaked spiritual light, a clear sign it was on the verge of evolving into a spiritual weapon. It would be a perfect match for Song Qingxing, who was at the peak of the Qi Refining stage.
And yet, for some unknown reason, Song Changsheng felt a sense of unease when holding it, a faint but persistent sense of dread.
"Where did this sword come from?" he asked, his tone unusually serious.
Song Qingxi quickly explained everything that had happened.
"Unable to be refined?" Song Changsheng's heart trembled. This again. That Taiji Diagram he had couldn't be refined either. Could there be a connection between the two?
Just then, Song Qingxing said calmly, "I can refine it."
"You're sure?" Song Changsheng asked. This sword was strange, and frankly, he didn't want Song Qingxing using it. But he also understood that for a swordsman, not having a weapon that suited him was dangerous.
"Yes," Song Qingxing replied firmly, without hesitation.
"…Alright." Song Changsheng looked deeply into his eyes and ultimately chose to trust him.
"In the next couple of days, I'm going to attempt a breakthrough in cultivation. None of you should wander off. If you must go out, take Redfire with you. Understood?" he said, sweeping his gaze across the group as he tucked away the jade slip on the table.
"Uncle, are you going to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage?" Song Qingxi asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"That's right. I gained a lot from this trip to the black market," Song Changsheng said with a smile.
Originally, he was still at least six months away from his breakthrough. But during this trip, he managed to acquire a bottle of Thousand-Year Stalactite Essence, which would allow him to push the timeline forward significantly.
Besides, his mental state had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. A fast breakthrough wouldn't destabilize his foundation.
"In that case, we won't disturb you."
Once the others had left, Song Changsheng took out an array flag and set up a mid-grade Tier Two isolation formation. Though the breakthrough wouldn't take long, it was better to be cautious while traveling.
He then laid the Taiji Diagram across the bed and sat cross-legged on it. Instantly, his mind became exceptionally clear, and the restlessness in his heart quietly faded.
This was something he had discovered recently, cultivating while sitting on the Taiji Diagram helped calm the mind and suppress inner demons, providing a layer of protection during breakthroughs.
Taking out the jade bottle, he drank a small sip of the essence, then focused his mind and began to circulate his cultivation technique to refine the medicinal power, aiming to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage in one go!
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