Starry Sky Professional

The value of a magical artifact lies first in its materials, and second in its array formations and restrictions.

In fact, the latter sometimes holds even greater importance.

This 'Azure Rainbow Sword' had its internal arrays completely destroyed and its sword light tainted... for a cultivator, it's practically useless.

But for him, the sword's material itself was still of second-tier quality and sufficiently sturdy... and that's all that mattered!

He flicked the blade with his finger.

The Azure Rainbow Sword immediately let out a sword's cry, and within its jade-like glow, there was an unassuming hint of dark purple.

'This sword is indeed completely ruined, unable to channel spiritual power or divine sense for control; it's only good as a fire poker in hand... but for me, it suits just fine.'

“How much is this sword?”

“Just give me the cost of the materials, two thousand lower-grade spirit stones,” Elder Long said with a grin.

Even if such a ruined sword were reforged, it wouldn’t reclaim much material and would be quite troublesome. Fetching two thousand spirit stones was already decent, not to mention... he could gain favor with this notorious figure.

“Thank you.”

Fang Xing took out seven medium-grade spirit stones, adding those to the earnings from selling the magical artifact earlier, and acquired this second-tier spiritual sword, recognizing the discount he was given.

'On second thought, Fire Refinery Pavilion, Green Elixir Pavilion, and Qingxuan Sect are closely intertwined, representing the market's original order... for an underworld force like the Heavenly Gang to grow, they would have to seize their interests, and even if it's not outright enmity, they're bound to be at odds.'

'By destroying the Heavenly Gang, perhaps I've done them a great favor...'

…

Inside the cave residence.

Fang Xing drew the Azure Rainbow Sword.

Ting!

In an instant, the room filled with azure light, sword energy piercing the skies!

He casually swung it, and a ribbon of azure light swept from the blade, slicing through gold and jade as if it were nothing.

“A fine sword... its sharpness is likely enough to cut through the defenses of second-tier beasts, no?”

A trace of joy appeared on Fang Xing’s face.

Generally speaking, second-tier spiritual artifacts are made of resilient materials, difficult for ordinary foundation-stage cultivators and second-tier beasts to destroy.

Of course, encountering a second-tier high-grade demon beast or a formidable foe in the Foundation Establishment stage could spell trouble.

If directly struck by a third-tier demon beast, a second-tier spiritual weapon would naturally be destroyed on impact.

Fang Xing must count himself fortunate: the third-tier demon beast primarily attacked with poisonous mist aimed at a Core Formation master, turning a nearby Foundation Establishment cultivator into a pool of blood and bones. Still, the Azure Rainbow Sword remained largely intact.

Although, it was now thoroughly ruined…

"But that’s better than slicing into a third-tier demon beast’s body and snapping the sword in the process…" Fang Xing mused.

Fang Xing drew another sword, the Mottled纹!

He grasped Mottled纹 in his left hand, while the Azure Rainbow rested in his right, a spark of eagerness flaring across his face.

With a sudden exertion of strength, he swung the swords in a mighty arc.

Clang!

Blade met blade, sparks of electricity danced in the air, producing a sharp, piercing ring that stabbed at the eardrums.

Fang Xing focused, gazing at the Azure Rainbow Sword; its blade remained unscathed, as expected.

In contrast, the blade of the Mottled纹 bore a rice-grain-sized notch.

"I didn’t even exert much force; it’s purely the sword’s sharpness… After all, a blood-refined artifact is equivalent to only a low-grade magical tool…" After some trial, Fang Xing concluded that Mottled纹 was indeed a weakling of a sword.

Without hesitation, he tossed Mottled纹 high into the air with his left hand.

Then, the Azure Rainbow Sword transformed into a green streak, fiercely cleaving Mottled纹.

Whoosh!

Mottled纹 emitted a mournful wail as the spot connecting its hilt to the blade was severed.

From within the two segments of the blade, a thumb-sized iron piece flew out.

"Dog Brother’s token, at last…" Fang Xing's eyes gleamed at the sight.

Ever since discovering the secret hidden within Mottled纹, he had planned to retrieve it one day.

The original idea was to find a metal cutter on Hawk Star.

However, it seemed now that the Azure Rainbow Sword was sufficient for the task.

Fang Xing reached out with a gesture, and the innate true qi transformed into a thin thread, stretching across several feet to retrieve the Xuan Iron Order.

If any martial artists of this world witnessed such a display, their eyes would surely widen in disbelief.

Could innate true qi have such a wondrous application?

Fang Xing examined the token in his hand. It was no bigger than a thumb, entirely black, resembling a piece of ordinary metal.

Yet, how could something that remained unscathed in the midst of the Azure Rainbow Sword's strikes be made of ordinary material?

“Tier-two or tier-three spiritual material?” he murmured, running his fingers over the iron order and feeling a soothing gentleness akin to jade.

The entire surface of the iron order was adorned with cloud patterns. Its front bore an ancient script—a single character, 'Order,' while the reverse side was engraved with the words 'All Laws.'

“It seems the rumors are true; this secret realm indeed relates to the 'Sage of All Laws' who achieved the Golden Core. Could this token be the core of an array? Or perhaps another kind of pass?”

Having been exposed to much within the cultivation world, he knew that many important abodes or arrays had one or two core tokens and more passage tokens for masters and disciples or family members to use—akin to keys to open grand gates!

“Therefore, the heated battles over the secret realm might merely be on the outskirts, perhaps without even reaching the true entrance?”

“Or have yet to touch the core?”

Despite this, Fang Xing had no intention of embarking on an adventure.

Firstly, even those who had reached the Golden Core had failed there; he, as a small fry, had no need to seek humiliation.

Secondly, Fang Xing always had clear objectives: to use otherworldly resources to further his martial path as much as possible.

Therefore, the follow-up to the 'Whale Elephant Paste' was of utmost importance to him. Everything else was an illusion!

...

Several days later.

Around Qinglin Market.

A simple hut stood nestled amidst ordinary surroundings, its roof home to small birds, while lizards and beetles crawled along its edges.

Fang Xing, well aware of what awaited inside, strode in confidently.

At the doorway, Xiaorui kept watch. Upon recognizing Fang Xing, a sense of relief washed over her features: "Esteemed guest, please enter!"

After Fang Xing stepped inside, she quickly shut the door and affixed two talismans—one for protection and another for concealing presence.

"Are you the owner of Qingdan Workshop?"

Fang Xing's gaze settled on the center of the room, where he saw a woman clad in green garments. A jade belt adorned her waist, and a bamboo hat obscured her face.

"Indeed… I am Su Ye," she replied softly, her voice as gentle as a flowing stream. "I've had the honor to meet you. Might I ask how you are addressed?"

"Fang Yun," Fang Xing declared without hesitation, giving a false name.

"Friend Fang… Your defeat of Luo Hong from Tianxia Sect was truly exhilarating; I admire your courage," Su Ye praised him, her tone filled with admiration.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. Do you have any leads on a substitute for the 'Whale Elephant Paste'?" Fang Xing inquired directly.

"So that ointment is called 'Whale Elephant Paste'? It possesses such overpowering properties. I wonder what kind of mythical beast this 'Whale Elephant' is, perhaps even carrying the bloodline of a third-tier or fourth-tier demon beast," Su Ye murmured, then with a graceful gesture, tossed a jet-black jade bottle enveloped in a blue glow towards Fang Xing. "This bottle contains 'Boiling Blood Extract.' Please examine it."

"Boiling Blood Extract?"

Fang Xing discreetly communicated with an external drone, ensuring no ambush awaited him before holding his breath slightly and opening the jade bottle. Although his current physique was resilient to most toxins, capable of detecting and expelling them upon first contact, caution was prudent given the myriad dangers of the cultivation world.

Upon removing the stopper, he beheld a vivid red liquid resembling fresh blood.

Allowing a slight inhale through his nose, he detected a strong metallic scent.

'Hmm, it's not poisonous. Instead, it invigorates my bloodstream… If merely sniffing it yields such effects, this could be promising!'

Intrigued, he summoned a silver needle to carefully extract a drop of the viscous 'Boiling Blood Extract' and spread it onto the back of his hand.

The sensations of sourness, numbness, and spiciness...

Varied feelings surfaced from the back of his hand, then transformed into a searing hot flow, seemingly strengthening his skin.

“How is this item?” Su Ye softly asked with a smile.

“It seems to have about forty to fifty percent of the effect of ‘Whale Elephant Paste’... What’s the price? I’m considering buying in bulk.”

Fang Xing exhaled, making up his mind.

“This item is rare, primarily crafted using the blood and flesh of second-tier demon beasts, mixed with forty-nine kinds of spiritual herbs,”

Su Ye replied calmly, “which is why a bottle costs two hundred low-grade spirit stones. Our store faced a calamity, the warehouse storing our herbs was destroyed, and only two bottles remain…”

“Only two bottles?”

Fang Xing frowned. Though it was more than what Xia Long had given him, it wasn’t enough to advance his Dragon Elephant Skill to the next level.

“I recall... the guardian of the marketplace had slain a second-tier demon beast before... There should be a lot of remaining blood and flesh.”

“You might not know, but to refine this ‘Boiling Blood Extract,’ a large mass of second-tier demon beast flesh is needed, but only a small portion as big as a fist remains after refinement,”

Su Ye answered with a bitter smile. “Back when the marketplace was attacked, numerous demon beasts were drawn by the second-tier beast's blood and flesh, launching frenzied assaults on this very pharmacy and warehouse…”

Fang Xing immediately understood.

Even with convenient storage items like storage bags, the entire Qingdan Workshop likely had very few.

Moreover, low-grade storage bags generally had a capacity of around two to three cubic meters, enough to hold only a limited amount of demon flesh.

It's normal for only a little to be left when attacked before refining the blood and flesh into pills.

However, Fang Xing remained skeptical!

It's standard business practice to control the supply and boost prices when products become hot commodities.

He looked at Su Ye with a peculiar expression, “So what do you think, Fellow Daoist Su, could be done to obtain a substantial amount of ‘Boiling Blood Extract’?”

“I fear there’s no other way than slaying a second-tier demon beast to acquire a substantial amount of flesh as the primary material.”

Su Ye shook her head in response.

“A second-tier demon beast?”

Fang Xing's expression turned solemn. The image of the golden-feathered, bald-eagle-like monster he saw that day flashed in his mind.

If faced with such a high-grade second-tier beast, he'd definitely run as far as possible, but if it were an ordinary low-grade one, a group of cultivators fully trained in spiritual energy, combined with a formation, might just prevail.

“In that case, I'll buy these two bottles.”

Ultimately, Fang Xing made his decision, taking out four mid-grade spirit stones.

‘Damn, this is so risky! I might as well return to Juvenile Eagle Star and find a way to buy the 'Whale Elephant Ointment.' Even if it costs hundreds of thousands per box, at least it's safe there…’

]

(End of Chapter)