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"However, trading within Canglin Immortal City, especially with Lord Jin, is an honor for both my Ning Family and myself."
"Only, a portion must be left behind so that when I arrive at my destination in the future, I will have some goods for trade, which will facilitate reporting back to my family."
Ning Zhuo's excuse came quickly and very naturally.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and others nodded privately, finding this to be reasonable.
Jin Li was even more affirmative, certain that Ning Zhuo had a powerful trump card for protection or that a Guardian must be accompanying him secretly.
Although he didn't buy everything, which left Jin Li a bit regretful, having some was better than none.
This unexpected surprise truly brought him joy.
Elated, he said to Ning Zhuo, "Young friend, although we have just met for the first time, I have taken quite a liking to you. Why don't you go to my private storeroom and pick out a weapon to take with you?"
Jin Li wanted to foster good karma.
His aim was simple: to engage in more, and longer-lasting, trade with Ning Zhuo and even the Ning Family as a whole.
Ning Zhuo quickly clasped his hands together in gratitude.
For him, this was another unexpected delight.
With a wave of his hand, Jin Li made the wall recede, revealing a secret door.
Ning Zhuo entered the secret door and saw several shelves.
What a sight.
These shelves were filled with various types of weapons: axes, halberds, hooks, spears, swords, glaives—dazzling and almost all-encompassing.
Ning Zhuo, however, was somewhat indifferent toward these.
"Although I have diligently practiced close combat skills at the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, I've only practiced unarmed combat to shore up weaknesses, not the usage of weapons. Let alone these kinds of long weapons."
"Besides, the battlefield is blind to fairness; I don't want to recklessly engage in close combat. Using spells from afar is the safest approach."
Thus, the range of Ning Zhuo's selection dramatically narrowed—from hundreds of items instantly down to just three.
The first was a drum, not made of the usual leather but a thin layer of dark silver metal, engraved with numerous lightning talismans, called the Golden Thunder Drum.
The second was a ring, constantly emitting a dazzling golden light, known as the Sharp Blade Ring.
The third was an Iron Thorns Fan, half the height of a man; its surface made of leather.
After carefully examining them, Ning Zhuo was not very satisfied with any of the weapons.
The Golden Thunder Drum seemed like a Magic Artifact, but was actually a weapon for smashing. In the process of smashing, it activated the talismans on the surface to release violent electrical currents.
The Sharp Blade Ring and Iron Thorns Fan were handheld, the former used for slashing—a uniquely shaped dagger. The latter was like a staff or mace, which upon hitting a target, would sprout iron thorns, piercing deeper into the enemy's body.
Ning Zhuo did not want to be embroiled in close combat on the battlefield.
Before that happened, he would try to retreat as much as possible, create distance, and avoid such predicaments.
Although Ning Zhuo had not specifically focused on the study of Military Art, his foundation from his time at the Ning Family Academy and his broad reading had informed him that the contests of a battlefield and one-on-one fights were very different.
One of the most significant differences was teamwork.
On the battlefield, coordination is crucial. With it, a Cultivator can fully play to their strengths.
"My current fighting strength lies in the Five Elements Realm, the Five Elements Magic."
"Long-range attacks are my main fighting method."
"As for close quarters, I need to rely on my comrades to cover me and avoid it as much as possible."
This was also one of the reasons Ning Zhuo chose Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei. These three Golden Core Cultivators possessed considerable physical prowess.
Clearly, they were adept at close combat.
Ning Zhuo took the Iron Thorns Fan and left the storeroom.
At parting, Jin Li specifically gave Ning Zhuo a Token, with a word of caution, "Ning Zhuo, young friend, if you have any Treasure materials to sell, just use this Token to clear the way, and you'll be able to see me directly."
Ning Zhuo's face showed great joy; he thanked him profusely and carefully put away the Token.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei all showed varying degrees of envy.
It was clear to everyone: a Magic Artifact Level Iron Thorns Fan was far less valuable than the small Token because, to some extent, the Token represented a connection with Jin Li, a Nascent Soul Level Great Master.
Seeing Ning Zhuo put away the Token, Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei all realized they could no longer treat Ning Zhuo as just an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Leaving that aside, just this connection alone could be invaluable in the future, if their own weapons needed repair and they could get in touch with Jin Li through Ning Zhuo to request his assistance, that would be ideal.
Liu Er, accompanied by Guan Hong and Zhang Hei, went to the City Lord's Mansion and successfully obtained three Guerrilla General Seals.
The City Lord's Mansion arranged their military camp location to the west of the city and provided them with several hundred Top Grade Spirit Stones, ordinary wood, tents, and other materials.
These materials were, of course, very scant, serving as a mere token.
To set up a proper camp, they would need to spend their own money.
Liu Er sighed, "Next, we will have to recruit soldiers, and the camp must be presentable. If it's too shabby, it will surely be disdained by the Cultivators. At the very least, it has to be somewhat better than the Red Flower Camp."
Guan Hong stroked his beard in silence; he was only slightly richer than Liu Er. By Golden Core Cultivator standards, he was rather poor.
Zhang Hei then said, "I have a considerable family fortune."
Ning Zhuo also said, "I can sponsor a sum, though it's a modest contribution."
With their financial support, Liu Er could then purchase the necessary materials to set up camp.
He first chose a hill as the location for the camp.
The higher elevation was beneficial for observation, setting up scouting Arrays, and avoiding low-lying wetlands would also somewhat prevent dampness and the spread of disease.
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