Chapter 96: Chapter 95 Spirit Snake Armor (Request for Monthly Ticket) _1 Chapter 96: Chapter 95 Spirit Snake Armor (Request for Monthly Ticket) _1 Baochuan Market.
Fang Xi landed the Black Feather Boat from afar and disguised himself as a square-faced burly man. He stepped on a mid-grade flying sword and landed at the entrance.
“Does Sir Immortal need a guide?”
A group of mortals immediately surrounded him, their expressions eager and respectful.
“You will do!”
Fang Xi randomly picked someone from the crowd, and it turned out to be Mo Qingyi!
“Thank you, Sir Immortal, for your patronage. This one will lead the way for you!”
Mo Qingyi, looking not much different from before since only a few years had passed, took the lead. “May I know what news Sir Immortal wishes to learn? This one is extremely familiar with this market…”
‘As if!’ Fang Xi silently scoffed.
Mo Qingyi, at most, knew some of the market’s overt channels since he was merely a mortal.
In terms of resource channels, he was far inferior to Xiumu, who had been mingling for years.
The reason why he had called on a guide was simply to establish his appearance as a newcomer; after all, the old-timers would not fall for this trap.
“Your surname is Mo, and you belong to the ‘Qing’ generation. May I ask what your relation is to the Mo Family on Black Sand Island?” Fang Xi thought of Mo Qingyu and asked casually.
“Not to hide from Sir Immortal, indeed my ancestors hail from the Mo Family on Black Sand Island!” Mo Qingyi subconsciously straightened his spine as he answered.
“I see.” Fang Xi didn’t inquire further. It was understandable for descendants of Immortal Cultivators to be numerous and for one lineage to be scattered to Baochuan Island.
Besides, perhaps this was part of the strategic planning of those Cultivating Immortal Families!
Even if the Black Sand Island’s main branches were exterminated, their bloodline could still carry on elsewhere.
If one were even luckier, as was the case with Ruan Xingling, one could witness the return of a king… reviving the family for a second, or even a third, prosperous era!
Family prosperity!
Aside from Foundation Establishment, this was probably what family Cultivators desired the most.
“Who is the best talisman forging master here? I wish to have him forge an artifact for me!”
Fang Xi feigned a rough manner as he spoke.
After some thought, Mo Qingyi replied, “The best talisman forger in our market should be Master Lu from Heavenly Workshop. He has been a first-grade, high-quality forger for many years, and his skills have become even more exquisite with time… Apart from him, there’s Cui Keqing from Dragon Gate Attic and the ‘Gong Zhuzi,’ an Individual Cultivator, both of whom possess extremely profound forging skills…”
‘No problem there; it’s about the same as what I’ve heard before.’
After considering for a moment, Fang Xi said, “Let’s go to Heavenly Workshop first, to find Master Lu!”
…
Heavenly Workshop.
It was divided into two buildings, front and rear. The front one was a common Spiritual Instruments shop, while at the back were forging chambers, each with Earth Flames drawn up. Even through the walls, the heat was palpable.
As Fang Xi entered the shop, a greeter approached him, “What kind of Spiritual Instruments would you like to purchase, Sir?”
“Custom-made. I’m looking for Master Lu!”
Fang Xi casually threw out a low-grade Spirit Stone.
The greeter’s eyes immediately lit up, “Please, esteemed guest, follow me to the private room. I will serve tea to you shortly…”
Mo Qingyi naturally squatted outside the shop awaiting.
Moments later, in the private room, a tall, muscular man walked in. “Sir, what kind of Spiritual Instruments would you like to custom-make?”
Fang Xi coughed as he looked at the closed door, “I intend to custom-make a high-grade Spiritual Instrument crafted from monster materials! Can this place ensure confidentiality?”
Master Lu frowned slightly, then relaxed, “Rest assured, Sir. Our Heavenly Workshop has been established for more than two hundred years, and we have even forged Spiritual Instruments for Foundation Establishment Cultivators before… all right, I will make a Heart Demon Oath first to assure complete privacy regarding your matters…”
“Thank you!”
Fang Xi bowed in gratitude, watching the other party take the oath before patting his Storage Bag.
With a flash of light, a piece of snake skin and a large amount of snake bones appeared.
A faint sense of oppression emanated from the snake skin, scales, and even the bones.
“Indeed, it’s a first-grade high-quality monster snake… Eh? This quality is unexpectedly good,” noted Master Lu.
Master Lu activated his Magic Spell, conjuring a flame on his finger, and began to burn one of the scales.
After a long while, there was still no sign of any change to the scale.
His expression became solemn, “This snake’s bloodline, it seems extraordinary!”
“Indeed. How much would it cost to craft a full set of Spirit Armor using these materials?” Fang Xi asked with a smile.
Master Lu pondered for a moment before responding, “Ordinary flames can’t refine this monster material; it requires the Earth Flame vein behind Heavenly Workshop. The crafting of Spirit Armor is a major undertaking and will need at least a month’s time. The price would be… two hundred Spirit Stones!”
At an ordinary Spirit Instrument shop outside, a high-quality instrument with a single function would only cost around a hundred or so Spirit Stones.
“Agreed. I will pay half as a deposit now, and the remaining half once the Spirit Instrument is ready. Let’s draw up a contract!”
Fang Xi nodded in agreement, watching Master Lu draft the contract. They each infused a strand of Magic Power into it and then took out one hundred Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag. With his copy of the contract in hand, Fang Xi left Heavenly Workshop.
After leaving Heavenly Workshop, he dismissed Mo Qingyi and blended into the crowd, quickly disappearing without a trace.
A short while later, Fang Xi, having changed into a different set of clothing and face, directly went to the market and rented a dongfu with a one-month lease to start his temporary residence.
Every day, he would appear in different guises to sell monster materials and exchange them for a large number of pills, talisman papers, spirit ore, and other raw materials.
Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, more than twenty days had passed.
Tea house.
Xiumu was no longer there, but even with a change of owners, the tea house’s business was still good.
Occasionally, Fang Xi would also come to drink a cup of Spiritual Tea and listen to the news from Wanhu Island and the Cultivation World of Yue Country.
That day.
As usual, he ordered a cup of “Five Carp Playing Beads,” admiring the spiritual energy carps chasing each other, when he overheard the owner of the tea house sighing, “Has anyone heard… about the reappearance of the Demon Cultivator Situ Family?”
‘The Situ Family?!’
Fang Xi inwardly sighed, it had been a long time since he had heard this familiar term.
He looked up, revealing a faint smile, “I’d like the owner to enlighten me, and rest assured that my payment for the spiritual tea and pastries is guaranteed…”
“Thank you, thank you!”
The tea house owner laughed happily, his business was largely driven by sharing secret news and the latest messages of the Cultivation World to attract cultivators to come and drink tea, earning him some hard-earned money.
After gesturing a salute to the four directions, he started narrating like a storyteller, lacking only a gavel, and spoke, “Speaking of the Situ Family, they were once one of the seven great cultivating immortal noble families of Yue Country. What is a noble family? A family that produces Foundation Establishment cultivators generation after generation can be called a cultivating immortal noble family! In Yue Country, under Mysterious Heaven Sect, aside from the five major factions, they were it!”
Red Leaf Valley was once one of the five great factions, but after being destroyed, a new Foundation Establishment sect called ‘Qi Yang Sect’ took advantage and rose, taking the place of Red Leaf Valley.
Fang Xi felt as if behind the changes in power in Yue Country, there seemed to be an invisible hand manipulating everything.
That invisible hand was none other than ‘Mysterious Heaven Sect’!
Mysterious Heaven Sect occupied the most essence-rich rank three spiritual energy lands in Yue Country, along with the most profitable several spirit stone veins and the largest markets.
Then, the inaccessible corners and edges were distributed to the Foundation Establishment noble families and sects below, maintaining them at the number thirteen.
Once a branch grew stronger than the main trunk, it would immediately be pruned, like what happened to the Situ Family and Red Leaf Valley in the past.
After the pruning, new forces would be supported to take over and continue to serve Mysterious Heaven Sect like loyal dogs!
The lowest-ranked Qi Refining noble families and sects, on the other hand, wished to serve but couldn’t.
“After the Situ Family was destroyed, many of their clan members fled and turned into Demon Cultivators, among which the largest faction was ‘Destroy Heaven Alliance’! This faction has been designated as a Demon Cultivator organization by Mysterious Heaven Sect, with rewards for several of its leaders, yet they have been unable to eradicate it.”
“Until recently, ‘Destroy Heaven Alliance’ committed a significant deed—raided a marketplace under the Song Family’s control. It’s said that they slaughtered all the Song Family disciples, and their heads were hung under the archway of the marketplace, a horrible sight… Little did they know this act completely enraged Mysterious Heaven Sect, and a Core Formation ancestor of Mysterious Heaven Sect personally took action!”
Just as the tea house owner reached an exciting part, he stopped speaking and just drank his tea.
Anxious cultivators immediately started clamoring, “Boss, why stop there? Keep going… After the Golden Core ancestor made a move, what happened next?”
But the tea house owner just smiled and kept silent.
It wasn’t until Fang Xi took the lead and ordered another pot of Spiritual Tea that the owner continued with a chuckle, “After the Core Formation great cultivator made a move, the result is needless to say, Destroy Heaven Alliance got caught by the tail, and it’s said that a Foundation Establishment was killed on the spot…”
“But even so, the Situ Family and ‘Destroy Heaven Alliance’ weren’t completely exterminated but instead fled towards the southeast, seeking refuge within the territory of Wood Kingdom!”
…
“Wood Kingdom!”
Fang Xi understood; the Green Wood Sect of this country, like Mysterious Heaven Sect, also had a Core Formation ancestor presiding over it, and had almost come to blows recently over the issue with the spirit seeker, nearly leading to a major confrontation.
It was indeed a good choice for the remnants of the Situ Family to flee into this country.
“Why did ‘Destroy Heaven Alliance’ target the Song Family’s marketplace?” another cultivator asked a different question.
“Hehe… Mysterious Heaven Sect’s marketplaces are heavily guarded, with at least top-notch second-rank Mountain Protecting Arrays, and there are at least middle-stage Foundation Establishment experts in charge. Even with ten times the courage, Destroy Heaven Alliance wouldn’t dare to attack them, but the Song Family is different…”
The tea house owner chuckled, “Moreover… the Song Family took the lead in actually destroying the Situ Family back then, they could be said to have a hatred deep as the sea! But the Song Family is not simple either, the Ancestor Song is at Foundation Establishment completion, a significant figure with prospects to reach Core Formation…”
Hearing the other party continue to tout how the Core Formation ancestor’s intervention was grandiose, with earth-shattering descriptions, but lacking much new content, Fang Xi stood up and left the tea house.
‘I didn’t expect to hear some news about old connections… the Situ Family, the Song Family, hehe…’ Both families were not good entities, the more viciously dogs bite each other, the happier Fang Xi would be.
He had been keeping an eye out for news of Chen Ping and Lord Jiuxuan, but there was none.
Perhaps it was because they had low cultivation and were not well-known.
If he couldn’t learn anything, he would just let it be.
Disguised as a man with a square face, Fang Xi went to the Heavenly Workshop.
In the private room.
“You arrived just in time, customer, the armor is fully forged, please take a look!”
Master Lu, with his bare arms, laughed heartily and opened a massive iron chest.
Inside the chest lay a set of spirit armor.
Inner armor, outer armor, arm guards, wrist guards, knee pads, boots, gloves, helmet… it was all exceedingly complete, each piece radiating a mighty spiritual light.
“I have fulfilled my duty, this ‘Spirit Snake Armor’ is of first-rank top quality and comes with arrays like ‘sturdy’, ‘repel water’, and ‘fitting’… It even naturally carries a dignified aura that snakes and insects dare not approach, and it has a certain deterrent effect on poisons, weighing a total of sixty-seven pounds!”
Master Lu’s face beamed, and he introduced it with shining eyes.