Chapter 31: Base Weapon

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In the center of Wang Nan city, countless people filled the street.

Different types of shops doing business along the road, from medicine shops to toy shops for both children and adults. Food stalls were busy calling on potential customers, loudly promoting their products in high vigor.

Among the crowd of people, a young man was leading his elder and a young girl passing the never-ending crowd… In his view, he finally saw what he was looking for, a grand pavilion.

“There it is.”

Sparkling green even from this far away, it was eye-catching.

The building was the Heavenly King Weapon Pavilion. It was the most expensive and the furthest weapon pavilion he had on the list, so he did not suggest this earlier. Due to his ancestor’s insistence on the best place earlier, he brought him to this place directly. Not to mention, they also did not have much time. If they tarried, the Auction House could very well bar their entry.

Mu-er was glad. This was the fourth weapon shop for the day.

This one ought to be better than the previous three. When his Ancestor entered the three weapon pavilions before, he immediately announced to be presented with the best of weapons. His arrival made all the young attendants anxious, forcing the chief attendant to tend to him personally. They could feel the air around him, even when he did not try to flaunt himself.

All chief attendants of these pavilions rejoiced, for such a big fish to arrive at their doorstep. Yet to their disappointment, An Shan only shook his head and sighed at every best product they offered him. If not for the generous tips he gestured Mu-er to give, these attendants would probably grumble behind him.

An Shan was not wasting their time.

In order to tell whether the weapons were good enough, he had to use his own eyes. He rejected every weapon presented, not because he was picky. It was just that the weapons they presented him did not suit his needs. What he needed was not a superior Spirit Weapon, but a weapon with a strong enough foundation to withstand his spirit infusion. Whether it was Spirit or Qi weapon, it was not important.

The base of the weapon was the most important.

Qi weapons had qi veins already formed during the forging process. The quality depended much on the skill, weapon type, and material quality being used. Qi weapons were considered good for common cultivators, but almost all of them could not even enter An Shan’s eyes. The weapon base limited their potential. Even if he infused his Spirit into such weapons, it would be a waste. They could not last long and could shatter anytime, especially during combat.

Most Spirit Weapons, however, had a solid base. Naturally, if one wished to seek an excellent weapon, they had to start by looking for a Spirit Weapon. But the bad news was that, An Shan did not wish to merely use it. He wanted to upgrade it to a whole new level. Since two spirits in one weapon had a higher chance of shattering the weapon, all spirit weapon presented to him was not up to par.

What was Spirit in Spirit Weapon?

Spirit was the manifestation of the will of the cultivator. This could either be the weapon creator or its most dominating user. Some spirit weapons could not be used by others, but most were possible. But to fuse another Spirit into a Spirit Weapon… was not considered doable.

Yet An Shan knew how to do so, and even more.

It’s just that, to infuse two spirits in one weapon, required some strict conditions.

…

The walls of the pavilion were sparkling green.

Special types of mineral stones were laid all over the building, giving it natural green lights as sunlight went through them. Walking into the luxurious green pavilion, his scholarly robe was as though soaring. Seeing him, the attendants there widened their eyes as they judged;

‘This! An expert!’

‘Not just any expert… could it be…?’

‘A top expert!’

An Shan did try not to be imposing, but old habits die hard.

All attendants there were well-trained, so they could tell whether one was ordinary or not. In addition, Mu-er standing right next to him was handsome and awe-inspiring. Standing tall as if an immovable mountain, Mu-er made it clear he was escorting him.

“Greeting, Sir!”

“Welcome to our pavilion!”

“We’re honored by your visit!”

“Please, come on in!”

Greeting An Shan with respect, four young female attendants ushered him in. At the same time, they assured him that the chief attendant was already on the way. While they would love to serve him, such a high-profile figure would be better served by their superior, lest they offended them.

Seeing her ancestor’s high profile, imposing style, Xiao Mei could not help but admired him.

She held her chest forward, walking slowly with big strides, her hands behind her. Eyes moving around the pavilion, she fully imitated her ancestor’s serious attitude, eyeing every one of these weapons.

All weapons on the lower floors were just Qi weapons. Before they could finish evaluating all of them, the chief attendant arrived. With a nervous look, the old boss cupped his hands, saluting him with the utmost respect.

“Welcome, esteemed guest. Chief Attendant Jing Yu, at your service. Please pardon this old man for not receiving you earlier…”

“No matter. I don’t have much time, show me around. I wish for weapons with a solid foundation, strong base.”

“Excuse me, solid foundation, strong base?”

Hearing the term used by An Shan, the chief attendant asked. The old man had been an attendant for over a hundred years, so while he was not an expert crafter, his knowledge of the terms used to describe weapons could not be said to be inferior.

“…It’s normal not to know. The others don’t know too… Show me around the best.”

“Yes, at once!”

Seeing An Shan’s style, Jing Yu took him up to the upper floors.

Sensing his urgency, he took him to see through the whole upper floors. One thousand, two thousand… Weapons of various kinds... Shining, fiery, glittering gold, even gloomy, cursed weapon… They had it all. Common cultivators could not even be allowed to view these treasures. They would perhaps drool with the thought of possessing such luxury.

Yet, for An Shan…

After seeing the whole of the upper floors, he sighed. The requirement for an already formed Spirit Weapon to be upgraded, was too difficult after all. Disappointment was evident in his sigh, but Jing Yu dared not say a thing.

Soon, Mu-er urged him that it was almost time. Escorted back to the ground floor, An Shan noticed a room at the back of the stairs. Somehow, he felt attracted to the place.

Turning to Jing Yu, he asked;

“…There are weapons there too?”

“Ah? Y-yes! But on this ground floor, there are only Qi weapons. Dear Sir asked for the best, that’s why I didn’t—”

“Show me,”

“Yes!”

Bringing them in, he showed him around the gallery. It was clearly for works that were considered good for Qi Weapons, but it was nothing compared to Spirit Weapons. As he looked around, An Shan still could not be satisfied.

“Oh well, this one doesn’t have any as well. I’ll just use what An Hong prepared,”

He already finished infusing his spirit into the two Qi weapons he took from the sect, turning them into Spirit Weapons of superior quality. He was just one weapon short, so it should not be much of a problem, or so he thought. He could try to trade the three he took from An Hong for one herb.

He did not have much expectation, but he was still disappointed.

Out of all these four weapon pavilions, and over 8000 weapons in the store, none fit his criteria. He could find only two good ones in his sect, so he thought the better ones were already gifted to their disciples. However, that was not the case. It seemed the overall quality of weapons of this era had fallen for good. Back then, he could still find at least three or four out of 10,000. Worried he might forget, Mu-er reminded;

“Father…”

“I know, it’s time,”

Just as he was about to turn around, an area in the corner of the room caught his eyes.

Walking straight towards it, what greeted him were two weapons. One was a saber, and another was a long spearhead. Both weapons were not refined in any way. Instead, they had a rather rough style that screamed ‘Appearance? I don’t care!’

Seeing the two, An Shan realized. The strange sensation he felt just then was coming from these two. Even with his Soul sealed and injured, it still provided him some edge. Gesturing to Jing Yu, the old attendant immediately knew his intent. Taking the two weapons out from the thick glass, he presented them to him.

His hands on them, he closed his eyes. Sensing the weapons’ base, he nodded. The crafter used metal refined from a nearby volcano to forge these weapons. The quality was high, yet due to its rough and unrefined look, it could not sell well. The Qi inside was also too fierce, and could only be used either by a fire-based user or ladies with a strong Yin element, creating a balance that transforms potential energy into an exciting one.

The outer look of these two could not be said to be an art, but their base was solid. They should be good enough to receive his spirit infusion. In fact, if he could use them long enough, both could very well be awakened.

Once a weapon reached the level of Spirit Weapon, its user could make the weapon enter an awakened state. Even among Spirit Weapons, the chance of inducing awakened state was low. An awakened weapon was said to triple its value to its wielder. The connection between the wielder and weapons would be so high that the wielder could communicate with it almost the same as Soul Armaments, and store a portion of his cultivation within the weapon.

However, an awakened weapon did not have much selling value. Since it was awakened, it would not accept anyone except its true master or his true heir. Only in occasional case, would an awakened weapon accept someone else as its new master. If someone it did not acknowledge use it, that person could very well suffer Qi injury instead.

‘I don’t need these weapons, but someone else might… Whether or not they could be used in the auction, doesn’t matter.’

Making up his mind, he turned to Jing Yu.

“How much?”

“D-dear Sir, are you sure… You wish to take these two?”

“That’s why I’m asking the price. What, you don’t sell these?”

“N-no… It’s not that we don’t sell, it’s just that… the crafter put a rather hefty price tag on them, Jing Yu is ashamed,”

“Oh, is that the truth?”

“Y-yes!”

An Shan’s tone was calm, even aloof… Yet elder Jing felt pressured. It was as if speaking to a monarch, such calmness bore its own weight. As an expert attendant, plus being close to him now, he could tell better than anyone.

“Dear Sir, while our weapon pavilion might still be small compared to those giants in central cities, we would not inflate the price. While they are still Qi Weapons, each had hardness superior to those of similar rank. The crafter said crafting these two took a lot of work, so he demanded his products be sold at the price of a Mortal-rank Spirit Weapon... He would not sell his arts otherwise,”

“Enough. State the price,”

“Yes! It’s 4 million Wen per weapon. If you take both at once, he’s willing to accept 7 million. If you have doubt, I have the crafter’s agreement. I will bring it at once—”

“No need,”

An Shan raised his chin to Mu-er.

Seeing this, Mu-er took out a small spatial ring, giving it to Jing Yu without hesitation. Seeing the customer already decided, Jing Yu no longer explained. The product was expensive, but he at least did not swindle him. He waved his hand to call upon his assistant. A young lady, his aide, came forth, taking the ring to the side to finish the transfer. Knowing his ancestor, Mu-er told the aide to also send tips to attendants who welcomed them earlier.

Hearing so, Xiao Mei, who stood by his side, drooled in envy.

‘Perhaps I should work as an attendant too? So much tips…’

“Mu-er, triple the tips,”

“Yes, father,”

An Shan told Mu-er to triple the tips to Jing Yu and his aide, making the elder smile from ear to ear. Seeing the real amount he was tipped, his eyes opened wide. Bowing while saluting, he was quite close to even paying him respect equal to his ancestor! The same could be said for his aide, a young girl in her twenties… It was more than her six-month wages?!

What a generous expert!

“Many thanks, dear Sir… Many thanks,”

“Attendant Jing, I have a favor to ask,”

“Yes?”

“I want to know who crafted these,”

“T-this… I would love to tell you, dear Sir. But…”

He explained. It seemed that in the agreement, the crafter forbade any disclosure of his information. He could not appreciate people coming to bother him, though so far no one bothered to ask. While Jing Yu wanted to, he still needed to abide by the agreement. Thus, the best he could do was promised An Shan he would ask for the crafter’s permission.

“Em. Take 3 million more to him, my tip for him. Tell him, I appreciate his work,”

“Err, y-yes!”

Elder Jing turned to the two beside them. Mu-er nodded to the lady attendant, prompting her to take more from the ring. Her hands shaking, she could not believe her ears… Those weapons could not be said to be pretty, in fact, they hurt the eyes. But this esteemed Sir…

Eccentric! Weirdo!

But, a generous one!

Tipping three million for these wreckages?!

Ah well, rich people always had their weird preferences…

“Express my gratitude with sincerity. These are excellent works.”

“Eh, ah, yes!”

Elder Jing Yu had always been confident. Yet, at the moment, he stuttered. This man had just given out three million Wen to the crafter as appreciation… For what, two Qi Weapons? Two rough-looking Qi Weapons, devoid of art? Those wreckages?

The heck! Just that tip was enough to buy a good mansion right in the center of the city. Though he had met many weird people before, he never thought he would see such an eccentric. These were just Qi Weapons, what if he managed to sell him Spirit Weapons?

How much would he give out as tips?

Uhuhuhu…

Finalizing the transaction, Mu-er signed the business paper. Taking the two weapons into his spatial ring, An Shan took his leave. As they did, elder Jing and his aide, and all the attendants who received them earlier, clasped their hands to see them off.

They did, as if respecting their own ancestor…

…

An Shan’s group made their way toward the auction house. Soon, a grand red pavilion, as if a palace, came to view.

=== Chapter 31 end ===