Celia came bounding up to Seifr with youthful exuberance, practically skipping. "Did you wait long?" Celia asked as she approached.

"Only a couple of minutes," Seifr replied. He had actually waited for close to an hour, but that was because he was incredibly early, and not because Celia was late. Seifr had woken up extra early and could hardly contain himself in the dormitory. He had so much energy that he felt he could run a hundred laps around the campus and not be tired at all.

Celia smiled brightly up at Seifr. She only came up to about his chest level, but Seifr had never really noticed just how short she really was. Her smile appeared to light up the surroundings brighter than the sun, and Seifr had to look away lest he go blind.

"Well, come on then," Cealia hooked her arm into Seifr's and started to drag him off to the East.

There were many different commercial districts within the city, because there were several hundred thousand people living in Vinson, so it was no surprise that there would be many thousands of craftsmen competing for business.

Seifr did not know the high-end districts very well. While he was wealthy, he had always been too busy training in one form or another to actually spend any time shopping for anything, and the masters that he had always been apprenticed to were the ones skilled enough to have some renown, but not skilled enough to cater to the rich. His father had allowed him a monthly stipend ever since he started his apprenticeships, but aside from the occasional fancy meal, Seifr had managed to save almost all of it.

He felt the jingle of his coins in his pocket as they walked along the streets, arm in arm. Seifr had six gold coins, stamped with the face of the current Emperor. Six gold coins might not seem like a lot, but it was a veritable fortune compared to what most commoners could scrounge up at any given time.

The currency system was based on 10's: One gold coin was equal to ten silver coins; one silver coin was equal to 10 copper coins; and one copper coin was equal to 10 iron coins. The typical wage of a farmhand was five copper coins a week, and for the frugal commoner, that was enough to live on and save about a third as well. There was a higher denomination than gold, and that was platinum, and if one was paying attention, it's obvious that it was worth 10 gold coins. Pretty much only nobles ever carried around any platinum coins.

Cultivators had their own special form of currency, too. Namely, the Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones had a wide variety of uses, the most common of which was direct assistance in accumulating Spiritual Energy and crafting Spirit Items. Cultivators in the Spirit Realm and higher could directly absorb the Spiritual Energy stored in the Spirit Stones by concentrating their own ki into the stones. This would cause the Spiritual Energy to release from the stone, and the cultivator could then inhale it directly like a mist. Spiritual Energy inhaled in this manner was many times more concentrated than was found in the atmosphere.

There were many different ways of acquiring Spirit Stones. One of the most common ways was to hunt wild beasts that had increased cultivation and remove the neidans from them. The neidans were physical manifestations of ki much like the dantian in a human. Cultivators in the Spirit Realm could focus their ki much like they would with a Spirit Stone into a neidan to tame the wild energy contained within. The neidan would shatter into smaller pieces, and much of the wild Spiritual Energy would be released and lost, but what was contained and purified would become Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones could also be found in the wild alongside other natural resources as the Spiritual Energy in an area slowly saturated the earth over time. Spirit Stones were found more often around other precious materials. Nobody had yet determined why this phenomenon existed, but it was widely accepted as fact.

Higher realm cultivators were able to purify more of the neidan as they became more powerful, thus most hunters would sell neidans to more powerful clans or sects for them to purify the neidan at a discount rate depending on the level of cultivator doing the purifying. The hunter would receive more Spirit Stones than they could produce themselves, and the clan or sect would keep the difference in the discount rate. A much more powerful clan or sect could employ more full-time higher level cultivators in this exchange rate and maintain a steady level of wealth, thus leading to more cultivators becoming more powerful.

A sect with a powerful Heaven Realm cultivator would have many cultivators in the Earth and Sky realm who could dedicate a portion of their time towards purifying neidans, whereas one with only an Earth Realm patriarch, like the Blue Vines Sect in Vinson, could only employ some in the Profound and Spirit Realm. The Misty Realm had a couple instructors in the Late Earth Realm who provided purifying services to students in the 6th and 7th Class, and there were several in the Mid Earth Realm for the 4th and 5th Class. Not only could The Misty Realm provide a higher purifying rate than the Blue Vines, but the discount rate was reduced as well.

Many would think that cultivators would disdain to accumulate material wealth in the form of Imperial currency, but cultivators had to live in the world among mortals as well. There was an exchange rate set up for Spirit Stones to currency that was maintained officially by the government, and anyone could exchange them one for the other at the current rate in any government exchequer office. The current rate was one Spirit Stone for one silver coin, and depending on the saturation in the market, it could be raised or lowered at any time. New Spirit Stones were constantly being created out of neidans and mined alongside other natural resources in the wild, but they were also being consumed to assist in accumulation and crafting at a steady rate as well. It had been a fairly stable market for some time now.

Seifr and Celia made there way to a commercial district that definitely catered to the wealthy. Each workshop and storefront was meticulously kept, with fresh paint and manicured trees and flowers abounding the street. It was the most expensive looking place Seifr had ever seen. Celia did not hesitate to drag Seifr directly into the first store that was selling Spirit Items.

"Welcome," a voice rang out from behind a counter near the door. A friendly looking man was standing behind the counter with a smile on his face as he greeted the two as they entered the shop. "Is there anything I can help you with today?"

The store was very neatly kept. All of the merchandise on display was either hanging on the wall behind a counter that went all the way around the store, or in glass cases on the floor or the counter itself. There was a large variety of goods on display, from swords, axes, knives, and other tools for destruction to mannequins with cloth and leather protective gear. Seifr even spied a full suit of armor made out of steel. That suit actually looks very practical. The joints are finely made and from the look appears to be freely moving. The weight of such a suit would be negligible to a cultivator of sufficient level.

One could often see cultivators walking the streets in various forms of dress. Many walked the streets in normal street wear, but there were also many who were on their way from or to the wilderness dressed in anything from beast leathers to full plate suits like what was on display here.

"My friend and I have decided it is time to invest in a Spirit Weapon. Do you have any recommendations?" Celia skipped over to the man behind the counter and smiled sweetly to him.

"Certainly. What exactly are you looking for? We have all kinds here, including weapons with attributes. Do you have any kind of affiliation with a specific attribute?"

This was the first time Seifr had heard anything about attributes. Celia saw the perplexed look on Seifr's face and giggled at him. "You don't know what attributes are? It's really quite simple, every cultivator is drawn to a certain type of ki manifestation like fire or ice. Usually one would not know what attribute they were affiliated with until they reached the Spirit Stage, but there are other methods of finding out. I'm assuming you've never done it before, but there are certain crystals one can infuse their ki into, and depending on the color and vibrancy, one can determine their attribute affiliation." After the brief instruction, Celia turned to the man behind the counter again and said, "I'm affiliated with the Wind Attribute."

Seifr thought back to the crystal Master Kveld had had him infuse his ki into. The crystal had not changed at all. There was not even the faintest hint of color. Maybe it was a different kind of crystal? Seifr shook his head. There was no way to know for sure without asking someone.

"You're in luck. I have just the perfect thing for you," the shopkeeper told Celia as he walked around the counter to a display case. He reached in and pulled out a green spear. It was rather slender, but taller than even Seifr by a few inches. It was quite sturdy looking despite its width, and it had a tassel with several bright feathers attached to it. The spearhead appeared to look like stone, but even if it was, this was a Spirit Weapon and could not be judged by its look alone.

Celia clapped her hands in delight and gave a short jump as she ran over to take hold of the spear. Seifr could sense a faint vibration in the vicinity as her hands came into contact with the weapon. A look of surprise came on the merchant's face and he exclaimed, "Resonance! You have a very high affiliation with the Wind Attribute. This spear was made for you." He beamed at Celia. "There's a small sparring ground designed for testing weapons for certain potential buyers. With a resonance like that, I'll allow you back there and give it a few swings."

"Really?! That sounds wonderful. Thanks." Celia bounded after the man as he turned to open a door that Seifr had previously not noticed. They went into a room that was about the same size as the store proper, but this room contained many training dummies. Celia wasted no time jumping right into the center of a group of them.

Celia expertly spun the spear one-handed and then executed a straight thrust, driving the spear directly through one of the dummies. She then swiftly extracted the spear and swept it across several more dummies, knocking them down. Seifr could almost see the vibrations in the air as she brandished the weapon about, and could feel the wind kicked up against his face. After that maneuver, she leaned directly backwards, almost coming parallel to the ground, and slapped two more dummies in the head with the spear before straightening up again.

Seifr was secretly shocked. In only one breath's time, Celia had demolished six training dummies. Her fighting prowess was much higher than he had anticipated. Got to remember to never get in a fight with her. Especially if she has a spear.... Or a stick, even. The merchant was likewise flabbergasted at this short display of might.

Celia bounded over to the two men gaping at her, smiling sweetly as she told the shopkeeper, "I'll take it! How much is it?"

The man quickly came out of his daze at the mention of a possible sale. He looked Celia right in the eyes and said sincerely, "Usually I would name a price that would bring in lots of profit, not expecting to actually get the first asking price. Sometimes I get lucky and someone either really, really wants the item and just pays, or they don't understand how business is truly conducted. But this time I'm going to start with my rock-bottom price, because I would regret selling this weapon to someone else, because it clearly already belongs to you. With all that said, I can sell it to you for 13 gold coins."

Seifr's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He knew this place was for wealthy shoppers, but the six gold coins he had qualified him as being considered wealthy. This shopkeeper said his rock-bottom price was more than double his entire wealth. He sighed and was about to turn to leave in disappointment.

"Deal!" Celia called out. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a handful of gold. She quickly counted it out and returned a significant portion back into her pocket as she handed 13 coins to the man. He beamed at her as he pocketed the money. Celia turned to Seifr and raised an eyebrow at him as she said, "Haha, we actually came out here for you, but I ended up shopping for myself first! Sorry, sorry. Let's go find you something."

Seifr hesitated for a second before resigning himself to just looking. Can't hurt to just look. Maybe I can find something I can save up for. Celia seemed to sense Seifr's internal struggle and leaned close to him to whisper, "I can spot you if you don't have enough. I told you I was bringing you shopping to make you feel better about the tournament. How could I bring you out and tell you 'look but don't touch?'" A mischievous glint was in Celia's eyes as she said that. Seifr suddenly became acutely aware of the heat radiating off of her body as she stood extremely close to him. His heart was beating so hard he could hear the pounding in his head.

Celia laughed delightfully as she scampered ahead like a small child. Seifr shook his head as he followed her out. He turned to the merchant and asked, "I've infused my ki into one of those crystals before, I think, but there was no change in color or anything even after a full minute. Do you know anything about that?"

The man was momentarily surprised, and then he smiled and responded, "That's actually quite simple. It means that your affiliated attribute is a higher tier. We only have Tier One weapons here. There are a total of three tiers. Every once in a while, if one is extremely lucky, one could find a Tier Two weapon at an auction. I don't think there is a single Tier 3 weapon or item in existence. At least I've never heard of any, and I don't know of anyone else who could claim to have heard of any either. If one existed, everyone would know about it; it would be so shocking."

Seifr stroked his chin in contemplation for a moment as he thought about the implications. The older man seemed to sense what he was thinking and said, "Not all Spirit Weapons have an attribute, and even if you use a weapon with an attribute you're not affiliated with, as you become more powerful you can still utilize that attribute. It just won't be as powerful as someone with a natural propensity for using that attribute."

Seifr nodded his head as he perused the items in the shop. He asked to see several that caught his attention, but nothing gave him a good feeling. After a while, he turned to Celia, "I don't think there's anything here for me. At least not right now." He turned to the shopkeeper. "Thanks for your assistance and patience today."

The salesman laughed heartily as he waved off Seifr's obvious concern about wasting his time. "Its fine, its fine. You two can come back anytime you want." The man said that the two of them could come back anytime, but what seifr heard him say was, "You can bring her back anytime you want."

The two of them made their exit from the shop and continued on their way. They spent a large portion of the day walking to different stores looking for a suitable weapon for Seifr. Celia strutted around with her spear propped up on her shoulder, and she would run around "oohing" and "aahing" at different things, especially when they walked by a lady's clothing store. Seifr was sure they were going to be in there until sundown, and Celia ended up not even buying anything!

The duo were making their way back to the campus after a fruitless day of searching. They had gotten a brief bite to eat earlier, but they had decided to head back for dinner on campus. Celia was trying to keep Seifr's spirits up as they walked along. They no longer just walked on the main thoroughfare, but traversed across the alleys as well. With the two of them dressed in their Misty Realm robes and this being a rich neighborhood, neither of them were concerned about being accosted.

"Hey, young man," a voice called out from the side of one such alley as they were walking by. Seifr turned to see a man who appeared to be in his early thirties sitting in front of a cloth set out with several different weapons lain across it. "Yes, you. I see you walking with the lovely lady. She's armed to the teeth with that magnificent spear, but where's your weapon? Come have a look at what I have to offer." The man appeared to be quite at ease with himself.

Seifr quickly glanced over the weapons on the ground. Not one of them looked like they could be put on display at any of the previous stores, but several of them were obvious tools of warfare built for utility. He was about to politely decline the invitation when a sword in a plain, black scabbard caught his attention. It was about 70 centimeters in length, had a slight curve to the blade, and had zero embellishment. It was completely plain. Once it entered his vision, Seifr was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. As he approached it, the man's eyes flashed briefly.

Seifr picked it up and drew the sword out of its scabbard. It looked like a very plain, ordinary sword, but Seifr could not take his eyes off of it. "How much?" he asked without even looking at the man. Celia frowned slightly, but did not speak up. Even though this man seemed to be a charlatan, what with his attitude and location of doing business, she could still feel the faint traces of ki coming off of this weapon. It was obviously not fake, if not eye catching to her at all.

The man chuckled as he extended his hand, "I'll sell it for six gold coins." The man smiled at Seifr as the youth did not even hesitate to spend his entire savings on this sword. "Try infusing your ki into it through the handle," the man suggested as he immediately rolled up the blanket and disappeared down the alley. The speed that he disappeared seemingly without a trace astonished the two.

Seifr looked down at the sword in his hand as he circulated his ki and infused it into the weapon. Immediately a sense of vertigo washed over him. His surroundings wavered like a ripple in a pond. They bounced back and forth appearing to stretch away and compress towards him simultaneously. His stomach started to churn, his head pounded, and blood started to seep out of his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. He tried desperately to retract his ki, but the sword acted like a suction force and continued to pull it out of him. Seifr was powerless to stop it.

Seifr could barely focus on his surroundings as he struggled to maintain his sanity, but he barely noticed another strange phenomenon. Celia, who was standing next to him, appeared to be moving at varying speeds. One second she was at a near standstill, then the next she was hopping up and down at a ridiculously fast speed and waving her hands in front of Seifr's face, a look of terror in her eyes. It appeared that she was moving a hundred times faster than was conceivably possible. Then the next she was moving at a normal speed before everything returned to a standstill again.

He witnessed a group of poorly dressed teenagers rush down the alley in an almost comical manner. One of them bumped into Celia and knocked her down in slow motion, and then suddenly the group of teenagers was gone and Celia was brandishing her spear in the direction they disappeared down. Shortly after a troop of guards rushed down the alley and Celia pointed where they went before returning her attention to Seifr. This entire event simultaneously seemed to take an eternity and happened instantaneously.

The changes in speed continued to cycle around at the same time the distortions in his vision were occurring. The pounding of his heart and in his head reached a crescendo, and then the sword stopped sucking up his ki all of a sudden. Seifr collapsed to his knees and vomited up bile and blood. He wiped his face clean and was surprised at the amount of blood that came away on his hand.

"Seifr! Are you all right?! You just stood there staring at that sword for like ten minutes. I didn't think much about it until you started bleeding everywhere." Celia put her hand on Seifr's forehead briefly to check if he had a fever before helping him up.

"I have no idea what just happened, but it was the most bizarre experience of my life. I couldn't even begin to describe it to you. But I feel fine now," Seifr was telling the truth. After he spit up the bile, he instantly felt completely normal again. He got himself cleaned up to the best of his ability with the help of Celia, and then the pair made there way back to the academy.

Seifr was still pleased with his purchase of the sword, but now he eyed it with a bit of trepidation and fear. He was apprehensive about trying to infuse his ki again. That earlier experience was definitely not something he wanted to repeat. He would have to be extremely careful in experimenting with his newfound sword in the future.