On either side of the entrance hung a floating display screen, scrolling through today’s hot items and discount information.
“‘Flame Blade, B-rank Tier 1, today’s special 880,000,’ ‘Complete scales of a Tier 3 Fire-scaled Python, limited-time 15% off,’ ‘Mid-tier Bone Tempering Pills, buy ten get one free’...”
Lin Yuan read the signs as he walked inside. The security guard at the door gave him a glance.
A teenager carrying a long spear, dressed plainly but with steady eyes—at a glance, he was an ability user who lived life on the edge, not some student just wandering around.
The guard retracted his gaze and didn't stop him.
The foot traffic in the first-floor lobby was even more exaggerated than a shopping mall.
The counters in the weapons section were crowded with people—some were testing blades, some were gesturing with long spears, and others were drawing bows to test the strings.
Lin Yuan headed straight for the weapons section.
His current long spear was E-rank Tier 1, with a tungsten steel alloy spear shaft and a tip infused with a bit of monster bone powder. He had bought it in Donghai City for thirty-five hundred.
This spear had accompanied him for over ten days, taking down dozens of monsters ranging from Tier 1, Level 2 to Tier 1, Level 8. The combat marks on the spear were more numerous than his rounds of bone tempering.
But the foundation of an E-rank Tier 1 weapon was what it was; the shaft already had fine cracks, and the armor-piercing effect of the tip was weakening.
It was fine for dealing with Tier 1 monsters, but against Tier 2, it would be nothing but scrap metal.
He needed a new spear.
The long spear display in the weapons section took up an entire wall.
From E-rank to A-rank, from Tier 1 to Tier 3, all sorts of spears were packed together.
There were single-edged, double-edged, triangular, and conical spearheads.
The sales assistant behind the counter was a round-faced girl in her early twenties, wearing the market’s uniform deep blue vest with a name tag pinned to her chest: Xiao Zhou.
Seeing Lin Yuan approach, she gave a standard professional smile.
“Hello, what kind of spear are you looking for?”
“Lightning system, Tier 2, B-rank or higher,” Lin Yuan said concisely.
Xiao Zhou’s eyes lit up.
Asking for B-rank Tier 2 right off the bat—this was someone who knew what they were doing.
She stepped out from behind the counter and led Lin Yuan further inside, stopping in front of a row of spears displayed individually.
Unlike the ones hanging densely outside, each of these had its own independent display stand.
The spears were covered by transparent protective shields, and small labels were embedded in the bases, listing the grade, materials, and price.
Xiao Zhou introduced them, “This row consists of lightning system spears at B-rank Tier 2 or higher. Take your time looking; if any catch your eye, I’ll take them out for you to test the feel.”
Lin Yuan’s gaze swept across the spears.
The first one had a silver-white shaft and a triangular conical head, with lightning runes engraved on the middle of the shaft.
The label read: B-rank Tier 2, Silver Thunder, made of Thunder-patterned Steel and a Tier 3 lightning-type core, price 780,000.
The advantage was high lightning conduction efficiency; the disadvantage was that the shaft was heavy, making it suitable for strength-focused users.
The second one had a deep blue shaft and a double-edged head with barbs, with lightning runes engraved on the barbs. B-rank Tier 2, Thunder Fang, made of deep blue dark iron and Thunder Flood Dragon teeth, price 920,000.
The advantage was that the barbs could tear wounds and carried a trace of lightning poison; the disadvantage was that the shaft was slightly soft, making it unsuitable for head-on clashes.
The third one—
Lin Yuan stopped.
On the display stand was a long spear that was dark purple from end to end.
The shaft was slightly shorter than a standard spear, just over two meters long, which perfectly matched his current height and wingspan.
The spearhead was single-edged, and a faint purple glow shimmered along the edge.
The label read: B-rank Tier 2, Purple Lightning, made of Purple Thunder Cloud Iron and a Tier 4 lightning-attribute monster core, price 1,000,000.
A Tier 4 monster core.
Lin Yuan’s gaze lingered on the words “Tier 4.”
Monster cores were energy crystals within monsters, and the higher the grade, the more valuable they were.
A Tier 1 core cost a few hundred, Tier 2 was several thousand, Tier 3 was tens of thousands, and a Tier 4 core started at at least a hundred thousand.
Using a Tier 4 lightning-attribute monster core as the heart of this spear and pricing it at one million was, honestly, not expensive.
“Can I try this one?” he asked.
Xiao Zhou’s eyes grew even brighter, and she said quickly, “Yes, yes, of course.”
She opened the protective shield, carefully took out the spear, and handed it to Lin Yuan with both hands.
The moment Lin Yuan gripped the shaft, his fingers tightened instinctively.
The feel of Purple Thunder Cloud Iron was completely different from tungsten steel.
It wasn't that cold, aloof sensation; instead, it felt slightly warm, as if something inside the shaft was breathing.
He injected a sliver of lightning ability.
On the single edge of the spearhead, the purple lightning condensed into a thin arc of electricity that danced quietly, without making a sound.
Quiet lightning was often more terrifying than a thunderous blast.
Xiao Zhou introduced it at the right moment, “The characteristic of Purple Lightning is ‘concentration.’ Ordinary lightning spears release lightning in a scattered way—large area, but dispersed power.
“Purple Lightning uses a Tier 4 lightning core, and combined with the energy compression properties of Purple Thunder Cloud Iron itself, the lightning can condense into a single line. For the same amount of ability consumption, the piercing power is increased by at least thirty percent.”
By the time Lin Yuan set the spear down, he had already made up his mind.
“I’ll take this one.”
Xiao Zhou’s smile was radiant as she said, “Wonderful! Please wait a moment while I write up the invoice.”
“Wait,” Lin Yuan stopped her.
“I also need to buy some medicine to replenish source energy. Can you recommend a few types?”
...
Xiao Zhou’s pen flew across the invoice, and the smile on her face was practically splitting her cheeks.
Every time Lin Yuan listed a quantity, her eyes crinkled a bit more.
When the final total was calculated—Purple Lightning for one million, four bottles of Source Recovery Pills for two hundred thousand, fifteen Bone Tempering Pills for four hundred and fifty thousand, two bottles of healing spray for sixteen thousand, and five packs of beast repellent powder for twenty-five thousand.
Totaling 1,691,000.
When Lin Yuan handed over his bank card, he felt no internal conflict.
1.691 million, plus the various miscellaneous things he’d bought before, left nearly four million in his account.
The five million in funds Shen Man had advanced him certainly wasn't for nothing.
The cultivation costs for an S-rank freshman required that much just for starting capital.
Xiao Zhou held the bank card with both hands, swiped it through the POS machine, and returned the card and invoice to him along with a delicate small box she pulled from under the counter.
“For purchases over 1.5 million, we gift a market VIP card, which gives a five percent discount on future purchases.” She handed the box over; inside lay a silver card.
Lin Yuan took the box and stuffed it into his pocket.
He tucked the Source Recovery Pills, Bone Tempering Pills, healing spray, and beast repellent powder into his storage bag one by one, then picked up Purple Lightning.
Gripping the spear, he walked out of the trading market doors.
The sunlight outside was perfect.
Hangzhou’s sky was a bit bluer than Donghai City’s, and the clouds were a bit whiter.
People came and went on the streets, maglev cars glided silently by, and the ability user on the holographic billboard was still demonstrating that flaming longsword.
Carrying his new spear on his shoulder, Lin Yuan stood on the steps at the market entrance and suddenly felt that this feeling wasn't bad.
Ten days ago in Donghai City, buying an E-rank spear had nearly drained his entire savings, leaving him with only double digits in his pocket.
Today in Hangzhou, he could spend a million without even blinking.
Rate on N.U.
