On the other side stood another group of cultivators, led by an exceptionally beautiful girl with sharp eyes and an arrogant demeanor. She wore a crimson robe with the Fire Phoenix emblem; her realm was late-stage Blood Transformation, but her Essence was dense and aggressive—clearly from a ruthless battle sect.

  The girl, known as Feng Yi, merely glanced at Zhi Xuan. Her gaze was focused more on Mei Hua.

  "A low-level cultivator, taking a small child as an emotional shield," Feng Yi sneered, her voice cold and clear, carrying a gentle spiritual resonance. "Is your cultivation so unstable that you need mortal warmth to survive?"

  The words were sharp, piercing directly into the core of Zhi Xuan's internal struggle. The Devil Seed in his sea of consciousness trembled, feeling insulted. Zhi Xuan finally stopped, right in front of the counter. He released Mei Hua's grip for a moment, turned his head, and his cold sapphire gaze met Feng Yi's.

  "What did you say?" Zhi Xuan's voice was filled with a low, threatening tone. A flash of spiritual will clashed with Feng Yi's will in the empty air.

  Although Feng Yi's realm seemed equivalent—late-stage Blood Transformation—Zhi Xuan's will carried a much thicker and colder weight of bloodshed, stabilized by the new Eclipse Phase control and driven by the controlled cruelty of the Devil's Bite Chain Arena. It was a will forged from killing, not just regular practice.

  Feng Yi, the Fire Phoenix girl, felt the sting of that cold will, as if she had just come into contact with a sharp Essence blade. Her arrogant expression cracked slightly. She was accustomed to suppressing lower-realm cultivators, but Zhi Xuan, with his dirty robe and suppressed deadly aura, felt like a sword freshly drawn from a sheath of blood.

  "Oh?" Feng Yi tilted her head, her cynical smile returning, though there was now a layer of caution in her eyes. "I am merely stating the Law of the Dao. Emotional weakness is the greatest poison to a Transformation cultivator. You come to the Gate of Ten Thousand Weapons, which means you are preparing for the Heavenly Selection. And you choose to drag this mortal burden?"

  She pointed to Mei Hua, who was now hiding behind Zhi Xuan's leg, clutching Lulu and her roll of silk. "I suggest you discard her, before she drags you down from the Grand Path. I see foul blood on your robe, not clan blood. You must be from the Lower District."

  The words spoken by Feng Yi contained a sharp Essence, aimed at piercing and arousing doubt. At the same time, the youth from the Blue Cloud Clan and his group laughed loudly, enjoying the spectacle of humiliation the shabby newcomer was experiencing.

  However, Zhi Xuan was not angry. Pure rage had been removed by his promise and new control. He now only felt a chilling coldness.

  "My path of cultivation," Zhi Xuan said, his flat voice resonating with a calmness more terrifying than a roar. "Is none of your concern. And the matter of the heavenly selection is also not a matter for you to step into."

  Zhi Xuan extended his right hand, his palm open. He did not summon a weapon or radiate Essence. He simply allowed a thin, cold silk thread—a manifestation of his focused spiritual will—to wrap around the roll of Shimmering Cloud Silk Mei Hua was holding, gently pulling it.

  The silk roll embroidered with silver threads floated from Mei Hua's embrace and landed softly in Zhi Xuan's palm. He held the roll, letting it shimmer briefly under the dim light of the shop.

  "I did not come here for meaningless nonsense devoid of cultivation value," Zhi Xuan continued, his eyes returning to Feng Yi, but his gaze sweeping over the Blue Cloud Clan youth and all the assembled cultivators.

  "Strength," Zhi Xuan pressed the word, and his entire controlled Eclipse Phase Essence briefly exploded, not in a wave, but in a centralized cold pressure, like a needle point piercing their Sea of Consciousness. "Is measured by how deep your foundation is, not how clean your robes are or how arrogant your speech is."

  Zhi Xuan flicked his hand; he was calm again and ignored the gazes of the cultivators, his focus here was to buy technique scrolls and, if possible, he would buy a weapon artifact and a flying sword.

  Zhi Xuan ignored the impact of his will pressure that had just silenced and made the young geniuses shudder. His sharp, cold gaze was directed back at Old Man Dun, the shop owner standing behind the counter.

  Old Man Dun, who had seemed like a statue until now, raised his head. His expression was calm, but his wrinkled old eyes shone with a flash of appreciation.

  As a high-realm cultivator hiding in the Qinglong District, he had seen many geniuses, but it was rare to see a youth in the Blood Transformation realm capable of using his spiritual will as a weapon to suppress Organ Transformation cultivators with just one brief, controlled burst.

  In Old Man Dun's eyes, Zhi Xuan was no longer just a blood-stained youth from the Lower District; he was a newly forged Heavenly Blade, sharp, cold, and controlled by a will that surpassed his age.

  "Good item," Old Man Dun mumbled, his voice hoarse and dry, like the scraping of jade residue. He pointed to the roll of Shimmering Cloud Silk Zhi Xuan was now holding. "Shimmering Cloud Silk with Seven Star Silver threads. This material is only for pampering, not for fighting."

  "Of course, this material is for pampering," Zhi Xuan countered, his tone as flat as Old Man Dun's. He allowed the silk roll to float back to Mei Hua's small hands, which immediately hugged it tightly. "For me, she is a Heart-Nourishing Anchor. Her existence is more valuable than ten thousand purification pills."

  The words, spoken without emotion, again pierced the truth. For the geniuses who measured everything by cultivation value, acknowledging a mortal warmth as a "Heart-Nourishing Anchor" was an insult to the Grand Path. However, amidst Zhi Xuan's calmness, the words became undeniable.

  Feng Yi, whose face was now flushed from being suppressed by an equivalent spiritual will, clenched her fist. She wanted to attack, but there was an instinctive caution restraining her. The youth in front of her felt like an unfathomable abyss.

  Zhi Xuan shifted his gaze entirely away from the shocked group and focused it on Old Man Dun. "I am not looking for trash. I am looking for an Artifact that matches my spiritual stone count, and competent technique scrolls."

  He tapped his waist, taking out a chest containing mid-grade spiritual stones; the chest opened, and the amount was indeed what was expected of a street cultivator.

  "Only that much spiritual stone? It's not even enough for one day of my travel."

  "Yeah! Look at that, how dare he come here with spiritual stones that low."

  Zhi Xuan ignored the whispers and jeers from the young geniuses, who judged the chest of Mid-Grade Spiritual Stones in his hand. In the clan-dominated cultivation world, a few hundred mid-grade spiritual stones did indeed seem trivial; it was pocket money, not travel capital. However, for Zhi Xuan, that amount was the result of risking his life and absolute control.

  He only looked at Old Man Dun, whose squinted, wrinkled eyes seemed to be looking into an abyss.

  "Spiritual Stones are energy, not a measure of self-worth," Zhi Xuan stated, his voice remaining flat. "I seek efficiency. Give me the best that these three hundred mid-grade spiritual stones can buy."

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  Zhi Xuan intentionally kept the rest, to be cautious when he needed them and not spend his spiritual stones all at once like this; all of this was a long-term calculation he laid out to support him until he entered the heavenly selection.

  Old Man Dun smiled faintly, a smile that did not reach his eyes. His smile was like rusty grating. "An interesting young man. You understand the law of exchange. It is rare for someone to come here with a goal as clear as yours, without boastfulness or rampant arrogance."

  He ignored all the other cultivators, as if they were just dust on the shelves. With a slow movement filled with mystery, Old Man Dun turned and reached under the counter.

  "Here, at the Gate of Ten Thousand Weapons, we do not sell newly forged Artifacts. We sell treasures abandoned by fate," Old Man Dun whispered.

  Old Man Dun placed two long boxes and three rolls of parchment that looked dull and yellowed on the thick wooden counter. The five items, just pulled from the depths of the shop, immediately created a distinct aura, suppressing the chaotic spiritual essence of the other artifacts around them.

  Zhi Xuan stepped forward, his hand holding Mei Hua's wrist. He ignored the curiosity and mockery that had now turned into intense silence from the young geniuses behind him. His sapphire eyes, with the red ring now fully faded, scanned the three objects with his divine sense.

  "There are five grades of Artifacts. Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Immortal, Grand Immortal," Old Man Dun said, his voice hoarse and filled with deep knowledge. "Three Earth-grade technique scrolls, one half-damaged Heaven-grade artifact, and one flying artifact. This is the destiny that matches your three hundred spiritual stones."

  Old Man Dun's statement, like a merchant tired of the drama of bargaining, had seen years of cultivators coming and going in his shop; this was a practical method without allowing the cultivators to linger and choose.

  With a slow hand movement, the three hundred mid-grade spiritual stones in Zhi Xuan's chest were drawn out and disappeared behind the counter. In an instant, the chest, which now only held dozens of spiritual stones, closed and returned to Zhi Xuan's storage bag, without giving him a chance to speak or choose.

  Zhi Xuan flinched slightly, not because he was surprised by the speed of the Spiritual Stones' disappearance, but because he did not manage to react to Old Man Dun's incredibly fast movement. He had lost three hundred Mid-Grade Spiritual Stones in the blink of an eye.

  That speed, which surpassed the perception capabilities of his Blood Transformation Eclipse Phase realm, confirmed that Old Man Dun was in a very high cultivation realm, so high that Zhi Xuan could not perceive or sense what realm Old Man Dun was in.

  However, Zhi Xuan was not angry. He looked at the five items on the counter. The law of exchange was complete. There was no room for negotiation or regret. He extended his left hand, gently pressing Mei Hua's shoulder, calming her. The little girl curled up again, hugging Lulu and her roll of silk.

  Zhi Xuan then focused his entire pure Divine Sense on the five objects, ignoring the intense gazes of the geniuses behind him. He chose to look at the first scroll first, setting the others aside.

  The first scroll was enveloped in a hot spiritual essence aura. In his sea of consciousness, he saw the diagram of a palm that had a powerful destructive force; it was the Heavenly Destroyer Palm.

  The Heavenly Destroyer Palm, an Earth-grade attack technique, used dense, explosive spiritual essence compression to generate a terrifying destructive force at close range.

  This technique was powerful, but required a large consumption of essence and very precise control so as not to harm the user itself. It was the perfect technique for Zhi Xuan; he prioritized raw and deadly explosive power, which was perfectly suited to his pure spiritual blood.

  "This is stronger than the Blood Wind Vortex," Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice filled with pure admiration. "This Palm, I'll take it."

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling slightly, which immediately returned to their usual cold sapphire. He looked at Old Man Dun with a slow nod, putting the three technique scrolls that were now his into his storage bag. He decided to look at the second and third scrolls later.

  Zhi Xuan turned to the two long boxes, whose contents he already knew: a half-destroyed weapon artifact and a flying artifact. His hands trembled slightly as he reached for the long box, inviting mockery as if he were a cultivator who had just held a weapon.

  Amidst the tense silence, Feng Yi sneered again, her voice filled with condescension followed by the laughter of her group behind her.

  "Look at him, trembling when holding a box. His Blood Transformation technique might be newly forged, but his mentality is still as soft as mortal mud. I bet he's never held a real Heaven Artifact," Feng Yi sneered, her tone filled with sharp contempt, trying to provoke an emotional reaction from Zhi Xuan.

  "Right. Even a late-stage Blood Transformation cultivator wouldn't show that kind of respect or nervousness for a half-damaged Heaven Artifact," the Blue Cloud Clan youth chimed in, rolling his eyes. "Besides, a half-damaged Heaven Artifact is just beautiful trash. Only for show."

  Zhi Xuan ignored the noise that had reappeared, noise that held no cultivation value. His hands were indeed trembling slightly; this was the first time he had directly purchased an artifact, not bid at an auction or bought an artifact from a regular market.

  Of course, Zhi Xuan felt nervous yet relieved. He had never owned such items without looting them, or going through the path of blood to get spiritual stones, and then buying something he desired with the proceeds of that blood path.

  The Gate of Ten Thousand Weapons was a more oppressive place and a place where geniuses passed through year after year, and Old Man Dun was a hidden cultivator, selling forbidden artifacts that were not even disturbed by the Green Cloud City authorities; this assumption already determined that Old Man Dun was a high-level cultivator.

  Zhi Xuan took a deep breath, letting his Black Jade Essence circulate, calming his tense nerves. He did not care about the mockery; he only cared about real value and efficiency. He released Mei Hua's grip for a moment and lifted the first box. The box felt cold and dense.

  "I bet inside there's just an Earth-grade artifact polished to look ancient," echoed the arrogant voice of the Blue Cloud Clan youth. "Or maybe a mortal artifact covered in spiritual dust."

  Zhi Xuan opened the first box. Inside, lay a long, pitch-black sword blade, without a sheath. The sword looked simple, but its surface was covered with fine cracks that emitted a faint blue light.

  The spiritual Essence radiated by the blade was chaotic, yet it carried a very old and dignified resonance, as if the blade had once cut through Heaven and Earth.

  "Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword," Old Man Dun whispered, his voice dripping with knowledge and history. "A third of the blade is destroyed, said to be eroded by the blood of the sword master in ancient times. Made from Ancient Thunder Wood, found only at the bottom of the ancient Cang Hai ocean floor."

  Zhi Xuan reached out his hand, and the pitch-black blade leaped into his grasp. Although a third of the blade was missing, what remained was still long enough to be a deadly blade. The touch of the Ancient Thunder Wood was cold, and he felt faint remnants of ancient lightning pulsating along the fine, faint blue cracks.

  The Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword felt heavy, but the weight was balanced and true in his hand. Zhi Xuan's Black Jade Essence instinctively resonated with the ancient lightning remnants. This was a blade hungry for bloodshed and violence, an artifact made for war, not for show.

  "Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword, a half-damaged Heaven-grade artifact. Although a third of the blade is gone, in its heyday, even I would not be able to withstand one technique of this sword," Old Man Dun whispered, his eyes narrowing, observing the way Zhi Xuan held the blade.

  Even in its damaged state, the blade radiated an ancient aura that silenced all the other young cultivators. As if it were a witness to the wars and blood that had been spilled with its previous owner. A Heaven-grade Artifact, even if damaged, was a rare treasure in the Lower District.

  "Just a broken Thunder Sword," Feng Yi, the Fire Phoenix girl, sneered, her voice regaining a cynical tone. She tried to break the oppressive silence, refusing to be suppressed by the aura of the dead blade. "A broken Heaven Artifact is no more than an overly arrogant Earth Artifact. It doesn't even emit a complete spiritual light. You could find it in any auction trash bin."

  The Blue Cloud Clan youth laughed, his voice filled with disgust. "Look at those blue cracks. Maybe it's just rotting wood, not Ancient Thunder Wood. A Lower District brat only knows how to hold dirty iron, not a proper blade."

  Zhi Xuan ignored them. His eyes were closed. He felt a deep resonance. The Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword, an artifact that once accompanied a sword cultivator who might have been in the Grand realm, was now in his hands.

  The blade felt like an extension of his cold spiritual will. The remnants of ancient lightning embedded in the Thunder Wood seemed to welcome his Black Jade Essence, creating a brief harmony.

  He opened his eyes. "I'll take it," he said briefly, setting the box aside with a single hand motion, and the pitch-black sword blade disappeared into his storage bag. He did not need to show off; the artifact's value was already imprinted in his Sea of Consciousness.

  His hand then moved to the second long box. The box was slimmer, lighter, and emitted a gentle but constant spiritual essence aura—unlike the chaotic aura of the sword he had just acquired.

  "A flying artifact," Old Man Dun whispered, his eyes observing the increasingly intense reactions of the geniuses, as if they were surprised that Zhi Xuan was actually able to buy a Heaven Artifact. "This boat is made from condensed Star Burial Forest pine branches. Flying artifacts do not have grades. It is the best choice for speed, although it lacks combat capability."

  Zhi Xuan opened the box. Inside, lay a small, dull silver boat, only a span in length. The boat's surface was smooth and emitted a faint light, carved with extremely intricate wind and illusion formations.