The Wager

The next morning, Su Yu stepped into South Market District, the busiest part of Skywind City.

On either side of the street, paved with blue stone slabs, shops stood row upon row, their cries of vendors rising and falling.

He had not set foot here in years, and the district was more prosperous than ever.

"Esteemed customer, take a look at our newly arrived Qi Gathering Pills!" A grinning shop assistant stepped into his path.

"For Qi Refining Realm warriors, taking one can boost cultivation speed by thirty percent!"

Su Yu stopped to look. Three green pills sat in a glass cabinet, their surfaces gleaming with a lustrous sheen.

The price tag—three thousand taels of gold—made him click his tongue inwardly.

That was nearly a year and a half of his monthly allowance.

In the past, he might have gritted his teeth and bought one to try to break through.

But now that he had the Soul Light Orb, ordinary pills like these seemed far less necessary.

"Even Human-grade Low-tier pills are this expensive..." Su Yu sighed.

On the Nine Heavens Continent, pills, cultivation techniques, and weapons were all divided into five grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow, and Human. Human-grade items were further divided into high, middle, and low tiers, while grades above Human were divided into supreme, high, middle, and low tiers.

Even the lowest Human-grade Low-tier pills were rare treasures to ordinary warriors.

As he turned the corner, the clang of metal striking metal caught his attention.

In front of a weapons shop, the owner was demonstrating a gleaming sword with a frosty edge.

"Everyone, take a look. This Human-grade Low-tier Azure Edge Sword can slice through iron like mud!" The blade swept through a three-inch-thick iron plate, cutting it cleanly in two.

"Just twelve thousand taels of gold!"

Su Yu's gaze sharpened.

Weapons, like martial techniques, were divided into grades. Human-grade Low-tier weapons already counted as spirit weapons.

In the hands of a Qi Refining Realm warrior, a weapon this sharp was enough to fight above one's level.

Unfortunately, the price was enough to put anyone off.

"Looks like I'll have to find a way to earn some money." Su Yu felt the pouch at his waist.

After five years of living frugally, he had managed to save only five thousand taels of gold.

As he continued on, a rank, fishy stench hit him.

Several shops selling Demon Beast materials occupied this area, their entrances hung with all kinds of hides and horns.

Suddenly, Su Yu's gaze was drawn to a transparent crystal.

It was a Level 1 Mid-grade Wind Wolf Beast Core, glowing faintly blue in the sunlight.

The instant he stared at the core, the Ancient Sword in his Soul World began to shudder violently.

The cracks in its blade glowed with an eerie red light, and an intense craving rushed through their soul link.

"You've got a good eye, young master." The broad-faced shopkeeper came over.

"This is a Swift Wind Wolf Beast Core, hunted in the Monster Forest just yesterday. The Wind Attribute spiritual energy it contains is exceptionally pure."

Su Yu's heart gave a leap.

On the Nine Heavens Continent, Demon Beasts and human warriors alike had eight major realms, each divided into low, middle, and high tiers.

A Level 1 Mid-grade Demon Beast was equivalent to a human warrior at Qi Refining Level 4 through Qi Refining Level 6. The Beast Core was where a Demon Beast's spiritual energy gathered, and could be used to refine pills or forge weapons.

"How much?" Su Yu asked, barely containing his excitement.

"Four thousand taels of gold." The shopkeeper held up four thick fingers.

"Fair price, no tricks."

Su Yu frowned inwardly at the price.

Though the Monster Forest lay ten miles outside Skywind City and was dangerous, with his current strength at Qi Refining Level 6, hunting a Level 1 Mid-grade Demon Beast was not impossible.

The Ancient Sword trembled again, more violently this time.

Su Yu could even feel the urgency coming from the blade.

It was craving this Beast Core!

"Boss, I'll take this Beast Core." Su Yu made up his mind and reached for his money pouch.

"Isn't that the Su Family's?" A sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind him.

"I hear you finally broke through to Qi Refining Level 4. Congratulations!"

Su Yu slowly turned around and saw three young men dressed in fine clothes standing behind him.

The man in front had a sinister face. The jade pendant at his waist bore a strikingly carved character—he was Lin Xuan, the third young master of the Lin Family.

Skywind City had a rather unusual balance of power.

The lofty City Lord's Mansion had always kept itself above the fray, intervening only when necessary to quell major disputes.

The city's lifeblood, however, was controlled by the deeply rooted four great families: the Lin Family, the Su Family, the Chu Family, and the Xu Family.

Of the four great families, the Lin Family was the most powerful.

As the earliest family to put down roots in Skywind City, the Lin Family controlled the city's gold mines and more than half of its medicinal herb trade.

The Su Family, a later arrival, had risen to second place in just a few decades, thanks to its unique forging techniques and martial inheritance. This had undoubtedly shaken the Lin Family's monopoly on power.

Ever since the Su Family, under the leadership of its patriarch, Su Tianheng, began entering the Demon Beast-material trade that the Lin Family had once monopolized, tensions between the two families had continued to escalate.

Last year, they had even clashed in a sizable brawl over ownership of the South City Spirit Fields.

When young members of the four great families crossed paths, they were often ready to draw swords.

The Lin and Su families in particular were always at each other's throats whenever their disciples met.

Su Yu did not respond. He simply turned to the shopkeeper. "I'll take this Beast Core."

"Eight thousand taels!" Lin Xuan slapped a stack of gold notes onto the counter and looked at Su Yu provocatively.

"This young master has decided to take this Beast Core."

The shop erupted in commotion.

That price was far above the market rate for a Level 1 Mid-grade Beast Core. Anyone with eyes could see Lin Xuan was deliberately making things difficult.

Su Yu lightly tapped his fingers on the counter. The Ancient Sword in his Soul World continued to tremble.

He quietly suppressed his cultivation to Qi Refining Level 5 and said coolly, "Young Master Lin is certainly generous."

"What? The Su Family's genius can't even afford that much?" Lin Xuan deliberately raised his voice.

"Or are you afraid?"

A flash of cold light crossed Su Yu's eyes.

He was not afraid of a clash; he simply did not want to reveal his strength too soon.

"Why don't we do this?" Lin Xuan suddenly sneered.

"If you can take three of my moves, I'll let you have the Beast Core."

The onlookers immediately began whispering.

Everyone knew Lin Xuan had broken through to Qi Refining Level 6 a year ago. Rumor had it he was now on the verge of reaching Level 7.

This wager was clearly meant to humiliate Su Yu in front of everyone.

Su Yu suddenly smiled. "Three moves? One Beast Core isn't enough."

"Add three more Beast Cores of the same grade."

Lin Xuan's face turned livid.

He had never expected this former good-for-nothing to dare act so arrogantly. "Good! Very good! I'd like to see what gives you the right to make such a claim!"

The shopkeeper hurriedly cleared the floor.

Lin Xuan yanked off his outer robe, revealing a fitted outfit embroidered with golden thread beneath.

With a turn of his wrist, a gleaming sword appeared in his hand.

It was unmistakably a Human-grade Low-tier spirit weapon!

"First move!"

Lin Xuan sprang forward, his sword aimed straight at Su Yu's throat.

Lin Xuan had cultivated the Spirit Snake Sword Style. This move, Spirit Snake Emerges from Cave, was as fast as lightning. As the sword tip quivered, it split into three afterimages that covered all the vital points on Su Yu's upper body.

Su Yu lightly tapped the ground with his toes and drifted backward like a willow fluff.

To the onlookers, it looked like he had narrowly escaped. In truth, he had already seen through the sword's path.

The extraordinary comprehension granted by the orb gave him an understanding of martial techniques far beyond that of warriors at the same level.

"One move." Su Yu calmly counted.