Arrogant Disciple, Bloody Reality

He found an empty spot at the entrance of an alleyway with decent foot traffic.

Following the example of the vendor next to him, he pulled a tattered cloth from his Universe Bag and spread it out on the ground.

Then, he took a deep breath and, with a thought, began laying out the treasures he had repaired the previous night, one by one.

The Black Iron Shield, restored to its original pristine condition and shimmering with a steady metallic luster, was placed in the most conspicuous position.

Beside it lay the gleaming Green Edge Sword.

Next to that was a Sharp Metal Talisman, drawn with cinnabar on yellow paper and covered in arcane runes.

Finally, there were a few other odds and ends, all small trinkets that had been repaired.

Although these items were all low-tier, first-grade magical artifacts, compared to the surrounding stalls selling scrap metal and damaged talismans, they stood out.

The brand-new appearance of his stall was simply like a crane in a flock of chickens!

Sure enough, as soon as the items were set out, they immediately caught the eyes of many passing disciples.

"Huh? This shield looks pretty good; the quality is quite high."

"This sword isn't bad either; it looks like it's brand new."

Spirit pills were too expensive, and for the vast majority of low-level disciples, they were simply unaffordable.

If they wanted to increase their combat power or have a bit more security when going out on missions, purchasing practical magical artifacts and talismans became the best choice.

Soon, a few groups of people gathered in front of Zhou Xuan's stall.

He didn't call out to customers, just sat cross-legged with a calm, composed air, looking unfathomable.

Just then, a somewhat noisy sound of footsteps approached.

The crowd of onlookers was pushed aside by an invisible force.

Zhou Xuan looked up to see several guys wearing white inner sect disciple robes walking over with a swagger.

Leading them was a youth in his early twenties with an arrogant expression, his chin slightly raised and his eyes filled with a condescending sense of scrutiny.

The lackeys behind him wore faces full of sycophancy.

"Yo, there's actually merchandise of this quality in a place like this?"

The leading inner sect disciple spotted the Black Iron Shield at a glance, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He walked up to the stall and, without asking the price, reached down, intending to pick up the shield.

Zhou Xuan frowned, but before he could speak, one of the lackeys beside the inner sect disciple immediately barked, "What are you looking at? It's your good fortune that Senior Brother Wang has taken a liking to your things!"

Zhou Xuan sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive.

The inner sect disciple known as Senior Brother Wang picked up the Black Iron Shield, weighed it in his hand, and flicked it with his finger, producing a crisp metallic hum.

"Hmm, not bad. It's forged from black iron; the weight and texture are both correct."

He nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Zhou Xuan with some suspicion.

"Is this shield new?"

The surrounding crowd also looked over with curiosity.

Zhou Xuan had been prepared for this, and he put on a simple, honest smile.

He scratched his head and said, "Replying to Senior Brother, this isn't new. It was used by an elder of mine in his early years. I couldn't bear to sell it, but I've been tight on funds lately, so I brought it out to trade for some spirit stones."

This explanation was seamless.

Senior Brother Wang didn't doubt him; he toyed with the shield in his hand, becoming more satisfied the more he looked at it.

For inner sect disciples like them who often needed to go out for training, a sturdy shield could save their lives at a critical moment.

He tossed the shield to a lackey behind him, then pointed his chin at the stall on the ground and asked with an arrogant tone:

"How much for this shield?"

Zhou Xuan sneered in his heart, but his face piled up with a bit of simplicity and nervousness.

He rubbed his hands together, took a cautious look at Senior Brother Wang, and then held up eight fingers.

"Senior Brother Wang, you are a connoisseur. Although this Black Iron Shield was used by my elder, you can see the quality yourself—it is absolutely a solid, genuine item."

"If you are sincere about buying it, eight Low-grade Spirit Stones."

When he said this price, Zhou Xuan's heart was bleeding.

Damn it! Eight Low-grade Spirit Stones!

Repairing this thing cost him a full fifty Gold Touch Value!

According to the exchange rate of one Low-grade Spirit Stone for three Gold Touch Value, the repair cost alone exceeded sixteen Low-grade Spirit Stones!

Selling it like this meant losing half the value immediately!

However, Zhou Xuan knew the score clearly; the math couldn't be calculated that way. As a nameless, status-less handyman disciple, he was a newcomer.

If he wanted to gain a foothold here, he had to bring out something that could command respect.

This Black Iron Shield was the signature piece he would use to make a name for himself!

Taking a loss to make a sale—it was worth it!

However, this "fair price" that he considered a massive loss sounded like a colossal joke to Senior Brother Wang.

"How much?"

Before Senior Brother Wang could speak, one of his lackeys jumped out, pointed at Zhou Xuan's nose, and let out a shrill cry.

"Eight Low-grade Spirit Stones? Why don't you just go rob someone!"

"It's just a broken shield, you really have the nerve to ask for such an exorbitant price!"

Another lackey chimed in with a mocking tone: "Kid, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Do you know who our Senior Brother Wang is?"

"It's a blessing you've cultivated for eight lifetimes that he even took a fancy to your item, and yet you dare to demand such a ridiculous price?"

Senior Brother Wang himself didn't say a word, but his slightly narrowed eyes and the sneer curling the corner of his mouth made his attitude clear.

He took the shield back from his lackey in a leisurely manner, tossed it in his hand, and spoke in a tone of condescending charity: "Kid, I can see you're just a poor handyman; it's not easy to make a living out here."

"How about this, I'll give you three Low-grade Spirit Stones for this shield."

He held up three fingers and waved them in front of Zhou Xuan.

"Three spirit stones is enough to keep a handyman like you working at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department for several years. Take the money and get lost."

The surrounding disciples watching the spectacle immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"Three spirit stones for an intact Black Iron Shield? That's daylight robbery!"

"Shh, keep it down. That's Senior Brother Wang Teng from the Azure Cloud Peak inner sect. He's notoriously overbearing; do you dare provoke him?"

"Sigh, this handyman junior is unlucky to have been targeted by someone like that."

The smile on Zhou Xuan's face faded bit by bit.

He finally understood.

These guys weren't here to buy anything at all.

They saw that he was just a handyman disciple, thought he was easy to bully, and wanted to use their status to commit daylight robbery!

Three spirit stones? Were they trying to brush off a beggar?

Anger surged in Zhou Xuan's heart, but his reason told him he couldn't lash out.

This was Yunlai Market, and with the rules of the Deacon Hall in place, they wouldn't dare to actually resort to violence.

He took a deep breath, forced a polite smile back onto his face, and cupped his hands toward Wang Teng.

"Senior Brother Wang, I am truly sorry, but this shield is a keepsake left behind by my elder. I really cannot sell it for less than eight spirit stones."

His tone was humble, but the meaning behind his words was firm.

"If you feel the price isn't right, then forget it. You can take a look at other stalls; perhaps you'll find something more to your liking."

With that, he reached out to take the Black Iron Shield back.

To Wang Teng and his lackeys, Zhou Xuan's unyielding words were nothing short of a blatant provocation!

A piece-of-trash handyman who chopped wood and carried water dared to refuse the "kindness" of an inner sect disciple?

This was simply turning the world upside down!

"Kid, you're really not knowing what's good for you, are you!"

The lackey who had jumped out first darkened his expression, slammed his hand down on Zhou Xuan's hand as he reached for the shield, and glared with murderous intent.

Wang Teng's expression also turned completely grim. He stared fixedly at Zhou Xuan and said in a cold voice: "I'll ask you one more time: three spirit stones—are you selling, or not?"

A faint pressure of spiritual power radiated from him, bearing down on Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan felt his shoulders sink as if a giant boulder had been placed upon them.

But he still stood tall, his gaze not retreating in the slightest.

"Not selling."

He said, enunciating every word.

"Good, very good!"

Wang Teng laughed in fury. He let go, slammed the Black Iron Shield back onto Zhou Xuan's stall with a dull thud.

"A mere handyman dares to put on airs with me, Wang Teng! I'll remember you!"

He pointed at Zhou Xuan's nose, the malice in his eyes undisguised.

"Kid, you just wait. I want to see if you can keep this business running in Yunlai Market!"

After dropping this threat, Wang Teng didn't spare him another glance, flicked his sleeves, and left with his pack of lackeys.

The crowd watching the scene looked at Zhou Xuan with eyes full of sympathy and pity.

"It's over. That kid has offended Wang Teng to death."

"He's going to have a bitter time from now on."