"Nine Palaces Sword Art!" Chen Fan was suddenly shaken.
Those three ancient characters had clearly been written by a sword cultivator who possessed the Nine Palaces Sword Art. From the essence contained within them, Chen Fan could sense that the other party's mastery of the Nine Palaces Sword Art far surpassed his own.
"Creak!"
Without hesitation, he pushed open the shabby wooden door of the small shop. An ancient, rustic aura immediately washed over him, carrying the scent of old books. It gave him an indescribable feeling, vaguely easing his vigilance.
Chen Fan's brow grew slightly warm as the Heavenly Eye Treasure Art exerted a faint effect, allowing him to instantly see the pitch-black little shop clearly. Numerous old miscellaneous items were arranged around the room in apparent disorder that somehow held order. Yet what drew his attention most was the old man currently seated in a rocking chair with his eyes closed in quiet repose.
For no apparent reason, Chen Fan's eyelid twitched slightly. The old man's cultivation seemed exceedingly weak, like the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet also like the Qi Refining Realm—wavering and indistinct. Moreover, his eyes were tightly shut, as though he had not noticed Chen Fan's arrival at all.
Chen Fan frowned slightly. The rice-grain-sized Heavenly Eye between his brows gazed at the old man, yet he could not discern anything unusual. It seemed the man truly possessed only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation.
Yet that was precisely what made Chen Fan suspicious. If the old man truly had only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, it was difficult to imagine how he had survived until now, much less how he had guarded this little shop.
Even though the Giant Ten Thousand City Marketplace had a late-stage Spirit Refining powerhouse overseeing it, anyone able to open a shop here