Five Million Windfall

After selling the Spirit Ore, Li Zhengyang crouched behind the curtain and counted the amount that had arrived in his account.

1.8 million.

Adding the 500,000 mission bonus from Blood-Colored Gorge and the money he had left from before.

It came to just over five million in total.

He locked his phone screen and looked up at the gaunt man across from him.

"Let me ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Is there anywhere nearby that sells weapons? Good ones, not street-vendor junk."

The man's prayer beads paused for a beat.

"How good?"

"The best kind. Money isn't an issue."

The man reached beneath the table, pulled out a slip of paper, and pushed it over.

An address and a string of code words were written on it.

"D7 Warehouse in the fortress's Southern District. Knock three times, wait two seconds, then knock twice. There's an old man named Xu there. He worked at a military arms factory for thirty years before retiring and going into business for himself."

The man lowered his voice.

"He has a few treasures stashed away. S-Rank, military special-supply grade. As for the price... negotiate with him yourself."

Li Zhengyang pocketed the slip and got to his feet.

D7 Warehouse in the Southern District was hidden away in the most remote corner of the fortress, surrounded by abandoned supply yards. The corrugated iron walls had rusted through like sieves.

Three knocks, a two-second pause, then two more knocks.

The door opened a crack from within.

"Who sent you?" The voice was old.

"The guy behind Veteran's Teahouse who plays with prayer beads."

The door opened.

The inside was much bigger than it looked from outside. A basement level had been dug out beneath it, with stairs leading down into a brightly lit space.

More than a dozen weapons hung on the walls, from sabers and spears to bows and crossbows. Every single one had been polished to a gleam.

The old man was in his sixties, his back hunched. His fingers were covered in calluses and burn scars.

"Pick whatever catches your eye. Ask before touching it."

Li Zhengyang's gaze swept from left to right before stopping on the innermost wall.

A long spear.

It was pitch-black from end to end. Its shaft was two inches longer and a full circle thicker than the Mountain-Piercing Spear.

The spearhead was unusually shaped, a triangular pyramid with three blood grooves running from the tip down the shaft. A dark-gold pattern was embedded at the bottom of each groove.

A metal plaque hung beside the rack, engraved with its specifications.

[S-Rank Alloy Heavy Spear · Dragon-Gallbladder Golden Spear]

[Total Length: 2.6 meters; Net Weight: 106 jin]

[Material: Darksteel Essence + Fifth-Rank Earth Dragon spine, composite-forged]

[Compatible with Martial Spirit Rank Blood Qi infusion; maximum tolerance: Martial King Astral Qi]

[Armor-Piercing Coefficient: Nothing of the same rank can withstand it]

Li Zhengyang's breathing grew heavier for half a beat.

"How much for this one?"

The old man turned around and looked in the direction he was pointing. His gaunt face remained expressionless.

"Three million."

Three million.

That price could buy a house inland.

But as Li Zhengyang looked at that spear, his heartbeat quickened by two beats.

The Mountain-Piercing Spear was F-Rank. It had been sufficient for his previous strength, but when he fought those Fourth-Rank Demonic Beasts in Blood-Colored Gorge, cracks had already appeared along the shaft.

An F-Rank spear could not withstand Martial Spirit Rank Blood Qi being poured into it.

After a few more hard battles, it would be finished.

The S-Rank Dragon-Gallbladder Golden Spear was different. Its upper limit was Martial King level, meaning he would not need to replace his weapon for a long time to come.

One purchase, and he was set.

"Can I try it?"

"Sure."

The old man answered, took the Dragon-Gallbladder Golden Spear from the rack, and handed it over with both hands.

One hundred and six jin.

Li Zhengyang caught it one-handed. His wrist sank slightly, then steadied.

Its feel was completely different from the Mountain-Piercing Spear.

Heavy, but evenly so. Its center of gravity sat at the first quarter of the shaft, farther forward than the Mountain-Piercing Spear. Its piercing power would be stronger when thrusting.

He infused a thread of Blood Qi into it.

The spear shaft hummed.

The dark-gold patterns within the three blood grooves lit up.

Astral Qi spread along the patterns and gathered at the spearhead into a vortex-like cyclone. Even the air was twisted out of shape.

The old man's expression finally changed, and he took a step back.

"Enough, enough. Don't unleash that in my place. If you collapse my walls, you can't afford the compensation."

Li Zhengyang withdrew his Blood Qi, and the patterns on the spear dimmed.

"Three million. I'll transfer it."

The payment notification sounded. The old man checked the amount, then dug a custom spear sling out of a cabinet and tossed it over.

"It's free. Don't complain that it's ugly."

The sling was made of cowhide, rough but sturdy.

Li Zhengyang slung the Dragon-Gallbladder Golden Spear across his back. Its weight resting on his shoulder felt reassuring.

He did not throw away the old Mountain-Piercing Spear. He kept it as a backup and stuffed it into his Space Ring.

After leaving the warehouse, he turned into an empty dead-end alley.

It was time to handle the real business.

He took out his phone and opened the banking app.

Of the five million, he had spent three million on the spear, leaving two million.

He brought up the System Interface.

Recharge amount: 2000000.

Confirm.

[Recharge successful!]

[Recharge amount: 2000000]

[Blood-Qi Value obtained: +20000]

[Current Blood-Qi Value: 72628]

[Blood-Qi Value threshold exceeded]

[Realm breakthrough: Fifth-Rank Martial Spirit → Ninth-Rank Martial Spirit!]

He had crossed four ranks in one go.

This breakthrough was different from every previous one.

It was not pain. It was not heat. It was as though heaven and earth were pressing down on him.

The air within a ten-meter radius suddenly became denser. Gravel on the ground was pressed into the mud by an invisible force, while the corrugated iron walls on both sides of the alley creaked and warped.

Ninth-Rank Martial Spirit.

The peak of the Martial Spirit Realm.

One more step, and he would become a Martial Sect.

Li Zhengyang stood in the alley, clenching and loosening his fingers.

Astral Qi seeped from every pore of his body. With each natural breath, he could stir the flow of spiritual energy within a twenty-meter radius.

He casually threw a punch at an abandoned iron barrel beside him.

The barrel did not deform.

It simply vaporized, leaving not even a trace of debris behind.

"This money was well spent."

He muttered to himself, reined in his aura, and headed toward the barracks.

Halfway there, the fortress broadcasting system suddenly blared.

"Attention, everyone! Attention, everyone!"

"The Northern District detection array has issued a Level-One warning! A large-scale Demonic Beast migration wave has been detected in the direction of Blood-Colored Gorge!"

"The Beast Tide is expected to reach the outskirts of the fortress within thirty-six hours!"

"All combat units are to enter combat readiness immediately! I repeat, all combat units are to enter combat readiness immediately!"

The fortress instantly erupted into chaos.

The barracks doors were kicked open, and soldiers half-dressed in their gear rushed outside as assembly whistles sounded one after another.

Li Zhengyang stood by the roadside, watching the fortress descend into turmoil as he took out his phone and checked the time.

A Beast Tide.

He raised his head and glanced north.

At the end of the horizon, beneath the gray, hazy sky, a dark mass could vaguely be seen moving.

That was not a storm cloud.

His phone vibrated.

A group notification from Bladebreaker Battalion.

[Attention, all Bladebreaker Battalion personnel: Under command headquarters deployment orders, Bladebreaker Battalion is responsible for defending the Northwest Section of the city wall. All personnel must arrive at their assigned positions within twenty minutes. Late arrivals will be punished under military law.]

The Northwest Section.

Li Zhengyang remembered it.

The section that had fallen into disrepair, with the fewest firepower positions and the thinnest walls.

He put his phone back in his pocket, took the long spear off his back, and gripped it in his hand.

On the way to the Northwest Section, he saw the Fierce Tiger Squad fully armed and running toward the Southeastern Section.

The Southeastern Section, where the walls were thickest, firepower was strongest, and defenses were most complete.

Zhang Jianbiao's arrangement.

Li Zhengyang smiled.

By the time he reached the foot of the Northwest Section wall, the Bladebreaker Battalion soldiers had gradually assembled.

Several of his roommates from Third Platoon, Seventh Squad were huddled together, their faces pale.

One recruit's hand was trembling so badly that he could barely hold his saber hilt.

"Damn it, the Northwest Section? Last Beast Tide nearly punched through this section. Half a platoon died!"

"That bastard Zhang Jianbiao is obviously screwing us over!"

"Shh, keep it down!"

Li Zhengyang carried the Dragon-Gallbladder Golden Spear over and climbed onto the wall.

He stood atop the wall and looked outside.

On the northern horizon, that black tide was drawing closer.

Demonic Beasts packed together in endless numbers, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. They stretched from the left edge of his vision to the right, with no end in sight.

The ground was shaking.

The Bladebreaker Battalion soldiers on the wall stared at the black tide. Some of their legs had already begun to tremble.

Li Zhengyang slammed the butt of his spear downward.

Clang—

The iron cap at the spear's butt struck the stone wall with a crisp, ringing sound, drowning out the surrounding clamor.

"Quit fucking shaking."

He glanced at the terrified recruits beside him.

"You guard the rear. Leave the front to me."