Heaven-Reliant Dragon-Slayer Thunderfire Sword

Jiang Yuan stopped by the window. A miniature drone hovered close against the exterior wall, its camera aimed directly into the room. Seemingly realizing it had been spotted, the drone flew away into the distance.

On a weekend morning, the thin mist over Old Star had yet to disperse.

On the riverside trail in Riverside Park, Jiang Yuan jogged steadily alongside the river.

After mastering the first volume of Nine Yang Inner Force, his physique had been completely transformed. After running ten kilometers at pace, he had not even broken a sweat, and his breathing remained as steady as if he were taking a stroll. The warm current in his abdomen circulated on its own; with every step, his inner force completed a small cycle through his meridians, continuously nourishing his limbs and bones.

Last night, he had actually noticed the movement of that miniature drone outside his window.

But he had ignored it, not even bothering to draw the curtains.

By now, he was already the school's key-protected "Number One Seed." The principal and dean would definitely have people watching him. As long as they did not make a move, they could look all they wanted. Displaying enough value would naturally attract the corresponding attention. That was the survival rule of this high-martial world.

After finishing his run, Jiang Yuan headed home along the old street.

This old street sat on the edge of the old district, lined on both sides with general stores and secondhand parts shops. The air was thick with the mingled smell of engine oil and dust.

As he passed the street corner, a shop named "Treasure Gathering Studio" caught his attention.

The storefront was small, and more than half the gold paint on its signboard had peeled away. A rocking chair sat by the entrance, where an old man with a grizzled beard reclined while rolling two walnuts in his hand.

When he saw Jiang Yuan stop, the old man's eyes lit up, and he sprang from the rocking chair at once.

"Good eye, young man!" The old man hurried over and greeted him warmly. "Come in and take a look? My Treasure Gathering Studio sells fine items from before the Great Cataclysm. You won't find another shop like it in all of Jiang Hai City!"

Jiang Yuan had originally intended to refuse.

But on second thought, he had only just learned Tyrant Blade, yet he did not even have a decent weapon in hand. The system rewards were all cultivation techniques, and during practical combat assessments, he could only rely on his fists and recoil to injure others. If he had a weapon that suited him, his overall combat strength could rise by another notch.

So Jiang Yuan nodded and stepped over the threshold.

Uncle Chen followed behind him with a cheerful grin and immediately began his enthusiastic sales pitch.

"Take a look at this." Uncle Chen lifted a black iron lump from the glass display case. "A mystic iron dumbbell used by the Eighteen Bronze Men of the ancient Shaolin Temple. Training your blood and qi with this will absolutely get you twice the result for half the effort! Only five thousand!"

Jiang Yuan glanced at the iron lump, pointed at the rusty lettering on its base, and read it aloud. "Jiangnan Sports Factory, manufactured in 2018."

Without blushing or missing a beat, Uncle Chen stuffed the iron lump back and took out a battered thread-bound book instead.

"Then look at this! A Tai Chi Fist manual handwritten by Zhang Sanfeng himself. This is the only copy!"

Jiang Yuan reached out and opened the first page. A huge QR code was printed in the lower right corner, beside the words "Scan to watch the instructional video."

He pushed the book back, turned, and headed outside.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't leave!" Uncle Chen panicked and grabbed Jiang Yuan's arm. "Why do young people these days have no patience at all?"

He looked around, then lowered his voice mysteriously.

"I can tell from your exceptional bones and vigorous blood and qi that you're a promising martial arts seedling. These common goods outside aren't worthy of you. Let me show you a real treasure."

Uncle Chen hurried to the partition at the very back of the shop and pulled shut a dusty cloth curtain.

Jiang Yuan remained standing by the counter, quietly watching the old man put on his act.

A moment later, Uncle Chen emerged carrying a long wooden box. Its surface was covered in dust, and even the clasp had rotted halfway through.

"This is the peerless sword I've kept at the bottom of my chest." Uncle Chen placed the wooden box on the counter and carefully lifted the lid.

Inside the box lay a broken sword.

Half the blade was missing. The remaining portion was about forty centimeters long, and its surface was covered in reddish-brown rust.

With an appearance like that, no one would spare it a second glance even if it were thrown into a scrap recycling station.

"A sword once carried by an ancient Sword Sovereign!" Uncle Chen thumped his chest, spraying spittle everywhere. "Legend says this sword once slew a starry sky behemoth, before breaking in a world-shaking battle. Look at the patterns on the blade, the marks left by time—this is history!"

Jiang Yuan looked at the broken sword, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Patterns? Those were clearly flakes of rusted metal peeling off.

He was losing interest and prepared to turn and leave, but out of habit, he still reached out and touched the hilt.

The instant his fingertips touched that clump of blackened fibrous material, a pale blue screen suddenly appeared before his retina.

[Ding! A famous sword from a martial arts world has been detected!]

[Name: Heaven-Reliant Dragon-Slayer Thunderfire Sword (Damaged)]

[Quality: Peerless]

[Status: Sealed / Severely Damaged]

[Note: The ultimate stitched-together famous sword, combining the sharpness of the Heaven-Reliant Sword, the heft of the Dragon-Slayer Saber, and dual thunder-and-fire attributes. Due to suppression by planar laws, it is currently in a self-obscuring state.]

Jiang Yuan's hand froze in midair.

He stared fixedly at the pale blue screen, his mind buzzing.

Heaven-Reliant Dragon-Slayer... Thunderfire Sword?!

Was that name serious? What the hell was an ultimate stitched-together famous sword?!

If Jin Yong had known that the Heaven-Reliant Sword and Dragon-Slayer Saber had been stitched together and given thunder-and-fire special effects, he probably would not have been able to hold down his coffin lid! What ridiculous pirated browser game had the system wholesale-bought these martial arts achievement settings from?

Though he ranted wildly in his heart, Jiang Yuan's face revealed not the slightest flaw.

His hand naturally picked up the broken sword, and he casually swung it twice through the air.

It was extraordinarily heavy, at least three times heavier than an ordinary standard longsword. Moreover, the instant he gripped the hilt, the Nine Yang Inner Force within him seemed to stir faintly, as though it had sensed some kind of resonance from the same source.

This was definitely an exceptionally rare treasure.

Jiang Yuan knew very well that at a time like this, he absolutely could not show even the slightest trace of interest. Otherwise, Uncle Chen, who had spent half his life hustling on this old street, would definitely skin him alive.

"Too heavy." Jiang Yuan tossed the broken sword back into the wooden box with a dull clang.

He shook his head, his tone full of undisguised disdain.

"And it's so rusty that even the edge is gone. It would feel awkward even carrying it for self-defense. Uncle Chen, are you trying to fool me with this scrap iron?"

The moment Uncle Chen heard that, his eyes flew wide open.

"Scrap iron? Young man, do you know anything at all?" Uncle Chen pointed at the broken sword. "This is called a divine artifact concealing itself! It was carried by an ancient Sword Sovereign. One price: eighty thousand! Not a cent less!"

Eighty thousand.

Jiang Yuan looked at Uncle Chen's wrinkled face.

"Eighty thousand?" Jiang Yuan smiled and held out his right hand. "Uncle Chen, how about this? I'll give you an honest price."

"How much?" Uncle Chen watched him warily.

"Round it down, then cut it in half." Jiang Yuan held up four fingers. "Four."

The shop instantly fell into dead silence.

Uncle Chen's mouth hung wide open, and his eyeballs nearly popped from their sockets.

"Four," Jiang Yuan repeated calmly.

"Get out!" Uncle Chen pointed at the shop door, his beard twitching with rage. "Who bargains like that? Something worth eighty thousand, and you cut it down to four? You've slashed right into the main artery with that bargaining! Do you think you're buying cabbages?!"

Jiang Yuan did not move. He merely pointed lazily at the wooden box.

"Uncle Chen, let's be reasonable. Even the scrap station wouldn't take this thing. It has more rust than iron. If I buy it, I'll still have to spend money on rust remover. Four is only because we got along well enough to be friends."

"That's not how you make friends either!" Uncle Chen snapped the wooden box shut and pressed down on it tightly. "Fifty thousand minimum! Not a cent less!"

"Ten." Jiang Yuan casually raised his offer.

"Thirty thousand! Kid, I'm telling you, only because you're my first customer today would I offer thirty thousand. On any other day, don't even dream of getting it for that price!"

"Twenty."

Uncle Chen took a deep breath. Even the hand pressing down on the wooden box was trembling.

"Ten thousand! That's absolutely my bottom price! I paid more than that to get it!"

"Uncle Chen, your supplier wouldn't happen to be the scrap recycling station next door, would it?" Jiang Yuan shoved both hands into his pockets and turned as if to leave. "Thirty. Not a cent more. If you think you're losing money, keep it and wait for the next fated buyer."

He had only taken two steps when Uncle Chen's teeth-gritting voice came from behind him.

"Eight hundred!"

Jiang Yuan stopped, turned around, and held up two fingers.

"Two hundred."

"Five hundred!" Uncle Chen panicked and slapped the wooden box hard. "I'll give you the box too! This box is rosewood!"

"Two fifty."