Heaven-Reliant Dragon-Slayer Thunderfire Sword

Jiang Yuan stopped before the window. A miniature drone hovered close against the outer wall, its camera aimed directly into the room. As if sensing that it had been discovered, the drone flew away into the distance.

On a weekend morning, Old Star's thin mist had yet to disperse.

Along the riverside path in Riverside Park, Jiang Yuan jogged at a steady pace beside the river.

After completing the first volume of the Nine Yang Inner Force, his physique had undergone a complete rebirth. After a ten-kilometer pace run, he had not even broken a drop of 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 commotion caused by that miniature drone outside the window.

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

By now, he was the school's heavily protected "Number One Seed." The principal and dean of studies would surely have people watching him. As long as they did not make a move, they could watch all they wanted. Display enough value, and the corresponding attention would naturally follow. 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 lay on the edge of the Old City District. Grocery stores and secondhand parts shops lined both sides, and the air was filled with the mixed smell of motor oil and dust.

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

The storefront was small, and more than half the gold paint on its sign had peeled away. A rocking chair sat at the entrance, where an old man with a salt-and-pepper beard lay reclining, rolling two walnuts in his hand.

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

"Young man, you've got a good eye!" The old man hurried over and greeted him warmly. "Come in and have 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 wanted to refuse.

But then he reconsidered. He had just learned the Tyrant Blade, yet he did not even have a decent weapon in hand. The system's rewards were all cultivation techniques, and during practical combat assessments, he could only rely on his fists and recoil force to hurt people. If he had a weapon that suited his hand, his overall combat strength could rise another notch.

So he nodded and stepped over the threshold.

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

"Look at this." Uncle Chen took a black lump of iron from the glass display case. "A mystic iron dumbbell used by the Eighteen Bronze Men of the ancient Shaolin Temple. Training your qi and blood with it will definitely yield twice the result with half the effort! Only five thousand!"

Jiang Yuan glanced at the iron lump, pointed at the rusted words on its bottom, and read them aloud. "Jiangnan Sports Factory, manufactured in 2018."

Uncle Chen's face did not redden and his heart did not skip a beat. He casually stuffed the iron lump back, then pulled out a battered thread-bound book.

"Then look at this! Tai Chi Fist manual personally handwritten by Zhang Sanfeng. This is a lone copy!"

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

He pushed the book back and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go!" Uncle Chen grew anxious and grabbed Jiang Yuan's arm. "What's with young people these days? Why do you have no patience at all?"

He looked around, then lowered his voice mysteriously.

"I can see that your bones are extraordinary and your qi and blood are vigorous. You're a fine seedling for martial arts. Those common goods outside aren't worthy of you. Let me show you a true treasure."

Uncle Chen quickly walked to the partition at the very back of the shop and drew a dusty cloth curtain.

Jiang Yuan remained standing before 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 its 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 its lid.

Inside the box lay a broken sword.

Half of its blade was gone. The remaining section was around forty centimeters long, its surface covered in reddish-brown rust.

With looks like this, no one would spare it a second glance even if it were thrown into a scrap yard.

"A sword once carried by an ancient Sword Sovereign!" Uncle Chen patted his chest, spittle flying everywhere. "They say it once slew a starry-sky behemoth, before breaking in a heaven-shaking battle. Look at the patterns on the blade, the traces 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, peeling iron.

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

The instant his fingertips touched that clump of blackened fibrous matter, 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 freak of a famous sword, combining the sharpness of the Heaven-Reliant Sword, the weight of the Dragon-Slayer Saber, and dual thunderfire attributes. Due to suppression by planar laws, it is currently in a self-concealing 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 freak of a famous sword?!

If old Master Jin Yong knew that the Heaven-Reliant Sword and Dragon-Slayer Saber had been stitched together and given thunderfire special effects, the lid of his coffin probably would not stay shut! What absurd pirated browser game had the system wholesale these martial arts achievement settings from?

Though he cursed wildly in his heart, Jiang Yuan's face did not reveal the slightest flaw.

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

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

This was definitely an exceptionally rare treasure.

Jiang Yuan knew perfectly well that at a time like this, he absolutely could not show even the slightest hint of interest. Otherwise, Uncle Chen, who had been plying his trade on this old street for half his life, would surely skin him alive.

"Too heavy." Jiang Yuan tossed the broken sword back into the wooden box, where it struck with a dull thud.

He shook his head, his tone carrying undisguised disdain.

"And it's rusted so badly that even the edge is gone. It would chafe my hand even if I carried it for protection. Uncle Chen, you're trying to fool me with scrap iron?"

The moment Uncle Chen heard that, his eyes widened.

"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 the weapon of 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 laughed and extended his right hand. "Uncle Chen, how about this? I'll give you an honest price."

"How much?" Uncle Chen watched him warily.

"Knock off a zero, 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 fell out of their sockets.

"Four," Jiang Yuan repeated calmly.

"Get out!" Uncle Chen pointed at the shop door, so furious that his beard bobbed up and down. "Who bargains like that? An eighty-thousand item, and you cut it down to four? You cut straight to the carotid artery! Do you think you're buying cabbages?"

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

"Uncle Chen, let's be reasonable. Even the scrap station wouldn't take this thing. The rust weighs more than the iron. If I buy it, I'll still have to spend money on rust remover. Four is only because we've had a pleasant chat and I want to make a friend."

"You don't make friends like that!" Uncle Chen snapped the wooden box shut and pressed down on it tightly. "Fifty thousand minimum! Not a bit less!"

"Ten." Jiang Yuan casually raised the bid.

"Thirty thousand! Young man, I'm telling you, only because this is the first sale after opening today. On any other day, don't even dream of getting it for thirty thousand!"

"Twenty."

Uncle Chen took a deep breath, and even the hand pressing the wooden box was trembling.

"Ten thousand! Absolutely the lowest price! I paid more than that to acquire it!"

"Uncle Chen, your supplier wouldn't happen to be the scrap collection station next door, would it?" Jiang Yuan shoved his hands into his pockets and turned as if to leave. "Thirty, no more. If you think that's a loss, keep it and wait for the next destined buyer."

He had barely taken two steps when Uncle Chen's gritted 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."