Fusion II

Nanpu Bund.

A prosperous district under the Kingdom of Migallon's actual control.

Nearly three kilometers long, it bordered the Nanpu River to the south, while rows upon rows of towering buildings stood to the north, including several of the tallest skyscrapers in Chen State.

The headquarters of major trading firms, hotels, banks, and newspapers all stood here. The lights remained ablaze year-round, and one could see the faces of tourists from every corner of the land—and even from other countries.

There were old scholars in long gowns and mandarin jackets, blond gentlemen in Western suits, and many modern young ladies in high-slit qipaos weaving through the crowds by the riverbank, trailing waves of heavy perfume.

Even at night, the streams of people here were as dense as woven cloth, as bright and bustling as daytime.

Even the old-fashioned cars on the roads were forced into an endless black line. Hawking, laughter, curses, and horns rang without end. Amid that hodgepodge of clamor, even the air carried the scent of drunken gold and decadent paper.

This was Chen State's Ten-Li Foreign Quarter.

As a missionary from the Sun Church had once said, this was a paradise of wealth built upon hell.

"The flow of people here is no worse than the shopping districts from my previous life. It might even surpass them."

"It's truly hard to imagine that there are still villagers around Peace City living in wooden huts, or even thatched cottages. It's simply like living in two different eras."

Jiang Jingnian passed a coin-operated telephone booth, brushing shoulders with a blond young woman coming out of it. He looked around at the packed crowds and the deafening noise.

A trace of emotion rose within him.

Then he shook his head and squeezed through the dense mass of people with difficulty, heading across the road to a six-story Barlow Department Store.

It was a large building steeped in Western classical style, with curved corners on both sides. If one stood atop a nearby building and looked over, one would see a strange structure resembling an oval.

Several Western doormen stood at the corners by the department store entrance. They were all young, muscular men with blond hair and blue eyes, nearly two meters tall, dressed in tight-fitting suits that carried a violent sort of beauty.

After giving Jiang Jingnian's attire and faintly distinguished bearing a brief glance, they withdrew their gazes and let him enter.

After passing through the doors.

Five or six hostesses stood on either side. Among them were blue-haired Western beauties as well as local young women.

They all wore matching short skirts, looking youthful and lovely, with practiced smiles on their delicate faces.

"Sir, is there anything we can help you with? If there is any merchandise you would like to see, we can lead you there directly."

A local girl with two bun-shaped hair knots walked over and bowed respectfully.

As a hostess, judging people by the dishes before serving them was an essential skill. This young man did not look very old, yet he wore an excellent white martial outfit. More importantly, the words "Tongda Escort Agency" were embroidered on his chest.

In other words, he belonged to the martial artist community.

The purchasing power of martial artists exceeded that of most local common folk by an unknown margin.

"No need. I'm just looking around."

Jiang Jingnian waved a hand. Though this was his first time here, he did not feel the least bit awkward.

For Peace City's common folk, and even most people of Chen State, entering such a resplendent and magnificent department store was like a country bumpkin seeing an automobile for the first time upon entering the city. A sense of unease would naturally arise.

But Jiang Jingnian was different. In his eyes, this was merely a scaled-down supermarket plaza from his previous life. There was nothing worth making a fuss over.

Just browse around.

After saying that, he did not wait for the hostess to continue speaking and headed straight into the department store.

Within this department store, aside from the sixth floor, which served as an auction venue and barred entry to anyone without an invitation, ordinary customers could freely enter and leave the other five floors.

Over the next two hours, Jiang Jingnian basically toured all five floors. From clothing and food to watches, porcelain, jewelry, and accessories, he looked through most of it.

Naturally, there were certainly places he had not examined.

After all, if he wanted to inspect every item on all five floors in detail, it would be nearly impossible without spending ten days to half a month inside.

Yet even so, Jiang Jingnian found three special items.

A gold-trimmed Kangke fountain pen, a can of sea fish, and an exquisite hairpin made from a blend of beast tooth and coral.

The canned fish was reasonably priced, only a little more expensive than several mutton flatbreads.

The gold-trimmed fountain pen, however, had a ring of gold thread inlaid around it. It was also an imported Western item and a branded product, so it cost nearly thirty silver dollars.

The most expensive one.

Was the hairpin made from beast tooth and coral, which cost Jiang Jingnian a full one hundred and sixteen silver dollars—comparable to half a month's income for an ordinary escort.

Moreover, all the department store's goods were displayed in cabinets of varying sizes and clearly marked with fixed prices. Bargaining and buying on credit were both forbidden. Even if one had chosen an item, one had to call over a salesperson to take it out of the display case in person.

After buying these items, nearly half of the several hundred silver dollars his master had given him was gone in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately.

None of these three special items contained traits compatible with a [Trait] or [Cultivation Art]. They could only all be fed to the [Archetype Slot].

"Feeding them to the Archetype is fine too. After these three, I'm not that far from advancing to the Bone Tempering Stage."

Carrying the beautifully wrapped paper shopping bag, Jiang Jingnian turned and entered the restroom beside the stairwell.

Even the toilets built by Westerners had sanitation conditions far inferior to those of his previous life, but compared with the wooden chamber pots used by ordinary people, they were better by heaven and earth.

He entered an empty stall, reached a hand into the shopping bag, and in an instant, the three different items evaporated outright.

When it came to improving his own strength, Jiang Jingnian was this impatient. If he could devour and refine something as soon as possible, he would never delay by even a second.

He folded up the empty bag, tucked it into his clothes, and his gaze flashed as he looked toward his status panel.

[Name: Jiang Jingnian]

[Trait: Taotie, Psychic Whip (Dream)]

[Cultivation Art: Taiji Vajra Art (Beginner), Copper Realm Iron Garment Technique (Beginner)]

[Archetype: Martial Master (Blood Tempering 31%)]

Ever since he had coated his entire body with the secret medicines his master had given him before cultivating, the speed at which his qi and blood condensed and circulated had become several times faster than during normal cultivation. In only a few days, it had improved by five or six percentage points from the beginning.

Sure enough, as long as a martial artist had sufficient resources, even with ordinary bones and talent, their rate of progress would be beyond the ordinary.

"Compared to cultivating by applying or consuming secret medicine, though, I have an even faster path."

With that thought, Jiang Jingnian's eyes showed a hint of contemplation. He planned to find an opportunity to sell the unused secret medicines at the market for money.

Then.

When he looked again at the Archetype Slot, the numbers on it had already begun to jump wildly.

The digits changed without stop.

Until they stabilized at 63.

[Archetype: Martial Master (Blood Tempering 63%)]

Jiang Jingnian looked inward at the aperture of his Cinnabar Field and found that the Blood Core, which had originally been only the size of two fingers, had expanded by nearly another full fold.

As the Blood Core changed, the muscles and skin across his body unconsciously tightened, like building materials being continuously tamped and compacted.

He slowly exhaled. His breath actually formed a sharp white arrow of air that lingered in midair for several seconds before gradually dispersing.

"The Blood Core's improvement is also feeding back into the muscles and skin across my entire body."

"My endurance and defensive ability have become several degrees stronger than before."

Jiang Jingnian extended his left index finger and lightly tapped the back of his right hand. The point of contact produced a crisp sound, as though he had struck iron.

Feeling his body's strength rise once more.

Anticipation shone in his eyes. "The department store hasn't closed yet. I can keep looking more carefully. I'll definitely find a special item that possesses Metal Nature."