Great Kui Star

His cough drew everyone's eyes away from the pile of Spirit Artifacts and onto him. Yang Xiao casually put the five hundred high-grade Earth Vein Crystals into his Storage Ring, then took out Huangfu Qi's supreme-grade saber.

Yang Xiao heard three people swallow: Li Xunhua at the door, the old man appraising the Spirit Artifacts, and Shen Laodao, who had just stood up only to nearly drop to his knees again.

"Amitabha! Let this humble monk touch it. This should pay for a whole year's stay." Shen Laodao reached out, his eyes shining as he stared at the saber.

Yang Xiao stepped back. Shen Laodao looked rather as though he intended to rob him.

"Out of the way. Little Yang Xiao, are you selling this supreme-grade Spirit Artifact to your big sister?" Li Xunhua pushed Shen Laodao aside and stroked the patterns on the saber. Suddenly, she froze, then stumbled three steps back, stammering, "This is Huangfu Qi's Black-Gold Spirit Blade. You really did kill Huangfu Qi."

It was rare to see Li Xunhua startled. Yang Xiao took a step back and settled into a rosewood chair, crossing his right leg over his left. "Don't go spreading rumors."

The Perching Phoenix Pavilion sold information. If he walked out of here today, word that Huangfu Qi had died at his hands would spread throughout the city tomorrow.

What? Huangfu Qi had died at the hands of the woman in white. Yang Xiao had never admitted to killing him, either. It was all a misunderstanding.

Li Xunhua pressed a hand to her chest and took a long while to calm down. After asking the elderly appraiser beside her a question, she said, "This Black-Gold Spirit Blade is worth five hundred supreme-grade Earth Vein Crystals. Given our relationship, the Perching Phoenix Pavilion can add another fifty."

Yang Xiao stared at her with a faint, knowing smile. Did she really take him for an inexperienced, clueless boy? In his twenty-five years in his previous life, society had beaten him black and blue often enough. Lowering the price before raising it was only a basic sales tactic.

Li Xunhua flushed slightly under his gaze, but she was an old hand who had spent years navigating the world. A moment later, she teased, "You're so naughty. Your big sister was only joking. Seven hundred, take it or leave it."

However he sold the Black-Gold Spirit Blade, he would lose out. The best option was to barter.

He shook his head. "I'm not selling it, only trading. I need a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact that suits me."

Li Xunhua gave Yang Xiao a long look, then turned and whispered a few words to the elderly appraiser. He bowed and left the room.

Yang You'er poured him some tea and sat on his left, shifting her chair twice to the right.

Shen Laodao chuckled and sat opposite them, helping himself to tea while his eyes occasionally strayed toward the courtesans passing by.

Li Xunhua was considerably bolder. She sat to Yang Xiao's right and crossed her left leg over her right, revealing a smooth, shapely leg. Perhaps feeling that she had failed to catch his eye, she lifted the hem of her skirt a little farther to the side.

A piercing scrape rang out from the tabletop. Displeased with Li Xunhua's pose, Yang You'er had gouged the surface with her delicate hand. Startled, Li Xunhua hurriedly sat up straight and assumed the posture of a respectable woman.

Still, with her low-cut, shoulder-baring slip dress, she looked as though she was tempting Yang Xiao no matter how one viewed her.

He pursed his lips. As long as she was not deliberately trying to seduce him, he could withstand it. After all, clothing like that had been perfectly normal in his previous life.

Before long, the elderly appraiser returned with three servants, each carrying a tray covered with red cloth.

Li Xunhua stepped forward and uncovered the first tray, revealing a sword. "This is the Jade Spirit Sword, crafted by Hall Master Gongsun of the Earth Master Hall. It is an excellent supreme-grade Spirit Artifact."

Yang Xiao shook his head. He knew no sword arts, and even if he wanted to learn, it would not happen in a day or two.

Li Xunhua gave him a surprised look. Becoming a sword cultivator was most people's dream—commanding a sword to strike a thousand miles away, killing without leaving a name. How dashing.

She passed over the second item. "The second is a saber. I doubt you'll like it either, so let's look straight at the third."

She lifted the red cloth, revealing a pair of ancient-looking Gauntlets. Li Xunhua said, "According to legend, there was a divine beast in ancient times called the Zhu Yan.

"Whenever this beast appeared, war would break out across the world.

"This Spirit Artifact was forged from the heart of a young Zhu Yan, hence its name: the Calamity Weapon."

Yang Xiao ran his fingers over the Gauntlets. White at the front and red at the back, they bore the image of a giant ape with a white head and red feet.

Yang Xiao murmured in surprise. Li Xunhua smiled. "As expected of an Earth Master. You noticed at a glance.

"The Calamity Weapon has a long history. It is said to have been an Immortal Artifact in ancient times, but after enduring the baptism of time, much of its power was lost, reducing it to a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact.

"If you like this Spirit Artifact, little Yang Xiao, you can take it in exchange for your saber and another five hundred high-grade Earth Vein Crystals."

"I'll remember this favor," Yang Xiao said, stroking the Gauntlets.

The Calamity Weapon was the best of the best among supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts, while his Black-Gold Spirit Blade was, at most, an upper-tier specimen of that grade. A mere five hundred high-grade Earth Vein Crystals could not bridge the difference in their value.

Li Xunhua was investing in his potential. After all, not just anyone could kill someone in the Living Spirit Realm while in the Sea Condensation Realm, even if his case was a sham.

Li Xunhua smiled at his words. Hadn't all her efforts been for precisely that acknowledgment?

He put on the Gauntlets, took out the five hundred high-grade Earth Vein Crystals he had just stored away, then hooked an arm around Shen Laodao's shoulders and dragged him toward the door.

"Yang Xiao, what are you doing?" Shen Laodao shouted. "This humble monk is staying at the Perching Phoenix Pavilion tonight!"

Yang Xiao lowered his voice. "Do me a favor, and I'll cover a month of lodging for you."

Shen Laodao's eyes darted about. He draped an arm around Yang Xiao's shoulders, and the two headed out.

Yang You'er breathed a sigh of relief, glared at Li Xunhua, and followed them.

Outside the Perching Phoenix Pavilion, Tu Yuxuan stood obediently beside Old Li. They looked rather like a grandfather and grandson.

Yang Xiao's estimation of Old Li rose yet again. Tu Yuxuan was Butcher's son, after all.

"Young master. Young miss." Old Li bowed, glanced at Shen Laodao, and stepped aside.

Inside the carriage, Shen Laodao sat beside Tu Yuxuan. The two began whispering furtively, occasionally letting out a lecherous chuckle.

Yang Xiao regretted bringing Shen Laodao along a little. With an old lecher meeting a young one, he could imagine how lively life at the City Lord's Residence would become.

They alighted at the City Lord's Residence. Old Li had the servants lead the carriage away, then took Tu Yuxuan toward the front hall.

Given Butcher's temper, a scolding was unavoidable, and a savage beating would probably follow.

Watching Tu Yuxuan's retreating figure, Shen Laodao sighed mournfully. "That boy is truly a genius of my path. This humble monk still has over a hundred positions to discuss with him. What a lifelong regret."

Yang Xiao said irritably, "You'll be staying in the same courtyard. Are you really worried you won't see him?"

He set off toward the Plum Garden. Yang You'er jogged up beside him, linked her arm through his, and smiled at him.

With a chicken leg pilfered from the kitchen in his left hand and a small flask of wine in his right, Shen Laodao looked around the Plum Garden. "Which room is mine?"

Yang Xiao pointed to the courtyard on the right. "You're staying next door."

The Plum Garden had only two rooms, one for him and one for Yang You'er, so before coming back, he had asked Old Li for the neighboring courtyard.

It was already dark when they returned. Yang You'er prepared a table of simple dishes, and the three ate in the courtyard while admiring the snow.

Shen Laodao sipped his wine. "What do you want this humble monk to do?"

Yang Xiao set down his chopsticks. "Help me kill someone. You won't need to exert yourself much. Just kneel once."

Gongsun Tuo was an expert in the Living Spirit Realm. As long as Shen Laodao used the Call-Dad-and-Die Technique, Yang Xiao was confident he could kill him.

Shen Laodao rolled his eyes. "Aren't you the Sky Marquis's nephew? Whoever you want dead, just ask the Sky Marquis to help."

Shen Laodao had a point; Yang Xiao had considered that, too. But Butcher was a marquis of Great Zhou. Having him openly kill the hall master of the Earth Master Hall could very well bring him trouble.

Yang Xiao was different. He held no official position. As long as he handled things properly and Butcher helped conceal the matter, everyone would soon forget it.

He shook his head. "I have to deal with this person myself."

Shen Laodao picked up a piece of food. "Then what do you need this humble monk for?"

"Two months," he said.

Shen Laodao raised his wine cup and clinked it against Yang Xiao's. "Deal."

After finishing their wine, the three returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Yang Xiao sat in the dark room, his head lowered in thought. He had a Spirit Artifact now; all he lacked was a spiritual art. Tomorrow, he could visit the Hundred Arts Tower and choose one.

The Hundred Arts Tower housed all kinds of spiritual arts Butcher had collected throughout his cultivation journey. Finding one suited to him should not be difficult.

After a night of meditation, his Spirit Sea had expanded by a hundred li.

Yang Xiao finished breakfast and headed to the Hundred Arts Tower.

The Hundred Arts Tower stood over a pond in the Spring Residence. Dozens of experts guarded its surroundings, and ordinary people could not get within a hundred meters of it.

A narrow wooden walkway led to the Hundred Arts Tower. Walking along it, Yang Xiao looked down at the various fish swimming in the pond. If he scattered fish feed into the water now, it would surely become a scene of fish scrambling for food.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed through the water, startling Yang Xiao. It was enormous, taking up nearly a quarter of the pond.

Could they be keeping a demonic beast in the pond? Uncle Tu is being far too cautious... Yang Xiao thought. That creature had definitely been a demonic beast in the Living Spirit Realm.

Even recalling its terrifying aura left him shaken.

Bang!

A huge fish leaped out of the water, sending a sky-blotting sheet of pond water toward Yang Xiao. He drew a large rock over to block it.

"Little Blue."

Yang Xiao called out. That huge fish had looked very much like the Divine Kun, only smaller.

Thinking of the Divine Kun's blood essence he had given Butcher earlier, it was not hard to imagine that this was what Little Blue had become after swallowing it.

The huge fish leaped again and again, behaving so much like Little Blue that Yang Xiao was now completely certain of its identity.

"Moo~"

The huge fish called twice in midair, sounding excited.

Yang Xiao hurried toward the tower. Little Blue was clearly overexcited now. If this continued, he would sooner or later end up drenched.

"I'm going inside first. I'll come see you again in a couple of days." Yang Xiao turned and entered the Hundred Arts Tower.

Something seemed to have gone wrong with Little Blue's transformation, leaving it unable to leave the pond. Better not provoke it now, lest it drag him into the water and turn him into a captive conversation partner.

The first floor held over a hundred spiritual arts. He opened one at random and found a low-grade spiritual art called the Hundred Battles Saber Art.

He leafed through two more. Both were low-grade spiritual arts.

Yang Xiao guessed that the next floor housed mid-grade spiritual arts.

He climbed to the second floor. There were fewer spiritual arts here, only fifty or sixty volumes. The floors above probably held even fewer.

He passed over the second floor and headed for the third. His current magical power was enough to use high-grade spiritual arts. If he truly could not find a suitable one, he could come back down and choose something to make do with.

The third floor held only twenty-odd spiritual arts. Yang Xiao leafed through them one by one, finally picking up a fist art called Great Kui Star.

This art was exceptionally formidable. The stronger one's magical power, the more powerful its punches became. With enough magical power, it could look down upon even supreme-grade spiritual arts—perfect for Yang Xiao's million-li spirit sea.

He put Great Kui Star into his Storage Ring and headed farther up, wanting to see how many floors the Hundred Arts Tower had.

The fourth floor held five spiritual arts, all supreme-grade. He browsed through them, but none were fist arts.

He reached the stairs and was about to ascend when a curtain of light blocked his path.

Yang Xiao frowned. This was a formation. What was on the fifth floor that needed a formation to guard it?

"Young master, the marquis instructed that entering the fifth floor now would be detrimental to your future cultivation." A familiar voice sounded behind him.

He turned to find that Old Li had appeared behind him at some point.

Yang Xiao murmured an acknowledgment and walked to the window to look down at the pond. Little Blue poked its head out from time to time. Upon spotting him, it spat a jet of water upward.

He instinctively stepped back, but before the water could reach him, a blue curtain of light blocked it.

Yang Xiao's pupils contracted. He had not even noticed that a formation guarded the outside.

"What's going on with Little Blue?" he asked.

Old Li smiled. "Nothing to worry about. The Divine Kun's blood essence is too powerful, and it cannot digest such tremendous power all at once. After some time, it will be able to leave the pond."

Yang Xiao looked toward Little Blue and nodded with a smile. As long as nothing was wrong, that was good.