Black Sword

An unremarkable pitch-black sword caught Yang Tian's attention, mainly because of its price.

One thousand!

So Yang Tian asked about it. Ye Hua also looked at the inconspicuous sword, but sensed no elemental fluctuations.

"Uh, this one is a failed piece. It was forged from meteoric iron, but it has no additional skills or attributes!"

"With such fine material, it should have become a Glorious- or Legendary-grade piece of equipment, but the finished product was disappointing!"

"It has no grade, but it does have one feature: exceptional hardness!"

The shopkeeper gave a wry smile.

It was a peculiar weapon, with no grade and nothing going for it except its hardness.

"We tested its hardness, and it seems capable of clashing with Legendary equipment. But no one wants to buy equipment without any additional skills!"

Yang Tian's eyes narrowed as he listened.

As long as it was hard enough, that was fine. He did not need any additional skills.

"In other words, it can only be used purely as a weapon. You can't unleash any skills through it!"

The shopkeeper's next words instantly shattered Yang Tian's hopes.

"Not even Pure White Blade?"

Yang Tian asked.

The shopkeeper nodded with a wry smile. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sold it for the lowest price of Spirit-Magic Grade scrap metal.

That really was a nasty drawback.

Still, it was affordable and durable.

While Yang Tian hesitated, Ye Hua spoke up beside him. "We'll take this one too. That makes six thousand!"

Startled, Yang Tian looked up at his teacher.

"Teacher, one sword is enough!"

Yang Tian could not help worrying about his teacher's money.

After all, although earning money was easier for Ye Hua than for him, it still was not easy.

"Keep one as a spare," Ye Hua replied mildly.

The shopkeeper was delighted. He had never expected anyone to actually buy this weapon that could not channel skills.

Two swords and a shield came to six thousand gold coins.

Then there was the Soft Armor. Unlike rigid armor, it retained a degree of flexibility when worn, hindered movement less, and provided decent protection.

"This is Light Soft Armor, priced at four thousand gold coins. Wearing it not only increases your defense, but also grants an automatic recovery skill that restores one to three points of spiritual power every second!"

Yang Tian was stunned. That meant gaining a whole level's worth of spiritual power in a minute.

However, activating the Light Soft Armor also required some spiritual power, and its main purpose was defense when needed.

But in the hands of someone with Yang Tian's talent, good equipment could surpass its usual limits.

Yang Tian liked the Light Soft Armor very much, but it was too expensive. It cost as much as two pieces of Spirit-Magic Grade equipment.

That would mean his teacher was spending ten thousand gold coins in one go!

The shopkeeper looked expectantly at Ye Hua, who was clearly a man of means.

"All right, we'll take everything!" Ye Hua nodded and took out a money card.

Naturally, no one would carry that many gold coins around one by one.

Delighted, the shopkeeper accepted the card and processed the transfer.

When they left the equipment shop, Yang Tian had acquired three pieces of Spirit-Magic Grade equipment. Perhaps this was the wealthiest he had ever been.

It felt almost like a dream.

After all, having been poor for so long, suddenly owning ten thousand gold coins' worth of assets felt unreal.

"Teacher, I'm sorry you had to spend so much. That pitch-black sword probably won't be much use, will it?"

Yang Tian still felt bad about spending his teacher's money.

Ten thousand gold coins!

"Something comparable to Legendary-grade equipment might be nothing but scrap metal to others, but it's different for you!"

"You can occasionally find overlooked treasures in ordinary shops like these, though it's very rare!"

"Since you noticed it, that means there's a bond between you and it. Take your time discovering its qualities!"

Ye Hua looked at his disciple and patiently offered his guidance.

But Yang Tian was an "honest" man.

"Teacher, isn't its only special quality its hardness? Besides, I only noticed it because it had the lowest price!"

After all, no Spirit-Magic Grade equipment sold for as little as one thousand.

So Yang Tian spoke honestly.

Ye Hua was speechless. It turned out this fellow had only been trying to save him money.

Fine, then he really had bought a piece of scrap metal.

Hearing Yang Tian's "honest" words, Ye Hua did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"That's a kind of bond too. You've found it, and it's found you. Treasure it. The same applies when you go to Knight Sacred Mountain to find your mount companion. That will require a great deal of affinity as well!"

"All right, we've been out for quite a while. Let's go sample the Holy City's cuisine!"

As his teacher, Ye Hua obviously could not lose face, so he had no choice but to change the subject.

"Mm!" Yang Tian nodded.

Perhaps the Black Sword really did have something special about it that no one had discovered yet.

The teacher and disciple then entered a luxurious restaurant. When Yang Tian saw that even the simplest plate of greens cost two gold coins, he found it outrageously extravagant.

"Order whatever you'd like!"

Seeing his disciple worrying about his money again, Ye Hua forced a faint, frightening smile and spoke to Yang Tian.

To the diners at the other tables, that smile looked sinister and terrifying.

But Yang Tian could feel his teacher's genuine affection.

Perhaps, once they parted, Yang Tian would only be able to return after gaining a certain level of strength.

Otherwise, it was hard to say whether they would ever meet again.

"Teacher, this... is too expensive!" Yang Tian managed to squeeze out, his face scrunched up.

"You'll be living in the Holy City from now on. Although the Knight Temple provides meals, you can't go without ever coming out to experience the city's prosperity!"

Ye Hua offered him a reminder, hoping he would not become wholly absorbed in cultivation.

Of course, he should not indulge himself too much either.

As for Yang Tian's safety, it seemed Ye Hua no longer needed to worry. If another Child of Light suffered a devastating injury, the Holy Temple would surely be anguished.

Yang Tian wondered whether his meager savings would even cover a few meals.

It seemed his money was still at the Haoyue Branch Hall, along with his clothes...

Haoyue Branch Hall!

Purple Star Town!

A young man and a young woman arrived. The young woman exuded an icy, aloof beauty and was charmingly pretty.

The young man had a gentler heroic bearing, with a touch of dashing confidence.

"Li Xin, why are you still dressed like this? Don't tell me you intend to keep pretending to be a man forever!"

The girl in a blue mage's robe, who radiated a faint chill, looked at the dashing youth beside her as she spoke.

The one called Li Xin smiled and replied, "Not forever. I'll go back once I reach the Knight rank. After all, binding my chest is uncomfortable!"

"Before that, I'm going to prove I'm no worse than they are. Who says women can't become knights?"

With a defiant air, Li Xin spoke confidently.

In terms of talent, she was a genius, and her current cultivation was worthy of that title as well.

Given some time, she would break through to the Knight rank. Then she could prove herself to those people and push toward becoming a Fourth-Order Grand Knight before the age of twenty.

After all, even Uncle Nalan was only a fifth-order Earth Knight.

Becoming a Fourth-Order Grand Knight would be enough to overpower a whole host of knights.

"You really are something!" Lin Jialu rolled her eyes at Li Xin, rather at a loss for words.

Their Magic Branch Temple did not have so many rules.

Then Lin Jialu murmured, "It's been almost a month. I wonder how Yang Tian is doing?"

Li Xin draped an arm over Lin Jialu's shoulder, leaned close, and said with a smile, "Don't worry. He'll be fine. When he gets back, I'll bear witness for you two!"

Lin Jialu was speechless too, and scolded her with a laugh. "Pah! You never take anything seriously!"

Thank you to Xiangru Yimo and Perfected Person Chengyang for the tips, to Sifa Wenzai for the monthly ticket, and to all the readers for their recommendation votes. Thank you!