Hundred Waters Dharma Disc

The bluestone paving was damp with morning dew as Lu Zhao stood on the bluestone avenue of the Market District. Yet his thoughts kept circling back to that crystal-clear Cold Chi Serpent Spike, its icy gleam held within.

What a pity!

An almost imperceptible trace of regret flitted through his heart.

Back then, his purse had been empty, and he could only watch it lying in its brocade box at the Nine Abyss Pavilion.

Now he had ample Spirit Stones, but that killing weapon, forged specifically for ice and water cultivators, had already changed hands. Before leaving, he had casually asked whether the Cold Chi Serpent Spike was still there, only to learn, to his regret, that the magical artifact had already been sold.

Turning slightly, he headed toward the Hundred Refinements Pavilion, with its wide entrance, on the southern side of the Market District.

Compared with the Nine Abyss Pavilion's somber air of deep heritage, this place was more straightforward. Magical artifacts gleaming with cold light were displayed in its counters as though this were an ordinary ironware shop.

"Oh! Fellow Daoist Lu! What a rare visitor!"

Behind the counter, a round, plump figure immediately came forward, his face wreathed in smiles.

It was Shopkeeper Liu of the Hundred Refinements Pavilion. He wore a russet silk robe, and his greasy fingers habitually twirled a few sparse, ratlike whiskers. A pair of small, shrewdly gleaming eyes sat in his round face, while the tip of his nose bore a faint redness from years of exposure to furnace fires.

The last time Lu Zhao had come to ask for a price on those captured magical artifacts, he had found the offer too low and left with a sweep of his sleeve.

Seeing him again now, Shopkeeper Liu's enthusiasm carried a measure of deliberate familiarity and barely perceptible scrutiny. "Have you come today to... look over the goods again, fellow Daoist? Or..." His small eyes watched Lu Zhao's expression as he probed.

"Shopkeeper Liu."

His expression calm, Lu Zhao gave a slight nod. "Please find us somewhere quiet to talk."

"Of course, of course! This way, please!" Shopkeeper Liu's eyes lit up. He hurried around the counter and led Lu Zhao through the front hall into a somewhat more elegantly furnished private room.

Sandalwood tables and chairs furnished the room, and a landscape painting of far-reaching artistic conception hung on the wall. The noise outside was shut out.

They had barely sat down when a maid in simple, elegant blue robes entered soundlessly and served two cups of spirit tea. The tea was emerald green, its curling steam carrying a faint fragrance that cleared the mind and soothed the spirit.

Shopkeeper Liu lifted his cup, blew on the froth, and looked at Lu Zhao with smiling eyes. "Fellow Daoist Lu, surely you've come to favor my humble shop with some substantial business today? Could it be... that you have some handy weapons to sell?"

He had failed to secure Lu Zhao's magical artifacts last time and had been thinking about them ever since.

Lu Zhao lifted his cup, feeling the warm, smooth porcelain against his fingertips. The corners of his mouth curved so faintly that it was almost impossible to see. Rather than take up the remark, he merely sipped his tea.

Only after setting down his cup did he speak slowly. "You misunderstand, shopkeeper. I've come to find a suitable weapon."

Shopkeeper Liu's smile remained unchanged, but a trace of understanding and deeper interest flashed through his eyes-a buyer was more welcome than a seller.

"Oh? What sort of magical artifact are you looking for, Fellow Daoist Lu? Offensive or defensive? What attribute? What grade?"

"First-tier middle-grade, water-attribute or ice-attribute," Lu Zhao said evenly, looking Shopkeeper Liu straight in the eye. "Primarily for offense. It must be sharp."

"Understood! Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist!" Shopkeeper Liu perked up and immediately rose to leave.

Before long, he returned carrying a tray lined with soft brocade himself. Four magical artifacts shimmering with spiritual light lay neatly upon it.

Azure Wave Spike: a short spike roughly a foot long, its entire body like cold jade from the deep sea, translucent and dark blue. A point of cold light lingered at its tip without dispersing, and faint ripples of flowing water undulated along its body. It exuded a yielding yet sharp aura, specialized in piercing protective spiritual light, and inflicted a cold poison that impeded the meridians after penetrating. Priced at one hundred and five Spirit Stones.

Profound Ice Cone: three angular, ice-blue cones the size of pigeon eggs hovered above a specially made leather sheath. Once activated, they were swift as lightning and contained explosive icy power. Upon striking a target, they burst into shards of ice, dealing damage over an area. Priced at one hundred Spirit Stones.

Water-Splitting Spikes (pair): a pair of sleek, curved short blades, thin as cicada wings, with flowing water patterns along their bodies. Light and swift, they could draw upon water currents when swung to form a cutting force field, making them suited to close-quarters combat. Priced at one hundred and ten Spirit Stones.

Cold Flood Dragon Shears: a huge, ferociously shaped pair of shears covered entirely in fine ice scales, with dazzling cold light at the opening between the blades. Heavy and powerful, they specialized in shearing through magical artifacts and tearing apart armor, with a potent freezing and binding effect. Priced at one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.

Shopkeeper Liu introduced them one by one, pride in his voice. "Please take a look, Fellow Daoist Lu. These are all fine pieces from the very bottom of our treasure chest! The Azure Wave Spike is vicious and unpredictable, the Profound Ice Cone has astonishing explosive power, the Water-Splitting Spikes are nimble and swift, and the Cold Flood Dragon Shears are incomparably domineering! Surely one will suit your fancy!"

Lu Zhao's lightning-sharp gaze swept over the four magical artifacts. The Azure Wave Spike was insidious, the Profound Ice Cone consumed too much power and was difficult to control, and the Cold Flood Dragon Shears were too cumbersome, at odds with his combat style.

In the end, his gaze settled on the pair of Water-Splitting Spikes, thin as autumn waters, their spiritual light held within. Light, swift, and harmonious with flowing water, they suited him perfectly, and their price was moderate as well.

"I'll take this pair of Water-Splitting Spikes." Lu Zhao pointed to the curved short blades.

"A fine eye, Fellow Daoist Lu!"

Shopkeeper Liu clapped his hands in praise, then a shrewd gleam flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his voice. "However... since you specialize in water, fellow Daoist, I do have another rather 'special' magical artifact here. Perhaps it could lend you a greater helping hand than a purely offensive artifact."

"Oh?"

Lu Zhao raised his brows slightly, his interest piqued. "What is it?"

Shopkeeper Liu gave a mysterious smile, turned, and carefully took something from an inconspicuous ebony box in the corner of the private room, handling it like a treasure.

It was a palm-sized disc. Its material was neither metal nor jade, resembling some kind of deep blue-green stone, smooth and slightly cool to the touch.

Rather than being smooth, its surface was naturally covered in countless fine, mysterious spiral patterns of rippling water, overlapping layer upon layer, as though a miniature sea of whirlpools had been sealed within.

A crystal the size of a grain of rice was embedded in its center, constantly emitting a soft blue glow like the eye of a whirlpool. The entire magical artifact gave off a peculiar rhythm, as though faintly resonating with the moisture around it.

"This is called the Hundred Waters Dharma Disc."

Shopkeeper Liu's voice took on a trace of solemnity. "It is a rare magical artifact that assists in spellcasting, and its grade is also first-tier middle-grade."

Seeing Lu Zhao studying it intently, he continued explaining. "This disc does not attack enemies directly. Instead, it amplifies the power of water-attribute or ice-attribute spells cast by a cultivator."

"When casting with this disc, magical power circulates more smoothly, and spells take shape faster. According to its maker, their power can increase by as much as thirty percent!"

"Thirty percent?"

Lu Zhao's heart gave a slight jolt. A thirty-percent increase in spell power was enough to become a decisive advantage in combat between cultivators of the same tier.

"Precisely!"

Shopkeeper Liu nodded. "Moreover, the most marvelous thing about this disc is that, like the demonic path's renowned Hundred Souls Banner, it has the potential to grow."

He deliberately invoked the Hundred Souls Banner's name to emphasize its potential.

"You need only keep finding and refining various kinds of 'spirit water' containing water essence-such as Cold Pool True Water, the Earth Vein Yin Spring, or even the essence blood of certain powerful water-attribute demonic beasts-and incorporate them into it. Then you can gradually raise the dharma disc's grade and amplification effect."

"In theory, with sufficiently rare spirit water, nurturing it to the second tier, or even higher, is not impossible!"

His tone shifted, carrying a measure of regret. "Unfortunately, here in our Changfeng Commandery, where magical artifacts and talismans dominate, few recognize the value of an artifact like this, which specializes in amplifying spells and requires specific resources to nurture."

"Coupled with how difficult spirit water is to find, that has left it little known. As for its price... it is quite 'affordable,' too." He held up two fingers in a gesture. "Only ninety-five Spirit Stones."