This was an ancient city, but more than that, it was a city of Martial Artists. It held little fame among common folk, but within the world of Martial Artists, its renown was thunderous.

This was because the people who lived here were either powerful themselves or descended from powerful ancestors. There were virtually no families without a Martial Dao legacy.

Even a busboy in a restaurant might have practiced a few moves in his childhood.

Compared to Qingyuan County, which was filled with starving commoners, this place was like paradise. Everyone’s clothes were bright and clean, and their faces were rosy with health.

Stepping into the city, the sight before him was a refreshing change; the filth, chaos, and stench of Qingyuan County were nowhere to be seen.

The streets, wide enough for several horse-drawn carriages to travel side-by-side, were paved with smooth, clean flagstones. The air was filled with a bustling clamor and the cries of vendors.

’The Purple Sun Sect’s proximity is secondary. The main reason for this prosperity is that this is the heartland of the Yunling Mountain Range.’

The Yunling Mountain Range was one of the Great Xia’s famous mountain ranges, vast and sprawling. Countless treasures and Exotic Beasts were nurtured within it. The Jianghu People who came here to seek their fortunes would almost always stop in this city, either to rest or to sell their treasures, which contributed to its prosperity.

’If Xu Qing could live here, she’d probably wake up laughing from her dreams every day.’

The city’s prosperity was beyond what most people could imagine. The streets were lined with vendors selling all sorts of snacks—some even sold grilled Exotic Beast skewers. The fragrant aroma of delicious food was everywhere.

If you had the money, you could eat your way from one end of the street to the other.

Xu Yang stood at a fork in the road for a moment, looking around, before finally choosing a street and continuing on his way.

His wide-eyed look, like a country bumpkin seeing the city for the first time, combined with his Purple Sun Sect Outer Disciple uniform, immediately drew the attention of a few people. They could tell the young man was likely visiting Cyan Yang City for the first time.

On the upper floor of a nearby restaurant, someone noticed him.

"Hm? Xu Yang... He actually came to Cyan Yang City."

Li Rui’an squinted, and sure enough, it was undeniably Xu Yang.

’It looks like he hasn’t reached Qi Cultivation Gang yet. He doesn’t even seem to be at Qi Gathering Perfection.’

His mind raced, and a vicious gleam gradually appeared in his eyes.

He was one of the local tyrants among the Purple Sun Sect Outer Disciples, known for bullying the weak and fearing the strong. That was why the Dawn Association had sought him out to help put on an act.

He had tried to step on a weakling, only to find he’d kicked an iron plate. Being forced to apologize and make peace naturally left him feeling resentful.

The reason he was so wary and had proactively bowed his head was his fear that Xu Yang would hole up in the Purple Sun Sect and reach Qi Cultivation Gang. Once Xu Yang reached that stage, with his talent, it would only be a matter of time before he came to kill him.

But an Xu Yang who hadn’t reached Qi Cultivation Gang and wasn’t hiding in the Purple Sun Sect? He wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest.

Forget Xu Yang—he wouldn’t even be afraid of Kong Yu outside the sect, so long as he hadn’t reached Qi Cultivation Gang.

He had originally planned to leave, but now he sat back down and ordered another pot of wine from the owner.

’Don’t think I couldn’t tell that day. Your reconciliation was just an act...’ The vicious glint in Li Rui’an’s eyes grew even more intense.

...

"Five taels? That’s too expensive!"

After asking around, Xu Yang had finally found an Escort Agency that could deliver a letter to Qingyuan County, but they were asking for five taels of silver. For context, a single Qi Replenishing Pill only cost ten taels of silver.

The Escort Agency’s steward said with a chuckle, "That’s the price. We’re not just cheating you. You can go ask anyone else from Qingyuan County if that’s what they pay to send letters. If my Four Seas Escort Agency overcharges you, little brother, by even a single coin, you can tear the whole place down.

Our Four Seas Escort Agency’s Escort Team doesn’t go to a small place like Qingyuan County ourselves. We have to commission another agency to forward it to Qingyuan.

Besides, that five taels isn’t just for a one-way delivery. After the letter is delivered, we’ll also help bring back a letter from your family as proof that ours arrived. So five taels is essentially the price of two deliveries."

Hearing that the five taels included the return fee made him feel a lot better. He knew it was basically forced bundling, but there was nowhere to file a complaint.

He paid the money readily and asked, "If I may ask, Steward, which shop in this city has the best weapon forging skills?"

The Four Seas Escort Agency’s steward replied, "The best, naturally, is the Purple Sun Pavilion, run by the Purple Sun Sect. The worst Weapons you’ll find there are forged by Inner Sect Disciples from Li Fire Peak. You can even buy Weapons forged by a Peak Master."

Xu Yang was speechless for a moment. ’If I could afford a weapon forged by a Purple Sun Sect Inner Sect Disciple, would I even need to ask you?’

"Steward, my good man, just point me to a place a kid like me can afford," Xu Yang said.

The steward finally seemed to realize that Xu Yang probably wasn’t wealthy. He pondered for a moment and said, "For a regular weapon refining workshop, the one with the best reputation is Wang’s Armory. The Wang Family’s ancestors also came from the Purple Sun Sect, and their forging skills are quite good."

Xu Yang asked for the location of Wang’s Armory and quickly found his way there.

The weapon refining workshop indeed looked like it had been around for many years; much of the gold paint on its sign had peeled away.

"Sir, are you looking to buy a finished weapon or have one custom-made?"

An assistant came forward to greet Xu Yang as soon as he walked in.

"How long does custom-making take?" Xu Yang asked.

The assistant replied, "That depends on the grade of weapon you want to order, sir. A good one takes ten to fifteen days, while a standard one takes five or six."

"Show me the finished ones. I want to see the sabers."

’If I take on a mission after I get back, I might not have time to come pick it up. Besides, I don’t have any special requirements for the style, so there’s no need to pay extra for a custom job.’

’As for why he chose a saber, it was because apart from the main peak, Tianquan Peak, the strongest legacies of the other peaks in the Purple Sun Sect were all Saber Techniques.’

’He hadn’t placed in the top three of the entrance examination, so it was almost impossible for him to enter the main peak in the future. Therefore, the saber was really his only choice.’

’The Purple Sun Sect also had legacies for Spear Techniques and Staff Techniques, but they were nothing to write home about.’

"This way, please, sir."

This assistant was a perceptive one. After leading Xu Yang into the weapons display area, he immediately picked up a saber that glinted with a cold light.

"Sir, this is our shop’s famous Cold Moon Saber. The blade was designed by a master, its lines are perfect, and it’s forged with Profound Iron and Red Gold. It can withstand being infused with Gang Qi without shattering, making it the Treasure Saber of choice for many experts who have just entered the Gang Qi Realm.

Many disciples from the Purple Sun Sect buy this very saber from our shop to practice their Saber Technique."

He took one look at Xu Yang’s appearance and knew he had just reached Qi Cultivation Gang and was planning to start training with a weapon, so he immediately recommended the Cold Moon Saber.

Xu Yang looked at it. He had indeed seen many people at the Purple Sun Sect using this saber. The design was acceptable enough.

He held it in his hand. ’It feels a bit light. They probably didn’t mix in much Profound Iron.’

"How much does this saber cost? And what happens if I infuse it with Gang Qi right now and it shatters?" Xu Yang asked.

’His Gang Qi was condensed from Vajra True Qi. It was exceptionally pure and tyrannical. An ordinary weapon probably wouldn’t be able to withstand his infusion.’

The assistant glanced up and down at the Outer Disciple uniform he was wearing and said, "The Cold Moon Saber costs one hundred taels. If it cannot withstand your Gang Qi infusion, sir, then that just proves the blade is flawed. Naturally, we can’t hold you responsible if it breaks."

The assistant didn’t believe that an Outer Disciple’s Gang Qi could possibly shatter the Cold Moon Saber, not unless he deliberately tried to break it.

But if he did that, it would mean he wasn’t here to buy a saber but to cause trouble. And although the Wang’s Armory’s connection to the Purple Sun Sect was only through their ancestors, they still weren’t a business that just anyone could mess with.

Xu Yang nodded and began to infuse his Gang Qi into the blade, little by little.

CRACK!

With a crisp snap, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the blade. Xu Yang hurriedly withdrew his Gang Qi.

He sighed inwardly. ’It’s not that the Cold Moon Saber is flawed,’ he knew, ’but that my Gang Qi is too fierce and tyrannical for the blade to handle.’

"It... it broke?"

The assistant stared, dumbfounded, at the crack-covered Cold Moon Saber. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. After all his bragging, the saber had shattered.

Xu Yang put down the fractured saber. "It seems the quality of your Cold Moon Saber is just average. Do you have anything better?"

The assistant nodded hastily and brought out another saber. It was similar in shape to the Cold Moon Saber, but it looked more exquisite, and the cold aura emanating from its edge was stronger.

"Please take a look, sir. This is our shop’s Wolf Fang Saber. It’s forged with a mix of Profound Iron, Red Gold, and Wujin. Its quality far surpasses the Cold Moon Saber, and I guarantee it can withstand your Gang Qi infusion."

Xu Yang took it. It was much heavier than the Cold Moon Saber. "How much is the Wolf Fang Saber?"

The assistant held up two fingers. "Two hundred taels!"

’Two hundred taels... If it can handle my Gang Qi infusion, I can afford it.’

’It just means I’ll have to hurry up and take on missions as soon as I get back. I don’t have much money left. If it weren’t for that unexpected windfall outside the black market, I wouldn’t even be able to afford a training saber.’

Xu Yang once again slowly infused his Gang Qi. The body of the saber hummed and vibrated, and its cold glint flared, but it did not shatter.

"I’ll take this saber!" Xu Yang said.

Though there were better ones available, he couldn’t afford them. He immediately took out the money and handed it to the assistant.

"One moment, sir!"

After confirming there was no issue with the money, the assistant immediately fetched a scabbard and a strap.

Xu Yang slung the saber onto his back and turned to leave.