“There indeed are followers, but they don’t seem to harbor any murderous intent. Could it be they’re just trying to size me up?”
Wu Ming strode down the street, his eyes flickering slightly, a cold smirk curling his lips. Suddenly, his figure flickered and vanished around the corner.
“Where’d he go?”
Two figures immediately leapt forward, only to find nothing. They watched helplessly as Wu Ming, having shed his disguise, casually walked past them without their realizing it.
“Home Family Shop!”
After shaking off the two tails, Wu Ming arrived once again at the Home Family Store.
Massive shells covered the sky and earth, with several shops in the center, each exquisitely decorated like palaces.
“Unlike the Hundred Ling Garden, although this place sells everything, its main focus is still on combat techniques!”
Wu Ming couldn’t help but recall his first shopping experience. Without the combat skill [Observation Eye], he might have lost a significant source of wealth.
“Welcome!”
After entering the store, the same bunny girl from last time greeted him again.
Dressed in black stockings and a low-cut corset, she exuded an alluring charm. She bowed deeply now: “What would the customer like to purchase?”
“Combat techniques!”
Without hesitation, Wu Ming strode past the front counter displaying elemental spirits.
The highest-grade spirits sealed here were merely elite-tier. Although elemental spirits from the Elemental World generally surpassed those from the Living World, this slight advantage wasn’t enough to overcome the massive racial bottleneck.
“However, elemental spirits do have their advantages… As long as there’s sufficient elemental concentration and energy, they can grow rapidly… and even transform the spirit tamer, providing powerful attribute boosts!”
Wild beasts and spirit plants from the Living World were still somewhat limited by their growth speed.
But elemental spirits were different. Even if it was just an ordinary flame spirit yesterday, with enough opportunity and potential, it could become a Fire Elemental King the very next day!
Moreover, outstanding elemental spirits could provide power boosts far beyond ordinary spirits.
For instance, transforming the spirit tamer into a fire or water being, then lunging at enemies—how could anyone resist that?
“This is also why I chose elemental spirits as my second option for elite-tier summons. Unfortunately… outstanding elemental spirits? They might be even rarer than earth-dwelling dragons…”
With a faint sense of disappointment, Wu Ming approached the bookshelf filled with jade scrolls.
Combat techniques were specially crafted by scroll makers, sealing skills that spirits could learn. They exuded a unique Daoist aura, glowing faintly. They weren’t always jade scrolls either; special shells, leaves, or even animal hides could all serve as carriers for this Daoist essence.
“Hmm, [Wolf Beast Fusion], [Sorcery Enhancement], [Sorcery Instant Casting], [Sorcery Silent Casting], [Claw Technique], [Bloodlust Technique]… I’ll take one of each!”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Just one copy?”
The bunny girl eyed the crystal card in Wu Ming’s hand, representing 100,000 spirit coins, and swallowed hard: “I suppose you’re planning to invest heavily in sorcery for your wolf beast. But one copy won’t give you a high success rate. Why not buy a few extra copies just in case…”
This was the truth. The higher the combat technique’s level, the harder it was for spirits to learn, and the more resources it required.
“One copy is enough!”
Wu Ming smiled: “Give me these directly. As for the rest—this shelf, this one, and that entire series… pack them all up and deliver them to Yu Feng Studio!”
“Alright! Please wait a moment…”
The bunny girl answered mechanically, then suddenly froze, her pretty heart-shaped lips parting in shock: “You mean… all three shelves…”
She turned her head with difficulty, staring at the massive pile of jade scrolls—easily over a thousand combat techniques.
“Exactly…”
Wu Ming replied with a faint smile: “Any problem?”
“No! No problem at all!”
The bunny girl shook her head vigorously, her eyes practically sparkling with stars: “I’m going to get rich! I’m going to get rich! Sure enough, everyone from Yu Feng Studio is a rich noble, spending money without blinking. Last time there was that Eastern Green Leaf, eagerly buying a bunch of unappraised spirit eggs. Now another one comes along, buying combat techniques at a finished product store! Goodness… I’ve long heard that the Eastern families have limited supply channels, but I never imagined they’d be this desperate… Hmm? This young man looks familiar…”
Suddenly, the bunny girl exclaimed: “It’s you! The boy who bought the [Observation Eye] combat technique back then?”
She had a particularly deep impression of this gullible customer.
Now, the image of this former fool and the current rich noble immediately overlapped.
This stark contrast left her mind in a daze.
“Ah… Esteemed customer, please wait a moment!”
As she was lost in thought, another woman immediately stepped forward. This beauty, with a thousand charms and a fiery red fox tail trailing behind her, wore a seductive smile: “I’m the chief manager of this store. I’ll pack your goods right away and deliver them to your designated location within the city!”
…
Moments later, after being seen off with utmost courtesy by the two women, Wu Ming finally leisurely exited the store, swaggering away with a faint smile on his face.
“Back then, when I was weak and poor, I was treated as a gullible fool. But now, spending lavishly, I’ve become a rich noble… Just now, if I had given the slightest hint, that bunny girl might have offered herself to me… How fascinating the ways of the world truly are…”
At this thought, his expression turned slightly solemn.
It seemed that no matter which world it was, survival of the fittest and the strong prevailing was an eternal truth!
“But… with these templates, I can start experimenting with crafting jade scrolls…”
Wu Ming smiled faintly.
The Home Family Store’s specialty was combat techniques, known for their superior quality. Although Yu Feng Studio had a few other channels before, how could they compare to this? Therefore, he had no choice but to spend generously.
To put it more clearly, he was preparing to learn from the scroll makers at the Home Family Store. As long as he had the templates, with his knowledge and foundation, imitating them would be incredibly simple…
Since he had decided from the beginning to learn from them, he naturally had to choose the best.
As for combat technique sales, Yu Feng Studio probably didn’t even amount to a fraction of the Home Family Store…
…
Wu Ming strolled along, arriving at his final destination for the day.
This was an extremely expansive architectural complex within the city, built in the most spacious and uninhabited northern district, with few residents nearby.
In contrast, many martial artists dressed in tight-fitting clothes and exuding various auras were commonly seen here.
Wu Ming stood before the grand entrance, looking up: “The Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association…”
Mercenaries and wandering heroes… these were ancient terms. The so-called Mercenary Army referred to hired soldiers, while wandering heroes were roughly equivalent to individual mercenaries.
This Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association was naturally a mercenary organization within the spirit world, providing certification for any spirit tamer and serving as the city’s largest free task distribution channel.
Although these wandering heroes generally had low cultivation, with elite-tier being considered a local expert, their numbers were several times that of ordinary families. It was precisely because of them that the prosperity of spirit trading throughout the city was sustained!
Swish!
As Wu Ming entered the gate, he was instantly enveloped by a massive din.
The hall inside was like a grand market, with numerous wandering heroes scattered around tables, drinking and feasting, their voices rising in a cacophony.
On all four sides, there were also prominent mission notice boards, along with several scattered counters offering services to the wandering hero spirit tamers.
“Hello, may I ask what service you require?”
He walked directly to one counter, where a spirit tamer inside softly asked, her voice tinged with shyness.
“Actually employing someone like this to provide service?”
Wu Ming frowned slightly, then said: “I’d like to register as a wandering hero!”
The Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association wasn’t just a local organization; it was a chain institution spanning the entire Flame Continent.
This wandering hero certification was akin to the status of free citizens and mercenaries in the Western era, or the scholar status and travel permits in the East. Without this certification, venturing across the continent would bring many unnecessary troubles.
“Alright, please fill out this form!”
The girl handed him a parchment from behind the counter, her eyes flashing faintly with pink light.
“Summon—Sketch Sprite!”
Then, a pink glow emerged from her wrist, transforming into a small, adorable, winged pink sprite. It grabbed the girl’s wrist holding the pen and began moving rapidly.
“Hmm?”
Wu Ming noticed she was drawing a sketch—extremely realistic, with over ninety percent resemblance to his appearance, completed in an instant.
“This is… a spiritual ability! So bizarre… originating from the Spirit World and the Underworld…”
His eyes flashed with sharp light:
[Sketch Sprite (Spirit and Underworld)]
[Racial Level: ???]
[Racial Bonus: ???]
[Attributes: ???]
[Rank: Mid-Stage Juvenile]
[Abilities: Quick Sketching, Instant Transmission]
[Status: Healthy]
“It’s actually a spirit from the Spirit and Underworld… This is the collection of all spirits that defy normal comprehension and are utterly inexplicable…”
“Done!”
The girl finished the sketch, then took Wu Ming’s form, closed her eyes briefly as if communicating with something, then nodded: “Unknown Hero, your identity information has been uploaded to headquarters, confirming there’s no duplicate name or appearance. Here are your hero certificate and documents, please keep them safe! A processing fee of one hundred spirit coins, please.”
Hero certification was this simple—pay to get things done.
“Uploaded to headquarters? Information scanning?”
Wu Ming became even more surprised.
“This is my Sketch Sprite’s ability…”
The girl smiled: “Although it has no offensive capabilities, it can instantly transmit information. Just now, I’ve already sent Mr. Unknown’s information to headquarters for backup. If you lose your credentials in the future, you can come back here to reapply!”
“Although it has no combat power whatsoever, this ability is still quite formidable… No wonder the Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association is…”
Wu Ming’s eyes flashed: “Each branch of the Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association has a Sketch Sprite, right?”
“Exactly!”
The girl nodded with a smile: “Each branch has at least one Sketch Sprite, and they’re always in contact with the Sprite King at headquarters… Therefore, our Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association’s news and intelligence are always the most timely and accurate. Welcome, Mr. Unknown, anytime!”
“Damn! The internet…”
As Wu Ming stepped out of the Mercenary and Wandering Hero Association, gazing at the towering, massive building, he felt an overwhelming urge to complain.
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