“My strength isn’t great enough to wield such a heavy weapon.” Han Li withdrew his gaze and shook his head impassively.
“How about this Moon Arc Sword? It’s refined from purple copper—light as a feather yet exceptionally tough. A rare top-grade flexible sword.”
“Too short. Doesn’t suit me.” Han Li cast a brief glance and showed no interest.
“Too short?” The shop assistant’s ever-present smile faltered, seemingly at a loss for words.
“What’s that over there? It looks interesting.” Han Li suddenly took a few steps forward, pointing at a coiled black cord on another table.
The object in question was a dark, coiled rope, about the thickness of a thumb.
“That’s the Flood Dragon Cord, woven from golden threads, specifically for binding. Even low-level beasts with immense strength can’t break free once tied with it.” The assistant hesitated for a moment before explaining.
“Flood Dragon Cord? Let me take a look.”
Han Li unceremoniously picked it up and gave it a slight flick. With a sharp *whoosh*, the cord straightened instantly, rigid as a slender rod.
The assistant’s eyes widened in shock.
Having served countless customers in this weapon shop, he had sharp judgment. Anyone who could manipulate a flexible cord to such a degree was no ordinary person—likely a body cultivator. A hint of reverence crept onto his face.
“This is decent, but still a bit too thick. Do you have anything finer?” Han Li swung it twice before frowning.
“Something finer? I’m afraid we don’t…” The assistant muttered awkwardly.
“Oh? Looking for something thinner? I might have just the thing, though it won’t come cheap.” A rough voice suddenly sounded behind Han Li.
Han Li turned slowly to see two burly men standing behind him.
One was tall with long, unbound hair, exuding a dangerous, beast-like aura. The other had a sallow, gaunt face.
Both wore leather robes. The long-haired man carried a golden spear on his back and a large bundle over his shoulder, while the gaunt man held a wooden case several feet long, his expression shadowed.
Han Li’s eyes gleamed when he noticed the spirit stone rings on their fingers—cruder than Zhang Kui’s, with smaller stones.
*Spirit tools. Body cultivators.*
A faint smile touched Han Li’s lips. “If the item suits me, price won’t be an issue.”
“Good. But this isn’t the place to talk. Follow us somewhere quieter.” The gaunt man studied Han Li before grinning.
“No problem.” Han Li nodded without hesitation and followed them out of the shop into the bustling street.
The two men navigated the alleys with ease, leading Han Li to a secluded, deserted lane.
“Here will do. Xin, show our friend the item.” The gaunt man ordered as soon as they stopped.
“Understood, Brother Bao!” The tall man grabbed the bundle from his shoulder and shook it out.
A clatter of objects spilled onto the ground—vials, jars, beast hides, and horns.
The gaunt man bent down and retrieved a palm-sized wooden box.
“Take a look. This is the sinew of a land flood dragon, obtained by my brothers and a few other body cultivators. It’s incredibly fine, tough, and elastic—can stretch several times its length.”
*Land flood dragon?*
Han Li had no idea what kind of beast that was, but it seemed like a low-level creature. His expression remained unchanged as he took the box and opened it.
Inside lay a coiled, pale-yellow sinew, bound with a red string.
Han Li pinched the string, and it crumbled instantly.
With a *snap*, the sinew lashed out like a whip, one end darting toward his face.
His hand moved leisurely yet somehow caught the sinew mid-air. With a flick of his fingers, the taut sinew went limp, as if all elasticity had vanished.
He examined the two-zhang-long sinew closely.
The gaunt man and the long-haired man exchanged glances at Han Li’s reflexes.
After a thorough inspection, Han Li confirmed its properties—typical of low-level beast materials, though with some unique traits that could be refined for his use.
He toyed with it for a while before flicking his wrist.
The sinew blurred into motion, coiling around his arm like a bracelet.
With a drop of his sleeve, it vanished from sight.
“Not bad. Among low-level beasts, this is indeed rare. Though useless to cultivators, it’d make an excellent bowstring—or suit my needs. If the price is fair, I’ll take it.” Han Li said coolly.
“Heh, you must be a body cultivator too. Then we’ll settle in spirit stones. Thirty for this sinew.” The gaunt man smirked.
“Thirty? A bit steep, but acceptable. Here.”
From his time with Liu’er and the others, Han Li knew that while ordinary mortals in the Spirit Realm still used gold and silver, body cultivators—like cultivators—traded in spirit stones due to their reliance on spirit tools.
However, low-grade spirit stones held far less value here than in the human world.
Both spirit tools and cultivation relied mostly on mid-to-high-grade stones. Given the Spirit Realm’s dense spiritual energy, even top-grade spirit stone mines existed—though controlled by high-level cultivators and major factions.
Still, thirty low-grade stones for a low-level beast material was slightly overpriced.
Though Han Li had left his storage pouch and treasures in the desert, he hadn’t forgotten the importance of spirit stones in this realm. As a precaution, he’d kept a dozen mid-grade stones on him.
He reached into his robe and tossed out a yellow-orange stone.
The long-haired man caught it, inspected it, and nodded in satisfaction.
The gaunt man grinned and pulled out a small pouch, counting out seventy low-grade stones. Wrapping them in a hide, he tossed it to Han Li.
“Your change. Since you’re so straightforward, perhaps we can collaborate in the future.”
“Perhaps. But I have matters to attend to now. Farewell.” Han Li clasped his hands and left without hesitation.
As Han Li vanished from the alley, the long-haired man stared at the mid-grade stone in his hand, then at the alley entrance. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
“Brother Bao, that guy’s a stranger with deep pockets. Should we—”
“Drop that thought. Didn’t you notice he wasn’t wearing any spirit tools? Body cultivators who do that are either too poor to afford them or strong enough to disdain them. Which do you think he is?” The gaunt man’s face darkened.
“Well, he spent freely, so he’s not poor. But he just bought the sinew from us…”
“Xin, are you sure he bought it as a weapon? Maybe it’s just material for a custom spirit tool. Many outsiders have flooded An Yuan City lately—some terrifyingly strong. We’re no weaklings, but let’s not act rashly. I’ve only got one life.”
“You’re right. I’m just anxious about the spirit stones. With the beast tide coming, without mid-grade stones to power our tools, we’re in danger.”
“Relax. Once the tide hits, the city lord will hire all body cultivators and distribute stones. If we’re frugal, we’ll survive.” The gaunt man sounded confident.
“True. Under the Three Emperors and Seven Demon Kings’ pact, Core Formation and above cultivators can’t aid cities against beast tides. Who else can these lords rely on but us?”
“Exactly. But remember—the pact also bars fifth-tier and above beasts from the hordes. Who benefits more from this agreement? Hard to say.”
The long-haired man fell silent.
Soon, they packed up and melted back into the city’s crowds.
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