Chapter 23: Is This Really a Loss?

At the outer sect dining hall, rumors have been circulating about a recent “peach thief” who specifically steals peaches from disciples who have quarreled with their senior or junior brothers. This has caused widespread anxiety among the outer sect disciples, each fearing when the thief might strike next.

Recently, strange incidents have been frequent within the outer sect. One morning, the outer wall was mysteriously gone, leaving everyone puzzled about what the thief could possibly need bricks for. Some disciples feared they might wake up like Fang Han did—one day finding their entire room vanished. As a result, many disciples started hanging bells around their courtyards at night, hoping to catch the wall-removing thief red-handed the moment he struck again.

“Watch out, the peach thief is coming!”

Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere around the outer sect dining hall was shattered when one senior brother spotted the peach thief approaching. Many outer sect disciples had already fallen victim to this thief, left paralyzed and bedridden for a whole day. This was no easy torment for the average person to endure.

Lin Fan approached from a distance, carrying a large bundle on his back. He paid no mind to the disciples who avoided him, confident that they would soon come begging to him, treating him like a treasure.

Lin Fan arrived at an empty space near the dining hall entrance, set down his bundle, and pulled out a banner from his robe. He tied it to a pillar by the doorway.

“Passersby, don’t miss out! Selling low-grade weapons at clearance prices!” Lin Fan shouted at the top of his lungs.

The surrounding outer sect disciples, seeing him shouting like a madman again, initially looked on in disdain. But the moment they heard “low-grade weapons at clearance prices,” their eyes lit up as if bewitched.

Though Lin Fan’s words had captured their attention, no one dared to step forward and inquire. They were too afraid that if they approached, they might end up losing their peaches.

Lin Fan continued shouting enthusiastically, pleased to see that he had drawn everyone’s gaze. However, he couldn’t help but feel a little confused—why wasn’t anyone coming closer?

Wasn’t a low-grade weapon tempting enough?

Lin Fan knew that for outer sect disciples, owning a weapon with a proper grade was a sign of great prestige.

Determined not to give up, Lin Fan scanned the crowd and spotted a disciple standing relatively close.

“You, come here!” Lin Fan waved.

The disciple froze, then instinctively took a few steps back in fear. But Lin Fan didn’t give him a chance to escape—he strode forward and grabbed him.

“You’re coming with me,” Lin Fan declared, determined to prove his point to the others.

“No, Senior Brother! I just joined the outer sect a few days ago! Please don’t steal my peach!” The disciple paled in terror. Though newly arrived, he had already heard plenty about the infamous peach thief haunting the dining hall.

Lin Fan rolled his eyes, ignoring the disciple’s pleas and tears. He dragged the disciple to his stall and removed the young one’s sect-issued weapon from his back.

“Everyone, take a look! This is a weapon forged by the outer sect’s blacksmiths!” Lin Fan raised the weapon high and shouted. Then, he picked up a longsword from the stall.

“And this one here is a low-grade weapon. Get ready to witness a miracle—don’t blink!” Lin Fan smirked as he saw the growing interest in the eyes of the outer sect disciples. He was sure they couldn’t resist this.

“Watch closely!” Lin Fan roared, then struck the two swords together.

“Clang!”

The sword forged by the sect’s blacksmith snapped in two instantly, clattering to the ground in two pieces.

“There you go! Only three left. Highest bidder gets them!” Lin Fan tossed the broken weapon aside and returned to his stall, waiting for the rush.

“Senior Brother, my sword…” The disciple whose weapon had just been destroyed looked like he was about to cry.

“Your sword is my sword,” Lin Fan replied coolly.

Moments later, the surrounding outer sect disciples, who had been watching in stunned silence, suddenly surged forward like a stampede.

They had all seen it clearly—the weapon forged by the outer sect’s blacksmith had been cleanly severed in one strike, as if it were cutting through tofu.

And the sword Lin Fan wielded shimmered with spiritual energy, clearly a weapon of high quality.

“Junior Brother Lin, how much for the sword?”

“Name your price, I’ll buy it!”

…

Seeing the frenzy erupt among the disciples, Lin Fan’s heart swelled with satisfaction. He had always known he’d become the center of attention sooner or later.

Now that cultivating through his disciples’ contributions was no longer feasible, he had no choice but to rely on pills. Once he advanced to the先天 stage by consuming pills, he would immediately apply to join the inner sect. From then on, the entire world would be his to wander freely.

At the same time, Lin Fan harbored deep resentment toward the rule that forbade disciples below the先天 stage from leaving the sect. That rule had made his early cultivation progress incredibly difficult.

“Sky-Sundering Sun-Extinguishing Sword! Starting bid: thirty Qi-Enhancing Pills. Highest offer wins!” Lin Fan raised the sword and shouted.

“What a name—Sky-Sundering Sun-Extinguishing Sword! Sounds mighty! I must have this sword!”

“Thirty-one pills!”

“Hmph! Thirty-one pills for a low-grade weapon? A pipe dream! I’ll offer forty!”

“Forty-five!”

“Fifty!”

Lin Fan watched the bidding war with a growing grin. A pile of scrap iron, slightly polished and packaged, was now fetching a fortune.

“One hundred!”

The sudden bid of one hundred stunned the entire crowd into silence. Outer sect disciples received only thirty Qi-Enhancing Pills per month. Though these pills were commonly used as currency in the sect, they were also essential for cultivation. Most disciples consumed them immediately, rarely saving any.

“One hundred and fifty!”

Lin Fan glanced at the bidder who had raised the price to one hundred and fifty. He didn’t recognize this disciple, who stood calmly, but Lin Fan could see the burning desire in his eyes.

Though Lin Fan had been in the sect for over a year, there was one thing he hadn’t yet grasped.

In this world, everyone focused on a single path.

Cultivation itself was endless—no one would waste time on anything else.

Cultivators cultivated. Blacksmiths forged. Alchemists refined pills.

To pursue any of the latter two meant abandoning the path of cultivation, unless one was a great cultivator who had already reached a plateau and had spare time to explore other arts.

Though the Saint-Demon Sect was a major sect, it couldn’t afford to provide every disciple with a graded weapon.

“Two hundred!”

“Two hundred and fifty!”

…

The bidding grew fierce. Lin Fan noticed many disciples who hadn’t bid yet, watching quietly. They were clearly waiting for the next weapon.

“One thousand!”

Suddenly, a calm voice rang out from the distance. A man in white robes slowly approached.

At the sight of him, the outer sect disciples’ expressions changed instantly. They stepped aside respectfully, shock and awe in their hearts.

“It’s Senior Brother Yi!”

“Yi Zhongyu, one of the ten outstanding disciples of the outer sect!”

Forget it. It’s over. When Senior Brother Yi gets involved, the rest of us don’t stand a chance. If we continue bidding, we might end up earning his resentment.

Many disciples who had been determined to win the weapon now realized it had already found its owner.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan was thinking—had he undersold it?

But who cared? It was just scrap iron. He could make as many as he wanted. Time to make a fortune first.