Chapter 53 Ancient War Sword

  After a month and a half of closed-door meditation, under the nourishment of life's misty energy, Tang Yan's vitality was extremely abundant. He practiced tirelessly day and night, finally condensing six fist-sized fireballs that could basically be controlled to revolve around his body, guided by his thoughts to attack and explode.

  The main reason why six fireballs can be condensed in such a short period of time is still Tang Yanshan's experience and skills in the wooden sign. The analysis at each level is very detailed, which saves a lot of trouble, and Tang Yan even suspects that this was prepared by Tang Yanshan for himself beforehand.

  In these forty-odd days of retreat, Tang Yan also gained control over Qing Huo!

  Through continuous attempts, a subtle balance was formed between the green flame and spiritual power. When Tang Yan performed his martial skills, he didn't have to worry about refining his opponent every time he launched an attack, and could use it as pure flames. This way, it was equivalent to cleverly hiding the secret of the green flame, saving Tang Yan a lot of trouble.

  "Huh, Second Master, how did you come out?" The servants who were sweeping the yard hastily paid their respects as they saw Tang Yan emerge from the side room with his hair disheveled. If it were in the past, they would have only casually responded to him, but because of that bloody case half a month ago, no one dared to underestimate this Second Master anymore, at least not as much as they used to despise and mock him.

  Tang Yan took a deep breath towards the sun, exhaled slowly and said: "Go get Du Yang and Instructor Ailin'da, if possible, also call Tang Ying over."

  "Reporting to Young Master, since Miss Ying returned last time, she has been in seclusion and hasn't come out until now."

  "Then just call Du Yang and Ailinda."

  "Yes, young master, I'll go right away."

  "Right, find a way to contact Pang Hai and Ren Lingfeng, let them come find me."

  Tang Yan first returned to the bathroom, took a refreshing bath, and then rested for half an hour before dressing up neatly and returning to his room. He also went to the accounting house to "borrow" some money.

  "What brings you here?" Du Yang's appearance was somewhat disheveled, his clothes were untidy, his hair was messy, and he was frowning, in a state of half thought.

  Yanlin's exercise is at a critical moment, he is studying day and night without rest.

  "Aren't you supposed to be confined? How can you come out so casually?" Eriinda was cold and indifferent, as if she had returned to her former self.

  "I'm tired of being cooped up inside, I want to go out and take a walk."

  "Is it just to take us out for a stroll that you called us over?" Elinda rolled her eyes and stood up, ready to leave.

  "I'm short of a decent weapon and I'd like to ask for your advice. If you want to buy something, I can give it to you for free."

  The two of them paused at the same time and looked at Tang Yan: "Are you sure? For free?"

  "As long as I can afford it."

  "Go!"

  The three of them stealthily avoided detection, slipping away from the Tang estate's back door and scaling the wall to escape, making a beeline for the trade square in the northwest part of the city.

  This is a relatively chaotic free square, as long as there are valuable things that can be set up in the small stall to sell, including weapons, armor, demon beast cubs, martial arts, medicinal materials, and various items. Some are their own treasures, some are from the Phantom Forest, and some are fake goods. This is the most favorite place for ordinary warriors and poor people, and some young masters also come here to stroll around. If you're lucky or have a keen eye, you might find top-notch treasures.

  The trading square was crowded with people, men and women, young and old, pushing and shoving each other. Inside, it was noisy and chaotic, with the sound of human voices deafening, and occasionally, there would be a loud roar from some fierce beast.

  "Come and see, the ultimate ginseng king, containing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Ordinary people can prolong their lives, while martial artists can improve their cultivation." A middle-aged man held up this arm-thick humanoid ginseng and shouted loudly.

  "Come and see the young of a fourth-level demonic beast, double-headed demon wolf!" In an iron cage made of refined steel, a double-headed wolf cub was locked up, its eyes gleaming with ferocity as it glared at its shouting owner.

  "It's said that the egg of the three-legged crow will hatch into a top-level demon beast, don't miss it if you see it." An old man with a smile all over his face was holding a crystal clear white jade egg and walking back and forth in the crowd, but what he got were just cold stares.

  "Common martial skill... Heavy Fist Technique! Starting price of 100 gold coins!" A young man stood in front of an ancient book, shouting while being cautious, afraid that someone would snatch it away.

  …………

  Tang Yan strolled leisurely through the crowded throng, casually eyeing the dazzling array of goods on display. Occasionally, he would ask a few questions, but the chaos and noise level here far exceeded his expectations. Amidst the clutter, there were indeed some fine pieces to be found, but most were outrageously overpriced. Some vendors were even brazenly touting their wares with outlandish claims - a perfectly ordinary rooster was being touted as a "young dragon".

  "Outside is basically all junk, the good stuff you want is inside, and sometimes some great treasures appear there." The Frost Sword in Eirinda's hand was dug up here two years ago, containing natural frost energy that can enhance attack power during battle.

  Du Yang also said: "Inside, it's relatively easy to find good treasures. It's said that within ten years, three people have found spiritual-level martial skills, and one person even found a young offspring of a fifth-grade demon beast."

  Ailin said: "The Illusory Forest stretches for nearly ten thousand miles, with strange beasts roaming inside, and many wonders and dangers. It's a paradise for mercenaries, where people often discover treasures or luckily pick up powerful beast cubs. Apart from most being sent to large auction houses, some unidentifiable treasures will flow into the trading market of Giant Elephant City, including super-grade items, which is also the main reason why the trading market of Giant Elephant City is famous nationwide."

  "Do you have any good ones?" Tang Yan picked up a tortoiseshell from the stall next to him, and the vendor immediately smiled and stood up to introduce it. However, when he saw that the person standing in front of him was the notorious Second Master Tang, his face turned green.

  "Not for now, it's too chaotic here, go inside." Eriinda was cool and self-loving, unable to tolerate this crowded environment.

  Tang Yan glanced at the vendor, casually tossing him the item. The vendor hastily caught it, but from start to finish didn't squeeze out a single word, and with a quivering gaze saw Tang Second Young Master off.

  Three people walked and looked around, coming to the innermost part of the square. The specifications here are obviously higher, with no large iron cages or hawkers shouting for sales. Some sellers closed their eyes and rested, while others were bored and trimmed their fingernails, with the items they wanted to sell in front of them and price tags on the side.

  "Wow!! 10,000 gold coins, why didn't you grab it!!" Du Yang was attracted by a fluffy little beast, just about to move forward when he sucked in a breath of cool air. This drowsy little beast had a wooden sign hanging from its neck, clearly marked with a price tag of 10,000 gold coins!

  The seller raised his eyes and looked at him, humming a neutral tone, continuing to meditate with his eyes closed, no longer paying attention.

  "This seems to be a cub of the Three-Eyed Snow Lion." Eriol examined it carefully, with a mixture of surprise and hesitation. "The Three-Eyed Snow Lion is a third-tier demon beast, naturally lazy and not skilled in battle, but its special feature lies in the third eye on its forehead. Once successfully opened, the Three-Eyed Snow Lion will undergo an essential transformation, becoming the king of snow lions, comparable to fifth or even sixth-tier demon beasts."

  " Fifth rank? Sixth rank?" Tang Yan's expression changed slightly, isn't that enough to rival the Martial King and the Martial Emperor?

  "The key is whether the third eye can be opened. If it can, it will naturally become a king. If it cannot, it will only be an ordinary three-eyed snow lion. The probability of such a transformation is extremely low, with only one in ten thousand. Among ten thousand three-eyed snow lions, there may be only one that can be born. So... the 10,000 gold coins are not buying the three-eyed snow lion itself, but rather the probability of it becoming a king."

  Tang Yan was a pragmatic person and wouldn't waste his energy on such probabilistic events. He turned around, and finally spotted an old man selling knives in the corner. The old man had many things laid out in front of him, including some swords, armor, and several small demonic beasts. It was cluttered and there were no clear prices marked.

  Tang Yan picked up the ancient war knife, which felt heavy in his hand, weighing at least over 200 kilograms. Just holding it made his arm and wrist bulge with veins, requiring great effort. The material of the war knife did not resemble metal, but rather a special kind of rock.

  "Do you like this war sword? Isn't it too heavy?" Du Yang took over the heavy war sword, and without noticing, almost lost his balance.

  "The material is quite special, it doesn't feel like metal." Eriinda tapped on the war sword.

  Du Yang forced a smile: "Indeed it's pretty good, seems like it's been ages."

  Just as Tang Yan was about to ask the price, he unexpectedly caught sight of a little creature among the small beasts next to him, which was quietly sizing them up. When it saw its gaze turned towards it, the little guy obviously trembled and curled up with a low whine, looking pitiful.

  This little guy doesn't look particularly impressive, no different from the puppies of a rural stray dog in his past life. However, its two small eyes are quite lively, as if it was just born not long ago, only the size of a palm, and its two small ears are still folded back. Its black fur is slightly curly. When Tang Yan sized it up, it secretly lifted its eyes, quickly closed them again, and slowly shifted towards the bodies of several other puppies beside it.

  "Boss, how much is this little dog?" Tang Yan asked casually, feeling amused.

  "The old man said weakly: 'I won't sell.'"

  "Not for sale? Are you just displaying it here or are you afraid I won't pay?"

  "Gifts, buy one get one free, I sell weapons, and beast eggs are all gifts."

  "Is it a pet of yours?" Tang Yan picked up the small black dog that was shivering with fear, holding it in his hands to examine it. The little guy seemed very scared, shrinking back forcefully.

  "Bought from a mercenary, said to have been picked up on the way back after completing a mission. Originally wanted to stew and eat it, but felt it was too small, and didn't want to throw it away either."

  "I bought this battle knife, and the little dog was given to me." Tang Yan put the little black dog on his shoulder, picked up the battle knife and swung it a few times, indeed a bit heavy, but the feel is good, ancient and majestic.