Firmament Sword

”Sir, how much are you asking?” Xu Luo paid no mind to the crowd’s reaction, his eyes fixed on the old man as he said, ”I believe that if I don’t buy these things from you, no one will. And if you keep them yourself, they’re completely useless. Am I wrong?”

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Xu Luo and said, ”You’re not wrong. Don’t tell me you know what they’re for? Damn it all, these things didn’t originally look like this. When I first got them, they were in pristine condition—silvery-white and shimmering with a brilliant light. I thought I’d found a priceless treasure. I took them back and tried every method I could think of, but no matter how I tried to refine them, I couldn’t truly melt them down. In the end, I just managed to turn them into this ugly pile of junk...”

BOOM!

A wave of mocking laughter erupted from the crowd.

The old man rolled his eyes and said, ”This old man is telling the truth. I really don’t know what these metals are, but they’re definitely no mundane objects. How could a bunch of simpletons like you tell the difference?”

With that, he looked at Xu Luo with a pained expression and said, ”There are seven pieces in total. How about this: give me five thousand Spirit Stones, and they’re all yours!”

”Fifteen hundred,” Xu Luo said.

”Four thousand! I can’t go any lower! Young man, since you know what this is, you should know its value!” the old man haggled with a serious face.

”Eighteen hundred. I’m just curious. I honestly don’t know what they are. Maybe they’ll still be a pile of junk even in my hands,” Xu Luo said lightly.

”Thirty-five hundred. Don’t even think about fooling me. The way your eyes lit up when you saw them, it’s obvious you recognize them!” the old man sneered.

”Two thousand. That’s the most I can offer. I’m really not a rich man, so don’t be too greedy, sir,” Xu Luo said with a wry smile.

”Twenty-five hundred! Any less and I’d rather take them back and keep them in my collection!” The old man huffed, his eyes wide with impatience.

”Fine, it’s a deal.” Xu Luo shook his head slightly, thinking, ’I’m really no good at haggling. An experienced bargainer would never show a hint of interest on their face, even if they absolutely loved the item, right? They wouldn’t be as easy to read as I am...’

However, Xu Luo wasn’t too concerned about twenty-five hundred Spirit Stones. This was all thanks to Master Mao’s several raids in the Imperial Capital. Those great and powerful clans had legacies of at least a hundred years, some even several hundred or close to a thousand!

Frankly, the wealth of those clans was enough to make some sects green with envy.

Xu Luo had over a hundred thousand ordinary Spirit Stones in his ring! As for top-grade Spirit Stones, he had several thousand of those as well.

Therefore, Xu Luo didn’t feel like he was getting a bad deal by trading twenty-five hundred Spirit Stones for seven pieces of metal that had simultaneously piqued the interest of his three Star Souls and the Seven Star Sword.

Xu Luo first put away the seven surprisingly light pieces of metal. Then, under the old man’s wary gaze, he smiled faintly and stretched out his hand... WHOOSH! A torrent of dazzling Spirit Stones appeared out of thin air on the old man’s stall, making everyone around gawk in astonishment!

”Gods, he’s so rich!”

”A Storage Ring... It’s enough to make you drool!”

”Spending money like water... He must be loaded!”

After pouring out twenty-five hundred ordinary Spirit Stones, Xu Luo looked at the stunned old man and said with a smile, ”Sir, may I be on my way now?”

The old man’s mouth twitched. He glanced at the looks in the eyes of the people around them and heard their audible gasps. He quickly threw his arms around the Spirit Stones and warned, ”This is the sect assembly! If anyone dares to rob this old man, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Even if each one wasn’t large, twenty-five hundred Spirit Stones still made a huge pile. The old man took off his ragged robe, fashioned it into a sack with a few quick movements, and stuffed all the Spirit Stones inside. Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he hoisted the sack and sprinted away, showing no trace of his supposed old age.

”That guy really looked like a con artist!” Ji Bingyu said, looking at Xu Luo. ”You didn’t get scammed, did you?”

Lianyi and Phoenix also looked at Xu Luo with worried expressions.

As for the surrounding crowd, they had already written Xu Luo off as an idiot with more money than sense. Some were even stirring with ill intent, their gazes fixed on the ring on Xu Luo’s finger.

Xu Luo just smiled and said, ”Even if he was a con artist, I’ll take the loss. Alright, you all can keep looking around. I have something to do, so I’ll be heading off first!”

With that, Xu Luo activated his Shaking Light Step. With a slight flicker of his body, he vanished from everyone’s sight.

Phoenix and Lianyi, who knew Xu Luo a bit better, both sensed that those shabby pieces of metal were likely something special. Ji Bingyu, on the other hand, seemed very interested in Xu Luo’s Shaking Light Step. She glanced at Lianyi and whispered, ”His movement technique...”

Lianyi put a finger to her lips. ”That’s right!”

”It’s truly incredible!” Ji Bingyu praised.

Xu Luo had taught the Shaking Light Step to Lianyi in the past, and Ji Bingyu had seen Lianyi use it before, feeling quite envious. She never expected the technique to have originated from Xu Luo. Her interest in him immediately grew stronger.

’A youth from the secular world is actually so mysterious, possessing such a powerful movement technique. How curious!’

In truth, Xu Luo didn’t want to be so conspicuous, but he had to leave. If he stayed any longer, the Seven Star Sword in his ring was about to leap out, and the three Star Souls in his Dantian were on the verge of rebellion.

Thus, using his Shaking Light Step, Xu Luo shot off like a wisp of smoke, heading straight for the desolate and uninhabited Celestial Break Mountain Range.

Soon after, several groups of people began tracking Xu Luo, approaching from different directions.

Xu Luo rushed for dozens of miles without stopping, heading straight for a large mountain on the edge of the Celestial Break Mountain Range. The mountain was covered with all sorts of towering, ancient trees, lush and green, soaring into the clouds!

Some of the thick, sturdy green vines were over a thousand meters long, coiling around the mountain rocks like massive Cyan Dragons.

Standing on the mountain peak and looking down, the distant pearl-like lake shimmered like a sapphire, emitting a brilliant glow. Xu Luo let out a long breath, then took out the seven pieces of metal, and at the same time, brought out the Seven Star Sword.

Just then, an astonishing scene unfolded right before Xu Luo’s very eyes!

Cracks appeared on the surface of the seven pitch-black, poor-quality pieces of metal. Then, like shells breaking off a hatching egg, the black substance flaked away, revealing a bright, silvery-white color underneath, as vibrant as if it were brand new!

A brilliant light flowed across their surface, emitting a strange fluctuation. Others might not have known what it was, but Xu Luo understood instantly and blurted out, ”Star Power!”

At that moment, Master Mao poked his head out of Xu Luo’s pocket, his eyes shining with immense greed. He almost pounced on the metal directly.

Just then, the Seven Star Sword erupted with an icy killing intent aimed directly at Master Mao.

”AHHHH! I just wanted to absorb a little Star Power! You don’t have to be so serious, do you?” Master Mao’s fur stood on end, and he was thoroughly spooked.

The killing intent from the Seven Star Sword subsided. Then, on the sword’s ink-black blade, seven stars lit up. The seven pieces of metal that had revealed their true form shot out seven beams of light, which flew into the seven stars on the Seven Star Sword hovering in the air.

At the same time, the three Star Souls in Xu Luo’s Dantian also released three streams of power that landed on the blade of the Seven Star Sword. For a moment, the Seven Star Sword erupted with an incomparably brilliant light, shining like a burning sun in broad daylight!

Streams of magical power, like tiny dragons, enveloped both Xu Luo and Master Mao.

Master Mao frantically absorbed the Star Power, while Xu Luo felt his own body undergoing a rapid transformation!

The Shadow Shaking Heart Method began to circulate, and he vaguely felt his realm was on the verge of a breakthrough!

’What in the world are these seven pieces of metal? How can they be so miraculous?’ Xu Luo was utterly astonished.

The power in his Dantian was gradually gathering, contracting... Core Formation!

RUMBLE!

Thunder roared and lightning crackled within Xu Luo’s Dantian. Under these completely unexpected circumstances, his realm had broken through!

Transformation Realm!

Before Xu Luo even had a chance to get excited, he discovered that a strange power was emanating from his three Star Souls, and it began to suppress his Dantian!

His True Essence, which had just undergone Core Formation, was shattered by the combined suppression of the three Star Souls!

Then, Xu Luo’s realm began to fall rapidly.

Xu Luo was shocked, having no idea what was happening. But to his surprise, although his realm was falling, the power within his body hadn’t changed in the slightest. It remained at the Transformation Realm... the level of a Tier One Sword King!

The suppressive force from the three Star Souls only loosened after his realm dropped all the way to Tier Seven Sword Venerable.

At that moment, the seven strange pieces of metal also lost their light, slowly dissipating into the air as dust until they vanished completely.

The light from the Seven Star Sword receded, and it once again looked no different than before.

”Wh... What’s going on?” Xu Luo stood up, a look of astonishment on his face. His realm had fallen to the level of a Tier Seven Sword Venerable, but his power was that of the Transformation Realm!

The gap between the True Martial Realm and the Transformation Realm was incredibly distinct. Xu Luo was completely baffled.

Just then, a desolate, ancient voice echoed in his mind, ”Your progress is too fast, and that brings you no benefit. A high realm does not equate to high combat power. You must undergo repeated tempering to become truly strong!”

’It’s the Shaking Light Star Soul!’

Xu Luo quickly asked, ”So right now... am I considered a Tier Seven Sword Venerable, or a Tier One Sword King of the Transformation Realm?”

”Your current combat power is your true level. This is how a Sword Venerable of the True Martial Realm should be. The Martial Artists of today are completely different from those of the past. According to your terms, your current strength is that of a Tier One Sword King of the Transformation Realm, but the aura you project is only that of a Tier Seven Sword Venerable...” the desolate and ancient voice slowly explained.

A look of immense, pleasant surprise appeared on Xu Luo’s face. He truly never expected his body to undergo such a change. Those seven strange pieces of metal were clearly no ordinary items; not only had they reforged the Seven Star Sword, but they had also allowed him to... reap enormous benefits along with it!

The power of a Tier One Sword King, the aura of a Tier Seven Sword Venerable, and combat strength that surpassed a Tier One Sword King... This was the perfect combination for catching people off guard!

Xu Luo even had the urge to laugh out loud. Previously, at the Half-Step Sword King realm, he could already fight against a Tier Two or Three Sword King. Now, after this tempering, he was confident his combat strength was even greater than before!

Xu Luo felt refreshed and invigorated, itching to test out his new combat strength right away.

Then, his gaze fell upon the base of the mountain. Down below, several groups of people were approaching him from different directions.

”Couldn’t hold back, huh? It’s like they’re offering me a pillow just when I’m getting sleepy...” Xu Luo watched the groups below and smiled coldly.