As Ye Xuan finished speaking, Liu Yan sighed. She curtsied and bowed to him once more, seemingly apologizing on behalf of Liu Ruoxi. Ye Xuan thought she would continue to defend her, but after her bow, Liu Yan walked straight into the weapon shop.
"Young Master Ye, come in and take a look," she called out with a smile.
Her backward glance and radiant smile were utterly captivating.
"This woman..." Ye Xuan muttered, narrowing his eyes. Liu Yan’s elegant composure surprisingly left him incapable of mustering much anger. Her aura and the gentle cadence of her voice were remarkably soothing; her words were like a gentle spring breeze, warm and comforting. If Liu Ruoxi possessed even a tenth of Liu Yan’s grace, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have felt such an overwhelming urge to crush and humiliate her. Shaking his head, he followed her inside.
The moment they stepped through the doors, the weapon shop’s Shopkeeper hurried out to greet them—or rather, to greet Liu Yan.
"Miss Liu Yan, what brings you here?" The Shopkeeper bowed respectfully.
"Manager Gou, there’s no need for such formalities. Please, go about your business. I’ll just browse on my own." Turning her attention to Ye Xuan, Liu Yan suggested, "Young Master Ye, considering your formidable Swordsmanship, why don’t we head straight to the sword section?"
The two made their way directly to the sword displays. A vast array of weapons was laid out before them—short swords, long swords, Giant Swords, and crescent blades. They had every type imaginable.
"Miss Liu Yan, if you are looking for a fine sword, as it happens, our shop recently acquired one," Manager Gou’s voice chimed in. He had stayed right beside them instead of leaving to attend to other matters.
"Oh? Is that so? Where is it?"
"Right this way. It’s this one." Manager Gou led them to the very back of the shop and pointed at the wall, where a single sword hung on display. Both its scabbard and hilt were pure white.
Manager Gou took the weapon down and drew it from its sheath with a swift motion. "Miss, this sword is named Sleeve White Snow. It measures three feet and three inches long and is forged from century-old Cold Iron, making it exceptionally sharp and durable. Although it is only a high-grade Ghost-tier weapon, short of facing an Earth-tier weapon, even supreme-grade Ghost-tier weapons would struggle to leave a scratch on it."
"Sleeve White Snow... It’s quite nice. What do you think, Young Master Ye?" Liu Yan asked, turning to him for his opinion.
Ye Xuan didn’t say a word, though a slight frown tugged at his lips. The sword had a good name, and its pure white blade gave it the appearance of a gentleman among weapons. However, he felt it looked a bit too feminine.
Seeing Ye Xuan frown, Liu Yan immediately understood his thoughts. "Manager Gou, do you have anything better?"
"Miss Liu Yan, aren’t you the one looking to buy a sword?" Manager Gou asked, only just realizing his mistake.
"I never said it was for me. I am looking for a suitable sword for Young Master Ye."
"Ah, it’s for this young master! Forgive my presumption. This Sleeve White Snow is a fine blade, but it does lack a certain masculine presence for a man to wield. Miss, Young Master Ye, please follow me to the inner courtyard. We just received a shipment of several supreme-grade Ghost-tier weapons. We were planning to send them to the auction house, so you’ve arrived at the perfect time."
Manager Gou gestured for them to follow as he led the way into the inner courtyard. The space housed several small sword mounds, each displaying a single sword driven into the stone. Some of these blades were pitch-black without any engravings, exuding an aura of profound simplicity, while others featured complex, exquisite engravings.
"Young Master Ye, take a look. If you fancy any of these swords, just let me know."
Ye Xuan nodded and approached the weapons. Although Ghost-tier swords lacked true sentience, one still had to hold a blade to know if it felt right. If it felt right, it was a good sword; if it didn’t, even the finest blade in the world would be of little use to its wielder.
Ye Xuan tested out all the blades on display but found himself slightly dissatisfied with each one. It wasn’t that the swords were poor quality; they just lacked a certain spark. Not that Ye Xuan was being overly picky, but the higher a weapon’s tier, the rarer it was. Supreme-grade Ghost-tier weapons were completely out of reach for anyone who didn’t come from a wealthy background or own a few mines. Ye Xuan had just tentatively asked about the prices and learned that a supreme-grade Ghost-tier weapon started at a staggering one hundred thousand Demon Soul Crystals. Of course, one could also purchase them using higher-tier Earth Soul Crystals.
"Manager Gou, do you have anything better?" Liu Yan’s voice drifted over once again, remaining just as calm and composed.
She had caught every subtle shift in Ye Xuan’s expression and knew he wasn’t satisfied. Anyone else would have thought Ye Xuan was being ungrateful and arrogant for turning his nose up at supreme-grade Ghost-tier weapons, but Liu Yan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. It seemed as though absolutely nothing in this world could disturb the tranquility of her heart. This woman was simply too unique, too extraordinary. Ye Xuan suddenly thought that if Liu Yan wasn’t already betrothed to someone else, a woman like her would likely never betray him if they were to marry.
"Miss... well..." Manager Gou looked troubled.
Pointing at one of the black swords, Ye Xuan spoke up. "There’s no need to go to so much trouble. I’ll just take—"
Before he could finish his sentence, two servants suddenly strode into the courtyard. Both men were channeling their Beast Soul Power, radiating the formidable aura of the Super Spirit Realm. Yet, despite being Super Spirit Realm cultivators, they were straining to carry a single crate between them. They were drenched in sweat, clearly indicating that whatever was inside the crate was incredibly heavy.
Barely two steps in, there was a loud CRACK. The handles on the crate gave way, snapping completely. The crate crashed to the ground, and a sword tumbled out from within, rolling across the floor with a heavy, muffled THUD.
The blade was evidently extraordinarily heavy!
"Hmm? What kind of sword is this?" Her curiosity piqued, Liu Yan walked straight over to it.
Manager Gou’s expression shifted. In a blur of motion, he appeared right beside the fallen sword. Astonishingly, he hoisted the weapon that required two men to carry with just one hand. The Shopkeeper’s cultivation was clearly far from ordinary; it was completely unfathomable.
"Have you two not eaten in a month? You can’t even handle a simple task like this!" he barked.
"Shopkeeper, the crate just wasn’t sturdy enough," one of them protested.
"Enough with the excuses! Hurry up and take the sword away."
"Yes, Shopkeeper."
The two servants crouched down, one at the front and one at the back. Manager Gou carefully lowered the sword onto their shoulders. Ye Xuan and Liu Yan watched closely as the stone tiles beneath the men’s feet cracked with every agonizing step they took.
"Wait... Manager Gou, let me have a look at this sword." Before Ye Xuan could speak, Liu Yan had already stepped forward.
"Miss..." Manager Gou wanted to stop her, but he didn’t dare.
Liu Yan placed her hand on the hilt. When she tried to lift the sword, she found it so incredibly heavy that she had to exert her full strength. Spiritual Light bloomed around her, revealing an aura that also belonged to the Demon Spirit Realm. Ye Xuan couldn’t tell exactly which level she was at, but her aura was definitely stronger than Liu Ruoxi’s.
Channeling Spiritual Qi into her hands, Liu Yan drew the sword with a swift motion. She examined it carefully and murmured softly, "It’s four feet and eight inches long, and five inches wide—slightly larger than a standard sword. Yet, the blade itself isn’t thick. The entire weapon is forged from Cold Iron, but its weight must be no less than fifty thousand pounds, right? Was Profound Weight Stone added to the alloy?"
"You have a keen eye, Miss. This blade indeed contains the Exotic Stone, Profound Weight Stone. In total, the sword weighs exactly sixty-six thousand six hundred pounds."
"Manager Gou, the grade of this sword can’t be low, can it? If I’m not mistaken, this is an Earth-tier weapon."
An Earth-tier weapon would be considered a priceless treasure in any city.
"Eldest Miss, I wouldn’t dare hide the truth from you. It is indeed a low-grade Earth-tier weapon."
Liu Yan finally smiled as she turned to look at Ye Xuan. "Young Master Ye, see if this weapon feels right in your hands. If you like it, let’s take this one."