The room door opened, and Lin Shenhe accompanied Xiao Wanshan out. Shortly after, the two of them left the inner courtyard, and Jiang Yun also left from the rooftop.
The information he heard tonight had a significant impact on Jiang Yun. He never expected that his father's death was related to Xiao Wanshan. Coupled with the current animosity between the Xiao family and himself, Jiang Yun's resentment towards the Xiao family deepened.
However, it wasn't the time for revenge yet. Jiang Yun's current strength was not sufficient to confront the Xiao family head-on. Despite that, with the help of the mysterious "mask," Jiang Yun could operate in the shadows and sabotage the Xiao family. With the upcoming trip to Qingyang Cave in a month, it seemed that he needed to find a way to infiltrate.
After contemplating for a long time, Jiang Yun shook his head. The immediate priority was to improve his own strength. What he lacked the most in this world was a cultivation technique for cultivating spiritual energy.
Because his meridians were blocked before, rendering him unable to cultivate, Jiang Yun had never come across any advanced cultivation techniques. He had only practiced the most basic technique a few years ago, albeit unsuccessfully.
How should he go about finding a slightly more advanced cultivation technique for spiritual energy? Frowning, Jiang Yun pondered for a while before a slight smile appeared on his lips. He retrieved the four treasures of the study and began writing swiftly under the lamplight.
The next morning, as the sun rose, Jiang Yun gave a few instructions to Lin Yi, who was practicing early, before leaving the Lin residence and heading towards the largest market in Yanjing City.
Cang Zhen Tower was located on the most bustling street in Yanjing City and was the best trading place for martial artists in Yan Kingdom. It offered everything from cultivation techniques and martial skills to weapons and spiritual stones.
According to rumors, the owner of Cang Zhen Tower hailed from Qingmu Sect, the sect affiliated with Yan Kingdom. Enjoying the benefits of a strong backing, Cang Zhen Tower had earned a good reputation, naturally becoming the preferred trading hub for martial artists throughout Yan Kingdom.
Jiang Yun's visit to Cang Zhen Tower had two purposes. One was to find an advanced cultivation technique for cultivating spiritual energy, and the other was to see if he could find a suitable weapon.
Cultivating a cultivation technique is the foundation of a martial artist. Only with a solid foundation can one smoothly progress towards the pinnacle of martial arts. A weapon is the second life of a martial artist. As the saying goes, if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools. Weapons are equally crucial for martial artists.
Cang Zhen Tower had a total of three and a half floors, constructed according to the realms of martial artists. From bottom to top, they were the Human Martial Tower, Earth Martial Tower, and Heaven Martial Tower. As for the additional half floor, it symbolized legendary martial artists who were only heard of but never seen.
Jiang Yun glanced at the result of his night's work in his hand and stepped towards the entrance of Cang Zhen Tower. Just as Jiang Yun's feet touched the steps, he saw a young man in purple attire hastily approaching the gate.
The young man was in a hurry and didn't even notice anyone at the entrance. Jiang Yun happened to step out, and upon seeing the young man rushing towards him, he furrowed his brow and performed the Four Elephant Steps, slightly moving aside to avoid a direct collision. This prevented them from crashing into each other.
Even so, Jiang Yun and the young man still collided with each other.
After the two separated, before Jiang Yun could speak, the young man immediately began berating him, "Where did this poor brat come from? Don't you have eyes when walking? If it weren't for my urgent matters today, I would have crippled you."
The young man finished his harsh scolding and, still dissatisfied, raised his fist towards Jiang Yun. However, he seemed genuinely in a hurry and didn't give Jiang Yun a chance to retort. He entered the gate without further delay.
Jiang Yun shook his head and smiled, not bothering to dwell on the matter. It was just another arrogant person like Xiao Kuan. It wasn't worth his effort to intervene again. If they crossed paths in the future and he could teach him a small lesson, he wouldn't hold back. But he didn't have the intention to deliberately seek trouble with anyone. Right now, he just wanted to improve his strength as quickly as possible.
Cang Zhen Tower truly had a profound heritage. The area of just the Human Martial Tower was about the size of a small square. Jiang Yun casually glanced around and found that the best items were only of the Human-grade superior quality, which didn't catch his interest.
Moving from the Human Martial Tower to the Earth Martial Tower, the space became smaller, but the items were of higher quality compared to the previous floor. Most of them ranged from the Low-grade inferior to the Earth-grade superior. There were cultivation techniques, martial arts, elixirs, and various weapons.
Of course, the prices of these items were much higher than those on the lower floor, beyond what an ordinary martial artist could afford. The most expensive were the cultivation techniques and martial arts. A Low-grade inferior cultivation technique cost tens of thousands of gold taels, while an Earth-grade superior weapon was priced at just tens of thousands of gold taels.
After circling around the section for cultivation techniques, Jiang Yun felt a bit disappointed and shook his head as he headed towards the staircase leading to the third floor, the Heaven Martial Tower.
A middle-aged man, who appeared to be a steward, noticed Jiang Yun's intention to go to the Heaven Martial Tower and immediately approached him. Although the steward maintained a professional smile on his face, he thought to himself that this young man was unfamiliar and didn't seem like someone prominent in Yanjing City. Moreover, dressed in a coarse blue gown, he didn't look wealthy.
"Please wait a moment, young sir," the steward said with a smile, although he looked down on Jiang Yun internally. He continued, "Is this your first visit to Cang Zhen Tower? Allow me to give you a proper introduction. I must say that our Cang Zhen Tower has a wide variety of items, and you will definitely be satisfied."
Jiang Yun smiled wryly, understanding the steward's intention to intercept him. It was simply because he didn't appear to be a wealthy individual. The steward's attempt to introduce the place was merely an indirect way to assess whether Jiang Yun truly had money. If he didn't, he wouldn't be allowed to proceed.
Jiang Yun was straightforward and honest in his response. He said, "Steward, you may not know, but the items in Cang Zhen Tower are indeed impressive. However, I'm embarrassed to say that my pockets are empty, so there's no need to trouble yourself."
The steward was surprised by Jiang Yun's directness and showed a hint of astonishment. He pretended to have a difficult expression and said, "If that's the case, you should know that the items in the Heaven Martial Tower are even more valuable. If you don't have money, even if you go up and look, you won't be able to afford anything."
As soon as Jiang Yun mentioned his lack of money, the steward didn't bother addressing him as "young sir" anymore and directly used "you" instead. Jiang Yun didn't mind and smiled, saying, "But I've heard that items in Cang Zhen Tower can be exchanged for other items, right?"
The steward felt a sense of disdain, thinking to himself, "You, kid, without a single penny, what can you offer in exchange for items in the Heaven Martial Tower?"
Jiang Yun noticed the steward's skeptical gaze, so he took out the handwritten manuscript from his pocket and handed it to the steward, saying, "This is a Heaven-grade martial art. Steward, you might as well take a look. Then decide whether I can go up or not."
The steward received the manuscript from Jiang Yun, glanced at it casually, and couldn't discern its authenticity. He awkwardly smiled and said, "Young sir, you're joking. How can I tell if this thing is genuine or not?"
Although the steward didn't fully believe that the manuscript Jiang Yun provided was a true Heaven-grade martial art, he showed a slightly more respectful attitude. After all, if by any chance it turned out to be genuine, and the owner of the tower found out that he had rejected a Heaven-grade martial art, he might lose his job.
"It's fine. You can have a professional appraiser verify its authenticity. If it's fake, I won't bother looking at anything else and will definitely leave," Jiang Yun said, crossing his arms and smiling at the steward.
The steward, observing Jiang Yun's calm and composed demeanor, became less certain. But since Jiang Yun had already pushed the matter this far, if he refused, it would make Cang Zhen Tower appear stingy. With no other choice, the steward reluctantly said, "Very well, please come with me, young sir. I'll make it clear beforehand that if this item is fake or doesn't meet the standard of a Heaven-grade martial art, I won't return it."
"As you wish," Jiang Yun thought with a smile. The steward was indeed a shrewd businessman, trying to make the best out of the situation.
The steward led Jiang Yun to the Heaven Martial Tower. Jiang Yun took a quick look around this floor. The Heaven Martial Tower was only the size of an ordinary living room, with no items displayed outside. It resembled the furnishings of an ordinary household for receiving guests.
In the center of the hall, a young man dressed in luxurious clothing sat anxiously, while an old man with graying beard carefully examined a simple and ancient-looking long sword in his hands.