"Old man, I want this, this, and this. Give me a price," Shen Mo said, pointing to a few items around the metal fragment before finally pointing to the metal fragment itself.
The old man suddenly stopped picking at his foot and looked at Shen Mo, calculating something with his fingers. "You are not the destined one. This item is not for sale to you."
He was about to look away when he recalculated. "Wait a minute, how are you now the destined one?!"
The old man was very surprised.
Shen Mo's heart stirred.
The old man seemed skilled in divination or some sort of fortune-telling.
He also knew that this Demon Armor fragment was indeed a supreme earth-grade treasure.
But the old man intended to sell it only to the destined one.
In the original course of events, the destined one would have been Yin Xuege.
But now, Shen Mo had intercepted the opportunity.
This led to the old man's confusing statement about who the destined one was.
Luo Shengnan frowned, "Old man, what are you talking about? Just say whether you're selling it or not!"
The old man frowned for a long time before saying, "Of course I'm selling it!"
"How much for all of this?" Shen Mo asked.
The old man held up a hand with five fingers spread. "Fifty mid-grade spirit stones."
The trio inhaled sharply.
"Why don't you go rob a bank?" Luo Shengnan exclaimed.
Shen Mo then pointed directly at the Demon Armor fragment. "What if I only want this?"
The old man grinned. "Still fifty mid-grade spirit stones."
Luo Shengnan cursed loudly, "Damn it! It's just a piece of armor covered in mud!"
"Is the armor made of gold, or is the mud made of gold?"
The old man shook his head. "If you are the destined one, buy it. If not, don't."
Shen Mo checked the old man's life panel.
He frowned slightly.
This old man was just a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator who would never form a Golden Core, and in a few years, he would die of old age.
"Alright, I'll buy it," Shen Mo said, handing over fifty mid-grade spirit stones.
He could afford it, thanks to the ample funds given by his beautiful master.
"What? You're really buying it?" Luo Shengnan was baffled.
That was fifty mid-grade spirit stones, not fifty low-grade ones!
Shen Mo looked at the old man, handing over the spirit stones. "It's worth the price!"
The old man merely chuckled.
On the way back to Hidden Dragon Pavilion, Zhao Rou asked curiously, "Senior Brother Shen, what exactly is that thing?"
Zhao Ting also looked puzzled. "Yes, fifty mid-grade spirit stones are quite valuable. Make sure it's not a worthless item."
Shen Mo smiled. "It could be an earth-grade treasure."
The three of them were stunned.
"Really?" Luo Shengnan's eyes widened.
"However, it's just a fragment. I thought it might be useful, so I bought it." Shen Mo nodded.
"I see. Earth-grade treasures can indeed become fragments. Some fragments are very useful, while others are completely useless," Zhao Ting sighed.
The four of them returned to their respective rooms.
Shen Mo washed the mud off the Demon Armor fragment, revealing its true form.
It was a piece of purple-black metal with complex and profound patterns.
Just looking at it made Shen Mo feel dizzy, so he quickly averted his gaze.
"How peculiar!"
Shen Mo was astonished.
Such a small fragment had such a strange effect.
If it were a complete Demon Armor, it would be even more mysterious.
"A single fragment reaches the supreme earth-grade. A complete Demon Armor might be a heaven-grade treasure!"
Shen Mo was excited and began trying to activate the Demon Armor fragment.
"Through willpower? Blood? Or spiritual energy?"
He began to experiment.
Willpower and spiritual energy had no effect.
Then, Shen Mo cut his finger and pressed it against the Demon Armor fragment.
The next moment, he felt an incredible suction force from the fragment.
Instantly, his blood began to flow towards the fragment wildly.
Within a few breaths, Shen Mo's face turned pale.
The fragment had already drained almost a quarter of his blood!
Seeing this wasn't right, he quickly took out some pills and swallowed them.
These pills were for healing and could speed up blood regeneration.
This barely restored balance.
After more than thirty breaths, the fragment's suction finally weakened.
Shen Mo was left panting, his storage ring nearly empty of healing pills.
Then, to his astonishment, the Demon Armor fragment started to sink into his palm!
Shen Mo's eyes widened as he tried to pull it out.
However, the fragment had already completely merged into his body.
Shen Mo quickly used his internal sight to examine himself.
But he couldn't find any trace of the Demon Armor fragment.
"Where... did it go?"
Shen Mo was puzzled.
Suddenly, he felt a stirring within him.
With a single thought, a palm-sized piece of purple-black Demon Armor appeared on his chest!
Another thought brought the armor to his shoulder, then his arm, then his thigh.
Shen Mo was thrilled.
He understood now.
This artifact could appear on any part of his skin.
Its purpose was clearly to defend against attacks.
With another thought, Shen Mo made it appear on his left palm.
He then took out the Thunder Sword with his right hand and struck the armor on his palm with force.
Clang!
A metallic sound rang out.
The Thunder Sword vibrated intensely.
But Shen Mo felt no pain at all.
"This defense is incredible!"
Shen Mo was even more excited.
He then used the Thunder Shadow Sword technique on his left hand.
Clang!
Another metallic sound.
The Demon Armor remained completely unscathed!
Shen Mo was about to express his joy when he suddenly felt dizzy and quickly stopped.
After a brief contemplation, he realized the truth.
"I get it now."
"The Demon Armor fragment can directly block some attacks."
"For those it can't, it consumes my blood to strengthen the defense and continue blocking."
Understanding this, Shen Mo felt even more elated.
Thanks to his superior heaven-grade physique, his blood regeneration was certainly better than most.
He could definitely make good use of this Demon Armor fragment!
"In the future, if I get the chance to obtain treasures that enhance blood regeneration, I must acquire them."
"This artifact will be my ultimate defense!"
Shen Mo nodded firmly.
...
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
The martial arena was once again filled with spectators.
Disciples from various sects gathered at the arena.
However, this time, most of the disciples had to sit in the stands as spectators.
Only the one hundred who had passed the first round the previous day were qualified to enter the arena.
As one of the top five sects of Xuanjiang, Heavenly Water Sect had now become mere spectators.
This was unprecedented since they had joined the top five sects.
Many people directed their gazes toward them.
The disciples of Heavenly Water Sect felt their faces burning with shame.
All around them seemed to be eyes filled with mockery, disdain, and scorn.
They had never experienced such humiliation!
"Remember these looks. Every moment, remember them."
"Whenever you feel proud and complacent, think of these looks. Think of the shame of being knocked out by Qingxuan Sect yesterday."
Heavenly Water Sect leader Zhang Mo spoke calmly.
"We understand!" The ten disciples of Heavenly Water Sect nodded quietly.
"Now, let's enjoy the show. Today's show will be quite spectacular," Zhang Mo said with a serene expression.
"Yes." Yin Xuege glanced at the Qingxuan Sect team.
His master had contacted more than a dozen sects the previous day, making promises or offering generous rewards.
The only request was for them to unite against Qingxuan Sect today.
Today, Qingxuan Sect would become everyone's target!
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