Rays of sunlight struggled to pierce through the overcast skies on the outskirts of Cloudveil City.
On the outskirts, a marketplace thrived with chatter and clinking coins. A man in his thirties slipped through the crowd, unnoticed. His long black robe covered his thin frame as he moved, blending into the sea of people. Each step carried purpose, his eyes scanning the stalls without drawing attention.
With a slight smile on his face, the man stopped at a stall brimming with ancient trinkets, gems, and scrolls. The stall's rotund, bald owner grinned when he spotted him.
"Laine, you're in luck. A beauty came by earlier, but she couldn't afford it. Does she think I'll wait all day for her to return?"
Laine's breath hitched, but the tension eased when he realized the item was still available. He reached into his robe, pulling out a cloth sack. "Here."
The stall owner eagerly counted the contents. "Fifty spirit stones. Perfect." With practiced ease, he retrieved the urn. The brown clay urn, about a foot tall, had a wide, rounded body and a narrow neck. Its lotus-shaped knob atop the sealed lid gleamed faintly under the market's lanterns.
"Thanks for your business," the stall owner said, handing it over with a grin.
Laine slipped the urn into his robe, gave a quick nod to the stall owner, and left.
He moved through the marketplace, excitement bubbling up. But it faded when a voice called from behind. Ignoring it, Laine picked up speed, weaving through the crowd.
After several minutes of walking, Laine finally shook off his pursuer. Attacks or muggings rarely crossed his mind within Cloudveil City. The two spirit stones he paid each month for residency ensured safety. Guards patrolled in large numbers, and the city walls kept the countless demonic beasts lurking beyond at bay.
Laine also wasn't big on interaction with others and would avoid it at all costs. He would much rather spend his time hunting demonic beasts and cultivating with the spirit stones he earned.
"There you are! Are you deaf?"
Laine's shoulders tensed, but he kept walking. "I'm flattered, but I don't have time to linger."
"What do you mean you're flattered?!"
A gust of wind blew past, momentarily forcing his eyes shut. When he opened them, a woman stood in front of him, arms crossed. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, wearing a blue robe with a white top and a brown sash wrapped around her petite figure.
Laine's light brown eyes wandered over her body a couple more times before he nodded in an approving manner. "Actually, I can make some time for you."The petite beauty's nostrils flared. "You! Enough of your nonsense. I told that stall owner I would be right back with the spirit stones, but then you deceptively bought the artifact, which is rightfully mine."
Deceptively bought? Does she think I'm easily bullied?
Laine wasn't able to determine her exact cultivation realm, but he was certain she was several minor stages above him. This wasn't how he planned to celebrate today. It was no surprise that his mental energy was quickly depleting because of this ridiculous woman.
When he attempted to turn around, her voice grew sharper. "Walk away again, and I'll scream that you touched me."
A grin of sure victory rested on her peach-toned lips.
He gave her an astonished look and said, "Are you stupid? Who would believe that? Your cultivation level is much higher than mine. I could've only touched you if you wanted me to. I refuse to stand on this dirty street alone with a pervert like you."
The beauty's mind must have been short-circuited, as she stood frozen until moments after Laine departed.
She balled her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms. "Shameless bastard!"
How could anyone in this city treat her in such a manner? A trash cultivator like him is still in the 3rd Stage of the Neophyte Realm at such an age. She couldn't accept it and planned to ask her big sister for help in tracking down this scum and teaching him a lesson.
♦ ♦ ♦
Laine, unaware of the storm he had stirred, finally reached his small stone hut, tucked about a mile south of the market. The hut was unremarkable, made of rough stones with moss creeping through the cracks, and the crooked wooden door barely hung on its rusted hinges. The thatched roof sagged, and the single cloudy window let in little light.
It cost him two spirit stones per month to live here. He could save an additional spirit stone if he moved into the Fur Tent Layer, located in the most southern part of the city, but the reduced quality of life and high crime rates weren't worth one spirit stone saved to him.
It was common knowledge that the further one went north within Cloudveil City, the more expensive living became. However, these homes would be equipped with spirit herb gardens, forges, and many other benefits. The safety of the residents of the northernmost city limits was directly handled by the disciples of the two strongest sects within the surrounding thousands of miles.
He exhaled in relief and stepped inside. His gaze fell upon a single room that was cramped and bare. A straw bed sat in one corner, and a small stone table held a few simple tools. Shelves carved into the walls housed some old bowls, a couple of scrolls, and an empty incense burner. The air was cold, and the dim light from a flickering lantern cast long shadows across the rough stone floor.
Laine rubbed his hands together in excitement. "I'm finally back." Reaching into his robe, he gently held the sealed urn up to the lantern's light.
The urn appeared worn and aged, with some small chips and cracks, but overall intact. It looked more like a common item than a valuable item.
"After all these years... I finally have an artifact."
He was told this was a special-type artifact. These artifacts possessed odd and often obscure abilities that do not fit neatly into the categories, such as combat or aegis-type artifacts.
Laine's cultivation talent was no better than that of a cripple born without life lines. As one got older, one's cultivation speed plummeted. This morning, he finally broke through the 2nd Stage of the Neophyte Realm and stepped into the 3rd. It took him ten years of slowly cycling the aura from the meager amount of spirit stones he could earn each month to break through.
An artifact could change his fate. If he could kill stronger demonic beasts than he currently does, he could earn more spirit stones, allowing him to cultivate faster. The 50 spirit stones he had saved for the past decade allowed him to purchase his last chance.
He twisted the lotus flower-shaped knob, and with a paltry force, the hardened wax came loose. The moment the lid came off, a white light covered the urn, causing it to rapidly heat up. In a panic, he sent the urn flying forward into the wall. A white flash of light and the sound of shattering filled the room.
Laine didn't know how long he stood beside his straw bed, staring at the muddy brown fragments of his future lying on the cold floor in front of him.
Anger and betrayal were the first emotions to wash over him. The stall owner was a man he had known since he was 13, after his mother had disappeared. As for his father, he had died before Laine was born.
For over 20 years now, Laine has been searching for his mother. He felt her visage slipping from his memories as the years went by. He couldn't allow himself to be caught up in these memories at the moment.
There must be a reason for this. It's possible that the stall owner was also a victim of a scam. From the outside, it was impossible to tell the urn wasn't an actual artifact. Whoever created this fraud was an expert.
A feeling of dejection swiftly extinguished the fiery rage building within him.
From the clouded window in his room came a ray of sunlight that pierced through the thick clouds above the city. The ray lit up a fragment of the urn. This fragment had an object embedded in it.
Laine rushed forward and picked the fragment up. "There was actually a formation on the inside."
Dim-glowing white vein-like lines ran across the fragment and upon every other inner piece of urn scattered across the edge of the room.
The embedded object was an old, tarnished key made of an unknown metal.
Laine pried the key from its embedded space and felt his hand immediately sink. "Why is this key so damn heavy?!" It was smaller than his pinkie, yet it easily weighed 10 pounds.
The urn only weighed a couple of pounds before, which gave reason to assume the formation inside completely concealed all elements of its existence.
How could he figure out what place the key unlocked? Revealing such an odd item would spell trouble. Leaving Cloudveil City would be impossible, and even if he stayed, a powerful cultivator might take an interest in it, leaving his safety at risk. As a lowly cultivator from the Stone Hut Layer, his life meant nothing to anyone but himself.
"Well, I should at least try to shine it up."
Taking a moment to gather saliva in his mouth, he then spat on the key and tried to rub away some of the tarnish with the inner part of his robe.
"You dare spit on me!"
Laine's body jolted. "How can this overweight key talk?"