"How… how dare you!"
One of the men to the mustached man’s side was taken aback. Although these people all belonged to the outer court, the job at the Pavilion of Spirit Tools was much harder to get and had greater benefits than a job at one of the departments employing someone like Yu Sanliang. Each of these three had used either bribery or connections to secure their positions, and it was because of this that they also knew their position of power was higher and more secure than any ordinary outer court disciple.
They would never have imagined that a new disciple—and a kid on top of that—would dare to speak to them in such a manner. The man at the side angrily walked forward and nearly slapped Fang Xing before the boy let out a loud remark that stopped the man in his tracks: "So first you wanted me to bribe you, and now that that’s obviously failed, you want to hit me? Do the sect’s rules not apply here?"
Although there was an unwritten rule about handing over the Spirit Stone, it was still against the Qing-Yun Sect’s official rules. The sect was still a sect built on the foundation of righteousness, after all.
Despite Fang Xing’s young appearance, he didn’t look like someone who’d be afraid of revealing these dishonorable trades to the elders. The mustached man suddenly smiled and laughed, "Haha, why are you guys arguing; you’ve only just met." He turned towards Fang Xing and continued, his fake smile growing even wider, "Don’t mind him, we were just playing around with you. I can see you’ve got a bit of a temper, huh? Please do come in and choose the item you’d like, but do make sure to choose wisely.…"
"Thank you, Shixiong," Fang Xing replied, cupping his hands in thank. Even though he knew the mustached man didn’t have any good intentions, he still walked inside.
After entering, Fang Xing was surprised by the sheer size of the pavilion and the large collection of items scattered every which way—it was more like a grocery store! There were shelves after shelves filled with Flying Swords, talismans, weapons….
With only a quick look, each and every one of these items would look very impressive. Some had small notes beneath them with their names and functions, while others were just piled on top of each other in a hideous mess that left it unclear whether they were even still usable.
It was only after seeing the room that Fang Xing realized why all the disciples who came here were willing to pay the Spirit Stone—the place was just a chaotic mess. Without the guidance of a trained eye, the odds of choosing a bad or useless item was very high.
All three men exchanged meaningful glances with each other when they saw Fang Xing’s expression. Fang Xing wasn’t the first to refuse to hand over the Spirit Stone, but those who refused would leave without finding anything useful.
The Pavilion of Spirit Tools held over three thousand items suitable for those in the lower tiers of Spirit Stage, and each new disciple would be allowed one chance to choose a weapon or tool of their choice. The recent recruitment from a few months ago had left most of the better tools picked out by these newest disciples, and any decent items still remaining had been hidden by the three men long ago. They believed the chance of anyone choosing something useful without their guidance was next to zero.
‘Hah! I see how this is. These jerks want to cheat me? I’ll show you how to cheat!’ Fang Xing laughed to himself before pacing towards the back of the room.
"Every person here is allowed only one
Truthfully, the incense they’d started to burn had already been broken off by one of them at its bottom, reducing the already small amount of time even further. Of course, if the new disciple had offered payment, the time limit would have been all but forgotten and guidance would be given, though the quality of that guidance also depended on the number of Spirit Stones they’d been given.
After activating the Book of Revelation, the names, material, usage, and current status of all these items came into view.
‘Low-grade Flying Sword. Contains one spell. Made from ordinary metal…’
‘Storage ring. Contains a quarter of a square mile for storage. Made from Thousand Hammer’s Gold…’
‘Copper Flying Sword. Contains three spells. Broken.’
It was exactly as Yu Sanliang had warned; the pavilion was full of weapons that looked to be in good shape but were actually broken. No matter how good a spirit tool was, it may as well have just been ordinary steel if their inner spells were broken. Especially for these low-grade weapons, the repair fee might even be more expensive than buying a better weapon altogether.
‘This can’t be everything...’ Fang Xing thought to himself while wondering if he’d actually have to choose from one of these items.
Right now, Fang Xing wanted to find something a little more suitable for himself than a Flying Sword or a fancy weapon. Not only might he not even have enough Qi to actually activate such an item, but his uncle Sanshu had already gifted him with a dagger and he had no need for another weapon.
No, what Fang Xing really wanted was a support-type tool with a unique ability; after all, after growing up in a bandit nest, it wasn’t as though he had any shame in taking a Flying Sword or two from someone if he really liked theirs.
When the three men saw Fang Xing stop in front of a good Flying Sword they’d hidden away earlier, they started to worry he might luck out and decide on it. One of the men abruptly coughed in order to interrupt, "Shidi, your time is almost up. If you’re really uncertain, I can recommend this flag here. After putting some Qi into it, this flag will light up in flames and—with a wave—you can send out a fire dragon towards your enemies!"
With the help of his book, Fang Xing glanced over and noticed the flag actually had seven spells engraved in it—a rare find if it wasn’t severely damaged. Just like Yu Sanliang’s talisman, it would only be good for a couple of uses before turning into useless baggage afterwards.
As he looked past the flag, however, his eyes lit up. Thrown in the corner and covered in a layer of dust like trash, he saw a blue mask covered in sword marks with a gap broken off near the top.
‘Mask of Wanluo. Contains thirty-six spells...’
Further inspection caused Fang Xing’s excitement to grow; not only did it contain thirty-six spells, but nearly all of them were completely intact! The appearance and the sound of the wearer could be changed a total of thirty-six times—if he chose this mask, he could change into thirty-six different people!
This was exactly what Fang Xing had been looking for! It was a godsend for the mysterious tenth bandit, Fang Xing.
"It looks like Shidi has decided?" the mustached man asked in quite the happy manner, seeming to know neither the true function of the mask nor even its name. "This mask… this is called the Demon’s Super Fire Thunderbolt Mask! Once you wear it, you’ll be able to borrow a demon’s powers and have endless potential…."
"Yes, a nice mask that sounds perfect for Shidi!"
"I’m sure Shidi will look impressive while wearing it!"
The other two quickly followed suit, trying to rush Fang Xing’s choice.
Fang Xing tossed the mask between his two hands as though undecided. "Really? Is it really that cool? You wouldn’t lie to me, right?"
"Why would we? This mask is perfect for Shidi! With this mask, you’ll be able to improve your cultivation in the blink of an eye. You’ll be able to reach tier four in a matter of only a year or two, and by then, you’ll be able to become an inner court disciple…."
"Yea! How about you take this with you today, and if you really don’t like it in the next few days, you can exchange it with us for something else," one of the men pressed on, reassuring Fang Xing of the minimal risk.
"If Shixiong says so, then…" still pretending to hesitate, Fang Xing slowly picked up the mask, "I’ll take it!"
"Great! Come here and we’ll make a record for you." The mustached man swiftly and happily took out a blank jade plate and used a spell to carve out some words:
Day 1 of the 11th month of the 37th year. Outer Sect Disciple Fang Xing obtained one (1) low-grade spirit tool.