Chapter One Hundred and One: Buying the Cauldron

“Hey, Elder Yang, wake up!”

Yang Yan tapped the flesh over his lower abdomen and called out.

“Who is it? So annoying. I’m not even awake yet....”

A disgruntled murmur came from within Yang Yan’s belly, leaving him torn between amusement and helplessness. Still, since this fellow had agreed to teach him the art of artifact forging, Yang Yan had no intention of letting him slack off like this.

“Wake up already! Hurry up! The sun’s practically on your backside!”

Yang Yan kept shouting while patting his stomach without pause, the whole scene looking almost absurdly comical.

“You little whelp, disturbing this lord’s rest so early in the morning....”

Clearly, Elder Yang also understood that if he refused to teach this boy artifact forging, the matter would never end. Though his tone remained somewhat irritated, there was nothing he could do.

“Go buy a three-rank artifact cauldron, plus the tusks of a Crimson Feathermane Boar, the scales of a Jade-Scaled Serpent, and a magical beast core. Prepare several sets of all those materials....”

At Elder Yang’s words, Yang Yan’s brow knit slightly. Those items sounded expensive from the start. Although his status in the Zhang family had risen steadily, allowing his monthly allotment of spirit crystals to increase, and though he had also obtained some from Xu Shaoguang earlier, his entire fortune now amounted to only a little over thirty middle-grade spirit crystals.

Still, the materials Elder Yang named were surely necessities for artifact forging. In that case, there was no room for Yang Yan to begrudge the expense.

After thinking it through, Yang Yan did not hesitate. He immediately rose and headed into Jinhuan City.

The city’s central district could be said to be the most prosperous part of Jinhuan City. Crowds flowed endlessly through its streets, carriages and riders coming and going in ceaseless bustle. The Zhang family held the operating rights to a large expanse of commercial property in this thriving quarter.

These so-called operating rights did not mean the Zhang family managed everything personally. Rather, they leased the land to other powers or clans, then oversaw the business and collected fees. That was the prevailing way things were done here.

The place Yang Yan was now in, the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, was a marketplace under the Zhang family’s jurisdiction, operated by the Bai family of Jinhuan City.

The Bai family’s strength in Jinhuan City was roughly on par with the Liu family’s. Yet after Liu Zhengqing’s rise, the Liu family’s standing had soared, and they were faintly showing signs of becoming one of the city’s three great clans. After all, with Liu Zhengqing joining the Azure Profound Sect as the second-place finisher in the disciple examination, and with the sudden death of Xu Shaoguang of the Xu family, the positions of the Xu and Liu families seemed to have shifted almost without anyone noticing.

Though the Bai family did not appear to have any especially outstanding younger cultivators, few powers or clans in Jinhuan City dared look down on them, all because of their formidable wealth.

Yang Yan had even heard from some people in the clan that some of the Bai family’s businesses extended to several cities surrounding Jinhuan City, with considerable dealings with certain forces in those places. Their connections could be called exceptionally broad.

Of course, the scale of their marketplace and the rarity of the treasures within it were also among the finest in Jinhuan City. This Ten Thousand Treasures Tower was far beyond the so-called Imperial Treasure Pavilion once operated by the Xu family.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower had three floors in all, each one vast in its own right. Weapons, martial manuals, armor, pills, maps, spatial pouches, and all manner of other goods filled the place, dazzling the eye with endless variety.

After entering the tower, Yang Yan did not pause for even a moment. He went straight up to the second floor.

Most of the treasures displayed on the first floor were ordinary weapons and low-grade spirit tools. Such items no longer held the slightest appeal for Yang Yan. It seemed only the second floor, or perhaps even the third, would be of any interest to him.

Once on the second floor, Yang Yan looked around. There were far fewer items here than on the first floor, but their quality had risen sharply. With a keen eye, he even spotted several middle-grade spirit tools that radiated formidable power. Such treasures, if placed in the Zhang family, would not be considered too rare, but the Bai family was openly putting them up for sale. It seemed the rumors of the Bai family’s wealth were indeed well founded.

“Sir, what are you looking for? We have everything here—treasures, pills, and materials alike!”

Soon, a rather enthusiastic attendant came over to greet Yang Yan, his smile sincere and warm.

“I need an artifact cauldron. Bring me your best artifact cauldron,” Yang Yan said without the slightest nonsense, getting straight to the point.

“An artifact cauldron? Could it be that you’re a forge master?”

The attendant’s tone carried both astonishment and suspicion. If the young man before him, who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, was already an artifact forger, then that talent would be truly astonishing.

But when he saw Yang Yan smiling at him without saying a word, the attendant quickly realized he had been too abrupt. He hastily cupped his fists in apology, then said, “Please follow me.”

Seeing that the attendant was quite sensible, Yang Yan did not bother to pursue the matter. He followed the man’s lead and slowly ascended to the third floor.

Though the third floor was still spacious, it felt much more empty. Those who came here were mostly prominent members of the great clans and powers of Jinhuan City. Without substantial wealth, one would only come here to invite humiliation. Yang Yan’s gaze swept across the room, and he immediately found no fewer than three gleaming treasures. The bursts of energy they emitted told him at once that these were all high-tier spirit tools.

“You brat, if you buy those treasures and let me absorb them, my strength could recover a bit more. Then I’d have even more confidence in teaching you artifact forging!”

The ancient voice rang in Yang Yan’s mind at a thoroughly inconvenient moment, making the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

With Yang Yan’s current modest fortune, gathering the materials needed for artifact forging was already difficult enough, let alone buying high-tier spirit tools for Elder Yang to absorb. So he simply pretended he had heard nothing and ignored the old fellow.

Clearly, Elder Yang had only been speaking for the sake of speaking. He naturally knew full well what Yang Yan possessed, and after grumbling a bit, he also fell silent.

After they reached the third floor, however, the attendant did not stop. He led Yang Yan straight to a private room in the inner hall, then bowed to him with a smile.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go summon Master Liu.”

Yang Yan was startled at first, then nodded.

This Master Liu was presumably an appraisal expert invited by the Bai family to oversee the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. After all, such a large enterprise could not afford carelessness. Without a knowledgeable person in charge, one might easily see the same sort of thing that had happened when Yang Yan bought Moonshadow Remnant Frost at the Xu family marketplace for a mere handful of spirit crystals.

Before long, an elder with snow-white beard and eyebrows entered the room at a measured pace. Though he appeared to be nearly eighty or ninety years old, he remained vigorous and alert, with sharp glints flashing occasionally in his eyes, as though he could see straight through a person’s heart.

What formidable soul force!

The instant Yang Yan met the old man’s gaze, he suddenly discovered that the soul power at his brow had stirred faintly. Shock rose in his heart.

“This is strong soul force? By the standards of artifact forging, he has barely reached the level of a second-rank forge master,” Elder Yang’s contemptuous voice sounded in Yang Yan’s mind.

“A second-rank forge master? That level should be enough to forge middle-grade spirit tools, right?”

In Tianyuan Continent, artifact forgers were divided from first to ninth rank according to the grade of treasures they could forge. A second-rank forge master had a certain chance of successfully crafting middle-grade spirit tools.

Back then, when Yang Yan had bought Moonshadow Remnant Frost from the Imperial Treasure Pavilion, he had paid eight middle-grade spirit crystals for it, and that was only because someone from the Xu family had been ignorant of its value and sold it as a low-grade spirit tool.

Though middle-grade and low-grade differed by only a single word, their power was by no means comparable. Naturally, their value was correspondingly much higher as well.

“If I can forge middle-grade spirit tools in the future, then I won’t have to worry about spirit crystals anymore.”

Yang Yan seemed to have found a broad and prosperous road to wealth. That thought alone lessened his reluctance about spending money on the artifact-forging materials.

At the same time, while Yang Yan was inwardly astonished by Elder Liu’s powerful soul force, the old man himself was also shaken, because he too could sense the faint soul fluctuations within Yang Yan’s body, no weaker than his own.

“At such a young age, yet with soul force this abundant—this boy’s talent is the greatest I have seen in all these years!”

The shock passed in an instant. The old man was clearly seasoned by the vicissitudes of the world, and outwardly he remained perfectly composed as he smiled and said, “You must be the young master who wishes to purchase the best artifact cauldron in my Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. This old man is Liu Tong. May I ask the young friend’s honorable name?”

Liu Tong spoke with great warmth, his face carrying a constant smile. He showed not the slightest disrespect merely because of Yang Yan’s age. Though part of it was surely due to the powerful soul fluctuations he had sensed, the gesture still earned Yang Yan quite a bit of goodwill.

“Elder Liu, just call me Yang Yan,” Yang Yan said with a respectful cupped-fist salute.

“Yang Yan? Are you the Yang Yan who won the inter-clan martial tournament, and who placed third in this year’s Azure Profound Sect disciple selection examination?”

At those words, a sharp light flickered in Liu Tong’s eyes.

“Yes, sir, that would be me,” Yang Yan replied honestly.

“So it really is true. Heroes are born young. At such a tender age, you already have accomplishments in spiritual power cultivation, and even in the cultivation and application of soul force you far surpass your peers. This old man is truly ashamed....”

After receiving Yang Yan’s confirmation, Liu Tong was again stirred. His praise came from the heart, which only made Yang Yan feel a little embarrassed.

“Elder Liu flatters me. About that artifact cauldron I asked for?”

Clearly unwilling to linger on such meaningless pleasantries, Yang Yan went straight to the point.

“Oh, right. Look at me, this old fool nearly forgot the real business....”

Liu Tong slapped his own forehead, then brushed his dry hand over the spatial pouch at his waist. A massive pale green cauldron appeared on the floor of the room. When it landed, its weight made the entire room tremble faintly. Such heft caused Yang Yan to look at it with real interest.

The artifact cauldron was a pale green throughout, and its body was engraved with many intricate floral runes. Faint traces of ancient power seemed to drift from within.

“This is the Azure Bronze Floral Cauldron, a three-rank low-grade artifact cauldron. At its limit, it can be used to forge high-tier spirit tools,” Liu Tong said, glancing at the somewhat stunned Yang Yan, a trace of pride appearing on his face.

This Azure Bronze Floral Cauldron could be considered one of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower’s prized possessions. However, since no artifact forgers existed in Jinhuan City, it had long gone unclaimed despite being a genuine treasure. Now that someone who recognized its worth had finally arrived, Liu Tong became quite talkative, patiently explaining its functions and use to Yang Yan without the slightest sign of fatigue.

“What do you think of this thing?” Yang Yan asked inwardly after listening to the explanation.

Though he had a considerable interest in artifact forging, he knew absolutely nothing about artifact cauldrons. For an item like this, he naturally had to seek Elder Yang’s opinion.

“It’s passable. Anyway, with your current finances, you couldn’t buy anything better,” Elder Yang said in his flat, indifferent tone, making Yang Yan’s mouth twitch again.

In Yang Yan’s eyes, the Azure Bronze Floral Cauldron was already quite good and would be enough to support him until he could forge high-tier spirit tools. Yet this treasure in his eyes was only rated as merely passable by Elder Yang.

“Elder Liu, how many spirit crystals for this cauldron? I’ll take it,” Yang Yan said, ignoring the overbearing old fellow and cupping his fists toward Liu Tong.

“Heh heh, ten upper-grade spirit crystals,” Liu Tong replied with a smile.

Those words made Yang Yan’s heart thump violently, and the hand about to reach into his spatial pouch for spirit crystals suddenly froze.

Ten upper-grade spirit crystals—that was equivalent to one hundred middle-grade spirit crystals. All of Yang Yan’s possessions added together amounted to only thirty middle-grade spirit crystals. Not even one-third of the price. And that was before he even thought about the other artifact-forging materials he still needed to buy.

“Tell you what, Young Friend Yang Yan, fate has brought you and this old man together. Just leave a few spirit crystals to symbolize your goodwill, and consider it a friendly bond between my Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, the Bai family, and yourself.”

With Liu Tong’s sharp eye, he naturally saw Yang Yan’s difficulty. He laughed heartily and made this offer.

“Uh... then I must thank you, Elder Liu,” Yang Yan said, still somewhat stunned. He had not expected this Elder Liu, with whom he had only just met, to make such a decision. Even if he did not know the cauldron’s exact value, he knew it was certainly not something his thirty middle-grade spirit crystals could buy. After all, this was a cauldron capable of forging high-tier spirit tools.

“This junior has only these thirty spirit crystals. Elder Liu’s kindness today, I will remember.”

Yang Yan was not one to dawdle. Since he truly needed this cauldron to cultivate his artifact-forging skills, he made up his mind after a brief moment of hesitation.

After putting the Azure Bronze Floral Cauldron into his spatial pouch, Yang Yan exchanged a few more words with Liu Tong before taking his leave. Right now, he could hardly wait to begin studying artifact forging.

“Elder Liu, he’s just a hot-blooded youngster. Why would you go so far out of your way for him....”

After Yang Yan departed, the attendant nearby asked in some confusion.

He truly could not understand why Elder Liu, who was usually so exacting about the price of treasures, would make such a huge concession for Yang Yan today.

“You don’t understand. This boy’s talent is the greatest I have ever seen in my life. His future achievements will surely be limitless. Today’s investment may well bring us a thousandfold or ten-thousandfold return before long.”

Standing by the window, Liu Tong watched the young figure fade into the distance and spoke slowly.