Xueyu Tianchi.
Lin Zhao spent nearly an hour finishing his task. Around ten in the morning, he returned to Xueyu Tianchi on horseback, carrying the blood-stained Benlei Sword. On the mountainside, he saw Xiang Ji standing on a giant rock. Recently, Xiang Ji had not been venturing out to hunt monsters but had been diligently practicing his punches. After witnessing the battle between Chu Yu and Yun Lang, Xiang Ji had become even more acutely aware of his own inadequacy. The only reason he had survived for the past century was that the demon race had never taken him seriously; otherwise, a single demon cultivator in the Xinghe realm would have been more than enough to deal with him.
Therefore, Xiang Ji needed to break through. Only by breaking through to become a ten-realm Tàihǎi realm martial artist could he secure a place in Xueyu Tianchi. If possible, he even dared to dream of becoming an eleven-realm Tiányuán realm martial artist, which would truly allow him to shake the human and demon contested lands of Xueyu Tianchi with a mere stomp.
"Have you eaten?"
Lin Zhao dismounted and greeted him.
"Mm."
Xiang Ji's breakfast consisted of horse legs gifted by the Rogue Legion – two fist-sized pieces of horse meat, mixed with half a pot of strong liquor from the Fusu Great Wall. In the freezing Xueyu Tianchi, this was already a meal to be grateful for.
Lin Zhao smiled, submitted the quest, and the next moment, Xiang Ji entered a story mode, standing rigidly, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed. "The human race will be grateful for all you've done. These are the rewards you deserve!"
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations on completing the main quest [Slay Demons 3] (SSS-grade), obtaining rewards: experience points for this level +90%, gold coins +5000, prestige +3000, charm +3, and an additional reward: [Qinglin Cloak] (Flowing Gold tier)!
...
"Swish!"
A golden rain of light descended. He was level 80. In Xueyu Tianchi, Lin Zhao's leveling speed had been as rapid as a rocket. Now, on the Heavenly Secrets City level rankings, he was tied for first place with Shen Xingchen at level 80. Even Xian Bai, the leader of the Seek Immortals Guild, was only level 78, leaving a significant gap.
He took a deep breath, feeling a surge of joy. It was indeed an SSS-grade main quest, granting him a Flowing Gold tier cloak! Opening his inventory, the cloak was predominantly white, but its back bore patterns of majestic green scales. With a sweep of his hand, the attributes appeared before his eyes, not disappointing him at all—
[Qinglin Cloak] (Flowing Gold tier)
Defense: 400
Strength: +85
Stamina: +82
Agility: +80
Special Effect: Damage Reduction +5%
Special Effect: Spell Dodge +15%
Special Effect: Sword Intent Enhancement, Sword Damage +20%
Special Effect: Tenacity, increases user's HP cap by 3500
Special Effect: Resolve, reduces all spell damage taken by 10%
Additional: Increases user's attack power by 18%
Additional: Increases user's defense by 18%
Required Level: 80
...
The attributes were quite impressive. The 5% damage reduction and 15% spell dodge alone were enough to place this cloak among the top-tier items. Furthermore, it added 20% sword damage, making it even more suitable for Lin Zhao, a sword cultivator. Thus, he unhesitatingly put on the Qinglin Cloak, replacing his previous level 45 Dark Gold tier Blazing Flame Cloak. With this, Lin Zhao finally had a full set of Flowing Gold tier equipment. When his equipment glowed, a dazzling radiance emanated from him, making him arguably the most formidable in terms of equipment strength in Heavenly Secrets City!
When he spoke to Xiang Ji again, Xiang Ji's expression was solemn. "Currently, there is nothing more for us to do."
The quest was completed!
After all, Xiang Ji's strength had its limits. Most of the items obtained by exchanging the heads and demon cores of the slain demon cultivators at the Fusu Great Wall had been bought out by Lin Zhao. This was expected; despite Xiang Ji's power, he was still only at the ninth realm.
Perfect timing to return to the city!
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and organized his thoughts. First, the Demon Suppressing Crossbow and Bronze Beasts needed to be taken to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for repair, as they were severely damaged. Second, he had earned quite a bit of gold from quests and grinding in the past few days and could purchase a few more Demon Suppressing Crossbows and Bronze Beasts from the Mohist shop, especially the Demon Suppressing Crossbows, which were quite potent in sufficient numbers.
"Lord Xiang Ji."
He said with a grave tone, "I will be gone for a day. Take care of yourself, do not act rashly. If a powerful demon comes to challenge you, you may avoid the fight. There is no need to throw your life away."
"Understood."
Xiang Ji cupped his fists. "Thank you for your concern, young hero."
Lin Zhao smiled and returned the salute, then put away the Demon Suppressing Crossbow and Bronze Beasts and crushed a return scroll to teleport back to the city.
...
"Swish!"
Heavenly Secrets City, as prosperous and lively as ever, with people coming and going, and merchants bustling. Lin Zhao walked along the city's main avenue without his horse, two swords on his back. His top-tier equipment glow and the prominent "Bai Yi" ID above his head attracted the attention of many players. After all, Heavenly Secrets City was not that large, and there were few well-known guilds, with the Scarlet Moon Knights being one of them. Moreover, Bai Yi's level and combat power had consistently led the sword cultivator rankings in Heavenly Secrets City, making him one of the few sword cultivators in the China region worthy of being a rival to Su Xinghe. Therefore, Lin Zhao enjoyed considerable popularity in the capital of Yunzhou.
"Eh?!"
Inside the Mohist shop, a beautiful woman in a green dress had already spotted Lin Zhao's arrival and her pretty face lit up with a smile. "Young Master Bai Yi is here!"
"Hello, Miss Xu."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded, stepping into the shop. He then began to retrieve items from his inventory: a Demon Suppressing Crossbow and two Bronze Beasts, all in a sorry state. The sturdy bowstring of the Demon Suppressing Crossbow had been chewed by two third-realm rat spirits until it was almost broken. The Bronze Beasts, having been besieged by a horde of demon soldiers for a long time, were covered in wounds. One of them had its head nearly ripped off by a fourth-realm fox spirit.
"This..."
Xu Qingyi looked helpless. "Young Master, what have they been through?"
"They were ambushed by a demon army."
Lin Zhao felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head. "I apologize, Miss Xu. I will have to trouble you to repair them. This was part of our verbal agreement when we transacted. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is such a large establishment; you will surely keep your word, right?"
"Mm."
Xu Qingyi gritted her teeth and carefully examined the injuries on the Demon Suppressing Crossbow. They were indeed from combat with demons, with a very strong demonic aura lingering on the crossbow bolt. She had encountered this aura as a child when she accompanied her father on travels in the Northern Territory. Feeling it again now was like a childhood nightmare. Those ferocious and violent demons – she never wanted to see them again, even though she was now a ninth-realm Nascent Soul cultivator.
Therefore, she deeply admired those who dared to venture to the Northern Territory to slay demons. This man before her, covered in dust and weathered by hardship, must be one of them. Thus, Xu Qingyi had secretly decided that even if it meant losing some money to repair them for free, it would be worth it. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion's daily turnover was at least ten gold fish coins; they wouldn't miss this small amount.
"Understood."
Xu Qingyi turned and said, "Someone, take this Demon Suppressing Crossbow and the two Bronze Beasts to be repaired."
"Yes, Young Madam!"
Several burly Mohist servants stepped forward and carried the items away. Lin Zhao stared at Xu Qingyi with wide eyes. He had initially thought she was just a shopkeeper, perhaps a store manager, given her youth. He hadn't expected her to be the proprietress. Women referred to as "Young Madam" were never simple – like Shen Xingchen, Miss Leng, and now Miss Xu.
Lin Zhao frowned, wondering if his luck had turned. Why had he met so many "young madams" recently, more than he had met in the previous twenty-odd years combined?
"Young Master Bai Yi, would you like to look around and buy anything else?" Xu Qingyi asked with a smile.
"Mm."
Lin Zhao glanced at the gold coins in his inventory. After several days of hard work, he had over 15,000 coins. Earning gold while fighting monsters and completing quests was indeed fast. He said in a deep voice, "Is it still fifty percent off for purchases of three or more treasures?"
"Mm, that's right!"
"Then I'll take three more Demon Suppressing Crossbows." Lin Zhao took 15,000 gold coins from his pouch and placed them on the table between himself and Xu Qingyi. "But... for such a large purchase, Miss Xu, could you add a little something extra? After all, this money didn't come easily; it's truly hard-earned blood and sweat. Moreover, the Northern Territory is truly dangerous, and I need the assistance of these Mohist treasures, but I truly have no more money in my pocket."
"This, well..."
Xu Qingyi's delicate eyebrows furrowed.
"Is there a problem?"
Lin Zhao, not one to be shameless, said meekly, "If it's difficult, then forget it. I won't force you."
As soon as he said this, Xu Qingyi's heart softened.
She, Xu Qingyi, was the esteemed young lady of the Xu family, and her father was a twelfth-realm Sword Immortal guarding the ancestral Mohist temple. She was capable of making such decisions. She simply found this Young Master Bai Yi very pleasing to the eye and wanted to offer him some convenience. Who among the staff in the shop could possibly object to this?
Xu Qingyi frowned, thinking that perhaps the more she gave him, the greater the chance of Bai Yi returning alive. She did not want to see this young man never return one day.
"I'll round it up for you."
Xu Qingyi looked at Lin Zhao and said, "As an added bonus, I'll give you another Demon Suppressing Crossbow, bringing your total to 5 Demon Suppressing Crossbows. Additionally, I'll gift you three Bronze Beasts, bringing your total to 5 Bronze Beasts. What do you think, young master?"
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao was stunned. This bonus was almost equivalent to the cost of the original purchase. What kind of business was this?!
"Miss Xu."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "Business should involve frequent exchanges. If you don't want to give a bonus, that's fine. I will still do business with your Hundred Treasures Pavilion in the future. You don't need to mock me like this..."
Xu Qingyi couldn't help but chuckle. "Someone, retrieve four more Demon Suppressing Crossbows and three Bronze Beasts from the treasury for the young master."
"Yes, Young Madam!"
This time, Lin Zhao believed her, but his heart was filled with unease. "Miss Xu, I cannot accept such undeserved gifts. This... I'm afraid I cannot accept it..."
Xu Qingyi was almost choked with frustration. She blinked her large eyes and explained, "It's not that I *want* to give them to you, but our ancestral Mohist temple has been enemies with the demon race since ancient times. I, Xu Qingyi, also have a deep hatred for demons due to my father's death. When you slay demons in the Northern Territory, it's as if I'm part of it. So please accept them. It's not entirely for you."
"..."
Lin Zhao hesitated for a moment before deciding to accept. Poverty breeds short-sightedness, and Miss Xu's intentions were kind. To refuse further would seem pretentious.
...
Meanwhile, at the ancestral Mohist temple.
"Pfft!"
Xu Zhanxian, the twelfth-realm Great Sword Immortal who presided over the ancestral temple, spat out a mouthful of tea as he observed the mortal world. "My dear daughter, you can try to please that brat, but don't curse your own father!"
Beside him, the fourteenth-realm Mohist patriarch chuckled, "A grown daughter no longer belongs to her father..."