The mid-day sun beat down on the bustling streets of Seven Star City, but the atmosphere inside the "Heavenly Armory" was frigid.
Jiang Chen stood before a glass display case, staring at a standard iron flying sword. The price tag mocked him: 500 Spirit Stones.
"Five hundred?" Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. "For this? It lacks a proper spirit groove and the metal folding is amateur at best. It is barely a kitchen knife."
The shopkeeper, a rotund man with oil-stained fingers, sneered from behind the counter. He took one look at Jiang Chen's worn robes and his two eccentric disciples and made a quick calculation.
"If you can't afford it, don't smudge the glass," the shopkeeper grunted, not bothering to look up from his ledger. "The junkyard is two streets down. We don't serve dreamers here."
Jiang Chen smiled politely, though the temperature around him seemed to drop. "A wise merchant values potential over appearance. But it seems wisdom is not for sale here."
He turned on his heel. "Come, disciples. We are leaving."
Once they were back on the street, the polite façade vanished. Jiang Chen fanned himself aggressively.
"We are destitute," he declared flatly. "A sect cannot rise on ambition alone. We need weapons, pills, and resources. Currently, our total assets amount to a bag of stale buns."
Ye Kai clenched his fists, his face serious. "Master, I can work at the docks. I can carry ten thousand crates a day."
"No," Jiang Chen dismissed the idea. "Labor is for mortals. We are cultivators. We do not work for money; we acquire it from those who do not deserve it."
He turned to Su Ling. "The Black Bear Gang. They were the ones who reported us to the Iron Fist Hall, correct?"
Su Ling nodded, sliding a detailed map from her sleeve. "Yes. They run an underground gambling den in the West District. It is their primary source of liquid assets. Guarded by thirty men."
Jiang Chen looked at the map. A cold, predatory glint appeared in his eyes.
"They tried to destroy our sect," Jiang Chen whispered. "It is only fair we audit their finances."
Location: Black Bear Gambling Den.
The building was a converted warehouse deep in the slums. The air inside was thick with smoke, stale wine, and the desperate shouts of gamblers.
At the back of the hall, the Gang Leader—a burly man with a jagged scar across his nose—sat on a raised throne, counting a stack of gold bars. He was laughing, drunk on power and profit.
BOOM!
The heavy reinforced doors exploded inward. Splinters of oak and iron shrapnel flew across the room, embedding themselves in the far wall.
The noise in the den died instantly. The gamblers froze.
Through the settling dust, a figure emerged. Ye Kai stood shirtless, his skin gleaming like bronze under the dim torchlight. His presence was heavy, suffocating, like a beast waiting to lunge.
Behind him, Jiang Chen stepped over the debris, flicking a speck of dust from his sleeve.
"Who are you?!" The Gang Leader roared, grabbing a massive battle-axe. "This is Black Bear territory! You seek death?!"
"We are the Fallen Star Sect Department of Revenue," Jiang Chen announced, his voice calm but projecting clearly to every corner of the room. "You are late on your taxes."
The Gang Leader blinked. "Taxes?"
"The 'Breathing Tax'," Jiang Chen nodded solemnly. "You have been breathing quite a lot. The penalty for evasion is... total asset forfeiture."
The Gang Leader's face turned a violent shade of purple. "Kill them! Chop them into meat paste!"
"ROAR!"
Thirty thugs drew hatchets, clubs, and long knives. They rushed the entrance in a chaotic wave of violence.
Jiang Chen didn't flinch. He walked calmly to a nearby table, picked up a pristine cup, and poured himself some wine.
"Ye Kai. Su Ling," he ordered softly. "Grade 1 Mission. Do not kill them. But ensure they regret waking up this morning."
The Unstoppable Spear:
Ye Kai stepped forward. He didn't assume a stance. He simply walked.
A thug swung a sledgehammer with both hands, aiming for Ye Kai's skull. CLANG. The sound was deafening, like a bell being struck. The hammer bounced off Ye Kai's forehead. The iron head of the hammer cracked.
Ye Kai didn't blink. He looked at the thug with pity. "Your steel is weak."
He reached out and flicked the man's forehead. THWACK. The thug was launched backward as if hit by a ballista, crashing through three tables before embedding himself in the wooden wall.
"Next," Ye Kai stated.
The Untouchable Shield:
Su Ling moved through the chaos like a ghost. She didn't strike; she simply existed.
A thug lunged at her with a knife. Su Ling bent down to inspect a loose floorboard. The thug tripped over her, stumbling forward and stabbing his comrade in the leg.
"You idiot! Watch where you aim!" "She vanished!"
Su Ling stood up and adjusted her glasses. She casually kicked a small pebble. The pebble skittered across the floor, bounced off a wall, and hit the release mechanism of a heavy iron chandelier.
SNAP. CRASH.
Five thugs were instantly pinned under twisted metal.
"Structural integrity compromised," Su Ling muttered, taking notes. "This building is a death trap."
Within minutes, the gambling den was silent save for the groans of the defeated. The Black Bear Gang had been dismantled without Jiang Chen lifting a finger.
The Gang Leader trembled, backing away until he hit the cold steel of his vault door. "You... you are monsters! Take it! Take it all!"
Jiang Chen finished his wine and set the cup down. He stepped over the unconscious bodies, approaching the terrified leader.
"Open it."
The heavy steel door swung open. Inside, piles of gold and silver glittered in the torchlight. It was a small fortune, enough to sustain a sect for a year.
"Jackpot!" Ye Kai grinned, hoisting a sack of gold over his shoulder.
But Jiang Chen ignored the currency. His Supreme Comprehension was vibrating, pulling his gaze toward the dark corner of the vault.
There, used to prop up a broken shelf, was a rotting wooden box. To the naked eye, it was garbage. To Jiang Chen, it was blinding.
"Fools," Jiang Chen whispered, crouching down. "They robbed a high-level caravan and didn't even realize the value of their loot. They treated diamonds like stones."
He pried the box open.
Inside sat two items radiating terrifying spiritual energy:
Dragon Marrow Liquid (Heaven Tier): A vial of swirling golden fluid. A single drop could rebuild a mortal's foundation into something divine.
Seven-Color Soul Flower (Heaven Tier): A radiant bloom pulsing with a soft heartbeat, capable of expanding the consciousness beyond mortal limits.
"With these," Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed, "I can bridge the gap between us and the Mystic Cloud Sect in days, not years."
Then, he noticed something else leaning against the wall. A rusty, crooked iron rod.
Ding!
[Hidden Item Detected.] [Item: The Sealed Sword of the Lazy Saint.] [Grade: Earth Tier (Sealed).]
Jiang Chen grilled a grin. He grabbed the rusty rod. It felt heavy, balanced, and oddly... right.
"Ye Kai, grab the gold. Su Ling, secure the herbs. I'll take this... stick."
"Master?" Ye Kai asked, confused. "We have gold now. We can buy a real sword."
"No," Jiang Chen scoffed, resting the rusty metal on his shoulder. "Why buy trash when destiny has delivered a treasure?"
He turned and walked out into the sunlight.
We have ten days before the Grand Auction," Jiang Chen declared. "We are going into seclusion. When we emerge... the city will know the name of the Fallen Star Sect.