Shi Feng and his companions had not walked far when they heard the sound and looked up in a hurry. They saw two rainbow lights, one purple and one white, shooting out from the western sky. When they flew over their heads, they could see clearly that they were two giant swords ten feet long. One of the giant swords was white and smooth as jade, with black light flashing on the sword body from time to time. A woman in white was standing on the sword face. She looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old, with a tall figure, skin as white as cream, eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as paintings, and her clothes fluttering on her body, like a fairy.
Sitting on the giant purple sword next to him was a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, tall and thin, with clear eyebrows and bright eyes. The mountain wind was howling strongly in the air, but not even the corners of his clothes or his hair were fluttered.
The two of them flew side by side on swords, stunning everyone below.
Liu Yunzi and Chang Qing were both watching intently. Chang Qing sighed, "Qin Bing is truly like someone from a painting."
Liu Yunzi said coldly, "It's Uncle Qin Bing! You forgot to address me respectfully." Chang Qing said, "Yes, Master. But Uncle Qin Bing and I entered the sect together. In just ten years, she is already an elder in the Foundation Establishment Stage, while I am still stuck at the ninth level of Qi Refining. I can't help but feel sad."
Liu Yunzi said, "They practice diligently in seclusion every day, while you sit here like a toad watching swans every day. Of course, you can't compare." Chang Qing argued, "Master, you are wronging me. I have practiced diligently. But they have the Nine Spirit Ice Body, which only appears once in a century. One day of practice is equivalent to ten days for me. How can we compare?"
Liu Yunzi was silent for a moment, then said, "Indeed, her aptitude is excellent. Huiyan Peak has found a treasure. Furthermore, their sect's unique skill, the Seven Mysterious Swords of Frost and Ice, and Junior Sister Qin are a match made in heaven. I estimate that within a hundred years, Huiyan Peak will produce another Golden Core Master."
Chang Qing saw Liu Yunzi sighing, and hurriedly comforted him, "Master, you are also the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator in our Iron Sword Peak. You and Uncle Qin Bing are a perfect match." Liu Yunzi glared at him, "Bullshit." Chang Qing said, "Disciple is not talking nonsense. Uncle Qin Bing is so talented that only Master can compete with him among the Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, she has a water-based body, and you, Master, have a gold-based body. Gold gives birth to water, making you a perfect dual cultivation partner..."
Liu Yunzi kept saying, "Bullshit, bullshit, it really stinks. Gold produces water, is your master going to be a furnace for her? Well, I'm not interested in facing an icy beauty every day." Chang Qing said, "Yes, yes. Although Uncle Qin is beautiful, it's a pity that her temperament is too cold. She is not as good as Uncle Qingyun from Fentian Peak. She is beautiful, coquettish, and passionate." Liu Yunzi cursed, "Get lost! The people of Fentian Peak are notorious for their ruthless temper. They are like fried dog shit with green onions, smelly and aggressive. Who dares to touch her disciples?"
Changqing said, "Master Mieqing is your uncle, Master. You forgot to address him respectfully..." The master and disciple walked away while talking.
..................
With less than three months left until the sect competition, the entire Tai Chi sect is busy.
Shi Feng also became busy, but he was not busy preparing for the sect competition, which had nothing to do with him. Of course, he was not busy helping people repair spiritual weapons. He was still busy with his own Iron Dragon Bow.
This Iron Dragon Bow was excellent in every way, except for the crocodile spine necessary for the bowstring, which Shi Feng hadn't found. He had been in the Weapon Refining Hall for three or four years, and his experience was growing. When he first started, he was quite astonished by the sheer quantity of materials in the Refining Room. But now, he understood that while the materials in the Refining Hall's outer hall were plentiful, they weren't actually anything particularly rare.
This was understandable. Firstly, natural treasures were scarce, and their production couldn't possibly reach tens of thousands of pounds like iron ore. Secondly, even if there were rare materials, they were controlled by the sect's leadership and wouldn't be left in the outer halls for the outer disciples to manipulate. Shi Feng had seen many rare refining materials from Master Gan Chu, materials not found outside. Naturally, Shi Feng was too embarrassed to ask Gan Chu for such items.
Now, with the sect competition approaching, Shi Feng was concentrating on getting the Iron Dragon Bow ready. If he couldn't get it in the weapon refining hall, he did have another place to go.
On the left side of the Taiji Sect's mountain gate, right next to the Deacon Hall, there is a long and narrow valley. Since when, this place has become a place for Taiji Sect disciples to exchange items. Later, it gradually developed into a market. The sect also let it go, but sent deacons to patrol in it and strictly prohibited the exchange of skills.
Shi Feng has been to Changgufang Market several times, but there weren't many people there on weekdays, and he couldn't find any good things. Now that the competition is approaching, disciples from all sects have returned to the mountain gate, so it's estimated that it will be more lively than usual, and maybe he can gain something.
At that moment, Shi Feng packed up his savings and headed to Changgu Market.
As expected, the Hasegawa Marketplace was bustling with people, ten times more lively than usual. Many disciples sat on the ground along the two sides of the mountain wall, with leather mats spread out in front of them, on which they placed the items they wanted to exchange. They often also had a sign beside them, listing the items they wanted to receive.
Many disciples shouted loudly, "Everyone, look, this is the best crystal refining magnet, which can greatly increase the power of your earth-attributed magic weapon." "The ancestral Nine Flowers and Six Dew Pills can instantly restore magic power. I tried my best to go home and was punished by my father, so I took it out... "We are looking for fire-attributed magic weapons with more than six restrictions at a high price..." The shouts came one after another, and it seemed like a market in the human world.
Shi Feng walked through the crowd, slowly looking at the items on both sides, and found that these disciples were all heading for the sect competition, so the items they exchanged were mostly concentrated on elixirs, magic tools, talismans and other things that could enhance their strength, but there were not many refining materials. After all, with refining materials, it was too late to refine magic tools, and it would be of no benefit to the competition.
Shi Feng walked from the front of the valley to the back, but did not find anyone selling crocodile spinal tendons. Although he was a little disappointed, he was not discouraged.
From that day on, Shi Feng worked in the Sword Casting Valley every morning and came to Changgu Market on time at noon to look for it.
Hard work pays off. Coincidentally, on the seventh day, Shi Feng was walking through the valley when his eyes suddenly lit up. On a stall above his left hand, there were more than ten items, among which was a ball of white, slightly yellowed tendons. Shi Feng walked over slowly and picked up the ball of tendons nonchalantly.
He was so experienced in refining that he knew as soon as he picked it up that it was indeed the spinal tendon of a Jiao crocodile, and it was already an adult Jiao crocodile, about two hundred years old. He was ecstatic in his heart, but his face was calm. He asked, "How much is this?"
The stall owner wore a large bamboo hat, completely obscuring his face. Shi Feng wasn't surprised by this. Most people in Changgu Market altered their appearance through magic, talismans, or by wearing precious objects. After all, wealth shouldn't be revealed. Furthermore, before a competition, one naturally had to conceal their magical powers and artifacts. If all their cards were exposed, and the other party happened to be their opponent, that would be disastrous.
The stall owner said coldly, "A two-hundred-year-old dragon crocodile spine in exchange for a bottle of spiritual medicine that can improve Qi Refining Level 7." Shi Feng shook his head. "I don't have such a spiritual medicine. I wonder if I can exchange it for spirit stones?"
The stall owner thought about it and realized that spiritual medicines were hard to find, and it was not a good time to sell his own refining materials at this time of year, so he immediately said, "Okay, three thousand spirit stones, no bargaining." He was quite straightforward.
Shi Feng had accumulated quite a few spirit stones over the years. Although he felt the other party's price was a bit high, he readily said, "Okay, three thousand is fine."
Just as he was about to take the crystal out of his arms, he heard someone behind him shouting, "Huh? It's the crocodile spine. Haha, I want this thing." The voice was like thunder. Shi Feng was startled. Looking back, he saw a big man standing behind him. He was nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and a big waist. His arms were bare, his muscles were wiry, and his head was covered with one-inch long hair, connected to his cheeks with whiskers, each hair like a steel needle.
Shi Feng saw that he had a ferocious look on his face, but he was not afraid. He stood up slowly and said, "Brother, I was the one who wanted the things first." The short-haired man snorted coldly, "You are just an outer sect disciple, and you dare to compete with me for things!" He saw that Shi Feng was only wearing a short gray shirt and had no power, so he thought that the other party was an outer sect disciple.
Shi Feng took out a nameplate from his arms and sneered, "I am also an inner sect disciple, why can't I buy things?" The short-haired man was stunned, looking a little embarrassed.
At this time, some people had gathered around to watch the fun. "Hey, isn't this Senior Brother Gao from Fentian Peak? What's going on?" "Looks like they're fighting over something valuable?" "Who's that kid? He looks unfamiliar. Has he disguised himself?" "He's probably a new disciple who hasn't cultivated his spiritual power yet?" "Haha, he's quite brave to snatch things from Senior Gao without any spiritual power."
The short-haired man was a little angry and embarrassed. "What? Did you buy this thing? If you didn't buy it, why can't I make an offer? I'll offer 3,500 spirit stones." Shi Feng secretly regretted why he didn't pay the spirit stones earlier and leave. Seeing that he was already in a desperate situation, he didn't care about the crystals and said, "I was the one who saw the thing first. You are so domineering. Humph, I'll offer 4,000 spirit stones."
The short-haired man clenched his fist. "Gao, you've always been so overbearing. I'll offer you five thousand spirit stones." He suddenly raised the price to one thousand. Everyone around him gasped. Five thousand spirit stones was enough to buy a decent spiritual weapon, but this dragon crocodile spine was no way worth that price. Some scheming individuals secretly observed the tendon diagram. "Is there some hidden secret here?" Some were already secretly considering whether to make a move to obtain the dragon crocodile tendon.
Shi Feng was in a dilemma at this time. The total amount of crystals in his pocket was no more than 5,000 yuan. If he wanted to quote a higher price, he would have to ask his senior brother to borrow crystals. The crocodile spine was actually worth only about 2,500 crystals. It was really a loss for him to raise the price like this. But this thing was hard to come by. If he missed this opportunity, it would be hard to say whether he could buy it again in the future.
Shi Feng was hesitating when suddenly a man separated the crowd, walked over and said loudly, "What a coincidence, I actually see you two here. Hello, Senior Brother Gao, Hello, Junior Brother Shi." The man clasped his fists and laughed.
Shi Feng saw that it was Gu Mingcheng who came and hurriedly greeted him, "Hello, Senior Brother Gu!" The short-haired man said coldly, "Why, is this kid your junior fellow from Diecui Peak?" Gu Mingcheng said, "Junior Brother Shi is from Tiejian Peak, but he is also a very good friend of mine. I saw that you two were arguing with each other for a while, so I came here to act as a peacemaker."
The short-haired man's expression softened slightly. He was quite wary of Gu Mingcheng and said, "It's not a big deal. I just want to buy this crocodile spine. Just ask this guy to make some concessions. I won't make it difficult for him."
Gu Mingcheng smiled and said, "Senior Brother Gao, I see that this crocodile's spine is about four or five feet long. If that's enough, you can each take half. Wouldn't that be great for everyone?" The short-haired man said, "That won't do. My Red Dragon Whip needs this thing to be further refined. My whip is about ten feet long, and I think this crocodile's spine is too short."
Gu Mingcheng said, "Refine? The competition will last for only three months, how can there be enough time? Besides, if you, Senior Brother Gao, want to refine the magic weapon, you should give it to Junior Brother Shi. Do you know that Junior Brother Shi is one of the most famous weapon refining masters in our sect?" The short-haired man saw that Shi Feng was only seventeen or eighteen years old, so he was unwilling to believe it and just shook his head.
Gu Mingcheng said, "Senior Brother Gao, if you give this item to Junior Brother Shi, I'll give you a thousand spirit stones as compensation. You can find some more demon beast tendons to bless your magic weapon." The short-haired man listened to Gu Mingcheng's talk, but it only meant that he should give it up. He couldn't help but say angrily, "Gu Mingcheng, you want to team up with this brat to deal with me? Humph, I will never give up this dragon crocodile spine."
At this point, Gu Mingcheng was also a little angry. Although this man named Gao Tuo was a little famous in Fen Tian Peak, he was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, a realm lower than himself. In the world of cultivation, strength is respected, and the weaker ones are usually expected to obey the orders of the stronger. But Gao Tuo was always arrogant and didn't give him any respect. Gu Mingcheng couldn't hold it in any longer and was about to explode.