The Stardust Pavilion consists of nine floors. The first seven are open to the public, while the last two are off-limits.
Floors one through three cater to low-level cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, floors four through six cater to cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage, and the seventh floor is only open to cultivators in the Core Formation stage.
Lu Tiandu had visited this place twice before to purchase medicinal seeds. As a shop run by the Tianxing Sect itself, the prices were reasonable,
and the store held a wealth of valuables. However, due to his limited financial resources, Lu Tiandu hadn't made any significant purchases beyond the medicinal seeds.
Had he not been followed today and faced the possibility of an ambush later, Lu Tiandu wouldn't have been so eager to acquire a defensive weapon.
Once he confirmed he was being targeted, he immediately changed his plans and prepared to purchase a top-tier defensive weapon.
His current weakness lay in his lack of defense.
He already had plenty of offensive magical weapons and talismans, but his best defensive possession was a high-level defensive shield, which he doubted would suffice for the upcoming battle.
Entering the hall, Lu Tiandu, guided by a waiter, headed straight for the third floor.
"Bring me your best defensive magical weapon!" Lu Tiandu bluntly stated his request.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I'll bring it over for your inspection!"
The middle-aged manager, dressed in a brocade robe and representing the twelfth level of Qi Refining, smiled faintly. Hearing the customer's confidence and eager to close the deal, he hurried outside.
About half a cup of tea later, the manager reappeared before Lu Tiandu, smiling broadly. Three brocade boxes appeared in his hands, and he began to introduce the magical weapons inside one by one.
"Fellow Daoist, please take a look..."
The three magical weapons were a green-skinned gourd, a jet-black shield, and a white jade bowl.
After examining and briefly testing each one, Lu Tiandu frowned.
While these three magical instruments were certainly top-tier, significantly more powerful than ordinary top-tier instruments, they were considered premium items and were not cheap, costing around six or seven hundred spirit stones. Even in the eyes of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, they were considered rare treasures.
Lu Tiandu might have thought so a year ago, but now, with plenty of spirit stones and a major battle ahead, he was somewhat dismissive of such mediocre items.
"Doesn't your pavilion have any rare defensive magical instruments?"
Lu Tiandu asked hoarsely, frowning, his tone thick with disappointment.
"Huh? Such exquisite items can't satisfy fellow Daoist's needs?"
The person in charge of the third floor was genuinely surprised. These three magical instruments were truly rare treasures; the combined wealth of an average Qi Refining cultivator would probably not be enough to purchase even one.
Seeing the indifferent demeanor of the man in the black hat across from him, the middle-aged person in charge was deeply astonished. A cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining could even disdain such magical instruments. He didn't look like a casual cultivator at all. He wondered what sect or clan he belonged to.
"Since fellow Daoist requires better magical instruments, my Stardust Pavilion can certainly provide them. However, to obtain the treasures on the next level, you'll need to demonstrate your strength first..."
the middle-aged leader said, still smiling politely at Lu Tiandu.
Without further ado, Lu Tiandu pulled out a small storage bag from his bosom and tossed it to the middle-aged man across from him.
The middle-aged man took a quick glance at it before smiling.
"Okay, since fellow Daoist has such wealth, you can go to the fourth floor and purchase the treasures there!"
With that, he led Lu Tiandu up to the fourth floor, wondering as they went. Could this person be a disciple of the Wanmiao Monastery? He could produce hundreds of mid-level talismans at once, either from a prominent family or a descendant of a Jindan cultivator.
But why would this person come to the Tianxing Sect market to seek top-level magical instruments? Could it be that the Wanmiao Monastery market didn't already have a few rare defensive magical instruments?
Moreover, despite appearing to be dressed up, this person still had several flaws. He feigned maturity, but he was likely young. His demeanor was natural and calm. Even though he presented a valuable talisman, he seemed unconcerned, which only reinforced his previous suspicions.
Soon, the middle-aged person in charge led Lu Tiandu to the fourth floor. The person in charge was a beautiful woman in her thirties, with a graceful figure and impressive appearance, which drew a few glances.
Lu Tiandu scanned her with his spiritual sense and saw that she appeared to be at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. This indicated that from the fifth floor onward, cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage would be the official reception.
When the middle-aged person mentioned the request of Lu Tiandu's alias, "Friend Han," the beautiful woman chuckled, invited Lu Tiandu to a seat, and had the maid serve tea. Then, with a graceful, slender figure, she left the fourth floor.
The middle-aged person also returned to the third floor.
This time, the wait was a bit longer before the beautiful woman surnamed Cen approached Lu Tiandu, carrying a tray. She smiled and said,
"Fellow Daoist Han, these are two rare-grade defensive artifacts our pavilion recently received. Please take a look and see if they meet your needs..."
"Could Fellow Daoist Cen explain them to me..."
Lu Tiandu said, looking at the two brocade boxes quietly placed on the table.
"The Citrine Shield is a rare-grade defensive artifact. It's constructed from a single block of Earth Crystal Stone, blended with a large amount of hard earth-attributed materials. Master refiners have painstakingly refined it. Once wielded, it transforms into a sturdy defensive shield. Its earth-attributed defensive capabilities are self-evident..."
The beautiful woman pointed to a small, ochre-colored, round shield in the first box.
Lu Tiandu reached out and took the yellow shield, examining it. The vague sense he'd felt upon entering the fourth floor reappeared.
He naturally understood that someone was secretly monitoring him, but he ignored it and injected his magical power into the shield to test it out.
This shield was clearly much more powerful than the small black shield on the third floor. As Lu Tiandu infused it with spiritual energy, it instantly transformed into a thick yellow shield, enveloping him. The round yellow shield rotated against the shield, seemingly also providing automatic defense.
"Not bad, this magical weapon has decent defensive capabilities," Lu Tiandu nodded, quite satisfied with the weapon. "However, during my trial just now, I felt that after activating the shield, it felt more connected to the earth. Fellow Daoist Cen, could you elaborate on that..."
"Fellow Daoist Han is indeed perceptive. If this yellow crystal shield comes into contact with the earth, its defensive power will increase by 20%, due to its large amount of earth-attributed materials. However, its movement speed will be relatively reduced... After all, defensive magical weapons have their own trade-offs..."
Lu Tiandu remained noncommittal, saying simply,
"Could Fellow Daoist Cen introduce the treasure in the other box?"
Seeing that Fellow Daoist Han did not continue the conversation, the beautiful woman smiled slightly and opened another brocade box, revealing a magical weapon resembling a golden inner armor.
This golden inner armor was woven from an unknown silk thread, its shimmering aura far more powerful than the yellow crystal shield. Furthermore, it boasted a chest shield, resembling a heartguard crafted from the shell of some demonic beast.
"Huh, what's this?"
Lu Tiandu wondered. While armor-like defensive artifacts weren't uncommon, they were also rare. He was truly fortunate to have come across one.
"The golden inner armor is crafted from the webs of the third-level mutant Golden Silk Spider, combined with a small amount of bright silk, jade gum, and the breastplate of a second-level rock turtle. Its defensive power is undeniable, and it also offers some fire-repelling properties..."
The beautiful woman gazed at the golden inner armor with a flick of her tongue, though she concealed it well enough for Lu Tiandu to detect.
Lu Tiandu fiddled with the thin inner armor in his hand, casually tossing it into the air. With a flick of his finger, a fiery snake materialized and charged towards the golden armor.
Even without any spiritual energy infused into it, the golden armor, under attack, still transformed into a faint golden shield, repelling the fire snake's charge, demonstrating its impressive natural defensive capabilities.
Lu Tiandu waved his hand again, taking the golden armor in his hands. It felt soft, supple, and not heavy, perfectly comfortable to wear next to his skin.
A flame appeared in his right hand, scorching the inner armor. A moment later, he reached out and touched it. Though still slightly warm, the armor's fire-repelling properties were truly genuine.
"Fellow Daoist Han, what do you think of this inner armor?"
The beautiful woman didn't stop Lu Tiandu from examining it. After all, a precious magical artifact worth thousands of spirit stones deserved any examination, as long as it wasn't intentionally tampered with.
"Not bad!"
Lu Tiandu nodded. His spiritual roots, possessing wind and thunder attributes, gave him an innate advantage in speed. Compared to the yellow crystal shield, this inner armor would better utilize his strengths.
Although he didn't show any unusual emotion, the beautiful woman could still tell that he preferred the golden inner armor. After all, if it were this beautiful woman, she would probably also choose this rare inner armor defensive magic weapon.
The top-grade rare yellow crystal shield costs one thousand spirit stones, and the equally rare gold silk inner armor costs a thousand three hundred spirit stones.
After some bargaining, Lu Tiandu finally traded ten high-level talismans and one hundred and thirty mid-level talismans for this gold silk inner armor.
"What a pity!"
Watching the man in the black cloak leave, the beautiful woman sighed inwardly. She had originally wanted this inner armor very much, but unfortunately she hadn't collected enough spirit stones, so she had to regretfully miss it.
[Seeking recommendation votes, and follow-up reading]
(End of this chapter)