Ye Tian felt utterly exhausted. Drawing the sword just now had consumed a great deal of his Dragon Spiritual Power.
He still had one more chance to draw it, but he felt that even though he wanted to, he lacked the strength. For a moment, he was dejected.
'Maybe when I break through to the Fifth Layer, I'll be able to draw this sword easily. In the end, I'm still just too weak,' Ye Tian thought, frustrated.
The murmuring crowd stared at Ye Tian as if he were some kind of monster. Plenty of people came to try and draw the sword every day, but none had ever managed to budge it even an inch. Yet today, someone had.
What's more, it was a young man who had done it, which was the strangest part of all. Everyone was wondering who this boy was. Could he be a genius?
Just then, the disheveled old man's expression returned to normal. He glanced at Ye Tian and said, "Not bad. You managed to draw the Black Glaze Sword halfway. But with your current strength, I'm afraid pulling it out completely will be a bit difficult. You have one more chance. Want to try again?"
Ye Tian knew his own limits. Even if he tried again, the result would be the same as before at best. It was impossible to draw it out completely.
But such an opportunity was rare, and it felt like a waste to give up. Yet trying again would still end in failure. He was torn, and a look of disappointment crossed his face.
The disheveled old man naturally saw Ye Tian's expression and understood what he was thinking. He had to forcibly suppress the excitement rising in his heart.
If there weren't so many other people around, his attitude might have been completely different. "Your Power Realm is still insufficient," he said. "How about this: wait until you've broken through to the next Realm, then come back and try to draw the sword.
Starting today, I'll stop displaying this Black Glaze Sword at my stall. I'll only bring it out again after you've broken through. That way, you don't have to be so conflicted!"
Ye Tian's heart leaped with joy upon hearing this. As long as he broke through to the Fifth Layer, he was confident he could fully draw the Black Glaze Sword from its sheath.
"Thank you, Senior! I'll definitely work hard on my Cultivation and try to come back to draw this Black Glaze Sword as soon as possible!" Ye Tian's gloom vanished, replaced by a happy smile.
Giving up his last chance meant the sword-drawing event was over for the day. Even if others wanted to try, they no longer had the opportunity. The old man's attitude toward Ye Tian made many people green with envy.
The crowd of onlookers began to disperse. Ye Tian bowed respectfully to the disheveled old man and said, "In that case, this junior will take his leave! I hope to give you a pleasant surprise next time!"
With that, Ye Tian turned and left. He really couldn't stand it here any longer. If it weren't for his deep desire for the Black Glaze Sword, he probably would have thrown up long ago. The smell was not something just anyone could endure.
Ye Tian hadn't taken more than a few steps when he saw someone completely unexpected: Ye Feifei!
Ye Feifei was looking at him, her clear, bright eyes fixed on his. At that moment, she possessed an indescribable beauty that gave Ye Tian a strange feeling.
However, he quickly averted his gaze, walked up to Ye Feifei, and smiled. "The Young Miss enjoys strolling through the market, too? Are you planning on buying something?"
Ye Tian's performance today had made Ye Feifei see him in a new light. In her heart, she now believed he was no ordinary person.
She clearly remembered that not long ago, a middle-aged man at the One Vein Eighth Layer had tried to draw the sword. He failed all three times to pull the strange longsword from its sheath, yet Ye Tian had managed to draw it halfway. This was a very unusual feat.
"I was just bored, so I came out for a walk. You went specifically to draw the sword. Do you really want a sword of your own?" Ye Feifei asked with a smile.
"That's right. The Young Miss gave me the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, so naturally, I need to practice it properly. I wanted to buy a sword, but the prices are too high. I can't afford one on my monthly stipend.
And that senior said he'd give me the longsword if I could draw it, so I gave it a try. But in the end, I came away empty-handed," Ye Tian said in all seriousness.
"Hehe, I actually knew you'd come to the market looking for a sword, so I came to find you! Come on, I'll take you to our Ye Family's Weapon Shop to pick out a Fine Steel Sword!" Ye Feifei said.
"A Fine Steel Sword? But that's a very expensive weapon! Young Miss, I don't have many Spirit Stones at all!" Ye Tian didn't understand why Ye Feifei would pick out a Fine Steel Sword for him, so he asked hurriedly.
"I've told you before, you can't call me Young Miss anymore. You can either call me by my full name or just call me Feifei! To be honest, I'd prefer you call me by my first name," Ye Feifei said with a charming laugh.
If she hadn't been wearing a veil, he would have seen a blush spreading across her beautiful face. What was this? Her words were almost like a confession.
'Didn't everyone say she was a she-dragon? But in our two meetings, I haven't seen any sign of that fierce reputation,' Ye Tian thought, surprised at how she was treating him.
Ye Tian didn't dare to think too much about it. What happened with Ye Shixue had broken his heart, and he wasn't going to have any other ideas for a while.
'I do need a sword right now. If Ye Feifei is willing to help me, it wouldn't hurt to owe her another favor. If she ever runs into trouble in the future, I'll just have to do my all to help her,' he resolved.
"Ye Feifei, where is the Ye Family's Weapon Shop? I'm not familiar with Lisha City, so you'd better lead the way!" Ye Tian said, making a 'please' gesture.
Ye Feifei simply smiled without a word and started walking ahead. Ye Tian followed closely behind, and neither of them said much along the way.
After a short while, the two of them stopped in front of a huge establishment called "Ye Family Weapon Shop." "We're here. Let's go see if you can find a sword that suits you," Ye Feifei said.
As the two entered the Weapon Shop, the shopkeeper and a clerk immediately hurried over to greet them. "Young Miss, what brings you to the Weapon Shop today?" the shopkeeper asked Ye Feifei respectfully.
"I've brought a friend of mine to choose a sword. We need a Fine Steel Sword. Shopkeeper Wang, please go pick out a few for us to look at," Ye Feifei said.
The shopkeeper and the clerk both looked at Ye Feifei, their faces full of confusion. They had never seen the Young Miss accompanied by a man before. The last time Ye Hu was seen walking with her, she had taught him such a lesson that he couldn't get out of bed for three days.
Yet this young man was her "friend," and she had personally brought him to pick out a sword. It was truly strange.
Aside from being somewhat handsome, there didn't seem to be anything special about Ye Tian. His strength wasn't even as high as Ye Hu's. Nevertheless, they didn't dare disobey Ye Feifei's orders and obediently went to fetch the swords.
Meanwhile, Ye Tian was looking around the Ye Family's Weapon Shop. The storefront seemed to be composed of three rooms, though it was unclear how many were in the back.
These three front rooms were hung with all sorts of weapons. The scale of the operation was quite impressive. Ye Tian didn't even dare to imagine how many Spirit Stones all these weapons would be worth if sold.
It just went to show there was a reason the Ye Clan was one of the three great families of Lisha City...