Leaving the Artifact Refining Square, which reeked of charcoal, Lü Zhong headed back to West Street.
West Street was once the most prosperous area in the Qingliu Ruins, and even now, many shops were still open for business.
However, due to the recent turmoil, not many Magical Artifact shops were still in operation.
After looking around, he chose a shop that seemed rather well-established.
Hongsheng Magical Artifact Shop. That was the name of the store, written on a banner flag that served as a sign by the entrance.
The door was carved from a single piece of black sandalwood. Although this timber wasn't a spirit wood, its value was nothing to scoff at—it was worth its weight in gold, a treasure coveted even by Mortal Emperors.
Yet here it was, serving as the front door for a cultivator's shop.
It was a bit of a shame, though. The door had been heavily damaged during the recent turmoil, and signs of repair were visible in several places.
He pushed the door open and entered a tastefully decorated main hall. A simple, large rug covered the floor, and several landscape paintings hung on the walls, clearly the work of famous masters.
To the right of the hall was a set of furniture with a full array of tea utensils, evidently for receiving guests.
To the left of the entrance, a white-haired old man sat behind a counter, his eyelids drooping as if he were dozing off.
Standing beside the old man was a young child with his hair tied in tufts. His eyes shone like morning stars, and with his rosy lips and white teeth, he was quite handsome. Seeing a customer enter, he quickly tugged on the old man's sleeve.
"Grandfather, we have a customer."
The old man finally opened his eyes. He sized Lü Zhong up with a cloudy gaze and said apologetically, "An old man like me is always short on energy. Please forgive my embarrassing display, Fellow Daoist. Why don't we go over there and discuss things slowly over some tea?"
"Not a problem." Lü Zhong didn't mind.
The two sat down, and the child immediately ran to the back room, returning with a pot of hot water to brew their tea.
The old man still seemed a bit tired. He rubbed his forehead, then cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. "I am Wan Baoshan, the Shopkeeper of Hongsheng Magical Artifact Shop. And how should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"Lü Zhong," he answered truthfully.
"So it is Fellow Daoist Lü. I never would have thought someone so young would already have a Third Level of Qi Refining Cultivation. Truly young and promising!" Wan Baoshan's tone was extremely kind, making a good impression.
In a place like Qingliu Square, a gathering spot for low-level independent cultivators, Lü Zhong could indeed be considered young and promising.
The age at which one reached Foundation Establishment affected one's future potential. Any cultivator who could achieve Foundation Establishment within a sixty-year cycle was considered a hidden dragon with the potential to reach Core Formation.
"You praise me too much. It was just a stroke of luck," Lü Zhong said humbly, waving his hands dismissively.
After the two chatted for a while, Wan Baoshan finally seemed to have recovered his energy.
Getting straight to the point, Lü Zhong stated his purpose for coming.
"Fellow Daoist, you've come at just the right time. The shop just received a new shipment today. I'll go get it for you."
After speaking, Wan Baoshan set down his teacup and headed toward the back room.
Lü Zhong used this time to recall what he knew about Magical Artifacts.
'Magical Artifacts, as the name implies, are vessels for arrays.'
'First, an Array or a Prohibition must be inscribed onto a spiritual material, which is then refined.'
'Based on the number and strength of the inscribed arrays and Prohibitions, Magical Artifacts can be divided into three grades: Lower, Middle, and High.'
'Generally speaking, a Lower-grade Magical Artifact has only one Divine Technique—be it spewing fire or condensing frost—which is primarily determined by the artifact's base material.'
'A Middle-grade Magical Artifact has two, and a High-grade Magical Artifact has three.'
'However, the number of Divine Techniques an artifact possesses doesn't always strictly correspond to its grade; there are exceptions.'
'Occasionally, a High-grade Magical Artifact might appear with only a single, powerful Divine Technique, though such cases are extremely rare.'
With just over a hundred Spirit Stones on him, Lü Zhong couldn't even dream of affording a Middle-grade or High-grade Magical Artifact.
Soon, Wan Baoshan returned, carrying three wooden boxes.
He opened the boxes, which were covered with a layer of brocade cloth. Lifting the cloth revealed three Magical Artifacts.
There were two swords and a long saber.
"This is a Lower-grade Magical Artifact, the Green Frost Sword, from the Shengyi Artifact Refining Workshop in Qingliu Market. It's currently at ninety-five percent durability. It was forged from one hundred catties of Cyan Spirit Iron and three maces of Bright Frost Stone. It comes with the Divine Technique, Cyan Frost Cold Qi. When activated, it coats the Green Frost Sword in cold qi, which can slow a target's movements. With continuous exposure, the cold qi can even freeze the flow of their Spiritual Power."
"As for the price, Fellow Daoist, you can see it's at ninety-five percent durability and has never been repaired. Therefore, the shop's price is one hundred and five Spirit Stones. It's a fixed price!"
Seeing Lü Zhong remain silent, Wan Baoshan picked up the other sword, a fiery red longsword.
"A Lower-grade Magical Artifact, the Blazing Sword. Its origin is unknown, and it's currently at eighty percent durability. The body of the sword is made of Fire Spirit Iron, while the cutting edge uses the extremely durable Cyan Flame Steel. Both materials enhance the power of fire, greatly boosting the might of its Minor Divine Technique, Condensing Fire. It can melt gold and turn stone to liquid with no trouble."
"The Blazing Sword is a bit more expensive, priced at one hundred and forty Spirit Stones," Wan Baoshan explained.
Hearing the prices of the two Magical Artifacts he was most interested in, Lü Zhong couldn't help but wince.
He had thought the Basic Skills were expensive enough, but he never imagined that Magical Artifacts would be just as pricey.
To buy a single Lower-grade Magical Artifact, he would have to save up for a whole year without eating or drinking.
'It feels a lot like buying a major appliance in my past life. A whole year's income,' Lü Zhong thought to himself.
But as expensive as Magical Artifacts were, they were also quite durable. For a cultivator who didn't frequently venture into the wilderness, it could even be passed down as a family heirloom, as long as it was properly maintained.
Thinking of this, he decided not to listen to Wan Baoshan's introduction of the third Magical Artifact.
As a cultivator practicing a Sword Mantra, he had no reason not to use a sword.
When it came to choosing between the Green Frost Sword and the Blazing Sword, Lü Zhong chose the Green Frost Sword without hesitation.
He didn't choose the Blazing Sword simply because he only had so many Spirit Stones and couldn't afford it.
This was despite the fact that the Blazing Sword's power seemed obviously greater.
When Wan Baoshan heard Lü Zhong's choice, his face bloomed into a wide smile.
"Fellow Daoist is truly decisive! It seems this old man should show some appreciation as well."
With that, he took a small booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Lü Zhong.
"What's this?" Lü Zhong asked, accepting the booklet.
"Just a manual on the essentials of controlling a Magical Artifact. Although it wasn't written specifically for the Green Frost Sword, it would still sell for a few Spirit Stones outside. This old man will take the liberty of gifting it to you," Wan Baoshan explained with a smile.
'A manual on controlling a Magical Artifact?'
Hearing this, Lü Zhong's heart skipped a beat.
'Could it be? No way!'
He flipped open the booklet and saw that it detailed how to use a Sword Mantra to control a sword, as well as how to execute basic sword techniques. This would allow him to use his Divine Thought to manipulate the sword and fight from a distance.
Cleave, Slash, Intercept, Flick, Parry, Hook, Thrust.
Pierce, Slice, Sweep, Point, Snap, Hang, Cloud.
According to the book, combining these techniques formed swordsmanship.
In theory, different styles of swordsmanship were just different combinations of these basic sword techniques.
And what Lü Zhong needed to do was practice these sword techniques until he mastered them. Only then could he properly control the Green Frost Sword.
This would allow him to wield the sword as he pleased, his techniques flowing as smoothly as water.
Otherwise, he feared he would only be able to use the three crude moves: cleaving, slashing, and thrusting.