Chapter Ninety-Two: Preparing to Refine Artifacts

The hall master had barely received word that the men he had sent to assassinate Wu Tian had lost all contact and were most likely dead.

At that moment, in a room belonging to the Mercenary Alliance in a certain city, one of his subordinates was reporting the situation to the leader of the Fierce Tiger Hall.

The hall master wore a tiger-skin vest, and a massive tiger’s head was emblazoned on his right arm. Frowning, he asked, “And Wu Tian?”

“According to the intelligence, Wu Tian has just entered New Leaf City.”

“So Wu Tian is still alive. Could it be that our men were killed by him? But all eight of them were first-rank martial spirit cultivators. Was Wu Tian really that strong?” The hall master frowned, deep in thought.

“Although he is known as the greatest genius of Pingyang City, Pingyang City is far too small. How formidable can a genius from such a tiny place be? In my view, our men were definitely wiped out in secret by some other power, and that brat Wu Tian merely got lucky and escaped disaster!” At his side, a fat, round-faced man who was eating spoke with disdain.

“Hall master, Second Boss has a point. Wu Tian may indeed have been lucky enough to survive this time. Otherwise, how could eight of our brothers working together fail to deal with a single disciple of the Celestial Edge Sect?” The subordinate who had reported the matter nodded.

“No matter what, Wu Tian is still alive now. We have already accepted someone else’s bounty, and he must be eliminated before he reaches the Imperial Capital. Tell the Black Tiger Squad to finish him off,” the hall master said sternly.

The fat man beside him wiped the crumbs from his hands, stood up, and said, “Leave that boy to me.”

“You’re going yourself?” the hall master asked.

“I’ve been idle lately anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to go stretch my legs,” the fat man said with a shrug.

“In that case, take the Black Tiger Squad with you,” the hall master said after a brief pause.

“No need. Do I really need to bring the Black Tiger Squad to deal with that brat? I alone am enough.” The fat man thumped his chest in disdain.

The hall master laughed at once. “Second Brother, I’m afraid your excuse for going on a mission is just that—an excuse. You really just want to go out and have fun, don’t you?”

The fat man scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. “As expected of the hall master. Nothing escapes your keen eyes.”

“You may go out and play, but you must take the Black Tiger Squad with you. Once the mission is done, you can play however you like,” the hall master said, pointing at him.

“Very well. Then I’ll set out at once.” Hoisting a huge battle axe onto his shoulder and making his flesh wobble as he walked, the fat man left the room.

The hall master shook his head, speechless.

……

At that time, in New Leaf City:

“Young Master, New Leaf City seems much livelier than Pingyang City. There are so many people here,” Xiaohui said curiously, watching the crowd moving back and forth along the street.

“New Leaf City is a little larger than Pingyang City, so of course it’s more prosperous,” Wu Tian replied with a nod.

“What does New Leaf City count as lively? I’ve heard the Imperial Capital is a hundred times more prosperous than Pingyang City. Even its city walls are dozens of zhang high, and its city limits are unimaginably vast!” Niu Wuji curled his lip.

“You make it sound like you’ve been there. Look at you putting on airs. Have you actually gone?” Xiaohui retorted.

“Uh... no, I only heard about it. Of course I’ve never been there, hehe.”

“Armor for sale! Top-quality armor! We have every grade, from celestial to yellow-grade, all top-quality armor, absolutely lowest prices, absolutely lowest prices! Come and buy now!”

Just as the three of them were preparing to find a place to eat, a loud shout drew Wu Tian and the others’ attention.

“There’s a place selling armor. Perfect—I’m missing a piece of protective gear! Boss, let’s go have a look,” Niu Wuji said, instantly energized.

So Wu Tian and Niu Wuji went to the armor shop together. The shop was full of martial artists selecting equipment, and business seemed fairly good.

“Boss, how much is this upper-grade yellow-rank giant lizard light armor?” Niu Wuji immediately took a fancy to a light armor displayed in the cabinet.

“Young Master, your eye is excellent. This is an upper-grade yellow-rank defensive item, capable of blocking attacks from a third-rank martial master. Since fate has brought us together, I’ll sell it to you for only fifty thousand taels of silver. What do you think?” the shopkeeper asked with a smile.

“Fifty thousand? Are you robbing me? An upper-grade yellow-rank defensive item costs fifty thousand? Why not just go to heaven while you’re at it!” Niu Wuji exclaimed indignantly at the price.

“Young Master, I’m giving you the best possible price. This is upper-grade yellow-rank, not lower-grade. Fifty thousand taels is already cheap! If you think that’s too expensive, I can give you this lower-grade yellow-rank one for one thousand taels of silver. Want it or not?” the shopkeeper said, clearly unwilling to bargain.

“Lower-grade and you still want a thousand taels? You’re really screwing people over! You’re completely ripping customers off!” Niu Wuji said angrily.

“Forget it. Buy it if you want, don’t if you don’t. I’m not short of one customer like you. There are plenty of people who want to buy!” The shopkeeper stopped pretending to be polite and waved his hand contemptuously.

“Damn it! It’s way too expensive. Just one upper-grade yellow-rank defensive item costs fifty thousand taels of silver. I don’t even have that much for a year’s living expenses in the Celestial Edge Sect,” Niu Wuji said gloomily, shaking his head.

“It may be expensive, but the business here really is booming. Armor is incredibly profitable,” Wu Tian said, glancing around the shop. The prices were indeed high, yet many people were buying.

“There’s no helping it. Like alchemy, weapon crafting is a rare profession; only a handful of people are proficient in it, and high-level craftsmen are even rarer. These merchants can raise their prices however they like, and no one can do anything about it,” Niu Wuji said helplessly, spreading his hands.

“I happen to have some junk-grade earth-rank equipment with me. Take it and use it for now. When I come across something better, I’ll give it to you.” With that, Wu Tian took out some earth-rank equipment he had previously obtained from the Nie family’s treasure vault.

“Boss, you’re amazing. You actually have so much. Then I, your humble brother, shall accept it without further ceremony!” Niu Wuji said in astonishment, then chose a mid-grade earth-rank tiger-skin light armor from among them.

Niu Wuji’s words reminded Wu Tian that in the Great Martial Empire, weapon crafting and alchemy were both rare professions, pursued by very few. Wu Tian also possessed the auxiliary skill of artifact crafting. Since the equipment business was so outrageously profitable, of course he would not waste such an opportunity. He immediately decided to take up crafting.

Wu Tian was the kind of person who acted the moment he thought of something. After leaving the armor shop, the three of them went to a tavern for a meal, and then Wu Tian went to a weapons shop in New Leaf City to buy some raw materials for crafting. Although finished equipment was expensive, these materials were quite cheap, so Wu Tian bought a great deal of them.

After coming out of the materials shop, Wu Tian saw a large crowd gathered on the street, apparently watching some spectacle.

“Everyone, I am Li Tiedan. I have just arrived in New Leaf City. My younger sister is gravely ill and urgently needs treatment, so I have set up a challenge stage on this fine ground. If anyone can knock me down with a single punch, I will certainly present one thousand taels of silver. If, by some chance, I can withstand a punch, I hope you will kindly lend me some silver to help cure my sister!”