Chapter Three: The Street of Artifacts

As its name suggests, Weaponry Street was the place for buying weapons, but there was also a well-known rumor that everyone in the city had heard.

When Weaponry was first dispatched by the King, this city was far smaller than it was now. At that time, only a handful of humans lived on this land. They survived by hiding among the ruins left by the collapse of high-rise buildings from the old era, using the debris to shield themselves from mutant beasts. Mutated plants and animals were at least manageable—they could be avoided. But every few days, one or two supernatural beasts would pass through, and, for some unknown reason, whenever they did, they always managed to sniff out the people lurking deep within the ruins.

These supernatural beasts were all ink-green in color, some massive and others tiny, appearing in every imaginable—and unimaginable—form. Yet, without exception, any human discovered by them met their end. Only later did people realize these supernatural beasts were essentially children of the elements, lacking physical bodies and existing almost entirely as forms condensed from primal cores. Born with a natural affinity for elemental forces, the higher their rank, the wider the area they could sense.

By the time Weaponry arrived, fewer than two hundred people remained. He gathered them together, and the first district they cleared was the very street now lying before Ye Bai. Weaponry taught these survivors cultivation methods; through constant battle, the community grew into the city it was today. Once everything was more or less in place, Weaponry told them the King was still fighting on the frontlines and that these mutant beasts were merely the lowest tier. The King was holding back the most powerful mutated creatures deep within the forest, and Weaponry himself was about to join the King. “You are our hope, our support. Remember, if you wish to come to our aid, you must at least reach the Master level.” To honor Weaponry, people later named the very first street they cleared Weaponry Street.

When Ye Bai set foot on Weaponry Street, it was at its liveliest—bustling with people, buyers and sellers haggling everywhere, vendors lamenting every lost coin, and the occasional pair of young women exchanging opinions on the wares as they strolled arm in arm.

Ye Bai’s destination was the weapons quarter at the back of the street, not the daily-goods section near the entrance. Still, as he passed through, he spotted some fine jewelry—something to consider buying for his mother and sister when he had the money.

Once he reached the weapons district, the atmosphere changed; it became noticeably quieter. Here, there were none of the cheerful faces from outside. Nearly everyone wore a look of grim focus as they examined the merchandise.

The Mortal Arms Pavilion specialized in weapons ranging from Body-Tempering to Entry-level grade. As soon as Ye Bai stepped inside, a salesperson hurried over to pitch their wares. Sales here differed from outside—rather than each store having a single proprietor, here one could only rent a stall, so Ye Bai had to choose carefully among the variously sized booths.

He politely declined the salesperson’s overtures and began considering what he truly needed. First and foremost, he had to buy a particle blade—but should it be a photon blade or a magnetic blade? For the Outer Ghostwood Mountains, the magnetic blade offered much better value for money.

Around Ghostwood Mountain, most mutant beasts were plants or animals. Influenced by the Ghostwood Forest, these creatures had a certain affinity for sunlight (much like photosynthesis), which could somewhat diminish the power of a photon blade. However, when facing a supernatural beast, a magnetic blade was nearly useless, since its effect relied on high-frequency vibrations to destroy targets—and except for shattering the core, damage to other parts was ineffective against such beings. Still, the silver lining was that supernatural beasts seldom ventured into the outskirts. Even so, Ye Bai had to weigh his options carefully—his life depended on it.

As he hesitated over which blade to choose, he noticed a familiar figure stepping into a nearby stall.

“Fatty, you’re here to buy weapons too? Don’t tell me you’re planning to venture outside the city for some training?” Ye Bai called out, following the figure into the shop.

Fatty turned around in surprise, clearly not expecting to run into Ye Bai. “Leaf, what brings you here? I’m not going out for training—I’m here to buy some equipment. My old man’s torture is in its final phase, and I’m missing a few pieces, so he sent me shopping.” As he spoke, he flexed his bulging muscles, showing off the results of his training.

“Shopkeeper, show us your particle blades and armor,” Ye Bai said, stepping up beside Li Fei. He added, “I want to see if I can find an opportunity to break through outside the city.”

Ye Bai’s gaze lingered on the particle blades in front of him as the shopkeeper displayed several models, boasting loudly about their sharpness and how they could slice through hair or cut iron as if it were mud.

Meanwhile, Li Fei handed his equipment list to the sales assistant and stood next to Ye Bai, eyeing the weapons and armor. Noticing Ye Bai’s indecision, Li Fei patted him lightly on the shoulder. “Leaf, just focus on the magnetic blades. I know what you’re worried about with the photon blades—don’t. I’ll take care of it for you.”

Ye Bai nodded silently and turned his attention to the magnetic blades.

In truth, he had already researched this topic at home on the family’s neural net, so he had a general idea. For example, the yellow-handled magnetic blade before him was overpriced, lacked a magnetic handguard, and would easily jar his hand with recoil during combat, not to mention the risk of magnetic arcs injuring his hand. This was basically an entry-level weapon for someone just starting their body-tempering.

Ye Bai glanced at the shopkeeper, his eyes full of questions.

Li Fei, a touch annoyed, spoke up, “Boss, you’re just trying to fool my brother! Bring out the good stuff—remember, he’s my brother, same as me.” What Ye Bai didn’t know was that Fatty’s family actually held shares in this shop.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper flushed red, sweat beading on his forehead as he stammered, “Yes, yes, of course.” He secretly regretted underestimating them after overhearing part of their conversation, having assumed they were just ordinary friends.

Soon enough, the shopkeeper returned from the back with several magnetic blades, all equipped with magnetic handguards. His professional smile was firmly back in place as he presented them.

Ye Bai couldn’t help but admire the iron nerves of these merchants. But before long, his attention was completely absorbed by the weapons before him, particularly a green magnetic blade and a purple one, both of which stood out.

The green magnetic blade had a groove along its blade, designed to collect and absorb part of the prey’s energy when it inflicted a wound, increasing the blade’s resilience. The purple one, on the other hand, featured a magnetic handguard that not only reduced vibration but could also absorb stray magnetic arcs during combat, channeling them back into the blade.

After some deliberation, Ye Bai chose the green magnetic blade. It was less conspicuous than the purple one, making it easier to conceal, while the purple blade was already being used by some entry-level Star Core Warriors. In the end, Ye Bai bought the green magnetic blade, a magnetic handgun, and chest armor. As an unexpected bonus, the shopkeeper gifted him a photon stun grenade containing five small charges—each one capable of disrupting a supernatural beast for a short time, enough for him to escape.

“Well, Leaf, this should be just right for dealing with supernatural beasts, don’t you think?” As they left together, Fatty insisted Ye Bai ride with him to the city gate, saying he wanted to see him off.

Ye Bai didn’t refuse. There was no need for formality between brothers, and he knew the stun grenade wasn’t a personal gift but an apology from the shopkeeper to Li Fei. Nevertheless, he kept the gesture in mind.

Before long, Ye Bai and Li Fei stood beneath the city walls. With a final “Take care,” Li Fei departed. He had faith that Ye Bai would return—both of them knew how much they’d sacrificed to reach the entry level, and neither would fall easily.

After bidding Li Fei farewell, Ye Bai gazed up at the gates of Sunlit City, fully aware that he would not return unless he succeeded.