Chapter 223: 223
Li Qingshan smiled . “Alright, feel free to guess!”
“Looking at your stature, you’re definitely not choosing some regular spiritual artifact that can be controlled . Instead, you’re looking for a heavy weapon suited for close combat specially used by Body Practitioners . Am I correct?”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up . He smiled . “Correct! That’s quite impressive of you, little Zhang!” As his strength grew, his demand for a weapon increased as well . He was no longer satisfied with just the Wind-entwining blade, and he had not reached the sixth layer as a Qi Practitioner, so he could not control a mid grade spiritual artifact .
And, even if he did reach the sixth layer, he would not necessarily use a small blade or sword as his main weapon for combat, as his body would definitely reach a whole new level by then . Directly swinging a Wind-entwining blade at someone was much more satisfying than controlling a sword remotely .
As a result, he required a weapon different from the ordinary . Little Zhang managed to tell what he needed with a single glance; he knew that Li Qingshan needed a heavy weapon . That also meant they sold weapons like that, so why wouldn’t he be happy?
Little Zhang also smiled from ear to ear when he heard how Li Qingshan was willing to call him that . He waved his hand gently, and a series of mechanical sounds rang out . The weapon racks actually slid away rapidly, changing directions before coming to a halt .
A weapon rack slid right in front of Li Qingshan . As expected, there were huge swords and axes on there .
Li Qingshan casually weighed a large spear in his hand and asked, “Don’t you have any mid grade spiritual artifacts here?” All of the spiritual artifacts on the rack were low grade .
Little Zhang smiled . “Of course we do!” Regular Qi Practitioners could not afford mid grade spiritual artifacts, so he only brought people to see low grade spiritual artifacts most of the time . He clapped his hand and another weapon rack slid before Li Qingshan . The spiritual artifacts on there shone even brighter . “If you hadn’t come to us, buying a mid grade spiritual artifact for close combat would have been quite difficult . ”
Liu Ruping’s eyes immediately lit up . She would receive a commission for items purchased under her guide, so she obviously hoped that Li Qingshan would buy a lot and spend a lot .
This was why she was rather reluctant to receive Li Qingshan as soon as he had walked in, wanting to exchange with someone else . Even among the world of regular people, the way Li Qingshan dressed made him look penniless . Among cultivators, he was the standard for broke . He did not have a single item on him that shone .
But now, she thought, You really can’t judge a book by its cover . Her smile immediately became more sincere .
Li Qingshan looked at the mid grade spiritual artifacts and appeared satisfied as well .
Li Qingshan asked, “How much is it?”
“We’ll be taking only seventy-five spiritual stones for it . ”
Li Qingshan gained a rough idea of the price of a mid grade spiritual artifact . If he compared it to exchanging with contribution within the Hawkwolf Guard, it was around the same price . However, he shook his head . “I don’t really know how to use swords . ”
Liu Ruping chimed in . “Look at how beautiful this sword is? If you carry it on your back, you’ll definitely look extraordinary . ”
Little Zhang shot her a glare . “When it comes to men choosing weapons, it’s even more important to them than choosing a wife . Women shouldn’t butt in . ” He could tell that Li Qingshan was a person who actually used a weapon to kill; he was not some young master who came from a sect or clan . He could not be fooled by mere appearances .
Liu Ruping pouted, but as expected, she shut up for good . If you think that you’re capable, try to sell it yourself . It’s just a mid grade spiritual artifact . I don’t even want to waste so many words trying to sell it!
Little Zhang introduced several weapons . None of them were less than a hundred kilograms in weight .
Li Qingshan was very interested . If he could use a heavy weapon like this in battle, he could probably even smash through protective true qi . However, after quite some thought, he suddenly asked, “Do you have any high grade spiritual artifacts?”Little Zhang was slightly surprised . “Sir, we do have a few high grade spiritual artifacts here, but they’re all treasures of the store . Even at a minimum, they’ll cost several hundred spiritual stones, and they can go for over a thousand spiritual stones . They’re not items that regular Qi Practitioners can see unless they really do plan on buying them . ”
Li Qingshan smiled . “If you won’t show them, who’ll buy them? Do you think I’m not actually interested in purchasing them?”
Liu Ruping’s gaze towards Li Qingshan immediately softened . A high grade spiritual artifact was equivalent to ten mid grade spiritual artifacts . It was a rare transaction of quite the size .
Little Zhang studied Li Qingshan and smiled . “Fair enough . Come with me!”
The three of them arrived in a firmly-sealed room . Little Zhang took out something from his hundred treasures pouch . “Please take a look!”
The item was not made out of metal, wood, or rock . It was blue in colour, like ice, and it was sculpted into the shape of a whale . It shone brightly, a high grade spiritual artifact as expected . “There are even fewer high grade spiritual artifacts suited for close combat . We only have this one . It costs eight hundred and fifty-two spiritual stones,”
Li Qingshan had never seen such a strange weapon before . When he heard the price, his heart sank slightly . A high grade spiritual artifact was actually so expensive . He only had around three hundred spiritual stones left on him, which was only a third of the weapon’s price . And, he had to save some spiritual stones for purchasing pill formulas and a pill cauldron . He did not have enough money on him, but he remained unfazed on the surface . “How do you use this?”
Seeing how Li Qingshan was actually interested in buying it, little Zhang could not help but become even more enthusiastic . He shot a glance at Liu Ruping . They had encountered a wealthy customer this time .
Little Zhang placed the Whale’s Ingestion of Water into the tank . The blue whale immediately opened its mouth, and in just a while, it sucked away all of the water in the tank . “Please watch carefully, sir!”He raised his hand, and the whale’s mouth spat out the water again, condensing it into the shape of a blade . It suddenly froze up, turning into an ice blade with the whale’s body serving as a hilt . Coldness permeated the secret room .
Liu Ruping could not help but shiver . She said, “How wondrous!”
While Li Qingshan knew that she was just putting on an act, he could not help but nod in agreement . He had never seen a weapon like this before . As a matter of fact, he had not even thought of such a weapon before .
“It’s the Whale’s Ingestion of Water blade right now!” Little Zhang said . He waved his hand again, and the blade turned back into water, freezing into a sword this time . “This is the Whale’s Ingestion of Water sword!”
“No matter what weapon you want, whether it be light or heavy, it’s all within your control! What do you think?”
“It’s fantastic!” Li Qingshan nodded . Regular weapons were all forged from metal . It was rare to see a weapon completely composed of water . If he wielded it with Gui Water true qi, it would definitely achieve quite an impressive effect . This was basically a weapon made for him .
If men really chose weapons like choosing wives, then he would have fallen in love at first sight with this Whale’s Ingestion of Water . However, he was worried as well . “This blade of ice is so fragile . Won’t it shatter when it clashes against metal?”
Little Zhang said, “You don’t need to worry at all, sir . The weapons created by the Whale’s Ingestion of Water are akin to profound ice . It’s even tougher than essence steel . I’ll be honest with you, sir . The ice blades condensed from the Whale’s Ingestion of Water are slightly weaker than regular high grade spiritual artifacts, but they are definitely stronger than mid grade spiritual artifacts . As long as it doesn’t shatter from a single attack, it can automatically repair itself no matter how many cracks or nicks there are . You won’t need any maintenance from an artifact smith at all . ”
Liu Ruping said, “Then you sure can save a lot of spiritual stones and trouble . Just a small repair of a high grade spiritual artifact can set you back several dozen spiritual stones!”
Little Zhang added, “And if you use spiritual water instead, it’ll be even stronger . Sir, since you’re willing to buy this weapon, you might as well buy some spiritual water too . ”Li Qingshan thought of something . Didn’t he have an icy spring underground? He lifted the ice sword and flicked it forcefully .
With a clang, it seemed to reverberate like metal . The sound echoed through the secret room with great intensity . Liu Ruping could not help but cover her ears .
Little Zhang’s hand shuddered . He saw how a white mark was left on the sword and praised, “What strength, sir!”
Li Qingshan knew that he was telling the truth . Not only had he poured all of his strength into the flick, but he had used true qi as well . Even treasured blades made from refined steel would shatter, but only a white mark appeared on the ice sword . If he used Ice Condensate water instead, he would not have to worry about its toughness at all . And, he could just hang it on his waist normally, which would be convenient and easily accessible at all times .
Moreover, he could create a blade that was even larger and longer so that he could unleash the advantage of his physical strength . Or, he could just condense a spiky club weighing more than five hundred kilograms . If he swung down with something like that, any protection from true qi or techniques would be no different from paper . For a moment, basically all the advantages of the Whale’s Ingestion of Water filled Li Qingshan’s head . He utterly admired the artifact smith who created this weapon .
“What other uses are there aside from this?” Although Li Qingshan’s expression remained the same as before, little Zhang had dealt with countless customers before, so he could read his face . He could already tell that Li Qingshan actually wanted to purchase the item, which was why he had been so meticulous and gone to such detail . He was utterly delighted . He immediately opened the secret room and brought Li Qingshan to a field for demonstrating the usage of weapons . He pointed at the steel target in the distance .
All of the water was sucked into the whale again . The whale opened wide and countless, tiny icicles suddenly shot out . The steel target was peppered with countless holes instantly . It was fiercer than the Thousand Mechanism crossbow both in power and might, and it had more than just thirty rounds . It could be used in close combat and as a ranged weapon . Li Qingshan was tempted to snatch the Whale’s Ingestion of Water over and try it for himself .
Looking at Li Qingshan’s expression, little Zhang’s smile grew wider . The Whale’s Ingestion of Water suddenly lit up, gradually gathering near the whale’s mouth . With a bang, a ball of water shot out and struck the peppered target, blasting it to pieces .
Li Qingshan cried out, “The Gui Water blast!” He had looked through the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi last night, along with the techniques that it came with . Most of them were for healing, defence, and restricting the opponent . Gui Water true qi was not particularly suited for attacking, but among all of these techniques, the Gui Water blast was the most powerful and the most important technique .
Little Zhang asked confidently, “Fellow Niu, what do you think?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s a nice item, but could you help me out with the price?”