Chapter 2654: Chapter 2654: Buying Swords

Despite the years of shared history and roots between the Origin Mountain and the Oneness Mountain, a fierce rivalry had developed between the two over the years.

The Origin Mountain authority swore that Dorothy had known Zen since a long time ago, and that he had been saved by Winchell. Obviously, they wanted Zen to come to their side.

In the end, however, Athemar's claim held the most weight. Zen was a disciple of the Sword Light Palace, which had been established by Athemar. They had sent someone to pick Zen up, but due to an accident, failed to do so.

Athemar would still remain indebted to Winchell for saving Zen's life, but there was no doubt that Zen would join the Oneness Sky Palace.

When it became obvious that Athemar was not willing to give Zen up, the Origin Mountain finally yielded and agreed to a compromise.

“Master Athemar,” said Sellers, his expression one of confusion. “Since you introduced Zen to the Oneness Sky Palace, why did you let him remain in the Dragon City?” In Sellers' mind, a talent like Zen should have been sent to the Oneness Sky Palace right away.

“It is all part of my plan,” Athemar replied absently, stroking his beard. “Oh, and if he asks to use your Sword Tower to cultivate, please let him.”

Sellers knew this was a cue to stop asking questions. He bowed his head in obedience, for the other party was a Oneness Governor.

Meanwhile, in the Dragon City, the Flag Masters were all busy doing various things.

For a Flag Master, the fastest way to become an Alliance Chief was either to recruit an enormous number of teammates in as little time as possible, or to succeed in numerous challenging tasks. In addition, they also needed time to cultivate, so most of the Flag Masters were incredibly busy.

As for Zen, his greatest problem arose when he was in the cultivation room. It was his weapon.

He had changed three swords in the cave.

Those swords were among the best supreme primordial weapons of the divine land. One of them even had the ability to repair itself. However, they were not strong enough to withstand the force of even one divine megaton, which would blow them to smithereens.

Even though Zen had confidence in the Soaring Snake Sword, which was stronger than the others, he was reluctant to use it as doing so could expose his identity.

Before he knew for sure that the Oneness Sky Palace was not hostile to the Nine Li race, he could not risk blowing his cover by using the Soaring Snake Sword. Thus, his top priority was to find a temporary replacement for it.

Fortunately, the harvest had been good this time, and he had enough divine crystals to spend for a while.

Soon, he arrived in front of a large building.

A large sign atop the doorway to the building said “Best Swords Shop.”

Zen smiled as he read the sign. 'Only the guys at the Oneness Sky Palace are arrogant enough to say their swords are the best, ' he thought.

Just as Zen was about to enter the shop, he saw a movement in his peripheral vision. He turned slowly to see a young man standing some distance away from him. “You followed me,” he said.

Suddenly, he recognized who the young man was—he had been kicked out of a room of the Sword Tower some time ago. “I just want to ask if you have a secret method,” the young man said with an embarrassed smile.

Zen thought for a while. “You mean a secret method for leaving the room of the Sword Tower?” he asked.

“Yes!” said the young man excitedly, his eyes lighting up with surprise.

“Yes, I do,” replied Zen.

The young man's smile grew wider. “Really? I...I will pay...” He was not rich, and did not want to part with his divine crystals, but he knew how hard it was for him to cultivate in the Sword Tower. “I can give you a hundred divine crystals. Please tell me the secret method.” 𝙍á𐌽Ô𐌱Ës

“You don't have to give me any divine crystals,” Zen said with a smile. “The method is simple: you have to be stronger than me. That's it. Then, I guarantee you will come out of the Sword Tower safely.”

“What? Are you saying I'm weaker than you?” the young man asked, his eyes widening.

Although he had just reached the Other Shore Realm, his Other Shore Token was not weak at all.

The difference in cultivation base between the two of them was obvious. The young man was an Other Shore Realm warrior, and yet Zen hadn't even reached the realm. Even though Zen had managed to leave the cultivation room safely, the young man thought Zen had a trick up his sleeve that he didn't want to share.

“That's exactly what I mean,” Zen replied coldly, before turning around and stepping into the Best Swords Shop. But the young man followed him into the shop.

“Hey, hey...” the young man shouted behind him. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and looked around him, seeming to have forgotten why he had entered in the first place. “Do you want to buy a sword?” he asked sheepishly.

“Yes,” replied Zen curtly.

“I can give you some advice. My name is Gant Su. Have you heard of the Su Clan in the Bloom Divine Province? It is a clan famous for weapon refining. Most of the swords in the Oneness Sky Palace are exclusively provided by our Su Clan,” Gant Su said proudly, continuing to follow Zen and occasionally breaking into a jog to keep up with him.

Gant Su's offer seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Zen ignored him and concentrated on the swords on the shelves of the shop.

The swords were lined up on the shelves, one after the other. A faint fragrance emanated from them, and it was hard to pinpoint what they were treated with.

'I know each of the Sword Light Palace's disciples already owns a cyan sword. Even so, I should buy a sword for each of them and for anyone else that chooses to join me in the future, as a token of my appreciation, ' thought Zen, scratching his chin.

“This sword...” Zen said, turning to the salesman and pointing at one of the swords on display. Gant Su, however, stepped forward before Zen could finish his question.

“That is the Spring Sword,” he said. “It is made with the spring water from the Crane Singing Spring, an Other Shore Token. Our Su Clan sells it for 300 divine crystals. Look, they are selling it for 800 divine crystals!”

The face of the salesman standing nearby darkened. However, Gant Su exuded a certain confidence when he spoke, and so the salesman did not dare argue with him.

Zen forced a smile, and his gaze swept towards the sword on the other side. Before he could even open his mouth, Gant Su spoke up again. “Wind Roaring Sword. The sword is most famous for its speed...”

After Gant Su had introduced the backgrounds of more than a dozen swords in a row, Zen made up his mind. Turning to the salesman, he pointed at the shelves. “That one, that one, that one, and that one,” he said, pointing out each sword he wanted.

Both the salesman and Gant Su stared at Zen, wide-eyed. “Do you mean all of them?”

Those four swords would cost almost three thousand divine crystals in total, which was enough to pay the Sword Tower's fee a few times.

“I want forty of each,” Zen said.

Although there had never been a shortage of wealthy customers in the Best Swords Shop, it was rare for a customer to be as generous as Zen. He wanted to buy such a large number of swords, not having even reached the Other Shore Realm yet. They guessed, correctly, that Zen was not buying for himself.

Seeing the suspicious look on the salesman's face, Zen went ahead and extracted the divine crystals from his space ring. Soon, a hundred and twenty thousand divine crystals lay on the counter in a huge pile, glimmering with pure energy. It was a sight to behold.

The salesman's face changed from doubt to pure joy. Gant Su's eyes widened in shock.

As a member of the weapon refining clan, Gant Su had seen a large number of divine crystals in his lifetime. However, this time, he had come to the Dragon City against the Su Clan's will, and thus had little money.

Stunned, he watched as Zen bought over a hundred swords at once.

“Now, do you have a sword of higher quality here by any chance?” Zen asked the salesman.

Zen was obviously a special customer, and the salesman sensed an opportunity to sell even more weapons. “Sir, this way, please,” he said instantly.

Zen followed the salesman into the inner chamber of the shop, Gant Su in close pursuit.

As soon as he entered the inner chamber, Gant Su froze. A man stood there, and Gant Su recognized him at once. Turning around on the spot, he made for the door.

The man, however, beat him to it, and blocked his way. “I see you have no respect for your father's wishes,” said the man in a booming voice. “How long are you going to stay here in the Dragon City?”

“Uncle Rankin, let me go! I will never leave the Dragon City,” Gant Su pleaded.

The Su Clan was a famous clan in the Bloom Divine Province and had a good relationship with the Oneness Sky Palace. Naturally, some of those people were serving in the Dragon City. This person was Rankin Su, one of Gant's uncles.

Of course, Zen didn't have the time or interest to meddle in such petty conflicts within the Su Clan. Turning away from the uncle and his nephew, he looked at the salesman. “What are you going to show me?” he asked.