Chapter 424: 423
The grey bone was only the size of an adult’s fist, resembled the lower jaw of a beast, and its color was dark. On it, Shi Xiaole sensed a vibration that made his muscles and bones restless.
Demon Crystal!
Indeed, this feeling, it was the same as during his last encounter with the Demon Marquis when they jointly absorbed the Demon Crystal.
Demon Crystals and Mystic Crystal Stones were different. They had no fixed shape or color, and they were useless to ordinary people.
But for those with the Demon Bone, the Demon Crystal was an incomparable treasure.
Because it could enhance the power of the Demon Bone, indirectly increasing the martial arts talent of the owner.
Unfortunately, Shi Xiaole was a step too late into the shop. Before him, a young man with a golden band around his head was very interested in the grey bone, saying, "Boss, give me a price, I want this."
"Customer, it’s a fixed price, fifty taels of silver."
It was the shop owner, a layman elder of a certain top-tier sect, who crisply stated.
The young man smiled and took out some silver.
Shi Xiaole was about to open his mouth to negotiate when a crisp voice rang out even faster.
"Wait."
It was a girl in a green lake robe who walked in and said, "I offer one hundred taels of silver."
"Tan Qingyan, are you determined to oppose me?"
The young man with the golden band narrowed his eyes.
"Luo Wenxu, I have no idea what you’re talking about."
The girl called Tan Qingyan had a beaming smile on her face.
Shi Xiaole noticed the change in the shopkeeper’s face and effectively confirmed the identities of the two young people.
Just as he suspected, these two were top-notch geniuses from Xuanwu State, Shi Xiaole had faintly heard their names before.
The reason for their feud was said to be because Luo Wenxu once had a love affair with one of Tan Qingyan’s senior sisters. Subsequently, Luo Wenxu fell for someone else, crushing the heart of that senior sister.
"My patience has limits, Tan Qingyan, I advise you to know when to stop."
Luo Wenxu’s face was fair; his eyes long and narrow, and he had a chilling look.
Tan Qingyan, instead of retreating, advanced, laughed and said, "On what grounds can you order me around?"
A deep killing intent flashed in Luo Wenxu’s eyes. He glanced at the grey bone and stepped away.
Not to mention that fighting wasn’t allowed in the Ancient Land, even if it were, he would not be so impulsive. Luo Wenxu understood that Tan Qingyan was merely opposing him for the sake of opposition. Once she left, he could return to make a purchase.
"Miss Tan, this is yours."
The shopkeeper offered up the grey bone.
Tan Qingyan recoiled her hand.
She had an inherent obsession with cleanliness and hated bones the most. But it wouldn’t be right to not buy it after making a scene, so she simply took out a banknote worth one hundred taels of silver, and said to the shopkeeper, "I’ve given you the money, you can get rid of this thing." Then she turned and walked out.
The shopkeeper and Shi Xiaole looked at each other and laughed.
"Young Master, I see that you are interested, so I will give you this thing."
The shopkeeper handed over the grey bone, appearing generous, but in fact with ulterior motives.
He was certain that Luo Wenxu would not let this go and did not want him and Tan Qingyan to make further trouble, so he decided to dispose of the grey bone promptly.
As for whether the grey bone held any secrets, the shopkeeper had checked it in every possible way and found nothing. Also, Luo Wenxu was known to collect antiques, possibly he saw some collector’s value in this grey bone.
"Thank you, Boss."
After buying some items and casually taking the grey bone, Shi Xiaole left satisfactorily.
"Brother, are you willing to sell that bone? I’m willing to pay a high price."
Luo Wenxu came out around the corner and stopped Shi Xiaole.
"Sorry, I quite like it too. Maybe you can look elsewhere."
Shi Xiaole said.
"Brother, could you offer me some respect? If you ever need something in the future, you can mention my name, Luo Wenxu, at the Tianluo Sect."
Luo Wenxu spoke calmly and confidently.
Tianluo Sect, a top-tier power in Xuanwu State, was one of the most powerful sects in the Martial World besides several other top-level powers. It had many formidable fighters and its resources and influence were well beyond ordinary imagination.
As one of the outstanding disciples of the Tianluo Sect, Luo Wenxu had every right to be proud.
To put it bluntly, walking around the Martial World, just mentioning his name, even the sect master of a second-tier sect, would dare not slight him.
Looking at Shi Xiaole, he appeared to be a novice in the Martial World. Giving him some face is already his luck from his past life.
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Luo, but I don’t need it."
Shi Xiaole moved forward.
"Brother, don’t overstep when I show you respect."
Luo Wenxu’s face suddenly darkened.
If it weren’t for the fact that they were in the Ancient Land where fighting was prohibited, he would definitely teach Shi Xiaole a harsh lesson. This Martial World newbie, to put it mildly, was as fearless as a newborn calf, and to put it harshly, was profoundly ignorant.
Moving swiftly, Luo Wenxu blocked Shi Xiaole’s path. His pupils suddenly started spinning: "Strip down and hand over the items."
As a top-tier power in Xuanwu State, the Tianluo Sect naturally held the Pupil Skill martial arts. Given Luo Wenxu’s talent, he had already mastered the second-tier low-grade Pupil Skill - Swirl Eye, to perfection.
"Luo Wenxu, bullying the weak, what kind of skill is that?"
Just as Shi Xiaole was considering a counterattack, Tan Qingyan darted across. A ripple of spiritual energy bloomed in the air, causing the surrounding martial arts practitioners to reel.
"Fighting is forbidden within the city. If you have grudges, settle them in the Ancient Land. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite."
Seeing that the two were about to start a fight, a group of people in green walked over. They were the security team of the Ancient Land Union, responsible for maintaining order in the city. The leader spoke bluntly.
"Tan Qingyan, don’t push me."
Luo Wenxu’s face turned ashen as his plans were once again thwarted.
"What if I do push you? If you dare, fight me in the Ancient Land."
Tan Qingyan surged with an aggressive momentum.
"Fine, after today, I will make sure you never dare to oppose me again."
Fully aware that dealing with Tan Qingyan would stall his pursuit of the bone, Luo Wenxu’s eyes flashed with determination. He decided to get past this hurdle first, before dealing with Shi Xiaole.
With a swish, the two prodigies disappeared from the spot.
The leader of the security team gave Shi Xiaole a glance before leaving with the other members.
"Aren’t those Tan Qingyan and Luo Wenxu? Both are outstanding talents from Xuanwu State. Their fight will surely be exciting."
"What are you waiting for? Hurry to the Ancient Land."
The surrounding martial arts practitioners were also eager to join in on the excitement. In no time, more than half of the people on the street had left.
Shi Xiaole had heard that Tan Qingyan and Luo Wenxu had fought each other three times, each ending in a draw. Given their statuses, the officials of the Ancient Land would not let anything disastrous happen to them. So, after some thought, he decided not to hurry to the Ancient Land.
Inside a lavishly decorated guest room.
Shi Xiaole took out a grey bone from his system space. It felt smooth to the touch and faintly warm.
A true pure Demon Crystal would react instantly upon contacting someone with Demon Bone. It was clear that this grey bone wasn’t a pure Demon Crystal.
He circulated the Invisible Gang Qi and dust began to fall from the surface of the grey bone. Its inner quality was identical to its exterior, but a surge of energy suddenly entered Shi Xiaole’s body.
His muscles and bones felt as if they had been soaked in a hot spring. Shi Xiaole felt so good he wanted to moan.
Omm... omm... omm...
Where the Demon Crystal power flowed, his muscles and bones vibrated in ways no ordinary person could sense. With each vibration, impurities were expelled from his pores.
When the Demon Crystal power depleted, Shi Xiaole’s muscles and bones changed from a pale grey to a mid-grey color. A mighty and intense aura of the Devil Path emanated from him.
"What is my connection with the Devil Path?"
Shi Xiaole looked puzzled, opening his palm, a layer of demonic energy wound around it. It changed shape according to his thoughts and fell to the ground, immediately corroding little spotty holes on the floor.
His Demon Bone level had risen again.
Shi Xiaole was almost certain that if he used Demon Jade Hand now, it would be no less powerful than the Wind Thirteen Style, but if he used the Fifteenth Death Claiming Sword, it would be far superior to the Wind Thirteen Style.
"I’ve heard that a person’s Demon Bone can’t level up indefinitely. At most, it can only absorb the power of two to three Demon Crystals."
Having a Demon Bone did not frighten Shi Xiaole.
What really scared him was that his muscles and bones were not absorbing the power of the Demon Crystal. Instead, they seemed to be using it to wash away the surface ’grime’ and restore their original form.
Like a peerless jade, no matter what it’s wrapped in, it can’t hide its radiance.
What kind of existence is his Demon Bone?
Shi Xiaole thought of even more possibilities.
Whether or not a person has a Demon Bone depends on fate. But for it to appear on someone as powerful as him, it would seem forced to say that it was random.
Did his parents, or at least one of them, have a deep connection with the Devil Path?
If that was indeed the case, what would he do in the future?
"Be true to myself and go with the flow."
Soon after, Shi Xiaole smiled again.
The last thing one should do in life is to create trouble for oneself. Why bother thinking too much about things that haven’t happened?
If you come to the Ancient Land, you definitely can’t miss the excavation area.
However, the conditions to enter were quite stringent. To stay for a 2-hour period, you had to pay ten thousand taels of silver. Can’t afford it? No problem, the Ancient Land Union would detain you until you could make the payment.
For three consecutive days, Shi Xiaole spent six 2-hour periods each in the excavation area, spending a total of one hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver. Unfortunately, his luck hadn’t been good. The few items he excavated were all common goods.
"This won’t do. If it continues like this, I’m going to run out of money."
Shi Xiaole gave a bitter smile.
Although he had the support of Red Dragon Divine Palace and Lele City, and didn’t have to worry about income, Shi Xiaole didn’t find it easy to spend their money.
The former was a force of the Devil Path, making it difficult to tell where the money came from.
The latter, after all, was his aunt’s enterprise with many disciples and businesses to support. If he spent money recklessly and caused a shortage of funds, it would be a big joke.
"Maybe, I should go see the Ancient Land and give it a shot."
Shi Xiaole thought of the Ancient Land.
The Ancient Land was the only place in the Ancient Ruins where fights were allowed. As long as both parties agreed, they could fight on the platform. Most importantly, there were rewards for winning on the platform.
For instance, if you win two consecutive matches, you get ten thousand taels of silver.
If you win three consecutive matches, you get twenty thousand taels of silver.
And so on. With each additional victory, the number of silver taels would double.
It is said that anyone who can win ten consecutive matches can not only get two hundred and fifty-six thousand taels of silver but also a sun and moon crystal stone gifted by the Ancient Land League.
