Chapter Five: Master Zhao Yuyang

Tu Lu paused slightly, furrowing his brows as he turned to look behind him.

“I must have… seen it wrong.”

He felt that his sister had frightened him into a state of nervousness; even if that little girl lived in the slums as well, the slums were vast—how could such a coincidence occur? Shaking his head, he stopped pondering and continued eastward toward the city.

Perhaps it was because he had become a cultivator; his stamina had greatly increased, and even his walking speed had quickened. Only when among crowds did he still feign a frail and sickly appearance, precisely as Lin Ru had instructed.

Yet… he felt a bit stifled inside. When he was still a mortal, he never walked so cautiously. Now that he was a cultivator, he moved as if walking on thin ice, always feeling that something was amiss…

“At last, I’ve arrived!”

After about an hour, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Before him stood a massive, earth-yellow building, which from afar resembled a mound, but up close exuded an overwhelming aura. This aura—after becoming a cultivator—was especially palpable! If one paid careful attention, it even inspired a sense of terror, not unlike the dreadful stone beast at the back of the Thunder Mountain!

“Truly worthy of the Heavenly Dragon Market!”

Tu Lu couldn’t help but take a deep breath. He remembered that in the past, whenever he came here, he could only gaze from afar, but this time, he was to step inside for real, and excitement stirred within him.

He adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder and strode inside.

The Heavenly Dragon Market was a merchants’ hub for cultivators; ordinary people were few and far between, most being mortal martial artists on the verge of breaking through to the Mountain-moving Stage, and there were even quite a few low-level cultivators among them!

This made his presence especially conspicuous!

As soon as he entered, countless eyes turned toward him.

Yet, after a single glance, all these people dismissed him with disdain, turning their heads away.

In their eyes, Tu Lu was nothing but a destitute middle-aged man, belonging to a world entirely separate from theirs, not worth their attention.

Even the attendants who would normally greet guests hesitated, then chose to ignore him.

“How dare they underestimate me like this!”

Tu Lu felt indignant. In the past, he wouldn’t have minded, but now that he was a cultivator, being disregarded was one thing, but the contempt on their faces truly irked him!

Adding to his frustration was his sister’s command, which had kept his spirits low all day—now, at last, it erupted!

“Where is your manager? Have him come out—I’ve got big business here!”

But… aside from a few mortal martial artists who cast him annoyed glances, the rest acted as though they hadn’t heard him at all.

Even the attendants frowned; after a long while, one reluctantly walked over.

“Sir, if you’re here merely to purchase some spirit rice or strength talismans, you may do so over there yourself. Please don’t shout—Heavenly Dragon Market has its rules. If guests don’t observe them, don’t blame us for showing you the door!”

Though the attendant’s tone was harsh, at least he gave directions. Just as he was about to leave, he paused, turned to size up Tu Lu with a mocking gaze, and added, “Of course, our market does carry some pills for special needs. You look depleted—spent too much energy in the bedroom, perhaps? If you wish to regain your vigor, you may try over there.”

Tu Lu was stunned, then followed the direction indicated, his face reddening all the way down his neck!

Revitalizing Pill, Tiger Strength Powder, Pill of Unyielding Might…

“Hey!”

Shame and anger surged within him; he was about to call out to the attendant, but the man had already walked away, wearing a scornful smile.

“….”

For a moment, Tu Lu was utterly dumbfounded.

He had come to sell Thunder Stones, but his sister had warned him: even though he had disguised himself, until he met the owner of the Heavenly Dragon Market, he must not reveal the Thunder Stones.

But… what should he do now?

Just then, he noticed a crowd gathered in a corner—indeed, almost everyone in the market was over there. Curiosity piqued, he hitched up the bag on his shoulder and headed in that direction.

…

“Master Zhao is publicly inscribing runes—a rare sight.”

“Old Niu, what do you think the chances are that Master Zhao will succeed this time?”

“Master Zhao is the chief rune master of Divine Wind City, his skills are second to none. If he’s inscribing runes in public, he must have some confidence. Still, rune inscription requires luck; I’d say… a thirty percent chance at best!”

“Thirty percent! That’s impressive.”

The questioner inhaled sharply, clearly awed.

Tu Lu squeezed quietly into the corner, only to discover that this was a spot dedicated to rune inscription, and seated at the center was Divine Wind City’s acknowledged foremost rune master, Zhao Yu Yang!

As a native of the Divine Continent, Tu Lu had certainly heard of rune inscription, though he knew little detail. He only knew it was a highly complex art that could elevate the quality of objects, with great utility both in crafting weapons and refining pills. Anyone proficient in this art was regarded as a master, and their status among cultivators was extremely high.

If one were to inscribe the relevant runes onto an ordinary Purification Pill, its efficacy would instantly multiply severalfold. In fact, if the runes were profound enough, even a common Purification Pill could rival the effects of a supreme quality one!

Of course, no one would actually inscribe runes onto a Purification Pill.

Thinking on this, Tu Lu found himself intrigued by rune inscription and watched intently from the corner.

Meanwhile, the surrounding voices gradually faded, for Zhao Yu Yang’s inscription had reached a critical moment—everyone’s gaze fixated on the jade-green bamboo staff before him.

Tu Lu also noticed that among the crowd, a middle-aged man with a square face was particularly nervous.

Tu Lu nodded inwardly; the bamboo staff must be his magical instrument. But rune inscription—even by Divine Wind City’s chief master Zhao Yu Yang—couldn’t guarantee success. If it failed, the instrument wouldn’t necessarily be destroyed, but it would certainly suffer some damage, so the square-faced man’s anxiety was understandable.

Suddenly, the black stone tucked in Tu Lu’s chest emitted a surge of heat, causing his expression to change!

In that instant, his vision seemed to accelerate—the movements of Zhao Yu Yang’s hands became ever swifter, third rune, fourth rune… In the blink of an eye, eleven runes glowed upon the bamboo staff, intricately interlocked, exuding a profound sense of mystery.

But just as Zhao Yu Yang began inscribing the twelfth rune, the third rune at the top abruptly flared, and the circulating energies collided, bursting forth in a shower of sparks!

Danger!

Seeing the bamboo staff about to be destroyed, a terrifying energy spread, as if an explosion was imminent. Tu Lu’s heart sank—he sensed a genuine threat from the staff!

Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but at the very instant he moved, everything snapped back to normal—Zhao Yu Yang had only just begun inscribing the third rune.

“What… just happened?”

The scene had been so bizarre that Tu Lu’s mouth hung open in bewilderment.

He instinctively touched his chest, where the black stone was hidden, but just as he was about to do so, his eyes widened in astonishment!

Zhao Yu Yang’s movements, now slower, matched exactly what he had witnessed earlier: from the third rune, to the fourth, the fifth… the entire process of inscribing the eleventh rune was identical!

No—something’s wrong!

As Zhao Yu Yang was about to inscribe the twelfth rune, Tu Lu’s heart jolted and he cried out, “Careful with the third rune at the top!”

His words fell, and silence descended. All eyes turned to him—some angry, some disapproving, some icy. Even Zhao Yu Yang paused in surprise, but he paid Tu Lu no mind, instead focusing his attention on the third rune above, his expression darkening.

Witnessing this, the others assumed Zhao Yu Yang had been disrupted by Tu Lu, and their faces turned exceedingly grim!