Chapter 135: The Immortal Cave

Yang Ze frowned slightly. He had not expected a sudden burst of murderous intent from within the armory, nor had he anticipated that the Third-Rank Pulse Opening Realm deacon would offer no help to defend against it.

Though unaware of why the deacon acted this way, Yang Ze instinctively reached back and drew his Blood Slaughter Saber.

As the Blood Slaughter Saber appeared within the armory, a sharp aura radiated from the blade, immediately clashing with the surging murderous intent.

The Blood Slaughter Saber in his hand trembled slightly, a flash of blade light illuminating the metal. All the murderous intent pressing in on Yang Ze was instantly repelled, unable to draw near him at all.

As Yang Ze sheathed the Blood Slaughter Saber once more, the deacon kept his eyes fixed on the weapon, letting out a soft sound of admiration.

"Indeed a top-tier sharp weapon, and judging by its appearance, an exceptionally fine one at that. For an unregistered disciple to possess such a treasure, your fortune is truly profound," the deacon said with a hint of envy. Even with his cultivation and status, he did not possess a top-tier sharp weapon of his own.

However, envy aside, he harbored no thoughts of forcibly seizing Yang Ze's weapon. The sect rules were stern; he dared not rob from Yang Ze.

"Very well, you may search for the weapon you desire within this armory. But you have only half an hour, so be quick about it. Once you find it, present your token to complete the exchange."

After the deacon finished speaking, Yang Ze stepped further inside. This armory was several times larger than the storage facility of the Misty Commerce Guild in Wen City.

With no guide this time and only half an hour at his disposal, he could not afford to waste a single moment. If he failed to find something quickly, this opportunity would be squandered, and securing another chance would cost him far more time.

Weaving through rows of racks, Yang Ze bypassed all the stands holding mortal-grade weapons and headed straight for the section displaying sharp weapons.

Upon entering the sharp weapon zone, he made a bee-line for the defensive armaments. Yang Ze had a very clear idea of what he needed.

With the Blood Slaughter Saber in his possession, his offensive capabilities were more than sufficient. Moreover, due to his current level of strength, he was still unable to unleash the full might of the saber.

Therefore, there was no need to seek out offensive armaments. On the other hand, his defensive capabilities were severely lacking; if he were to take a few direct hits from a formidable enemy, it would spell certain doom.

Thus, he urgently needed to find protective gear.

Searching through the racks in this section, Yang Ze's gaze quickly locked onto a row holding inner armor. Walking over, he found a collection of wooden boxes neatly arranged on the shelves.

Each wooden box bore a label indicating the exact grade of the inner armor stored within.

A sweeping glance revealed a considerable number of top-tier sharp weapons; nearly twenty sets of inner armor were of the top-tier sharp weapon grade, while fifty or sixty sets were of the mid-tier sharp weapon grade.

Seeing such a vast array of inner armor alone, Yang Ze drew a sharp breath. The Misty Martial Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a supreme power ruling the entire state.

This Armament Hall, merely serving the mountain peak of the unregistered disciples, housed such an abundance of fine armaments. The true foundation of the entire Misty Martial Academy was simply beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Opening the wooden boxes one by one, Yang Ze began inspecting the inner armor. After reviewing every single set back and forth, he ultimately selected a piece named the Crimson Sand Phosphor Flame Armor.

The quality of this inner armor might not have been the absolute best among the mid-tier sharp weapon armors, but it possessed an exceptionally high degree of resilience. It would be no easy feat for an ordinary martial artist to tear through this armor using true essence.

Furthermore, it could withstand a certain degree of flame-based attacks, making it align perfectly with his requirements.

With only a short while remaining of the half-hour limit, Yang Ze did not head back out with the wooden box in hand, but instead ventured deeper into the armory.

Walking further inward, he soon noticed the number of racks ahead plummeting sharply, leaving only a handful, with the quantity of weapons placed upon them growing exceedingly sparse.

Yet, from these few remaining weapons, piercingly sharp auras emanated so fiercely that he dared not take another step forward. Even from a distance, the sharp aura grazing his skin threatened to lacerate it.

"Precious weapons," Yang Ze muttered to himself. Only precious weapons, which surpassed ordinary sharp weapons, could possess such terrifying might even when left idle.

Gazing at these precious weapons, a surge of yearning arose in his heart, yet he dared not act rashly.

Firstly, these precious weapons were not his to claim; secondly, he lacked the capability to wield them.

He was still unable to fully unleash the power of a single top-tier sharp weapon. If he were actually given a precious weapon now, he feared he would be backlashed by its power before he could even use it.

Taking a deep breath and estimating that time was nearly up, Yang Ze picked up the wooden box and turned to leave.

Locating the deacon still standing guard by the entrance, Yang Ze produced his iron token and successfully completed the exchange for the Crimson Sand Phosphor Flame Armor.

Holding the Crimson Sand Phosphor Flame Armor, joy flashed across Yang Ze's eyes, though he refrained from putting it on immediately and safely tucked it away instead.

Shortly after, the deacon closed the heavy doors of the armory and escorted Yang Ze outside.

The moment Yang Ze stepped out of the Armament Hall's main gates, the crowd that had been waiting outside for a long time surged forward, tightly encircling him until escape became impossible.

Having waited here for ages, they were finally rewarded with Yang Ze's emergence. Driven by curiosity and impulse, they desperately wanted to see what kind of weapon he had managed to exchange for.

Seeing the crowd close in around him, a cold glint appeared in Yang Ze's eyes. These people were utterly lacking in tact; he decided it was time to teach them a lesson.

The Blood Slaughter Saber behind his back leaped from its scabbard, and the aura of the ninth stage of true essence erupted from his body. Blade momentum swirled around the weapon as Yang Ze prepared to launch a fierce assault.

Pressured by this intimidating momentum, several disciples at the ninth stage of true essence grew timid and immediately retreated. One individual, seeing the crowd pressing in on Yang Ze, scampered away in a blur and made a frantic dash toward the Armament Hall to seize the opening.

Seeing someone make a preemptive charge for the Armament Hall, the rest of the crowd grew restless. Only one person could enter to select a weapon at a time; if someone else beat them to it, they would be forced to wait even longer.

In the blink of an eye, the majority of the crowd surrounding Yang Ze dissipated. The remaining few, noting the shifting situation, exchanged uneasy glances and quickly scattered as well.

Watching the rapid sequence of events unfold, Yang Ze wore a rather peculiar expression. The blade momentum he had just gathered dispersed, and with a shake of his head, he sheathed the Blood Slaughter Saber, turning to walk toward the peak of Qingyang Peak.

He still needed to redeem his contribution points while there was time; he had not forgotten that he still owed Lin Hui a debt of contribution points.

Having secured the reward of three thousand contribution points this time, not only could he clear his debts, but he would also find himself quite well-off. Three thousand contribution points! How many years would an unregistered disciple have to toil just to earn that much?

An hour later, Yang Ze emerged from Qingyang Hall. The paper voucher was gone, but the contribution points registered on his identity token had leaped directly from zero to three thousand.

Unconsciously touching the leather pouch at his waist, Yang Ze wore a satisfied smile.

Ever since entering the Misty Martial Academy, the scarcity of contribution points had been a persistent headache for him. While he could be considered wealthy in terms of silver taels, he had been a genuine pauper when it came to contribution points.

Yet now, he could barely be considered to have entered a moderately prosperous life. Three thousand contribution points should be sufficient to sustain his cultivation all the way to the First-Rank Bone Tempering Realm.

The First-Rank Bone Tempering Realm—this was Yang Ze's paramount pursuit at the current stage. Why else was he fighting so desperately? Aside from fulfilling Ning Teng's entrustment, it was to acquire resources and break through to the first rank.

An unregistered disciple remained at the absolute periphery of the Misty Martial Academy, occupying too low a tier. Such a status could not last forever. Without becoming a first-rank martial artist and entering the outer courtyard, one remained nothing more than an ant.

With this thought, his pace quickened considerably, but he had not gone many steps before he abruptly halted.

Standing directly in his path was a figure clad in black—Xie Yuan, the peak master elder.

"Disciple Yang Ze pays respects to the Peak Master Elder!" Yang Ze immediately cupped his fists and bowed deeply.

A wave of tension instantly gripped his heart. Why would Xie Yuan suddenly appear here to block his way? Coupled with Xie Yuan's earlier hostile maneuvers against him, Yang Ze had never held a favorable impression of this elder.

"There's no need to be so afraid of me. I harbor no malice toward you; I came to find you simply because I have something to give you." Perhaps perceiving the thoughts racing through Yang Ze's mind, Xie Yuan offered a reassuring explanation.

"This disciple wouldn't dare."

"Dare or not, you may be young, but your mind is far from simple. Back when I was your age, my martial cultivation might not have been high, but my blood was hot and brawls were a daily occurrence—after all, martial artists possess vigorous blood and naturally temper hotter tempers.

"Yet look at you. You harbor endless schemes, choosing to preserve yourself at the critical moment rather than risking a fight. Truly astute, aren't you?"

As Xie Yuan spoke, he scrutinized Yang Ze up and down. Among the top ten unregistered disciples, Yang Ze was remarkably the only one who remained completely uninjured.

Yet, try as he might, he could not detect a single flaw in Yang Ze's demeanor.

How could Xie Yuan possibly know that Yang Ze had lived through two lifetimes and possessed none of the recklessness typical of other disciples? His caution and prudence were simply unmatched by his peers.

"Enough. I didn't come here to discuss that matter. Come, I'll take you to my cavern dwelling."

"A cavern dwelling? Elder, surely that isn't appropriate." Yang Ze's heart skipped a beat, his gaze toward Xie Yuan shifting abruptly. A cavern dwelling was vastly different from the standard dormitories; it was a private sanctuary. For Xie Yuan to invite him to such a place—who knew what the elder intended?

Noticing the shift in Yang Ze's eyes, Xie Yuan's expression darkened with irritation. Without another word, he reached out and grabbed Yang Ze, locking his body down with true essence. Activating his movement technique, he vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.