Empyrean Grade Weapons!

Underground Testing Facility, Lotus Plaza.

"Elder Zhang, what do you think?"

"Little Xinyue is right. The young man is indeed from the Baihu clan," the bearded old man replied as he began examining the Jian sword.

"Why do you think he's using a false identity... And looks like he's decently talented? Why would he be alone?"

The old man looked at his apprentice before continuing with the examination. "Why do you care?

"It's not uncommon for youngsters to leave the clan for an adventure, and sometimes they prefer to be alone and not be under constant protection."

Pointing the sword at his apprentice, the old man spoke with glee in his voice, "The question you should be asking is how did he get his hands on these? These items, well at least the swords, seem to be real Empyrean grade swords."

With a steel pick, the old man tried scratching the surface of the blade. After failing to leave a mark, he switched his pick and repeated the process. After a few attempts, the old man ran out of picks.

"The quality of the steel is exceptional. The tempering of the edge is immaculate; none of the regular picks leave a scratch.

"And I can sense the thunder element of the sword... This seems to be forged using a special type of fire," The old man's excitement grew as he spoke.

"Maybe he really found them like he said."

The old man nodded his head as he said, "Maybe... Well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, request Elder Fu to come to the testing facility.

"The other items would need his expertise, and since he's an Empyrean, he could test these weapons to the fullest extent."

The apprentice acknowledged the command and bowed before leaving.

***

One hour later, pieces of test dummies were strewn across the floor of the testing facility. The lingering thunder element in the air caused everyone's hair to stand on end.

Some test dummies were charred to bits, and the only clue of their existence was the trail of ash left behind.

In another corner, what was once an intact wall of heavy meteoric steel, which was extremely durable, was now missing large chunks.

Old man Zhang and his apprentice, who witnessed the entire ordeal, were standing inside a protective formation, completely unharmed. With their mouths agape, they were in a daze.

Elder Fu, who was now laughing uproariously, woke them up from their daze.

"Old Zhang, these are no ordinary Empyrean grade weapons. These are truly the best I've ever seen. They are just a step below Demi Saint...

"If I were a greedy person, I would've silenced you and ran off with these," Elder Fu said mischievously.

"Stop joking, Old Fu. What do we do about this formation disk? Looks like it's a single use item and can't be reverted once deployed," Shaking his head, Elder Zhang sighed, "It's a pity... We've wasted an Empyrean grade protective formation... And what do we tell the young man?"

Elder Fu, who remained unconcerned about the issue, said in a calm voice, "I'm sure the young man will understand... Besides, what better way to grade it than actually putting it to use?

"Old Zhang, you should enter seclusion and quickly breakthrough from sovereign to Empyrean. The Duyi realm will open soon. With Old Wang and Old Han dispatched to protect the caravan— If we don't have two Empyreans, we will be at a disadvantage."

Stepping out of the protective formation, Old man Zhang nodded solemnly, "I have a feeling I'm nearly there. I was originally planning to go into seclusion once the coming VIP auction ends.

"I think the best time for auctioning these would be the coming VIP auction. With the Duyi realm soon to open, they'll fight each other to get their hands on these."

Thinking for a while, Elder Fu nodded his head, "Yes, that makes sense. But we should delay the auction by a couple of days and announce the news of Empyrean items being up for auction. That should give everyone enough time to liquidate some wealth," he smiled as he said the last part.

Instructing his apprentice to relay the information to the other Elders, Elder Zhang gathered the items, placing them back in the storage box.

Looking at Elder Fu, who still had a grin on his face, Elder Zhang spoke with a smile, "Come, It's time to meet our money maker."

***

Opening the door to the appraisal room, Elder Fu and Elder Zhang saw that the young man who they were so eager to meet was lying on the floor and snoring loudly.

Sensing someone tap on his shoulder, Lu Feng woke up from his sleep. Looking at the floor he was sleeping on, he tried to remember when he got up from the chair and lay down on the floor.

'And was I just snoring!?'

Lu Feng was disturbed from his thoughts when Elder Zhang helped him up as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Master Lu. It seems we've taken more time than you've expected, causing you to sleep."

Hiding his embarrassment, Lu Feng put on a stoic face, with not an iota of shame visible.

"The manager arranged a feast, after eating and drinking a lot, I was feeling sleepy and lay down on the floor. So how did the appraisal go?"

Elder Zhang, who was glad to have moved past the awkward scene, spoke with a smile on his face, "First, let me introduce Elder Fu. He is one of our Empyrean cultivators and the head of the appraisal department. He thoroughly examined the items."

Looking at Elder Fu, who was quite tall and had no beard, and was dressed in luxurious robes, Lu Feng immediately labeled him as 'Fancy Elder.'

With a cupped fist, Lu Feng greeted Elder Fu, "Nice to meet you, Senior. My name is Lu Feng. I hope the items held up well to your scrutiny."

"Straight to business talk... First why don't we all take a seat," Elder Fu gestured for Lu Feng to be seated.

With everyone seated, Elder Fu placed the storage box on the table and carefully took out its contents before placing them on the table.

"You're indeed a capable young man. Peak Origin level cultivation at around twenty isn't an easy feat. And you seem to be from the Baihu clan's younger generation. How do you like the Eastern lands so far?"

Both Lu Feng and Elder Zhang were surprised at the question, though for different reasons.

Though it was unexpected, Lu Feng didn't feel it was detrimental, and decided to act appropriately.

Scratching his hair, and with a sheepish smile on his face, "That... Senior... I hope you're not offended. Being under constant protection was a bit too much for me, so I decided to venture out for an experience. I always wanted to visit the sunny Eastern lands... So, here I am."

Elder Fu and Elder Zhang, who were totally convinced, burst out laughing. They didn't think the young man would admit it so easily.

Elder Zhang chimed in, "Good lad, indeed, it's good to experience the world by yourself. One more thing, were you telling the truth? Do these items not belong to the Baihu clan?"

"Of course not, Senior. How would I dare if they belonged to the clan? I had to overcome substantial hardships to get my hands on these items...

"Rogue cultivators, trapping formations, and even beast tides. Luckily, I had plenty of talismans and am myself pretty strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't have seen these today," Lu Feng answered without breaking a sweat.

Elder Fu and Elder Zhang were thoroughly impressed. It's not every day that you see a privileged young man going out solo and risking his life for material things.

Banging on the table, Elder Fu spoke with a loud voice, "Good! Lad, what you did is the correct way to grow strong. Only by putting your life on the line can you find what you're made of.

"Many of the young masters of the big families are nothing but soft persimmons. Without their protectors, they wouldn't last a day out in the real world..."

Elder Zhang interrupted the nonsense with a cough.

Elder Fu understood the intention. After a deep breath, he spoke in a calm voice, "Alright, don't mind my ramblings... Alright, let's get down to business...

"What can I say, these items are above and beyond what you described. They're all peak Empyrean grade items. These are some of the best weapons I've seen in the last decade or so.

"Frankly, I'm greatly tempted to buy them from you directly, and I would appreciate it if you did. Having said that, If you're inclined to have them auctioned, I have made the necessary preparations already.

"There's a secret realm that's going to open soon and now would be the best time to sell these, so we've postponed the upcoming VIP auction by two days, and we will be sending an announcement shortly to all the interested parties. So, what will it be?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Lu Feng replied, "Senior, I'd like to auction these items..."

Elder Fu, who expected the answer, sighed in disappointment. But Lu Feng's next words cheered him up.

"That doesn't mean I don't have other Empyrean grade items. The reason I didn't bring out all the items was because I didn't want to come for wool and go back shorn."

Elder Fu, who was now excited beyond measure, roared loudly, "Nonsense! Lad, we don't scam our customers. We may negotiate prices, but I promise, we never do something like stealing items for ourselves..."

After calming down, Elder Fu continued, "But I understand your concern, honestly, that's the right thing to do... Alright, we will auction these items at the VIP auction four days from now... The standard percentage we charge is thirty-five percent... How about we do twenty-five?"

"Twenty-five is fine, Senior. It's a deal," Lu Feng wasn't bothered about the commission too much. This was extremely tame compared to a few auction houses he dealt with in other worlds.

Elder Zhang interjected, "By the way, and we're sorry for this, but we used up one of the twelve formation disks. Of course we will compensate..."

Lu Feng cut off old man Zhang, "That's absolutely fine, Senior. I expected a few of the formations disks to be used up during testing."

"See Old Zhang, what did I tell you... What about the other Empyrean grade items?" Elder Fu asked with expectation.

"I'll bring them tomorrow. I too have a request, Senior. I would like books on alchemy, from basics to rare pill recipes, the more the better. Of course, I will pay the market price," Lu Feng said as he got up from his seat.

Elder Fu, whose face now beamed with joy, spoke, "Sure, lad. I'll have them arranged. I'll be waiting for you!"

Greeting them one last time, Lu Feng left the Lotus Plaza and soon arrived at his room at the Golden Inn. A few minutes later, he was quickly asleep on his comfortable bed.

***