Volume 1, Chapter 8: Thousand-Refined Golden Greatsword

The heavy sword was golden throughout, blinding to the eye and undeniably ostentatious. The hilt was engraved with the words "Golden Heavy Sword," a name as simple and blunt as the weapon itself. While its length, width, and thickness were slightly different from what Ye Cheng had requested, it still felt reasonably comfortable in his hand.

Manager Hong introduced it with excitement, "Young Master Ye, you’ve picked up a real gem! This heavy sword is of the thousand-forged grade. Its material is incredibly durable; you won’t suffer any wear and tear while hunting ordinary exotic beasts, and it will hold up even against those of the constitution type."

He pointed to a protrusion on the sword’s hilt and added, "The most unique feature is the gravity device embedded within the core. This is the adjustment switch."

"By pressing this, you can freely select the gear. There are seven settings, ranging from three thousand to nine thousand catties, with each gear increasing the weight by one thousand catties."

Manager Hong’s round face stretched into a wide, happy grin. "This way, this heavy sword will be able to accompany you for a very long time."

Ye Cheng smiled even more broadly than the manager, clapping his hands. "That’s truly excellent!"

His purpose in coming here had been to find a heavy sword that started at three thousand catties. Not only had he found one, but it could also be adjusted up to nine thousand. When the time came to retire this Golden Heavy Sword, his Xuantian Heavy Sword would be able to take its place seamlessly! It was as if it had been custom-made for him.

"Hahahaha!"

The two shared a laugh, but suddenly, they both reined in their smiles. A strange atmosphere began to permeate the room.

"Ahem, ahem."

Manager Hong coughed lightly and pointed at the Golden Heavy Sword, asking, "Young Master Ye, do you have a spatial ring? If not, walking around town with this big piece of equipment might attract some unwanted attention."

Ye Cheng blinked, sighing, "I don't. I'm a poor man; spatial rings are so expensive that I can't afford one."

As if performing a magic trick, Manager Hong pulled a ring from his pocket and smiled. "I have a small-capacity spatial ring here. Take it as a gift."

Ye Cheng hurriedly waved his hands to decline. "I couldn't! We've only just met; how could I accept such a precious gift..."

Despite these words, he accepted the ring with little hesitation and immediately slipped it onto his finger. He sent his consciousness inside; it was indeed a small-capacity model, just enough to store the Golden Heavy Sword. Not a bit more.

*Small capacity isn't a problem,* Ye Cheng thought. *As long as I have one, it’s fine. Otherwise, people might get suspicious if I keep pulling things out of my system space. I can wear this ring constantly to throw them off the trail.*

Afterward, Ye Cheng tucked the Golden Heavy Sword into the spatial ring and shook Manager Hong’s hand sincerely. "Thanks to your help today, Manager Hong—authenticating my status, finding the weapon, and even gifting me this ring—I am truly grateful! Well, I have matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll treat you to a meal another day."

Manager Hong rose to see Ye Cheng off. "You're too kind, Young Master Ye. It was my duty; no need for a meal! Your time is precious, so I won't keep you. Let me see you out."

Ye Cheng waved his hand. "No need, no need! I can find my own way."

"It's no trouble at all. Let's go."

Manager Hong enthusiastically escorted Ye Cheng out of the firm and stood watching for a long time until Ye Cheng vanished into the crowd before returning to his office.

***

He then pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. Gone was his previous enthusiasm; he spoke in a cold, chilling tone. "Did you see the person I just sent off? He’s from the Ye family and just picked up a fair amount of supplies. He is our target."

"...So what if he’s from the Ye family? He’s just a fringe reject, don't be afraid! He only just advanced to a martial artist; he’s pathetically weak!"

"Don't interrupt me! Follow him and seize the supplies. Remember to keep it clean—find somewhere secluded before you strike!"

"Also, that storage ring is mine. Don't you dare keep it for yourselves! I'm telling you now to avoid any squabbling later."

"That’s all!"

After hanging up, the manager’s smiling eyes were filled with murderous intent.

***

*Enthusiasm is one thing, but being so generous as to give away a storage ring? That’s a huge red flag!*

Ye Cheng wandered the streets. He appeared aimless, but in reality, he was constantly monitoring his surroundings. Sure enough, within minutes, he noticed several ill-intentioned individuals tailing him. It didn't take a genius to know it was connected to Manager Hong.

From the first moment he met him, he had felt that the manager was a man who hid a dagger behind his smile. The more enthusiastic the manager became, the more suspicious he seemed. Ye Cheng had kept his guard up, playing along with the manager’s fake kindness at the firm solely to lull him into a false sense of security.

As expected, the moment he left, he had a "tail."

*Their tracking skills are pathetic; they gave themselves away after just a few turns. To send someone like this after me—does Fatty Hong look down on me that much?*

After testing them a few times, Ye Cheng gauged the skill level of his trackers and stopped worrying.

Returning to the Martial Artist Building, his credentials had been prepared.

"This is your martial artist license, which also serves as your permit to leave the city. Please keep it safe; if you lose it, come back immediately for a replacement. Remember to return to update your credentials and claim your rewards whenever you reach a new major realm."

"This is your martial artist badge. Keep it safe and wear it on your left chest during formal occasions."

The young lady handed the items to Ye Cheng and then passed him a high-tech wristwatch. "This is a multi-functional watch with a built-in infrared scanning system. It will record your merit points based on the exotic beasts you kill."

"It also has a powerful positioning and navigation system that supports offline operation, and it automatically updates the map when you return to the city."

"This function is crucial, especially in the wild where there is no signal and the environment is complex. It will ensure you return to the city in time and stay out of danger."

"The watch is made of special material—waterproof, fireproof, and scratch-resistant. It’s durable enough for most emergencies."

"You can read the manual for more details on its functions."

"Also, the martial artist system has been linked to your bank card, and the 50,000-credit bonus has been deposited. All future financial transactions related to the Martial Alliance will be conducted through this card."

After the young lady explained a few more benefits, Ye Cheng took his leave. He stopped in the lobby to briefly browse the tasks posted on the LCD screens.

He memorized a few that suited him and turned to leave.

Arriving at the South Gate, he let the city defense troops check his documents and slowly stepped out of the city.

It had been three years since he transmigrated, and this was his first time leaving the city. His feelings were somewhat complex. After the recovery of spiritual energy, Blue Star's native animals absorbed an excess of energy and turned into exotic beasts.

Exotic beasts were the easiest to deal with; more dangerous than them were the ferocious beasts. But the most brutal creatures, the ones possessing the top-tier combat power on the planet, were the demon beasts that had crawled out of space-time rifts and lived for ages. They usually hid deep in forests or at the bottom of the ocean and rarely emerged; when they did, they brought disaster-level destruction. Once, when a demon beast went on a rampage, it triggered thousand-meter waves in the Pacific, drowning nearby island nations.

Ye Cheng had assumed the area outside the city would be desolate and under strict military lockdown, but it was nothing like that. The area near the city walls was packed with people.

"Veterans leading rookies! Eight percent off for new graduates with a student ID!"

"Hundred-forged equipment, over seventy percent new! Great prices, come and get it!"

"Supply station! Nutrient fluids, spirit stones, stamina boosters—we have it all! Don't miss out!"

"The Tathagata Palm manual! The Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art! Guaranteed authentic, selling with a heavy heart!"

The air was filled with vendors shouting their wares—a chaotic mix of people. Ye Cheng didn't fall for their tricks and walked through the crowd.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm. A fierce-looking middle-aged martial artist glared at him, trying to intimidate him.

"Kid, the wild is dangerous. Where are your companions? What? You’re planning to train alone? Are you looking for death?"

"Look, I’m a fellow countryman; I don't cheat my own. I have thirty years of survival experience in the wild and have slaughtered countless exotic beasts."

"I’ve even won the Outstanding Citizen Award! Here are my certificates and banners—just take a look, don't scratch them. In short, my reputation is impeccable."

"Ten thousand a day for a companion. That's a fair price, right?"

"Hey, we were talking, why are you walking away? Eight thousand! Five thousand... one hundred!"

By the time the man came to his senses, Ye Cheng was already far away.

*If he were that impressive, he wouldn't need to solicit clients at the city wall,* Ye Cheng thought. *He could just kill one high-level beast and make his money back.*

The scams these days were truly treating people like fools.