For the first time in eleven years, Chen Juenian left the gates of the Xuanyuan Clan alone and ventured into the outside world, keeping it a secret from Xuanyuan Jiong.
The so-called Nine Heavens Beyond the Sky was merely a mortal myth about regions rich in spiritual energy.
The Nine Heavens were not in the sky but were worldly territories divided based on the density of spiritual energy.
Riding in a Xuanyuan Clan carriage, he entered a city in the Sixth Heaven where cultivators gathered.
After some searching, Chen Juenian finally found his destination.
Linlang Pavilion.
This was the most authoritative commercial force across the Nine Heavens Beyond the Sky and even the Mortal Realm.
Here, as long as he could provide something of value, this establishment would protect him as much as possible before taking its share of the profit.
Furthermore, to ensure pleasant future transactions, they refrained from acts like murder, robbery, fraud, and deceit.
This had earned them an excellent reputation among cultivators.
“Young Master, when we get back, you must tell the young mistress not to blame me!”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Ma. I won’t let Mother blame you for taking me out.”
After reassuring the coachman, Chen Juenian walked into Linlang Pavilion empty-handed, his eyes taking in the dazzling array of various goods.
Although it looked luxurious…
None of it could catch Chen Juenian’s eye.
“Hello.”
Chen Juenian found a female attendant.
The moment she saw him, she was briefly stunned.
“Esteemed customer, how may I assist you?”
Snapping out of her daze—now was not the time to admire a handsome young man—the attendant quickly switched to her professional demeanor.
“I need to see the Pavilion Master here.”
As he spoke, Chen Juenian took out the Xuanyuan Clan Token and displayed it in a way only they could see.
The Xuanyuan Clan were the undisputed rulers of the Sixth Heaven.
After all, a leader at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage was simply too authoritative.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
After standing and waiting for only a short while, Chen Juenian received a message:
“Esteemed guest, please come upstairs.”
—
On the second floor sat a short, thin old man with a full head of white hair.
He was the Pavilion Master of this Linlang Pavilion branch.
Seeing this handsome young man with black hair, he greeted him with a kindly smile.
Chen Juenian politely returned the smile.
“I am the eldest grandson of the current head of the Xuanyuan Clan, named Xuanyuan Nian.”
“Let’s get straight to the point. What does your Xuanyuan Clan wish to buy, or… sell?”
The old man wasn’t afraid of being deceived by this unfamiliar youth.
This was the advantage of Linlang Pavilion’s face-to-face transactions.
Payment and goods exchanged hands simultaneously.
If either party acted improperly, the transaction could be canceled immediately.
Whether he was the Xuanyuan Clan Head’s grandson or not, as long as he could pay, the old man would accept it even if he claimed to be the clan head’s ancestor.
“I wish to sell a Peerless Martial Skill.”
“Oh?”
Hearing the words “Peerless Martial Skill,” the old man instantly lost his previous ease, his expression turning extremely serious.
A Peerless Martial Skill was an exceptionally rare skill that surpassed even Heaven-grade Martial Skills.
Items of this caliber were almost always the foundational inheritance treasures of top-tier forces from the Eighth Heaven and were considered heavy treasures even among the major powers of the Nine Heavens.
“Truly?!”
“True or false, you’ll know once you see it.”
Just as the old man thought the young man was about to produce the real thing for him to behold, the youth took out a bamboo scroll and an ink brush.
Right before his eyes, he began writing with bold, sweeping strokes.
What did this mean?
Had he memorized a Peerless Martial Skill?
If he wasn’t mistaken, this young man only had the cultivation of the Qi Refining Late Stage.
A cultivator of this level trying to copy a Peerless Martial Skill would likely be unable to even write two characters.
The more powerful a martial skill, the harder it was to transcribe.
It was widely accepted that only the creator of a Peerless Martial Skill could fully transcribe it and imbue it with the ‘intent’ that would allow later generations to comprehend it.
Therefore, a ‘Peerless Martial Skill’ that was merely memorized and then copied out would be no different from a stack of blank paper.
Could it be this young man was lucky enough to have glimpsed a Peerless Martial Skill once and now thought to exchange it for money?
Thinking this, the old man’s face gradually darkened.
“You only have the meager cultivation of the Qi Refining Late Stage. Please don’t waste this old man’s time with such tricks. I must ask you to…”
“Done.”
As the final stroke was completed, the originally blank bamboo scroll in his hand began to glow with a golden light.
“This Peerless Martial Skill is called Extreme Intent Sword. Although only those with a clear sword heart and single-minded devotion to the Dao can learn it, once mastered, it enables the user to unleash sword techniques powerful enough to break through all laws.”
“Could you…”
“Here.”
Chen Juenian pushed the bamboo scroll toward the old man.
In the heavy silence, only the sound of the old man swallowing could be heard.
As a bead of sweat finally dripped from the old man’s forehead, he let out a long exhale:
“This skill is far too precious. Could you give me some time?”
“I understand the rules of your Linlang Pavilion. You must also understand that you cannot reveal my identity. And if you need to transfer this item to the Linlang Pavilion headquarters for processing… you’ll need to give me a deposit.”
“Of course.”
The old man hurriedly began rummaging through his ring.
Finally, he produced a Qiankun Ring containing the deposit.
Taking the ring and confirming its contents, Chen Juenian revealed a slight smile:
“Linlang Pavilion’s people truly never make mistakes. You’ve even given me an extra fifty thousand Spirit Stones, correct?”
“Yes… yes… Senior.”
As the transaction proceeded, the old man gradually sensed something was off.
How could this young man casually write out a Peerless Martial Skill?
How did he know Linlang Pavilion’s procedures so well, even down to the deposit amount for a treasure of this level?
Had he sold a Peerless Martial Skill before?
Was he the creator of a Peerless Martial Skill?
“Then I shall take my leave first.”
—
“Extreme Intent Sword…”
A low murmur came from behind the curtain, seemingly expressing shock at this unheard-of sword technique.
Well, actually, it wasn’t that shocking.
She reacted this way simply because it had been too long since she had seen a martial skill of this level appear in the world, that was all.
After witnessing things and people too dazzling in her youth, one indeed becomes disenchanted with many things others would consider supreme treasures.
“The ink is not yet dry… the calligraphy resembles yours by thirty percent… but it is only similar to you. If I didn’t know you were already dead, I wouldn’t mind breaking my Linlang Pavilion’s rules to, in the end, find you.”
A fingertip adorned with a golden silk glove gently rolled up the bamboo scroll.
At this moment, she had temporarily lost the mood to appraise the value of this item.
“Master.”
She was thinking of him again.
The greatest regret of Mu Chunxiang’s life was promising her master that she would live well.
She was a person who kept her promises, so sometimes she even despised herself for it.
As for how she knew her master, whom she hadn’t seen for centuries, had passed away—it was entirely because she had secretly kept a single white hair of her master back then.
The protective talisman tied to that white hair had shattered, naturally signifying that the person who bestowed the blessing was no longer in this world.