Chapter 054: The Super Weapon — Celestial Halberd

Ouyang Tianfeng, the Lord of Jiuyang City, sat imposingly upon a chair draped in tiger skin within the City Lord’s Mansion. “Yun’er, you say that young man named Xin Lang has returned, and even went to Jiuzhitang?” he questioned Ouyang Feiyun, who stood before him.

“Yes, Uncle. My men stationed at Xuyang Academy saw it with their own eyes. I also confirmed it with Manager Jin at Jiuzhitang—Xin Lang did indeed visit, and even ordered precious medicinal materials worth one hundred and eighty thousand gold coins,” Ouyang Feiyun replied.

“What? One hundred and eighty thousand in treasures!” Even Ouyang Tianfeng was startled by the sum.

“Uncle, should I send someone to seize him for interrogation?” Ouyang Feiyun’s gaze was cold and calculating.

“No, we must not act rashly,” Ouyang Tianfeng said, rubbing his temples in deep thought. “Zhongshu went after that boy and has been gone for over half a month, without news. The mercenaries I hired have also reported nothing. I suspect something ill has befallen Zhongshu. Uncle, we cannot simply let that boy go,” Ouyang Feiyun pressed, growing anxious at Ouyang Tianfeng’s indecision.

“No, we must not touch him,” Ouyang Tianfeng insisted.

“Why not? He’s just a junior student at Xuyang Academy! Uncle, you are the lord of Jiuyang City, why should we fear him?” Ouyang Feiyun protested.

Ouyang Tianfeng replied, “Let us first clarify the relationship between this boy and the rank-seven master alchemist. Judging from his actions today, their connection must be significant. Otherwise, that master would never let him procure such valuable materials without worry. A seventh rank master—he is someone we cannot afford to offend.”

“What about Zhongshu?” Ouyang Feiyun pressed on, unwilling to give up.

“We’ll wait. You did hire mercenaries; let’s see what news they bring. And—” Ouyang Tianfeng continued, “Send someone to keep him under surveillance. Closely monitor the whereabouts of those precious medicinal materials.”

On his way back, Xin Lang encountered no familiar faces; most people were away for summer vacation. Thus, he went straight to his dormitory.

He unpacked bedding and daily necessities from the upgrade device’s backpack, arranging them neatly.

Once his room was in order, Xin Lang called up the interface of his upgrade device. He first opened the weapon and equipment section, then accessed the backpack, where he located the recently purchased golden silkworm threads and refined iron. He wanted to test the equipment section’s forging function by crafting a suit of Golden Silkworm Armor.

The weapon and equipment section featured the “Eightfold Furnace,” a specialized tool for forging weapons and armor. The eight dragon-shaped legs of the furnace each connected to a compartment for storing forging materials.

Xin Lang separated some golden silkworm threads and refined iron from his backpack, placing them into two of the Eightfold Furnace’s compartments. Below the furnace were several function buttons: “Process,” “Forge,” “Repair,” and “Upgrade.” Xin Lang clicked “Forge,” prompting the upgrade device to display: “Forging Earth-grade, sixth-tier Golden Silkworm Armor requires 60 experience points. Proceed?”

“Yes,” Xin Lang confirmed.

The golden silkworm threads and refined iron in the furnace’s compartments were instantly absorbed into the main chamber. Eight beams of light, shaped like dragons, shot from the furnace’s legs and plunged into the crucible. In a flash of white light, the upgrade device announced: “Forging complete. Obtained one piece of Earth-grade, sixth-tier equipment: Golden Silkworm Armor. Would you like to equip it?”

“Shouldn't I take it out and wear it?” Xin Lang wondered.

Despite his doubts, he selected “Yes.”

Immediately, his “Equipment” storage slot displayed the Golden Silkworm Armor—an icon shaped like armor, labeled beneath with its name, much like the icons for martial arts techniques. Moreover, Xin Lang noticed his character avatar on the device’s main screen had changed; previously, it was nearly unclothed, but now the upper body gleamed with golden inner armor.

His user information under “Weapons and Equipment” also listed the Golden Silkworm Armor.

Leaving the upgrade device interface, Xin Lang lifted his own shirt in curiosity. “Strange, it’s not there.”

The upgrade device indicated the armor was equipped, yet he saw nothing on his body. What was going on?

He reopened the device interface, accessed the equipment section, and studied it further. After some searching and experimentation, he discovered the gear could be toggled between “Hidden” and “Visible.”

When set to “Hidden,” the gear’s effects were active but invisible to others. Switching to “Visible” would allow others to see it.

Currently, Xin Lang’s equipment was in “Hidden” mode.

With armor equipped, Xin Lang’s thoughts turned to weapons. Though he wasn’t fond of swords or blades, he mused, “There are so many weapons in the upgrade device’s forge list; surely one must suit me. If none do, there’s always the purchase section. Those super weapons look interesting. I used to have too little experience to buy anything, but now I’ve got over seven hundred points—maybe I can afford a cheap super weapon.”

He browsed the super weapons list in the purchase section, searching for something suitable.

Desert Eagle? Gatling gun? These bizarre weapons he skipped—they were unfamiliar and he had no idea how to use them.

Most super weapons in the purchase section were exorbitantly priced; the cheapest cost thousands of experience points, the most expensive, tens of thousands.

After much deliberation, he finally settled on a pair of black metal glove-like weapons—the Sky Halberds.

Weapon Name: Sky Halberds.

Weapon Grade: Super, first-tier.

Weapon Functions: Expandable, upgradeable. Current function: doubles the user’s attack power.

Purchase Cost: 100 experience points.

The Sky Halberds were of low grade—super first-tier. Xin Lang favored them for their affordability, costing only one hundred experience points. They were multifunctional and upgradeable, unlocking new abilities as they advanced. Unlike some weapons, which were powerful yet prohibitively expensive and had limited functions, these held promise.