Chapter Twenty-Two: An Unexpected Visitor

The news that Tu Lu had opened a shop selling inscribed magical artifacts directly across from the Trading Hall spread through the city almost instantly. Inscribed magical artifacts were inherently sensitive commodities, and to set up shop right opposite the Trading Hall was nothing short of a provocation.

Everyone knew that the Trading Hall was guarded by the six master inscriptionists of Divine Wind City. Apart from Zhao Yu Yang’s works, nearly all inscribed magical artifacts in the city originated from the Trading Hall. What’s more, Tu Lu’s pricing was so low that it shocked everyone.

Even for a master inscriptionist, a thousand Thunder Stones barely allowed one to break even—if at all; it was dangerously low! Despite the crowds gathering to see the commotion, not a single person actually made a purchase. Tu Lu could only feel helpless—he couldn’t very well shout, “These aren’t fakes, you can buy with confidence”—such a declaration would only make him seem more suspicious.

With this in mind, he simply left things be, hired an assistant to watch the front, and went inside to prepare spiritual liquids himself. Sooner or later, someone would buy; the crowd’s hesitation was simply due to his lack of reputation. This was expected—after all, a thousand Thunder Stones wasn’t exactly pocket change. It might not be much for magical artifacts, but for most cultivators at the Mountain-moving realm, it was an astronomical sum; few dared risk so much on an unknown vendor.

As for safety, Tu Lu wasn’t too concerned. He had spent a sum at the Celestial Dragon Hall to purchase a defensive array that could hold off even a peak Mountain-moving cultivator for some time. Though the city was under the strain of war, it hadn’t fallen into chaos just yet, and with so many eyes watching, no one would dare make trouble.

Thus, the night passed.

This time, he refrained from using the white orb and instead relied on his own skill, experimenting repeatedly until he was able to prepare the spiritual liquid perfectly. By the standards of inscriptionists, he had finally stepped into the threshold of an apprentice.

Just as he was about to press onward and inscribe the remaining two mid-grade magical artifacts in his possession, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. Frowning, he tidied up his tools and stepped out.

“Master, you’re finally out. I really can’t handle this job—please, find someone better suited,” the assistant he had recently hired rushed over, battered and bruised, and after speaking, darted out the door.

“Wait!” Tu Lu stopped him, and seeing his battered face and the situation at hand, immediately understood what had happened. He opened his mouth, unsure what to say, then sighed, his expression softening. He took out a Thunder Stone.

“Here, take this—your wage for yesterday.”

The assistant hesitated, then gritted his teeth, accepted the Thunder Stone, and ran off.

Watching him leave, Tu Lu’s expression grew colder as he turned to face the counter.

A large crowd had gathered outside, watching the scene unfold. Most were merely bystanders, but amid them stood a middle-aged man, gesturing at the inscribed magical artifacts and speaking at length to the crowd.

“Do you know why these are called inscribed magical artifacts? It’s because the runes within form their own cycles, connecting to the laws of heaven and earth to unleash special power. But look at these.” He pointed to the artifacts Tu Lu had placed on the counter.

“They look decent, but they’re utterly useless! There isn’t the slightest fluctuation of runes—just some random scribbles. Look at the one in my hand: even without blood energy to power it, you can see the faint flames swirling on its surface. This is a true inscribed magical artifact!

So, with my decades of experience with inscribed magical artifacts, I can tell you: these are absolutely fake. The shopkeeper here is a fraud! Don’t let yourselves be fooled!”

He raised a flaming spear, thumping his chest as he spoke.

His words sparked murmurs among the crowd. Of course, the cultivators weren’t fools; they suspected he was sent by the Trading Hall or one of the master inscriptionists, but their doubts about Tu Lu’s artifacts were already present. Hearing such seemingly reasonable arguments, even if they knew his origins, they couldn’t help but feel he had a point.

Tu Lu listened without rebutting. Instead, he calmly took a spirit blade from the display, walked forward, and suddenly brought it down in a swift slash!

A dark aura enveloped the blade, streaking across the void like lightning, and in an instant, it met the middle-aged man’s spear.

The flames on the spear surged wildly, breaking through the roof in a flash. Then, with a loud crash, the spirit blade cut it cleanly in two!

Everyone was stunned; none had expected such a sudden turn, and no one could react in time.

“Ah—ah! You dare destroy my artifact!” The middle-aged man was the first to recover, roaring in rage as he struck at Tu Lu with his palm.

Tu Lu merely smiled coldly and activated the defensive ward from the Celestial Dragon Token. Before the man could reach him, he was sent flying.

Tu Lu, blade in hand, walked toward him. The crowd parted in fear, especially around the middle-aged man, whose face was filled with terror and who dared not move.

Tu Lu picked up the broken flaming spear, tossed it at the man, and sneered, “This is your so-called genuine inscribed magical artifact? Ridiculous—just a failed experiment from an inscriptionist, damaged many times over. Artifacts like these are worth only a hundred Thunder Stones in my shop!”

With that, he took out a third-grade Thunder Stone and threw it at the man’s face, then turned and walked away.

The crowd erupted.

They had already noticed that Tu Lu had priced one artifact at a hundred Thunder Stones, but hadn’t understood the distinction. Now, hearing his explanation, they finally understood.

Combined with the scene they had just witnessed, Tu Lu’s words suddenly carried much more weight.

Even a damaged inscribed artifact was still an inscribed artifact; how could an ordinary artifact be so easily destroyed?

But just as the crowd’s interest grew, the middle-aged man began to howl again: “That’s not an inscribed artifact! Don’t be fooled, everyone! He broke mine by brute force, using Mountain-moving realm power, not by any special property—don’t let him trick you!”

“Absurd!”

At that moment, a voice rang out from the crowd.

Hearing it, not only the onlookers but even Tu Lu himself was momentarily stunned—for the speaker was none other than Zhao Yu Yang!