Chapter Fourteen: Vengeance Does Not Wait Until Dawn

A low-grade elemental stone was sold for eight hundred gold coins—this was a loss for Yi Tian. Elemental stones were rare and hard to come by; few would sell them for profit, so their price fluctuated greatly. If he hadn't needed a substantial sum of gold, and if the elemental stone hadn't been so conspicuous, attracting the covetous gazes and potential attacks of ill-intentioned people, he never would have considered selling one.

After selling the low-grade elemental stone, Yi Tian left the trading house and wandered through the winding streets, turning left and right, skillfully shaking off anyone who might have been tailing him.

In the next moment, Yi Tian found himself on another street. He entered a trading house and purchased a divine-grade tungsten-steel greatsword for three hundred and ninety-five gold coins, its weight an impressive three hundred jin. Now, with the greatsword strapped to his back, he appeared every bit the wandering swordsman as he strode confidently into a bustling tavern.

Yi Tian ordered a table full of dishes and began to eat. At the same time, his ears were attuned to the conversations around him. Most of the tavern’s patrons were martial artists—some wandering from distant lands, others guards from merchant caravans or family retainers, and a few were the children of well-to-do families, all of them cultivators to some extent.

This surprised Yi Tian. In this world, cultivation appeared to be widespread, but the majority of practitioners remained at the lower tiers of strength.

Suddenly, at a table to his left, several warriors, guards from a minor clan, were grumbling about their lot. Their wages were modest—a few gold coins—which, though generous for ordinary folk, seemed paltry to those who risked their lives. Most of their earnings were spent on food and drink, for only the meat of fierce beasts could satisfy their voracious appetites.

This time, due to a careless mistake, their captain had seized the opportunity to dock a gold coin from their pay. As they drank, their grievances spilled forth.

One of them, with a particularly fierce visage, muttered angrily, "He’s just a mere captain, yet he acts as if he were our master, ordering us about like servants. If I were just a tier stronger, I’d have taught him a lesson by now."

"Save your breath, Ironman," another replied helplessly. "The captain is a fourth-tier warrior—he could wipe out the lot of us single-handed. We’ve been stuck at the second or third tier for who knows how long; breaking through might take ten or even twenty years."

For ordinary martial artists without resources, only relentless cultivation could bring improvement. Even then, some might never reach the fourth tier or higher before growing old. To obtain resources, those without talent or connections had no choice but to venture into the mountains, hunting fierce beasts or gathering rare herbs—a perilous, near-suicidal endeavor, one not all were willing to undertake.

Yi Tian listened to their conversation in silence.

When the guards finished their meal and left, Yi Tian paid his bill and followed them outside.

They soon parted ways.

Ironman, slightly drunk, staggered home. As he passed a narrow alley, a package wrapped in paper came flying from afar. Instinctively alert, Ironman leaped aside, narrowly evading the projectile. He glanced at the object on the ground, expecting an ambush, only to find it was merely a crumpled paper bundle.

He was about to walk on when he paused, curiosity getting the better of him. He picked up the heavy bundle and unfolded it; inside was a stone the size of a goose egg, along with some writing on the paper.

Ironman spread out the paper. As he finished reading the words, he began to tremble, a mix of excitement and fear overcoming him.

Without hesitation, Ironman activated his cultivation technique. Instantly, the stone in his hand began to emit a radiant glow, suffused with swirling elemental energy. As he circulated his technique, the surging power poured into his body, and his internal energy flowed ten times faster than before.

This...

This was truly an elemental stone!

Ironman was both elated and terrified. After a moment’s deliberation, he grit his teeth, tucked the elemental stone into his chest, glanced around nervously, and hurried away.

Not long after Ironman vanished, Yi Tian appeared in the alley, then quickly slipped away as well.

Returning to the Yunlong Inn, Yi Tian summoned Yi Shan, Yi Feng, Yi Li, Little Dragon, Little Ting, Yi Kai, and a few other familiar faces to the main hall.

Yi Tian ordered over a dozen of the inn’s signature dishes—all renowned for their rich nutrition and restorative properties. These delicacies, prepared from the flesh of formidable beasts or the blood and meat of rare monsters, and sometimes even thousand-year-old herbs, were mouthwateringly delicious, with each dish costing over a dozen gold coins.

"Yi Tian, this is extravagant!" someone exclaimed.

"Indeed, this feast must be worth two or three hundred gold coins! Yi Tian, where did you get so much money?"

Even Yi Kai and Yi Song, both third- or fourth-tier warriors, were astounded by such luxury. The meal before them was worth their entire fortunes.

Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and Yi Li had eyes aglow, barely restraining themselves from digging in. As for Little Ting and Little Dragon, their mouths watered uncontrollably as they caught the aroma wafting from the dishes.

Yi Tian, catching their remarks, laughed boldly. "It’s only two or three hundred coins! Today, someone gave us eight hundred gold for nothing. If we didn’t spend it, wouldn’t that be letting them down?"

Yi Feng and the others exchanged strange glances but said nothing.

Yi Kai was puzzled—hadn’t Yi Tian borrowed six gold coins from him earlier? How had someone gifted him eight hundred gold?

Yi Song and the other clan warriors asked in amazement, "How is that possible? Who would just hand over hundreds of gold coins?"

Meanwhile, all around the Yunlong Inn, other martial artists and clansmen pricked their ears. They’d already been drawn by the aroma from Yi Tian’s table—over a dozen signature dishes, costing several hundred gold coins, was a spectacle.

Yi Tian explained, "There really was such a person. The fat, round manager of Stone Fortune Pavilion. I don’t know if it’s because he’s so fat, his mind’s gone soft, but he actually gave us each several raw stones for free. Among them, one turned out to be an elemental stone."

At Yi Tian’s words, the breaths of those at neighboring tables grew heavy.

Elemental stones—the kind of treasure any martial artist would kill for—were not to be shown lightly.

Yi Tian sighed, "Having an elemental stone should be a great fortune, possibly enough to help someone break through a tier. But since it belonged to all of us, how could we divide just one piece? It would only breed discord among brothers. So, I sold it for eight hundred gold coins. I’ll share the rest with you all later."

Upon hearing this, the martial artists in the hall expressed regret, some even cursing Yi Tian as a wastrel.

To sell an elemental stone for just eight hundred gold coins—what a loss! Only a fool would exchange such a treasure for mere gold.

"Enough talk—let’s eat!" Yi Tian called.

Unable to wait any longer, Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and the others dug in voraciously. Even Yi Kai and the rest found their chopsticks moving faster than usual.

Little Dragon and Little Ting, their small hands and legs no match for the others’ speed, grew so anxious they nearly burst into tears.

Yi Tian heaped generous portions into their bowls, piling them high, finally bringing smiles to their faces as they ate, oil smeared across their cheeks.

While Yi Tian and his friends feasted, news of their windfall—a free elemental stone from Stone Fortune Pavilion—spread like wildfire through Black Dragon City.

Many ordinary martial artists found the story endlessly amusing.

The manager of Stone Fortune Pavilion became the butt of jokes, derided as a fool and an idiot. The tale became the talk of the town.

When the manager himself heard the news, his face darkened, and he vented his rage furiously.

Though a single elemental stone was but a fraction of his wealth, for a businessman, such a loss was a wound that would never quite heal.

For the ordinary people and martial artists of Black Dragon City, this was a source of endless amusement—a fleeting diversion.

But soon after, another piece of news swept through the city, stunning every major power.

The city guard and the Wu family’s private army surged into the streets, launching a full-scale manhunt.

One of the Wu family’s young masters—the third son—had been assaulted in broad daylight, his head beaten into a swollen mess, the assailant escaping into the crowd.

Of course, the servant accompanying the young master had also been severely beaten, but the fate of a servant stirred little interest. It was the injury to the Wu family’s third son that rocked the city.