A few hours had passed since Dakon learned his new techniques. His power had increased substantially, yet he was still not as strong as he had been during the final battle of the tournament. Dakon understood this clearly. If he wished to survive what was coming, he would have to regain that strength… and then surpass it
' Finally, I'm here ' Dakon stood outside the massive gates of Dongqiu City. A loose robe concealed most of his features; after the tournament, recognition was inevitable. News of that scale spread faster than wildfire, and he could not afford unnecessary attention, not yet
' Hmm? ' He frowned slightly as he examined the entrance. The number of guards had tripled since his last visit. Even more troubling were the cultivators stationed outside; some of them were clearly in the Spiritual Lord State
Dakon scanned the surroundings carefully. Rather than enter openly, he moved along the city wall until he found a deserted section. With a powerful leap, he cleared it effortlessly and landed in a narrow, empty alley ' They're everywhere… I don't think they're here for me. Still, once I retrieve my swords, I'm leaving '
He stepped onto a quiet street where only a few pedestrians passed. As he walked by, he overheard two men speaking
Do you think the rumor about the Dragon is real? " A thin man asked " Just look at how many powerful cultivators are here "
" I'm not sure " Replied a bearded man " Everyone felt that tremor, but that doesn't mean it was a dragon "
" Yeah, maybe after all, neither has seen a sign of a tribulation, so it must be fake " The thin man smiled
' The Black Dragon's attack reached this far…? ' The Dragon's destructive beam, which was so similar to his Galick Gun, had clearly shaken the region ' Then those cultivators aren't here for me? '
He continued walking, tuning out the conversation, until another name caught his attention " The Black Princess is in the city too " The thin man said with doubt " She must be here because of the Dragon "
" I doubt it " the bearded man replied " She arrived before the rumor spread. Maybe she came to see the Patriarch of the Shu clan again. He's still searching for his daughter… It's been a long time since she disappeared. Or perhaps she's here for those swords the old blacksmith refuses to sell again, maybe she found a way to convince him this time "
Dakon's steps slowed. The image of the girl he had found inside the young Frost Cobra's stomach flashed through his mind. His fists clenched beneath his robe ' I need to clarify what happened to her, and take my swords from anyone's grasp '
After a while, Dakon arrived at Old Yun's store, and he noticed something strange outside ' So there were more ' He noticed a group of cultivators outside the store, all dressed in fine robes, each accompanied by guards
Dakon shook his head in annoyance and walked to the store ' The rumors were true, it seems that my swords had brought a lot of attention '
" Goddamit, why that Old man is so stubborn " He heard a cultivator say with anger as he waited outside the store
Dakon entered without hesitation, ignoring the irritated looks and complaints about cutting in line. Surprisingly, no one tried to stop him. Some even watched with mocking expressions, clearly expecting entertainment
Inside, he saw Old Yun discussing with a black-clothed woman " Lady, I already told you, those swords already have an owner, I can't give them to you " The store was almost empty despite the large crowd outside; the only ones inside were Old Yun, a young woman dressed in black clothes, and two identical old men wearing black robes
" Please, reconsider my offer. I will pay you ten times the price you received for them " The young woman answered with a calm yet enchanting voice
The old men in black who were with her turned around and looked at Dakon with frowning expressions, then one of them said " Who are you? " The other one said " You must leave "
Dakon ignores them and keeps walking toward them, making the two old men frown. Then, Old Yun smiles widely and says "You're finally back, brat! I can finally rest from all this nonsense " Old Yun seems to have recognized him, even if he was wearing a robe that covers his face
The two old men frown in surprise. Then, the young woman turns around and looks at Dakon. Dakon looks at her and raises his eyebrow ' It's the first time I saw someone with black hair aside from those of the sect ' The young woman was looking in his direction, but he couldn't see her face at all, thanks to the black veil covering her face
Dakon stops and ignores the young woman and the old men, then he says " I have a delay for some circumstances, but I'm already here for the swords " Old Yun grins slightly
The two old men look at Dakon in shock. The same could be said about the young woman who tilted her head slightly, and then Old Yun says " Alright, I will go for them "
" The blue swords... are they yours? " The young woman asked with doubt and curiosity
Dakon moved his head in her direction, and he just simply said " Yes " With no further words to extend the conversation, something that surprised the two old men and even the young woman, after all, she always was the one who had to cut the conversation with every young man that approached her
" Ahem " The woman clears her throat after Dakon's uninterested behavior, then she says " Would you consider selling them? I'll offer ten times the amount in golden taels you paid for them "
Dakon raised his eyebrow again, but before he could answer, Old Yun came back with the swords that looked very impressive. The edges were dark blue, but the fuller and central ridge was jet black; their appearance stood out not because of their elegant and menacing appearance, but because of the shine they had
Dakon looked at the swords in Old Yun's hands with raised eyebrows ' They were the job of a true master blacksmith. Old Yun's reputation was completely justified ' he thought, looking at the swords
Old Yun handed the swords to Dakon, and as he did that, he said " Here they are, true masterpieces and one of my best jobs so far, a pair of King Tier weapons "
Dakon grabs the swords in each hand and inspects them as he says " Indeed, they are amazing " Then he decides to put some of his aura in the swords which suddenly begin to shine in a blue light surprising the two old men and the young woman but Old Yun smiles proudly as he says " As I expected, they grew as strong as you the moment they touched your hands " And unnoticeable for everyone a faint green color appered at the edges of the swords
Dakon nods slightly as Old Yun turns to see the young woman and says " This is the reason I didn't sell the swords to anyone, they were made for him and will grow as strong as him. In other hands their potential will be ruined, I can't let a master piece like that fall into anyone else's hands "
Dakon was interested in Old Man Yun's disclosure of the swords; instead, if they want to be his enemies, so be it, it's not like a few more enemies will do more damage, after all, almost the entire continent is already after him
Dakon looks at Old Man Yun and then gives him a back holder for his swords. Then Old Man Yun says " It's a gift, kid, for letting me work on those swords "
Dakon grinned with an imperceptible smile, and then he nodded and put the swords on the ground with the back holder and then he removed his robe, The young woman and the two old men looked at him in surprise both of them had saw him before while Old Man Yun frowns at the sight of his hair then he said " Did you change your hair style? Any reason to do it "
Dakon puts the back holder in place, and puts only one sword there while the other one, he stores it on his spatial ring, then he says in a cold voice " I was wasting time searching for something meaningless "
" I see " Old Yun nodded and decided not to ask any further questions. Some questions are just not meant to be answered, and he knew the answer just by seeing Dakon's face full of resentment
Dakon cuts a part of his robe and wears it, now only covering his head and part of his shoulders. He sees Old Yun and says " Thanks for everything. I need to talk to you in private " Old Yun frowned with doubt, but he nods " Alright, come with me to the backside of the store. You three, if you aren't going to buy anything, please leave "
Dakon and Old Yun walked away, and when they were getting close to the door, the young woman said " Wait "
The two of them turned around to see her, then Dakon said " I won't sell you the swords "
The young woman shook her head slightly as she said " I won't try to get those swords from you, as Old Yun said those swords were made for you, but I was wondering, have we met before? "
Dakon frowns, and Old Yun looks a little interested while the two old men with her open their eyes in recognition, and one of them said " He was one of the participants of the tournament, my lady, but we couldn't see him fight. We left before the second battle "
Dakon clenches his fists at the start, but when he hears that they didn't stay until the end of the tournament, he relaxes a little
The young woman looks at the old man for a second, then the other old man said as he looks at Dakon in fascination while stroking his beard " He was weaker before, but now he has grown this strong and interesting "
Dakon frowns, and the young woman said " I see then it's that so " She bowed slightly " My name is Long Zhelan, and I would like to offer you a deal "
Dakon and the three elders there look at her with surprise and doubt, wondering what she is planning