Chapter 9

"Y... You dare to curse me?"

The man beside the rat spirit was taken aback, and then his anger flared up. They, who held positions in the Dharma Instrument Pavilion, were far from being comparable to the miscellaneous supervisors like the fat Taoist. They had either connections or had paid a large sum to get in, wielding the source of Dharma instruments, and disciples of the sect would show them utmost respect. It was precisely because of this that they had developed a domineering character.

But who would have thought that today, after just a minor reprimand to a newly initiated disciple, he would dare to curse back?

In a fit of rage, the man took a step forward, intending to slap the boy.

Fang Xing, seeing his demeanor, knew he was about to make a move. He took a step back and said with a low laugh, "You failed to extort a bribe, and now you want to get physical? Is there any rule left in the Daoist sect?"

The man's expression suddenly changed, and he forcibly stopped his hand.

Although the newly initiated disciples all followed the rules and tacitly gave them the spirit stones, this matter could not be exposed to the light.

Seeing that the boy in front of him was young but had a seasoned look, he was truly afraid that he would expose the matter...

"Ha ha, ha ha, why are you arguing as soon as you meet? That's not good..."

The rat spirit smiled at Fang Xing with ill intent and said, "This junior brother is young, but his temper is quite fierce. Well, just now we were joking with you. Go in and choose a Dharma instrument. Keep your eyes sharp..."

"Thank you, senior brother!"

Fang Xing bowed and ignored the rat spirit's words, diving straight in.

Upon entering, he was immediately surprised. This was not a Dharma Instrument Pavilion at all, but clearly a general store.

Row upon row, shelf upon shelf of wooden racks were filled with flying swords, talisman treasures, spirit instruments, and other items. At first glance, they were dazzling, each seemingly quite extraordinary. Some had names and small introductions attached, while others were just a messy pile on the shelves, with chaotic talismans, flying swords, treasure bottles, and even compasses, making it impossible to tell if they were good or bad.

At this point, Fang Xing finally understood why every new outer sect disciple willingly bribed these people. There were simply too many Dharma instruments here, and from their appearance, it was impossible to tell which were good and which were bad, let alone understand their functions. If one blindly picked one at random, the chances of making a mistake were too high.

The rat spirit and his two junior brothers saw Fang Xing's stunned expression and immediately sneered.

They had also encountered those who were unwilling to hand over spirit stones, but all of them had been tricked.

Although the Dharma Instrument Pavilion contained low-grade Dharma instruments for the outer sect disciples of the Green Cloud Sect, there were still two to three thousand pieces. A large number of high-quality ones had already been selected by the Green Cloud Sect when they recruited disciples recently. Now, more than half of the remaining ones were of inferior quality or were directly damaged and could not be used normally. Some of the good ones had been hidden in hard-to-see places.

They didn't believe that this boy who had defied them could pick anything good!

"Hmph, these three bastards want to trick me. Today, I'll show you what I'm made of..."

Fang Xing came to his senses, a cold smile on his face, and slowly moved forward.

"Junior brother, each disciple entering the Dharma Instrument Pavilion has only the time of one incense stick to choose. I've lit it for you..."

The rat spirit said with a grin, signaling the man beside him to select the driest incense stick to light.

The man understood and, when lighting the incense, deliberately broke off a small piece before inserting it into the incense burner.

The dry incense burned quickly, and with the man secretly breaking off a piece, Fang Xing had less than the time of one incense stick, at most two-thirds of the time, probably not even enough to look around, let alone choose.

If it were usual, the disciples who came to select Dharma instruments would give generous bribes, and these pavilion guards would not only forget about the incense timing but also offer guidance based on the bribes given.

"Low-grade flying sword, material: hundred-refined steel, inscribed with one Dharma array, low spirit energy..."

"Storage ring, material: thousand-hammered gold, space: one square..."

"Bronze flying sword, inscribed with three Dharma arrays, all damaged..."

Fang Xing ignored the rat spirit's tricks and chose on his own. Wherever his gaze fell, he immediately understood the quality and characteristics of the Dharma instruments, finding it very easy. Indeed, as the fat Taoist had said, many Dharma instruments that looked good were deliberately placed in obvious places, but their internal Dharma arrays were already damaged. If one really chose them, they would end up with a pile of scrap.

Even the best Dharma instruments, once their internal Dharma arrays were damaged, became scrap because, for these instruments, the internal Dharma arrays were even more valuable than their materials. Once damaged, it was not worth repairing them.

After all, the cost of a master who could repair these Dharma instruments was very high, and it would be better to buy a new one.

"Should I choose one of these flying swords or storage rings?"

Fang Xing pondered, having already seen several good Dharma instruments.

However, Fang Xing did not rush to choose. He was considering that with his current level of spirit energy, even if he chose a good flying sword, it might not fly more than ten yards. If used to fight, it would be less effective than the short knife he already had. Therefore, what he needed most was not these weapons or storage rings.

What he needed was something that could help him...

The rat spirit and his two companions saw Fang Xing standing in front of a good flying sword they had deliberately hidden behind a pile of Dharma instruments and became nervous, fearing that this boy would get lucky and choose it.

"Cough, junior brother, time is running out. Choose quickly. If you find it hard to decide, I can recommend something. Look over here, these are all good things. For example, this flag, when infused with spirit energy, can release intense fire. If you use it in battle, a fire dragon will fly out, absolutely a good thing..."

The rat spirit tried to persuade Fang Xing to choose a flag that looked quite good.

However, Fang Xing only glanced at it and rejected it.

The flag was indeed good, containing seven Dharma arrays, which was quite rare in the Dharma Instrument Pavilion.

Unfortunately, all seven Dharma arrays were already damaged, making it completely useless, with only some residual fire energy remaining. The rat spirit had ill intentions; if Fang Xing really took the flag and tried it out, it would seem very powerful, but once he left the Dharma Instrument Pavilion, it would be useless, similar to the fat Taoist's sword talisman.

However, at this moment, Fang Xing's eyes suddenly lit up, noticing a Dharma instrument near the fire flag.

It was a green ghost face mask, made of unknown material, with some marks of knives and axes, and a gap on the top, thrown in a corner like a piece of scrap, covered in dust.

It looked like the most useless thing in the Dharma Instrument Pavilion, but when Fang Xing saw it, several pieces of information flashed through his mind: "Wan Luo Ghost Face, containing thirty-six Dharma arrays..."

"This is actually a mid-grade Dharma instrument with thirty-six Dharma arrays, and the arrays are basically intact..."

Fang Xing was excited. After learning about the mask's function, he was overjoyed. It turned out that the Wan Luo Ghost Face was a transformation Dharma instrument. When worn, it could change one's appearance, voice, aura, and height. The thirty-six Dharma arrays meant it could transform into thirty-six different people...

This was the perfect tool for murder and robbery!

Fang Xing made his decision instantly.

"Ha ha, junior brother likes this mask? Indeed, you have good eyesight. This mask is... well... the Nine Nether Ghost Fire Thunderbolt Divine Face... When worn, it can borrow the power of gods and demons, with infinite power... Ha ha..."

The rat spirit laughed, clearly not knowing the mask's function and even getting the name wrong.

"Ha ha, very good, very good, it suits this junior brother!"

"Junior brother, wearing it will make you very impressive!"

The other two also laughed, urging Fang Xing to choose it quickly.

"Is this Dharma instrument really that good? Senior brothers, you're not tricking me, right?"

Fang Xing examined the mask in his hands, pretending to be indecisive.

"How could we? This mask suits you perfectly. With it, your cultivation will advance rapidly, and you will soon dominate the outer sect. Even breaking through to the fourth level of true qi and becoming an inner sect disciple will only take a year or two..."

The rat spirit said with a grin, constantly urging Fang Xing to take the mask.

"Right, junior brother, why not take it back and try it for a few days? If it doesn't work, bring it back, and I'll give you a replacement!"

The man beside him also said, pretending to be reasonable.

"Since all three senior brothers say so, I'll choose it!"

Fang Xing deliberately acted hesitant and picked up the mask.

"Sure, I'll record it..."

The rat spirit was extremely pleased, quickly taking out a blank jade tablet from a pile and swiftly inscribing a divine thought: "Gengzi Year, November 21st... Outer sect disciple Fang Xing received... one low-grade Dharma instrument..."

(With the book approaching 30,000 words, I want to specially thank all the brothers for your support: [卩s丶北冥灬有鱼][YangZhiGang][皮匠老董][君子腹华][莙子坦蛋蛋][特别笨的小孩][皮匠老董][书友150213200234214][小木不是小暮]. Thank you for your rewards and support. I also thank [字不穷][候门三少] and the child for pointing out the typos in the text, which have all been corrected. I will carefully check the following drafts. Thank you all, and I hope you continue to support "Lue Tian Ji." This book will not disappoint you!)

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