Martial Saint with Passives

Jiang Che opened the bundle, revealing six ores of various shapes, each shimmering with a different luster.

One was blood-red with faint flame-like patterns; one was an icy, dark blue that emanated a chilly air; one was ink-black yet incredibly heavy; one was a dark gold with an extremely tough texture; one was a vibrant, dew-like green, brimming with life; and one was a dazzling silver-white, with faint arcs of lightning flickering across its surface.

These were all top-grade companion ores he had carefully selected. ’They should be worth a bit of money,’ he thought.

The moment the Shopkeeper saw these ores, his eyes went wide, and his breathing quickened.

He gingerly picked up each piece, meticulously examining its color and texture, tapping it with his finger to listen to the sound, and even took out a magnifying glass-like instrument for a closer look.

"This... this Red Flame Iron is of extremely high purity! And this Cold Marrow Ore... it’s the core marrow! Profound Heavy Stone... Dark Star Gold... Jade Wood Marrow... Thunder Pattern Silver! Sir, where... where did you get all this?" The Shopkeeper’s voice trembled slightly.

Jiang Che replied vaguely, "I came across them by chance. What do you think they’re worth?"

The Shopkeeper took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. He took out an abacus and a small scale and began to carefully weigh and calculate.

The CLACK-CLACK-CLACK of the abacus beads echoed for a good while.

The Shopkeeper looked up, his expression serious. "Sir, these ores of yours are all extremely rare, top-quality specimens. At market price, they’re worth a total of 267,000 taels of Gold! We at Linlang Pavilion pride ourselves on our integrity; we would never cheat you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around. Many disciples and Elders from the Three Great Sects do business with us. Our reputation is absolutely guaranteed!"

Jiang Che was inwardly stunned. He hadn’t expected the ores to be so valuable!

He maintained a calm expression and nodded. "Alright, I trust you, Shopkeeper. I’ll take the Gloves, and you can have the rest of the ores."

"Done!" The Shopkeeper beamed. "Then I’ll give you 67,000 taels in gold notes as change."

"Not so fast," Jiang Che said, waving his hand. "I’d like to look at something else."

His gaze swept across the shelves.

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a folded set of white martial arts attire.

The robes looked as thin as a cicada’s wing, with a faint, flowing light moving across them.

Seeing his interest, the Shopkeeper immediately made his pitch. "Sir has a keen eye! That is the ’Flowing Cloud Hide.’ It’s crafted from thousand-year-old spider silk blended with the tanned sinew of an Exotic Beast. It’s light, breathable, and you can barely feel its weight when you wear it. But its tenacity is superb—impervious to fire and water, and resistant to blades and swords!"

Jiang Che’s heart stirred. He thought of the embarrassing problem of his clothes always bursting whenever he used his Black Armor Transformation.

He asked, "This thing... how far can it stretch?"

The Shopkeeper said confidently, "Sir, don’t be fooled by its thinness. You can pull it with all your might, and it won’t break even if you stretch it to ten meters! Its elasticity is excellent, too. It snaps right back to its original shape the moment you let go!"

Jiang Che took it and gave it a try. He gave it a hard pull, and the Flowing Cloud Hide indeed stretched out a significant length. When he let go, it instantly snapped back to its original shape. Its elasticity was incredible.

"This is it!" Jiang Che decided on the spot.

’With this, I won’t have to worry about my clothes during my Transformation anymore!’

’Of course, if I ever face a life-or-death enemy and worry about being identified by my clothes, I can just take them off before transforming.’

"Fifty thousand taels of Gold," the Shopkeeper quoted.

The price was steep, but Jiang Che gritted his teeth and bought it.

In the end, the Shopkeeper gave Jiang Che 17,000 taels in gold notes.

Jiang Che carefully put away the Gloves and the robes, then left Linlang Pavilion.

On the way back, he was extra vigilant, worried that Xie Xingwen or someone from the Demon Sect might try to ambush him.

But the journey was peaceful, and he returned to the Sect without incident.

On second thought, Jiang Che figured that everyone’s attention was probably focused on the major event of attacking You Manor. Xie Xingwen likely didn’t have the spare time to specifically come looking for trouble with him.

He had just gotten back to his residence when his sister, Jiang Ling, came up to him. "Brother, a senior sister from Yanluo Courtyard came by just now. She said Dean Ye wants to see you."

"Dean Ye is looking for me?" Jiang Che was a little surprised. "Did she say what it was about?"

Jiang Ling shook her head. "No, just that you should go over as soon as you got back."

Jiang Che nodded, put his things down, and turned to head out the door again.

Arriving at Yanluo Courtyard, a female disciple led him to a quiet room.

Ye Lianzhen was sitting with her eyes closed in meditation.

"Dean Ye, you wanted to see me?" Jiang Che asked after bowing.

Ye Lianzhen opened her eyes and said bluntly, "I saw the list for the crusade against You Manor. You’re on it."

Jiang Che nodded. "Yes, I just received the notice today."

"Qiaoqiao... is also on the list." Ye Lianzhen rubbed the bridge of her nose, her tone weary.

Jiang Che was startled. "How could she be drafted for this too?"

A flash of anger crossed Ye Lianzhen’s face. "Who else could it be but Xie Xingwen? I was going to have her name removed. But that old bastard Xie Songnian! He jumped out, spouting nonsense about how disciples need real-world experience, that they need to see some blood to grow, and that this is a rare opportunity! He even said he put his own son, Xie Xingwen, on the list to get experience! And the Sect Leader actually thought it made sense and supported him! So I couldn’t forcefully object."

She took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Che. "I called you here to ask a favor. On this expedition, please help me look after Qiaoqiao. On one hand, try your best to keep her out of danger. On the other... be wary of Xie Xingwen. I’m worried he has malicious intentions."

Jiang Che said pensively, "Dean Ye, it’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just that on a battlefield, the situation can change in an instant. I can barely guarantee my own safety, so I’m afraid it would be difficult to look out for someone else..."

Ye Lianzhen cut him off. "I know it’s a difficult thing to ask. Naturally, I won’t have you do it for free."

She took out a neatly folded piece of Soft Armor.

The Soft Armor was a pale silver, as thin as paper, and felt cool and smooth to the touch.

"This is the ’Cicada Wing Treasure Armor.’ You wear it close to the skin. It can automatically sense and block a single fatal attack, but it only works once before it shatters." Ye Lianzhen pushed the Soft Armor toward Jiang Che.

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