High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

That was the true purpose of his trip.

「Ten minutes later.」

The flying car stopped before a massive White Jade Square.

In the center of the square stood a giant, hundred-meter-tall Sun Dial, its pointer a massive, inverted sword.

And now, a dense, dark crowd had unexpectedly gathered at the entrance of the Trading Hall, a place that should have been solemn and dignified.

The moment Han Feng stepped out of the car, he frowned.

’Too many people.’

It wasn’t just the scions of East Sea City’s elite whom he recognized; he could even spot the back of a busy man like Su Jian in the crowd.

But that wasn’t the strangest part.

The strangest thing was the large number of young people in identical uniforms mixed in with the crowd.

The uniforms had the word "Kunlun" embroidered on the chest and varying patterns on the cuffs. They were clearly denizens of this Celestial Ship.

’Logically, the Celestial Ship descended to trade with the locals on the surface. These denizens should be in their shops counting money. Why are they all buzzing around like headless flies on the buyers’ turf?’

’Something’s not right.’

Han Feng stopped in his tracks.

’Something’s fishy.’

Instead of rashly pushing his way in, he scanned the outskirts of the crowd.

Soon, he locked onto a target.

A young man in his early twenties with an impatient look on his face was leaning against a stone pillar at the edge of the square.

The man wore a Kunlun uniform with a "Second Level Crew Member" badge pinned to his chest. His Cultivation was around the Enlightenment Realm Early Stage, and he was idly toying with a coin out of sheer boredom.

Han Feng straightened his collar, put on a friendly smile, and ambled over.

"Hey buddy, mind if I ask you something?"

The young man didn’t even raise his eyes. He snorted, "I’m busy. No time."

’His arrogance is off the charts.’

Han Feng wasn’t annoyed.

’The people on this Celestial Ship have lived in the clouds their whole lives. They see people from the surface the way city folk see their country cousins. It’s only normal for them to feel superior.’

He discreetly slid five glittering Spirit Coins from his sleeve and slipped them into the other man’s hand.

The cold touch of metal made the young man’s hand pause.

He glanced down, smirked, and rubbed the coins together, producing a crisp jingle.

"Heh, five? You treating me like a beggar?"

The young man gave Han Feng a sidelong glance, his eyes full of derision.

"Pal, this is the Celestial Ship. Even the air you breathe costs money. This amount might get you a bottle of water."

’Insatiably greedy,’ Han Feng cursed inwardly.

But his smile didn’t falter. He pulled another five Spirit Coins from his pocket and added them to the pile.

"The first five were for directions. These are for your trouble."

’Ten Spirit Coins in total. In East Sea City, that was enough for a common person to eat well.’

However, the young man’s brow only furrowed deeper. A flicker of disgust crossed his eyes, and he even started to pull his hand away.

"Tch, lame. If there’s nothing else..."

But just as he was about to pull his hand back, Han Feng moved faster.

SNAP!

Han Feng’s hand shot out like an iron pincer, instantly clamping down on the man’s wrist.

"Not enough for you?"

The smile vanished from Han Feng’s face, replaced by a cold expression.

"If it’s not enough, give the money back. I’ll go ask someone else. You’re not the only one on this square with a mouth."

As he spoke, he tightened his grip.

The young man felt his wrist being squeezed as if by a hydraulic press, his bones groaning under the strain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It hurts, it hurts! Let go!"

The young man’s face changed, his arrogance instantly washed away by the pain.

He was a man who knew how to adapt to the situation.

’This seemingly ordinary "country bumpkin" has a terrifying grip. He must be an elite at the Enlightenment Realm Late Stage. And by the looks of it, he really means to take his money back. I can’t let this easy money slip through my fingers.’

"Alright, alright, alright! Ten it is! We’re all friends here!"

The look of disgust on the young man’s face vanished as if by magic, replaced by a grinning, calculating expression.

With a flick of his wrist, the ten Spirit Coins vanished into his sleeve with astonishing speed, just like a magic trick.

"Now that’s more like it."

Han Feng released his grip and casually straightened the man’s collar for him.

"So, spill it. Why’s the entrance to the hall look like a crowded street market? Even your own people are here joining the commotion?"

The young man rubbed his wrist and shot Han Feng a dirty look, but for the money’s sake, he began to talk.

"For the sake of those ten Spirit Coins, I’ll give you a one-minute trial explanation."

He pointed to a notice board in the distance, which was surrounded by an impenetrable crowd. "They’re all looking at the board," he said, lowering his voice.

"The board?"

"That’s right. To ’harvest’ this latest batch... ahem, I mean, to collect more rare resources, the Trading Hall just updated its exchange list."

The young man caught himself mid-sentence and coughed abruptly, swallowing the word "harvest" back down.

A glint appeared in Han Feng’s eyes.

’Harvest? A very precise choice of words.’

The young man gave an embarrassed laugh to cover his slip of the tongue and continued.

"The higher-ups have really spared no expense this time. The prize for first place on the list has even us insiders crawling out of the woodwork."

"What’s the prize?" Han Feng pressed.

The young man glanced around, then secretively held up a single finger.

"One spot. A spot to enter the ’Hall of Myriad Spirits’."

After speaking, he watched Han Feng expectantly, as if waiting for a look of shock, fervor, or jealousy.

However, Han Feng just blinked, his face a mask of confusion.

"Hall of Myriad Spirits? What’s that? A public bathhouse?"

The young man’s expression froze instantly.

He stared at Han Feng as if he were an alien, his eyes practically popping out of his head.

"You... you don’t even know about the Hall of Myriad Spirits? Then what did you come up here for? Sightseeing?"

Han Feng spread his hands, looking perfectly justified.

"Of course I don’t. If I knew, why would I be paying you to ask? Did you think these ten Spirit Coins were some kind of ’idiot tax’?"

The young man was left speechless.

He took a deep breath, as if deciding to forgive this bumpkin’s ignorance for the sake of the money.

"Listen up, bump—... brother."

The young man straightened his back, a hint of the pride unique to the Kunlun People on his face.

"Kunlun Holy City has a place called the ’Myriad Laws Hall.’ You’ve heard of that, right?"

Han Feng nodded. He had heard of it. It was said to contain ninety-nine percent of all human knowledge, the largest library in existence.

"The Hall of Myriad Spirits is the simplified version of the Myriad Laws Hall!"

The young man’s tone grew excited, as if the spot were already his.

"Even though it’s just a simplified version, it still contains at least thirty percent of the core data from the main repository! From the Pill Formation of ancient cultivation to Bloodline Totems, it has everything!"

"And the most crucial thing is—"

Here, the young man’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

He shut his mouth. His once-fervent eyes were now slyly fixed on Han Feng, his thumb and index finger rubbing together rapidly.

Han Feng, who had been listening with rapt attention, was taken aback by the sudden silence.

"The most crucial thing is what? Spit it out!"

The young man chuckled. His expression became incredibly earnest, almost as if he were about to impart some profound wisdom.

"Brother, your one-minute trial period is over. It’s time to renew."

Han Feng was speechless.

’He could see it now. Say what you will about the people on this Celestial Ship, but their talent for making money was clearly a tradition passed down through the generations.’

Before Han Feng could blow up, the young man started talking a mile a minute, like a salesman pitching an insurance plan.

"And don’t say it’s too expensive. I can tell you’re completely in the dark about how things work up here. You don’t even know what the Hall of Myriad Spirits is."

"Things are complicated up here, full of hidden pitfalls. If you don’t have an insider to guide you, forget about that spot—you’ll end up losing the shirt off your back."

The young man puffed out his chest and said confidently,

"I suggest you hire me as your consultant for the day. It’s not expensive, a real bargain! Sixty Spirit Coins an hour, or a flat six hundred for the whole day!"

"With my help, you’ll avoid all the major pitfalls, and the returns will be far greater than a few hundred Spirit Coins!"

He finished his pitch and stared at Han Feng, terrified this fat sheep was about to get away.

"So what do you say? Interested in a personal consultant? I guarantee it’s a deal you won’t regret!"