Hanyuan unrolled the ivory parchment of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the light of the morning sun reflecting off the shimmering jade ink. His eyes scanned the bottom of the list.
Rank 145: Bai Hanyuan.
Rank 146: Feng Yue.
Rank 147: Qin Yu.
He noticed a new entry at the very bottom: Rank 150: Zhao Yao.
A small, amused smile touched Hanyuan's lips. It seemed the fiery tempered girl had kept her promise to follow Qin Yu into the high peaks. She had successfully broken through to the Mortal Core stage while they were away in the valley. He also saw a notation beside Feng Yue's name,she had officially challenged and defeated Mu Long earlier that morning, reclaiming her spot with such ease that the rumors were already calling her the "Water Genius of the Sapphire District."
Hanyuan was just about to close the scroll and begin a long term cultivation cycle when the familiar, frantic beating of wings echoed from the sky.
Lingxiao let out a sharp, warning screech from the roof as a massive White Crane banked over the jade walls and landed with an ungraceful skid in the garden. Qin Yu practically tumbled off the bird's back, his azure robes rumpled and his face a mask of profound misery.
"Brother Hanyuan! I have suffered! I have truly suffered this week!" Qin Yu wailed, clutching his head in his hands.
Hanyuan chuckled, leaning his spear against the obsidian wall of the pagoda. "Shopping with your Sister again, I assume?"
"It was a nightmare!" Qin Yu cried. "She dragged me through every silk shop and jewelry pavilion in Blue Dew City! My legs are shorter than when I left! And to make matters worse, my third brother, Qin Rong, didn't even ask how my cultivation was going. Every five minutes it was, 'Where is Hanyuan? When is he coming back to spar? Tell that spear brat he's late for our next session!'"
"He certainly is persistent," Hanyuan noted, remembering the heavy handed spear master.
Qin Yu took a deep breath, his expression suddenly shifting from comedic grief to a more somber respect. "But the biggest news... My second brother, Qin Ruo, did it. He officially broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage three days ago. Because of his overwhelming strength, my father decided it was time to step down and focus on his own private training. Qin Ruo is now officially the Patriarch of the Qin Clan."
Hanyuan paused, a cold shiver of realization running down his spine. Qin Ruo was only twenty two. To reach the Nascent Soul realm and take control of a great clan at that age was a terrifying testament to his talent. It was a reminder of the giants that still towered over him.
Qin Yu chatted for another half hour, venting his frustrations until he finally looked at Hanyuan with a pleading gaze. "Anyway... I'm completely drained of spirit stones after that trip. The family expects us to be self sufficient now that we're Inner Disciples. Wanna go on a mission?"
Hanyuan let out a slow sigh and shook his head. "I just got back from a High Rank mission in the Frozen Bone Valley with Feng Yue. Between the reward and some... lucky finds, I have enough spirit stones to last me for a while. I want to train quietly before I step out again."
"Eh? With that rude woman?" Qin Yu's jaw dropped. "But Hanyuan, who should I go with then? I can't do a Mid grade or High grade mission alone. My Dantian is as empty as my wallet!"
Hanyuan offered a knowing, slightly mischievous smile. "There is a new name on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Brother Yu. Rank 150. You could always ask Zhao Yao. I'm sure she would definitely say yes to a week in the forest with you."
Qin Yu's entire body gave a violent, instinctive shudder. His eyes widened in horror, and he took a step back toward his crane. "Absolutely not! Never! I would rather fight a Tier 3 Spirit Beast with my bare hands than spend a week trapped in a mission with that lunatic!"
"Well," Hanyuan said, waving his hands dismissively as he turned back toward his pagoda, "then I suppose you'll just have to make those few stones you have left last a very long time. I'm going into seclusion."
"Traitor!" Qin Yu shouted, mounting his crane with a look of utter betrayal. "You're a heartless spear madman, Hanyuan!"
Hanyuan chuckled as the Crane took flight, Qin Yu still mumbling dejectedly about "bloodthirsty women" and "the cruelty of friends."
Hanyuan sat in the center of his garden, the silent peaks of the Crest-Cloud District draped in a thin veil of afternoon mist. He drew the Cold Cloud Spear from his back and held it horizontally across his palms. The midnight blue metal was no longer lustrous, it was dull, riddled with deep nicks from the Silver Moon Ape and spider acid, and the fine cracks near the grip looked ready to give way under the slightest pulse of Qi.
With a soft, nostalgic sigh, Hanyuan stood up. He walked to the center of the spirit lily patch and, with a firm thrust, drove the spear tip deep into the rich earth. The weapon stood straight and tall, the shaft half buried in the soil.
"You've served me well, old friend," Hanyuan said, a genuine smile touching his lips. "You can watch over me from here. Rest now."
He knew the spear couldn't handle another real battle. It had been his companion for nearly two years, through the Outer Sect trials, the bandit Fights, and the Frozen Bone Valley. He didn't have the heart to melt it down or sell it for scraps,it was a silent witness to his rise to the Mortal Core Realm.
Turning away, Hanyuan let out a sharp whistle. Lingxiao dove from the pagoda roof, and within heartbeats, they were soaring toward the central islands.
He entered the Inner Sect Shop, the opulent white marble hall smelling of high grade incense. The old man with the spectacles and the black spirit wood cane was behind the counter, flipping through a ledger.
"Greetings, Elder," Hanyuan bowed. "I am in need of a new spear."
The Old Man looked up, his sharp eyes lingering on Hanyuan's empty back. He saw the resolution in the boy's gaze and gave a slow, knowing nod. "A spearman without his teeth is a sad sight indeed. Follow me."
He led Hanyuan to the rear of the shop, where a hidden door opened into a spiral staircase. They descended two flights deep into the heart of the floating island, arriving at a massive subterranean chamber. The walls were lined with thousands of weapons, each protected by an individual Qi bubble. The air here was heavy with the killing intent of forged steel.
Hanyuan walked directly toward the spear section. He moved past rows of white jade staves, silver headed lances, and heavy bronze pikes. He inspected them one by one.
After half an hour of searching, he stopped in a corner where the air felt strangely ionized. There, resting on a rack of lightning struck wood, was a pitch black spear. It had the exact same proportions as his old Cold Cloud Spear, but its surface was etched with intricate, glowing purple lines that pulsed like veins.
The moment Hanyuan's fingers brushed the shaft, a resonant CLANG echoed through the chamber,a pure, metallic sound that vibrated directly into his Mortal Core. The spear was answering his call.
"I like it," Hanyuan mumbled, his eyes reflecting the purple glow.
The Old Man, who had been watching from a distance, chuckled as he stepped forward. "A sharp eye you have, boy. That is the Roaring Thunder Spear. It was forged from Deep Sea Black Iron and tempered in the natural lightning pools of the Eastern Wastelands. It is a Top-Spirit Grade weapon, specifically designed to handle the explosive output of the Lightning Element.
He paused, looking at the spear with a trace of reverence. "It costs 75 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. The price is expensive, yes, but for a master of lightning, this spear has no equal in the Spirit rank."
Hanyuan didn't even hesitate. He reached into his Storage Ring and produced the heavy pouches. Seventy five Mid grade stones, it was a fortune, but Hanyuan knew that in the Inner Sect, a weapon was his life.
After finalizing the purchase, Hanyuan stepped out into the sunlight of Ascension Island, the Roaring Thunder Spear slung across his back. It felt heavy.
He mounted Lingxiao and flew back to his estate, his blood boiling with anticipation.