Martial Arts Overlord

Chapter 20: Tiger Essence Saber

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Thank you for helping me out just now, Ruolan.” Luo Feng offered his thanks to Bing Ruolan after leaving the common area.

After all, Bing Ruolan had ignored Duanmu Yu’s standing and chose to stand up against him. It was truly a rare occurrence.

“I just felt that they had gone way overboard!” Bing Ruolan’s beautiful eyes twinkled and her face flushed red. She hurriedly walked ahead, and with her pale blue short hair glittering mesmerizingly under the morning sun, she turned around and urged, “Hurry up. We need to get back before it’s dark, otherwise, we won’t be able to return to the institution.”

“Alright.” Luo Feng observed Bing Ruolan’s back, smiled, and followed.

…

Green Edge Town, Soldier Forge.

“Step right up, step right up! To my two customers, here lies the best saber¹ in our shop! It’s crafted with stainless steel and ornamented with Flaming Unicorn Rock. Not only that, but it also weighs only 540 pounds. It’s definitely a good saber! And the best part? It only costs 24000 taels of silver.”

Above the counter, within the forge, laid a glistening podao¹. The shopkeeper had two of his fingers raised, and he was enthusiastically promoting his goods to his two customers.

Two teenagers stood In the store, one male, and the other female. They were none other than Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan.

Bing Ruolan stepped forward and picked up the weapon. She then tapped the body of the weapon with her slender fingers.

Buzz…

A churr rumbled through the room, and Bing Ruolan scrunched her brows at the noise.

After placing the saber down, Bing Ruolan looked at the shopkeeper with a menacing smile. With her light and gentle tone ringing across the room, she stated, “The blade’s vibrations are dull, a clear indicator of poor control over the flames while forging it. Also, the amount of Flaming Unicorn Rocks you’ve added into it is extremely little. This blade isn’t even worth 5000 taels.”

The shopkeeper stared at Bing Ruolan in shock and his face was blanched a pale white.

In the end, he heaved an exasperated sigh and offered a smile as he rubbed his hands. “I didn’t expect the young miss to be part of the same line of work. I admit I was buttering up the saber. So, how about this, I’ll sell this Igneous Saber to you for 4000 taels.”

‘The price plunged from 24000 taels to 4000…’

Luo Feng shook his head and chuckled bitterly.

Throughout this half-a-day, Luo Feng had experienced the same incident a dozen or so times. As such, he had already gotten used to it.

Initially, he had only brought Bing Ruolan along since she mentioned that she had done some research on weaponry. However, he had not expected Ruolan’s understanding of weapons to surpass that of simple research.

After all, Bing Ruolan could immediately identify a weapon’s materials and worth just from a single glance.

Luo Feng picked up the Igneous Saber and whirled it around him.

Woosh!

A flash of a blade could be seen, immediately followed by a sharp gust of wind. The powerful gale had blown away several of the Soldier Forge’s weapons, stirring up a cacophony of clanging sounds.

“It’s too light…” Luo Feng shook his head, and with a disappointed expression, he put down the weapon.

Bing Ruolan’s slender brows furrowed at those words, and she immediately looked at the shopkeeper, asking, “Don’t you have anything heavier?”

After being seen through by Bing Ruolan and having his weapon outright rejected, the shopkeeper started to get angry. He coldly answered, “Indeed I do, but I’m afraid that this young hero here isn’t qualified to use it.”

“Why is that?” Luo Feng’s interest was piqued.

“The young hero’s cultivation level is only in the middle phase of the fourth level. As such, I doubt you’ll be able to handle this saber,” The shopkeeper explained.

“Just bring it out for me. I’ll still pay you even if I’m not able to use it,” Luo Feng said eagerly.

An excited expression crept onto the shopkeeper’s face as he clapped his hands and called four muscular hunks out. “What’s your request, shopkeeper?”

“Bring THAT thing out from storage. The young hero here wants to test it out.”

“The Mountain-splitting Saber?”

The four hunks gasped at the shopkeeper’s words. However, the moment they saw Luo Feng, their faces twisted into a mischievous expression.

“It’s another punk that overestimates his abilities, huh. The last time it was the Red Tiger, Chen Gang from Extensive Net’s Outer Institution. He claimed that he had the strength of a tiger and would like to purchase the Mountain-splitting Saber for himself. However, he was already gasping for air after swinging the blade thrice. He looked just like a panting dog, but you look like you wouldn’t even be able to swing the thing three times.”

“Three times? Second brother, your evaluation skills are far too weak. Just look at how small his arms and legs are! Just swinging the thing once would probably be his limit!”

The four hunks continued gossiping among one another as they headed to the storage room.

A while later, the four figures appeared yet again along with a giant wooden box between them.

All four of the hunks’ faces were beet red as they hoisted the wooden box, and for every step they took, the ground would quake slightly.

Kaboom!

The tough floor made of igneous rock cracked and a cloud of dust was kicked up upon placing the box beside Luo Feng’s feet.

A mysterious chill filled the store the moment the box was opened.

A six-foot long, one-fist wide, jet-black greatsword laid in front of Luo Feng.

“This is the king of all the sabers sold within this establishment. It’s made from Mystic Metal” The shopkeeper shot a glance at Luo Feng with both of his hands hidden within his sleeves. The corners of his mouth were curled up into a mocking expression as he explained slowly.

After all, the Mountain-splitting Saber had weighed 3850 pounds, which was nearly the upper-limit of Strength Boundary martial artists. As such, the shopkeeper did not believe Luo Feng was able to use it.

The four hunks stood at the side and observed Luo Feng with amused expressions. They were curious as to how Luo Feng would humiliate himself.

In contrast, Luo Feng was actually enthusiastically eyeing the Mountain-splitting Saber under him. He glanced towards the shopkeeper and asked, “Can I try it out?”

“Of course, that is, if you’re able to move it…” The shopkeeper chuckled softly as he pointed to the three feet thick and wide iron pole covered with all sorts of scars at the side.

Luo Feng sucked his breath and gripped the saber by its hilt. Much to the shopkeeper and his men’s surprise, Luo Feng easily lifted it up.

“It’s still a bit lighter than I prefer, but it’s better than the previous one by a huge margin. Let me go and test it out.” Luo Feng walked to the iron pole and with a shout, he slashed it with sixty percent of his strength.

Boom!

A vicious howling wind emitted as Luo Feng slashed at the iron pole, causing the Soldier Forge to quake violently. The Mountain-splitting Saber had sunk one foot into the pole when suddenly, a crack formed at its center.

Snap!

The broken tip of the blade hurtled across the air before lodging itself into the ground.

“This one’s not suitable as well.” Luo Feng tossed the broken saber aside and ushered Bing Ruolan. “Let’s go.”

Woah…

The hunks drew their breaths as they stared at Luo Feng, startled. After all, Luo Feng had broken the Mountain-splitting Saber, which would mean that he possessed astounding strength!

The shopkeeper took a quick glance at the foot-long gash carved into the iron pole before suddenly shouting at Luo Feng, “Dare I ask the young hero’s name?” The shopkeeper’s tone was that of reverence.

“What do you need my name for?” Luo Feng paused his steps.

The shopkeeper pointed at the gash that was carved into the pole, stating, “Well, I’d like to properly explain how that gash came to be when somebody asks in the future.”

Luo Feng hesitated for a moment before answering with clasped fists. “Luo Feng, a student from Purple Sun’s Outer Institution.”

“Luo Feng…”

As the shopkeeper watched over Luo Feng’s back, he muttered to himself, “I never would’ve imagined that the Purple Sun Institution would have such a person. He’s only in the Strength Boundary, but his strength is already so terrifying. It might be over ten thousand pounds. I reckon that the lad might even surpass Lu Xiaoyun in the future!”

The few hunks were startled back into reality by the shopkeeper’s statement. With bewildered expressions, they exclaimed, “Lu Xiaoyun! Isn’t he the super genius from the Purple Sun Institution, and the young expert from the Flowing Cloud Ridge’s Ten Rising Dragons? Could this Luo Feng person really be similar to him?”

“It’s just my intuition. After all, this Luo Feng person’s eyes remind me of Lu Xiaoyun’s.” The shopkeeper’s expression was sentimental as if he was recalling the past.

…

“Luo Feng, how are you so strong? You gave me quite a shock back there,” Bing Ruolan exclaimed while patting her chest after leaving the Soldier Forge.

He chuckled at her remark. Luo Feng had immense spiritual power due to his eighteen meridian cycles, and as such, his physique had also surpassed the average person. After all, his strength was already over 15000 pounds back when he had first advanced to the Strength Boundary!

Moreover, now that he was in the middle phase of the Strength Boundary, his strength had definitely grown as well. So much so that Luo Feng believed that no ordinary Iron Bone Boundary martial artist was able to match up to him.

“We’ve already scoured through at least half of the shops within Green Edge Town, and yet, I still haven’t found a weapon that suits me.” Luo Feng glanced at the two sides of the street and expressed his disappointment.

“Green Edge Town has always been on the remote side of things. Plus, there’s been a surge of saber users recently, so it’s only natural that the selection of sabers has reduced.” Bing Ruolan suddenly spun around, and with her hands held behind her back, she looked at Luo Feng with her azure eyes, suggesting cautiously, “Luo Feng, how about you take up a sword as well?”

Luo Feng shook his head.

“Swords rely on precision, and as such, their moves are agile and elegant. In contrast to that feminine way of fighting, I much prefer the direct approach of sabers. Sabers rely on brute strength to overwhelm their enemies, and with each strike of the blade, dozens of foes would perish. Now that’s what I call a weapon that’s fit for a man!”

“Brutish and direct, huh. I do agree that it suits your nature though.” As if she had suddenly thought of something, Bing Ruolan’s face flushed a brilliant red and she spat out her tongue. It was an incredibly cute scene.

“Hey, there’s a bunch of people in front. Why don’t we take a look, Luo Feng?” Upon lifting her head, Bing Ruolan noticed that there were plenty of people gathered in front of her. As such, she urged Luo Feng to head there as well.

It seemed that Bing Ruolan was extremely happy today, as she was acting much livelier than usual. Throughout their trip, she had also left behind many memorable smiles befitting a teenage girl.

Although Luo Feng was extremely desperate for a weapon, he did not feel good about rejecting such an excited Bing Ruolan. As such, the two then squeezed into the crowd.

The crowd was rowdy and had formed a huge circle around something.

At the center of the crowd laid a ten-meter wide stage, and on that stage, laid a massive metal slab. A table ornamented with a red cloth stood beside it and when Luo Feng noticed the object wrapped by the cloth, he froze.

It was a saber!

The saber was over five feet long, and its hilt was around one foot long. As for its blunt end, it was an inch thick, and the blade’s body glowed a deep crimson. It had a quaint design, but it also possessed a certain degree of smoothness. A blood-red pattern was etched on the saber’s surface, and from afar, it looked like a raging tiger pouncing towards its prey. Nevertheless, even from such a distance, the killing intent that it emanated had sent shivers down Luo Feng’s spine.

“Now that’s a great saber!”

Ever since that first look, Luo Feng’s eyes had never deviated from the longsword that rested on the red cloth.

“Hahaha… Let me try out this Tiger Essence Saber for myself!” At that instant, a young man stood onto the platform accompanied by a burst of raucous laughter.

Luo Feng shifted his attention to the source of the sound. It was a bushy-browed, square-faced teen, who possessed a sturdy, muscular physique. The muscles on his body were bulging like rocks, and he was practically bursting with vitality. To Luo Feng’s surprise, he was a martial artist who was in the early phase of the Iron Bone Boundary! Nevertheless, the teen’s aura was constantly fluctuating, a clear sign that he had just advanced into the Iron Bone Boundary as his boundary was clearly still unstable.

“It’s the student, Fang Li, from Fang Institution’s Inner Institution! He had just activated his Fifth Meridian Cycle ten days ago!” A murmur of surprise voices rang out from the crowd.

Fang Li wore a delighted expression as he walked forward to the table. After inhaling a deep breath, he grabbed the Tiger Essence Saber on top of the red cloth and gradually lifted it up.

“Keep it up!” Cheers of encouragement resonated from the crowd.

Finding the situation odd, Luo Feng walked over to a saber-carrying teen at the side and asked, “Hey there handsome, may I know what’s going on here?”

Hearing Luo Feng calling him handsome had greatly lifted the saber-wielding teen’s mood. He explained, “It’s the fiftieth anniversary of Green Edge Town’s largest weapons dealer, the Tianding Pavilion, and they’re hosting this event to commemorate it. Any martial artist below the age of eighteen will be given the Tiger Essence Saber for free, as long as they’re able to leave a foot-deep gash onto that iron slab!”

“Only a foot-deep gash? Is that all?” Luo Feng was slightly surprised at the conditions.

“Is that all?” The saber-wielding teen mockingly repeated Luo Feng’s words. He then narrowed his eyes and explained with a smile, “There have been at least fifty participants who have taken up this challenge throughout the event, and among them, there were plenty of Fifth Meridian Cycle Boundary experts. Despite that, the saber is still here, so do you really think it’s that easy?”

“Luo Feng, that’s no ordinary weapon. Its quality is close to that of a spirit armament.” Bing Ruolan who had been standing beside Luo Feng retracted her gaze from the saber and explained in a serious tone.

The Saber-wielding teen turned to look at Bing Ruolan with an excited gleam in his eyes. He said, “You really have a good eye, senior sister! Indeed, the Tiger Essence Saber was made out of a meteorite from outer space. I heard that when it landed, the meteor had crushed a Rank Three demonic beast, a Sanguine Cloud Tiger to death. Furthermore, it had absorbed the beast’s essence, and when the blade was finally forged, it roared continuously for three days straight. It’s only one step away from becoming a Spirit Armament! It truly is a valuable weapon!”

After he finished his explanation, the saber-wielding teen then turned to look at the Tiger Essence Saber. He could not help but lick his lips at the sight of the weapon.

“Hurry up and look! Fang Li’s about to slash the metal slab!” The saber-wielding teen exclaimed while pointing at the stage.