'It's the same sensation I felt before swallowing that beast core and changing.' He was momentarily shocked and happy at the same time.
He decided to follow where this strange sensation was leading him. He hoped that it would guide him to something valuable.
He kept on walking for about an hour before he arrived at a shop. There was nothing spectacular about this shop. It looked old and dusty, with a faded sign that read "Antiques and Curiosities".
He saw a man in the shop that looked like he had not eaten for days. The old man was frail and dressed in rags. One look at him and one might not be able to tell the difference between him and a dead person.
Logan walked into the shabby-looking shop and greeted the old man.
The old man opened his wrinkled eyes and responded with a nod. He asked in a weak voice, "What... do.. you... want?" He coughed in between every word he spoke.
Logan felt the sensation in his chest stop at a particular rusty-looking jade that was lying on a shelf.
He sensed that there was something special about it, but he did not want to look suspicious. 'Let's perform an Oscar-level acting!'
"hmm... Mr. That little rusty knife looks great how much does it cost?" Logan asked with a polite smile, seeming like someone without any negative thoughts.
"one rank one... essence stone... would do.' the old man replied.
"That piece of antique looks nice, I'm an antique enthusiast, how much does it cost?"
"Bring one rank one essence stone for two of them"
"That old map seems special too...
Logan pretended to be interested in other items and asked for the price of different things.
After a little while of asking, he discovered that there were useless things that filled the shop and all of them were particularly cheap.
His confidence growing, he decided to ask for the price of the rusty-looking jade.
The old man did not seem to notice anything suspicious and called out a random cheap price like always.
"Look, young man, I know you don't want to buy these things. If you came to mock me, you've done enough. Please just go," the old man said as he saw Logan pondering on things that did not matter to him.
"That's not it, sir. I'll be taking that old map, the jade..." Logan continued, calling out some random items. He wanted to make it look like he was buying a lot of things, not just the jade.
"Thank you very much, young man," The old man said to Logan, his eyes becoming lively once more. He was happy that someone was willing to buy his stuff after a long period of not selling.
"No need to thank me," Logan replied as he brought out half of the essence stones he had and gave them to the old man. He did not care about the essence stones anymore. He only cared about the jade.
He took the items he had bought and left the shop quickly. He did not want to waste any more time. He wanted to find out what was inside the jade. He had a feeling that it was something that this would be something good.
After leaving the shop, Logan walked back along the same path he had taken earlier.
He held the piece of jade he had just bought in his hands, examining it closely. He was trying to understand its mysteries, but the only detail he could make out from the rusty old jade was some numbers engraved on it: 1:20. He wondered what these numbers could mean, but he couldn't seem to find an answer.
Logan was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice he was being followed by some men. They had seen him buy the jade and their eyes were filled with greed.
They thought it had to be some treasure and they wanted to snatch it from him. They followed him silently, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
They finally soon found a place where there were few people around. The leader of the men spoke in a low voice, "Hand over the jade and every item of value on you."
Logan heard this and turned to see who was talking. 'Just when I was trying to get back silently, trouble had to come knocking.'
He saw a tall figure dressed in black, with no skin exposed. The figure also wore a mask, so Logan couldn't tell what he looked like underneath.
Logan's brow furrowed as he sensed the cultivation level of the so-called leader. It was only at the ninth stage of the elementary realm, although much higher than his own, his strength was way above that. He calmly spoke, "Can you get out of my way? I'm in a hurry, you see, so I don't have the time or the patience to deal with you."
"If you're in a hurry, then you can quickly drop the item on you. The load is slowing you down," one of the men mocked as they all burst into laughter.
"Hey kid, are you trying to tell our boss what to do? Just obey him and you'll be fine," another man spoke up from behind.
Logan took a deep breath and muttered, "I guess I have no choice then. Don't be angry at me for not being merciful." Although he spoke in a low voice, what Logan said was perfectly heard by all of them due to the enhanced hearing of cultivators. This made them laugh even harder.
Logan took off his sword from behind his back, seeing the men he had just warned encircling him.
The leader shouted to his men, "Attack!" as he moved forward with his axe, aiming at Logan's left cheek. Logan was calm and decided to entertain these men for a short while to improve his usage of his elements.
Seeing the attack to his left cheek, Logan activated his skill, "fifth stage Essence of Vibration". He stepped forward and disappeared from their sight, leaving behind a faint ripple in the air.
They were all shocked, but the next thing that filled the air was a pained scream coming from one of the men - the one who had insulted Logan first in particular.