Chapter 14: Flying Snow Divine Spear

The middle-aged man in the purple robe observed Dongbo Xueying's expression and secretly nodded. The people of Yishui City had even given Dongbo Xueying a nickname—Spear Demon—meaning that he had trained in spear techniques to an obsessive degree! It wasn't exactly a malicious nickname, but it wasn't entirely complimentary either. However, the middle-aged man, having experienced much in life, understood that in the vast world beyond...

The true rulers were the powerful individuals, those with unfathomable strength who had earned legendary titles, and even extraordinary beings.

And only those who dedicated themselves to relentless training had a chance of becoming such existences.

That was why he was always careful not to offend these exceptionally hardworking people.

"Good spears," Dongbo Xueying remarked as he swept his gaze over them. Just from the faint aura emanating from these spears, he could sense their spirit. It was a natural resonance that developed after spending countless hours wielding a spear.

The three spears were all divided into two segments. Since spears were too long, splitting them into two made them easier to store in weapon boxes and carry. If they were in one solid piece... even the shortest would be over two meters long, making them too cumbersome.

"Brother Xueying, let me introduce these three spears to you. I personally acquired each of them," the middle-aged man in the purple robe said.

"I appreciate your effort, Lord Quan," Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly.

When it came to social niceties, he generally didn't care much. His focus was on training, but he still made sure not to be impolite.

"This black spear here," the middle-aged man pointed to the first weapon box on his left, "is called Black Cloud. It's 3.2 meters long and is one of the most popular spears on the market. Many nobles favor it. Its strengths—you'll understand once you try it for yourself."

"Oh?" Dongbo Xueying frowned slightly. This spear was too long for his liking.

Nonetheless, he stepped forward, picked up the two segments of the spear with both hands, and swiftly twisted them together until they locked into place.

"Whoosh."

With a flick of his wrist, Dongbo Xueying executed a whip-thrust!

The Black Cloud Spear, weighing over a hundred jin, was wielded single-handedly, its tip piercing straight forward with such force that the air itself seemed to tear apart.

The sharp whistle of the spear cutting through the air made the two nearby maidservants turn pale with fright.

The middle-aged man in the purple robe was secretly astonished—such strength! Such incredible spear technique!

"Too soft. Way too soft."

Dongbo Xueying shook his head.

"This Black Cloud Spear is too long, and its shaft is too thin. When thrusting, the spearhead wobbles uncontrollably.

"Of course, for an inexperienced spearman, using a long spear like this—where the spearhead wobbles on impact—can be a great advantage. It disorients the opponent, making it difficult to see the trajectory of the attack.

"Many nobles who don't dedicate themselves to spear training love this kind of weapon because it lets them land strikes even with poor technique.

"But for a true expert, every movement of the spear must be fully controlled. The spearhead should only move when the wielder intends it to—not because the weapon itself is too soft."

Dongbo Xueying's evaluation was casual yet precise.

At thirteen years old, he had already reached oneness with the spear.

Now, he was on the verge of becoming a true Spear Master.

With just a single test, he could immediately judge the strengths and weaknesses of a weapon.

For those with poor spear technique, the Black Cloud Spear was a great weapon—it could artificially inflate their strength.

For those who had truly mastered the spear, however, this weapon was worthless. "Impressive, impressive!"

The middle-aged man laughed.

"I've met many true warriors in my travels. None of them think highly of the Black Cloud Spear—only spoiled noble brats love it."

He then pointed to the dark purple spear beside it.

"This one is called the Purple Blood Spear—a weapon truly meant for warriors.

"It's 2.5 meters long, with a thicker shaft, designed for a single-handed grip.

"The spearhead is incredibly sharp, crafted purely for killing.

"They say its dark purple hue comes from years of being stained with blood." "Hmph, sounds dramatic," Dongbo Xueying said with a laugh.

He picked up the Purple Blood Spear—and the moment he grasped it, his heart stirred with excitement.

This… feels right! He casually swung the spear.

Whoosh!

The spear whipped through the air, unleashing a violent gust of wind inside the spacious private lounge.

Then, with a single movement, the spear shifted seamlessly from a sweeping motion into a furious thrust!

Dongbo Xueying's effortless and natural movements were far beyond what an ordinary spear master could achieve.

This made the purple-robed middle-aged man even more impressed with him.

"The power transfer feels incredibly smooth."

Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly.

"The spear shaft has no major flaws, and with the support of alchemy formations, the spearhead is indeed sharp enough."

It was a good spear—definitely suitable for him.

"I'll introduce the last spear now," the middle-aged man said.

Dongbo Xueying turned his gaze toward it.

Of the three spears, this was the one that had caught his attention the most.

Its shaft was silver-gray, decorated with countless snowflake-like patterns.

Even from a distance, Dongbo Xueying could sense its sharpness.

"The other two spears are first-rank alchemy weapons, but this one..."

"I obtained it by chance, and according to experts, it is a second-rank alchemy weapon," the middle-aged man explained.

"Second-rank?"

Both Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling were momentarily stunned.

Seeing a second-rank alchemy weapon in Yi Shui City was quite unexpected.

"It's naturally cold to the touch. Its creator called it the Flying Snow Spear."

"Its greatest trait is that when used in combat, countless snowflakes appear around it, confusing opponents!"

"Let me try it," Dongbo Xueying said.

He picked up the two halves of the Flying Snow Spear and swiftly assembled them.

The purple-robed man felt a little nervous.

Alchemy weapons usually possessed some kind of enhancement—perhaps increased speed, enhanced sharpness, or even elemental effects like fire.

Yet, the only ability of the Flying Snow Spear was to generate illusionary snowflakes, which were useless against true experts.

A skilled warrior could easily ignore the snowflakes and focus directly on the spear's movements.

This was why the Flying Snow Spear had remained unsold for so long.

As for its origin…

Years ago, Earl Quan Xuming had encountered an old beggar while conducting business outside the city.

Sensing that the beggar was extraordinary, he provided him with food and drink for three years.

Before leaving, the old beggar forged a single weapon and said:

"This is the Flying Snow Spear. It is more than enough to repay you for your kindness."

Then, he left without a trace.

At the time, Earl Quan had believed this spear to be a legendary divine weapon.

But after testing it, he discovered that while it was indeed a second-rank alchemy weapon, it had no special combat enhancements.

Of course, it was still far more valuable than just some food and drink.

Whoosh—Ssshhh—

Dongbo Xueying gripped the silver-gray spear, testing out over a dozen techniques before finally stopping.

His expression remained calm, but deep inside, his heart was racing with excitement.

This was a truly great spear.

Even for a warrior who had mastered oneness with the spear, the true value of this weapon might be hard to notice.

However, over the years, Dongbo Xueying had trained both his fists and spear techniques, seeking to perfect his control over power.

Now, he had begun to touch upon that higher realm of mastery.

That was why he could sense the hidden mysteries within this weapon.

But Dongbo Xueying couldn't reveal his excitement—because he still needed to negotiate the price!

He didn't actually have the money to afford a second-rank alchemy weapon.

"The spear is decent," Dongbo Xueying said casually.

"As expected of a second-rank alchemy weapon."

"But aside from its snowflake illusion, it seems to lack any real enhancements."

"Alchemy weapons usually have special effects—like elemental magic or increased sharpness.

"But this spear… it has none of that.

"And honestly, do you really think a true expert would be fooled by some snowflakes? A real warrior can easily distinguish between the illusion and the actual spear tip."

"It was likely classified as a second-rank alchemy weapon simply because it can withstand the force of a Title-rank battle," Dongbo Xueying speculated.

"But for weaker warriors like us, it's actually inferior to a first-rank alchemy weapon."

First-rank alchemy weapons were fine for battles below the Title-rank level.

But in a Title-rank battle, the power unleashed was earth-shattering—most first-rank weapons would break instantly under such force.

Currently, when Dongbo Xueying's strength doubled, he could match a Silver Moon Knight.

And it wouldn't be long before he could reach Title-rank power.

If he bought a first-rank spear, it might only last a short time before breaking.

This was why he wanted the Flying Snow Spear.

Of course, the real reason was the hidden power within the spear itself.

"But in the end, it's still a second-rank alchemy weapon," the purple-robed man countered.

"And I can see that you really like it."

"Name your price," Dongbo Xueying said.

"Thirty thousand gold coins!"

The purple-robed man immediately quoted his price.

Dongbo Xueying smiled.

Dongbo Xueying smiled—but inside, he felt helpless.

The Dongbo family's total wealth had dwindled to just over fifteen thousand gold coins!

And that was only because Uncle Zong had helped supplement their funds.

In fact, two years ago, the family's treasury had already run dry.

The reason?

Dongbo Xueying's near ten years of medicinal baths had drained all their gold!

Each year, the medicinal baths cost five thousand gold coins.

For nearly ten years, that amounted to a total of fifty thousand gold coins!

His parents had assumed that he would become a knight by the age of ten, at which point he would no longer need the baths.

Once a knight, Battle Qi would nurture and restore his body on its own.

But who could have expected that Dongbo Xueying would only break through at almost sixteen?!

"How much is the Purple Blood Spear?"

Dongbo Xueying immediately turned to look at it.

"That one is only five thousand gold coins," the purple-robed man quickly responded.

"But it's not on the same level as the Flying Snow Spear. The Flying Snow Spear is a second-rank alchemy weapon—even though it doesn't have any special enhancements, it is still of a higher grade."

"In battle, what matters is actual effectiveness."

"I'll offer you ten thousand gold coins—no more," Dongbo Xueying stated firmly.

Negotiations Begin

The two sides bargained back and forth.

"Eighteen thousand gold coins!"

"I can't go any lower," the purple-robed man said helplessly.

He was willing to sell at such a low price for three reasons:

The Flying Snow Spear appeared unremarkable, lacking any significant enhancements.He had acquired it from the old beggar for practically nothing—just some food and wine.Dozens of skilled spearmen had examined it over the years, yet none had been willing to pay a high price for it.

At one point, someone had offered eighteen thousand gold coins, but he had refused.

Now that he was back in Yi Shui City, even selling it for that much was difficult.

"Fine," Dongbo Xueying agreed immediately.

However, he added, "But I can only pay eight thousand gold coins upfront."

"The remaining ten thousand gold coins… I'll pay on credit within three months!"

He was completely out of money!

"Credit?" The purple-robed man was startled.

 "I didn't bring that much gold today—I wasn't expecting to find a second-rank alchemy weapon here," Dongbo Xueying said calmly.

Now that his strength had skyrocketed, earning ten to twenty thousand gold coins would not be difficult—especially with this spear in hand, which would make him even more formidable!

"Alright, deal! Hahaha! I trust in the Dongbo family's reputation—just write an IOU," the purple-robed man said with a laugh.

"Do you need collateral?" Dongbo Xueying asked.

"No need!"

The purple-robed man was generous and bold—he was more than willing to build a good relationship with Dongbo Xueying.

"Uncle Zong," Dongbo Xueying said.

From start to finish, Zong Ling had remained silent, allowing Dongbo Xueying to make all the decisions.

Now, he reached into his robe, pulled out a thick stack of gold notes, and handed over two of them to the purple-robed man.

Dongbo Xueying then wrote a debt note for the remaining ten thousand gold coins.

Flying Snow Divine Spear—Acquired!

"If a true Spear Master had found this weapon, there's no way it would have fallen into my hands!"

As Dongbo Xueying picked up the weapon case, he felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

What he didn't know was that in the entire Qinghe County, there wasn't a single Spear Master!

Many warriors trained in various weapons, but spear users were rare.

Even achieving oneness with the spear was already considered a remarkable feat.

Becoming a Spear Master?

That was nearly impossible!