Although he had made grand declarations, the laws of physics in reality remained cold and unyielding.

  Walking out from the bottom of the cliff, Mo Fan didn't casually swagger into the city with a wave of his sleeve like the high-level experts in those storybooks. The reason was simple: his pitifully small low-grade storage bag was already so stuffed it couldn't fit even a single rat tail.

  Right now, at the edge of a hidden dense forest a dozen miles away from the Qingmu Market.

  Summon No. 004 (Heavy Bulwark) looked like a tireless, emotionless tracked tractor, lying prone in the dense bushes. On its broad, thick back armor, three mountain-like bundles of supplies were tightly bound with coarse cloth and vines. Beside it, Mo Yan (Summon No. 001) carried two large bundles of pelts on his shoulders and in his hands, looking very much like an overworked coolie.

  "Inventory Full. I can only use this most primitive analogue workaround."

  Mo Fan sighed. These undead underlings were simply too eye-catching; he absolutely couldn't bring them into the market, or even get near it.

  He commanded Mo Yan and No. 003 to crawl into a hidden natural karst cave and enter deep hibernation. As for the massive No. 004, Mo Fan had it dig a deep pit right there in the forest and bury its heavy body entirely in the dirt, leaving only a tiny crack for ventilation, entering an absolute state of suspended animation.

  As long as Mo Fan didn't issue a summon, even if someone stepped on its back, they would just think it was a moss-covered boulder.

  With everything settled, Mo Fan straightened the bronze "Proxy Steward" waist token hanging at his side. He then hiked to a nearby mortal village and spent some broken gold and silver to directly buy two sturdy flatbed ox carts from a farmer.

  He didn't hire a driver, nor did he buy oxen.

  Mo Fan hauled the hidden goods trip by trip, loading them onto the carts and covering them tightly with thick waterproof felt tarps. Then, he walked to the very front of the two ox carts, grabbed the rough hemp ropes, and looped them over his shoulders.

  "Heave."

  The physical strength of the Body Forging Record entry level erupted, the muscles all over his body bulging slightly. Under Mo Fan's pull, these two ox carts—loaded with heavy Spirit Beast materials and weighing thousands of pounds—let out a muffled groan from their wooden wheels and actually began to roll steadily.

  As a mid-stage Qi Condensation body cultivator, pulling two ox carts alone was simply too easy.

  Just like that, acting like a diligent pulling coolie, he slowly followed the official road toward the back door of the Qingmu Market.

  Qingmu Market, Myriad Treasures Tower Backyard.

  This was the area specifically designated for acquiring bulk goods and processing rogue cultivators' materials. The air here was perennially filled with the mixed scent of various herbs, flesh, and blood.

  "Go, go, go, park the cart on the side! Unload your goods and wait in line for the steward to inspect them!"

  Seeing a young man walking in pulling two ox carts, a few busy workers instinctively flashed a look of impatience. These days, those driving ox carts to sell goods were at most mortal hunters bringing in ordinary wild beasts, or worthless low-grade herbs.

  Mo Fan didn't waste words, nor was he angry.

  He walked up to the first ox cart, reached out, grabbed a corner of the waterproof felt tarp, and yanked it hard.

  Whoosh!

  As the tarp hit the ground, an extremely pungent aura of blood and malevolence—even carrying a trace of violent spiritual fluctuation—instantly swept through the entire backyard.

  The originally noisy sounds in the backyard were cut off as if by a knife, plunging instantly into a dead silence.

  All the workers' eyes widened completely.

  Stacked on that ox cart was an [ Earth-Rending Giant Bear Pelt ] the size of a city gate, radiating a heavy earth-attribute aura. Beside it was a pile of [ Iron-Clad Rhino Horn Remnants ] gleaming with cold metallic light, and on top of it all, a mountain-like pile of various Spirit Beast skeletons.

  "This... This is..."

  A slightly knowledgeable worker sucked in a cold breath, his voice trembling. "Tier-one late-stage... These are all core materials of tier-one late-stage Spirit Beasts!"

  Moreover, the condition of these materials was too perfect! The skinning cuts were incredibly smooth, and the beast cores weren't damaged in the slightest. This was a craft only a top-tier dissection master could produce.

  "Quick! Go get the Shopkeeper!"

  In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

  The very same shopkeeper who had sold Mo Fan the Body Forging Record on the first floor came jogging into the backyard, lifting the hem of his long robes.

  When he saw the two carts of shocking materials, those shrewd, mung-bean-sized eyes abruptly erupted with a wolf-like hunger.

  "Good goods! Premium goods!"

  The shopkeeper stroked the giant bear pelt with trembling hands. Suddenly, his gaze fell on Mo Fan. He recognized this youth who had once bought a manual at his shop, but what alarmed him more was the bronze "Steward" waist token hanging at Mo Fan's waist.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  The shopkeeper's mind raced, instantly writing a grand drama in his head via mental gymnastics.

  How could a proxy steward of a servant district single-handedly hunt so many tier-one late-stage Spirit Beasts? And the dissection technique is so perfect, not even the inner sect's dedicated butchers can compare!

  I get it!

  The shopkeeper thought he had seen through everything. This kid is absolutely an 'errand boy'! Behind him, there must be an inner sect big shot who doesn't want to show his face, or a personal disciple of some elder! These things are all that big shot's loot from training in the forbidden back mountain, given to him to fence!

  Thinking of this, cold sweat poured down the shopkeeper's back. He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't made things too difficult for Mo Fan last time, and his attitude instantly took a 180-degree turn.

  "Aiya! Little Brother, you truly hide your depths well!"

  The shopkeeper immediately put on a smile more brilliant than if he had seen his own father, affectionately grabbing Mo Fan's hand. "The wind is strong outside, and the smell of blood is heavy. Come, come, come! Please enter the VIP private room in the inner hall! Serve tea! Bring the best Biluochun!"

  Mo Fan was somewhat baffled by this sudden enthusiasm, but he keenly perceived the "I understand everything" implication in the shopkeeper's eyes.

  He didn't expose it. He merely gave a profound, unfathomable smile and smoothly followed him into the luxurious VIP room.

  In the fragrant, incense-filled room, a settlement meant for a major client began.

  Although official channels suppressed the unit price slightly, their advantage lay in their abundant capital. They could swallow such a massive volume, and it was absolutely safe, with no need to worry about being robbed.

  A stick of incense's time later.

  The shopkeeper walked out respectfully, holding a tray lined with red silk.

  "Little Brother, we've finished tallying your goods. I've taken the liberty of rounding up the loose change for you. See if this number satisfies you?"

  Mo Fan lifted the red silk.

  There was no mountain of low-grade Spirit Stones on the tray. Instead, lying quietly were three slightly larger, crystal-clear Spirit Stones, seemingly with liquid flowing inside.

  [ Mid-Grade Spirit Stone x 3 ].

  In the cultivation world, one mid-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. These three stones translated to a full 300 low-grade Spirit Stones!

  Mo Fan picked up his teacup and took a light sip, maintaining a breezy exterior, even frowning slightly as if he didn't care much about the price.

  But internally, fireworks were going off.

  "This haul is truly fat! I, your father, have finally stood up!"

  Setting down the teacup, Mo Fan pocketed the three mid-grade Spirit Stones and commenced the second phase: translating wealth perfectly into combat power—The Heavy Investment Arsenal.

  "Shopkeeper, since the money is settled, I'll buy some things to take back."

  Mo Fan tapped the table with his finger. "First, I want a larger storage bag. The ordinary one is too small; it can't hold the things 'The Boss' instructed me to carry."

  The phrase "The Boss" further solidified the shopkeeper's mental gymnastics.

  "We have it! Of course we do!"

  The shopkeeper immediately retrieved an exquisite storage bag from the safe behind him, made of soft leather with dark gold stitching. "This is a premium storage bag sewn from the leather of a 'Void-Swallowing Beast.' The internal space is a full twenty square meters; it could fit a small courtyard. Deducting the trade-in value of your old bag... let's call it 1.5 mid-grade Spirit Stones (150 low-grade)."

  "Bought it."

  Mo Fan didn't even blink, throwing down one mid-grade Spirit Stone and fifty low-grade shards directly. Although it pained his heart, this investment was necessary. Otherwise, the behemoth No. 004 couldn't be carried on him at all.

  "Next, I want a sword."

  Mo Fan stated his second request. This was a customized weapon for Mo Yan.

  "I don't need any fancy spell amplifications, nor do I need flying sword functions. It only needs two things: Absolute Hardness, and excellent Yin-Cold spiritual energy conductivity."

  Ordinary mortal iron swords chipped after a few hacks in Mo Yan's hands, severely limiting his DPS.

  The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, turned into the inner vault, and brought out a long wooden box.

  The moment the box was opened, a biting chill filled the entire VIP room. Inside lay a longsword that was entirely dull, lacking any luster, its blade even looking somewhat blunt.

  [ Magical Artifact: Cold Iron Sword ]

  The shopkeeper introduced, "Forged with deep-sea Cold Iron mixed in. This sword is incredibly heavy; ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators can't even swing it. Moreover, because the cold aura is too heavy, it easily causes backlash to the meridians. But if the user is a body cultivator, or someone practicing Yin-Cold arts, this is an absolute lethal weapon! Asking price is 60 low-grade Spirit Stones."

  "Good sword."

  Mo Fan grabbed the hilt. Not only did that piercing chill not harm him, but the death energy in his body actually found it incredibly welcoming. This was practically a divine artifact tailor-made for Mo Yan's jade bones and death energy enchantment!

  "Take it."

  The budget was still burning furiously. He had about a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones left.

  Mo Fan knew very well that no matter how strong the undead were, he himself was a squishy mage. In this cultivation world, if his main body got one-shotted, even if he had an army of a million skeletons, they would all be buried with him.

  "Physical defensive gear, do you have any? Something that can be worn close to the skin."

  "[ Ink Scale Inner Armor ], woven from the scales of the deep-sea Ink Scale Fish. Thin, light, and tough. Although it can't stop a Golden Core Grandmaster, it's enough to withstand a full-force blow from an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. 40 low-grade Spirit Stones."

  "Bought it."

  Wearing this inner armor patched up his weakness of fearing direct spell hits.

  Next, Mo Fan spent another 30 Spirit Stones to purchase a large batch of materials specifically for body cultivation training, including gravity sandbags, frost sand, and some high-tier pills used to consolidate the foundation and repair hidden physical injuries.

  Finally, when Mo Fan stated his last purchase request, the shopkeeper's expression became extremely bizarre.

  "Are... are you sure you want to buy these?"

  The shopkeeper gulped, looking at the pile of foul-smelling, highly toxic discarded Spirit Beast poison sacs on the counter, along with some highly flammable fire-attribute beast organs. "These are all highly toxic dregs and waste from failed alchemy. They are extremely unstable; a slight bump and they'll explode..."

  "The shopkeeper needn't worry about that; I have my own marvelous uses."

  Mo Fan bought all this "garbage" at rock bottom like a scavenger for the extremely low price of 20 Spirit Stones.

  The shopkeeper had no idea that these explosive wastes, which others avoided like the plague, would be combined with [ Corpse Explosion ] in the hands of a Necromancer to become "Enhanced Corpse Explosion Mines" with terrifying power and elemental damage attached.

  The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the flying eaves of Myriad Treasures Tower.

  When Mo Fan strode out of the main doors, he had been completely transformed from head to toe.

  Draped in the Shadow Leopard Cloak on the outside, wearing the life-saving Ink Scale Inner Armor on the inside. Hanging at his waist was the high-capacity premium storage bag, which contained not only cultivation resources and "landmine materials," but also the Cold Iron Sword customized specifically for Mo Yan.

  300 low-grade Spirit Stones had been squandered by him in just half an hour, leaving only the few low-grade Spirit Stones A-Song had gifted him.

  But the smile on his lips was more arrogant and confident than ever before.

  This time, in the truest sense of the phrase, he was armed to the teeth.