Everyone thought that because of Lin Tao's relationship, Lin Hao would certainly not dare to participate in this outer sect ranking competition. However, the truth was that Lin Hao had registered, and he would definitely appear in tomorrow's competition.
After the registration ended, Elder Lin Chen gave a few instructions and then vanished, leaving many elite disciples who wanted to seek his guidance feeling very disappointed. It was rare to see an elder, and if they could receive guidance from the elder, they might achieve a new level of improvement.
However, the two major elders of the Lin family focused mainly on the inner sect villa in the Hundred Refinements Mountain Range. As for the outer sect of the Lin family, it was mostly managed by the attendants, and the elders rarely showed up.
After registering, Lin Tao and others looked into the distance with burning eyes.
The outer sect ranking competition would begin tomorrow, and at that time, the two major elders would personally preside over it. Even the elite inner sect disciples would come to watch, truly a gathering of geniuses, a grand event for the Lin family!
For example, Lin Zhen, who stared at Lin Tian with burning eyes, exuded a powerful fighting spirit from his body. His steel-like body trembled continuously, whether from excitement or something else. He wanted to win first place, defeat Lin Tian, and then go to the inner sect villa to compete with Lin Wuxin and Lin Xiurui, those powerful figures!
Lin Hao remained calm, observing Lin Zhen and a few other top-ranked disciples. He then did not stay for long and disappeared like the wind, without anyone even noticing.
To Lin Hao, the only ones in the outer sect who could make him take them seriously were Lin Zhen and Lin Tian, these top-ranked geniuses. These few people had long-lasting auras, and their true qi was relatively pure, even causing him considerable pressure.
At the second level of the Earth Gate, the main focus was on consolidating the foundation, and the realm seemed less important. The realm of intent was far more significant, and coincidentally, this was Lin Hao's specialty.
He had a keen eye and a profound understanding of martial arts. In his previous life as the Heavenly Emperor of the Outer Domain, a single word could make a world tremble, and he had already reached the ninth level of the Heavenly Gate, how powerful he was. On the Yellow Wasteland Continent, the ninth level of the Heavenly Gate seemed to be only a legend, and even after ten thousand years, it might not have produced a single person.
Lin Hao's consciousness had long surpassed this continent, but the realm of intent was mysterious and intangible, not as substantial as martial arts realms. Moreover, his current strength was weak, and even if his consciousness was sufficient, it would not be easy to surpass Lin Tian and others.
...
A moment later, Lin Hao left the Lin family and came to the Flowing Cloud City. He wanted to go to the Divine Armory to buy some suitable weapons. During the Heaven-Sweeping Mountain Range incident, he had used up all his flying daggers, and the Green Light Sword had been broken by himself.
Now, Lin Hao still had 70,000 taels of silver, which seemed enough to buy better weapons, not just ordinary ones like the Green Light Sword. Of course, his expertise in weapons was also astonishing, whether long-range or close-range weapons, Lin Hao had experience with them. The main issue was what kind of weapon suited him at this stage.
A moment later, Lin Hao arrived outside the Divine Armory and paused to observe for a while.
The Divine Armory was also a property of the Bai family. Speaking of the Bai family, Bai Zhen and Bai Zhanchen had not had any news these past few days, especially Bai Zhen, who was unusually silent, as if nothing had happened, and had not caused any trouble for Lin Hao and others.
This was also within Lin Hao's expectations. The plan he had set up was quite extensive, even involving some divine tricks, which had fooled the old woman and the middle-aged man.
Even if they had doubts, the 'Fairy Powder' created a hallucination that connected with reality at the mental and consciousness levels, making it impossible to find any flaws. Only a powerful figure who had opened the fifth level of the Earth Gate, with extremely strong willpower, could possibly resist the 'Fairy Powder'.
Lin Hao smiled slightly and walked into the Divine Armory.
As soon as he stepped into the Divine Armory, Lin Hao was dazzled by the array of weapons. These weapons were quite good for his current stage, and some had even reached a certain grade.
Lin Hao had recently cultivated the 'Five Wind-Chasing Swords' to the Great Perfection stage, so sword-type weapons were more convenient for him. If he used another type of weapon, the 'Five Wind-Chasing Swords' would be wasted, and it would be a loss.
The outer sect ranking competition was approaching, and if he had a suitable weapon, it would give him a greater advantage. After all, the realm of intent was intangible, and various weapons and magical treasures were also essential.
Soon, a middle-aged man approached, glanced at Lin Hao, and smiled, saying, "Young brother, what kind of weapon do you need?"
Without hesitation, Lin Hao replied, "A sword."
Sword-type weapons were not uncommon in the Divine Armory. The sword was the king of all weapons and was quite popular.
"Although there are many sword-type weapons, their grades vary greatly. What grade do you want, young brother?" the middle-aged man asked.
For Earth Gate martial artists, Yellow Rank and Black Rank weapons were more suitable. Above Black Rank, weapons with higher grades could communicate with the spirit and were called Soul Rank divine weapons. However, such divine weapons were not for sale with gold or silver and were rare even in the sect world.
Moreover, Soul Rank divine weapons could not be wielded by Earth Gate realm experts. Forcing their use would likely lead to their downfall.
Lin Hao would not consider Soul Rank divine weapons for now. Even if he wanted to, he did not have the capital to buy them, and even if he did, the Divine Armory would not have them. Yellow Rank and Black Rank weapons were more reliable.
"Black Rank sword-type weapon..." Lin Hao pondered for a moment and then said.
"Black Rank?" The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly. Even the upper echelons of the four major families might not have a Black Rank weapon, and this young man was quite boastful.
Their Divine Armory did have a Black Rank weapon, but it was a treasure of the store, a symbol, and would not be sold for any amount of money.
Moreover, the price of a Black Rank weapon was not something that could be bought with silver or gold. At least ten thousand medium-grade spirit stones were required!
The middle-aged man did not get angry, seemingly realizing that Lin Hao did not understand the value of these grades, so he began to explain.
Lin Hao was taken aback. He had not realized that even Black Rank weapons were so rare. Ten thousand spirit stones were an astronomical price.
His 'Wind-Thunder Palm' had only sold for one medium-grade spirit stone, while a Black Rank weapon required ten thousand medium-grade spirit stones. The difference made Lin Hao feel helpless.
Lin Hao was indeed unfamiliar with the prices of weapons. He had been embarrassed several times before, like when he tried to buy silver needles with a few taels of silver in Fenglin Town and was looked down upon.
Seeing Lin Hao's embarrassment, the middle-aged man laughed and did not mind, as this was not the first time he had seen such a situation.
"Then... Yellow Rank weapons... do you have any? How much do they cost?" This time, Lin Hao was more cautious. The lessons from his previous experiences made him hesitant to make demands without first asking the price. Otherwise, it would be like having only a penny in his pocket and going to the most expensive restaurant, boasting about wanting the most expensive dish.
"Um..." The middle-aged man nodded and then said, "We do have Yellow Rank weapons, but they are divided into four grades: Common, Medium, High, and Peak."
Lin Hao was aware of this. All divine weapons were divided into four grades, with Common being the lowest and Peak the highest.
A Peak Yellow Rank weapon was close to a Black Rank divine weapon, so the price would definitely not be within the range of a few ten thousand taels of silver. As for the High grade, Lin Hao estimated he could not afford it either. Medium and Common grades might be within his budget.
It was well-known that the difference in grade between magical treasures and divine weapons was immense, and the price difference was equally significant.
"Medium Yellow Rank, what is the approximate price?" Lin Hao asked cautiously.
"The cheapest sword-type weapon would cost one million taels of silver," the middle-aged man said bluntly.
One million?!
Lin Hao smiled bitterly, accepting the reality that he could not afford it. He had even considered buying a Black Rank divine weapon, which now seemed laughable.
"How much for a Common grade?" Lin Hao lacked confidence. He only had 70,000 taels of silver and also wanted to buy some flying daggers.
"Common grade is cheaper, ten thousand taels," the middle-aged man said with a smile.
Once a weapon reached a certain grade, the materials and quality were far superior to ordinary weapons, like the difference between a mundane weapon and a divine weapon.
"Is there anything cheaper?" Lin Hao shook his head. He only had 70,000 taels of silver and needed to save some for flying daggers.
"Really, there isn't... the starting price for a Common Yellow Rank weapon is ten thousand taels," the middle-aged man said.
Generally, for outer sect disciples of the four major families, owning a Common grade weapon was considered wealthy, and only a few could afford it. Most disciples would not spend ten thousand taels of silver on a weapon, as they could buy some medicinal pills to improve their own strength, which was more cost-effective.
Even the relatively wealthy top few outer sect disciples would not easily buy Yellow Rank weapons costing ten thousand or one million taels.
Lin Hao was somewhat disappointed. If he could not afford it, he would have to temporarily give up the idea of buying a Yellow Rank weapon.
"Young brother... I have a Common Yellow Rank sword-type weapon, but I wonder if you dare to use it," the middle-aged man suddenly changed the subject.
"Oh?" Lin Hao became interested.
Soon, the middle-aged man brought over a black sword case and said, "This sword is called 'Evil Heavy,' and it is said to have some connection with the 'Evil Swordsman.'"
The 'Evil Swordsman' was one of the three great swordsmen of the Heavenly Capital Kingdom, a powerful figure who had opened the first level of the Heavenly Gate and was a 'Heavenly Spirit' expert, with a legendary reputation.
The sword case was opened, and a gust of foul wind hit Lin Hao, making his body tremble slightly.
"This is... made from fragments of a Soul Rank divine weapon," Lin Hao immediately recognized the sword's origin with just a glance.
Although it was a Common Yellow Rank weapon, the 'Evil Heavy Sword' was made from fragments of a divine weapon, making its value far exceed that of the sword itself.
Although Lin Hao recognized the origin of the 'Evil Heavy Sword,' his expression remained unchanged. He said, "This sword has too much malevolent energy, and ordinary martial artists find it difficult to control. They might even suffer from the malevolent energy's backlash, severely damaging their martial arts foundation..."
The middle-aged man did not deny this. The young man was right, and that was why the 'Evil Heavy Sword' had been ignored in the Divine Armory for many years. Occasionally, a swordsman would show interest, but after opening the sword case and feeling the malevolent energy, they would change their minds and dare not buy it.