Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 888: The Stones From Other Mountains Can Strike Jade

Chapter 888: The Stones From Other Mountains Can Strike Jade

Zhao Changhe cheerfully pocketed his freeloaded materials and examined them more carefully now that they were in hand.

He could faintly sense that while similar materials existed in the Heavenly Tome’s world realm, the underlying rules governing their effects were not exactly the same. It all boiled down to the differing foundational laws of each world. A more intuitive comparison might be between a fireball spell in a magic-based world and a fireball in a cultivation world. They both burned, sure, but the mechanics behind how they were cast were fundamentally different.

Items born under the definition of the Heavenly Dao were largely ineffective against Him. It was only when they were born under foreign rules, under rules beyond His dominion, that they could break that suppression.

To reforge Dragon Bird, he did not need to melt it down into an ingot and reforge it from scratch. Adding a few materials should be enough to strengthen its edge and improve its spirit.

His gaze swept casually over the display counter, silently weighing the options as he wondered what might best suit Dragon Bird. But before he could speak, Ye Wuming cut in. “These materials are all rather mediocre. Let’s check the inner hall.”

She was genuinely worried that Zhao Changhe would waste her precious spirit stones on buying gifts for someone else again. It was not like she had a vault full of the stuff...

The shopkeeper smiled deferentially. “Right this way, esteemed couple.”

Ye Wuming could not hold it in anymore. “Who told you we’re a couple?”

The shopkeeper froze. He had seen the man walk in holding the girl’s hand, clearly doting on her. Then this woman bought something for him without a word of complaint. If they were not a family of three, then what were they? Was it he and the girl who were a couple, and she was the disapproving mother-in-law?

Fortunately for him, he did not voice that dangerous thought. He just mumbled an apology and led them into the inner hall.

Zhao Changhe, of course, made no effort to clarify. In fact, standing side by side with Ye Wuming, equals in the eyes of others... That idea alone stirred something deep in his chest. He would not call it exactly romantic, but there was a certain gravitas to it that was undoubtedly appealing.

His focus shifted to the goods displayed inside and he frowned slightly. They were indeed superior to those in the outer hall, and there were a few items that might serve Dragon Bird well, but still... for a weapon meant to cleave the Heavenly Dao, the materials here were nowhere near sufficient. If he reforged Dragon Bird with something this mundane, she would probably revolt on the spot.

Then again, a shop that casually sold materials powerful enough to challenge the Heavenly Dao probably would not exist. If that level of material were available in street vendors, it meant the entire world operated at a vastly higher tier, and that would not be a good thing.

Zhao Changhe surveyed the room without betraying much emotion and said mildly, “Not bad... But do you have anything better?”

The shopkeeper replied, “If our honored customers have specific needs, we can take a request. We do have access to several acquisition channels.”

“Are there any special auctions coming up?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes brightened. “Indeed, we host most of the premium auctions in the city. However, there’s nothing scheduled in the immediate future. If sir wishes, you may leave a contact imprint. We’ll notify you when the time comes.”

You host them yourself? Zhao Changhe glanced at Ye Wuming and immediately understood that this was not just some random stopover. She had deliberately chosen a city of significance. If this shop was connected enough to run high-end auctions, then the city itself was likely one of this realm’s major hubs.

This also meant this was already a high-level region. Based on his senses so far, the world’s power level was roughly on par with the Heavenly Tome’s world, though perhaps slightly weaker.

This damn blind woman is still the same. Never saying things outright, always watching, always testing, waiting to see what conclusions he would draw. Is she still treating me like some newbie under observation?

Careful, or I’ll flip your whole table one day.

Without another word, Zhao Changhe snapped a small corner off the Blooddrink Stone, holding it in his palm. After a moment, he opened his hand again. Where once had been rough black iron now lay a piece of pristine white jade. He handed it to the shopkeeper. “Keep this. When the time comes, call for me, and I’ll respond.”

Truth be told, Zhao Changhe was not taking this too seriously. Chances were high that by the time the auction rolled around, he would be long gone and back in the Heavenly Tome’s world. No signal would get through the boundary between worlds. But he figured that he would leave a token or marker, anyway, just in case.

To the shopkeeper, though, this was not casual at all.

Moments ago, he had merely thought these three carried themselves with unusual bearing. But now? Turning metal into jade with nothing but a grip of the hand—this was reshaping matter itself, altering its fundamental nature. There were very few in the world who could accomplish such a feat.

Just who are these people? Where did this transcendent dragon come from?

The gears of the shopkeeper’s brain turned swiftly, and his tone took on a hint of caution. “May I ask how to address you, Your Excellency?”

Zhao Changhe’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “The Night Explorer[1].”

Ye Wuming: “?”

Ling Ruoyu tilted her head, puzzled.

The shopkeeper had no idea what sort of quiet chaos lay behind the exchange. He simply offered a respectful smile. “A fine name indeed. The night covers everything, and there is endless potential within to explore.... A true master’s temperament.”

Zhao Changhe beamed. “Oh, it’s nothing special. My wife’s name sounds much better...”

“Stop right there,” Ye Wuming said flatly. “Stay on topic.”

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. “What sort of material is Your Excellency seeking?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Nothing fancy. I want the purest, most indestructible metal. I’m going to use it to reforging a saber’s edge.”

The shopkeeper understood at once. For people of this level, the simpler the request sounded, the harder it was to fulfill. Returning to the essence meant that the so-called indestructible was no longer a poetic flourish but a literal requirement.

After a pause, he offered with a small smile, “If that’s what you seek, I might have a suggestion.”

Zhao Changhe nodded. “Let’s hear it.”

“About three hundred li east of the city lies the domain of the Heavenly Sword Venerable. He’s said to possess a chunk of Void-Shattering Star Iron. That might suit your needs. As to how you plan to approach him, or whether you can obtain it... that’s entirely up to Your Excellency.”

Zhao Changhe smiled faintly. “What, you’ve got a grudge with the man?”

“Well, I won’t bother speaking in riddles. Our business has had its share of friction with the Heavenly Sword Venerable over the years. So yes, I’m happy to point a little trouble his way.” He paused, then added with a calm grin, “But I swear on my soul, the information is real. What you do with it is your own business.”

Zhao Changhe gave a short nod. “Fair enough. I’ll discuss it with my wife.”

Ye Wuming: “?”

Before she could respond, Zhao Changhe grabbed her hand, as well as Ling Ruoyu’s, and led them out of the shop, speaking quietly, “There’s really something I have to discuss with you. This isn’t what you think it is.”

Ye Wuming, exasperated: “Must you keep taking advantage at every turn?”

“Words don’t count as taking advantage. Besides, aren’t you her mother?”

Ling Ruoyu: “...”

Ye Wuming sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “So what is it you want to discuss?”

Zhao Changhe’s tone dropped. “I’ve been thinking... If there are worlds like this out there, isn’t it possible that some also harbor entities on par with the Heavenly Dao? Why haven’t you considered looking for allies? Or worse, what if the Heavenly Dao finds some otherworldly friends of His own and comes at us with backup?”

Ye Wuming shook her head. “The Heavenly Tome is a divine treasure of the highest tier, capable of birthing an entire world. Who would willingly invite outsiders to fight over that prize? The Heavenly Dao hasn’t lost His mind. And the same applies to us. Would you risk driving out a wolf only to invite a tiger in?”

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment. “Fair. So this whole affair should stay internal.”

“Exactly. It’s possible, but the consequences are simply too unpredictable. We can’t gamble an entire world of lives on that.” Then she countered, “So, what about the Heavenly Sword Venerable? Are you going to see him?”

“For Dragon Bird, of course I will.”

Dragon Bird trembled with anticipation. She was very pleased.

Ling Ruoyu gave it a sideways glance and ground her teeth.

Zhao Changhe added, “Still, we should understand our target first... Since you’re familiar with this place, do you have any idea what kind of strength this Heavenly Sword Venerable wields?”

Ye Wuming shook her head. “I’ve never crossed swords with him, but I’ve seen him fight. He’s a little weaker than you, though not by much.”

“You’ve never fought these people yourself? Do you have no desire to test your strength against other worlds’ champions?”

“I never recklessly reveal myself in foreign realms. If I do, I risk alerting the local Heavenly Dao and getting forcibly rejected by the world itself. Not everyone needs to brawl around like some rookie to build experience.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Ling Ruoyu raised her hand earnestly. “Can I fight them?”

Seeing the eagerness on the little girl’s face, Ye Wuming’s expression softened instantly. “Of course. You both can. There’s no problem at all.”

Zhao Changhe said, “No rush. I’ll scout a bit more first.”

As he spoke, Zhao Changhe casually stopped a passerby. “Brother, we’re hoping to pay a visit to the Heavenly Sword Venerable. Would that be considered presumptuous? Does the Heavenly Sword Venerable have any taboos outsiders should know about?”

“Ah, you’re from out of town?” The passerby chuckled. “At least you know to ask. If you barged straight into Heavenly Sword Mountain, people would think you were issuing a challenge. The Heavenly Sword Venerable keeps a Hall of Heroes here in the city. It’s an open challenge system. Clear its levels, and you’ll be received as an honored guest. Everyone here knows this.”

Zhao Changhe clasped his fist in thanks, smiling. “Much appreciated.”

Ling Ruoyu gazed at her father with starry eyes, admiration sparkling bright. Ye Wuming scoffed and looked away. Zhao Changhe might seem brash on the outside, but she knew better. This man never charged in blind. That he had not disguised himself as Wang Daozhong this time was already brash enough by his standards.

Still, she had to admit it was a good real-world lesson for Ruoyu in jianghu etiquette.

With very different thoughts in their minds, the family of three arrived at the so-called Hall of Heroes. A pair of guards stood at the gate and snapped to attention when the group approached. “May I ask your purpose, travelers?”

Zhao Changhe clasped his hands with a cordial smile. “We heard one must challenge this Hall of Heroes to meet the Heavenly Sword Venerable. We’re here to do just that. Could you explain the rules?”

“Solo combat only,” the guard replied. “Companions may enter, but no swapping mid-battle.”

“Are magical treasures or artifacts allowed?”

“Yes. Those stationed here use treasures as well.”

“Fair enough.”

“And who will be the challenger?”

Zhao Changhe and Ye Wuming both pushed Ling Ruoyu forward at the exact same moment. “Her.”

Ling Ruoyu: “???”

Why not just ask me to go slay the Heavenly Dao while you’re at it?

Zhao Changhe unslung Dragon Bird from his back and strapped it onto his daughter’s. Grinning, he said, “You’ve got two transformations. If one doesn’t work, use Dragon Bird. If Dragon Bird still doesn’t work, use River of Stars. Go on, girl. This is your trial.”

Only then did Ling Ruoyu remember that her father had once mentioned sending her to test her sword against gods and demons, though he later claimed he had new plans. This had probably been in the cards all along. Back then, he had probably already planned on visiting other realms. All that talk of confirming something was just his way of gauging how things would go with her mother.

She suddenly realized that all of Ye Wuming’s reactions had likely been within her father’s predictions. On matters of grand strategy, her mother might be peerless, but in the arena of emotional dynamics... someone was getting clearly outplayed.

Still contemplating the intricacies of her parents’ relationship, the girl stepped into the hall.

Only then did she discover that while the structure of the building from the outside seemed no different from an ordinary pavilion, it was completely filled with arrays and restriction seals inside. The setup inside was clearly intended to absorb and dissipate stray energy, preventing the aftershocks of battle from destroying the structure.

At its center sat a middle-aged female Daoist in meditation, tending to a pill furnace with soft flickers of flame beneath.

Zhao Changhe followed close behind his daughter, stroking his chin as he eyed the pill furnace. His mind turned thoughtfully. Compared to this world, the Heavenly Tome’s world has largely sidelined alchemy. Most pills are only used for healing or minor enhancement. The pills that we have really are more like ordinary pharmaceuticals. At the very least, the Heavenly Tome’s world is severely lacking when it comes to the intricate alchemical elegance here.

As he mused, the female Daoist opened her eyes and looked directly at Ling Ruoyu.

Ling Ruoyu stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Junior Ling Ruoyu humbly seeks your guidance.”

The woman studied her for a long while, then frowned. “Strange bone age, strange soul, and strange sword intent... Are you some kind of monster who’s taken human form?”

Ling Ruoyu blinked.

In all fairness, that was not entirely inaccurate. Even Dragon Bird had been called a monster saber. By this woman’s standards, she probably did seem like some kind of rogue monster.

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter what you are,” the female Daoist said with a wave, dismissing the topic. She flicked her fingers, and a pill flew from the furnace straight toward Ling Ruoyu. “If you can handle this technique of mine, you can advance to the next floor.”

Whoosh!

A pill streaked through the air only to burst into smoke just before impact.

Ling Ruoyu instinctively stepped back, holding her breath. Her sword flashed in her hand, bursting forth in a flurry of blossoms.

Layer upon layer of sword shadows intercepted the smoky mist, forming a protective barrier. At the same time, a thread of sword qi split off and arced around, aiming at the Daoist’s flank.

The Daoist’s eyelid twitched. What strange sword qi. Is this how sword cultivators fight these days?

She casually deflected the attack, but the flames beneath her pill furnace surged forward, rolling like a wave and erupting toward Ling Ruoyu.

The girl puffed up her cheeks. She had never seen anything like this in the jianghu. This is cheating! I heard that Aunt Vermillion Bird only became able to send flames flying out once she reached the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. So, how come this woman, who’s at best on par with me, is already able to fling fire toward me like this?

What Ling Ruoyu did not realize was that, in this Daoist’s cultivation system, even someone in the Qi Condensation Realm could throw fireballs. However, this was not the time to contemplate metaphysical inconsistencies. With a swift pivot, she drove her sword deep into the stone floor. Sword qi erupted, severing the flow of earth fire at its source.

At the same time, her left hand flicked out a tiny dart with a sharp whistle.

Zhao Changhe rubbed his chin. “Not bad.”

Ye Wuming gave him a sidelong glance. She very nearly said, “Well, of course, whose daughter do you think she is?” However, she stopped herself just in time. This man had already spent the whole day milking the father-daughter dynamic to flirt with her. There was no way she would let him climb further up that pole.

Clang!

The female Daoist flicked her hand, and the dart clinked off the side of the pill furnace. But just then, a sword light erupted before her eyes.

Ling Ruoyu had become one with her sword and charged forward. With the lingering flames scattered across the floor, she seemed to be leaping straight from a fiery hell. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

The strike was about to land when the female Daoist suddenly tossed the horsetail whisk in her hand.

Ling Ruoyu’s eyes widened.

Sure, some people used horsetail whisks like a whip; they could entangle blades, disrupt movement, and were notoriously tricky to deal with. But tossing it into the air?

Before she could figure it out, the whisk abruptly elongated and snapped toward her waist like a snake.

Ling Ruoyu twisted in midair, trying to evade. But the whisk did not relent. It seemed to stretch endlessly, tracking her like a serpent with a mind of its own.

Zhao Changhe pressed his lips together, watching in silence.

A magical treasure... This was precisely why he wanted to witness other realms firsthand. He wanted to study how their power structures diverged from those of the Heavenly Dao.

A mere mid-tier duel, and already, the contrasts were clear and profound.

Bang!

With no way out, Ling Ruoyu suddenly kicked the pill furnace.

It toppled with a crash. The fire underneath it surged high into the air right into the path of the pursuing whisk, reducing it to ashes in an instant.

By the time the flames died down, her sword was already at the Daoist’s throat. Ling Ruoyu was breathing heavily, her voice steady but winded. “Thank you for the match.”

The Daoist stared at her with a strange expression. “You fight like someone unfamiliar with actual combat. You seem oddly ignorant of spells and magical treasures.”

Ling Ruoyu: “...”

I’ve fought plenty, just not against this kind of nonsense!

The Daoist let out a low laugh. “Even so, to use your surroundings so cleverly in the middle of a fight... That kind of sword heart will surely interest the Heavenly Sword Venerable. You may proceed to the next level.”

“How many levels are there?”

“Not many. Nine in total.”

Ling Ruoyu’s eyes sparkled. She had long known that back in her world, the fights no longer truly challenged her. But here, with all these exotic and unpredictable trials, she was actually having quite a bit of fun!

“A little battle junky, huh... I wonder who she got that from,” Ye Wuming muttered, watching her daughter’s dirt-smudged face glowing with energy. Though the girl looked like a stray cat, cheeks streaked with soot and breathing unsteady, she was practically radiating enthusiasm.

There were still eight more challenges ahead, each bound to be harder than the last, yet the child was grinning like she had just opened a birthday present.

Zhao Changhe did not answer. He did not need to. Whose temperament could this possibly be, if not that of a certain Bloodthirsty Asura?

“Come on, Birdy,” Ling Ruoyu patted the massive saber on her back like a treasured warhorse. “I might need your help in the next fight!”

As she bounded up the stairs with renewed excitement, Ye Wuming followed behind at a slow, measured pace. Without turning her head, she asked Zhao Changhe, “You’ve gone quiet. What are you thinking about?”

Zhao Changhe trailed after them, eyes slightly unfocused as he used inner sight. He answered offhandedly, “I’m leveling up.”

Ye Wuming: “?”

Zhao Changhe gave a faint smile. “Some insights aren’t just for Ruoyu. That last battle was enlightening for me, too.”

“Enlightening how, exactly?”

“Well... at the very least, I now know what I would do if the Heavenly Tome appeared before me again.” He turned his head, gaze falling on her with intent. “So, Lady Tome Spirit... would you consider letting me use it?”

1. The Chinese name carries the connotation of “entering” the night—the night, of course, being a direct translation of the Ye sisters surname. So if it sounds like he intends to explore the night in that way, that’s because he really does. ☜