Chapter 419 - 247: Identity

Chapter 419: Chapter 247: Identity

Truth be told, Taishi Tianbi was already incredibly strong. Not only had he cultivated to the Body Tempering Limit, but he had also awakened Physical Divine Techniques.

If he hadn’t run into Su Mu, a True Essence Realm Martial Artist, it’s unlikely anyone could have defeated him.

"Taishi Tianbi stole the Divine Weapon from the cave estate in Daxing Mountain, and now his possessed identity has been exposed."

Huo Zhen Court continued, "Everyone in the world is looking for him now. If I were him, I’d hide myself away completely and not show my face again anytime soon."

Anyone capable of possession must have been a powerhouse in their own right. And powerhouses like that... well, they’re living treasures.

Their Martial Dao experience, the secrets they know, and even the inheritance from their past lives...

Capturing them while they’re still weak, then making all of those things your own...

It was an idea that would tempt countless people.

Right now, besides the Taiping Bureau and the Inspection Bureau, all sorts of masters from the Jianghu were searching for Taishi Tianbi.

And don’t forget, Taishi Tianbi still had a Divine Weapon.

Taishi Tianbi was now a walking prize. Everyone wanted a piece of him.

The moment he dared to show himself, he would attract the covetous eyes of countless people.

This was one of the reasons why it was so difficult for those who were reborn through possession to truly grow strong.

Unless they hid themselves extremely well, the moment their identity was leaked, even if the Taiping Bureau didn’t come for them, plenty of others would want to seize the treasures they possessed.

"In any case, tell everyone to be extra careful on their patrols lately. If they spot any sign of Taishi Tianbi, they are to send a signal immediately. Do not, under any circumstances, fight him head-on," Su Mu said in a serious tone.

"Yes, sir."

Yang Yungzhong replied.

...

The matter with Taishi Tianbi came to a temporary close, but it brought about a new problem: many unfamiliar faces had appeared in Songjiang Prefecture.

All sorts of experts, drawn by the news of Taishi Tianbi, flocked to Songjiang Prefecture, and fights frequently broke out.

The Songjiang Prefecture’s Taiping Bureau had been quiet for years, but now it was finally bustling with activity.

Another problem was that the Chen Family’s quarry had been destroyed by a single strike from Taishi Tianbi. The source of stone needed for the construction of the Songjiang Prefecture Bailu Academy was gone, and they had to procure it from elsewhere.

Although Chen Yougong did his best to manage the situation, both the cost and the time required increased significantly.

There was nothing to be done about it.

Fortunately, the commercial district Su Mu had planned was proving to be extremely effective.

Land policy was a moneymaker in any world.

The silver earned from that district provided a steady stream of financial support for the construction of the Songjiang Prefecture Bailu Academy.

Otherwise, if they had relied solely on forcing those families to contribute money, it might have been fine for a while, but over time, it was inevitable that they would grow resentful.

As things stood now, those families were scrambling over each other to offer money.

After all, anyone could see that once the Songjiang Prefecture Bailu Academy was completed, the value of the surrounding commercial district was bound to skyrocket.

After some maneuvering, Huo Zhen Court also managed to buy a shop on that street.

But before he could even enjoy it for two days, he received a piece of news that wiped the smile right off his face.

So he stormed over to find Su Mu.

"You’re planning to open a weapon shop outside the Songjiang Prefecture Bailu Academy?"

Huo Zhen Court plopped down in a seat across from Su Mu and said, "You’re the esteemed Taiping Bureau Governor! Why are you trying to steal business from us common folk?

I was the one who introduced you to the Artifact Refining Technique! You can’t bully me like this."

"It’s not that dramatic, is it?"

Su Mu was speechless for a moment, then laughed. ’How has this reached the level of bullying?’

He knew Huo Zhen Court had a flair for the dramatic, so he explained with a smile, "With the reputation of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, are you really afraid of my little weapon shop?

Besides, I’ll only be selling Mortal Weapons. I can’t compete with you."

"Your concubine... couldn’t she sell something else? Why does it have to be weapons? She’s a woman, wouldn’t it be better to sell some cosmetics?"

Huo Zhen Court lamented, "How can there be two weapon shops on the same street?"

"Why can’t there be two on the same street?"

Su Mu said, "Songjiang Prefecture believes in fair competition. If you don’t like it, you’re free to use business tactics to drive Xiaoyuan’s shop out of business."

"That... wouldn’t be very proper," Huo Zhen Court said, fidgeting.

"Business is business. As long as you don’t use your power to bully her, everyone can just rely on their own abilities," Su Mu said nonchalantly.

Seeing Su Mu’s firm attitude, he could only leave the Taiping Government Office with a heavy sigh.

"Senior Brother, why are you so nervous about Lord Su opening a weapon shop?"

Outside the door, a disciple from the Divine Weapon Pavilion was waiting for Huo Zhen Court. It was a junior brother Huo Zhen Court had called over to help. He asked in confusion, "Opening a weapon shop isn’t that simple. He may be the Taiping Bureau Governor, but he can’t just take the Taiping Bureau’s weapons and sell them, can he?"

"Of course not. I know what he’s planning. He intends to be a Weapon Master himself," Huo Zhen Court shook his head.

"Then there’s even less to worry about. Not only is he a Governor, which means he doesn’t have much time for Artifact Refining, but even if he did, what can one person do? I doubt he could recruit any other Weapon Masters either," the Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple said with a smile.

"You don’t understand."

Huo Zhen Court’s expression turned serious. "You haven’t seen him perform Artifact Refining."

"So what? Didn’t you teach him his Artifact Refining Technique, Senior Brother? He’s only been learning for a few months. How good could he possibly be?" the Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple said.

"It’s true he can only forge Mortal Weapons right now, but if you saw him perform Artifact Refining with your own eyes, you would revere him as a god," Huo Zhen Court said in a deep voice. "In the art of forging Mortal Weapons, no one in the world can surpass him."

...

[Name: Su Mu]

[Identity: Weapon Master (Part-time), Silver-faced Killer (Part-time), Governor (Fourth Rank)]

[Points: 50,000]

[Realm: True Essence Realm]

[Divine Techniques: Indestructible Golden Body, Blood Body, Giant Body]

[Cultivation Technique: Unlimited True Essence Technique of Heaven and Earth (Entry Level)...]

[Martial Arts: Thunder Shock Realm (Major Accomplishment), Kan Water Realm (Major Accomplishment), Gen Mountain Realm (Major Accomplishment/+), Xun Wind Realm (Perfection), Li Fire Realm (Perfection), Archery (Perfection)]

[Phenomenon: None (Deduce)]

[Skills: Heavenly Craft Refining Technique (Entry Level)]

Su Mu summoned his system panel.

A new identity had quietly appeared on the panel.

Weapon Master!

This confirmed that his idea was completely sound.

Xiang Xiaoyuan’s weapon shop already had its sign up. Although it hadn’t officially opened for business, it was ready to go.

Su Mu finally had a new identity.

The part-time Weapon Master identity didn’t provide any base Points, but he would earn five thousand Points for every weapon he completed.

At Su Mu’s current skill level, if he went all out, he could successfully forge a Mortal Weapon in two days.

But he still had his official duties, so he could only use his time at night for Artifact Refining.

At that rate, he could probably forge one Mortal Weapon every four or five days.

By that calculation, it was equivalent to earning one thousand Points per day.

Adding the two thousand from his Governor identity, that was three thousand Points a day.

The speed at which he earned Points had just shot up by fifty percent.

Moreover, as he became more proficient, the speed at which he forged Mortal Weapons would only increase, and naturally, so would the rate at which he earned Points.

Once he was able to forge Profound Weapons, the Points would increase even more.

All in all, the Weapon Master identity held limitless potential.

In comparison, the identity of a Golden Wind Tower’s Silver-faced Killer seemed a bit lackluster.

He could perform Artifact Refining every day, but he couldn’t just go around killing people every day.

Even if he wanted to, he would have to be able to accept a mission first.

’I wonder if anyone has hired the Golden Wind Tower to assassinate Taishi Tianbi.’ A thought suddenly popped into Su Mu’s head. ’If there is, should I take on that mission? The Golden Wind Tower has an extensive intelligence network. Who knows, maybe they can find Taishi Tianbi?’

At this thought, Su Mu’s heart stirred.

Many Jianghu People had come to Songjiang Prefecture recently. Perhaps someone from the Golden Wind Tower had come as well.

After a moment of thought, Su Mu’s figure flickered, and he slipped silently out of the Taiping Government Office.

A short while ago, an inconspicuous mark had appeared in an unremarkable corner near the Songjiang Prefecture city gate.

The next day, a plain-looking, middle-aged man appeared at the city gate. He glanced at the mark in the corner, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

After he left, the mark in the corner had vanished, replaced by another.