Sovereign of the Three Realms

Swordfield Region was one of the largest mid region factions. They were slightly stronger than even Great Scarlet Mid Region. Back when Jiang Chen left Myriad Domain, setting foot for Veluriyam Capital, he’d ventured through Tai-ah City in Swordfield Region. His trip to the city had left him with many awful memories.

The Eternal Celestial Capital had attempted to trap Jiang Chen by spreading rumors that they were holding Palace Head Dan Chi in the city. Jiang Chen had seen through their ruse, but had ventured to the city anyways.

Tai-ah City had been in leagues with Eternal Celestial Capital and assisted them fully with their evil deeds. It was unlikely that Jiang Chen would’ve made it out alive if he hadn’t been so resourceful. He countered their ruse with trickery and counter-lured them to a valley called Infant Shriek, taking them all out in one fell swoop with the local Divine Befuddlement Miasma.  

The Swordfield Region and Tai-ah City had left Jiang Chen with a deep impression indeed. Just because he hadn’t sought out Tai-ah City for payback didn’t mean that he’d happily forgotten about the past.

Luo Tianshu was rather taken aback by Jiang Chen’s cold response. Surely this was their first time meeting each other? Was that... animosity in the young lord’s eyes? 

Could it be that all factions other than wandering cultivators aren’t welcome? That wasn’t right! Young lord Zhen had been very courteous to guests from all walks of life and didn’t seem to bear hostility towards anyone. Did he have some kind of prejudice against the Nirvana Sect?

That couldn’t be it either! He hadn’t seem particularly fazed at the sect name in the beginning. It seemed like his mood had only soured when the Swordfield Region was brought up.

Luo Tianshu’s emotions were alternating between high and low. Even though he was an elder of a second rank sect, he couldn’t help but feel inferior to Veluriyam Capital’s young lord. If the young lord truly did have a rooted dislike of him, the entire Swordfield Region would likely be in trouble, not just the Nirvana Sect. 

“Young lord Zhen, I hear that True Heavensfall Iron is on your purchase list of items?” the elder asked cautiously.

“That’s correct. Elder Luo, please have a seat.” Jiang Chen answered with a polite smile.

How could Luo Tianshu dare sit in front of Jiang Chen? “I’m fine standing.” He smiled.

“Elder Luo, are you certain that your sect possesses some True Heavensfall Iron?” Jiang Chen had realized that he’d completely intimidated Luo Tianshu by now.

“I’m not sure of that, but based on Sir Jiao’s description, I believe that we do possess a single piece of it.”

“Oh? How big is it?” Jiang Chen’s interest was piqued.

“About the size of a watermelon.” Luo Tianshu answered truthfully.

“What?” Jiang Chen was taken aback. “The size of a watermelon? Do you know how much True Heavensfall Iron of that amount is worth?” 

“Please enlighten me.” Luo Tianshu smiled ruefully. “That thing is very heavy. Even though it’s merely the size of a watermelon, it seems to be two or three times heavier than normal.”

“It must weigh at least one fifty kilograms if it’s the size of a watermelon.” Jiang Chen answered solemnly.

He needed to forge eighty one Heavenly Chalice Swords. If each dirk was infused with one kilogram of True Heavensfall Iron, he’d need roughly at least one hundred kilograms of it. But only using one kilogram of True Heavensfall Iron in each dirk was a lot less than ideal.

In order to achieve his level of desired strength, he’d need to infuse at least two to three kilograms of True Heavensfall Iron into each dirk. And to reach absolute perfection? Four and a half kilograms. That made for a staggering three hundred and fifty kilograms of True Heavensfall Iron!

But if he could achieve it, the eighty-one dirks would transcend into the empyrean rank. In fact, even many empyrean experts wouldn’t have weapons on the same level.

Jiang Chen had initially planned on infusing just two kilograms of True Heavensfall Iron into each flying sword to meet a baseline requirement. That alone would require more than one fifty kilograms of the material. However, Luo Tianshu was saying that his sect possessed a piece the size of a watermelon? 

Regardless of the information’s authenticity, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but be immensely surprised. He initially thought that the second rank sect would only possess at most five kilograms, or the size of a finger. Luo Tianshu’s response had truly caught him off guard.

“Elder Luo, getting your hands on such a large piece is no child’s play. Are you sure you’re not joking?” Jiang Chen growled deeply.

“I’d never dare.” Luo Tianshu’s forehead glistened with sweat and he offered a nervous smile. “I’m here to verify if the young lord wishes truly wishes to purchase the True Heavensfall Iron.” 

“Just that?” Jiang Chen’s voice was filled with frost.

“N-no! I also wish to verify if your offer holds true!”

“Does it seem like we’d make an empty offer?” Jiang Chen was extremely displeased.

“Elder Luo, if one hundred and fifty kilograms of True Heavensfall Iron is what you offer, then three Pinecrane Pills is what you’ll get. Any offers less than a fifty will be paid with Longevity Pills. I’ll not entertain any haggling. You may save yourself the trouble and scram if that’s your plan.” Jiang Chen killed any opportunities for negotiation with a single sentence.

“Young lord Zhen, I don’t have the Iron on me, but if you’re interested, please feel free to pick a time and pay our sect a visit. Our sect master will be more than delighted to conduct the deal with you.”

“Visit your sect?” Jiang Chen laughed. “Forgive me for being blunt, but I don’t believe that the True Heavensfall Iron is worth a visit to your sect even if I have a need for it.” 

Luo Tianshu was merely testing his bottom line. If he agreed readily, the latter might come to a conclusion that he was desperate for the item. They’d surely raise the price then. Jiang Chen would never fall for such an amateur trap.

Luo Tianshu was slightly disappointed when he heard Jiang Chen’s reply.

“Aii... but the Nirvana Sect is so far from here. The roads are fraught with danger and uncertainty. It seems this’ll be a difficult business to do.” The sect representative sighed.  

How would Jiang Chen not see what Luo Tianshu was up to? “Our doors are always open if the Nirvana Sect wishes to see this deal through.” He smiled blandly.

“Cloudsoar, please send Elder Luo out.” Jiang Chen refused to give Luo Tianshu a chance to haggle.

Luo Tianshu had no choice but to awkwardly raise a cupped fist salute and leave. However, curiosity got the better of him before he was shown to the door. “Young lord Zhen, may I ask one last thing before I leave?”

“Speak.” Jiang Chen answered indifferently.

“Your mood soured when you heard that I was from the Swordfield Region. Perhaps I have offended you in some way?” This was Luo Tianshu’s main concern. He found the matter very strange and wanted to put his heart to rest by understanding why.

“You needn’t worry, Elder Luo. The deal is on as long as there isn’t any enmity between our factions. Everything else is just needless detail.”

“Y-yes. Understood.” Luo Tianshu felt a lot more at ease now. 

Jiang Chen furrowed his brows in thought after watching the sect representative leave. The Jiao Brothers approached him. “Young lord, the Nirvana Sect doesn’t know their place! They should’ve just offered the item to you instead of trying to cut a deal! Why don’t we make a trip to their sect and retrieve the True Heavensfall Iron for you?”

‘Retrieve’ was an euphemism for what they were planning to do. Simply put, their intention was to waltz into the Nirvana Sect and conduct robbery in broad daylight.

Jiang Chen laughed. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but if everyone does the same thing, the human domain would be in utter chaos.”

The Jiao Brothers laughed mischievously. They didn’t mind. Thievery and plundering was the way of life for many in the wandering world.

“If you don’t like that idea, why don’t we make a trip to their sect and ‘invite’ their sectmaster for a visit? If he resists, we’ll just come up with a contingency plan!”  

“No need for that. They’ll come again if they really possess a piece of True Heavensfall Iron. The Pinecrane Pill is a much more attractive item than a hunk of metal. It’s nothing but a normal piece of refining material to them. The Pinecrane Pill however, is a miracle pill that will extend their lives.” Of that, Jiang Chen was extremely confident.

As they chatted, Emperor Peerless took big strides and approached him with a smile. “Young lord Zhen, someone has just offered you something. Come take a look and see if it’s a Heavencloud Ganoderma.”

The Heavencloud Ganoderma?

Jiang Chen was taken aback. Hadn’t it just appeared yesterday during the treasure appraisal stage? The herb was still on Sacred Peafowl Mountain! How could another one suddenly appear today?

“Come. Let’s go take a look!”

The Jiao brothers were naturally elated by the news. They followed the young lord and Emperor Peerless with large strides.

A spirit herb was enclosed within an unadorned jade box. When Jiang Chen set his eyes upon the item, he could sense the powerful aura emanating from it. It seemed to have some kind of miraculous connection with heaven and earth.

“Young lord, it’s this friend who brought this item to you.” Emperor Peerless introduced the cultivator beside him.

“Friend, how should I address you?” Jiang Chen sized up the cultivator. The newcomer was completely dressed as a wandering cultivator. His eyes were filled with depth and mystery. One look was all it took to know that he was no ordinary person.

“I’m but a nameless wandering cultivator. My name is unworthy of mention. Young lord, what are your thoughts on this Heavencloud Ganoderma?”