"Knock, knock, knock—"
A knock sounded at the door.
Tang Lan glanced at Xiao Wu to confirm she was fine.
With a flicker of movement, he appeared by the door and opened it.
Seeing Tang San standing there, he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.
"Xiao Wu is breaking through. Keep your voice down."
Tang San immediately lowered his voice.
"Brother, can I borrow 257 Gold Soul Coins?"
Huh?
"You just went to collect money from the Martial Soul Hall. Why are you borrowing? And why such an oddly specific amount?" Tang Lan asked, puzzled.
Tang San's face darkened.
"I saw a piece of ore I wanted, but the shop owner kept raising the price, from 100 Gold Soul Coins up to 500."
"I already paid 200 as a deposit. I need to pay the rest tomorrow to take it home."
Tang Lan blinked.
Shit!
He had completely forgotten about the Crystal Board Ore—one of Tang San's 'small fortunes'!
After living in this world for twelve years, he couldn't always remember every minor event.
"My Gold Soul Coins are with Xiao Wu," Tang Lan stalled.
"She's in the middle of her breakthrough. I'll bring you the money tomorrow."
"Alright, brother." Tang San didn't suspect anything.
"I'll head back to my room, then."
Tang San entered Rose Room 2.
Tang Lan returned to his own room and glanced at Xiao Wu.
The Innate Soul Ring Condensation process was a slow one—
She definitely wouldn't wake up tonight.
He expanded his Blue Silver Domain, causing Blue Silver Grass to sprout across the entire room.
If anything unusual happened,
his Blue Silver Grass throughout the city would immediately notify him.
'Time to pluck some wool from Tang San!'
Theft Begins!
Tang Lan opened the window—
Activated Blue Silver Domain's "Camouflage"—
His figure vanished optically—
Then he activated his Soul Bone ability, took flight, and soared out of Rose Hotel.
Flender's Rare Treasure Shop was infamous in Soto City—
A true tourist trap.
It didn't take long for Tang Lan to locate it.
Disguising himself using Blue Silver Domain's transformation abilities, he walked right in.
"Hurry up and look around." Flender barely glanced up.
"The shop closes in thirty minutes."
His tone completely lacked the warm hospitality of a businessman.
Well—
He was a Rank 78 Assault System Battle Soul Sage,
yet he had to run a shop to fund his academy.
No wonder he was so grumpy.
Tang Lan casually browsed before stepping up to Flender.
He picked up the Crystal Board Ore sitting on the table.
This thing—
Once hammered open,
it would become the "Dragon Beard Needles", ranked eighth among the Tang Sect's hidden weapons.
Upon entering the human body,
these needles would instantly coil up, twisting muscle and flesh into a mangled mess.
Extremely vicious.
And as a kind and pure-hearted person (cough),
Tang Lan couldn't possibly let such a weapon exist!
"This stone looks good. How much?" Tang Lan asked directly.
"That's already been reserved." Flender still didn't look up.
"So if you want it, you'll have to pay more—1000 Gold Soul Coins."
Damn!
Flender, you barely have a conscience, huh?
Tang Lan casually reached into his Blue Silver King storage,
And dropped 1000 Gold Soul Coins onto the table—forming a small golden mountain.
—— The gold bricks the Blue Silver King gave him were more than enough.
Tang Lan reached for the Crystal Board Ore—
"Swish—!"
The ore vanished, appearing in Flender's hand instead.
Flender examined it with great interest.
"What exactly is this thing?"
"Why are two people willing to raise the price to buy it today?"
He was clearly about to increase the price again.
Tang Lan wasn't annoyed at all.
Tang Lan pocketed the 1000 Gold Soul Coins from the table and turned to leave.
This caught Flender off guard.
Leaving just like that?
Did he think Flender would call him back and lower the price?
Hmph!
Old man Flender had already seen through these tricks!
Flender watched as Tang Lan stepped out of the store and disappeared into the crowd.
Three minutes… Five minutes… Half an hour passed…
It was closing time,
but Tang Lan never came back.
Now Flender was stunned.
He really left?!
Unwilling to believe it, he waited another half an hour.
But Tang Lan never returned.
Flender groaned in regret!
1000 Gold Soul Coins! Just gone like that?!
"No rush… Maybe he'll be back tomorrow," he muttered.
He placed the Crystal Board Ore back on the table,
closed the shop, and went to rest.
Late at Night
The store was silent.
Until the dead of night—
Flender peeked out from his room again, cautiously scanning the store.
"Did I misjudge…?"
He scratched his head.
This time, it seemed the buyer had truly left.
Another half-hour passed.
Then—
Tang Lan materialized from the ceiling beams,
His hand extending toward the Crystal Board Ore from afar—
A golden dragon claw shot out, snatching it up instantly!
Dragon Subduing Hand!
Tang Lan wasn't completely unreasonable—
He left 250 Gold Soul Coins behind,
before vanishing once more,
opening a window, and flying off.
Seconds later—
"CRASH—!"
The storefront exploded inward as Flender stormed out, livid!
Seeing the Crystal Board Ore missing, his soul power erupted on the spot!
"Thief! How dare you!"
"If I catch you, you're dead!"
He instantly activated his Four-Eyed Owl Martial Soul,
His wings flared open as he took off into the sky,
His sharp eyes scanning every corner, determined to find the culprit!
But—
He found nothing.
All he could do was rage into the night.
Rose Hotel, Room 1
Tang Lan slipped in through the window,
Retracted his Blue Silver Domain,
And smirked proudly.
He understood why Flender valued money—
But raising prices on the spot?
Sorry, no can do.
If Flender wanted to scam people,
Then Tang Lan had no choice but to steal from him.
This was called—
"Abandoning morality, enjoying a shameless life."
System Notification
[Host has intercepted the Crystal Board Ore, stealing a small portion of Tang San's luck!]
[Reward: "Handgun Mastery: Short-Barreled Firearms"!]
Suddenly—
Blueprints, schematics, bullet and gunpowder formulas flooded into his mind.
Revolvers, semi-automatic pistols, fully automatic handguns—
Everything!
Tang Lan grinned.
This little gift came at the perfect time.
Dark Weapons vs. Firearms
Mechanism-based hidden weapons?
Too time-consuming and difficult to craft,
requiring skilled artisans.
Their ammunition was also extremely expensive.
Unlike handguns—
Durable, reliable, and packed plenty of firepower.
And as for their lethality…
Against Soul Masters below Rank 40 without Soul Power protection,
A well-placed shot could pierce through them cleanly.
If Soul Masters activated their soul skills, that was another story—
But short-barreled firearms—handguns— were only basic-level weapons.
As for advanced firearms—
There were shotguns, submachine guns, rifles, and even sniper rifles!
Even without further system rewards,
Tang Lan could still apply modern engineering concepts
to design similar firearms himself.
Even tanks, mortars, and rocket launchers.
—— War is ruled by modern firearms.
Zhuge Godly Crossbow?
Not even worth mentioning.
Hmm…
Wait a second!
Did he really need to do all the research himself?
What if he made Tang San his 'researcher'?
That way, Tang San's cultivation would be delayed, too.
A perfect two-birds-one-stone strategy!
"Brother, what's making you so happy?"
"Swish—!"
Xiao Wu suddenly appeared in front of Tang Lan,
Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.
"I had a new idea," Tang Lan chuckled.
"I'll test it out later. Your third soul skill—does it have something to do with speed?"
"Brother, you're so smart!" Xiao Wu beamed.
"Third Soul Skill—Teleportation!"
Beneath Xiao Wu's feet,
three soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple—glowed brightly.
Her third purple thousand-year soul ring shone,
And she vanished—
Only to reappear above Tang Lan, straddling his neck!
Her smooth, long legs pressed against his shoulders,
Rubbing lightly against his skin.
A dangerous temptation.
How could Tang Lan hold back?
With Xiao Wu still on his shoulders,
He fell backward—straight onto the bed!
"Ah! Brother!"
(End of Chapter)
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X