9 Coffins of the Immortals Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Mask of Wanluo
“How… How dare you?” The man next to the mustached man was startled. Although they all belonged to the Outer Sect like Yu, their position at the [Pavilion of Magical Tools] was a lot higher in the rankings and reaped more benefits than those working in [Yaosi] or [Zasi] Departments. The three had reached their status through the means of bribery and connections and so, they knew that they were safer than the ordinary Outer Sect disciples.
Therefore, the three could not believe that a new disciple, let alone a kid more or less, would dare speak to them in such a fashion. Angrily, the man who stood next to the mustached Shixiong walked up towards Fang-Xing. Then, Fang-Xing let out a loud warning, stopping the man in motion, “So you wanted me to bribe you and now that you fail, you want to hit me? What kind of rule is that??!!”
Despite there being an unwritten rule about handing over the Spirit Stone, it was still against the official rules of [Qing-Yun Sect]. After all, the sect is still a sect that was built on righteousness.
Fang-Xing, albeit young, was not someone who held back his tongue in the faces of these dishonorable Shixiongs. As a result, the mustached Shixiong smiled and laughed, “Haha, why are you guys arguing? You’ve only just met,” then turned to Fang-Xing and continued, “Don’t mind him. We were just playing around just now. I can see that you’ve got a bit of a temper, though. Whatever, please do come in and choose the weapon of your choice. Be sure to choose wisely…”
“Thank you, Shixiong.” Fang-Xing folded his hands. However, Fang-Xing was not dumb as he knew that the mustached Shixiong had zero good intent in his speech.
As Fang-Xing walked inside the pavilion, he was shocked by the sheer size of the place. There were mountains and mountains of random objects stacked on top of each other. It was like a grocery store, except that items were exclusively for martial arts: flying swords, talismans, weapons.
Although one could easily get taken back by the sheer quant.i.ty, this was a trick. One would not be able to dig through everything and find the diamond in the rough as easily, hence the payment of the Spirit Stone was crucial.
Seeing Fang-Xing’s surprised face, the three men working in the pavilion exchanged glances with each other.
They knew that once in awhile, there would be disciples like Fang-Xing and wouldn’t give their Spirit Stones. Sadly, they all shared the same fate: not one could choose something useful.
The [Pavilion of Magical Tools] held over three thousand weapons suitable for those in the lower tiers of the [Spirit Stage], and each new disciple would be allowed one chance to chose a weapon or tool of their choice. In some way, this was [Qing-Yun Sect]’s way of creating an even bigger gap amongst the gifted and the ordinary.
As said, good Zi’Zhi would also gift the individual with great fortune and luck.
Therefore, the three guardians of the pavilion believed that, without their guidance, Fang-Xing’s chance of choosing something useful was pretty much next to zero.
‘Hah! I see what you guys are doing. Trying to cheat me now?’ Fang-Xing laughed to himself as he paced around the hall back and forth.
“Each person here is only allowed exactly one burn of an incense1 to choose their weapon. Shidi might want to hurry up a little,” the mustached man smirked and signaled his men to observe the incense more closely. In fact, the incense had been deliberately shortened prior to lighting it.
Of course, if the new disciple paid the Spirit Stone, the time-limit would all be forgotten and guidance was given. But the guidances also depended on the quant.i.ty of the Spirit Stones.
Fang-Xing activated the [Book of Revelation].
‘Low-grade flying sword. Contains a single spell. Made from ordinary metal…’
‘Storage ring. Contains four-square-mile of storage. Made from the [Gold of Thousand Hammer]…’
‘Copper flying sword. Contains three spells. Broken.’
It was exactly as Yu had warned. The Pavilion was full of weapons that were broken but looked like it was in good shape.
However, no matter how good a magical weapon was, if their inner spells were broken, it would be only useful as ordinary steel. The repair fee was more expensive than buying a better weapon altogether.
Fang-Xing knew that most of the flying swords, albeit somewhat decent, consumed too much of his Qi and, therefore, were useless to him. Also, his uncle Sanshu had already gifted him with a dagger so he had no need for one. What Fang-Xing really wanted was a support type tool. He knew that anything else in the Pavilion could either be stolen or were useless to him.
‘Storage bags? I don’t even have that many stuff.’
‘My dagger is better than this flying sword.’
The three guardians saw Fang-Xing stop in front of a good flying sword they hid aside earlier, they started to worry that Fang-Xing would get lucky and pick it up. So, one of them started to cough and said, “Shidi, your time is almost up. If you’re really unsure, I’ll recommend this flag. When you add some Qi into it, this flag will lit up in flames and, with a wave, you can send out a fire dragon towards your enemies!”
Fang-Xing glanced over and with the help of his book realized that flag was severely damaged even though it had 7 spells engraved in it. Like Yu’s talisman, it would only be good for couple tries and would only be baggage afterward.
Suddenly something caught his eyes.
‘[Mask of Wanluo]. Contains thirty-six spells…’
In the corner of the room, covered with a thick layer of dust, it was a blue mask with sword marks all over it. A striking feature of the blue mask was the large gash on top of the mask, which made it look broken and tattered.
The [Book of Revelation] continued:
‘Contains a total of 36 spells, almost all of them intact. The owner of the mask will be able to change into 36 different appearances and voice changes.’
This was exactly what Fang-Xing was looking for. A G.o.dsend for the mysterious tenth bandit like Fang-Xing.
“It looks like Shidi has decided?” Asked the mustached guardian. He was ecstatic as he had no idea the true potential of the tattered blue mask.
“This mask… is called the [Demon’s Super Ultra Fire Thunderbolt Mask]. Once you wear it, you’ll be able to borrow the powers of a demon with endless potential.”
“Yes, that’s a great mask. Perfect for someone like Shidi!’
“I’m sure Shidi will look dashing wearing it!”
The other two guardians chirped in, hurrying Fang-Xing to chose the mask.
“Really?! Is it really that cool? You’re not pulling my legs, right?” Fang-Xing tossed the mask between his hands as if he was unable to decide.
“We wouldn’t do such a thing! I guarantee that this mask is perfect for Shidi. With the mask, you’ll surely be able to improve your cultivation quickly. I guestimate that you will reach Tier Four2 in a matter of a year or two… and… and by then, you can become an Inner Sect Disciple!”
“Well, if Shixiong says so then…” still pretending to hesitate, Fang-Xing picked up the mask, “I’ll take it!”
“Great! Come here and we’ll make a record for you,” swiftly, the mustached guardian took out a blank jaded plate and carved a spell in it”
Day 1 of the 11th month of thirty-seventh year. Outer Sect Disciple Fang-Xing obtained ONE low-grade magic tool.
One burn of an incense: 一炷香时间, a way of counting time, lit. meaning the time it takes to burn a full incense, in today’s time, it’s about 15 minutes Once an Outer Sect Disciple reaches Tier Four of the Spirit Stage, one can then become an Inner Sect Disciple