After leaving the Rose Hotel, the group headed to the commercial street within the city. The pace of life here was noticeably faster than the leisurely Nouding City, with most of the passersby appearing to be in a hurry.
Shops of all kinds lined the streets. After being dragged into several clothing stores by Gu Yuena and Xiao Wu, Tang San and Gu Chen were already feeling dizzy.
Xiao Wu was fine, as she upheld the spirit of window shopping—only looking but not buying—so Tang San's wallet remained untouched.
However, Gu Yuena knew that Gu Chen had money, so she bought whatever caught her eye and even got several outfits for Xiao Wu.
If it weren't for Gu Chen's storage ring, carrying all these things would have been a nightmare for him.
"Brother Chen, look over there. That place seems to be related to soul masters," Xiao Wu pointed out upon noticing a shop with a sign that resembled the Spirit Hall's emblem.
Gu Chen took one look at the store and immediately recognized it as belonging to the four-eyed owl, Flender.
The store's door was open, and the inside appeared somewhat dim. Upon entering, they were immediately drawn to a peculiar energy fluctuation. This energy was similar to what was found in the Spirit Hall but noticeably weaker.
These were soul tools.
At that moment, Tang San spotted a crystalline slab inside Flender's shop and excitedly walked over.
Gu Chen, on the other hand, continued browsing the store's wares.
Waist Belt Storage Soul Tool
Storage Capacity: 2 cubic meters
Damage Level: 40%
Price: 2000 gold soul coins
Origin: From the tomb of a Soul Emperor.
Bracelet Storage Soul Tool
Storage Capacity: 3 cubic meters
Damage Level: 20%
Price: 6000 gold soul coins
Origin: From the tomb of a Soul Douluo.
Titanium Black Blade (Combat-type Grade 1 Soul Tool)
Effect: Enhances the power of blade-type soul skills by twofold.
Damage Level: 80%
Price: 4000 gold soul coins
Origin: From the tomb of a Soul Douluo.
Gu Chen couldn't help but sweat a little. Flender… was basically a tomb raider! He blatantly sold stolen goods from tombs—wasn't he afraid that the descendants of those he looted would come looking for revenge?
As Gu Chen continued looking, he noticed a dust-covered claw glove inside the shop. It appeared unremarkable, devoid of any soul power fluctuations.
Dragon Soul Claw Glove (Combat-type Grade 4 Soul Tool)
Effect: Enhances the power of claw-type soul skills by fivefold.
Spirit: 10,000-year-old Black-scaled Sub-Dragon.
Status: Sealed (Can be unsealed using dragon blood).
Damage Level: 9%
Price: 100,860 gold soul coins
Origin: From the tomb of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's Titled Douluo from a century ago.
Gu Chen was awestruck. A mere 9% damage level—this was the least damaged soul tool he had seen in the shop.
Not to mention, it was a Grade 4 soul tool with a dragon-type spirit—this was what truly made his heart race.
Picking up the Dragon Soul Claw Glove, Gu Chen walked toward Flender.
"Alright, five hundred gold soul coins, no more haggling. Pay up, and it's yours. Otherwise, leave."
"If you're short on money, I can accept two hundred gold soul coins now, and you can pay the rest in installments—ten gold soul coins per month. But with a ten percent interest."
"You swindler, your face must be the most magical part of your body—capable of expanding and shrinking, thickening and thinning, and even vanishing altogether!"
"Cough cough…" Swindler Uncle Flender was visibly shaken by Xiao Wu's sharp words.
"Deal."
"Huh? Where did you get this belt?"
"My teacher gave it to me. Do you recognize it?"
"So, you're his disciple… Take this crystal slab, then."
"I'll still send you ten gold soul coins per month."
"No need, consider the crystal a gift. It wasn't worth much to begin with. Now, leave me alone and don't disturb my nap."
As the conversation ended, Gu Chen walked up to Flender and casually tossed the Dragon Soul Claw Glove onto the ground, pretending to dislike it. "How much for this piece of junk?"
For swindlers like Flender, the best strategy was to act as if you weren't interested at all.
Flender frowned at the dust-covered, rust-stained claw glove on the floor and said, "Not expensive. Ten gold soul coins."
Gu Chen nearly burst into laughter. Flender really was blind! A soul tool worth over a hundred thousand gold soul coins, and he was selling it for ten?
Did he actually think he was making a profit?
Gu Chen hesitated deliberately before reluctantly taking out ten gold soul coins. "Fine, I'll take it."
However, the fleeting joy in Gu Chen's eyes did not escape Flender's sharp gaze. Flender's eyes darted around, and then he grinned. "Your money isn't enough."
Gu Chen was stunned for a moment and cursed the swindler internally. "What do you mean, not enough?"
Flender smirked. "I've changed my mind. This thing now costs 1000 gold soul coins!"
The price instantly jumped a hundredfold. Though it was still far below the true value of the Dragon Soul Claw Glove, Gu Chen was annoyed!
"Don't think you're an angel just because you've got a feather on you. You and I both know where this thing came from. Do you want me to spread the word that a certain swindler dug up the tomb of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect Titled Douluo—"
Before Gu Chen could finish, Flender instantly shot forward and covered his mouth. "Oh my little ancestor, where did you hear that?! Fine, fine, take it. Just don't go around telling people!"
Gu Chen pulled Flender's hand away, grabbed the Dragon Soul Claw Glove, and nodded.
As Gu Chen and the others left, Flender grumbled with a pained expression, "Damn it… I really took a huge loss this time…"
"Brother Chen, why did you buy that piece of junk?" Xiao Wu asked, having already forgotten about Tang San's crystal slab.
Gu Chen smiled mysteriously and led them into Purple Rose's bedroom.
Swoosh!
He manifested his Golden Dragon Claw on his left hand and lightly cut his right arm. Fresh blood immediately flowed out, dripping onto the Dragon Soul Claw Glove.
According to the system's appraisal function, the glove needed dragon blood to unseal. Normally, a soul master would have to hunt a dragon-type soul beast to acquire the necessary blood.
But Gu Chen's true form was the Golden Dragon King, the progenitor of the dragon race second only to the Dragon God. His blood was among the purest in all dragonkind.
The moment his golden blood touched the Dragon Soul Claw Glove, it burst into radiant light. The rusted exterior shattered, revealing the original titanium-gold sheen beneath.
ROAR!
A dragon's roar echoed as the spirit of the soul tool, the Black-scaled Sub-Dragon, manifested in the room.
No—after absorbing Gu Chen's Golden Dragon King blood, it had undergone a transformation, awakening a true dragon bloodline.
It was now the Black-scaled Golden Dragon!
The Black-scaled Golden Dragon submissively bowed before Gu Chen. With his permission, it re-entered the Dragon Soul Claw Glove.
Under the stunned gazes of Tang San and the others, Gu Chen donned the Dragon Soul Claw Glove and fused it into his body.
Knock knock!
There was a knock on the door. As expected, it was a hotel attendant, visibly shaken by the dragon's roar.
"Honored guests, pardon the interruption."
"What is it?" Gu Chen asked.
"There was a strange noise in the hotel just now. Did you hear it?"
Gu Chen replied indifferently, "That was me cultivating. If there's nothing else, please leave."
"Y-Yes, of course!" The attendant hurried away.
The most hateful thing about soul master cultivation is being disturbed, even if Gu Chen directly killed this waiter just now, I'm afraid no one will avenge her.
"Suits me. I'll deal with this crystal slab now," Tang San said, retrieving the slab from his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.