Is Overcharging Considered an Investment

Divine Edge Peak.

The Forging Hall was a place where scorching heat and icy cold coexisted, with the rhythmic clanging of hammers echoing incessantly.

He Hongfeng rushed in frantically, blurting out:

"Elder Fu Tu, you must go now! Elder Shangwu said if she doesn’t see you within a quarter-hour, she’ll storm Divine Edge Peak herself."

As his words fell, the burly, bare-chested men in the forging hall broke into a cold sweat, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.

They all turned their heads toward the towering giant nearby.

"Hmm?"

Fu Tu’s face twitched violently.

His grip loosened, and the forging hammer clattered to the ground.

"What exactly happened?"

Elder Hanhe slammed the table and stood up, furious:

"Summoning and dismissing our Divine Edge Peak’s elder as she pleases, threatening to storm our peak—does she think we have no one left?"

The group of muscular men lowered their heads, pretending to be busy.

"Ahem, Fu Tu, you should go first."

"Yes, Elder."

Fu Tu’s expression shifted before he strode out of the forging hall.

Only then did Elder Hanhe ask with a dark face:

"Elder He, what exactly is going on?"

"Fu Tu’s disciple had a sparring match with the newly promoted true disciple..."

He Hongfeng recounted the events in detail.

Elder Hanhe’s anger flared to the heavens.

A senior disciple picking a fight with a new recruit—how shameless!

And to make it worse, he lost.

Now, with that troublemaker Shangwu involved, who could twist even the flimsiest excuse into a justification, things were bound to escalate.

"By the way, you mentioned Li Mo forced Wang Hao to use his Inner Breath?"

"Exactly. In truth, Wang Hao had been secretly using it earlier, but only a sliver. He only lost his temper after suffering a setback against Li Mo’s perfected Six Harmonies Fist."

"This isn’t your fault."

Elder Hanhe stroked his graying beard, his eyes flickering with thought.

Perfected Six Harmonies Fist!

Opening his meridians in a single day!

With just these two points, Li Mo was nearly on par with Ying Bing, if not equal.

The Ascending Stone Steps never erred.

Perhaps this boy’s physique was uniquely suited to martial arts, explaining his monstrous progress.

Such a prodigy, yet he ended up under Shangwu’s tutelage.

If he only learned skills, it’d be fine—but if he picked up that madwoman’s bad habits...

Elder Hanhe’s head ached just thinking about it.

......

Martial Training Hall.

The moment Fu Tu stepped inside, he saw his disciple embedded in the wall, unconscious, while Shangwu sat imposingly in the seat of honor, sipping tea.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his rage:

"Elder Shangwu, what is the meaning of injuring my disciple like this?"

Shangwu’s brows shot up, her voice even louder:

"He struck first!"

She then lifted Li Mo’s arm, pointing to the bruise on his palm:

"If I hadn’t arrived in time, my exceptionally gifted disciple would’ve been strangled to death by yours."

Li Mo coughed lightly, trying to pull his hand back.

But it wouldn’t budge.

Wait, Master, this bruise came from me hitting him.

A little longer, and it would’ve faded on its own.

Fu Tu reached out with his qi, yanking Wang Hao from the wall.

After feeding him a healing pill, he turned back with a cold expression:

"It was just a spar between fellow disciples. Elder Shangwu, you’ve gone too far. Wang Hao has the duty to guide newcomers—perhaps he was merely instructing him in fist techniques."

"Sparring? Using Inner Breath is also instruction?"

Shangwu slammed her teacup down, her voice laced with fury:

"Li Mo, recite the Qingyuan Sect’s rules."

"Those who harm fellow disciples may be executed on the spot."

Li Mo chimed in appropriately.

"Useless! What good are you?!"

Fu Tu glared at the unconscious Wang Hao.

Bullying a disciple who just joined yesterday, and resorting to Inner Breath?

Now, with the charge of harming a fellow disciple hanging over them, they had no choice but to swallow the humiliation.

Amid his anger, he couldn’t help but glance at the youth beside Shangwu.

He knew Wang Hao’s limits—how could he fail to subdue the boy without Inner Breath?

"Then... thank you, Elder Shangwu, for disciplining my disciple. Farewell."

Fu Tu hoisted Wang Hao over his shoulder and turned to leave.

But before he took two steps, a chilling aura locked onto him, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.

"Your Divine Edge Peak still owes me an explanation."

Shangwu spat out a tea leaf in disgust:

"Bring me ten thousand jin of Frost Iron, a thousand jin of Crimson Gold, and ten jin of Refined Iron. If even a single tael is missing, you won’t leave this hall alive."

Everyone present gasped.

This was equivalent to Divine Edge Peak’s output for a decade.

Even Elder Hanhe might not be able to produce so much.

Veins bulged on Fu Tu’s forehead:

"Such outrageous demands! Shangwu, don’t push your luck!"

"And what if I do?!"

A scorching aura erupted, suffocating the air itself.

For a fleeting moment, Li Mo thought he saw a lotus of fire blooming around his beautiful master, its flames eternal and unyielding.

Fu Tu’s momentum faltered.

With anyone else, he’d be certain they wouldn’t dare attack within the sect.

But Shangwu—when this madwoman lost her temper, even the Sect Master gave her space.

Seizing the moment, Li Mo played mediator:

"Elder Fu Tu is only a steward of Divine Edge Peak. Asking for so much is truly beyond his means."

"Moreover, I wasn’t injured. Perhaps... we could reduce the compensation?"

Shangwu snorted:

"Fair enough. Disciple, what do you think would be acceptable?"

Li Mo cleared his throat: "Bring me pen and paper!"

He swiftly wrote out a list.

Fu Tu glanced at it.

Most of the items were fine wines Shangwu favored, along with various rare treasures.

Though it would still cost him dearly, it was nowhere near as outrageous as before.

"Come to Divine Edge Peak to collect them."

Watching the master-disciple duo’s performance, Fu Tu’s expression darkened, but he had no choice but to swallow the loss.

"Ah, that’s more like it. If only you’d been this reasonable earlier."

Shangwu’s oppressive aura vanished instantly.

Only after Fu Tu left with a cold snort did she beam with joy, suddenly pulling her precious disciple into a tight embrace, burying his face in her chest.

If Li Mo had to describe Shangwu’s figure at that moment, he’d call it suffocating.

"As expected of my disciple! You’ve already learned a third of my skills."

"Master, can I have a share?"

Li Mo asked shyly for his cut.

"Hmm?" Shangwu instantly grew wary, eyeing him like he was no longer her dear little disciple.

"Ten percent."

The beautiful elder held up a finger.

"You’re only taking that much, Master?"

"One-tenth is yours. Nine-tenths are mine."

Li Mo sighed: "Actually, I just wanted some exotic beast meat to grill..."

"Grilled meat?"

Shangwu’s eyes lit up: "You can cook?"

"Of course! In Purple Sun Prefecture, I’d rank first—no one would dare claim second."

With modern seasonings, he had every reason to be confident!

Before he finished speaking, he felt himself being lifted.

The surroundings blurred, rushing past at breakneck speed.

Just as Li Mo was about to vomit, his feet finally touched solid ground again.

Where was this?

Hearing the clanging of metal, the dazed young man looked around in confusion.

Before his eyes lay a massive cavern, within which faint glimmers of cold light could be glimpsed.

To the left and right of the cave, two rivers flowed—one scorching hot, the other piercingly cold—each channeled into the courtyard through separate aqueducts.

A group of burly blacksmiths toiled away in this courtyard, heads bent over their work.

"What is this place...?"

"That's the Divine Edge Cave. It existed even before our Qingyuan Sect was established."

Shang Wu was in high spirits and happy to explain a few things to her novice disciple:

"That place is full of scrap metal. Back when I killed an assassin from the Fine Rain Tower, I tossed his sword in there. Elder Hanhe said something about it being nourished by the sharp aura of weaponized slaughter."

The sharp aura of weaponized slaughter?

Li Mo's heart stirred.

Wouldn't this Divine Edge Cave be the perfect place to cultivate the Extreme Weapon Slaughter Body?

"Hmph, those are not mere scraps of metal, Shang Wu. Show some respect for the predecessors of our Divine Weapon Peak!"

Elder Hanhe stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression full of displeasure.

Shang Wu wasted no time arguing. She simply stretched out her hand:

"Where are the goods?"

"Hmph—Fu Tu!"

At his command, Fu Tu emerged, dragging a horse-drawn cart behind him.

Li Mo guessed that this must be some steward named Fu Tu, who had prepared the items so quickly because they were requisitioned from the Divine Weapon Peak.

Everything had been requested by his master.

It seemed this had been planned for a long time—only things that could be easily obtained were chosen...

Shang Wu narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, grinning like a fox that had successfully stolen its prey.

"Elder Hanhe, I’m surprised you’re being so generous this time. Fine, consider the matter settled."

[Congratulations, Host. Your investment has succeeded—acting as Shang Wu’s accomplice in extortion has yielded rewards.]

[Investment Feedback: Three jars of Icefire Wine.]

[Investment Feedback: Two bottles of Six-Rune Clarity Pills.]

[Investment Feedback: Ten pounds of Iron Essence.]

......

[Clarity Pill: Possesses a calming effect, capable of suppressing distracting thoughts to a certain degree. Each pill lasts for two hours, with a maximum of one pill per day. Excessive consumption may lead to emotional numbness and loss of humanity.]

[Iron Essence: A single ounce refined from ten thousand pounds of iron. Adding even a trace to an ordinary weapon can make it sharp enough to split a hair. A must-have material for forging divine weapons.]

Young Li was also delighted.

Who would have thought that helping his master extort goods would count as an investment?

This was a jackpot.

It might not be the highest-quality reward he had ever received, but it was certainly the most abundant.

The value of these rewards far exceeded the sum of everything his master had painstakingly plundered.

"Hmph, do you think I would lose both face and advantage?"

"I hope when you lose, Shang Wu, you won’t go back on your word either."

Elder Hanhe snorted coldly.

He was referring to their bet—a competition between their disciples.

The stakes of that wager were far more valuable than this mere cart of goods—no, they couldn’t even be measured in gold or silver.

"Then I’ll give you a chance... to lose."

Shang Wu grinned and gave a thumbs-up—then flipped it downward.

Li Mo: "......"

Master, where did this confidence come from?

If he remembered correctly, Murong Xiao possessed the Cry of the Flood Dragon physique and was hailed as a once-in-a-decade genius of Purple Sun Prefecture.

If not for Ying Bing, Murong Xiao would undoubtedly be the top disciple of this generation.

Elder Hanhe’s confidence likely stemmed from that half-demon bloodline.

The defining trait of half-demons was their exceptionally high starting point.

"Hmph, my disciple may not be particularly talented, but at the Qi-Blood Realm’s fifth meridian, he can already descend to the second level of the Divine Edge Cave."

"Shameful, truly shameful—he’s only slightly surpassed this old man’s achievements from back in the day."

Elder Hanhe took a leisurely sip of tea.

Shang Wu was genuinely surprised. "He’s only at the fifth meridian of the Qi-Blood Realm, and you’re already having him train in the Divine Edge Cave?"

A mysterious smile played at the corners of Elder Hanhe’s lips. "This old man has his own plans. No need for you to worry."

His disciple possessed a half-demon physique, with a bloodline leaning toward the flood dragon lineage, renowned for its formidable physical strength. Under his guidance, the boy had also cultivated body-refining techniques, fully capitalizing on his innate advantages.

Now, relying solely on his physical body, he could lift boulders weighing ten thousand pounds.

Li Mo might go far in the future—but so what?

The Nine Peaks Tournament was just around the corner.

In the short term, there was no way he could surpass Murong Xiao.

"Hmph, so what if he can enter the Divine Edge Cave..."

Shang Wu pouted but ultimately refrained from saying, "My disciple can do it too."

The weapons inside the cave were all instruments of slaughter.

Individually, they might not amount to much, but when gathered in a certain arrangement, they could harm from a distance.

Moreover, some of these weapons had claimed countless lives, carrying with them a terrifying killing intent capable of shaking one’s soul.

Entering was a trial for both body and mind.

Even she couldn’t reach the deepest levels of the Divine Edge Cave.

"Elder Hanhe, may I ask if outsiders are permitted to enter the Divine Edge Cave?"

"Oh?"

Elder Hanhe paused mid-sip.

Shang Wu also subtly signaled her disciple with her eyes.

Foolish disciple, we don’t have to compete in everything...

Elder Hanhe’s gaze swept over them:

"Entry is permitted, but I advise you to think twice."

Apart from Murong Xiao, every disciple inside the cave was at least at the Inner Breath Realm.

The former could enter due to his innate physical resilience, while the latter could protect themselves using inner breath.

"I’ll start at the periphery. If it’s too much, I won’t push myself."

Li Mo’s eyes burned with determination—his words were meant for both of them.

Elder Hanhe inwardly shook his head.

No wonder this boy had clashed with others so soon after entering the training hall.

Having just made some progress in martial arts, he was already getting ahead of himself, constantly seeking to prove his superiority.

Perhaps a little hardship would temper his arrogance.

"You may enter, but you assume all responsibility for your safety. If something happens, don’t blame this old man."

"Thank you."

Li Mo cupped his hands in respect, then glanced at his master.

Shang Wu narrowed her almond eyes in thought before pulling out a small bell from her sleeve:

"If you can’t endure, shake this twice with force."

This was a Harmony Bell.

When one bell was shaken vigorously, the other would ring in response.

As long as they weren’t separated by a thousand miles, it would work.

Despite her carefree demeanor, Elder Shangwu didn’t want her precious disciple to get seriously hurt.

"Thank you, Master."

After pocketing the bell, Li Mo strode toward the entrance of the Divine Edge Cave.