Chapter 104: The Millennium-Old Lightning-Struck Peach Wood Sword

"Let's go to the Dream Space first."

Yan Luo currently possessed nearly 25,000 biological energy points. Points only held value once converted into combat power.

Spending 10 points, he teleported directly to the entrance plaza of the Novice Zone. With the title "Forest Elf" displayed above his head, and having ascended from a primary-level lifeform to an intermediate one, his appearance was exceptionally refined. Many passersby pointed and whispered as he walked.

"That's some imposing presence!" one Modulator remarked.

"A refined gentleman, as if carved and polished, like jade worked by a master."

Yan Luo turned to see the speaker: a handsome figure dressed in white ancient robes, with a face as luminous as the mid-autumn moon and a complexion as delicate as spring blossoms. A closer look, however, revealed it was not a man, but a woman in male attire, possessing a spirited air reminiscent of Brigitte Lin’s portrayal of Dongfang Bubai.

This woman was level 2, and the title floating above her head read, "Flowery and Romantic, A Gallant Youth."

She held a folding fan in her right hand, tapping it rhythmically against her left palm as she offered her praise. The line she had quoted came from the *Classic of Poetry*, specifically the "Qi Ao" section of the *Odes of Wei*, describing a gentleman whose charm was as refined as ivory and jade.

In the Ancient Greek world, a loser named Wang Dongwei, who seemed to know a little bit about everything, had taught them about ancient Chinese civilization, including the *Classic of Poetry*. Yan Luo understood the reference. He nodded slightly at the woman and recited in turn:

"A bright white colt, in the empty valley dwells, with a bundle of fresh grass, he is as fair as jade."

This line came from the *Classic of Poetry*, "Little Odes: The White Colt," describing a snowy white steed in a desolate valley, as beautiful as a precious jewel. The woman in her white, snow-like robes, with her jade-like features, was a perfect match for the verse.

You felt a surge of strong emotion:
Joy +1

The woman in male attire smiled, bowed gracefully to Yan Luo from a distance, and then vanished through a portal of light.

Yan Luo continued on his way until he reached the commercial district.

Being a level 2 Forest Elf clearly carried more prestige than being a level 1 Zombie Hunter. A few stall-owning Modulators even took the initiative to greet him as he passed. Of course, most stalls were left unattended. Yan Luo had no idea what the "Bloodline Substance: Spider" might be worth.

Unfortunately, after checking several stalls, he found no bloodlines for sale; it seemed they were truly rare—at least in the Novice Zone.

This was, of course, a good thing. Scarcity breeds value. Since the Mercury Spider was equivalent to a level 3 boss in the Inner World, the drop it provided could clearly fetch a high price.

Yan Luo decided to set up his own stall. The cost was 100 points per day of real-world time, which was not particularly expensive.

As for the spider bloodline substance, to prevent anyone from snapping it up for a bargain, he set the price at 990,000 points—a figure impossible for anyone in the Novice Zone to afford. Of course, if a fool or a tycoon were to pay that amount, he would be more than happy to sell.

990,000 points—at the novice stage, that much biological energy could bring a massive increase in combat power!

After setting up his stall, he left a note: "If you want to buy, state your price. Do not ask without offering."

He still had 24,888 biological energy points remaining.

With so many points, he could purchase a high-quality enchanted weapon. Last time in the commercial district, he had seen an obsidian "Macuahuitl" sword, which required human sacrifice and was infused with resentment and malevolence, capable of slaying ghosts and monsters. It was priced at 14,444 points.

Yan Luo paused in front of a stall.

The owner was present—a man in his forties with a square, stern face and a poker-faced expression. His most distinctive feature was his eyebrows, which met in the center to form a single line. He wore a traditional black cap with a decorative plate and a yellow Taoist robe. He was level 3, and his title was "Zombie Taoist Priest."

Even though Yan Luo had lost his emotions, he felt a moment of speechlessness.

Was this cosplay?

Next to the stall stood a paper banner acting as a sign: "Ghost-Catching Dojo."

Yan Luo squatted down to inspect the items. The stall looked chaotic and somewhat eerie. He saw a bottle containing a bright red, blood-like liquid; a quick program check identified it as "Chicken Blood." He looked at a bowl filled with grains, which turned out to be "Sticky Rice."

"Chicken blood? Sticky rice?"

Yan Luo asked, "These seem like very ordinary items, don't they?"

"Young brother, don't say that... they are common, but the fact that they can be brought into the Inner World makes all the difference."

"I see."

Yan Luo nodded and continued looking, discovering black dog blood and black donkey hooves. To be fair, these four items were indeed useful in zombie-themed worlds. Chicken blood was imbued with 'Yang' energy, black dog blood warded off evil, sticky rice could draw out corpse poison, and the black donkey hoof was a divine tool for suppressing zombies.

At the very least, these were enough to deal with ordinary walking corpses.

Furthermore, the priest’s prices were quite fair: a small bottle of chicken blood for 100 points, a bowl of sticky rice for 300, black dog blood for 600, and a black donkey hoof for 900. Even a level 1 Modulator could afford them. Buying a few might just save one's life if they were thrown into a zombie world.

Beyond those, the stall held a few items that could barely be called "Dharma artifacts."

There was a copper coin sword made of 108 coins, a Bagua mirror, and a spirit-summoning bell. These three were known as the three great artifacts of Maoshan Taoism. The prices weren't too high, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 points.

Of course, compared to artifacts from true cultivation worlds, these were far inferior.

Yan Luo had 24,888 points, enough to buy all three, but he had no intention of doing so. He wasn't planning on becoming a Taoist priest, and without the corresponding Maoshan techniques, the utility of these items was questionable.

As for the chicken blood and black dog blood, could their effect against zombies compare to the "Olympic Sacred Fire"? He had no interest in the other trinkets like ink markers or chicken-bone nails. What caught his eye were the wooden swords on the stall.

Peachwood swords!

The peach tree is considered the essence of the five woods, also known as the "Immortal Wood." Whether it be ghosts, zombies, or demons, all could be struck by a peachwood sword. To be honest, their power was limited, and in a true cultivation world, no one would look twice at one.

But regardless, a peachwood sword was still a low-level artifact, and its applicability was broad.

Among the items, aside from three century-old peachwood swords, there was one that was a thousand years old. Unlike the others, this one was charcoal-black and featured textures that looked like lightning strikes.

As he picked up the sword, the middle-aged man dressed as a priest spoke up: "Ah, young brother, you have a keen eye! That is the best item on my stall!"

"A thousand-year-old peach tree, nearly on the verge of becoming a demon, was struck dead by lightning from the heavens. After the fire was extinguished, the heart of the wood was excavated to create this thousand-year-old lightning-struck peachwood sword. It is a genuine artifact! Tempered by celestial thunder, not only does it possess great lethality against zombies and evil spirits, but it can also be infused with energy. You could call it a supreme weapon for exorcism!"

Yan Luo was interested in the sword not just for its utility against ghosts and zombies, but because the "Wine Sword Immortal, Li Bai" persona he possessed was still missing a weapon.

The lightning-struck peachwood sword, being from a tree that was about to turn into a demon and further tempered by thunder, had become incredibly hard—perhaps comparable to "Ironwood." As a Dharma artifact, it would be useful against zombies, vengeful spirits like Sadako, Kayako, or Chu Renmei, and even against demons and phantoms.