Time flew by, as I trained in my new combat techniques from the Vajra Sutra.

  At first, they were obviously slow, and consumed a lot of qi, which is why I was glad for the billion spirit stones in my spatial ring. I could simply eat a stone when my qi was depleted, then continue training. As my mastery climbed to Mastery rank, all techniques became far easier and natural to use, if still much more expensive in qi cost than my former Xiantian techniques.

  In the regular Combat Simulation Array, the Saint rank techniques were already overpowered and I could defeat 50 ghost Saints with relative ease, while consuming all my qi pool in a single burst and flurry of elemental and sword qi.

  And in the Divine Soul Array, I managed to withstand three shouts from the big winged demon, after the Vajra Tower technique reached Mastery and gained three stories of curved pagoda layers.

  Meadows, the red fox proved quite adept with soul techniques as well, learning the Vajra Tower and using it almost as well as me, despite her lower Xiantian cultivation realm. I knew Spirit Beasts were special and perhaps somehow cheating. Meadows however put all the Saints in my Tower to shame, including Lady Ming who was otherwise at least 100 times stronger than the little fox.

  Even so, 1000 days later Ming managed to defeat the 49th ghost in the array, reaching the threshold of becoming a Sword Saint. She was still only using Xiantian techniques, just as I asked. Saint techniques were far too devastating and would provide a meaningless victory otherwise.

  Lin Fei was also growing stronger, even if encumbered by his new duty as trainer for the new recruits. He was quite competent though, and in this interval he managed to raise all the Houtian cultivators into the Xiantian realm, including the kids.

  I did that by myself without any help, so it wasn't quite that big of a deal, especially when gifted Nether Water and spirit stones to practice in easy mode.

  Then Grandpa appeared with my new Divine swords he crafted at my behest, seven for trade, and one for Amelia. I didn't even know there was a Poison element, but apparently it was true. A mix of Wood, Metal and Earth elements that became a separate element if crafted by a skilled Artisan Blacksmith. I was far away from such skills, but I still examined the sword for a long minute, hoping to learn something.

  "Divine Toxin Blade, can be used as a conduit for someone with Myriad Toxin Body to poison enemies. Worth 12 billion spirit stones." I read with my special eye skill, while slicing my palm on the sharp wooden blade. I had to imbue the sword with my sword intent to make it cut my durable Saint body, and at that moment I felt a flash of enlightenment.

  My hand became covered with a solid forcefield, just like Ming could make. I had gained the Sword Aura, somehow. Many swordmasters also had this ability, but they gained it after hundreds of years of training and deadly encounters. I just...sliced my hand on a blade that could kill anyone with its poison. Perhaps, I wasn't yet as wise as I thought I was?

  Looking away sheepishly, I stored the damned sword into my ring, and smiled at my ghost Grandpa. "You saw that?" I asked to make sure.

  The old ghost just sighed and turned around. "Young Master, you're still a teenager, so I don't expect you to be a great thinker, but do try to value your life a bit more. Good job with the Sword Aura." he answered in a mocking tone, then vanished.

  I nodded to myself, then covered myself in the Concealment Skill, the black robes and the wide bamboo hat, and summoned my favorite Saint puppet with its gleaming plate armor. Standing 3 meters tall, and having a chess tower embossed on its shoulder pauldrons, the puppet should be a statement of power. Then I dialed my strength to Saint level 1 with my Power Artifact, and shifted outside.

  The restaurant was still as lively as always, but this time it also had a cloaked figure waiting in the corner. Most likely, waiting for me, seeing as this person ran out the second I appeared. 'Go, bring him back' I urged my bodyguard puppet, while walking outside the restaurant and onto the people-filled streets of the New Moon City.

  "Bonk, bonk!" the sounds of the captured target kicking and punching the puppet rang in my ears, as my puppet returned with the cloaked person, like holding a kitten by its scruff.

  "Who sent you to wait for me?" I asked in a stern voice.

  "Let me go! My Sect Elders will have your skin!" the voice yelled in a childish voice. I just poked him casually and sent him into my Tower.

  Sadly, the voice was male so Lin Fei would not receive a new harem puppet, but Grandpa would read his soul and give me the highlights for a sentence, when I returned. For now, I had my own mission to conclude, the return to the Treasure House to sell a few Divine Swords.

  I was recognized at once when entering the famous auction house, as a nice female host escorted me directly to meet the manager, while another woman brought tea for two.

  "Ah! Our guests from the Tower! You have indeed returned, and rather fast. Teleportation, or so I hear." the manager began while bowing politely to the big armored puppet.

  I just sat down. "Wait outside." I spoke in a calm tone, making the puppet evict the unnecessary bodyguards and tea servers, then also step outside and close the door behind it.

  "That Senior is not interested in the sale?" the auction manager asked with a surprised voice.

  I just sipped my tea for a minute, then placed the tea cup down. "Someone of importance in the Tower advised me to value my life a bit more. Considering the threat potential in this city, a peak Saint was deemed sufficient as a bodyguard." I explained in a friendly voice.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "...Of course. Not to mention the value of the goods you carry." the manager agreed with an eager voice.

  Waving my hand, I filled the table with seven exquisite swords, all radiating a deadly menace of Divine Intent.

  The manager gulped, then helped himself with some expensive spirit tea. I just waited.

  I already knew that each of these swords was worth at least 10 billions, and much more if auctioned for rich clients.

  "Esteemed client, this is..." he muttered while his eyes glinted with blue sigils to identify the swords.

  "A set of seven elements swords, each worth 10 billions." I pointed out with a casual voice.

  "Y-yes. Quite a bit more, if the auction is promoted in the right places." the manager agreed with a bit of stutter.

  "My Tower is not interested in waiting for auctions. Your fine establishment can buy these and sell them for more, or much more to people that can also use them properly. I have just become a Saint myself, and these weapons are far too heavy to wield properly." I pointed out while raising the tip of a Metal element sword for a millimeter, then dropping it down on the sturdy and expensive table, making it groan from the tiny increase in acceleration.

  "We would be glad to buy them, but so much cash is not available in this city. Only in the capital of the empire..." he said with a sad voice.

  I was still considering what to do, when the presence of another peak Saint drew closer, and stopped in front of the door, likely confronted by my puppet.

  "The City Governor is here too. Do invite him in, manager." I nodded towards the door.

  The man stood up and wrung his hands, then sighed and went to open the door.

  "My Lord, surely nothing was so important as to barge inside a Treasure House!" The manager complained in a brave voice, but the Saint rank Governor just ignored him to sneak a peek inside and appraise the Divine Swords awaiting purchase.

  "I did sense right! Seven Divine artifacts, that my Blue Wind Empire will graciously accept on behalf of the Wind Emperor. And move your silly puppet from my face, before I turn it into scrap." the Governor spoke with a superior tone, almost ignoring the armored puppet and all propriety.

  "That would be my puppet, Governor. And my swords too. As for grace, the manager has just proposed to buy these exclusive swords for 80 billion spirit stones." I spoke with a tiny hint of amusement in my voice, while calling the puppet at my side, and summoning two more from my ring.

  "...And who are you, little Saint?" the Governor asked while barely glancing at my three hulking bodyguard puppets.

  To be fair, any Sword Saint could dismantle three puppets in a few seconds, just like I could.

  So I took out my Crimson Sword and covered it in Sword Aura, just before the Governor rushed in to rob me. "I represent the Tower, and the Artisan that makes these kinds of swords. They are quite nice, right?" I asked a bit rhetorical.

  The Governor stopped for a minute to think. "Aura? That's not something someone so young can use." he observed in a wise voice. Only someone with a crazy amount of combat experience could obtain the Sword Aura. Or someone foolish enough to risk their life with a poison blade.

  My sword intent flashed for a second, before converging back around the blade. "This little Saint is quite confident." I answered with a shrug.

  The Governor glared at me then turned towards the manager. "Do make sure that the Wind attribute sword is kept aside for the Empire, Kong San. And don't pay more than 70 billions for those seven swords, or your superiors will have your head." he spoke in a friendlier voice, then flew away at speed.

  "...Sorry about that. This office branch is not important enough to be assigned Saint rank guards. The Governor can bully us, a little." the manager explained while sitting back at the table to drink some tea.

  I glanced at my side, where a Saint puppet nodded slowly. Well if Grandpa agreed to use his work this way, why not?

  "It seems your Treasure House could invest in several guard puppets like mine. Sadly, such puppets cannot obtain a Dao Heart and are rather vulnerable against Sword Saints and similar abilities." I said with a kind tone.

  "As vulnerable as everyone else, esteemed customer. Saints are rare enough, but only one in a thousand can forge their Dao Heart. Our Governor is quite fortunate to be one of the gifted ones." the manager answered with admiration in his voice, already forgetting abut being bullied a minute before.

  Hmmm. Apparently my Sword Saint rank wasn't rare enough. Even a random City Governor was my equal, with all my CYOA skills and cheats.

  "Let's say seven Saint puppets and seven Divine swords for 80 billions. I'm sure your superiors will agree." I proposed with a tiny smirk.

  The sneaky manager frowned while pinching his fingers. "Make it a dozen puppets, and I'll throw in a Heaven Token. Your Tower is proving a valuable client for us."

  I could haggle some more, but these puppets were free, as in picked up from a secret realm called the Heaven Basin. Only their soul imprints and plate armors were worth something, but not near 10 billion spirit stones for a dozen of them.

  "I will have to ask an Artisan to make a dozen Saint puppets for you then. Do you have 10 billion stones in your treasury?" I asked on a different track.

  The manager nodded slowly. "One sword only?" he wondered with a frown.

  "The Wind sword for the stones and the Heaven token. I'll come back later to conclude the rest of our deal, when you have enough cash on hand." I said with a mild voice.

  Holding a transmission jade in hand, the manager arranged the exchange, while I stored six Divine swords back in my ring.

  A few minutes later, I hid under Concealment and took a random alley away from the auction house, then climbed into a tree and shifted back into my Tower. Better not give anyone else a place where they could await in ambush. Or they could climb the tree and wait there.

  I found my Grandpa and a certain red fox beside a trap array, where a teenage boy was floating in stasis.

  "Got the details already out of him? He was punching Tin Man." I asked while said Tin Man puppet appeared beside me.

  "Chen Feng, inner disciple at the local Shadow Chasing Sect. They basically trade information between other cultivators. This guy had the brains to stalk the restaurant where you 'teleported' away. It seems all the local sects and a few more people are paying good money for information about the Tower." Grandpa said with a small frown.

  That made a bit of sense. While the Tower was a pocket dimension linked to my soul, it was also a world filled with cultivators. Most of them recruited locally in the New Moon City, and then vanished.

  Meadows focused her eyes on me, and shot me with a soul beam. Our inner worlds merged again, but this time the spirit fox was only as tall as a man. "Human! I want that man. He uses illusions. I want them." she demanded in a petulant voice.

  I nodded patienly. "It is good to know what you want. What do I get?" I asked in return.

  The twin red tails flicked in anger. "You cannot tame me!" she yelled at me.

  "Do I get an hour everyday, to play with the tails?" I wondered with a smile.

  The fox hesitated. "Only until I ascend. After that I'll be stronger than you." she said in a confident tone.

  Hmmm. "You may not tame that boy. I found him first." I demanded in a similar voice.

  The fox glared at me for a long minute. "Damn human. I'll be smarter than you when I grow up!" she growled back.

  I grinned back with a foxy smile, a bit too wide. "Call me Pef, little fox. I'll call you Meadows."

  "Meadows...hmmm. Smells like forest and hunting. Like home." the fox said while closing her eyes.