Lin Hao arrived at the smithy under the cloak of twilight. The dwarf’s forge glowed faintly, shadows dancing across walls hung with unfinished blades.

“You finally showed up.” The blacksmith grunted, sliding a lacquered box across the anvil. Inside, two sets of miniature armor glimmered with volcanic adamantine’s crimson veins.

“Earth Tier artifacts,” the dwarf declared proudly. “First try, flawless.”

Lin Hao’s pulse quickened. Earth Tier—transcending mortal craftsmanship, capable of channeling energy. The Fly buzzed eagerly as Lin Hao willed his pets to don their new gear.

The Fly’s exoskeleton clicked into place, six blade-tipped legs gleaming. The Wolf Spider’s segmented plates merged seamlessly, venom reservoirs hidden beneath obsidian carapace.

“Inscription runes,” the dwarf explained, pointing to barely visible etchings. “Shadow-enchantment. Armor retracts into their bodies until threatened.”

Lin Hao’s eyes widened. Perfect for covert ops. He tossed a gold note—3,000 taels extra. The dwarf’s beard twitched in approval.

“Pick any weapon here,” the smith gestured magnanimously toward racks of mundane swords.

Lin Hao’s gaze snagged on a relic in the corner—a blackened stone embedded with a rusted sword fragment. Centuries of grime clung to its pitted surface.

“That?” The dwarf chuckled. “Ancestral junk. None’s pulled it free—not even Ninth Tier warriors.”

Lin Hao gripped the stone. The blade felt fused to the rock, immovable as a mountain. The Fly and Spider joined, talons and legs straining uselessly.

Ding! Host has detected an ancient relic. Activate unsealing protocol? Fee: 50,000 taels.

Lin Hao’s jaw tightened. Highway robbery. But curiosity won. Five gold notes vanished from his pocket.

A tremor ran through the sword—felt only by Lin Hao. The rust flaked, revealing ghostly silver beneath.

“If I free this,” Lin Hao masked his excitement, “it’s mine?”

The dwarf guffawed. “Aye! But good—”

Lin Hao gripped the hilt. This time, the blade slid free with a whisper, leaving the stone crumbling to ash.

The dwarf’s laughter died. The fragment—now a foot-long dagger—hummed with latent power. Ancient runes glowed along its edge, sharper than any Earth Tier blade.

“Impossible…” The smith staggered back.

Lin Hao sheathed the relic, its weight negligible yet ominous. “A deal’s a deal.”

Outside, he examined his prize. The blade drank moonlight, edges blurring as if cutting reality itself.

Ding! Relic identified: Voidshard Fragment (1/7). Collect all pieces to reconstruct the Blade of Eternity.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Lin Hao froze. Eternity?

The Fly landed on the dagger, antennae twitching. Its newly armored leg brushed the metal—and sheared off, clean as laser-cut steel.

“Careful!” Lin Hao hissed. The Fly regenerated its limb, chastened.

He rewrapped the fragment in rags. Even sheathed, its presence prickled his nerves like a live wire.

At the slum hovel, Lin Hao tested the blade. A flick severed an iron lock. A scratch on the Wolf Spider’s armor left a hairline fissure.

Ding! Host’s armory upgraded. Contracted creatures gain +20% lethality when synergizing with Voidshard.

Midnight approached. Lin Hao stowed the dagger, mind racing. A weapon that could damage his invulnerable pets? What have I unlocked?

The Underground Bazaar awaited. Tonight, Ma Feiyu would learn the price of hubris—with steel sharper than his family’s influence.

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The Price of Ambition

Lin Hao’s fingers tightened around the relic’s hilt. The dwarf smith’s forge seemed to hold its breath as the blade slid free with an unearthly shiiing.

“Impossible…” The smith’s ruddy face paled.

Black mist erupted from the sword, coiling up Lin Hao’s arm like venomous serpents. Ice-cold agony seared his nerves. He slammed the blade back into its stone prison, the miasma dissipating with a hiss.

“This… belongs to me now.” Lin Hao wiped sweat from his brow, masking trembling hands.

The dwarf’s beard quivered. “A jest! Take your gold back—”

“Honor your word.” Lin Hao’s tone brooked no argument. The Fly’s wing-blades hummed warningly.

Desperation twisted the smith’s features. “Five thousand taels! Take it!”

“Fifty thousand.” Lin Hao’s counter froze the air. The system’s unlock fee demanded repayment.

The smith’s hammer clattered to the anvil. “Robbery!” Yet greed warred with ancestral duty. Coins clinked as he emptied hidden compartments. “Take it and begone!”

Lin Hao accepted the bulging purse, pity flickering beneath his mask. Fool. You’ll regret this.

The smith snatched the relic, calloused hands trembling. He pulled—nothing. Pulled again, veins bulging. The stone mocked him.

“Let me demonstrate.” Lin Hao reached. The smith recoiled, but not before five gold notes vanished back into Lin Hao’s sleeve.

Ding! Unsealing protocol reactivated. 50,000 taels deducted.

The blade slid free effortlessly, black mist boiling forth. A draconic roar shook Lin Hao’s skull—primeval, ravenous.

Ding! Host’s soul integrity compromised. Activate spiritual firewall? Cost: 100,000 taels.

Lin Hao’s stomach dropped. His remaining funds: 80,000. The mist thickened, forming clawed tendrils.

“Re-seal it!” the smith screamed, but Lin Hao stood paralyzed. The voidshard fragment pulsed, its hunger syncing with the spectral beast’s.

The Fly dive-bombed the sword, adamantine legs sparking against dark metal. It ricocheted off, carapace cracked. The Wolf Spider spat silk—threads disintegrated mid-air.

“Take it! Just stop this!” The smith hurled the stone at Lin Hao.

Blade met stone with a thunderclap. The mist recoiled, sucked screaming into the relic. Lin Hao collapsed, nose bleeding.

“Soul-bound…” The smith whispered in horrified awe. “It chooses its master.”

Lin Hao staggered upright, clutching the stone. Truth glared: each unsheathing risked annihilation. Yet power thrummed in his veins—the voidshard’s whisper promised dominion… for a price.

“Keep your gold.” He tossed the purse back. “But remember—some doors, once opened, devour the keyholder.”

Night deepened as Lin Hao fled into alleys, the relic’s stone chilling his chest. Two blocks later, he vomited bile-streaked black ichor.

Ding! Residual corruption detected. Purge fee: 20,000 taels.

“Go bankrupt then!” Lin Hao snarled, wiping his mouth. The Fly scouted ahead, damaged but functional.

At the slum hovel, he buried the stone beneath floorboards. Its presence throbbed like a second heartbeat. The Wolf Spider spun containment webs—futile, but comforting.

Midnight approached. Underground Bazaar crowds would mask his scent. Ma Feiyu’s scheduled deal with the Blackscale Gang—an ideal killzone.

Lin Hao armed his pets. The Fly’s repaired wing hummed; the Wolf Spider’s fangs dripped neurotoxin. The voidshard stone stayed buried—a last resort.

Ding! Host’s adaptability commendable. Contracted creatures gain +25% resistance to eldritch corruption.

He snorted. Resistance? More like system-sponsored debt slavery.

The Bazaar’s entrance loomed—a cellar door guarded by twin brutes. Lin Hao’s mask solidified into Jing Ke’s sneer. Somewhere below, Ma Feiyu’s arrogance would meet its expiration date.

Tonight, balance sheets would be settled—in blood and gold.