I Start with a Mysterious Island

Chapter 161 - 160: Comes with Different Effects

Ever since Zhou Tianci’s father said he would only help with the marriage proposal to the Zhu Mansion after Zhou Tianci broke through to the Second Order Middle Stage, he had dedicated himself to cultivating.

But with cultivation, the further one progressed, the greater the difficulty.

Although Zhou Tianci had a good aptitude for cultivation, it had only been a few months since he broke through from the First Order Peak to the Second Order Initial Stage. Even if he carved out a huge amount of time to train diligently every day, breaking through from the Second Order Initial Stage to the Second Order Middle Stage would take him a year and a half at the very least.

"Young Master, should I go to the steward and withdraw some Spirit Stones for you to aid your cultivation?" the servant Xiaoliu asked Zhou Tianci, who was about to enter a private room to cultivate.

"Not for now. I still have some Spirit Stones. You may leave for now. Come get me when it’s almost time for lunch," Zhou Tianci said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes. I will take my leave," Xiaoliu said respectfully before turning and leaving Zhou Tianci’s study.

......

「Blue Star, Rongcheng.」

The heavy rain that had fallen all night stopped at dawn.

The morning after the rain was clear and cloudless, the air was fresh, and the dusty roads had been washed clean by the night’s downpour.

A gentle breeze drifted by, driving away the oppressive heat that had plagued the city for days and bringing with it a refreshing coolness.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Li left his home and walked along the path inside his residential complex.

"What a nice scent."

The flowers blooming in the greenbelt were a riot of color. Lin Li took a sniff and could smell the faint, elegant floral fragrance drifting in the air.

RUMBLE...

A brand-new silver van drove out of the Ping’an Garden District and, a moment later, disappeared at the end of the street.

......

In the Rongcheng Central District, not far from the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild, a brand-new silver van pulled into a parking spot.

Lin Li got out of the van, locked it, and walked toward the "Jinhe" weapon shop in the distance.

"Welcome." A saleswoman with a slender figure saw Lin Li enter the store and immediately went to greet him.

"Hello," Lin Li replied to the slender saleswoman.

Then, a look of confusion appeared on his face, and he asked the pretty saleswoman, "A month ago, did I happen to buy a Spiritual Longsword from you?"

"Yes, sir. You have a great memory!" the pretty saleswoman complimented Lin Li with a smile.

In truth, the pretty saleswoman had recognized Lin Li the moment he walked into the store.

A month had passed, but Lin Li had left a very deep impression on her. Back then, she had spent over ten minutes giving him an elaborate, flowery presentation on a whole host of Spiritual Weapons, only for him to pick the cheapest special-offer item in the store.

"No wonder you looked so familiar..." Lin Li nodded. The pretty saleswoman then asked,

"Sir, a month has passed. How are you finding that Spiritual Longsword you bought from our store?"

"That Spiritual Longsword is great, it works very well..." Lin Li nodded before asking the pretty saleswoman,

"I came back to your store this time because I want to buy some arrows for a small Spiritual Crossbow. Could you please give me some recommendations?"

"This way, sir." The pretty saleswoman gestured for Lin Li to follow her to the section of the store dedicated to Spiritual Artifact Arrows.

"Please take a look, sir. We carry three types of Spiritual Artifact Arrows in our store."

"This one with the brown arrowhead, if you activate and fire it with a Spiritual Crossbow, it has a self-accelerating effect. A Mutant Beast hit by it will bleed continuously from the arrow’s blood groove."

"This one with the gray arrowhead has a high-heat effect. A Mutant Beast hit by it will have a wound as if it were seared by a branding iron."

"This black arrowhead is coated with a special anesthetic. This anesthetic is custom-made and has an excellent paralyzing effect on Mutant Beasts.

Compared to the first two types, you need to be more careful when using this one.

If you accidentally injure yourself with it, your limbs could go numb, and you might lose your mobility for a short time."

After the pretty saleswoman finished introducing the effects of the three types of Spiritual Artifact Arrows, Lin Li asked about the one thing he cared about most: "What are the prices for these three types of arrows?"

Seeing Lin Li ask for the price, the pretty saleswoman knew this customer she’d served once before was serious about making a purchase.

Her smile never wavering, she said in a soft tone, "The brown Spiritual Artifact Arrows are one thousand yuan each, the gray ones are two thousand each, and the black ones are three thousand each."

"..." After hearing the pretty saleswoman’s quote, Lin Li immediately fell silent.

One had to understand that these Spiritual Artifact Arrows were single-use items.

After being activated and fired from a Spiritual Crossbow, even if you managed to retrieve them, they could be used again, but they would no longer have their special effects.

A Spiritual Artifact Arrow without its special effect was no different from a regular arrow, aside from being made of sturdier material. Against a Mutant Beast, it would have no killing power.

Although Lin Li had already looked up the prices online before coming to buy the Spiritual Artifact Arrows and had a general idea of the cost, when he heard the per-arrow price for the three types from the pretty saleswoman’s lips, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly, ’Damn, that’s expensive!’

"Sir, have you decided on a type?" the pretty saleswoman asked.

"These three types of Spiritual Artifact Arrows all have different effects. I feel like I could find a use for all of them."

"Exactly! Some of our regular customers tell us that when they’re fighting Mutant Beasts in the wild, they use different types of Spiritual Artifact Arrows depending on the situation.

So, every time they come to our store to stock up on Spiritual Artifact Arrows, they buy some of each kind..."

Lin Li thought for a moment, then said to the pretty saleswoman,

"I’ll take twenty of each for now. If they work well, I’ll be back to buy more."

"Alright. Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll go write up the order for you." Seeing that Lin Li had decided to place an order, the pretty saleswoman’s face lit up with a happy smile.

Although the total for this order wasn’t high, Spiritual Artifact Arrows were consumables. Once he used them, he’d be back for more. This customer would surely become a regular.

「A moment later.」

"Please come again, sir." With the pretty saleswoman’s enthusiastic farewell, Lin Li left the "Jinhe" weapon shop carrying a bag full of Spiritual Artifact Arrows and headed back toward his parked van.

’One hundred and twenty thousand, gone just like that. No wonder I saw a post on the Exotic Beast Hunter app from a Hunter who said he could afford a Spiritual Crossbow but couldn’t really afford to use it.’

’After deducting the cost of these Spiritual Artifact Arrows, I only have a little over seventy thousand yuan left in my bank account. Thank goodness I confiscated thirty Spirit Stones from that wanted criminal yesterday, or I’d be facing another financial crisis.’

After getting into the van, Lin Li stored the Spiritual Artifact Arrows he had just bought in the Mysterious Small Island, then started the vehicle and drove toward the wilderness in the East District.

Because Lin Li had gotten up rather early today, he was on his way to the wilderness before the morning rush hour, so there was little traffic on the road.

As he drove east toward the wilderness on the outskirts of the East District, his phone started ringing in his pocket.

......