Stepping out of the mountain bounty shop, dai yaun patted the bulging satchel hanging by his waist, The hundred teals of silver felt substantial in Dai Yuan's pouch, this was the largest amount of money he had ever earned in his life, while staying in the outskirt of his hometown.
The weight of the coin felt reassuring and concerning, a reassuring weight after the perils of the forest, concerning on how or what to do with such huge amount of money.
He thanked Mr. Wang, and waved his hands at Wang LinLin, exchanging a warm farewell with her– though she did promised to catch up later after tending to her own errands.
Stepping back into the vibrant chaos of the Brightmoon Marketplace. Dai Yaun looked confused at the area, with a full purse and an empty schedule, he decided to indulge in a bit of exploration. The market was bustling high with trading activities, as both sellers and buyers come and go in troops. He passed stalls overflowing with exotic fruits he couldn't name, their colors brilliant and their scents intoxicating.
A blacksmith's hammer rang rhythmically, shaping red-hot steel,looking into the smithy's shop, dai yaun eyes flew wide opened at the large numbers of weapons hanging on the wall,the weapons range from steal swords, to steal axe, steal bows, steal sabers, steal hammers, lance, mace and many other steal forged weapons, on another section of the smithy walls, weapons which seamed to be forged with beast bones and spirit ores lay their giving faint radiation of spirit qi infused weapons, although the quantity are not much compared to the steal weapons.
Dai yaun still felt awe at the glimmering weapons on display, wishing he could grab one of those and make a swing at them. Turning his gaze away from the smithy shop as he walk by further down, a peddler chanted the virtues of his meticulously carved wooden figurines.
The aroma of roasting boar (ironically) made his stomach rumble, reminding him that the day's events had left him famished, but he decided to put off eating for a moment longer.
His looked around the market, as he passes stalls after stalls, and shops after shops, suddenly he paused as his gaze drifted forward, drawn by a small, unassuming stall tucked between a bustling fabric merchant and a quiet tea vendor. Unlike the other vibrant displays, this one was modest, almost austere.
A handful of scrolls, bound in plain leather or sturdy canvas, were laid out on a weathered wooden table. A stoic, middle-aged man stood behind the stall, as the shade block away the sun rays from greeting his services.
The man stalls seams to be selling martial art scrolls, looking at the parchment of scrolls rolled and tied up, laying on the man's table, Dai Yuan approached it, a spark of interest igniting in his chest.
Recalling his recent fight with the beast out in the jungle, he had long realized the importance of martial arts and instead of relaying on brute, and physical might. Dai Yaun initial plan was to wait, till he got to his destination before practicing any martial art, but with the long and unpredictable journey ahead of him, he had no choice but to purchase one and practice along the way.
Despite spending 2 months of journey through the forest, dai yaun goal still remain the northern yang sect, from the northern domain.
As he reached the stall, dai yaun stretchered out his hand and allow his finger to ran along the spines of the scrolls. Most were for sword forms or spear thrusts, techniques that were useful but not what he was currently seeking.
Dai yaun have never fancied, weapons such as swords, lances, or spears, he had always preferred heavy weapons and due to his gigantic size, he would often resort to using his fist in the absent of such weapons.
As his gaze move from scrolls to scroll, dai yaun gaze shimmered in disappointment, after checking almost all the content of the scrolls on the table without finding a technique fitting to his like. Dai yaun stopped his action and bowed in apologies to the vendor, whom all this while have been quietly observing his every moment and subtle changes in his emotion.
"kid, what do you want" the silent middle aged man suddenly asked as dai yaun turned around to leave.
"sorry sir" scratching his head, dai yaun turned around in confusion as he gaze dumbly at the man, the question confusing as he haven't really thought about what he want. All he need was a suitable technique that could be used with something heavy.
"ugh… do you have any technique that can be used with heavy weapons, such as hammers, axe, halberd or polar-arm"
"hmmmm" the middle aged man who had been sitting still, suddenly raised up his head in surprise at dai yaun's request, the weapons mentioned are quite rare among the citizens of bluemoon mountain city and so do their technique.
"that quite rare…but" the man suddenly paused before bending down to rummage inside a wooden box under the table.
"you are lucky… take a look at this"
He tossed the new scroll which he fetched from the box to dai yaun who catches it with his two hands, dai yaun beamed In joy as his eyes landed on the scroll, it look slightly thicker than the others, its cover depicting a hammer surrounded by thunder arcs. The title of the scroll was boldly inscribed "Titan Sonic Punch".
Looking at the scroll, a self-deprecating smile touched his lips. Dai Yaun thought back to the pathetic 'mrrroww?' that had come out when he'd tried to intimidate the Iron-Scaled Boar.
The share shame from that failure had left him not daring to try it out again, after the first time despite encountering different monsters on the way. And thus he needed something more reliable. Something that, no matter how badly he messed it up, it wouldn't result in him sounding like a startled kitten during a life-or-death confrontation.
"No chance of this sounding like a meow, I suppose?." Dai Yaun asked in faint whisper afraid of the people hearing his strange inquisitiveness.
The vendor, who had been quietly polishing a training cudgel, looked up in amusement.
"You'd be hard-pressed to make a hammer technique sound like a feline, young man. Unless you plan to incorporate actual cat meows in it, which this scroll does not teach."
Dai Yuan chuckled foolishly while scratching his head, a genuine laugh escaping him. "Good to know. I've had... recent disappointments with certain vocalizations." He tapped the scroll.
"This 'Titan Sonic smash… can you tell me more aboout it?" dai yaun asked.
The vendor took the scroll from him, carefully unrolling a small portion to reveal a series of detailed illustrations.
"It's a foundational striking technique. Focuses on channeling brute physical force into a concentrated impact, generating a shockwaves upon contact. Not spiritual Qi, mind you, but pure, raw physical power, honed through specific body mechanics and repetition. It allows a user to strike with much greater force than their natural strength would suggest, enough to crack armor or shatter rock." He paused, his gaze assessing Dai Yuan.
"though there is one little problem"
"what?" dai yaun asked in surprise.
"It requires greater dedication than most technique."
"And the 'sonic' part?" Dai Yuan asked again, intrigued.
"Well according to ancient myths, with enough practice and dedication one can indeed produce a sharp, cracking sound, like a thunderclap," the vendor explained.
Dai Yuan nodded slowly, envisioning himself delivering a devastating blows with a mighty hammer, causing him to recall the beast hammer which he saw in the smithy shop previously. He imagined the sheer satisfaction of a physical skill that just worked.
"How much for this technique he asked?" he asked, trying to keep his eagerness from showing.
The vendor considered him, then the quality of his worn armor and the capable look in his eyes. "70 teals of silver. It's a complete technique, suitable for someone with a strong frame and the will to train."
Immediately he finished speaking, dai yaun stood gobsmacked in silence, as utter disbelief befall his face. That is an absurd price for someone who just earned his first hundred teals of silver.
That is a month of me fighting in the jungle! Dai Yaun thought as he stared at the man with his eyes wide open, while try to control himself from bursting into anger.
"why don't you go ahead and rob me?" dai yaun said in a fit of anger, failing to suppress his emotion.
"ughhh. You need to know that this is an authentic technique"
"thats none of my bussines… I will give you 20 taels"
"60"
"25
"50 last and if you don't want to buy you can go ahead and leave" the man suddenly yelled in anger, causing the people passing by his stall to stop and look at them.
"ugh…." dai yaun fumed looking frustrated at the vendors outburst.
Fifty silver, that a significant chunk of his earnings, but if it gave him a reliable, powerful skill, it was worth it.
"I'll take it," grumbling under his breath, Dai Yuan pulled out a small stack of silver coins.
He counted them out, handing them over.
Damn stingy kid, are you a fucking woman? The vendor grudgingly accepted the coins, while cursing dai yaun in his head as he shoo him away from his stall.
"may you succeed in you life and do stop bargaining like some old lady" the vendor suddenly said as dai yuan left his stall.
Dai Yuan grimaced . "Let's hope so."