Evan Chu glanced at the man—a tall, burly middle-aged fellow with a full beard, the very picture of a roughneck. Who would’ve thought that someone so big and coarse could break through to the Divine Martial Realm? It was honestly unbelievable.
The vendor sized the man up and said, “Not just anyone can test this sword. Of course, if you think you’re strong enough, hero, pay one hundred high-grade Starstones up front. If you can make the blade ignite with flames, the sword’s yours.
So basically, the sword sells for just a hundred high-grade Starstones. But if you can’t get flames to appear on the blade, then the hundred Starstones are mine—no tricks, no cheating. Anyone willing to pay can give it a shot. The reason I only let Divine Martial Realm or above try is because I don’t want folks wasting money and then accusing me of scamming them.”
The vendor’s words were blunt—everyone understood what he meant. He really did look like he was playing fair, but whether he actually was, who could say?
The crowd all stared at the middle-aged man. Judging by his clothes, he was probably loaded, and everyone was waiting for him to put up a hundred high-grade Starstones and try the sword.
A hundred high-grade Starstones would’ve been a fortune back in the Heavenly Dragon Kingdom, but here in the Azure Tide Ruins, it really wasn’t much. Some people here even carried dozens of supreme-grade Starstones on them.
Naturally, the middle-aged man didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the crowd, so he pulled out a hundred high-grade Starstones from his storage belt and said, “Here’s a hundred Starstones—look closely. If I can make flames appear on this blade, the Flame Dragon Sword is mine.”
The vendor took the man’s Starstones and put them straight into his storage ring, then said cheerfully, “I’m a man of my word. A treasure sword deserves a hero—only in the hands of a true master can it show its real power.”
That line was clearly a compliment for the middle-aged man, but when Evan Chu heard it, it left a bad taste in his mouth. The vendor had a storage ring—clearly not a nobody. There had to be some scheme here, so Evan watched quietly, hoping to spot a flaw.
He then asked the Sword Spirit, “Luna, is this Flame Dragon Sword really a good weapon? I feel like the vendor’s scamming people. Even with his Divine Martial Realm Fifth Layer strength, getting flames to appear is barely possible, let alone for anyone else.”
Luna chuckled, “Evan, you’ve got it wrong this time. That middle-aged man isn’t just Fifth Layer Divine Martial—he’s at least Eighth Layer. And the Flame Dragon Sword really does have a big background. It’s honestly strange to see it show up here.”
“What? Eighth Layer Divine Martial? No way! I don’t think anyone here can make the Flame Dragon Sword ignite. Every single person who tries is just handing over a hundred Starstones—talk about easy money, zero risk.” Evan Chu exclaimed in shock.
“You’re wrong. There’s someone here who could make it burst into flames—and not just a little, but a huge blaze. I wonder if that person would flip the table and refuse to pay up.” Luna said.
“Who could have that kind of strength? I don’t see anyone in the crowd who’s reached Eighth Layer Divine Martial. Are you messing with me?” Evan Chu asked suspiciously—anyone else would probably wonder the same thing.
“You really are hopeless—so hopeless I don’t even want to talk to you. That person is obviously you! You control the fire element, so making the blade ignite is easy as pie. What do you even have inside that head of yours?” Luna said.
Suddenly, Evan Chu understood. He asked, “So what’s the real story behind the Flame Dragon Sword? Why’s it here? If it’s such a powerful weapon, why hasn’t some expert snatched it already? Sure, that guy’s Eighth Layer Divine Martial is strong, but the Azure Tide Ruins are packed with experts—killing him wouldn’t be hard at all.”
“You can tell from the name alone that this sword is special—it’s a famous blade among the Dragon Clan, once the personal weapon of the Fire Dragon King. I have no idea why it’s here, and it’s sealed too, which is pretty mysterious.” Luna replied.
“Fire Dragon King? Who’s that? Is he the king of the Dragon Clan? I thought the Dragon Clan’s ruler was the Golden Dragon. And it’s sealed again—why do all divine weapons have to be sealed?” Evan Chu grumbled, totally baffled.
“The Fire Dragon King is obviously the ruler of the fire dragons. He fought in the Divine Battlefield back in the day—whether he died or not, nobody knows. But since his personal weapon ended up here, I’d guess he fell. Or maybe he used a Dragon Clan secret art to seal himself inside the Flame Dragon Sword.” Luna explained.
This time Evan Chu didn’t say anything. He was thinking: if even the Fire Dragon King could fall, then what kind of place is the Divine Battlefield? Why is it only for the strongest? What happened back then to drag even the peace-loving Dragon Clan into it?
At that moment, the vendor handed the Flame Dragon Sword to the middle-aged man and said, “You have three chances. If you fail all three times, the Flame Dragon Sword won’t be yours. Please follow the rules and let the next hero have a try.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t break the rules. Today, I’ll show you all how I make the Flame Dragon Sword ignite!” The middle-aged man finished speaking, quickly circulating his internal Stellar Power and channeling it into the blade.
A few minutes passed, and sweat began to bead on the man’s face, clinging to his beard in a way that looked almost comical. But the Flame Dragon Sword’s blade was only a dull red—no flames appeared at all.
It looked like the man had given it everything he had. Finally, he stopped, panting for breath. “This sword is cursed! I used every bit of strength I had, and I still couldn’t make it ignite. Guess it’s just not meant for me.”
With that, he handed the sword straight back to the vendor. Clearly, he was an honest man—he had no intention of trying to keep the Flame Dragon Sword for himself.
“Is there another hero who’d like to try? Maybe you’re the true master of the Flame Dragon Sword.” the vendor called out.
Just then, another person stepped up to the vendor and said, “Let me give it a shot. Haven’t stretched my muscles in ages—let’s put on a show for everyone today.”
The speaker was an elderly man with snow-white hair. Evan Chu thought that despite his age, his strength was probably only Fourth Layer Divine Martial at best—making the Flame Dragon Sword ignite didn’t seem likely.
Following the rules, he handed over a hundred high-grade Starstones to the vendor, then took the Flame Dragon Sword. But instead of channeling Stellar Power right away, he slowly began gathering fire element.
Evan Chu snickered to himself. Was this old guy really trying to use fire element to turn the blade red and make flames appear?
The vendor looked completely unconcerned and didn’t stop the old man at all. After a while, the old man poured all the fire element he’d gathered into the blade—but what happened next left him utterly baffled.
The Flame Dragon Sword didn’t react at all, and the fire element vanished instantly, as if the sword had swallowed it whole…