The Immortal Path Is Crowded

After that brief moment of relief, the atmosphere turned solemn once again.

The old protector looked at Jin with a serene expression. "Come," he said simply.

The middle-aged man nodded silently and both walked down the hallway. Jin followed without resistance. His face remained calm, but his mind was working at full speed.

They went through a side door that led to a more secluded area of the building. The air there was different, cooler and denser, with a faint scent of aged wood and polished metal.

Before them opened what looked like a private storeroom, though it was anything but neglected. Everything was arranged with meticulous precision. Dark wooden shelves held sealed boxes, finely carved chests, and vases with inscriptions in ancient characters. Even the weapons rested wrapped in a special cloth that dampened Qi fluctuations.

Jin observed in silence. This didn't look like a simple warehouse. He was sure it was the clan's resource vault.

The old man leaned toward the girl and gently stroked her head.

"Qin Er, go fetch the reward for our young friend."

The girl's eyes lit up as if she had been entrusted with the most important mission in the world.

"Yes, Grandfather!"

Without losing a second, she ran off into the interior, her small footsteps echoing enthusiastically on the stone.

The middle-aged man followed her immediately, but not before casting a brief, subtle, almost imperceptible glance at the old man.

Jin said nothing, but he noticed that brief exchange. He was sure something was being plotted in secret.

Standing upright, with his hands calmly tucked into his sleeves, he maintained the humility proper to a young man his age. Inside, however, he analyzed every detail: the old man's attitude, the man's seriousness, the fact that they sent the girl to fetch the reward.

A symbolic gesture? Something to keep up appearances? Or do they really plan to give something valuable?

Possibilities piled up quickly in his head: weapons, medicinal herbs, spirit stones, perhaps even a favor from the clan.

Whatever it was, the fact that they took him to a private vault instead of handing him a bag in the main hall meant only one thing: what was coming would not be trivial.

He lowered his gaze slightly to hide the calculating gleam in his golden eyes. Outwardly, calm and respectful. Inwardly, ready to negotiate if necessary, or to decline elegantly if the gift came with an invisible debt.

The silence stretched longer than expected. Soft sounds came from the back. The old man seemed capable of waiting all day.

Jin, on the other hand, was starting to get bored.

After hesitating for an instant, he took the opportunity to join his hands in a light martial salute.

"Excuse me, Senior. This disciple has a question that concerns him."

The old man looked at him with interest.

"Speak."

Jin paused briefly.

"Were you able... to recover my spear from the battlefield?"

A silence reigned between the two. For a few seconds the old man observed him, as if measuring how much to say, and then replied with a calm smile.

"Unfortunately, it was beyond saving. The amount of Qi you poured into it pushed it to its limit, and the demonic energy ended up corroding it, destroying it completely."

Time seemed to stop, Jin froze. Outwardly, his expression barely changed. Internally, his mind exploded.

What? Irrecoverable? Destroyed completely?

How is that possible? It was the first real battle I used it in!

My two hundred spirit stones... no...

The pain was deeper than any physical wound.

Damn demons. The next time one shows up, it will pay me back those stones with interest. And compound interest.

A shadow crossed his golden eyes. Was that demonic energy so dangerous as to disintegrate a weapon like that?

Even as he lamented the loss, a detail stuck in his mind. The spear hadn't broken only from overload, but from the combination with demonic Qi. Which meant the word "demon" wasn't a trivial ornament.

He inhaled slowly. He exhaled just as slowly. Calm. At least I'm still alive. Spirit stones can be obtained again.

Although the financial wound was still throbbing.

Just as he was about to ask something else, footsteps approached from inside. Light, quick. An instant later, a small figure shot out.

Qin Er ran like a hare, holding with both hands a bag almost as big as her torso. Without slowing, she reached him and naturally clung to his leg.

"Big brother! This is Grandfather's reward for saving Qin Er!"

Jin blinked. The first thing he noticed wasn't the content, but the size. That bag was at least twice as full as his own.

With slight hesitation and growing suspicion, he took it from her hands and looked at the old man. He nodded calmly.

"Take it."

Swallowing almost imperceptibly, Jin opened the bag and looked inside.

What the hell is this?

It was packed with spirit stones. Lower quality, yes, but the amount was absurd.

His trained gaze began counting by instinct. One hundred, two hundred, three hundred. His breathing slowed. Four hundred, five hundred. At minimum.

Five hundred spirit stones. More than double what he had invested in his spear.

The financial anguish from a minute ago evaporated. A lot. Almost completely.

Well... maybe breaking a spear wasn't such a bad investment after all.

Outwardly he kept a serene, even modest expression. Inwardly, he had already made a decision. The Feng Clan... I like them.

He closed the bag carefully and looked at Qin Er, who was watching him expectantly. A warm smile appeared on his face as he ruffled her hair.

"Thank you, Qin Er. This reward is too generous."

The girl puffed out her chest with pride before trotting back to her grandfather.

The loss of the spear still stung, but with five hundred stones in hand, the wound in his heart was much more bearable.

Then the middle-aged man spoke again.

"But that is not all. To express our goodwill and gratitude, the Feng Clan also wishes to give you this."

He lifted a long object, carefully wrapped in black cloth embroidered with delicate silver patterns.

Jin's heart skipped a beat. It can't be...

The cloth slid off smoothly and revealed a spear.

Silvery like the moon under the night sky, with black engravings running along the shaft forming elegant patterns. Among them, golden runes glittered faintly in the light.

It was longer, heavier, and more imposing than his previous spear. For an instant it seemed almost ornamental.

But Jin wasn't stupid. It wasn't a decorative piece.

As soon as he touched it, the weight became evident. Much heavier than his previous spear, at least three times more.

He sought confirmation with his gaze, and seeing the old man nod, an excited smile formed faintly on Jin's face.

As he lifted it, the weight was felt immediately, the muscles in his arm tensed, Jin's expression shifted from excitement to bewilderment.

Someone at his same cultivation level would have had serious difficulty lifting it. He could because of his muscles and flesh refined by the Jade Dragon Body Technique.

He let his Qi flow but found no limit. There was no sense of fullness, no cap as before. It was like pouring water into a bottomless well. No matter how much Qi he poured in, it never seemed enough.

A strange sensation ran through his arm. The physical weight was one thing, but this was different. A subtle, deep connection, as if it responded to his intention.

After a few seconds, he withdrew the Qi and lowered the spear carefully.

"Senior... this prize is excessive. This young one feels unworthy to accept something like this."

The old man let out a low laugh.

"Modesty is a virtue. Too much of it becomes counterproductive."

Then he added softly:

"You saved Qin Er. You saved the future generations of the clan. You saved our formation master... and our soldiers."

The children straightened with pride.

"And don't worry. Although this spear may seem extraordinary, it is only a little better than your previous weapon."

Jin blinked in surprise. Only a little better!?

Old man... either your standards are absurdly high, or you're lying blatantly, he thought. Outwardly, he bowed his head.

"Then this young one will accept it with gratitude."

Inside, the loss of those two hundred stones no longer hurt at all.

If this was "only a little better"...

Then, for the first time since arriving in this world, he felt he had just obtained his first real loot.