"Fifteen spirit stones," the third disciple offered. "Final price."

  Wei Lin carefully considered his options before responding, "15 stones...just because you are one of my first customers, though I will tell you that my prices will not always be this low."

  He accepted the stones and handed the jade slip in exchange.

  The three disciples then walked off, immediately beginning to argue about who would get to study the technique first.

  Wei Lin put the Spirit Stones into his pouch and turned to face me, almost jumping when he realized I was standing there.

  "K-Yin!" he exclaimed, regaining composure quickly. "How long have you been standing there?!"

  "Long enough," I replied. "You're selling techniques?"

  Wei Lin scanned the surrounding area to make sure no one was watching, then gestured for me to follow him to a more private part of the courtyard.

  I didn't get why he was trying to be secretative all of a sudden.

  Usually, he'd blatantly try to see whatever he could to me.

  "You know my father sent me here with dozens of jade slips," Wei Lin explained. "Some contain combat techniques, others contain cultivation techniques, and a few contain rare medical formulas. He wants me to use those to establish relationships with promising disciples."

  "By selling them?" I asked.

  "By strategically trading them," Wei Lin corrected. "Spirit stones, favors, information. Whatever seems valuable at the time. My father thinks that establishing connections is more important than accumulating wealth. If I can make the right connections now, they might think of me later when they reach Inner Disciple or Core Disciple status."

  That made a great deal of sense to me from a merchant's point of view.

  It wasn’t about simply making profit.

  It was about investing in future relationships.

  It was something he'd been trying to do with me and Lin Mei, but never succeeded.

  Now it looks like he finally found some customers.

  "How many techniques do you have?" I asked.

  "Enough to keep me busy for a while,” Wei Lin smiled, giving a proud look that said he finally wore me down. “Do you want to buy one?"

  I thought back to my empty storage pouch.

  I’d just spent 10 Spirit Stones I had on Soul Techniques.

  It didn't feel right using the spirit stones I'd stashed away to buy more techniques, at least not until I've made more progress with my cultivation.

  "I don't have any Spirit Stones right now," I admitted. “I bought some techniques from the sect.”

  "But maybe you will in the future," Wei Lin added. "For you, I'll offer a 'friend' discount. Anything you purchase will be half price, and I'll throw in one technique absolutely free. You and Lin Mei both."

  "That’s really generous…”

  "We're Outer Sect Disciples together," Wei Lin said. "We should support each other's success. And you landed a hit on Zhou Ming in your first sparring session. That takes a lot of skill. A skill that I believe is worth investing in."

  I wasn't too sure about the idea of being viewed as a financial investment, but I liked the gesture.

  However, I knew that nothing came free in the world, especially in this one.

  Every advantage had a price. Every favor created an obligation.

  In fact, even the supposed friendships between disciples were just a form of networking with a cultivation spin.

  But was that all Wei Lin wanted from me?

  I couldn’t be sure.

  But there was one thing for certain, I desperately needed some combat techniques.

  The memory of Zhou Ming slamming me into the ground was still vivid. That feeling of hopelessness. How fast he moved compared to me. How hard he hit me. I managed to land one hit through sheer luck and experience from Earth, but then he destroyed me like I was insignificant.

  And that was just an Inner Disciple. Zhou Ming wasn’t even that skilled. He was Stage 6 in Qi Condensation because he’d been cultivating for a year or two longer than me, but he wasn’t some super genius. He was simply a bully with a slight advantage in cultivation.

  If I couldn’t manage to defeat Zhou Ming, how was I going to fare against the true threats? The disciples who had been cultivating for years? The raiders from the Two Suns World? The Skybound that slaughtered an entire village using casual magic?

  I thought about the way in which the Skybound had looked at me, acknowledging something unique about my life force. The magical spell that ripped through my chest. The sensation of dying once again.

  I needed to be stronger. Much stronger.

  And I needed techniques that would allow me to survive long enough to figure out this whole soul-jumping thing.

  Maybe it was time to see what Wei Lin had in store.

  It felt long overdue anyways.

  As long as I didn’t make a promise to him that I couldn’t keep, then it probably wouldn’t hurt to take him up on his offer of a free technique.

  "Sure," I said, making my decision. "It can’t hurt to see what you have.”

  Wei Lin's grin grew even wider.

  "Great!" Wei Lin exclaimed. "Come on, let's go find a more private place. I don't want to broadcast my entire inventory to everyone. It hurts business when people realize how much quality merchandise I have available."

  He directed me to a more secluded part of the courtyard near the perimeter. There were fewer disciples in this area; only a handful meditating in smaller gardens. Wei Lin found a location under a large tree that provided privacy and wouldn't appear suspicious.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He pulled out a storage pouch that looked slightly larger than the standard issue ones we'd received as outer disciples. More expensive, probably. Capable of holding more items without the weight.

  "Okay," Wei Lin said, settling down onto the grass and gesturing for me to sit across from him. "Let me show you what I've got."

  He started removing jade slips one at a time, placing them on the ground in between us in organized rows. Each slip was labeled with beautiful calligraphy. Some were professionally completed, probably by Wei Lin's father or a paid scribe. Other slips were clearly written by Wei Lin himself, clean but lacking refinement.

  "I'll begin with the basics," Wei Lin stated, taking the first slip. "Cloud Step Technique. Footwork and movement. This is what I refer to as the budget edition."

  "Budget edition?"

  "It’s the basic version of the Cloud Step Art," Wei Lin clarified. "The real Cloud Step Art needs at least a minimum of Elemental Realm cultivation to use. This version gets rid of all the advanced components and focuses on the basic concepts. You can learn it in Qi Condensation, but it will not let you fly or anything impressive.”

  "What does it do?"

  "It improves your footwork speed and allows you to change directions more smoothly in combat. If you master it, you’ll be able to move maybe 10% faster. 20% if you’re naturally talented." Wei Lin shrugged. "To be honest, it's for poor disciples who can’t afford anything better. It costs 3 Spirit Stones, which is why it sells."

  I nodded. While moving 10-20% faster was certainly not insignificant, it wasn’t going to solve my problem either.

  Wei Lin pulled out more slips for me to review.

  "The Graceful Immortal Line. This is a family of techniques emphasizing graceful movement and fluid combat forms."

  He then laid out 5 different slips, each labeled with a different technique name. Flowing Blossom Strike. Silk Thread Guard. Moonlight Deflection. Wind Dancer's Evasion. Crane's Ascending Palm.

  "These are all about looking good while fighting," Wei Lin explained. "A lot of spinning movements, dramatic poses, and fancy footwork. They can be very effective if mastered, but they need a certain mindset. You need to appreciate aesthetics.”

  I examined the slips. The names themselves told me all I needed to know. These were techniques for people who had the luxury of valuing style over substance. So yeah, definitely not me.

  "How much?" I asked regardless.

  "Each of these costs 15 Spirit Stones. The complete set of all 5 plus the instructional manual explaining how to combine the techniques into flowing sequences will be, hmm, let’s say 60 Spirit Stones for you.

  That was outrageous. Sixty Spirit Stones equated to roughly six months of my stipend.

  Wei Lin must have noticed the expression on my face because he quickly put them away and pulled out some new slips.

  "Thunder Warrior Series. These are the opposite of the Graceful Immortal Line. Purely aggressive, pure brute force, no finesse."

  The names on the slips were Hammer Fist Barrage. Lightning Rush Assault. Mountain Breaking Stomp. Thunder God's Roar.

  "The Thunder Warrior techniques were developed for disciples who want to crush their opponents with sheer power," Wei Lin explained. "High energy consumption, high damage output, minimal finesse needed. If you enjoy charging directly at problems and smashing them, these are decent options."

  "How much?"

  "20 Spirit Stones per technique. 30 Spirit Stones for the advanced versions that require Stage 5 or greater cultivation."

  I winced.

  They were even more expensive than the Graceful Immortal Line.

  And none of these techniques aligned with my combat style.

  Back on earth, I had done a little MMA, which meant I understood the value of technique over pure strength. Running at cultivators who could move faster than regular humans wouldn’t end well for me.

  "I also have defensive techniques," Wei Lin said, retrieving a final collection of slips. "Untouchable-type techniques. Iron Skin Conditioning. Qi Barrier Formation. Shadow Slip Evasion. Stuff like that."

  The defensive techniques ranged in price from 10 to 30 Spirit Stones based on complexity.

  Some techniques were passive (such as Iron Skin Conditioning), providing slow and gradual improvement to your physical resilience over months of training. Other techniques were active, requiring the practitioner to flow spiritual energy in specific patterns to generate shields or evade incoming attacks.

  The one thing that all these techniques had in common was that they were seriously expensive.

  "High-energy impact attack patterns,” Wei Lin continued, clearly getting into his merchant rhythm now. He pulled out jade slips with names like Soul Severing Slash, Annihilation Fist, and Meteor Fall Strike. “These are for disciples who want to end battles with one or two blows. Extremely energy-intensive, extremely theatrical, extremely expensive. 40 Spirit Stones minimum."

  I tried to suppress my reaction to the ridiculousness of these prices. 40 Spirit Stones was 4 months of stipend for a single technique. Who could possibly afford that as an Outer Sect Disciple without working like a dog?

  Clearly, wealthy Clan Disciples.

  After all, that was who Wei Lin was catering his premium inventory towards.

  The good news was that I could pick one for free, but I had to admit that I felt overwhelmed by the number of options available to me. Wei Lin had an enormous selection of merchandise. It was obvious that his father had provided him with a substantial investment in order to give him a competitive edge. Each of the techniques Wei Lin offered represented knowledge of cultivation that most outer disciples would never be able to acquire unless they earned contribution points or completed difficult sect missions.

  Still, even if these techniques were expensive, it didn’t mean they were right for me.

  "Is there anything useful?" I asked. "Anything that's designed for disciples who just need to survive in combat without looking impressive?"

  Wei Lin's expression changed slightly. The merchant enthusiasm diminished, and something more genuine took its place. He rummaged through his storage bag and produced one more slip, this one bearing a simple title written in plain calligraphy.

  "Phantom Strike," he said, laying it on the ground. "I think this is the technique you're looking for."

  I picked up the slip and examined it.

  The jade looked quite basic and didn’t include any elaborate designs or expensive materials.

  It was a simple slip with a straightforward name for a technique.

  "What does it do?" I asked.

  "Phantom Strike is a burst attack technique," Wei Lin explained. "You convert your physical energy into a single explosive movement like a palm strike. The key to the technique is that it multiplies your force by concentrating all of your energy into a single moment."

  That caught my immediate attention. A burst attack meant that I could potentially finish a fight in a single blow if I used it effectively. Similar to my elbow strike against Zhou Ming except without enough power to end the battle.

  "How much does it multiply the force by?" I asked.

  "Depends on your cultivation level and how well you've mastered it," Wei Lin said. "In the beginning it’s probably double your attack power but in the later stages it can triple or even quadruple it. The technique also has almost no spiritual energy requirement. You're basically converting your physical motion into concentrated impact, with just a tiny bit of qi to enhance the effect."

  I studied the slip more intently.

  This was exactly the type of technique I needed.

  Not flashy, not expensive to use, but purely practical combat effectiveness.

  "The best part," Wei Lin continued, "is that using Phantom Strike actually improves your physical body. Every time you use the technique, you're strengthening your muscles and tendons to handle sudden explosive movements.”

  That settled it. This is not only a combat technique. It was a training method disguised as an attack. The type of thing that would result in compound benefits over time and years.

  "Why isn't this more popular?" I asked. There had to be a catch.

  "No prestige," Wei Lin replied matter-of-factly. "Phantom Strike has zero visual appeal. When you use the technique, your opponent won’t see a spectacular light show or an impressive manifestation of energy. They just see you hit them, and then they will fall to the ground trying to figure out what happened. Wealthy disciples don’t want that. They prefer to use powerful techniques that look impressive.”

  “But it works?”

  "It definitely works," Wei Lin confirmed. "I've seen the guards back home use it, and it has knocked people out cold."

  "How much?" I questioned, already aware I cannot afford it.

  "Ten spirit stones," Wei Lin said. "But like I said earlier, you get one technique for free. And I think you should pick this one.”

  As much as I didn’t trust free things, I needed to survive.

  And survival meant putting aside pride and accepting help when it was offered to me, even if it came with strings attached.

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "It’s worth ten spirit stones. That’s a full month's stipend."

  "What else are friends for?” Wei Lin waved his hand dismissively. “You've been good to me and Lin Mei since we arrived here. And to be honest, I think you're going to do well here at the sect. Maybe not as flashy as the clan recruits, but you have that 'survivor mentality.'”

  Wei Lin stood and patted me on the back, his appearance serious. "Don't forget me when you make it big, okay? When you’re some influential inner-disciple or core-disciple, remember that little Wei Lin helped you get your first serious combat technique."

  "Thanks," I said, pocketing the slip containing the Phantom Strike technique carefully. "I really mean it. This helps more than you know.”

  "That’s what I like to hear," Wei Lin said, his merchant smile returned. "Now go study the technique and quit getting beaten up by bullies like Zhou Ming. It's bad to my reputation to be friends with someone who keeps loses sparring matches."

  I laughed despite myself. "I'll do my best."