Chapter 103: Phantom Steps

"There must be some suitable inner armor or soft armor, right?"
Although Luo Tian knew that the upper-grade inner armor Yu Yuan Armor had been destroyed by Fang Zheng last time, the problem was not with the armor itself—it was that a defensive item meant for cultivators in the mid-to-late Pulse Flow stage had fallen into the hands of a Condensed Qi stage cultivator, so naturally it could not display its full power. Even so, he still wanted to see if there were better options.

"Of course there are. Please wait a moment, Young Master Luo!"
Manager Li agreed readily, then called over a shop assistant. "Take Young Master Luo to VIP Room Three and treat him well!"

"Young Master Luo, I'll be back in a moment!"

"Alright."

Luo Tian nodded slowly, his calm and composed demeanor plain to see.

The assistant brought Luo Tian to VIP Room Three and respectfully served him a drink that gave off a faint fragrance of fresh grass and herbs. "This is Spirit Herb Fruit Tea. Please take your time, Young Master Luo! If you need anything, just call!"

Only after Luo Tian nodded did the assistant leave the room and wait outside the door.

Spirit Herb Fruit Tea?

Luo Tian knew this was made from Spirit Herb Fruits imbued with spiritual energy. The energy within it could slightly assist one's cultivation, making it quite fitting for entertaining honored guests. Even an ordinary person who drank it would gain some benefit to the body.

However, an ordinary person would probably never have the fortune in their lifetime to taste tea made from such specially cultivated Spirit Herb Fruits.

He took a gentle sniff of the aroma, then closed his eyes and gave a slight nod. Not bad, after all. After taking a sip and swallowing, a faint warmth spread from his mouth down to his abdomen—extremely comfortable. The fragrance lingered, and his mouth moistened with saliva.

That said, Qin Tianyu had not drunk this sort of thing many times. Although Luo Tian knew of this tea, he still had to taste it himself to be sure.

"Young Master Luo, sorry to keep you waiting!"
Before long, Manager Li walked in with a beaming smile, offered a polite apology, then sat down across from Luo Tian. "I just fetched several quite fine inner armors from the storeroom. Would you like to take a look, Young Master Luo?"

"Mm."

Luo Tian's expression remained indifferent as he gave a noncommittal nod.

The more this rather mysterious Young Master Luo put on airs, the more Manager Li believed that an ordinary person would never dare to put on such pretenses before Wanfeng Auction House—let alone wave the banner of Young Master Jiang Zhengfeng.

Manager Li harbored not the slightest doubt about what Luo Tian displayed.

"This one is the Thorned Inner Armor. It can rebound a portion of the enemy's attacking force."
He first took out a dark, dull-looking inner armor that appeared heavy and clumsy. Manager Li introduced it with a smile, then gestured for Luo Tian to examine it more closely.

After a brief glance, Luo Tian knew this kind of inner armor was not suitable for him. If he had cultivated a body-forging secret art like the Great Strength Bull Demon Body or the Fierce Tiger Art—techniques that emphasized power and the body's ability to withstand blows—it would have been better.

The difference between body-forging secret arts was not too enormous; the best type naturally allowed one to cultivate from the Condensed Qi stage all the way to the late Pulse Flow stage, and the Form-Intent Nine Beast Fist could satisfy that. But even among body-forging secret arts, there were differences in focus—some were very beneficial for increasing strength, while others emphasized agility and speed.

As for the Form-Intent Nine Beast Fist, in Luo Tian's view, it was a fairly balanced style. It had no outstanding advantages, but neither did it have any weaknesses that were especially easy to exploit.

However, as long as he used the Yuan Qi of the Yuan-Transforming True Gang Fire to temper his body, he could make every aspect even stronger.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Luo Tian shook his head slightly.

"There's also this one!"
Seeing this, Manager Li knew Luo Tian was not fully satisfied. He immediately withdrew the Thorned Inner Armor and brought out another. "The Water Ripple Inner Armor. When struck, it evenly disperses the force of the attack. However, its own material is not especially sturdy, so it is not well suited for head-on clashes."

Luo Tian's expression did not change; he only glanced sideways.

It seemed his standards were quite high!

Manager Li was not afraid of that. The pickier a customer was, the more sincere their intention to buy. Fortunately, he had come well-prepared; otherwise, he would probably be looked down upon by Young Master Luo.

After looking through several inner armors brought out by Manager Li one after another, Luo Tian had already come to an understanding. It was not that these inner armors were bad, but rather that they were not suitable for him.

The Form-Intent Nine Beast Fist brought an all-around enhancement to physical quality—strength, agility, speed, none neglected—so the advantage in close combat could be pushed to the extreme. Thus, it would hardly be appropriate to demand too many special traits from an inner armor. As long as its defensive power could keep up and prove useful at critical moments, that was enough.

Having realized this, Luo Tian let out a long breath and stood up. "Manager Li, forget the inner armor. Do you have any suitable movement-type Yuan arts?"

Relying on external objects was not as good as improving oneself.

Thinking about his own Yuan arts, he currently only had Flame Hand and Meteor Fist, which seemed rather monotonous. Although he had reached the Pulse Flow stage and could project Yuan force outward, enhancing his offense, it would be best of all to have something suitable in the way of movement and speed.

In close combat, the importance of footwork went without saying.

"Movement-type Yuan arts?"
Manager Li thought for a moment, then said, "Young Master Luo will likely reach the Pulse Flow stage very soon, so the best choice would be a footwork-type Yuan art that lays the foundation in the Condensed Qi stage and can display its power in the Pulse Flow stage."

Luo Tian nodded approvingly.

Having received Young Master Luo's look of approval and encouraging gesture, Manager Li's eyes narrowed with delight until they were almost invisible. "Then please wait a moment, Young Master Luo. I'll be right back!"

This time it was even faster. Before Luo Tian could take two more sips of tea, Manager Li returned, face brimming with excitement.

"Young Master Luo, I brought several fairly good ones. You can take your pick!"
Manager Li placed several copies of Yuan arts on the table, spreading them out in a row.

These so-called copies were only brief introductions to the originals; the true cultivation methods would not appear. Otherwise, if someone merely glanced at them and memorized everything, the auction house would suffer a huge loss.

Of course, if it were an Earth-grade manual, there would be no need for such concern.

Spirit Snake Riding Wind Demon Steps
Water Ripple Flowing Cloud Steps

Luo Tian swept his eyes over these footwork-type Yuan arts, but just by their names, none gave him a striking impression.

He calmly picked them up and flipped through them casually, somewhat lacking interest—until the last one, which stirred something in his heart.

Mysterious Trace Steps?

Luo Tian's lips moved slightly as he silently recited the name of this Yuan art.

"This Mysterious Trace Steps has rather high requirements for one's overall physical condition, especially the legs. Not only must they be flexible and agile, but the toughness of the flesh, blood, and meridians must also reach a certain standard. There is also the body's coordination—otherwise, not to mention intense combat, even daily cultivation could bring some injury."

Manager Li had been wondering why Young Master Luo had come specifically to the auction house to buy Yuan arts, but later he figured that having more choices was naturally a good thing, so he had let it go.

Still, he did not hold much hope for this Mysterious Trace Steps. Its traits were not especially distinctive, and the limitations seemed rather numerous.

Luo Tian carefully read the introduction to Mysterious Trace Steps and gave a slight nod. "Manager Li, this one it is!"