Chapter 134: Tier 1 Shapeshifting Spell

Chapter 134: First-Rank Illusionary Shaping

"Magic-powered armor?" Li Wei wore a puzzled expression.

He had never heard of it before.

The master smith paused his work, setting aside the hammered metal.

"It's a special magical apparatus," he said. "Self-powered. Even an ordinary person can unleash strength rivaling that of a professional when wearing it."

"Ideal for frail mages—greatly enhances their mobility."

Li Wei understood. Wasn't this just like an exoskeleton?

Sounded impressive enough.

"How much does it cost?" Li Wei asked.

Master Smith Troska replied, "Depends on which rank you want to forge."

"Do you still have the monster core? If so, the price drops significantly."

Li Wei nodded. "I do."

Troska said, "A first-rank magic-powered armor—three hundred gold coins for forging, one hundred for enchantment."

Li Wei's eyes widened. "That expensive?"

"This is third-rank beast carapace. Processing it is difficult. Though forged into first-rank armor, its defense equals that of third-rank magical plate. Only the propulsion matches the strength and speed of a first-rank professional." Troska explained.

"If you used first-rank beast materials, the cost would be far lower."

"Too expensive."

Li Wei shook his head and tucked away the ant king’s shell.

Troska added, "If you don’t wish to forge it, you could sell the materials to me."

At this, Li Wei’s eyes lit up. "How much will you offer?"

"One hundred gold coins."

"Too little!"

"If you’re willing to sell the core as well, I can pay more."

Li Wei pulled out the core for him to examine.

After inspecting it, Troska pondered briefly. "Shell and core together—I’ll give three hundred eighty gold coins."

Seeing his chance, Li Wei countered, "Five hundred."

"Then forget it." Troska turned away.

Li Wei sighed. "Fine, three hundred eighty then."

He saw clearly now—Troska wanted it, but didn’t need it desperately.

As a master smith, Troska wasn’t short of fine materials.

Better to settle while the deal was good.

Anyway, it already exceeded his expectations.

Li Wei handed over the materials, collected his payment, and left.

"Magical potions—cheap sale! Cultivation potions, recovery potions, advancement potions… all at bargain prices!"

"Don’t miss out, passersby!"

Li Wei turned toward the voice. A stall brimmed with vials of glowing elixirs.

He suddenly recalled—the effects of the mid-grade cultivation potion he’d taken were nearly spent.

He walked over.

"How much for a mid-grade cultivation potion?"

"Eighteen gold per bottle. Today’s nine-tenths discount—cheaper than the Mage Association’s price."

"So cheap? Are you sure there’s no quality issue?" Li Wei asked skeptically.

"Absolutely not! I’m a certified alchemist registered with the Professional Guild. If there’s any problem, come straight to me for compensation!"

The vendor raised his alchemist’s badge pinned to his chest.

Li Wei nodded. "Alright then. One bottle first. If it works well, I’ll buy more."

The vendor thumped his chest. "No problem. Guaranteed effective. I’ll be here throughout the conference—you can find me anytime."

Li Wei paid and took the bottle.

Wandering through the trading hall, he found many fine items.

Suddenly, something caught his eye.

"How much is this?" Li Wei pointed at a scroll on the stall.

"Three hundred gold coins."

"That expensive?" Li Wei exclaimed.

"This is a directional teleportation scroll—can save your life in dire moments. Three hundred is already a bargain."

"How far does it teleport?"

"One hundred meters."

Li Wei: "..."

Only one hundred meters? What use was that?

The vendor explained, "Directional scrolls are far more costly than random ones. If you think it’s too pricey, I also have a hundred-meter random teleportation scroll—for only one hundred eighty gold coins."

Li Wei shook his head. "No thanks."

After circling the market, he realized everything worthwhile was outrageously priced.

Hoping to find a bargain, he discovered everyone else was sharper than he.

No loopholes to exploit—bad luck might even get him swindled.

Seeing this, Li Wei decided not to linger.

He left the Hall of Magic and returned to the inn to cultivate.

The conference would last another half-month anyway—no need to rush.

On his way back, he stopped by a general store in Feihua City to offload some trivial items.

They fetched twelve gold and twenty-five silver coins.

A few inconvenient things remained.

He planned to dispose of them discreetly later—better not invite trouble.

Now he had 468 gold coins in total, along with various silver and copper.

That evening, Gu Ze returned to the inn.

Seeing the light on in Li Wei’s room, he realized Li Wei had come back earlier.

“When did you get back?” Gu Ze asked.

Li Wei said, “A little after three in the afternoon. The outing wasn’t much fun, so I came back early.”

Gu Ze smiled. “There’s an auction tomorrow morning. All the good things are at the auction.”

At this, Li Wei’s eyes flickered with interest.

“We’ll go together tomorrow morning.”

“Alright.”

The next morning, Li Wei emerged from his dream.

[Phantom Form Technique (Zero Tier)] 9423/10000

“Almost there. Should break into the first tier today.”

A knock came at the door. Li Wei and Gu Ze left together for the Hall of Magic.

“Didn’t Mage Rota come back last night?” Li Wei asked.

“No,” Gu Ze replied.

Entering the Hall of Magic, they found the main hall transformed—

now a vast auction hall.

They spotted Rota’s figure and took their seats beside him.

Seeing the dark circles beneath Rota’s eyes, Li Wei exclaimed in surprise, “Did Mage Rota not sleep at all last night?”

His complexion was pale, his face drawn and weary. Something must have happened.

Rota murmured, “Had some business last night. Didn’t rest. I’ll close my eyes for a moment—keep an eye out for me.”

With that, he leaned back in his seat and drifted into light slumber.

Li Wei exchanged a glance with Gu Ze—a silent conversation passing between them.

Li Wei: *Should we ask what happened?*

Gu Ze: *No need. If he needs help, Rota will tell us.*

Li Wei nodded, understanding.

The auction began.

First up: a rare, high-quality magic crystal—excellent material for crafting magical arrays.

Sold for six hundred gold coins.

Li Wei touched the spatial ring in his pocket and sighed inwardly. He felt like a pauper.

Not a single item afterward went for less than a hundred gold coins.

The final highlight: a damaged fifth-tier ancient magic automaton.

Once repaired, it could match the strength of a fifth-rank practitioner.

Due to its broken state, it fetched only twelve thousand gold coins—a bargain for such power.

Li Wei could do nothing but gaze wistfully.

“So much wealth!”

Though he bought nothing, he had feasted his eyes enough.

In the afternoon, back at the inn, Li Wei shut himself in to cultivate.

That night, within the dream world:

[Phantom Form Technique (First Tier)] 0/10000

Li Wei exhaled deeply.

“Finally leveled up.”

He cast the first-tier Phantom Form Technique and observed its effect.

A look of delight spread across his face.

“This changes everything!”

(End of Chapter)