TDG : rise of shadow army

Demon spirit coins are the currency used in Glory City. Typically, two to three thousand demon spirit coins would be enough for a commoner family's annual expenses. The value of goods in Glory City is measured in demon spirit coins, including items like combat armor, demon crystals, demon beast pelts, elixirs, and various other goods.

The annual tuition at the Holy Orchid Institute is approximately three thousand demon spirit coins, which is a huge expense for a commoner family. However, many commoner families choose to live modestly to send their children to the Holy Orchid Institute. This is because once they become a Fighter or Demon Spiritualist, even if only Bronze-ranked, they can change the fate of their family.

A Bronze-ranked Fighter who joins the army as a soldier would earn an annual salary of about five to six thousand demon spirit coins. Additionally, they could venture into the St. Ancestral Mountains and gain further benefits.

Nie Li belongs to the Heavenly Mark family, a relatively declining aristocratic family. The patriarch is a 1-star Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualist. The family's annual income is around six hundred thousand demon spirit coins. However, their annual expenses are enormous. The tuition fees alone for the children amount to about three hundred thousand demon spirit coins annually. Combined with various other expenses, the family often struggles to make ends meet.

With no choice but to sell part of their family business to sustain themselves, the Heavenly Mark family managed to enroll all their younger generation in the Holy Orchid Institute.

In this life, Chan Wei is the son of servants of the Huyan family but does not hold the status of a servant himself. If he achieves significant accomplishments, his family's status could improve—either within the Huyan family if he fails to reach Gold rank, or by establishing his own aristocratic family if he reaches Gold rank or higher.

However, since his family consists of only five members, he doesn't necessarily need to become noble. He simply needs to find a benefactor to employ him or stay with the Huyan family as a protector. Chan Wei's paternal grandparents contributed enough to live under the Huyan family's care. His parents died serving the Huyan family, leaving behind a younger brother and sister who are also being raised within the aristocratic family.

"Chan Wei, are you free to move around? What do you plan to do?" Du Ze asked.

"Of course. As long as I'm at the institute, I'm under no obligation to return. I still need to find a cultivation method that suits me. I think I'll do some physical training since that hasn't been tested either," Chan Wei replied.

"Don't worry about a cultivation method. As long as you stick with us, I can provide you with one. It's a shame there are only the four of us now. The others who stood up didn't stay with us when we left the class," Nie Li said.

"Leaving a class isn't the same as being punished by standing. They still have to consider their families' expectations. As for me, you've proven reliable. For them, you haven't yet proven otherwise," Chan Wei pointed out to Nie Li.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell rang in Glory City, signaling the end of class. The four friends exited the library casually and happened to pass by the class they had left earlier. Students of the Holy Orchid Institute poured out of the large doors and crossed the bustling street outside. Merchants called out one after another.

"Latest Bronze-ranked combat armors! With snow wind motifs engraved on them! Ladies and gentlemen, interested?" A merchant in a gray tunic greeted the crowd enthusiastically. His pitch quickly caught the attention of many students. Bronze-ranked armor isn't something an ordinary student can afford. However, within the Holy Orchid Institute, there are still many noble children. Some are extremely wealthy, and merchants take advantage of the opportunity to sell to these rich students when they get the chance.

"Look! Bronze-ranked armor with snow wind motifs engraved on it!"

The students were excited and chatted among themselves. A pair of gauntlets emitted a deep blue glow. The surface was covered with mysterious carvings, exuding a faint icy chill.

"How much does it cost?" a student asked quietly.

"Sixty thousand demon spirit coins!" the merchant replied with a smile.

"Good heavens, so expensive!" exclaimed Lu Piao. A regular family couldn't accumulate sixty thousand demon spirit coins in ten years.

"This is a Bronze-ranked armor with snow wind motifs engraved on it. The design was drawn using the blood of a Snow Wind Banshee, which was at its peak before being killed. Snow Wind Banshees are not easy to hunt. Their properties also grant the gauntlets strong attack capabilities. It's definitely suitable armor for Snow Wind-type Fighters or Demon Spiritualists!" the merchant boasted, introducing the armor.

Many students looked longingly at the gauntlets but walked away. Such an expensive item wasn't something they could afford.

"If a Bronze-ranked armor alone costs sixty thousand demon spirit coins, wouldn't Silver- and Gold-ranked armor be even more expensive?" muttered Lu Piao. His monthly allowance was only about five hundred demon spirit coins. Lu Piao's family had many businesses, so he was relatively well-off. In his previous life, Lu Piao often helped Nie Li and Du Ze.

However, even with his wealth, Bronze-ranked armor was beyond his reach.

As Nie Li, Lu Piao, Du Ze, and Chan Wei walked along the bustling street, they observed the various goods for sale. This street was filled with all sorts of items—expensive and affordable alike.

"By the way, Nie Li, do you know about a condition called Arctic Illness? And if so, is there a treatment for it?" Chan Wei suddenly asked.

"Of course. This condition often affects women who train at night because their bodies accumulate excess Yin energy. To treat it, they need to drink a medicine made from a combination of Golden Striped Grass and Imperial Celestial Grass, consumed daily for about a month if there are visible bruises. There's also a technique known as Dao Yin that can be used to massage the bruises. Why are you asking?" Nie Li inquired.

"I don't know why, but I can sense and feel energies related to Yin. Someone I know is struggling with this, so I'd like you to teach me the technique if you're willing," replied Chan Wei.

"No problem. If you're familiar with meridians and pressure points, it should take less than half an hour to teach you," Nie Li said as they walked past the merchant selling the Bronze armor.

"Nie Li, what are you planning?" Lu Piao asked, confused, as Nie Li glanced around.

As they talked, a figure approached the merchant.

"Look, it's Shen Yue!" Lu Piao said, pointing with his mouth. "And Ye Ziyun too!"

Nie Li turned in that direction. He saw Ye Ziyun and a few girls chatting joyfully. Her beautiful face and sweet smile were radiant. Among the group, Ye Ziyun's smile was the most dazzling, drawing everyone's attention. Her presence seemed to make everything around her livelier. Shen Yue occasionally glanced at her as well.

"Alright, I'm short on Bronze-ranked gauntlets. Wrap these Bronze gauntlets up for me," Shen Yue said indifferently to the merchant.

"Yes, Young Master!"

The merchant immediately smiled upon hearing Shen Yue's words and quickly packed the gauntlets. "That'll be sixty thousand demon spirit coins."

Shen Yue pulled out six demon crystal cards, each worth ten thousand demon spirit coins, and paid without a second thought. With an air of indifference, he placed the gauntlets into his interspatial ring.

"It seems my existence hasn't caused any significant changes yet, aside from reducing the number of people following Nie Li from five to three," Chan Wei thought.

Several girls nearby let out faint gasps. To easily spend sixty thousand demon spirit coins—how rich! A few of the prettier girls' eyes sparkled as they cast flirtatious glances at Shen Yue. However, he ignored them completely, looking proudly at Nie Li's group of three before turning his gaze to Ye Ziyun. His eyes clearly said, "I only have eyes for you."

"How despicable!" Lu Piao muttered. "That's a blatant display of wealth!"

"A tyrant! Throwing away sixty thousand demon spirit coins like it's nothing and even having an interspatial ring," Du Ze added, shaking his head. He turned to Nie Li and asked, "Nie Li, people like him are rich and good-looking. How can you compete with him?"

"Why worry about that?" Chan Wei quietly pointed out. "Spoiled brats like him don't mature well. Focus on yourselves and make him feel ashamed later."

"Hehe. I like your outlook, brother. And Ziyun doesn't care about that kind of money," Nie Li said casually, glancing at Ye Ziyun. She completely ignored Shen Yue's actions and continued chatting with the girls beside her. Her eyes occasionally drifted toward Xiao Ning'er, who stood distractedly to the side.

Xiao Ning'er's expression was cold. She was generally a lone wolf and didn't interact much with other students. However, she occasionally glanced at Chan Wei and Nie Li.

Nie Li knew that what Ye Ziyun wanted most right now was friendship. In his previous life, Ye Ziyun had always wanted to be friends with Xiao Ning'er, but their statuses kept them apart.

Seeing Ye Ziyun's expression, Shen Yue felt somewhat disappointed.

"Alright, Ye Ziyun doesn't care about money. Nie Li, you're sure she's not into women, right? If she is, your chances are over," Lu Piao teased, blinking.

Nie Li laughed, not taking Lu Piao's words to heart. In his past life, he was the only man Ye Ziyun had ever loved.

"Let's go. Time to start my plan!" Nie Li said.

Du Ze and Lu Piao's expressions turned serious as they nodded, while Chan Wei cast one last glance at Xiao Ning'er before following them.

"Lu Piao, Chan Wei, go buy two crossbows, five hundred crossbow bolts, and a black iron dagger. A crossbow costs one hundred sixty demon spirit coins, bolts are thirty coins each, and the dagger should be around two hundred coins. Don't let the merchants overcharge you!" Nie Li instructed.

"We'll meet at the school's training grounds. Chan Wei, can you lend me two hundred demon spirit coins?"

"No problem," Chan Wei said, handing over the money before joining Lu Piao for the purchases.

Nie Li's monthly allowance was only fifty demon spirit coins, so he couldn't afford expensive items.

"Du Ze, we're going to buy some Black Pool Grass," Nie Li said.

Black Pool Grass has a mild paralyzing effect. Du Ze's financial situation was even worse than Nie Li's, so Nie Li wouldn't let him spend his money. Thankfully, Black Pool Grass was very cheap—one demon spirit coin could buy a whole bundle.

Nie Li also purchased low-grade fusion agents and went to a small hill near Glory City to collect Zoysia grass.

"What are you planning to do?" Du Ze asked curiously.

Nie Li smiled mysteriously.

"Black Pool Grass has a mild paralytic effect, but its efficacy is very low. It's typically used to coat wounds to alleviate some pain. As for Zoysia Grass, it's a very common weed that no one has found any use for yet. However, when combined with a fusion agent and Black Pool Grass, it can significantly enhance the paralytic effect of the Black Pool Grass."

Du Ze was stunned for a moment, then asked, "How strong is the paralytic effect?"

Nie Li laughed and replied, "It doesn't have much effect on ordinary demon beasts. Its effect is weaker than a low-grade paralyzing agent. But did you know that horned sheep never eat Zoysia Grass?"

"Horned sheep?" Du Ze repeated, falling silent for a moment.

As if vaguely realizing something, his eyes lit up. "Nie Li, are you an alchemist?"

"An alchemist?" Nie Li thought for a moment and then laughed. "I suppose so. An alchemist refers to someone who uses herbs to refine elixirs or prescribes formulas. I'm not exactly an alchemist. In my previous life, I only had a basic understanding of it. However, the alchemy standards in Glory City are far too low. They can't even be considered real alchemists."

Nie Li looked down on the so-called "alchemists" of Glory City.

During his past life's adventures across the continent, Nie Li had entered the Toxic Forest. The inhabitants of the forest had survived countless attacks from venomous demon beasts. They could be considered true alchemists!

Nie Li began mixing herbs and fusion agents, producing a total of six bottles of the concoction.

Meanwhile, Chan Wei and Lu Piao managed to purchase the requested items and even acquired a low-grade set of throwing knives. Thanks to Chan Wei detecting a scam and using his Yin aura for intimidation, they saved fifty demon spirit coins.

Training Grounds of the Holy Orchid Institute

The training grounds were established by Lord Ye Mo, a Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist, and the school's headmaster, who was a Black Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualist.

The training grounds were surrounded by imposing walls. Every year, experts from Glory City captured low-level demon beasts and placed them in the training grounds. Any student of the Holy Orchid Institute below Silver rank could enter the grounds. Students were allowed to hunt the demon beasts inside and collect their pelts, demon crystals, and other materials, which they could keep or sell as they wished.

Some of the poorer students used this opportunity to help improve their families' financial situations.

Nie Li's group of four had not yet reached 1-star Bronze rank, so they headed to the safest area of the training grounds. This region only had horned sheep. While horned sheep were highly aggressive by nature, they were herbivores. Their attacks might cause serious injuries, but they were generally considered safe.

After getting their identities checked by the guards at the entrance, Nie Li's group entered the training grounds.

Learning Area of the Training Grounds

Among the sparse trees were patches of grassy fields where horned sheep roamed slowly.

Their eyes were red, and from time to time, their ears twitched as they listened intently. The moment an intruder entered their territory, they would attack mercilessly.

Suddenly, an unusual sound was heard. The closest horned sheep to Nie Li's group let out a low growl and charged toward the source of the disturbance.