I’ll Take That Opportunity Chapter 20 - Black Gold

The disciple beside Ye Lin, who had been watching the match with great interest, was startled by his words.

“Black Gold? That’s premium stuff. It’s a rare material used to forge earth-tier spirit weapons. If you add it to a basic-tier weapon, there’s a 90% chance it’ll upgrade to mystic-tier.”

“But it's insanely valuable and nearly impossible to find. Why do you ask? Don’t tell me… you actually have some?”

Ye Lin noticed the suspicious gleam in the disciple's eyes and waved dismissively.

“Tch. Boring.”

With that, he turned back to the match, a grin playing on his lips.

In truth, the Black Gold was a priceless treasure. If he managed to add it to his sword, it could very well push the weapon to low-grade mystic-tier.

Meanwhile, the duel on stage had reached its climax. Any sharp-eyed expert would have noticed that Niu Bo was gradually being pushed back.

“Senior Disciple Brother, step down.” Zhang Xiao sneered, striking Niu Bo with a powerful punch that sent him flying, “The inner disciple spot belongs to me now.”

“You're jumping the gun. The outcome isn’t decided yet!” Niu Bo growled, fury blazing in his eyes.

Being challenged by an outer disciple was humiliating enough—it hadn’t happened in a decade. Now he was being looked down on too?

Fueled by rage, Niu Bo’s attacks turned fiercer, sharper, and far more ruthless.

“Let’s take a look at this inner disciple’s panel.”

[Name: Niu Bo]

[Cultivation base: 8th layer Qi Refinement]

[Fate grade: white (promising)]

[Fate trait: sword dao prodigy, minor luck]

[Fate prediction: after being defeated by Zhang Xiao, unable to recover from the setback, your dao heart [1] will shatter. Lost in despair, you'll drift aimlessly in the outer sect. In three months, you’ll leave the mountain, only to be drained of lifeblood by a deviant cultivator—leading to your death.]

[Upcoming opportunity: in three days, you will travel to Dragonfall Canyon to clear your mind and accidentally discover the corpse of a Foundation Establishment demonic beast with a demon core. However, due to your shattered dao heart, you will toss the demon core away.]

[Sword dao prodigy: you possess a unique affinity for the sword dao, allowing rapid progress along the path of the sword dao.]

[Minor luck: good fortune will occasionally save you in desperate situations.]

Ye Lin nearly choked as he read Niu Bo’s opportunity. This was the first time he had seen someone stumble upon an opportunity—only to throw it away.

“Get off the stage!”

A furious roar echoed from the platform. Niu Bo, pushed to his limits, erupted with sword qi. A gleaming ray of sword qi burst forth, surging straight at Zhang Xiao with terrifying force.

Even from the sidelines, Ye Lin could feel the intensity of the sword qi.

“Hmph! Trash like you, trying to become an inner disciple? That would disgrace the inner sect!”

“Overlord Fist!”

With a furious roar, a massive fist projection burst forth behind Zhang Xiao.

The two forces collided with a thunderous boom—Zhang Xiao’s fist projection shattered Niu Bo’s sword qi in an instant.

Niu Bo was launched off the stage like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground. Whether he was alive or dead remained unknown.

The outer disciples watching erupted into an uproar.

The chapter of a generation of inner disciples had come to an end.

“Senior Brother Zhang is unequalled!”

“Senior Brother Zhang is mighty!”

“Senior Brother Zhang is domineering!”

Roars of admiration filled the air as Zhang Xiao stood tall, basking in the moment. He glanced down at the crowd, then waved a hand.

“Alright. I’m now an inner disciple. Thanks for the support. You can all leave now.”

Seeing the duel’s outcome was sealed, Ye Lin quietly turned and made his way down the mountain. He needed to hurry—Tianfeng City awaited, and with it, Zhang Xiao’s upcoming opportunity.

Not long after Ye Lin vanished from view, a white-robed figure appeared beside Zhang Xiao.

“That guy, Ye Lin—he was watching the fight? He stayed until the end?” Zhang Xiao asked, frowning.

The white-robed disciple nodded, “Yes, Senior Disciple Brother. From start to finish, he stood there calmly. Didn’t flinch once. It was like he wasn’t afraid at all.”

An enigmatic smile tugged at Zhang Xiao’s lips, “Interesting…”

He fell into deep thought.

Ye Lin was Zhang Liang’s killer. There was no way he didn’t know Zhang Xiao was his elder brother. And yet, instead of panicking or fleeing like anyone else at the 4th layer Qi Refinement stage would, he stayed—calmly watching the entire match.

That kind of composure meant only one thing.

“He must have something up his sleeve… backing, or some hidden card. Whatever it is, I’ll find out. And once I do, it won’t be a threat anymore.” Zhang Xiao muttered to himself.

Then turned to the disciple beside him, “Tonight, test him. If he’s just putting on a front, leave him alone—I’ll deal with him myself. But if he really has some kind of trump card, report back immediately.”

The disciple—Wu Feng—nodded silently.

But after Zhang Xiao left, a sneer crept across Wu Feng’s face.

“Yeah right. If that guy stayed calm even in front of Zhang Xiao, he’s got to have something nasty in reserve. And you want me to be the canary in the mine? Screw that.”

Muttering curses under his breath, Wu Feng left the stage. He’d still "probe" Ye Lin that night—but only perfunctorily.

On the other side, Ye Lin was already speeding toward Riyue City. Unlike Tianfeng City, Riyue was a major urban hub—vast enough to house over a million residents. Its sheer scale was difficult to imagine.

The journey was quite long. After six hours of traveling at full speed, Ye Lin finally arrived at Riyue City.

To his surprise, the guards at the gate didn't even stop him. While Tianfeng City might fear bandits and vagrants, Riyue City had no such concerns.

As he stepped into the city, Ye Lin immediately noticed it was far more bustling than Tianfeng City. The streets were far cleaner, teemed with people, the cries of merchants echoing through the air.

Ye Lin stopped a passerby and cupped his hands respectfully, “Friend, would you happen to know where the largest blacksmith shop in the city is?”

The man gave him a quick once-over, “You must be new around here. Everyone in Riyue City knows the Twin Fiends Blacksmith Shop. Just head straight down this road—five hundred meters or so. You can’t miss it.”

Ye Lin thanked the man and followed his directions. Before long, he came upon a large, impressive pavilion. Bold characters were etched into the plaque hanging above the gate: Twin Fiends Blacksmith Shop.

He stepped inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the temperature dropped noticeably. Neatly displayed weapons lined the walls—swords, sabers, halberds—all exuding a cold gleam.

“Young Master, are you here to buy or commission?” A booming voice called out as a middle-aged man with bulging muscles approached.

“I’m just browsing for now.” Ye Lin replied, eyes sweeping across the weapons, “Your shop’s name is intriguing.”

The man chuckled, “My wife and I came up with it together. She’s a blacksmith too—that’s how we met. Sparks flew, quite literally.”

“A woman blacksmith, huh?” Ye Lin raised an eyebrow, “That’s not something you see every day.”

“Well, there’s no helping it.” The shopkeeper said with a sigh, “In times like these, this is one of the few trades left that still puts food on the table.”

Ye Lin nodded silently. In a world where human life was worth less than a blade of grass, it made sense. Most people preferred to carry weapons on outings.

He took out the Black Gold from beneath the table and turned to the middle-aged man, “Shopkeeper, how much for this?”

“That thing? Just a useless lump of rock I used to support the table. It's worthless. If you want it, take it—no charge.”

Ye Lin shook his head, “I can’t just take it for free. How about three silver taels? Call it a proper purchase.”

He pulled the silver from his pocket and held it out.

Ever since that incident in last time, Ye Lin had developed the habit of carrying some money when going on outings.

“Customer, I really can’t accept—it's just a useless rock.”

Seeing the shopkeeper decline, Ye Lin simply smiled and shook his head. The man before him was just a mortal—he had no idea how valuable Black Gold truly was. But Ye Lin knew: the more precious the item, the heavier the karma it carried.

By paying, Ye Lin wasn’t just being fair—he was also settling the karma.

“Take it, Shopkeeper. Trust me on this one.”

He placed the silver on the table and then turned and walked away.

The shopkeeper stared after him, then sighed and put the silver away.

“Well, would you look at that...”

[1] - dao heart