“Junior Brother! Come with me for a moment. There are some words I need to speak with you privately!” The black-robed giant spoke expressionlessly to the Old Demon Yunlu as soon as the others had left, then turned and headed toward a side hall without looking back.
Old Demon Yunlu’s eyes flickered briefly. After hesitating for a moment, he silently followed, seemingly deeply intimidated by the black-robed giant.
“Fellow Daoists Han and Bai, now we can have a proper discussion. I understand if you two wish to inspect the items first before deciding whether to participate in the wager battle. After all, this journey is fraught with great danger, and without sufficient compensation, no one would willingly take such risks. However, regardless of whether the items satisfy you, I still hope both of you will join this wager battle.” Once the black-robed giant and Old Demon Yunlu had departed, Supreme Yang Sage did not lead Han Li and the woman elsewhere but instead addressed them solemnly in the main hall.
Meanwhile, Wei Wuyai stood to the side, arms crossed behind his back, observing them with an unreadable expression.
Before Han Li could respond to Supreme Yang Sage’s words, the elegant woman frowned slightly and replied coldly, “I am but a lone woman with no attachments. Whether the Mulan invade Tiannan or Tiannan invades Mulan matters little to me. The only reason I left seclusion this time was because of your message claiming you possessed that item. Let me be clear—if what you have doesn’t satisfy me, I will turn around and leave immediately.” Her tone carried no deference toward Supreme Yang Sage.
“Fellow Daoist Bai, why must it be like this? Though I may have been at fault in the past, my intentions were ultimately for your benefit,” Supreme Yang Sage replied without anger, his voice gentle.
“Hmph! I will judge right and wrong for myself. Do not bring up the past again. Show me the item now,” the woman retorted, her expression darkening.
Han Li’s face remained impassive, but inwardly, he was intrigued. It seemed there was some unresolved history between this Bai woman and Supreme Yang Sage, though the exact nature of their past remained unclear.
Seeing the woman’s hostile demeanor, Supreme Yang Sage could only shake his head helplessly before reaching into his storage pouch and producing a plain white jade box.
At first glance, the box appeared ordinary, indistinguishable from common white jade. Yet the moment it appeared, the temperature in the hall plummeted, as if plunged into the depths of winter. Even Han Li, who was long unaffected by extreme temperatures, felt a sudden discomfort and couldn’t help but glance at the box a few more times.
The Bai woman, sensing the icy aura emanating from the box, showed a flicker of excitement.
Without further ado, Supreme Yang Sage handed the box to her. As she opened the lid, Han Li’s spiritual sense allowed him to perceive its contents clearly without even looking.
Inside were two translucent, crystalline cocoons, emitting faint wisps of white mist. Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly—these cocoons bore a striking resemblance to those of the Frost Silkworm, a rare insect ranked lower on the Exotic Insects List.
Though not particularly formidable in combat, Frost Silkworms possessed other extraordinary abilities and were exceedingly difficult to find. If this woman needed them for a specific purpose, her willingness to join the wager battle in exchange for them was understandable.
“Why cocoons? Not adult Frost Silkworms?” Contrary to Han Li’s expectations, the woman’s expression darkened upon seeing them.
“Fellow Daoist Bai, these Frost Silkworms were discovered beneath a hundred zhang of ice in the Frozen Cave. They are no ordinary Frost Silkworms but the finest of their kind—the Azure King Silkworms. Use your spiritual sense to examine them closely, and you will detect their uniqueness,” Supreme Yang Sage explained calmly.
“Azure King Silkworms?” The woman’s expression shifted, half-doubtful, half-hopeful. She probed deeper into the cocoons with her spiritual sense, and after a long pause, her expression softened.
“Well? Though these Azure King Silkworms are still in cocoon form, once hatched, even as larvae, they should suffice for your needs,” Supreme Yang Sage pressed, watching her closely.
“I’ll take them. I will participate in the wager battle,” the woman said after a brief hesitation, tucking the jade box away.
“Excellent! With Fellow Daoist Bai’s mastery of the Cloud Snow Art, dealing with mere spell warriors will surely be a swift victory,” Supreme Yang Sage said, visibly relieved. The Bai woman, however, remained impassive. With a curt “Farewell,” she turned and strode out of the hall, her demeanor icy.
Supreme Yang Sage sighed and shook his head, while Wei Wuyai smirked but said nothing.
“Fellow Daoist Han, how much Refined Gold Essence do you require? Do you have an exact quantity in mind?” Once the woman had left, Supreme Yang Sage turned his attention to Han Li, smiling as he spoke.
“A considerable amount—the more, the better. Of course, Refined Gold Essence is invaluable. As long as you two can provide it, I am willing to exchange items of equal worth. I won’t shortchange you,” Han Li replied straightforwardly.
“Haha! From your tone, Fellow Daoist Han, it seems you possess considerable wealth. But you must realize that at our level, few things can stir our interest. Otherwise, for the sake of this battle, the three of us wouldn’t have parted with so many treasures,” Supreme Yang Sage remarked, momentarily taken aback before chuckling.
Han Li smiled but said nothing. Wei Wuyai, however, sighed and interjected, “Fellow Daoist Supreme Yang, you underestimate him. Fellow Daoist Han, despite being only at the early Nascent Soul stage, managed to escape unscathed from a Mulan Divine Master. He is no ordinary cultivator.”
“My apologies for the presumption. Regardless of what Fellow Daoist Han intends to trade, let us first show you the Refined Gold Essence. If you truly possess something that piques our interest, we wouldn’t object to exchanging all of it,” Supreme Yang Sage said amiably. He then removed a storage pouch from his waist, turned it upside down, and a white glow spilled forth, revealing three pale golden stones of varying sizes. He caught them deftly and handed them to Han Li.
Han Li’s heart skipped a beat as he accepted them without ceremony, examining the long-coveted items in his hands.
One large and two small—all three were indeed Refined Gold Essence. The larger piece was about the size of a walnut, similar to the one he’d seen at the trade fair. The two smaller pieces were half that size. Combined, they would suffice for a dozen or so flying swords, but it still fell short of Han Li’s needs. Though his expression remained neutral, a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Noticing this, Supreme Yang Sage was surprised. Could even this amount of Refined Gold Essence be insufficient for Han Li? How peculiar. He exchanged a glance with Wei Wuyai.
Wei Wuyai, having observed Han Li’s reaction, calmly flicked his sleeve, producing a fist-sized chunk of Refined Gold Essence, which he held aloft.
At the sight of this large piece, Han Li’s spirits soared. Though even this addition wouldn’t be enough for seventy-two flying swords, it brought him tantalizingly close to having enough for thirty-six. With the Sword Shadow Splitting Technique, a small-scale Great Geng Sword Formation would then be within reach.
Suppressing his excitement, Han Li accepted the Refined Gold Essence from Wei Wuyai, took a deep breath to steady himself, and spoke again, “It seems this is all the Refined Gold Essence available. Though it’s still slightly insufficient, it’s enough for me to join the wager battle. Now, let me show you what I have to offer in exchange.”
Han Li stored the Refined Gold Essence and retrieved two differently colored jade boxes from his storage pouch, tossing one to each of them.
Supreme Yang Sage opened his box casually, while Wei Wuyai first weighed his before lifting the lid.
One box contained numerous crimson, fingernail-sized scales, while the other held a fist-sized, pitch-black turtle shell.
“What is this?”
“Monster beast materials!”
Both men were visibly surprised.
Han Li explained, “Indeed. Fellow Daoist Wei holds the scales of an eighth-grade Poison Flood Dragon, while Fellow Daoist Supreme Yang has the shell of an eighth-grade Turtle Demon. Though I wouldn’t call these items heaven-defying, materials from shape-shifting monsters of this level are exceedingly rare in Tiannan. They should more than suffice as trade for the Refined Gold Essence.”
His tone was calm and assured. Eighth-grade monster beasts were extraordinary even in the Chaotic Star Sea. Few cultivators who ventured into the Outer Star Sea ever encountered such creatures, let alone slew them for their materials.
In Tiannan, not only were eighth-grade monsters unheard of, even sixth or seventh-grade beasts were nearly extinct. Aside from a few sects that kept such creatures as guardians, there had been no sightings of high-grade monsters elsewhere for years.
“Eighth-grade Poison Flood Dragon scales!” While Supreme Yang Sage managed to maintain his composure despite his astonishment, Wei Wuyai couldn’t contain his excitement, his voice brimming with disbelief and joy.
Han Li was momentarily puzzled but then recalled that Wei Wuyai cultivated poison-based techniques. Given the Poison Flood Dragon’s extreme toxicity, perhaps its scales held some unique utility for him.
As Han Li pondered this, Wei Wuyai eagerly plucked a scale between two fingers, scrutinizing it with an expression torn between hope and apprehension.
“Haha! It seems Fellow Daoist Han’s offering has struck a chord with Brother Wei. As for this Turtle Demon shell, I am quite intrigued as well. If it truly is from an eighth-grade monster, it would be extraordinary—ideal for crafting armor or shield-type magic treasures, more than worthy of the Refined Gold Essence,” Supreme Yang Sage remarked, momentarily taken aback by Wei Wuyai’s reaction but quickly recovering. He lifted the black shell, examining it methodically.
Though he doubted Han Li would deceive them, the notion of an early Nascent Soul cultivator casually producing eighth-grade monster materials was hard to believe. He needed to verify its authenticity first.
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