Xiao Yan and his companions moved smoothly down to the top floor. When they reached the last staircase, Xiao Yan paused momentarily and turned his head to look at Ye Zhong, whose brows were tightly furrowed. He couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Is Elder Ye Zhong worried about those guys?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhong also nodded with a wry smile, sighing, “The Xuanming Sect is not weak. I didn’t expect to run into them here. Judging by the guards around that white-robed man, he must hold a high position in the Xuanming Sect. Offending him today, with their notorious vengeful nature, I fear they won’t let us off easily.”
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, “It’s inevitable, but there’s no need to worry too much. If he has any tricks, I’ll handle it…” At his current strength, after fully unleashing his power, he could face anyone below the Dou Zun level without fear. If driven to extremity, even a Dou Zun would have to avoid the destructive fire lotus. Moreover, he now had two genuine Dou Zuns by his side. This formation and power were enough to confront some top-tier factions. Although the Xuanming Sect had a strong background, given Xiao Yan’s character, he naturally wouldn’t just hand over the copper plate to Chen Xian. With neither side willing to back down, conflict was inevitable.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s confidence, Ye Zhong naturally did not say anything more. After the previous incident, he had always believed that Xiao Yan had a very powerful background, otherwise, how could he make Binghe, a Dou Zun, retreat?
Unaware of Ye Zhong’s thoughts, Xiao Yan, after descending from the top floor, circled the second floor and found the stall occupied by Xinlan. Bored and waiting for customers, Xinlan’s face lit up when she saw Xiao Yan and his group, and she quickly stood up.
“How is it?” Xiao Yan smiled and asked.
“Hehe, that old guy finally gave in…” Xinlan grinned, then her beautiful eyes shifted to the red-robed elder nearby, who was looking at them hopefully.
“Did you get anything else?” Xiao Yan smiled; he knew the old man couldn’t hold out.
“No, the Ten Thousand Year Blue Spirit Vine is a very rare medicinal herb. I asked many people, but none had it,” Xinlan shook her head helplessly.
Xiao Yan nodded, not surprised by the result. The Ten Thousand Year Blue Spirit Vine was indeed rare, and even if some people had it, they wouldn’t be willing to exchange it.
Xinlan packed up her stall, and Xiao Yan turned to the red-robed elder, smiling. He took out a jade bottle from his storage ring, saying, “Don’t think you’re at a loss. This is a Pure Heart Pill, an exchange for your Blood Essence Demon Fruit, you gained.”
Hearing that Xiao Yan had brought out a Pure Heart Pill, the red-robed elder’s bitter smile vanished, and he hurriedly took the jade bottle, carefully examining the pill and nodding satisfactorily after thorough inspection.
“In the future, if you have Blood Essence Demon Fruits, Ten Thousand Year Blue Spirit Vines, or Snow Bone Ginseng, come to the Ye Clan in the north. I’ll buy all of them, and the price will be satisfactory.” Xiao Yan casually picked up the crystal stand’s jade box, touching the Blood Essence Demon Fruit inside, feeling its smooth texture. Nodding, he put it into his storage ring, smiling lightly.
Hearing this, the red-robed elder smiled and nodded. The Pure Heart Pill was valuable and difficult to refine, even for some seventh-grade middle-level alchemists. The success rate was low, making the pill expensive. He felt he had gained a lot with this exchange.
After giving the red-robed elder these instructions, Xiao Yan did not linger and led everyone straight to the ground floor, then left the Alchemist Trading Union, heading back to the Ye Residence.
Upon returning, Xiao Yan immediately had Ye Zhong and the others close the courtyard gate, then went into a room with Heavenly Fire Venerable and Little Healer Immortal.
In the room, the three gathered around a table, on which lay the strange copper plate. The copper plate was light yellow, covered with green rust that twisted like earthworms, obscuring the patterns etched on it.
“Venerable Ye, are you sure this is as valuable as a Pure Heart Pill formula?” Xiao Yan stared intently at the ordinary copper plate, having used various methods to try and uncover its secrets, including carefully copying the patterns, but still found no useful information.
The Heavenly Fire Venerable chuckled, looking at Xiao Yan, “Boy, if the secret on this plate was so easy to uncover, do you think it would have waited for you?”
Seeing the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s smirk, Xiao Yan laughed wryly, “Then I’ll ask Venerable Ye to tell me what’s so special about this thing?”
Pleased, the Heavenly Fire Venerable took the copper plate, holding it in his hand and tilting it towards the light, “Do you see anything?”
Xiao Yan scrutinized the copper plate, only seeing the squiggling green rust under the light, and shook his head, “Venerable Ye, please stop teasing me.”
“Really impatient…” The Heavenly Fire Venerable shook his head, then formed a thin, concentrated spear of Dou Qi between his fingers and carefully inserted it into the green rust on the copper plate. The rust began to fall off, landing on the table.
Xiao Yan and Little Healer Immortal watched in confusion, clueless about his actions.
Ignoring their confusion, the Heavenly Fire Venerable took nearly half an hour to remove all the green rust. Just as Xiao Yan thought he would reveal the secret, the Venerable carelessly tossed the copper plate away.
Xiao Yan watched, mouth twitching, bewildered.
“Ah, though you two are strong, your experience is lacking…” The Heavenly Fire Venerable raised his head, shaking his head, then used suction to gather the green rust, forming a thumb-sized green copper ball.
“The real secret is not on the plate, but in the rust. How could ancient items be deciphered by common sense?” The Heavenly Fire Venerable flicked the green rust towards Xiao Yan, “Burn it with Heavenly Fire, let’s see what’s inside.”
Cautiously, Xiao Yan took the green copper ball, summoning emerald green flames to engulf it. After this, he noticed something peculiar—the copper ball did not melt, even as the temperature rose.
Indeed, there was something to it. With renewed enthusiasm, Xiao Yan increased the temperature, and after about ten minutes, the ball began to melt. As it melted, the green color faded, and tiny, pale yellow particles detached, floating in the flames, twinkling like elves, exuding a spiritual aura.
When the copper ball fully disintegrated, five pale yellow particles, shining with a spiritual luster, remained in the flames, unaffected by the heat.
“What is this?” Xiao Yan, surprised, looked at the five pale yellow particles, confused. This was clearly beyond his knowledge.
After a moment of confusion, Xiao Yan turned to the Heavenly Fire Venerable, who was deep in thought. After a long pause, he spoke, “If I’m not mistaken, this is the Soul Dust from ancient times!”
“Ha, I was right, boy. Compared to this, a seventh-grade middle-tier formula is a bargain!” the Venerable exclaimed.
“Soul Dust?” Seeing the Venerable’s ecstatic expression, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, muttering quietly.
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