Chapter 496: Tension

The middle-aged man and several young people were extremely angry at the things being said around them.

But偏偏 they couldn’t refute it.

If they had sufficient materials and capability, they would have extracted it on the spot long ago.

Would he even bother to stay here and listen to these sarcastic remarks?

When Lu Yu walked up to ask, the eyes of the young people lit up immediately.

A nearby stall owner, seeing that Lu Yu was like a fish that had taken the bait, kindly tugged at him and said, “Friend, don’t fall for it. This is clearly a scam. They mentioned two ingredients just now—one is Starblossom, and the other竟然is actually Starlight Essence. Doesn’t he think for a moment that real Starlight Essence is a top-grade treasure even Emperors desire—one vial of which can boost one’s strength by half an Emperor’s worth? How many people out there actually possess such a thing? At the Monster Hunting Plains, the reward did include some Starlight Essence, but there was barely enough for one or two vials. Now these people are claiming to have Starlight Essence readily available—it’s obviously meant to discourage anyone from even attempting it.”

Another said, “Their price is also quite outrageous—they’re asking for two hundred billion Star Spirits, a hundred Blue Star Souls, and at least a dual-attribute Star Weapon with a minimum attack power of five hundred尊.”

Many people around were walking over, but upon hearing the price, they couldn’t help but laugh out loud, mocking those few individuals for being too greedy.

Telling lies, don’t you think that’s too stupid?

Those who can afford this price are either the leader of a powerful faction or a representative of a country.

They deceived others; did they really think they could escape?

Once the wanted notice is issued, there will be no place left for them to hide in this world.

However, some people among them felt that these individuals couldn’t possibly be foolish enough to deceive others with such prices.

But that price made them frown. Even if Lu Yu were around here, he probably couldn’t afford to pay such a price either.

Several young people kept arguing, but no one believed them.

The middle-aged man selling the items looked at Lu Yu seriously and said, “My friend, we don’t have enough materials to refine and prove it to you, but I guarantee it’s true based on my integrity.”

“Is there a lot of stuff that you need?” Lu Yu looked at the middle-aged man and asked.

The middle-aged man noticed some interest in Lu Yu. However, seeing that Lu Yu had no attendants by his side and that his appearance wasn’t particularly imposing or his clothing extravagant, he seemed somewhat disappointed. He said, “Indeed, there’s quite a variety of items. For example, besides the Starlight and Celestial Bloom that were just mentioned, you would also need the Soul of the Blue Star, and furthermore…”

The middle-aged man mentioned several other ingredients, not very rare, but still not easy to obtain.

“This isn’t all of it. We already have some of the required materials. The most critical one I just mentioned, however, is something we absolutely cannot gather completely. Even if we could easily obtain the Blue Planet Soul and Star Blossom, how many people actually possess the Starlight Essence?”

The middle-aged man said with a bitter smile, sighed, and said, “Besides these, there is still one most important thing I haven’t mentioned yet. This item is even harder to find; even if someone possesses it today, there definitely won’t be more than three people in this world who do.”

Lu Yu hesitated for a moment before asking, “How many drops of evolution liquid can be produced at one time using one piece of Blue Planet Soul combined with other materials?”

The price of the Blue Planet’s Soul in his hands was no less than that of the Evolution Liquid.

He can use the evolution liquid to create domain guardians.

Moreover, the Soul of Blue Star is extremely rare, and the mines of Blue Star are even harder to find.

The largest mountain he has discovered so far, including those in the treasure vaults, has produced no more than three hundred Blue Star Souls.

If it takes one piece of Blue Star Soul to get just one drop of evolution liquid, this deal isn’t worth it.

The middle-aged man said, “According to the instructions on the formula, one piece of Blue Planet Soul, combined with other materials, can refine one hundred drops of evolution liquid. If the quality of the materials is sufficient, producing two hundred drops would not be a problem.”

“If that’s the case, this deal is a great bargain,” Lu Yu said, nodding his head. He then added seriously, “Bring your people and come with me to a quiet place. As long as you can refine a single drop of the evolution liquid in front of me, I’ll take your formula.”

After Lu Yu finished speaking, he gestured to the group of young people.

A stall owner beside him looked at Lu Yu in astonishment and said, “Friend, do you have Starlight Essence? Even if you do, you shouldn’t waste it like this! Sell it to me, sell it to me—I’ll give you one billion star spirit stones for a single vial.”

“I’ll take the Soul of the Blue Star. Friend, let’s step aside and talk in detail.”

Everyone was surprised to see Lu Yu about to take just a few people with him to conduct the experiment.

Immediately, the surroundings erupted into a frenzy.

Even if you have a lot of money, you shouldn’t waste it like this on just a few fraudsters.

The Starlight Essence and the Blue Planet’s Soul are both extraordinary treasures.

Lu Yu frowned and forcefully pushed through a path, leading the group away.

Several young people kept discussing behind them, speculating about Lu Yu’s identity.

Being able to come up with such a large sum of money for an exchange is no ordinary feat.

The middle-aged man, however, remained somewhat cautious and said, “My friend, if your intention is to lead us out of these ruins, I think it’s unnecessary. What if you’re planning to rob or even kill us? The few of us here wouldn’t stand a chance against you.”

“Uncle Wang, you’re kidding, right?” a young man was taken aback and looked at Lu Yu, saying, “He doesn’t seem that strong.”

The middle-aged man said seriously, “There are some people whose wealth you can’t even begin to imagine, and that’s what makes them truly terrifying. The person in front of us must either be a powerful expert who’s been hiding his strength all along or the top ace of some organization. None of us here would stand a chance against this friend—even a single finger of his would be more than enough.”

The middle-aged man didn’t know Lu Yu.

However, after escaping death countless times, one still retains a sense of danger.

Lu Yu smiled, showing no concern, and said, “Then let’s go with this house.”

He pointed toward a stone house that was still relatively intact amidst the ruins and said, “This place is still quite sturdy; no one should disturb you here while you refine your cultivation.”

The middle-aged man looked toward the stone house, then walked around it once more and said, “Good, this stone house has no gaps; no one will be able to peep inside.”

“Then let’s go in,” Lu Yu said, and he and the middle-aged man entered the stone house.

This stone house is empty.

Since everyone was setting up stalls outside, the path leading into the stone house had already been blocked.

Therefore, when the group entered, not many people paid much attention.

Lu Yu noticed that a group of people had been following him from behind. Some of them were curious, while others had always doubted whether the middle-aged man was a fraud. However, they couldn’t afford to spend much money on purchases and simply wanted to see if they could happen upon a bargain along the way.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly toward the group of young people. Instantly understanding, the young people quickly exited the stone house and took positions around its perimeter, ensuring that no one could approach.

“Sir, may I ask your name?” the middle-aged man looked at Lu Yu and asked solemnly.

“You don’t need to know that. Just tell me what it is you lack, and leave the rest to me. As long as you can successfully produce it in front of me, then you must sell me the formula, understand?” Lu Yu looked earnestly at the middle-aged man, his tone heavy and carrying a distinct undertone of warning.

“Don’t worry, sir,” the middle-aged man said with a bitter smile. “Although my strength is not great, my perception is sharp. I can sense the bloodlust all over you. If I dared to deceive you, I probably wouldn’t be able to leave this stone room alive.”

“Good. Now you can tell me what else you need.”

The middle-aged man said, “I’m not lacking anything else now. As long as the master gives me Starlight Essence and Star Glow, I have everything else I need.”

Lu Yu frowned and said, “Didn’t you just mention that there’s another important item?”

The middle-aged man shrugged his shoulders and said, “That’s merely something used to deceive people. In reality, the other required item is a Grade One Star Spirit Stone, which is actually a very common thing. However, if I don’t mention it, they certainly won’t guess it themselves. Since the additional materials are also known only to me, if others attempt to take the few components I mentioned and try to combine them with other materials for testing, it would be like searching for a needle in the sea, making success impossible.”

Lu Yu nodded, not expecting the middle-aged man to be so cautious.

However, Lu Yu thought otherwise.

This recipe is of utmost importance; it’s not just priceless, it’s beyond value.

Lu Yu wanted to test whether he could succeed. If he did, then he wouldn’t have to worry about his domain guardian anymore.

After gaining control over the Evolution Fluid and Starlight, Fangang’s financial resources will surge dramatically.

The middle-aged man didn’t avoid Lu Yu; instead, he took out a table and various bottles from his storage space.

He had been prepared in advance, and had already mixed the materials, making it impossible for Lu Yu to tell where they had come from.

The middle-aged man extended his hand toward Lu Yu and said, “One piece of Blue Planet’s Soul and one bottle of Starlight Essence. With these materials, I’ll have enough to produce one hundred drops of the evolution liquid.”

Lu Yu took out a piece of Blue Star Soul and a bottle of Starlight Essence from his storage space.

This starlight essence was collected by him during his cultivation at night. As for valuable items in the outside world, he now has at least two hundred bottles stored in his inventory space.

This is mainly prepared for the cultivation of the newborn body.

The middle-aged man took the small bottle of Starlight Essence, opened it slightly, and after merely inhaling a breath, he couldn’t help but look at Lu Yu with astonishment, saying, “Having a storage space and possessing the Starlight Essence as well—you couldn’t possibly be—”

“Your task is to refine it,” Lu Yu said expressionlessly to the middle-aged man. “Don’t ask unnecessary questions.”

“Okay, I understand,” the middle-aged man said, his excitement growing as he seemed to have figured out Lu Yu’s identity.

Few people who could afford their own bids expected to meet with the situation before the auction even began.

The middle-aged man first poured various materials into a container, then added some liquid, followed by a first-grade Star Spirit Stone.

The liquids and materials inside the container began to gradually dissolve, even the hard Xing Ling stone started to melt.

Lu Yu kept watching the changes inside the container.

It took more than two hours to melt down a piece of灵石.

After the Star Spirit Stone melted, the middle-aged man immediately used another container to filter out all the liquid. He carefully collected all the residue at the bottom of the container.

The middle-aged man didn’t want anyone analyzing anything else from these residues; this caution made Lu Yu tense without realizing it.

The middle-aged man joined the Blue Planet Soul once again.

As the liquid began to melt the soul of the blue planet, the middle-aged man picked up the bottle containing the essence of star transformation. A thread of liquid composed of starlight fell from the bottle into the container!

Lu Yu was moved. He felt the liquid changing, and a vast amount of energy being generated.

Even without the Evolution Serum, this energy alone could propel a person directly to the peak of a Demon Sovereign, or even beyond.

The middle-aged man was also very nervous, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

He was also the first to be assigned, and felt somewhat nervous.