Gambling on spirit stones required money, and Wu Bufan’s funds were running dangerously low. After a brief moment of consideration, he decided to sell some of his pills.
The Heaven and Earth Treasure Pavilion had a branch here in Tianyao City. Not wishing to attract unnecessary attention, Wu Bufan only took out a small batch of Supreme Grade Fasting Pills for sale.
Among yellow-tier elixirs, the Fasting Pill was one of the easiest to refine. In a prosperous region like Tianyao City, even the supreme grade of such a common pill was rare but not unheard of.
Still, when Wu Bufan produced fifteen Supreme Grade Fasting Pills at once, it immediately caused quite a stir among the attendants and patrons alike.
The young female attendant struggled to suppress her astonishment, her tone polite yet cautious as she handed over a crimson-colored card.
“One pill is valued at two hundred gold coins, for a total of three thousand gold. Please, sir, accept this.”
Wu Bufan’s gaze flickered slightly. As expected of a major city, the prices here were nearly double those in Xichuan Town.
He accepted the card and sent a thread of spiritual sense into it. As expected, the balance inside contained exactly three thousand gold.
Since arriving in Tianyao City, he had noticed that many cultivators preferred to make transactions using such cards instead of physical coins. These were known as money cards, and they came in two forms registered and unregistered. The card the attendant handed him was clearly the latter.
By the time he completed his transaction, Chao Chen had already finished selecting his stones.
One by one, Chao Chen hauled the chosen stones to the counter and proudly declared, “We’ll take all of these!”
The attendant’s mouth twitched slightly as her gaze swept over the uneven, mixed-quality pile of stones. After a moment of silent calculation, she said, “That will be two thousand two hundred gold in total.”
Chao Chen’s eyes widened. “So expensive?!”
The attendant picked up one of the smaller stones and explained patiently, “This particular stone is a high-grade specimen. Its price alone is one thousand gold.”
Only then did Wu Bufan notice that the stones were organized into several sections, each with their own classifications. “What’s the difference between high-grade stones and the others?” he asked.
Nearby customers overheard his question and couldn’t help snickering. To them, the two young men looked like wealthy heirs wasting money for amusement, utterly ignorant of what they were buying.
The attendant hesitated for a brief moment before replying, “High-grade stones have a significantly greater chance of containing something valuable inside.”
Wu Bufan nodded in understanding and handed over the unregistered money card. The attendant swiped it deftly, transferring the funds, then asked courteously, “Would you like the stones to be cut open here?”
“No need,” Wu Bufan replied calmly.
He collected all of the stones into his spatial storage and, after tugging Chao Chen along, left the pavilion swiftly, shaking off any potential followers before returning to their inn.
Once the door was firmly shut behind them, Chao Chen hesitated for a moment, his expression thoughtful. “That high-grade stone… feels a bit strange,” he said.
He had sensed something unusual within it a spiritual fluctuation different from all the others. But his intuition told him it was something good. Otherwise, upon hearing its high price, he would have tossed it right back into the pile without a second thought.
“It is indeed something good,” Wu Bufan said quietly as he drew the high-grade stone out of his spatial ring. It was the only one among the batch that had not been broken down by the energy of his spatial space the moment it entered.
Curiosity glimmered in Chao Chen’s eyes. “Let’s see what’s inside,” he said, leaning forward eagerly.
Wu Bufan nodded. With a wave of his hand, spiritual energy condensed into a sharp blade that began slicing delicately along the stone’s outer layer.
A blinding white light burst forth from the thin crack, followed by an intense surge of spiritual energy that filled the entire room.
Wu Bufan’s expression shifted instantly. He reacted without hesitation, throwing the stone back into his spatial ring before the energy could fully spill out.
Almost immediately, several powerful divine senses swept across the inn from afar.
Neither Wu Bufan nor Chao Chen had bothered to conceal their cultivation levels earlier, for the lower their apparent strength, the less likely they were to draw attention. But now, such measures were meaningless.
Those divine senses had already locked onto their location. Within moments, those powerhouses would discover that someone had just purchased a suspicious batch of stones from the Heaven and Earth Treasure Pavilion.
Their eyes met. Without a word, both reached the same conclusion run!
They threw on their black cloaks, suppressed their spiritual presence, and leapt out of the inn window into the night.
Fortunately, the experts whose senses had brushed past them had not yet arrived at the scene. Otherwise, even with their auras hidden, Wu Bufan’s concealment techniques would not have been enough to fool them.
He quickly tucked the little Purple Thunder Beast into his spatial ring, and together with Chao Chen, he found another inn farther away. This time, they made no effort to disguise themselves. Their real cultivation levels were now their best camouflage.
To be safe, they only requested a single room.
As soon as the door was closed, Chao Chen turned to him, excitement barely contained in his voice. “That was floating stone marrow, wasn’t it?”
Floating stone marrow could be refined into floating stone liquid a heavenly-tier material used in the art of weapon forging. Just a single drop of such liquid could sell for thousands of spirit pearls.
Wu Bufan nodded, his expression a complicated blend of awe and disbelief.
At that moment, he finally understood how the little light spirit must have felt when it first discovered Chao Chen’s chaotic trickster body.
Chao Chen’s eyes shone brightly, his excitement practically contagious.
Wu Bufan gave a helpless smile. “I’ll go out and see if I can find information about any teleportation arrays. If there’s one we can use, we leave immediately.”
But Heaven rarely granted smooth paths. As it turned out, the teleportation array bound for the Dragonfish Sect would not open for another five days.
With no other choice, Wu Bufan and Chao Chen decided to stay quietly within their room to cultivate in seclusion until then.
Meanwhile, far away in the mountains of destiny…
Chao Lingyue sat on a large rock, her expression turning an ugly shade of green.
“Didn’t you say that once I arrived here, the Fortune Beast would most likely come to me on its own? We’ve nearly reached the edge of the Sky Demon Mountains already! So tell me where is it? Where’s the Fortune Beast?”
In order to seize that Fortune Beast, she had gone as far as to offer three top-grade pills as bribes to several tutors, convincing them to let her depart ahead of the others.
“If that beast doesn’t appear soon, I won’t be able to delay things any longer!” she said through clenched teeth.
To lure the Fortune Beast, she had deliberately slowed her pace, constantly creating excuses to waste time. Yet even after all that, she had spent so many days in these mountains without catching even the faintest glimpse of that so-called Fortune Beast!
“This shouldn’t be happening!” Feng Tian muttered in disbelief, it’s tone growing more agitated. It gritted his teeth. “Let me check again.”
Locating something through divination consumed a great deal of it limited energy. It had been reluctant to do it unless absolutely necessary.
But when it finally did, it’s voice trembled with disbelief. “Impossible! The Fortune Beast… it’s gone!”
Chao Lingyue’s face turned a darker shade of green, fury simmering in her eyes. “Gone? You’re telling me now that the Fortune Beast is gone? Do you have any idea how much effort it took to make Chao Shiyi give me those three top-grade Qi Replenishing Pills?”
Those pills were treasures even she had been unwilling to use for herself. And now, they were wasted gone like water poured into sand.
Feng Tian knew it was at fault. It’s voice softened slightly. “The Sky Demon Province also contains objects of fortune. Once we arrive there, I’ll take you to find them.”
It had discovered that fact earlier, though the fortune attached to those items was weak in comparison to a Fortune Beast’s. Still, it was better than nothing. It had planned to tell her only after they reached the province.
“Fine!” Chao Lingyue said coldly, jaw tight. “I’ll trust you one last time!”
Time slipped by quickly.
On the day the teleportation array was set to open, Wu Bufan and Chao Chen had already checked out of their inn room at dawn. They went downstairs to have breakfast.
The dining hall was bustling with cultivators gathered in small groups, all eagerly discussing one topic the Floating Stone Essence.
“Have they caught the thief who stole the Floating Stone Essence yet?” someone asked.
“No, not yet,” another replied. “I’d wager they’ve already escaped by now.”
“Escape? That’s easier said than done! The city gates and the teleportation array are all under guard.”
“Please, what good will that do? I heard those two thieves were at least in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Guards won’t help against that!”
It was said that a few cultivators had personally seen the two cloaked figures, but even those in the Foundation Establishment Realm couldn’t see through their concealed auras. That could only mean one thing their real cultivation was likely above Foundation Establishment, perhaps even in the Core Formation stage.
“Guards are useless? Do you even know who the City Lord sent to watch the gates?” someone interjected.
“Who?”
“The First and Second Elders!”
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Those two were Nascent Soul cultivators true powerhouses.
“Master Cheng Ying has already declared that anyone who retrieves the Floating Stone Essence and delivers it to him will be rewarded with a personally crafted artifact. You know who Cheng Ying is, don’t you? A master-level artificer of Earth rank!”
The speaker’s tone turned more animated. “And with Young Master Mu preparing to attend the Dragonfish Sect’s entrance competition, if he could get an Earth-grade artifact from Cheng Ying, his chances of entering the inner sect would rise by at least ten percent. You think the City Lord would let such an opportunity slip away?”
“If Young Master Mu manages to enter the Dragonfish Sect’s inner sect, that would be remarkable!” another sighed.
The Dragonfish Sect’s inner and outer sects were worlds apart.
Disciples of the inner sect enjoyed cultivation resources several times better than those of the outer sect. Many outer sect disciples even sought to become attendants or retainers of inner sect disciples just to gain access to those superior resources.
To be a retainer was akin to being a servant but even that was a privilege not easily obtained. For an outer sect disciple, becoming a retainer of an inner sect disciple meant having powerful backing and enjoying a far higher status among their peers.
“Exactly,” another added. “That’s why the City Lord is determined to obtain the Floating Stone Essence, no matter what.”
“I’ve also heard that other families are eyeing it as well…”
“Other families?” someone scoffed. “Isn’t that Floating Stone Essence the property of the City Lord’s mansion? Do they dare covet it?”
Rumor had it that the essence had been stolen directly from the City Lord’s own treasury.
The crowd’s expressions turned subtly wary. None dared speak further.
After a long silence, someone finally said in a low voice, “The Floating Stone Essence may be valuable, but who among them would risk offending the City Lord’s mansion over it?”
The others sighed in agreement, the hum of conversation fading into uneasy quiet.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
☕ (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑ translator fuel acquired?
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Dream to RealityChapter 2 · Those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortuneChapter 3 · Retrieve the tokenChapter 4 · Top-tier alchemistChapter 5 · A cooperative treasure hunt?Chapter 6 · Thousand mile Thundercloud LeopardChapter 7 · Chaotic Strange EntityChapter 8 · Back to Xichuan TownChapter 9 · How could Wu Bufan be stronger than him!Chapter 10 · Wu Bufan possess so many top-grade pills?Chapter 11 · This time, she will not let anyone take what is hers away againChapter 12 · Seize the luckChapter 13 · Mutant Purple Thunder BeastChapter 14 · I’m afraid he’ll get angryChapter 15 · PumiceChapter 16 · Enemies meet on a narrow roadChapter 17 · Becoming Daoist CouplesChapter 18 · Top-grade Calamity-Breaking PillChapter 19 · The amazing effects of top-grade pillsChapter 20 · Basic Body ForgingChapter 21 · One world cannot contain two chosen ones.Chapter 22 · PuppetChapter 23 · AuctionChapter 24 · Space FoundationChapter 25 · Top-grade Foundation Building PillChapter 26 · Increased space areaChapter 27 · The competition BeginChapter 28 · RobbedChapter 29 · Turn Defeat into Victory!Chapter 30 · The Death of Wu KeyuanChapter 31 · BetChapter 32 · Even the way Chao Chen talks is so cuteChapter 33 · Avenge Wu KeyuanChapter 34 · Finding Bodhi Wood at a BargainChapter 35 · Little PuppetChapter 36 · Explosive PillsChapter 37 · I’ll concedeChapter 38 · You are a genius, so your Daoist partner must also be a genius.Chapter 39 · The Third Elder was refused a disciple.Chapter 40 · Has the floating marrow stone secret been exposed?Chapter 41 · How Could There Be Such a Sinister Human!Chapter 42 · The Mutated Mugwort FoxChapter 43 · Wandering the JianghuChapter 44 · Ancient ElixirChapter 45 · I feel like I’m about to be struck by lightning!Chapter 46 · Earth-level Secret RealmChapter 47 · The spot is practically yours.Chapter 48 · His Daoist partner is truly amazing!Chapter 49 · The legacy in the libraryChapter 50 · Dual cultivation techniquesChapter 51 · First genius Ji Pu RanChapter 52 · Shifting the blame eastwardChapter 53 · The little puppet went to run errandsChapter 54 · The Explosive Pill once again demonstrated its power.Chapter 55 · Chao Lingyue’s cultivation levelChapter 56 · Little Money-GrubberChapter 57 · What a venomous mouth!Chapter 58 · Enter the secret realmChapter 59 · A huge windfall fell from the sky.Chapter 60 · The birth of a rare treasureChapter 61 · This alchemy furnace is quite uniqueChapter 62 · The alchemy furnace that walked right into the trapChapter 63 · Xiao Zi’s Self-Rescue GuideChapter 64 · Spirit Field Micro RealmChapter 65 · Someone Planning to Reap the Benefits?Chapter 66 · Are You Lost?Chapter 67 · Chao Chen, Corrupted by the Big Handsome PotChapter 68 · Is Your phoenix Fish Sect Collecting Trash?Chapter 69 · The Death of Hui SipingChapter 70 · No, Junior Brother Chao, Where’s Your Backbone…Chapter 71 · Has His Identity Been Exposed?Chapter 72 · This Child Is Far Too ShrewdChapter 73 · Young people are wonderful. They fall asleep the moment they lie downChapter 74 · Sparrow Alchemist Chao Lingyue?Chapter 75 · The Silver Tongued Chao ChenChapter 76 · What’s the rush? I have moreChapter 77 · Leave the sectChapter 78 · Showing Off on a Grand ScaleChapter 79 · The Sparrow Alchemist Returns to the Martial WorldChapter 80 · Does Junior Brother Chao know about this?Chapter 81 · The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole BehindChapter 82 · So FierceChapter 83 · They’ve been targeted by the local bulliesChapter 84 · The Kid Is Missing?Chapter 85 · A Thing from the Void: SilkChapter 86 · Chao Chen became famousChapter 87 · The Devil MentorChapter 88 · The four little ones went out to gain experienceChapter 89 · The Students Who Were Truly ConvincedChapter 90 · What a Bountiful Harvest!Chapter 91 · No Random KissingChapter 92 · Detoxification PillChapter 93 · Master Wu, your Daoist partner has disappearedChapter 94 · The Demonic ThiefChapter 95 · Fellow Daoist, are you selling this sparrow?Chapter 96 · Unexpected disaster, nothing moreChapter 97 · My Daoist partner was born in the Year of the PigChapter 98 · The Undying Devil ChildChapter 99 · Exotic Treasure! Buddha Flame Glazed Light!Chapter 100 · We stole the Beast Taming Sect’s treasure vaultChapter 101 · Waaaaah… Why is this strange fire so gay?Chapter 102 · The Mysterious Pill – Flower in the MirrorChapter 103 Part 1 · As Expected, You Can’t Produce Different Dreams from the Same Bed…Chapter 103 Part 2 · As Expected, You Can’t Produce Different Dreams from the Same Bed…Chapter 104 Part 1 · Separation and ReunionChapter 104 Part 2 · Separation and ReunionChapter 105 Part 1 · Renowned throughout the continent!Chapter 105 Part 2 · Renowned throughout the continent!Chapter 106 · Chao Chen’s RevengeChapter 107 · The Death of Chao LingyueChapter 108 · A Narcissistic Man or a Great Beauty?Chapter 109 · This Person Has No MannersChapter 110 · The Ancient Spirit Botanical GardenChapter 111 · Thousand-Thread Poison WomanChapter 112 · I am not kindChapter 113 · Are you the most handsome man here?Chapter 114 Part 1 · ReunionChapter 114 Part 2 · ReunionChapter 115 Part 1 · Diandian said that you got it into someone’s stomach yourselfChapter 115 Part 2 · Diandian said that you got it into someone’s stomach yourselfChapter 116 · Central ContinentChapter 116 Part 1 · Central ContinentChapter 117 Part 1 · The Ancient Dao Companion ContractChapter 117 Part 2 · The Ancient Dao Companion ContractChapter 118 · Heaven Above, Dust BelowChapter 118 Part 1 · Heaven Above, Dust BelowChapter 119 · Xiao Chen will also be embarrassedChapter 120 · The moon is so bright tonightChapter 121 Part 1 · Treasure ArrayChapter 121 Part 2 · Treasure ArrayChapter 122 Part 1 · Poisonous MushroomChapter 122 Part 2 · Poisonous MushroomChapter 123 Part 1 · Turmoil at the AuctionChapter 123 Part 2 · Turmoil at the AuctionChapter 124 Part 1 · Advancement! A Nascent Soul Cultivator Reaches the Divine Transformation Realm!…Chapter 124 Part 2 · Advancement! A Nascent Soul Cultivator Reaches the Divine Transformation Realm!…Chapter 125 Part 1 · Xiao Chen Displays His Great Divine Might: Wu Bufan…Chapter 125 Part 2 · Xiao Chen Displays His Great Divine Might: Wu Bufan…Chapter 126 · Ice spirit tower has explodedChapter 127 Part 1 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 127 Part 2 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 127 Part 3 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 128 Part 1 · Being Followed?Chapter 128 Part 2 · Being Followed?Chapter 129 · Magical ArtifactChapter 131 · A Declaration of WarChapter 132 · A chaotic war of words: Friend or foe indistinguishable…Chapter 133 Part 1 · The Royal Grand CompetitionChapter 133 Part 2 · The Royal Grand CompetitionChapter 134 Part 1 · Adults Don’t Make Choices, I’ll Take Them All…Chapter 134 Part 2 · Adults Don’t Make Choices, I’ll Take Them All…Chapter 135 Part 1 · Little Daddy Takes a Bite, Big Daddy’s Form…Chapter 135 Part 2 · Little Daddy Takes a Bite, Big Daddy’s Form…Chapter 136 Part 1 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left BehindChapter 136 Part 2 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left BehindChapter 136 Part 3 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left Behind