Wow… So these are Silver Apes? And what's the massive glowing tree in the middle?" Yu Rou mumbled in a low voice after seeing the Silver Apes.
However, unlike previously, they were not sleeping around the tree. Instead, they were—
"A-Are they… Are they eating each other?" Yu Rou covered her mouth in shock after realizing that the Silver Apes were consuming the Silver Apes that had been slain by Yuan.
"That's their nature— they eat anything as long as they're hungry," Xiao Hua said.
"As for the glowing tree, that's a Spirit Tree. It can grow Spirit Fruits that benefit one's cultivation base. However, it takes many decades to grow even one, and the Silver Apes has already eaten all of them."
"What a pity…" Yu Rou sighed.
"Anyway, let's clear this Beast Nest. Xiao Hua, don't do anything yet. Although you may not be a player, you're still Brother Tian's servant, so your contribution might still be counted toward my brother's contribution, and his name will show up on the announcements."
Xiao Hua silently nodded at Yu Rou's words.
Yu Rou locked her eyes on the large group of Silver Apes gathered in a circle while consuming the dead Silver Apes.
After taking a deep breath, she swung the Spirit Weaver.
"Wind Blade!"
An arc of powerful wind flew towards the Silver Apes horizontally, and before the Silver Apes could even react, the Wind Blade had sliced a dozen Silver Apes in halves.
"Oooo! Aaaah! Ooo!"
Alerted, the Silver Apes immediately dropped their food and rushed at Yu Rou.
However, when they noticed the immense aura emitted by Xiao Hua, they immediately stopped in their tracks and stood there as though they were stone statues.
"What the?"
Although Yu Rou was dumbfounded by the situation, she didn't dare to stop and continue to throw Wind Blades at the Silver Apes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Silver Apes dropped one at a time right in front of each other, yet none of them dared to move, almost as though they were rooted from fear.
A few minutes later, all of the Silver Apes were slain by Yu Rou, and an announcement appeared for the world to see.
\u003cCongratulations! Player Yu Rou has become the first player to have cleared Silver Ape Cave!\u003e
When Yuan saw the announcement in the sky, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
Once Yu Rou came back outside, Yuan praised her, "Wow, that was faster than I'd anticipated. Good job, Yu Rou."
However, Yu Rou did not celebrate and merely sighed in a dejected voice, "Something was wrong with those Silver Apes. It seemed like they were going to attack me at first, but they suddenly stopped moving and allowed me to kill them without any effort. It was ridiculous and not fun at all!"
"Uh…" Yuan was speechless and did not know how to respond to her complaints, as he only cared about whether she was hurt or not.
"Anyway, you managed to clear the dungeon and received an announcement. This makes you an Ancestor, right?" Yuan asked her.
"While that is the case, since it's only a dungeon clear, my title isn't worth as much as your Skill and Servant category 'firsts'." Yu Rou said.
"Hmm… Then do you want to look for a few more dungeons to clear?" Yuan asked her a moment later.
"No, it's fine."
"Then what would you like to do now?"
"I would like to go on an epic journey that might take days, even weeks to complete, but I don't have the time for that now, so I want to spend my remaining time looking for a servant." Yu Rou said.
"A servant, huh? What do you think, Xiao Hua? Any way we can help my sister tame a beast?" Yuan asked her.
Xiao Hua nodded and said, "It's very easy to tame beasts. You just need to feed it some food and if it likes you, you can try to tame it."
"Huh? It's that easy?" Yu Rou looked at her with wide eyes.
Xiao Hua nodded again and said, "There are also techniques that allow you to tame and control beasts."
"Let's try the feeding method first. What kind of food should we be feeding them?" Yu Rou asked.
"It depends on what kind of beast you're trying to tame, but most of them like food that contains spiritual energy, especially Spirit Fruits. You are almost guaranteed to tame most beasts with a Spirit Fruit," Xiao Hua said.
"Spirit Fruits, huh? It's such a pity that the Silver Apes had taken all of them." Yu Rou sighed.
"You can buy Spirit Fruits in the market, they are worth about 500,000 gold coins each."
"500,000 gold coins!" Yu Rou exclaimed. "That's a lot of money, but you can afford them without much trouble, right, brother?"
Yuan immediately began sweating after hearing her words, and he said a moment later, "I only have around 200,000 gold coins left."
"Huh? How's that possible? You're still number one on the Wealth Leaderboards! Surely, you have much more than 200,000 gold coins!" Yu Rou said.
"Well… most of that wealth is actually in Xiao Hua's possession," Yuan said.
Yu Rou then looked at Xiao Hua and said, "But that wealth is still brother's right?"
Xiao Hua nodded and said, "Xiao Hua is only holding it for Brother Yuan."
"Then what's the problem?" Yu Rou continued to ask.
"I didn't want to rely too much on Xiao Hua and wanted to earn my own money, so I would rather not use the money we'd earned from selling her treasure unless it's an emergency." Yuan explained to her.
"Oh, I see… Then I'll ask her." Yu Rou said, and she continued, "Xiao Hua, can I borrow 500,000 gold coins from you? I'll pay you back in the future. I also can't keep on relying on my brother forever."
Xiao Hua nodded her small head and retrieved 500,000 gold coins before handing it to Yu Rou without blinking an eye. In the eyes of a Cultivator at her level, 500,000 gold coins is a neglectable amount of wealth.
"Are you sure, Yu Rou? It's only 500,000 gold coins… You don't have to pay us back." Yuan said to her.
"I borrowed it from Xiao Hua, not you, brother, and I am not shameless enough to accept money without paying it back. And like I'd said, I don't want to be too reliant on you. If you can't accept that money from Xiao Hua, then you should know how I feel."
Hearing her words, Yuan nodded.
"Anyway, where can we buy a Spirit Fruit?" Yu Rou asked.
"Spirit Fruits are pretty rare, so only luxurious stores would have them," Xiao Hua said, and she continued, "There's a very popular place in Phoenix City named 'Golden Phoenix Bazaar', and you can find most rare and valuable treasures there."
"Great! Where is this place?" Yu Rou asked.
"Approximately 5,000 miles away. If we leave now, we should arrive there by tomorrow morning." Xiao Hua said.
"Tomorrow morning, huh? What do you think, Yu Rou? It won't be my first time playing throughout the whole night," Yuan said to her.
"Let's do it. Since I only have one more day before I have to return to school, I would like to play with you for as long as possible." Yu Rou nodded.
After retrieving his flying sword, Yuan picked up Yu Rou and jumped onto the sword before Xiao Hua flew towards the sky with them.
"Although it's going to take some time, I cannot wait to be able to use the flying sword by myself," Yu Rou said.
"Me too." Yuan nodded.
After flying for some time, they descended to take a quick break. After flying for a few more hours, the siblings logged off temporarily for dinner.
Once they logged back into the game, they returned to their journey, and Yu Rou would fall asleep in Yuan's arms shortly later.
Many hours later, by the time Yu Rou woke up, they had already traveled over 5,000 miles.
"Good morning, Yu Rou. We should be there within an hour," Yuan said to her.
"Brother…? Oh no! I accidentally fell asleep since flying felt so good!" Yu Rou exclaimed. "I'm sorry, brother…"
"Why are you apologizing?" Yuan shook his head.
"Even though you are doing this for me, I fell asleep and left you alone…" she sighed.
"It's fine. Anyway, look over there— I can see a phoenix." Yuan suddenly said to her.
"What?! A phoenix?!" Yu Rou immediately turned to look at where he was looking to see a large bird in the sky.
However, once they got closer to it, they realized that the phoenix was actually an enormous phoenix kite that was being flown from the city.
"A kite?" Yu Rou mumbled in a low and surprised voice, as this is her first time seeing such a massive kite.
"Rumors have it there is a living phoenix currently living in the city, and that kite is used to honor the phoenix," Xiao Hua said.
"Wait a second… A real phoenix living in the city? Surely, that must be fake, right? After all, who would be able to miss the majesty sight of a phoenix?" Yu Rou said.
"Magic beasts like phoenixes are considered as Divine Beasts, and they have the capability to take on a human form once they reach a certain cultivation base, so it's not impossible that a phoenix could be living in the city disguised as a human," Xiao Hua explained.
"If there's really a phoenix, I'd like to meet one…" Yu Rou sighed as they descended a few miles from the city.
85 Golden Phoenix Bazaar
\u003cYou have discovered Phoenix City\u003e
When Yuan and the others approached the city, they immediately noticed the massive line stretching for at least a mile long from the city entrance.
"What in heaven's name? Why is the queue so long?" Yuan stared at the line with wide eyes.
"It's only natural this place is so busy. Phoenix City is one of the most popular areas within the Eastern Continent due to its rich environment and abundance of treasures, so powerful Cultivators and rich merchants from all over the world come here to do business," Xiao Hua explained to him.
"Anyway, let's get in line first. Over a dozen people had entered the line by the time you finished speaking!" Yuan said as he walked to the back of the line.
After standing in line for half an hour, it was finally their turn to enter the city.
"Place your hands on this ball," said one of the guards once Yuan approached them.
Yuan placed his hands on the crystal ball, and once the guards confirmed that he was not a criminal, they said, "Entrance fee for Phoenix City is one gold coin."
"The three of us are together," Yuan said as he handed them 3 pieces of gold coins.
"Here are your guest permits. Due to the immense population and not wanting to overpopulate the city, you are only allowed to stay in Phoenix City for three days. If you are caught past your date, you'll be fined 100,000 gold coins. If you wish to stay longer, you must visit the Administration Hall, and you can extend your time for a price."
"I understand, " Yuan had to agree to such rules before they were finally allowed inside.
"Wow, this place is far more popular than I'd thought if they need to make such rules fearing for overpopulation…" Yuan said once they were inside.
"Most popular cities that focus on business are like this," Xiao Hua said.
"Well, three days is more than enough, as we'll be leaving immediately after we obtain a Spirit Fruit. Anyway, where do we go now?" Yuan asked her.
However, Xiao Hua shook her head and said, "Xiao Hua has never been here before— she has only heard of the Golden Phoenix Bazaar being here."
"Then I guess we'll have to ask around," Yuan said.
After spending a few minutes speaking to the pedestrians, Yuan got a good idea of the direction and began making his way towards the Golden Phoenix Bazaar with the other two girls.
"This place is really meant for business only. No matter where we go, the streets are filled with nothing but shops." Yu Rou said as they walked, enjoying the scenery. "Do people even live in this city? Because I haven't seen any houses yet."
"Only the wealthiest of people would live in a place like Phoenix City, and they are all within the center of the city. Do you see those tall buildings in the distance? They are houses." Xiao Hua said as she pointed in that direction.
"What?! Those pagodas are actually homes?! That's like living in Cultivators' Haven, which has 21 floors!" Yu Rou exclaimed.
After walking for many minutes, they reached this extremely wide street with a beautiful 'Golden Phoenix Bazaar' kite flying in the sky.
"Wow, so this is the Golden Phoenix Bazaar… But why does it appear so empty compared to the other streets?" Yuan raised his eyebrows.
Xiao Hua shrugged.
"I guess it doesn't really matter why there are so few people here. Anyway, we should just look at every store until we find one that's selling Spirit Fruits, right?" Yuan said.
"Un." They nodded.
However, right as Yuan prepared to enter the street, they were immediately stopped by the guards standing not too far away.
"Wait a second. Do you have permission to enter this area?" The guards asked them.
"Permission? We need permission to enter the Golden Phoenix Bazaar?" Yuan asked them with a surprised look, as this is his first time hearing this.
"Naturally. The Golden Phoenix Bazaar is not your ordinary place where one can enter normally, and only those with a permit are allowed to do business here."
"Then where do we get a permit? I'd like to buy something in there." Yuan asked them.
"This must be your first time here. Even getting the permit to enter this place is not that simple. First and foremost, you must donate a generous amount of money to the city lord before you can even be considered for the permit." The guard said to him.
"Money…?" Yuan immediately began sweating. "How much are we talking about?"
"Most people donate at least 10,000,000 gold coins," said the guard.
"10,000,000 gold coins?!" Yuan's jaw dropped to the ground.
If one must pay 10,000,000 to use the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, they might as well go somewhere else! At least they would still have 10,000,000 gold coins to spend by doing so!
"What's so special about the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, anyway? Requiring 10,000,000 coins for a permit to shop at a place is simply outrageous if you ask me. Nobody in their right mind would pay so much money for that." Yu Rou shook her head, unable to comprehend the reason behind this system.
"That's where you're wrong, young lady. Although it may be expensive, it is very well worth it, as the people you can find in this place are mostly renowned experts with immense backing or status in this world, and most people come here mainly to make connections with these individuals— shopping is only secondary." The guard explained to them the true purpose of the Golden Phoenix Bazaar.
"I see… that makes more sense…" Yu Rou nodded.
"What about the Spirit Fruit? Since we cannot enter this place without spending an extra 10,000,000 gold coins, we'll have to look elsewhere for them," Yuan sighed.
"Spirit Fruits? If you are looking for Spirit Fruits, then you can only find them inside the Golden Phoenix Bazaar," one of the guards said after hearing Yuan's words.
"How convenient…" Yuan sighed again.
"If you really want to enter the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, there are methods that don't require payments or permits, though." One of the guards suddenly said.
"What are those methods?" Yuan immediately asked.
"It's quite simple, actually."
The guards exchanged glances with each other before speaking—
"You just need a recommendation from a Spirit Grandmaster Cultivator!"
"If you reach the Spirit Grandmaster realm, you will be allowed to enter the Golden Phoenix Bazaar without any limitations!"
"Hahaha!"
The guards burst out laughing afterward, thinking that it was more realistic to pay 10,000,000 gold coins than to find someone at the Spirit Grandmaster realm.
"Spirit Grandmaster? Why didn't you say so? We have one right here." Yuan said with a relieved smile on his face.
"What did you just say? That there's a Spirit Grandmaster amongst you? Who? You? Hahaha!" The guards didn't take Yuan seriously and began laughing even louder.
"Well, she's not exactly a Spirit Grandmaster— she's a Spirit King," Yuan said as he pointed at Xiao Hua.
"Spirit King?! HAHAHAHAHA!" The guards laughed so hard after hearing his words that they'd begun rolling on the floor dying from laughter.
Yuan looked at the guards with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Why are they laughing so hard? What's so funny?
"If… If this little girl is a Cultivator with a Spirit Grandmaster cultivation base, much less Spirit King, I will run an entire lap around the Golden Phoenix Bazaar while naked!" One of the guards suddenly said.
"Only the Golden Phoenix Bazaar? I am willing to run around the entire city naked if she's really a Spirit King! Hahaha!"
"..."
Yu Rou and Yuan looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
"What are you two laughing at while on duty? I have been in a bad mood lately so I can use a few laughs! Go ahead, tell me what's so funny!"
A clear but irritated feminine voice suddenly resounded, and when the guards heard this female's voice, they immediately stopped laughing and turned around with fearful expressions on her faces, looking as though they were staring at death.
Yuan and Yu Rou also turned to look at the person who'd just spoken, and a very beautiful woman in her late twenties wearing red robes with a golden phoenix pattern could be seen walking in their direction.
"M-Madam Feng!" The guards immediately kowtowed on the ground with their back soaked in cold sweats. "W-We were wrong for laughing while on duty! Please have mercy!"
However, the woman being addressed as Madam Feng coldly snorted, "Did you not hear me? I want to know what's so funny that it made you laugh like maniacs!"
"W-Well… it's like this…"
The guards proceeded to explain the situation to Madam Feng.
A few moments later, Madam Feng turned her focus from the guards to Yuan and the two girls beside him.
"So you think it's funny to joke about being a Spirit King, huh?" Madam Feng narrowed her eyes at them and suddenly—
Boom!
The cultivation base of a Spirit Grandmaster suddenly erupted from Madam Feng's body, filling the area with a suffocating pressure, causing Yuan and Yu Rou to begin choking as though they were having trouble breathing.
"Do you still think it's funny to—"
However, before Madam Feng could even finish her sentence, Xiao Hua shouted in a cute but angry voice, "How dare you hurt Brother Yuan!"
Boom!
An immense pressure that far exceeded Madam Feng's pressure suddenly appeared to cancel out Madam Feng's pressure, before forcing Madam Feng onto her knees.
"T-This is?!" Madam Feng lifted her head with much effort to look at Xiao Hua, her gaze filled with shock and fear.
"A Spirit King!"
86 Madam Feng
'A real Spirit King! She's a real Spirit King! But how is that possible?! How can a Spirit King possibly remain in the Lower Heavens?!' Madam Feng cried inwardly after realizing her mistake that could potentially end her life.
"Please have mercy, Senior Spirit King! This junior had eyes but still failed to recognize your mighty presence!" Madam Feng then kowtowed on the floor with her smooth forehead kissing the solid floor.
However, Xiao Hua did not budge and continued to release her spiritual energy.
"What's going on here?! Which expert is emitting this powerful presence?!"
"This expert definitely surpasses the Spirit Grandmaster realm! The Spirit Lord realm? No! It's even higher! This presence belongs to a Spirit King!"
The other experts located within the Golden Phoenix Bazaar were greatly shocked when they sensed Xiao Hua's immense presence that appeared out of thin air. However, they were too scared to even peek their heads out the windows to see the situation, much less show themselves, and unless directly told to, they would rather not stick their noses where it doesn't belong, especially when a Spirit King was involved.
After all, a single mistake could mean the end of their business and even their life! That's how much power a Spirit King holds in this Lower Heavens where the peak experts are only at the Spirit Grandmaster realm!
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, Madam Feng remained kowtowing on the floor, not even daring to lift her head.
"Xiao Hua, it's okay now. We're not hurt," Yuan said to her a moment later.
"Un." Xiao Hua nodded her head and immediately retrieved her powerful aura, allowing Madam Feng to breathe again.
"Are you okay?" Yuan approached Madam Feng before extending his hand out to her.
"T-Thank you…" Fearing that Xiao Hua might get angry at her again if she doesn't accept his hands, Madam Feng grabbed Yuan's hands and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
"Anyway, I will apologize again for getting ahead of myself and causing trouble for you, and I never intended on harming you."
Madam Feng lowered her head and bowed to them in an apologetic manner after she was standing again.
"It was only a misunderstanding, you don't have to take it to the heart," Yuan said with a calm smile on his face.
"Anyway, since you have confirmed that Xiao Hua is indeed at the Spirit King level, we should be able to shop in the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, right?" Yuan then asked her.
"Y-Yes…" Madam Feng quickly nodded her head. Nobody would dare to stop them even if they wanted to live in the Golden Phoenix Bazaar.
And she continued, "If you don't mind, I can help you with whatever you're looking for. I am the owner of the Phoenix Heaven in the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, one of the most renowned stores in the city. No matter what kind of treasure you're looking for, we will have it. If we don't, we'll know where you can find it."
"That'd be great!" Yuan said, and he continued, "We're looking to buy a Spirit Fruit."
"Spirit Fruit…?" Madam Feng looked at him with a dazed face, seemingly speechless.
Yuan immediately began feeling nervous after seeing Madam Feng's reaction, worried that it might not be available because of its rarity.
However, Madam Feng was thinking the complete opposite, as Spirit Fruits are pretty worthless in the Golden Phoenix Bazaar, where the treasures are usually worth 100 times more than Spirit Fruits.
"If it's only Spirit Fruits, I can offer some to you for free…" Madam Feng said to him a moment later.
"Really? Isn't it very expensive, though?" Yuan looked at her with wide eyes.
"Yes, it's my way of saying sorry for the trouble I've caused you three today." Madam Feng said. "And if I have to be honest, Spirit Fruits aren't that valuable in my eyes, as my shop sells things that are worth way more."
"Since you don't mind, I won't be humble," Yuan nodded his head.
"Please, follow me." Madam Feng said as she turned around and began walking away.
"Isn't this great, Yu Rou? We don't have to spend any money on the Spirit Fruit now," Yuan said to her as they followed Madam Feng.
"Un," she nodded.
A few minutes later, they entered this luxurious building that was somewhere in the middle of the Golden Phoenix Bazaar.
"Welcome back, Madam Feng. Welcome to the Phoenix Heaven, esteemed guests." The workers inside greeted them the moment they entered the building.
Madam Feng nodded her head before speaking to one of the workers there, "Bring me three Spirit Fruits and wrap them up nicely; it's for these esteemed guests."
"As you wish, Madam Feng." The worker bowed before walking away.
"Three Spirit Fruit? We only planned on buying one," Yuan said to her afterward.
"Don't worry about it, one or three— it doesn't make a difference to me," Madam Feng said to him with a smile, and then she suggested, "Anyway, it might take some time for them to wrap up the Spirit Fruits. Why don't I show you around the store while we are waiting?"
Hearing her words, Yuan nodded, and they proceeded to follow Madam Feng around the first floor of the building.
"How much are the treasures here usually worth? I don't see any price tags." Yuan suddenly asked her out of curiosity.
"The first floor mostly contains treasures worth between 10 million gold coins and 100 million gold coins," Madam Feng quickly responded to him.
"100 million gold coins…?" Yuan looked at her with a dazed face.
There appeared to be around six floors in this building, and if the first floor already contained treasures that are worth tens of millions of gold coins then he cannot imagine what kind of treasure they have on the top floors.
"What is this?" Yuan suddenly stopped in front of a display case that had a single red leaf inside, wondering how this is even a treasure.
"That's a Blood Leaf from the Devil's Forest— it's a rare treasure that requires 500 years to naturally grow," Madam Feng explained to him. "It's usually used in strengthening pills."
"Is that so…" Yuan mumbled in a low voice.
A few minutes later, they finished seeing all of the treasures on the first floor.
"Do you wish to see the other floors?" Madam Feng asked him afterward after noticing how much they were enjoying the tour, especially Yuan, whose eyes were essentially glowing with excitement.
"If you don't mind," Yuan said.
"Haha… Why would I?" Madam Feng laughed in a slightly awkward voice.
While she normally wouldn't allow strangers to the higher floors, there was simply nothing she could do when there was a Spirit King amongst them. Even if Yuan wanted to rob the entire building, Madam Feng could only stand there with a smile on her face while they rob the store.
However, since Yuan did not appear to be that kind of person, even feeling kind of pleasant to be around, Madam Feng wasn't too worried about showing them the treasures, or else she wouldn't even have suggested it in the first place.
Madam Feng brought Yuan and the others to the second floor a few moments later, but there appeared to be fewer display cases on the second floor compared to the first floor.
"How much are the treasures on this floor?" Yuan couldn't help but ask.
"Around 100 million gold coins to 200 million," she said with a smile.
"200 million…" Yuan could feel himself sweating just from hearing the enormous amount of wealth.
Madam Feng then continued, "The treasures on the third and fourth floor are worth around 200 million to 700 million."
"On the fifth floor, the treasures are all worth over one billion gold coins, but since the amount is so high, we normally accept only Spirit Crystal from that point forth."
"As for the sixth floor… Most of the treasures there are priceless, so we only accept trades with a similar value for it."
After seeing every treasure on the second floor, they continued onto the third floor.
"This is a Divine-grade sword?" Yuan gazed at the beautiful and sharp sword in the display case with admiration in his eyes.
"That sword is called 'Thousand Lords', and although it is only of low-quality, it is immensely powerful— to the point where even a Mortal would be able to cleave an entire mountain in half if they could wield it."
"Xiao Hua, at what cultivation level do I need to be in order to wield something like this?" Yuan decided to ask her.
"Brother Yuan should be able to wield Earth-grade treasures now, perhaps even low-quality Heaven-grade treasures. However, you'll need to reach Spirit Grandmaster before you can even consider wielding a Divine-grade treasure."
"Spirit Grandmaster… That's quite far away…" Yuan sighed.
After spending a few minutes on the third floor, right as they prepared to head onto the fourth floor, one of the workers there approached them with three luxurious-looking square boxes.
"Madam Feng, here are the Spirit Fruits you have requested."
Madam Feng accepted the Spirit Fruits before handing them to Yuan.
"Here you go, esteemed guests. It's not much, but please accept this small token from me."
"Thank you…" Yuan accepted the boxes with a humble expression on his face.
"Although you now have what you came for, do you still wish to see the other floors? I can see that you have a fascination for swords. Since that's the case, you'll definitely love what I have on the top floor." Madam Feng said to him afterward.
While she could just let Yuan leave now, she didn't want them to leave before she could create some sort of connection with them, especially with Xiao Hua, a Spirit King.
"Okay," Yuan immediately nodded, as he was also curious about the treasures on the higher floors.
87 Empyrean Overlord
After putting away the Spirit Fruits into his spatial ring, Yuan and the others followed Madam Feng to the fourth floor, where even fewer display cases were available.
"What kind of pill is this?" Yu Rou suddenly asked after seeing the reddish pill in the display case, as she cannot imagine how a single pill could possibly cost hundreds of millions of gold coins.
"That's the Spirit Advancement Pill; it can boost the cultivation base of any Cultivator before the Spirit Master realm by an entire realm— so nine levels." Madam Feng explained to her.
"An entire realm?! So I can reach the Spirit Warrior realm right now if I swallowed it?" Yu Rou asked, her voice filled with shock.
"Correct. However, you can only consume one of these in your lifetime, so most people would consume it at the first level Spirit Warrior realm so they can become a Spirit Master instantly."
"Wow… How much would one of these costs?" Yuan asked afterward.
"650 million gold coins," Madam Feng responded with a smile on her face.
"650 million?!" Yuan's jaw dropped. It didn't take him much effort or money to reach the fifth level Spirit Warrior realm, so the ridiculous price seemed unjustified in his eyes.
However, to the majority of Cultivators in this world that require months and even years of effort for a single breakthrough, if they could potentially save many years of their life with a single pill, the Spirit Advancement Pill was worth every penny if they could afford it.
After walking a circle around the fourth floor, Madam Feng brought them onto the fifth floor, where only seven items were being sold.
"Everything in here is worth over 1 billion gold coins…? I wonder what you can do with that amount of money in this world…" Yu Rou mumbled.
"Although one billion gold coins may seem like a lot, it's actually not as much as you are thinking. An average sect will earn and spend tens of millions of gold coins a month, whilst the bigger ones spend hundreds of millions of gold coins every month." Madam Feng said.
"But that's for an entire sect with thousands of people, right? I cannot imagine someone spending so much money on a single individual," Yu Rou shook her head.
"If you are talented enough, people will be willing to spend as much resource as needed. You will be surprised by how much resources wealthy families spend on their most talented children." Madam Feng said with a smile on her face.
"Let's take this Golden Spirit Silk for example. This Golden Spirit Silk is a very important ingredient for an extremely rare and powerful pill that will permanently increase an individual's cultivation speed. If you have a very talented individual in your family and enough money, would you be willing to spend it on this person, who will surely become a great figure in the future and earn much more than what you'd spent? There's really not much difference between investing in business hoping for a good return and investing in an individual hoping to maximize their growth."
"Investing into a person's future, huh?" Yu Rou turned to look at Yuan, who was considered to be one of the most talented child prodigies in history, and how much their family had invested into him before he became a cripple.
"Do you know of a herb called the Seven Colored Herb? How much do you think one of those would cost?" Yuan suddenly asked her, who appeared very experienced in prices for treasures.
"The Seven Colored Herb? Now that's a treasure everyone with a store in the Golden Phoenix Bazaar would covet even though they probably won't try to sell it. If I had one right now, it would be placed on the sixth floor, as they are extremely rare and priceless."
"Priceless, huh…" Yuan nodded.
"..."
Seeing his reaction, Madam Feng narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he had in his possession a Seven Colored Herb.
"Anyway, let's continue the tour." Madam Feng said a moment later, and they returned to looking at the display cases whilst Madam Feng explained to them the history and value for each of these treasures that are worth over a billion gold coins.
Sometime later, Madam Feng brought Yuan and the others onto the top floor in the building.
"There are only 3 items on this floor?" Yuan mumbled after seeing three thick display cases perfectly distanced from each other. However, unlike the previous transparent display cases, these display cases were completely black, resembling glasses that were tinted to the extreme.
"These display cases are protected by a powerful formation that can block even attacks from a Spirit Grandmaster such as myself," Madam Feng said to them.
Then she snapped her fingers, and one of the display cases suddenly became transparent again, allowing them to see the item inside.
"Is that… Is that a heart?" Yuan asked in a baffled voice after seeing the red pulsing object that resembled a beating heart.
"It's still beating, too!" Yu Rou exclaimed.
"Although it looks like this and closely resembles a heart, it is actually a Monster Core that once belonged to an extremely fearsome magical beast at the Spirit Grandmaster realm," Madam Feng said.
"A monster core?! This beating thing?!" Yuan's jaw dropped, as this is his first time seeing such a unique-looking monster core. Although he can eat normal monster cores without batting an eye, he will definitely have trouble putting something this disgusting into his mouth.
"The Spirit Grandmaster demonic beast was a special existence that had demonic blood flowing in its veins, hence why its monster core looks this way." Madam Feng said.
"Demons? How do they differ from magical beasts?" Yuan asked.
"Demons are extremely powerful and fearsome monsters that resemble humans but are neither human nor beasts— they are bloodthirsty entities with unknown origins, so we do not know how they came into existence. However, we do know that they are extremely powerful and feared by most people," she explained.
"I see…" Yuan nodded.
"Well, you won't find any demons in the Lower Heavens, though, as they are usually too powerful to exist here." Madam Feng said a moment later.
"Let's move onto the next item. I have a feeling that you'll really like it."
After snapping her fingers, the second display case revealed itself.
"This is… a sword?" Yuan looked at the beautiful yet fierce-looking sword in the long display case with admiration, and his hands quickly became itchy, as he had this strong urge to hold the sword.
"This is not your ordinary treasure— it's a Soul Weapon," Madam Feng said with a smile on her face. "And it's called the Empyrean Overlord."
"A Soul Weapon?" Yuan became even more interested after hearing that.
"Hm? Don't you also have a Soul Weapon, brother?" Yu Rou suddenly recalled.
"Eh?" Madam Feng looked at Yuan with wide eyes filled with surprise.
"Y-You also have a Soul Weapon? If you don't mind, can I see it?" she asked him a moment later in a trembling voice.
"Sure." Yuan nodded and retrieved the Starry Abyss the next second.
"Amazing! This is my first time encountering another individual with a Soul Weapon!" Madam Feng exclaimed, and she continued, "If you don't mind me asking, where did you obtain this beauty?"
"It was given to me by some people I helped," he said in a calm voice.
"I-It was given to you…?" Madam Feng mumbled in a trembling voice with a dazed expression on her beautiful face, wondering what kind of person would give away a Soul Weapon just because they had been helped by him?
"What about you? Where did you obtain this sword?" Yuan then asked her.
"I found this baby inside the Legacy Tomb of some powerful Cultivator five hundred years ago," Madam Feng said with a nostalgic feeling around her.
"Legacy Tomb? What's that?" Yuan tilted his head.
"They are essentially a Cultivator's graveyard, Brother Yuan. When a powerful Cultivator is near death but they want to pass down their legacy, they will create these areas to challenge those who wish to attain their legacy, and whoever passes the challenges will obtain all of that Cultivator's wealth," Xiao Hua explained to him.
"I'm more interested in how long ago you found it… 500 years? Do Cultivators really live that long?" Yu Rou said to Madam Feng with a dazed look on her face, as she cannot even imagine living past 150, much less 500.
"Yes, most Cultivators at the Spirit Grandmaster realm can live up to 1,000 years," Madam Feng said to her.
"1,000 years? Then what about a Spirit King?" Yu Rou asked as she turned to look at Xiao Hua.
"..." Xiao Hua's eyebrows immediately twitched, as she understood Yu Rou's intent on asking such a question.
"I'm not really sure, but they should have a longevity of at least 10,000 years…" Madam Feng answered with an innocent face.
"10,000 years?!" Yu Rou's jaw dropped, and her curiosity regarding Xiao Hua's age intensified.
"Anyway, even though I managed to obtain this Soul Weapon, I cannot use it, as it won't recognize me as its owner no matter what I did." Madam Feng sighed afterward.
"It won't recognize you…?" Yuan mumbled with a profound expression on his face.
When Xiao Hua saw this, she turned to look at Madam Feng before asking her, "Since the Soul Weapon is on display in this store, you are willing to sell it, right?"
Hearing her question, Madam Feng immediately nodded, "T-That's correct! Though, I am mostly looking to trade it for something of similar value… if you don't mind..."
Madam Feng spoke in a reserved voice, as her fear for Xiao Hua still lingered within her heart.
Meanwhile, Yuan stared at Xiao Hua whose intentions were clear as day with a surprised face, clearly speechless.
88 Trading for the Soul Weapon
"Xiao Hua… don't tell me you are going to…" Yuan looked at her with his eyes wide open.
Xiao Hua nodded and said, "Brother Yuan looked like he wanted to hold the sword, and Xiao Hua believes that she should invest in Brother Yuan's future, as there's no doubt that he'll become a great figure in the future."
"While it's true that I wanted to try holding the sword, it is an exaggeration to say that I want it…" Yuan said with a perplexed expression on his face.
However, Yu Rou said with a smile on her face, "There's no need to be humble, brother. You may be able to fool others but you cannot fool me. I know you want that sword, and as Xiao Hua said, you are worth the investment."
"Yu Rou… you…" Yuan shook his head at his little sister who'd betrayed him. The only reason why he refused the Soul Weapon was because he feared the enormous price that Xiao Hua might have to pay in order to obtain it for him.
"Anyway, what do you want in exchange for the Soul Weapon? Are you looking for something in particular?" Xiao Hua returned to Madam Feng.
"Honestly, I have been hoping to exchange the Empyrean Overlord for another Soul Weapon— one that I can use. However, I have had the Empyrean Overlord for over 500 years now, and there have been countless individuals interested in it, but alas, I have not met another individual with a Soul Weapon until today, and I doubt you would be willing to part with your current Soul Weapon." Madam Feng sighed.
"Weapons, huh? Although Xiao Hua does not have any Soul Weapon, she has plenty of treasures…" Xiao Hua then opened her spatial ring and began pulling out weapons one after another until the floor was littered with at least a dozen weapons, each emitting its own powerful aura.
"..."
Not just Madam Feng, but even Yu Rou and Yuan were staring at Xiao Hua with gawking expressions on their faces. Just how many treasures does she have?
"T-These are all…" Madam Feng's body trembled in excitement after feeling the auras coming from these treasures.
"They are all peak-quality Divine-grade treasures. Pick as many as you want for the Soul Weapon," Xiao Hua said with a calm expression on her face. Since she'd already planned on giving these weapons to Yuan in the future, it wouldn't make a difference if she traded them for another weapon that he'll be using.
"D-Divine-grade treasures…" Yu Rou's mouth salivated from the sight of so many endgame treasures.
A single one of these treasures would shake the entire world and its entire playerbase, yet there were over a dozen of them laying before her on the floor. If she'd posted this on the forums online, nobody would believe her even if they were beaten to death.
After a long moment of silence, Xiao Hua spoke, "You're not satisfied? If you cannot pick, Xiao Hua will exchange all of them for the Soul Weapon—"
"W-Wait a moment, Senior…" Madam Feng suddenly said in a trembling voice, "I-I am just speechless. A single one of these treasures could easily fetch over 500 million gold coins… And you're willing to exchange a dozen of them for the Soul Weapon…? That'll make me look like I am trying to take advantage of you!"
"Then what do you want for the Soul Weapon?" Xiao Hua asked her again, seemingly annoyed that she cannot make up her mind.
"Then if you don't mind, I will take these three Divine-grade treasures…" Madam Feng picked three of the Divine-grade weapons off the floor and showed them to Xiao Hua.
"Okay." Xiao Hua nodded her head without hesitation, as she wouldn't have minded even if Madam Feng wanted all of them since Soul Weapons are truly priceless.
Once Madam Feng accepted the Divine-grade weapons, Xiao Hua returned the rest into her spatial ring.
Meanwhile, Madam Feng retrieved the Empyrean Overlord from the display case and handed it to Yuan. "Thank you for doing business with Phoenix Heaven, esteemed guests."
"This is the Empyrean Overlord…" Yuan held the massive sword that was nearly his height with both of his hands, barely keeping it from falling due to its immense weight.
"T-This is much heavier than I'd expected…" Yuan exclaimed afterward.
"Well, it weighs over 1,000 jins, not to mention the Soul Weapon hasn't recognized you as its master yet. If you can control it, it should become as light as a feather." Madam Feng said.
And then she continued, "Oh, I forgot to ask you this, but have you been acknowledged by your other Soul Weapon?"
"Eh? Does that matter?" Yuan asked her.
"Un," she nodded and continued, "Most people can only contract one Soul Weapon at a time unless they have a strong soul. However, even if one has the capability to control two Soul Weapons at once, there's a high chance that the Soul Weapons would reject each other, as most Soul Weapons do not like sharing their resources."
"Sharing their resources?" Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Soul Weapons grow with their owners, but if you have two Soul Weapons, it's only logical that they will have to share that experience, slowing down their growth by half." Madam Feng explained to him.
"I had no idea it would be like that… and yes, I am already contracted with the Starry Abyss," Yuan said to her. "It would suck if I am unable to contract it because of the Starry Abyss since I like them both equally."
"Well… there's no harm in trying. If it doesn't work out, I don't mind giving you a refund," Madam Feng said.
"Don't worry, Brother Yuan. With your talents, you'll have no trouble controlling two Soul Weapons at once!" Xiao Hua said to him.
"That's right, brother. Don't underestimate yourself." Yu Rou patted his back for encouragement.
Yuan nodded and laid the sword on the floor. He then poked a hole in his finger with the Starry Abyss before squeezing a drop of his blood onto the sword.
The moment his blood touched the Empyrean Overlord, it immediately began trembling. However, it was not just the Empyrean Overlord that had a reaction to Yuan's blood, as Madam Feng suddenly felt a shiver going down her spine.
'This smell is…?' Madam Feng unconsciously raised her eyebrows after smelling an indescribable fragrance that had suddenly appeared in the room and instantly attracted her attention.
Meanwhile, the Empyrean Overlord on the floor suddenly began levitating off the floor.
"Oh?" Yuan became excited after seeing the Empyrean Overlord reacting the same way the Starry Abyss had when he contracted it.
The Starry Abyss in his grasp also suddenly began trembling, almost as though it was trying to communicate with the Empyrean Overlord.
After an entire minute had passed with both Soul Weapons trembling nonstop, they suddenly stopped moving.
Another moment later—
\u003cCongratulations! The Empyrean Overlord has recognized you as its owner!\u003e
\u003cEmpyrean Overlord\u003e
\u003cLevel: 0\u003e
\u003cRank: Soul Weapon\u003e
\u003cGrowth Rate: Very Slow\u003e
\u003cRequirement: ???\u003e
\u003cDescription: A mythical sword once wielded by the Sword Emperor. It can be as light as a feather or as heavy as a star\u003e
"It worked! The contract worked! It recognized me as its Master!" Yuan shouted in excitement after seeing the notification.
"Congratulations, Brother Yuan." Xiao Hua said to him without much surprise on her face.
"See? There's nothing you cannot do, brother." Yu Rou said with a smile on her face.
However, as they were celebrating, Madam Feng suddenly moved and approached Yuan.
"What's wrong, Madam Feng?" Yuan asked her when she got extremely close to him.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot control myself right now…" Madam Feng spoke as she suddenly grabbed Yuan's hand that was still bleeding slightly and lifted it towards her own face.
"Aaaah…"
Madam Feng took a deep breath with an elated expression on her face before she opened her mouth and shoved Yuan's bleeding finger into her own mouth, shocking everybody there.
"M-Madam Feng?!" Yuan exclaimed, yet he couldn't remove his arm when he tried, as he was being tightly held by a Spirit Grandmaster, and he could feel Madam Feng sucking on his finger— or more precisely, his blood.
"W-What are you doing to my brother?!" Yu Rou also cried out loud, her eyes wide with shock.
However, almost as though she was in a trance, Madam Feng ignored everything around her and continued sucking on Yuan's finger with an enchanted expression on her face, looking like she was charmed by the taste of his blood.
"Get away from Brother Yuan!" Xiao Hua waved her sleeves with a frown on her small and round face, forcing Madam Feng off the terrified Yuan.
"Thank god my finger is still here!" Yuan sighed in relief after seeing that his finger, albeit wet with Madam Feng's saliva, was still intact.
After a long moment of awkward silence, Madam Feng finally snapped out of her daze, and when she realized what she'd just done, she immediately kowtowed on the floor with her face flushed with redness, "I-I-I am so sorry! I don't know what happened to me just now! Something about your blood had attracted me, and I unconsciously…! I swear I didn't do it on purpose!"
"My blood…?" Yuan looked at her wet finger with raised eyebrows. Why would his blood attract her? Unless Madam Feng turned out to be a vampire, there was no logical explanation behind her actions just now.
"Please! Believe me! I really don't know what happened just now!" Madam Feng continued to beg for forgiveness.
"It's fine… I was just a little surprised, that's all…" Yuan said with a smile on his face.
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