Throughout the various warrior nations, Blood Stones were undoubtedly one of the most prized and contested resources. They also happened to be scarce, so scarce in fact that the discovery of Bloodstone Mines often led to massive and horrible wars.
This couldn't be helped. After all, to warriors, Blood Stones were not just a currency, but the most reliable of cultivation resources available.
At Blood Purification, warriors relied on internal and external reserves of Blood Energy to extract the impurities in their bloodlines and perfect them to the highest level.
At the Sacred Bone realm, they relied on Blood Energy to transform their skeleton by condensing an extra set of bones that would supply them with a massive boost in agility, offensive and defensive powers.
At the Congenital realm, they awoke their meridians, enabling a much larger absorption and retention of Blood Energy. By relying on their meridians, body refiners could cultivate their flesh, bones, organs and blood to extreme levels, but had to be careful to not exceed the capacity of their meridians to avoid bursting into blood and gore.
It, therefore, becomes obvious that, at each realm of body refinement, a steady supply of Blood Energy is of vital importance to avoid a stagnation of the warrior's progress. And Blood Stones were exactly that, crystallized stones of Blood Energy that most warriors relied on as their primary external source of Blood Energy.
In general, Sacred Bone realm warriors earned about 25 Blood Stones per month. Congenital realm warriors earned about 200 per month. Path Seekers earned 1,200, and Dharma Body realm powerhouses took home 6,000. But tragically, warriors all had to spend about 80% of their earnings on cultivation-related matters, meaning that even those Dharma Body powerhouses struggled to save over 1,200 Blood Stones per month.
But out of nowhere, a boy appeared, throwing 9,000 Blood Stones into the sky for three VIP tokens!
Even Zi Shou, a prince of the royal family, had never seen anyone act so carelessly with Blood Stones.
'Men of different levels do face different realities.' Taotie, who knew that Huan Yi had over 300 million Blood Stones at his disposal, and a net worth in the billions, couldn't understand all the fuss over a paltry sum of 9,000 stones.
How did he acquire this wealth? Simple. Due to his Immeasurable World Bloodline, Huan Yi's body contained an infinitely vast world that enabled him to store virtually anything. There, the Demon Child conserved the wealth of the 300 demons that had attempted to coerce him into going back to the Demon Realm.
Aware of the risks that the Heaven Rejecting Formation carried, those demons only brought a modest sum of one million Blood Stones each, alongside a couple of weapons to be prepared for unexpected scenarios, and treasures to not greet the Demon Child empty-handed.
To those ancient fiends that stood at the top of the Demon Realm, that wealth was equal to spare change. But once combined in the Extreme Plateau, it became a fortune large enough to buy countries.
"Is there a problem?" Bored by the audience's reaction, Huan Yi broke the silence, making the audience realize how insignificant those Blood Stones were in his eyes.
"No problem! No problem! However, young master, VIP tokens are not enough for you. I will give you the Jade Token that we only offer to dukes and kings for the rare occasions that they need our services. With that token, you can bring in as many people as you want. All the drinks and dishes in this establishment automatically become free for you, and you can also have fun with as many Iron and Bronze-Grade girls as you like.
As for the Silver-Grade girls, you don't have to pay the fee to meet or dine with them, but anything else needs to be discussed with the matrons. Also, whenever a Gold-Grade auction takes place, we will notify you through the token so that you can participate. There are many other perks that I am not allowed to disclose. You can learn about them by pouring your Blood Energy into the token." The lady rattled off, her cheeks turning red and her eyes shining as if the idol of her dreams had just dropped from the sky.
Hearing the perks being disclosed, the men in line, many of them aristocrats, turned green from envy. The invitation to the Gold-Grade auction, especially, made them want to put Huan Yi's head on a pike—because only in Gold-Grade auctions did the Dream Mansion reveal the Golden-Blooded girls it "acquired" and trained for sale.
"Thank you." Receiving the Jade Token from the lady's hands, Huan Yi said, then motioned for Taotie and Zi Shou to follow.
"Y-young master, I wasn't joking. You…can fuck me dead. If you want to…of course!" As the trio walked by, the lady reached out, presenting Huan Yi with her handkerchief. It was as if her brain had been fried and she forgot that she was addressing herself to a boy. But then again, who could blame her?
Even in the worst-case scenario, a boy that could offer 9,000 Blood Stones for entrance tokens likely possessed a supreme background. The slaves of such people still led better lives than royal princes.
Unfortunately…
"…" Though Huan Yi maintained his enchanting smile, he ignored the woman completely, walking into the building. Responding to the Jade Token, the gate opened wide, giving the trio access.
But if Huan Yi planned to ignore the woman, Taotie didn't.
"Too plain. You do not meet my master's standards," Taotie said, and as she entered the audience's sight, the men had to agree that with such a bombshell serving him, that young master couldn't be satisfied by a lady that didn't even qualify as a Bronze-Grade girl.
Embarrassed by Taotie, but not daring to refute the words, the lady lowered her head, trembling as she held on to her dress.
'Don't let her words bring you down. You are a beautiful woman. We're just not compatible. Cultivate this technique, and within three years, you will become a match for me.' Huan Yi told the lady in a mental message, and as her eyes lit up, the Demon Child shared with her the mnemonics of a technique taken straight from the Manuscript of Forbidden Secrets:
The Fleeting Life Sutra.
By cultivating that ancient forbidden technique, anyone, man or woman, could obtain eternal youth, peerless looks, formidable speed and overwhelming strength.
However, there was a catch. Whoever cultivated that technique would turn into dust after 16 years.
The plain-looking lady didn't know that. And perhaps even if she knew, she wouldn't care. The Fleeting Life Sutra became her hope of one day being accepted by this divine young master.
'Little prince, this is your first lesson: anyone that tells you that money doesn't buy people is a scumbag. Half the people in this world have a price tag, they just don't want to admit it. Find the price, put it at their feet, and some of them will even find ways to convince themselves that they're in love with you.
That...is why you should never chase bitches. Chase the stacks, chase the cash, and the bitches will follow,' Huan Yi said, making Zi Shou meditate on words that went against all that his master, Wen Tianhua, ever taught him.