The night was as dark as ink, deep and lonely.
In the brightly lit lobby of Lin Zixuan's villa in Linzhou, Nie Jiuxuan respectfully sought Horn's advice on alchemy. Each time Horn offered a few casual instructions, Nie Jiuxuan seemed to gain sudden insight.
Wang Menglu, observing her master's delight, struggled to hide her regret. She couldn't help but wonder what might have been if she had taken Horn as her own disciple.
Noticing Nie Jiuxuan lost in thought again, Horn addressed Tang Yuxin: "Yuxin, it's getting late. You should go upstairs and rest."
Tang Yuxin shook her head. "I'm not tired."
Horn suddenly remembered something. "Yuxin, without a storage ring, it must be inconvenient for you to carry things around. I'll give you one."
At these words, Lin Zixuan and Jiang Wan, who had been chatting, immediately looked up. Only Mr. Wei and Mr. Qiao had storage rings, which they had acquired with great effort.
Realizing their interest, Horn casually remarked, "Do you want one too?"
Both Lin Zixuan and Jiang Wan nodded, acknowledging the inconvenience of not having a storage ring. In Xia Country, even the most basic storage rings were extraordinarily expensive, and money alone might not secure one.
Horn waved his hand, and the storage ring on his finger glowed. Soon, hundreds of storage rings appeared on the table in the hall.
During his two thousand years in the Immortal World, Horn had collected tens of thousands of storage rings, all of the highest quality. Now, he casually displayed a few hundred.
"Take your pick. Everyone here can choose one."
The air in the hall seemed to freeze. Except for Horn, who remained indifferent, everyone else was visibly stunned.
Wang Menglu couldn't help but ask, "Horn, are these really storage rings?"
Horn nodded casually.
The room fell into silence once more. The combined value of hundreds of such rings was beyond their comprehension.
Mr. Wei, after regaining his composure, said, "Senior Su, I already have a storage ring, so I won't choose another."
Mr. Qiao, though not greedy, asked, "Senior Su, how much space do these storage rings hold?"
Horn replied nonchalantly, "The smallest storage rings here have over 10,000 square meters of space and are nearly 20 meters high."
The hall fell silent, with only the sound of breathing filling the space. Mr. Wei and Mr. Qiao swallowed nervously. Lin Zixuan's villa was just over a thousand square meters, so Horn's storage rings offered at least ten times that space. In Xia Kingdom, even Mr. Wei and Mr. Qiao's rings were no more than the size of a small room in Lin Zixuan's villa, and yet Horn's rings made theirs seem like mere trinkets.
Mr. Qiao, still processing the information, tentatively asked, "Senior Su, may I take one?"
Horn nodded, and Mr. Qiao carefully selected a ring. Upon inspection, the space inside was indeed as vast as Horn had described. Overwhelmed, Mr. Qiao said, "Senior Su, this storage ring is incredibly valuable. If it were auctioned, it would astonish the world."
"I'm honored to receive it!" he added with a trembling voice.
Horn responded calmly, "If you like it, keep it. Additionally, each storage ring has unique enhancements for monks."
He pointed to the ring in Mr. Qiao's hand. "This particular ring can increase your attack power by six times. Just drop some blood on it to bond with it."
Mr. Qiao and the others were astonished. They had only known storage rings as storage tools, never imagining they could also enhance a monk's abilities.
With excitement building, Mr. Qiao couldn't refuse. He removed his old storage ring and placed Horn's ring on his left index finger. After pricking his right thumb and letting his blood seep into the ring, he closed his eyes to bond with it.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes, his face alight with excitement. "Senior Su, I need to test it in the front yard."
Horn nodded. The others followed Mr. Qiao outside.
They watched as Mr. Qiao punched the night sky without hesitation.
Bang——
A violent explosion erupted in the sky, causing ripples to spread high above. The surrounding ground shook violently, and cracks formed like spider webs. Such power from a casual punch was unprecedented for Mr. Qiao, who was only in the early stage of the Creation Realm.
Mr. Qiao, trembling with excitement, exclaimed, "My attack power has truly increased six times—perhaps even more! This is incredible!"
The others, awestruck, held their breath.
Mr. Qiao grinned at Mr. Wei. "Mr. Wei, you missed a huge opportunity by not choosing one of Senior Su's rings!"
Mr. Wei's face turned a shade of discomfort.
Returning to the hall, Mr. Qiao bowed repeatedly to Horn. "Senior Su, from now on, my life is yours."
Mr. Wei, following behind, rubbed his hands nervously and looked at Horn with an embarrassed expression.
"Alright," Horn said. "Take your pick."
Horn's words were like celestial music to Mr. Wei. He bowed and thanked Horn repeatedly. "Thank you, Senior Su. Thank you, Senior Su..."
After Horn's casual wave, he turned to Lin Zixuan and the others. "Don't be dazed. Choose one each!"
Still in disbelief, Lin Zixuan and the others carefully selected from the hundreds of rings. Even the least impressive among them would be considered exceptional elsewhere.
They each took a ring, marveling at their fortune.