It was man and a lady. The both of them carried a dignified air around them.
The lady walking in front was dressed in light-yellow, tight-fitting clothes that outlined her beautiful figure. Her long, black hair that fell on her shoulder contrasted with her fair skin, and she had a slender waist where one could easily hold. Her outer appearance was in no way beneath that of Mo Yu or Zhao Feiwu.
The man beside her seemed to be in his thirties. He had a broad figure with a well-defined face. There was a hint of authoritativeness etched between his brows, indicating that he was likely to be a person of high standing.
Nevertheless, Zhang Xuan wasn’t interested in the other party’s appearance. In terms of beauty, there was no one who could compare up to Zhao Ya, and Mo Yu and Zhao Feiwu were top-notch beauties as well. Yet, he didn’t pay much heed to the three of them, so of course he wouldn’t gawk at a lady whom he didn’t recognize.
But taking a look at the other party’s cultivation, he was shocked.
Even though the two of them were young, their cultivation was exceptional. They gave a feeling reminiscent of the deep ocean or endless abyss; they were definitely stronger than Hong shi.
“Transcendent Mortal 6-dan?”
Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up.
Of the twenty-eight regional powers, even the strongest expert hadn’t reached Transcendent Mortal 6-dan. Yet, just by walking around town, he had already met with two of them. Not to mention, the both of them were extremely young as well. As expected of Huanyu Capital, it was indeed filled with experts.
As expected, the might of the capital far exceeded that of the Vassal States.
“There’s no need for it. If you’re bored, you can return first!” the beautiful lady replied impassively, snubbing the other party’s goodwill. From the look of it, the duo didn’t seem to be close.
“Hehe, how could I possibly be bored? If you wish to look around, I’ll accompany you!” The man laughed awkwardly.
The duo continued walking around the shelves to take a look. Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered with the duo anymore, and he continued browsing through the items.
To awaken the Emperor’s Bloodline, he would require the blood essence or inner core of spirit beasts with similar attributes, or some unique medicinal herb, ore, and such. But these items were extremely rare and finding them was no easy task.
“Purpledawn Pearl? This artifact can cleanse the dirt from the person carrying it, thus making them immaculate!”
Zhang Xuan’s eyes fell on a round pearl.
He had read a record of it before. It was a peculiar artifact that specialized neither in offense nor defense, but even so, it was an accessory that cultivators liked to carry around.
After all, the one wearing it could keep their clothes in pristine condition, thus maintaining a glowing appearance even without bathing.
“To think that this item would actually be a ‘2’ as well…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
To think that a seventh level painting would be of the same price at this item.
It seemed like the Mystical Treasure Hall didn’t arrange artifacts by value but by rarity.
While a Purpledawn Pearl couldn’t be said to be a necessity for cultivators, it was an extremely rare artifact, and it was deeply fancied by most ladies.
After all, given the broad continent, a single flight could easily take days, and during which, one would be unable to bathe. The feeling of being dirty would feel incredibly uncomfortable to some. However, with this artifact, one could remain clean at all moments; needless to say a month or two, even if one were to walk around in the same clothes for an entire year, one’s appearance would still be immaculate.
It was highly-valued precisely because of its rarity.
Even so, part of the reason why it was priced equally with the painting was also because paintings were impractical in battle. As such, its value was beneath that of weapons and other practical mystical artifacts.
However, this restriction was only limited for paintings up to the seventh level. Once a painting reached the eighth level or even higher, it would gain the ability to realize illusions. For example, some of the more formidable paintings could even form a massive city that could trap a cultivator within it for an eternity to come. As such, the value of eighth level paintings was immeasurable.
Every single occupation that had been officially recognized by the Master Teacher Pavilion wields immense might upon reaching its pinnacle. Ordinary men can’t hope to stand against such mystical abilities.
Taking the Celestial Chess for example, it was said that those who had reached the highest level in it would be able to manipulate the world as though it were their chessboard. Taking the stars as the stones, they could maneuver the essence of the world and reverse yin and yang.
However… it was a pity that what Hong shi received was an incomplete manual. Even the inheritance from the puppet was incomplete, thus making it impossible to unleash such might.
Looking on, Zhang Xuan soon browsed through all artifacts in the second floor, but he was still unable to find anything suitable. Thus, along with the other two, they proceeded up to the third floor.
The artifacts on the third floor were much more valuable. The labeling of each artifact was no longer uniform; some were labeled with a ‘3’, some a ‘4’, and some a ‘5’.
Walking along the shelves, Zhang Xuan saw a sixth level painting labeled ‘4’. It was even more expensive than the seventh level painting from before!
Perplexed, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before coming to a realization.
Even though this painting might be a tier lower than the previous one seen, it was a masterpiece left behind by a very famous painter in Huanyu Empire. This piece was said to be a magnum opus that he put his final breath into drawing after suffering fatal injuries in a duel. Contained within it was the lingering will and resentment of a 5-star painter, thus making it exceptionally valuable. Naturally, its price would also be marked up to reflect that.
“Hmm? This is a Spirit intermediate-tier pinnacle sword?”
Soon, Zhang Xuan saw a weapon on the shelf.
His swordsmanship was impressive, but he had never been able to find a suitable weapon. If he could wield one fitting of his current cultivation, his fighting prowess would surely soar significantly.
This sword was even higher ranked than the ones he had seen at Honghai City. Its sharp, cold gleam could induce a freezing sensation in those that set its eyes upon it.
“Glacier Rain Sword, 6!”
Such was written on the goatskin label beneath it.
“It is actually worth six points?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.
He had seen many Spirit intermediate-tier weapons in the shop, but those were only labeled ‘1’. Yet, this sword was actually priced at ‘6’, wasn’t this a little way too exaggerated?
Sensing Zhang Xuan’s doubt, an attendant walked over to him and explained, “Gongzi, this sword was personally forged by Master Blacksmith Hu Qingzi, and it is an ‘Upgradable Artifact’. It can undergo another round of tempering, thus making it incomparably valuable. It is nothing like those ordinary weapons displayed below!”
“Upgradable Artifact?” Zhang Xuan froze for a moment before nodding his head.
While he had never officially learned smithing before, he had collected quite a few books on the topic, and he knew of the various jargons in it.
Typically, a weapon was considered to be complete once its form became fixed. If one were to put it through another round of tempering, there was a good chance it might lose its sharpness and be rendered useless.
But Upgradable Artifacts were different. If one were to find better ores in the future, one could meld it into the artifact during the tempering process, thus raising the weapon’s quality and possibly its tier.
In other words, while this artifact might be a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon at the moment, it was impossible to predict how strong it could become in the future. In that sense, it was indeed worthy of its pricing of ‘6’.
“Hmm? The inner core of a Great River Snake?”
While Zhang Xuan was interested in the sword, he wasn’t in a rush to obtain it. Instead, he continued looking on, but right after he barely took two steps, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Placed on a shelf not too far away was a round inner core of a spirit beast. It was crimson in color, and it exuded a searing aura.
The inner core of a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast, Great River Snake.
The Great River Snake was a spirit beast that lives in marshlands in mountain valleys. It had thick scales that granted it incredible defensive capability. But while its body was cold as though metal, its inner core was fiery like coal, leaving one with a sensation as though one would be incinerated.
“The Great River Snake possesses the Dragon Bloodline, so it should be able to awaken Yuan Tao’s Emperor’s Bloodline!”
Zhang Xuan smiled.
While the Great River Snake was considered to be a type of snake, it possessed the bloodline of a flood dragon. On top of that, it was also a spirit beast possessing superior defensive ability, which was aligned with the Emperor’s Bloodline.
Lowering his glance to take a look, he saw the label on the goatskin: ‘Inner Core of a Great River Snake, 10!’
“Ten points… But it’s indeed worth this much!”
Only a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert could hunt and procure the inner core of a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast. As such, it was no surprise that it would be labeled ten.
‘I’ll be taking this!’ Zhang Xuan made an internal decision. ‘However, the searing aura of the inner core is too strong, and I’ll need some medicinal herbs to mediate its properties. I wonder if I can find anything suitable here!’
Having found something suitable for Yuan Tao, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. He continued to browse through the shop in hopes of finding a medicinal herb with mediating properties when a faint voice suddenly sounded.
“I want this Sorrow Severing Grass. How much is it?”
It was the voice of a female. Glancing over, it was the dashing man and beautiful lady he had met back on the second floor. Unbeknownst to Zhang Xuan, the both of them had come up to the third floor as well.
“Sorrow Severing Grass?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.
Sorrow Severing Grass was a medicinal herb possessing cold attribute. It had a gentle nature, and it was exceptionally potent in neutralizing fiery properties. On top of that, it nourished and formed a layer of protection around one’s inner organs and meridians, thus making it the best possible medicinal herb to go along with the inner core of Great River Snake.
“Replying this lady over here, our Mystical Treasure Hall doesn’t sell our treasure through normal means. If you wish to purchase anything, you will have to earn points and trade for it.”
The attendant managing the third floor quickly hurried over and explained.
“Points? What do you mean by points?” The young man beside her frowned.
“Our Mystical Treasure Hall has two rows of stone pillars on the fourth floor, and sealed within them are artifacts of all kinds. If one successfully identifies them within the time limit, one will be given points. The more artifacts one recognizes, the more points one earns…” The attendant quickly went through the rules.
It was exactly the same as how Sun Qiang described it, but it was even more detailed.
“How troublesome! But since it’s just identifying artifacts, there should be no problem at all!”
Hearing that there’s such a complex procedure in work here, the young man frowned. But following which, his face beamed with confidence, and he turned to the lady before him and said, “Sixth… Young Mistress, wait here for a moment. I’ll bring some points to you right now!”
A look of displeasure flashed across the face of the lady known as the Sixth Young Mistress upon hearing her companion’s words.
“I don’t need your help. I’ll earn the points myself!”
Waving her hands, she turned to the attendant and said, “Lead the way. I wish to take a look!”
“Yes!”
Seeing that someone was interested in challenging the stone pillars, the attendant quickly led the duo up to the next floor.
“Let’s follow them!”
Zhang Xuan beckoned for the other two.
The aim of his visit here was to find something to awaken Yuan Tao’s unique constitution, and to procure those items, he would need to earn points as well.
Following behind the attendant’s group on to the fourth floor, a vast room appeared before him. Dozens of stone pillars were placed neatly in two rows in the middle. They had a smooth exterior, and it was impossible to tell how it was carved. There were a few people shaking their heads before the stone pillars, depressed.
“There’s no need to be depressed, it’s fine to not identify anything!”
The chuckle of an old man sounded in front.
It seemed like these fellows who were shaking their heads had challenged the stone pillars only to end in failure.
Zhang Xuan glanced over and realized that they were wearing the robe of their occupation-appraiser. In fact, two of them were even 4-star appraisers!
Considering how even a 4-star appraiser failed in this challenge, it seemed like this test wasn’t as easy as it looked.
“Hall Master, these two wish to challenge the stone pillars as well!”
The attendant walked over to the old man and gestured to the young man and young lady.
This old man was the hall master of the Mystical Treasure Hall, Gan Yiping.
“Alright…” Gan Yiping nodded. Turning his head over, he smiled. “I’ll have to trouble you to pay the deposit first!”
Zhang Xuan froze for a moment before a sheepish expression covered his face.
‘Deposit? Right, I forgot that I don’t have any money to pay the deposit…’
