Word Count: 2,706 Words
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The withered old stall owner stared at the two tier 8 pills before him. Both had drawn three-colored Pill Lightning, and their quality was superb. The line he had been about to spit out, "If you think it's expensive, don't buy it," lodged in his throat like a fishbone.
Because he had deliberately jacked up the price!
He had been waiting for Xiao Yan to haggle so he could sneer a few words in return. He had never expected the man to simply flick his sleeve and send out two jade boxes, practically slapping them across his face!
Xiao Yan picked up the Seven-Colored Origin Stone and casually weighed it in his palm before tossing it to Cai Lin as if it were nothing. Cai Lin's eyes widened as she hurriedly caught it. His pretentious display left her speechless. She could only give him an exasperated look.
Xiao Yan simply smiled and pulled her into his arms, his hand sliding around her supple, serpentine waist. He glanced at the stall owner with a grin. "To earn a beauty's smile, no price is too high."
The withered old man was so furious that smoke practically poured from his ears. If not for one of the spatial trade fair's ironclad rules stating that once a trade was completed there could be no returns and no regrets, whether you had picked up a bargain or overpaid, he would have refused to sell to Xiao Yan at all!
Those black-pearl eyes of his practically had the word 'RICH' written across them!
And in truth, Xiao Yan's wealth had indeed soared to absurd heights. Across the entire Dou Qi Continent, everyone took it for granted that alchemists made money, let alone one like Xiao Yan who possessed multiple Heavenly Flames. With an ancient medicinal forest at his disposal, calling his profits 'huge returns from small investments' was an understatement. He was making enormous returns from no investment at all!
Trading? What trading? The Tenth Tianzun had come here to stock up!
Xiao Yan swaggered away from the stall with his arm still around Cai Lin's waist, not even asking why she needed the Seven-Colored Origin Stone.
"Aren't you going to ask why we overpaid for this?" Cai Lin's beautiful eyes shifted toward him. The stone had cost considerably more than its market value. After all, a Seven-Colored Origin Stone was essentially the condensed blood and essence of a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, useful for enhancing serpent bloodlines but not usually worth such a price.
Xiao Yan shrugged. "If you like it, we buy it. You've contributed so much to the Yan Alliance. Without you fighting campaign after campaign, the Yan Alliance wouldn't be what it is today. Am I really going to whine about paying for something that boosts your strength?"
Even someone as composed as Cai Lin felt a warm current flow quietly through her heart at those words. Money truly could move people! But with her temperament, there was no way she would act coquettish in public.
Instead, she extended a slender jade finger, pinched his ear, and said with feigned aloofness, "Then should I follow Feng Qing Er's example and say, 'Thank you, Master'?"
"Ow, ow, ow! Let's skip 'Master.' You can call me 'husband' instead."
To outsiders, this was clearly the playful bickering of a married couple, and it unwittingly drew another wave of resentful envy.
Cai Lin quickly let go and lowered her eyes to examine the Seven-Colored Origin Stone in her hand. After a moment she said, "Actually, we didn't overpay this time."
"Oh?" Xiao Yan looked at her with interest. He had originally assumed she wanted to buy resources because his cultivation now far outstripped hers and she wanted to catch up. He hadn't expected this to be a hidden prize!
"Most people only know that a Seven-Colored Origin Stone can form where a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's body has fallen, when its blood and flesh condense into essence. What they don't know is that if more than a hundred Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons die in the same place at the same time, there's a chance an Eight-Colored, or even Nine-Colored Origin Stone will be born."
Xiao Yan paused at that. There were only two Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons in the entire world right now, and even in ancient times, they had been royalty among their kind. How could a hundred of them possibly have perished in the same place?
But realization came quickly. The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had their Dragon Tomb, which was far more than a simple cemetery. It held extremely dense dragon aura. Following that logic, the former Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe likely had something similar.
The Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe had vanished, but their tomb or lair might still be buried somewhere, producing exactly this kind of precious treasure… and Cai Lin had stumbled upon it.
"Most people only know of Seven-Colored Origin Stones. They don't realize that above seven colors, there are eight and nine. If my bloodline hadn't advanced, even I couldn't have sensed it through blood resonance," Cai Lin said with a faint smile. If she could obtain an Eight-Colored Origin Stone, her bloodline could upgrade again, advancing her to an Eight-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. Breaking through to Dou Saint would become much easier then.
Perhaps she might even surpass this fellow again.
Even Xiao Yan swallowed hard at the mention of nine-colored bloodlines. As an alchemist, how could he not understand what nine colors represented?
Tier 9 Treasure Pills attracted Black Demon Lightning. Black was the eighth color. Tier 9 Golden Pills, however, attracted golden lightning. That was the ninth color!
Tier 9 Golden Pills were designed for high-level Dou Saints, and the might of the golden lightning they drew rivaled a high-level Dou Saint's full-force strike!
High-level Dou Saints! Even among the Dou God Clans, they sat at the very top of the pyramid!
The super-royalty of the Heaven Swallowing Pythons!
One could only imagine the heights a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python could reach.
Xiao Yan dragged Cai Lin into a secluded side alley, folded his Spiritual Strength into a screen to block prying senses, and lowered his voice. "Quick, check it. Eight or nine?"
Cai Lin's heart burned with excitement as well. The floor was eight. The jackpot was nine!
Time to reveal the prize!
"To determine how many colors this kind of origin stone has, you have to use the blood of a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python."
Her fingernail sliced across her jade-like finger. A drop of fresh blood fell onto the origin stone. On the stone's smooth surface, behind the seventh colored line, another colored stripe slowly wriggled into existence.
A low hum sounded as Cai Lin's blood touched the stone. A beautiful rainbow rose from its surface, and a jet-black light shot up, merging into the arc. Unfortunately, that dazzling gold Xiao Yan was hoping for did not appear.
"An Eight-Colored Origin Stone."
Xiao Yan felt somewhat disappointed. If this had been a Nine-Colored Origin Stone, Cai Lin would truly have struck it rich this time. Still, he knew he was being greedy. Eight colors was already excellent. Properly used, it would give her strength an enormous boost. Though separated by only a single color, the energy contained within an eight-colored stone versus a seven-colored one was worlds apart.
"Heh, that old fellow wanted to scam me, but he never saw this coming." He couldn't help laughing as he thought of the stall owner's sour face. He hadn't expected to score such a windfall the moment he arrived at the spatial trade fair!
"Come on, let's buy something for Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai too. If we go back without presents, they'll hold it against us for life," Xiao Yan added with a smile. Even while teasing Cai Lin, he hadn't forgotten his two daughters.
"Mm." Cai Lin lifted the stone, ready to store it away, when an extremely faint thread of gold suddenly flickered from within the origin stone.
The golden glow was so weak it almost didn't exist, but Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength still caught it.
"Wait! There's gold in it!"
The instant that faint golden hue appeared, even Cai Lin's calm expression shattered into one of astonishment and unrestrained joy.
"The gold is still very weak, but it's actually reached nine colors!" Xiao Yan's eyes went wide. Apart from the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragment, this Nine-Colored Origin Stone was probably the greatest treasure in the entire spatial trade fair!
But he quickly suppressed his elation and said gravely, "We need to plan this carefully. It wasn't born complete at nine colors; it'll need outside help to make up for that."
Cai Lin nodded heavily. This stone alone, not yet fully at nine colors, couldn't elevate her bloodline to that of a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. Other materials would be needed to complete it.
They would have to approach this from the long view.
They had only just stepped out of the alley when they spotted Ya Fei and Qing Lin walking toward them from not far away.
Ya Fei's lips curved into a smile when she saw Xiao Yan. "Little Brother Xiao Yan, we didn't find any Tian Class Qi Methods, but we did discover two Tian Class Dou Techniques."
"So few? I thought there would be lots."
Ya Fei could only feel amused and helpless at his complaint. "You think Tian Class Dou Techniques grow on cabbage stalks? Many hidden factions might possess them, but there's no way they'd put them up for sale. These ones were obtained from ancient ruins and don't suit their finders, so they've been taken out to trade."
Xiao Yan finally understood. That did make sense. Ordinary low-level Dou Saints or even Half-Saints could leave behind inheritances of Tian Class Dou Techniques, but not every inheritance was suitable for every successor. Some special inheritances required particular physiques or Dou Qi attributes.
"Besides, this spatial trade fair has a place called the Ancient Treasure Pavilion. The things you really want will be auctioned there, though it hasn't started yet," Ya Fei continued. "Not everyone can enter the Ancient Treasure Pavilion. You need an invitation from the three organizing factions, and getting your hands on one isn't as easy as it sounds."
Naturally, Ya Fei had already arranged everything. She drew out a red jade token with a smile. "We were only able to obtain this thanks to Little Brother Xiao Yan's reputation as Pill Gathering Champion."
Xiao Yan could only shrug. Ya Fei credited him, but he knew his own situation. His schedule had been so tight that he hadn't even known this spatial trade fair existed. Without Ya Fei handling all the arrangements, missing this would truly have been something to regret.
"I'll go with Sister Ya Fei to buy those two Tian Class Dou Techniques. Take these pills and buy whatever catches your eye. Don't hold back. I've reserved plenty of pills for bidding on the map fragment," Xiao Yan said, handing storage rings to Cai Lin and Little Fairy Doctor.
Cai Lin and Little Fairy Doctor both nodded lightly as they accepted the rings. The Nine-Colored Origin Stone was already more than enough for Cai Lin, but she still needed to pick out suitable treasures for Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai.
Xiao Yan turned to Qing Lin, about to ask if she had seen anything she liked, only to find her hiding bashfully behind Cai Lin, cheeks pink, too shy to meet his gaze.
He felt completely at a loss. She hadn't been like this before!
Cai Lin caught his puzzled expression but naturally didn't share what had happened while he was in seclusion. She couldn't let this man get too full of himself!
Before long, under Ya Fei's guidance, Xiao Yan arrived at a particular stall. The Tian Class Dou Technique had drawn many covetous looks. For powerful experts who had not received invitations to the Ancient Treasure Pavilion, this street was their only chance at Tian Class Dou Techniques.
The entire stall displayed only a single item: a grayish-white longsword, its surface mottled with patches of reddish rust. The moment he saw the sword, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. Those red specks of 'rust' were just like the golden liquid used with the Great Heaven Creation Palm, clearly some special substance.
Cultivating a Tian Class Dou Technique often required special items as auxiliary mediums. This sword held an immense amount of spiritual information within it, undoubtedly the cultivation method for the technique.
Tian Class Dou Techniques were too powerful. Ordinary scrolls couldn't withstand the pressure of that much spiritual information. One either needed special methods or special materials to store them. Weapons were the most common vessel.
Even without Ya Fei's explanation, Xiao Yan knew this Tian Class Dou Technique would be sword-type.
The problem was… he didn't walk the sword path!
Throughout the entire Yan Alliance, there were only two people who both had the ability to cultivate a Tian Class Dou Technique and used swords.
"Sister Ya Fei, I don't practice the sword path," Xiao Yan said, looking at her helplessly. Sword-type Tian Class Dou Techniques were extremely sought after on the Dou Qi Continent because so many cultivators used swords. He just didn't happen to be one of them.
Ya Fei covered her mouth in a light laugh, her beautiful eyes carrying a hint of shrewdness. "Didn't Little Brother Xiao Yan say to tell you whenever a Tian Class Dou Technique appeared? Besides the Ancient Treasure Pavilion, there's only this sword inheritance and one Low Tian Class formation diagram."
She wasn't exaggerating. In ancient ruins, Tian Class Dou Techniques could be found, but people rarely took techniques they didn't want out to sell. At this decennial spatial trade fair, only these two had surfaced.
"Uh…"
Xiao Yan couldn't use either!
Plenty of Dou Venerates and Dou Saints honed all eighteen martial disciplines and excelled in each one, but Xiao Yan had no plans to take up swordsmanship.
Ya Fei leaned close to his ear again, her breath warm. "Besides, if you don't use it yourself, you can put it in the Yan Alliance treasury as a reward. It would enrich the Alliance's foundation."
Watching her smiling eyes, Xiao Yan suddenly understood.
Nalan Yanran!
Within the Yan Alliance, the top three in merit were Cai Lin, who had conquered the most territory; Qing Lin, who followed her; and then Nalan Yanran. That ranking only existed because Nalan Yanran had followed Yun Yun away for several years. Otherwise, as the Alliance's most hardworking member, she would have accumulated even more battle merit in its early days.
After a brief thought, Xiao Yan walked up to the stall to ask the price. As one of the Alliance's founders, he really should be shoring up the 'Alliance Treasury.' He hadn't expected that after all these twists and turns, Nalan Yanran's greatest opportunity would end up coming from him!
Xiao Yan studied the rusty sword carefully, as if unwilling to miss even the smallest detail, then finally asked, "Old sir, how much for this sword?"
"Hehe, this brother has a true eye for quality, absolutely keen vision. The moment I saw you, I knew you were a perfect match for this sword." The old man scrambled to put on a smiling face. "Not expensive, not expensive at all. Just two Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills."
!!?
"Uh…" The old man's words left Xiao Yan frozen on the spot, momentarily unable to react.
Around them, everyone who had shown interest in the iron sword sucked in a sharp breath. Two Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills! Why didn't he just go out and rob someone?!
It was a frankly terrifying price. Across the entire Central Plains, countless Dou Venerates begged and schemed for even a single Venerate Ascension Spirit Pill and still failed to obtain one. This old man opened his mouth and asked for two!
Even a Tian Class Qi Method would cost about this much!
If Little Fairy Doctor or Cai Lin had wanted it, Xiao Yan wouldn't have hesitated to hand over the pills. But to buy it for Nalan Yanran… he couldn't help feeling a stab of heartache!