All eyes at the table turned toward Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying at once.
Yin Zhang acted as if he noticed nothing, calmly continuing to enjoy the delicacies before him. Seeing that Qiangu Yunying seemed slightly affected by the attention, he picked up a dish she liked and fed it to her. She smiled softly and accepted it without hesitation.
Seeing that neither of them reacted, the others at the table couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Qiangu Yunying was one thing—at most, she could only participate in one more Elite Tournament before reaching the age limit. But Yin Zhang was different. He was only eleven years old. With the tournament held once every four years, he could still participate in three more editions.
Three full tournaments.
Did this mean that from the very first All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament onward, Spirit Hall was destined to dominate the rankings?
Once most of the meal had been finished, Xue Ye finally turned his gaze toward Xue Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe understood immediately. He stood up and addressed the representatives of the three teams.
"As a reward from the Heaven Dou Empire to the top three teams of this Elite Tournament, I invite each team to send one person to accompany me to the Heaven Dou Imperial Treasury to select a treasure."
Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying exchanged a glance.
Qiangu Yunying smiled faintly. "Xiao Zhang, you should go. You've got a sharp eye—you'll definitely find something truly valuable."
"Alright. Wait for my good news," Yin Zhang replied with a smile and a nod.
After Qiangu Yunying reluctantly released his hand, Yin Zhang followed Xue Qinghe, Dai Yuqing, and the others deeper into the palace.
As they walked, Xue Qinghe introduced the place to them.
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Treasury houses treasures gathered from across the entire Douluo Continent. If your eyes are keen enough, this trip will not be in vain."
Yin Zhang nodded in agreement. After all, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was once kept within the Heaven Dou treasury. Even if the other items didn't match that level, there was bound to be something worthwhile.
Soon, the four of them arrived at a large hall.
Xue Qinghe smiled. "The location of the treasury is confidential. Please put on these headbands and follow me."
Seeing the three white headbands placed on the table, the three paused briefly, then put them on. Their vision went completely dark, and they could only follow Xue Qinghe forward.
After walking for some time, they arrived at an underground palace. Once there, they removed the headbands.
Xue Qinghe took out a golden token. After two rows of guards inspected it, he inserted the token into a groove and slowly turned it.
With a deep rumble, a massive gate nearly twenty meters tall and ten meters wide gradually opened.
Retrieving the token, Xue Qinghe said, "Follow me. There are countless dazzling treasures inside—try not to get overwhelmed."
Yin Zhang smiled faintly. He was genuinely curious about what the Heaven Dou Imperial Treasury held.
More importantly, he wanted to know whether the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was stored here. If it was, he would claim it without hesitation. If not, he would choose something else.
Still, he suspected that as a national treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud wouldn't be displayed so openly.
Once inside, the treasury was beyond magnificent. Brilliant lights shone from every direction, making it hard to look away. Yin Zhang even spotted several Spirit Bones.
"Besides these few Spirit Bones, you may choose any other treasure," Xue Qinghe said with a chuckle. "Yin Zhang, as the representative of the champion team, you may also select one Spirit Bone from these three as a reward for your team."
He led Yin Zhang over while Dai Yuqing and the captain of the Huang Dou Battle Team went to choose their own treasures. There was no concern about anyone taking extra items—three knights had followed them in. One stayed with Xue Qinghe and Yin Zhang, while the other two closely monitored the other representatives.
Xue Qinghe began introducing the three Spirit Bones. The lowest was exactly twenty thousand years old, while the highest reached thirty thousand years—a right arm bone.
Although Yin Zhang had no intention of absorbing it himself, he still chose the thirty-thousand-year right arm bone, planning to give it to Qiangu Yunying to further enhance her combat strength.
After making his selection, Yin Zhang began choosing another treasure, accompanied by the knight.
The treasures were neatly arranged, and many were instantly recognizable to him.
For example, there was a hundred-thousand-year dragon head bone. While useless to most, it was a supreme treasure for poison-type Spirit Masters.
However, none of these were what Yin Zhang wanted. After carefully scanning the area, he failed to find the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and could only sigh inwardly.
'It really isn't here… I'll have to come back and check again someday.'
By "come back," he meant either sneaking in himself—or returning after Heaven Dou had already fallen.
After some time, Yin Zhang opened a treasure box.
Seeing this, Xue Qinghe stepped forward and explained, "This is a pill formula our empire obtained from a ruined sect about a hundred years ago. It records a medicinal pill known as the Fire Phoenix Pill. It's said that consuming it can greatly increase spirit power and even improve one's innate aptitude."
"Unfortunately, some of the medicinal herbs listed have already gone extinct on the current Douluo Continent. As a result, it's been kept here as a collectible. Of course, if all the herbs were ever found again, the pill could be refined."
Yin Zhang's heart stirred.
The formula itself wasn't complicated. If Qian Renxue was willing to cooperate, recreating it wouldn't be difficult.
"May I take a look?" Yin Zhang asked.
Xue Qinghe glanced at the knight beside him, thought briefly, then nodded. "That's fine. The formula is complex—you won't remember much from a single glance."
Yin Zhang smiled and carefully opened the pill formula.
The moment he saw the main ingredient, his pupils contracted slightly.
Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.
To his surprise, the primary ingredient was precisely that—an immortal-grade medicinal herb he did not yet possess.
Scanning the auxiliary herbs, he recognized several of them as well.
'Perfect. Once we leave, I'll transcribe this formula.'
After memorizing it thoroughly, Yin Zhang put the formula back, selected another treasure suitable for himself, and then regrouped with Dai Yuqing and the others.
Following the same procedure as before, they put on the headbands and were led out.
By the time they returned to the surface, it was already late at night.
After boarding the carriage with Qiangu Yunying and the others, Yin Zhang took out paper and a pen from his gold bead chain and began writing.
Obtaining a "treasure" without spending a single coin—how wonderful.
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