Chapter 611: Luosnake Inner Core

A man and a woman, both looking dashing and spirited.

The woman walking in front wore a light yellow form-fitting outfit that outlined her perfect figure. Her skin was fair, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, and her waist was slender enough to be encircled by a hand. In terms of appearance alone, she was no less than Mo Yu or Zhao Feiwu.

The man beside her appeared to be thirty-two or thirty-three, with a sturdy build, a resolute face, and an imposing aura in his brow—clearly a person of some status.

Zhang Xuan paid no attention to their looks; when it came to beauty, no one could compare to Zhao Ya, whose constitution had been awakened, and even Mo Yu and Zhao Feiwu were not inferior. He barely glanced at these three, let alone an unfamiliar woman.

He looked at their cultivation levels and was surprised.

These two, though not very old, possessed extremely strong strength, giving a sense of depth like an abyss or sea, at least as strong as, if not stronger than, Master Hong.

Mortal Transcendence Sixth Layer experts?

He raised an eyebrow.

Mortal Transcendence Sixth Layer—even the strongest among the twenty-eight forces couldn't reach that level. Yet here, out shopping, he encountered two, and so young at that. Truly, the Phantom Feather Imperial Capital was a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers abounded.

A vassal state was just a vassal state; it couldn't compare to the imperial capital.

No need. If you find it boring, you can go back!

The beautiful woman replied indifferently, not acknowledging his goodwill. It seemed their relationship was not very harmonious.

Hehe, how could I be bored? If you want to look, I'll accompany you! The man gave an awkward smile.

The two continued browsing along the counter. Zhang Xuan ignored them and also looked over the treasures one by one.

To activate the Dragon Rhinoceros bloodline, he needed the blood or inner core of a spirit beast with the same attribute, or special medicines or ores. These items were very rare and not easy to find.

Purple Morning Pearl? Wearing it can wash away dust, keeping one spotless!

His eyes fell on a round pearl.

He had read about this item; it was a special type of artifact, neither offensive nor defensive, but a piece that cultivators liked to wear.

Once worn, it kept clothes and body free of dust, radiant even without washing.

This thing is also marked 'two'... He shook his head.

A Seven Realm painting was worth 'two,' and this was the same price.

It seemed this Marvelous Treasures Pavilion didn't price items by value but by rarity.

Though the Purple Morning Pearl was of little use to martial artists, it was a rare treasure, deeply favored by women.

The continent was vast; sometimes one flew for many days without washing, which would be unbearable for anyone. With this, one could stay clean—even a year without washing would be fine.

Its rarity made it precious.

However, this also showed that the value of paintings and calligraphy was still not as high as that of real weapons and artifacts.

But these were only Seven Realm works. If they reached Eight Realm or higher, capable of mirages and turning illusion into reality, their value would be completely different. Some powerful paintings could even transform into a city, trapping cultivators inside forever.

Every profession recognized by the Master Teacher Hall, when pursued to its limit, became extremely powerful, possessing strength that ordinary people could hardly contend with.

For example, the Heavenly Star Chess he had comprehended recently—it was said that at the highest level, one could truly use heaven and earth as the board and stars as pieces, shifting the cosmos and reversing yin and yang.

Unfortunately, what Master Hong obtained was only a fragment. Even though the puppet had passed the inheritance to him, it wasn't complete and couldn't achieve that effect.

He continued looking, and soon he had toured the entire second floor without finding a suitable treasure. Zhang Xuan led the two toward the third floor.

The items on the third floor were even rarer. Glancing around, the markings were no longer uniform; some were 'three,' some 'four,' and some 'five.'

He walked along the counter and saw a Six Realm painting marked 'four,' twice as expensive as the previous Seven Realm painting.

Puzzled for a moment, he quickly understood.

Although this painting was of a lower level than the previous one, it was the work of a famous painter from the Phantom Feather Empire. It was said to have been painted with heart's blood just before his death in battle, containing the greatest obsession and resentment of this Five Star painter. It was exceptionally precious, so the high price was justified.

Hmm, is this a peak Spirit-level mid-grade longsword?

He soon spotted a weapon.

His swordsmanship was superb, but he had never had a suitable weapon. If he could equip one, his strength would surely increase greatly.

This sword was of a higher grade than any he had seen in Honghai City, sharper, with a cold gleam that gave a chilling sensation.

Ice Rain Sword, six.

Four characters were written below.

Valued at six? Zhang Xuan was astonished.

On the first floor, he had seen Spirit-level mid-grade weapons, but they were all around 'one.' This one was marked 'six'—wasn't that too exaggerated?

Young master, this sword was personally forged by the master smith Hu Qingzi. It is an upgradable artifact that supports further tempering, extremely precious, not comparable to ordinary weapons below!

Seeing his confusion, a clerk by the counter explained.

Upgradable artifact? Zhang Xuan was startled, then nodded.

Though he had never systematically studied smithing, he had collected many books on the subject and knew the grades.

Ordinary weapons, once forged, were finished and fixed. If tempered again, they would easily lose their edge and become useless.

But this kind of upgradable artifact was different. With better ores later, one could temper them into the weapon, improving its quality and allowing it to advance in grade.

In other words, although this weapon was currently Spirit-level mid-grade, its final level was incalculable, truly worth the price of 'six.'

Hmm, a Luosnake inner core?

He was somewhat tempted by the sword, but not in a hurry. He continued looking down and, after two steps, his eyes lit up.

On a nearby counter lay a smooth spirit beast inner core, fiery red like charcoal, emitting a scorching heat.

The inner core of a Mortal Transcendence Seventh Layer spirit beast, the Luosnake!

The Luosnake was a spirit beast that lived in mountains and marshes, covered in scales with impenetrable defense. Though its body was cold as iron, its inner core was red as burning coal, giving a burning sensation.

The Luosnake contains dragon bloodline; it should be able to activate the Dragon Rhinoceros bloodline!

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

The Luosnake, though a type of snake, possessed the bloodline of flood dragons. Coupled with its impenetrable defense, it was a great tonic for Yuan Tao's Dragon Rhinoceros bloodline.

He looked down and saw a line of writing on the sheepskin: 'Luosnake inner core, ten.'

'Ten points'... but it's worth the price!

The inner core of a Mortal Transcendence Seventh Layer spirit beast could only be hunted by Mortal Transcendence Eighth Layer experts. Asking 'ten' was reasonable.

I want this! He decided inwardly. But this thing is too fiery; I'll need some medicine to neutralize it. Let's see what suitable herbs there are.

Having found something suitable for Yuan Tao, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction and continued looking for a suitable herb to neutralize the medicinal properties. Then he heard a faint voice.

I want this Duyou Grass. How do I buy it?

It was a woman's voice. He looked up and saw the handsome man and beautiful woman he had encountered on the second floor; they had somehow come to this floor as well.

Duyou Grass? Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Duyou Grass was a cold-attribute herb, gentle in nature, with a great neutralizing effect on hot-attribute medicines. It also strongly nourished and protected the internal organs and meridians, making it the best herb to neutralize the Luosnake inner core.

Miss, the treasures in our Marvelous Treasures Pavilion are not for sale. To purchase, you need to earn points. With enough points, you can exchange directly!

The clerk in charge of the counter, seeing the two didn't understand, quickly explained.

Points? What are points? The young man frowned.

Oh, on the fourth floor of our pavilion, there are two rows of stone pillars, each sealing various treasures. If you identify them within a set time, you earn points. The more you identify, the more points... The clerk explained the rules.

It was basically the same as what Yuan Tao had said, but more detailed.

This too? How troublesome! But identifying treasures is nothing!

Hearing such complicated rules, the young man frowned, then showed strong confidence. He turned to the woman beside him: 'Six... Miss, wait here. I'll go earn some points for you right away!'

I don't need your help. I'll earn the points myself!

The woman called Miss Six seemed unimpressed by the young man's flattery, even a little displeased. She waved her hand and said to the clerk, 'Lead the way. I want to see!'

Yes!

Seeing that someone wanted to challenge the stone pillars, the clerk quickly nodded and led the two upstairs.

Let's go too!

Zhang Xuan called out.

The purpose of coming here was to find something to activate Yuan Tao's constitution. Since the Marvelous Treasures Pavilion had such items, he might as well earn some points and exchange for them together.

Following the others, he walked up to the fourth floor and saw a spacious hall. In the middle were two neat rows of stone pillars, dozens in number, with smooth surfaces carved from unknown material. Several people stood in front, shaking their heads in frustration.

Don't be discouraged, everyone. It's fine if you didn't identify them!

An old man in front of the room said with a faint smile.

It seemed these shaking-head fellows had attempted the stone pillars and failed.

Zhang Xuan looked and saw that these people wore clothing indicating their status; two of them were Four Star Appraisers.

Even Four Star Appraisers had failed—it seemed identifying these treasures was not as simple as imagined.

Master, these two also want to try the stone pillars!

The clerk approached the old man and pointed at the young man and woman.

This old man was the owner of the Marvelous Treasures Pavilion, Gan Yiping.

Alright... Gan Yiping nodded, turned around, and smiled slightly: 'Please pay the deposit first!'

Deposit? Oh, I don't have money for a deposit...

Zhang Xuan, not far away, was startled, then felt a little embarrassed.