owlsbooks Chapter 171 is missing.
Chapter 171 is missing.
Even Du Fan raised an eyebrow, noting that even a single Ginseng Qi Pill was worth only about one hundred spirit stones.
What puzzled him even more was that he had never heard of the name of this pill before. For Du Fan, who came from a super sect, this was quite rare.
"Please be patient, everyone. I will give you a reasonable explanation." Master Huiguang paused, clasped his hands together, gave a slight bow, and then continued:
"The Body Cleansing Pill is a rare body-tempering pill. After taking it, it can enhance the strength and resilience of one's tendons and bones. If a benefactor who specializes in physical arts takes this pill, it will not only help with cultivation, but also bring unexpected benefits."
The Cleansing Muscle Pill is a secret recipe of our sect and is never sold to outsiders. Even if it is circulated, it is extremely rare. It is very difficult to find even at the auctions of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance.
"For inner disciples like us from the Cold Mountain Sect, the sect also has a purchase limit on this pill. Each person can only buy one per year. Therefore, the price I just quoted is absolutely a good deal for everyone."
"Body tempering? Physical techniques..." Upon hearing this, Du Fan couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression, already quite interested in the Muscle Cleansing Pill.
Apart from Du Fan, the other cultivators here would not even consider this pill. To them, this pill was not only expensive, but also a useless item. These rogue cultivators all focused on magic, so who would bother to work on physical techniques?
After a short while, no one spoke. Master Huiguang sighed and was about to leave with a look of disappointment when Du Fan's voice suddenly rang out.
"Master Huiguang, I do possess a body-building technique and am quite interested in this Muscle Cleansing Pill. However, I only have 110 spirit stones on me. Is the price negotiable?"
"So it's Benefactor Du. One hundred and twenty spirit stones is already a very low price. Sigh, never mind, I'll give this pill to you instead." Master Huiguang's hesitation flashed by, but he gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Then thank you very much, Master Huiguang." Du Fan's face lit up with joy, and he immediately stepped forward to complete the transaction with Master Huiguang.
Next, the twenty-odd cultivators here began the second round of exchange. This time, however, a small portion of them chose to give up, clearly because they had nothing of note left to offer.
However, these people did not leave, but instead decided to stay and continue watching.
After a short while, and after four rounds of exchanges, no cultivators wanted to exchange anymore.
"Let's conclude this exchange meeting here. I believe all of you fellow Daoists have found it worthwhile. If there are any more exchange meetings like this in the future, I will certainly inform you all. Alright, fellow Daoists, you may now make yourselves at home."
Zhou Kai walked to the middle, clasped his hands together, said a few polite words, and then the other rogue cultivators took their leave.
Du Fan also politely cupped his hands to Zhou Kai, and then slowly walked in one direction with the middle-aged woman from before.
After a short while, four people were still standing at the place where the exchange meeting had been held. They were Huineng and Huiguang, two inner disciples of Hanshan Sect, Zhou Kai, an old man in a gray robe, and Xiaoyue, a beautiful woman in a green dress.
"Brother Zhou, this person's cultivation level is not low, and he also has physical skills. Moreover, judging from his performance just now, he doesn't seem to be a wealthy person. Wouldn't it be a case of the devil gaining more than he gaining?"
Huiguang's expression shifted between light and dark as he asked Zhou Kai in a low voice. At this moment, a strong murderous aura emanated from his brows, and his eyes flashed with cold light. Where was the slightest hint of shyness or bashfulness?
Moreover, his tone and attitude toward Zhou Kai at this moment were different from what he had shown in front of others. Although they weren't exactly close, there was a sense that they had a deep relationship, like long-term partners.
"This person's cultivation is remarkable, and his strength is formidable, that's beyond doubt. However, you've misjudged his wealth," Zhou Kai said, shaking his head meaningfully.
"Oh? Brother Zhou, we've been working together for so many years, so please speak frankly." Huineng's eyes flashed, and he spoke in a deep voice.
"I'll just say one thing: this Fellow Daoist Du is so young yet already possesses the cultivation of the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage, and he also cultivates physical techniques. This is probably something that a rogue cultivator can't do," Zhou Kai said with a slight smile.
"Brother Zhou, do you mean that this person is not a rogue cultivator? Then who could he be? Among the cultivation families in the vicinity, we haven't heard of the Zhou family. Could he be from one of the four major sects...?"
Upon hearing this, Huiguang's expression shifted, and he muttered to himself, though he still seemed somewhat uncertain.
"Why are you two so cautious? What does it matter who he is? As long as we confirm that he is not a rogue cultivator, that's enough. Whether he comes from a family of cultivators or a sect, he must be quite wealthy."
As for Fellow Daoist Du's performance at the exchange meeting just now, it was merely a pose he deliberately put on. Could he really fool us?
Xiaoyue let out a silvery laugh, her eyes curving into two crescent moons. Her voice, when she spoke, seemed to contain a certain coquettishness, full of endless allure, making one's heart flutter upon hearing it.
Huineng glanced at the woman, and his eyes revealed an undisguised infatuation.
Seeing this, Xiaoyue didn't shy away and immediately gave him a charming smile, which made Huineng's gaze even more ardent.
Huiguang frowned, but didn't say anything. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again:
"In that case, let's get going. If he manages to escape, all this effort for nothing will have been wasted."
"Alright, but we still need to be careful when we make our move. For some reason, I always feel a sense of trepidation whenever I use my divine sense to investigate this person."
Zhou Kai nodded at first, but then his expression suddenly changed and he spoke solemnly.
"Brother Zhou, you're overestimating this person. Even if this kid is skilled, he's only a Qi Refining Stage 5 cultivator. Even if he's rare among his peers, how can he possibly survive facing all six of us at the same time?"
Huineng withdrew his gaze at this moment, gave a sinister laugh, and said coldly.
"Alright, let's go."
A cold glint flashed in Huiguang's eyes, and he took the first step. The other three, seeing this, said nothing more and followed closely behind.
……
In a grove of trees ten miles away from Suguo Mountain, a man in a green robe and a woman stood facing each other. The woman kept talking about something, while the man listened silently with a slight frown, occasionally asking a question.
These two people were none other than Du Fan, who had recently left the exchange meeting, and the middle-aged woman with whom he had traded information.
"Hmm, I'm satisfied with the information you provided. You can leave now." Du Fan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to the middle-aged woman, indicating that she could go.
"Very well, thank you for the Qi Refining Pill, Fellow Daoist Du. I'll take my leave now." The woman seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, smiled, bowed slightly to Du Fan, and then turned and left.
In the past, given Du Fan's personality, he would have given away the remaining Qi Refining Pill after obtaining so much useful information from this woman. However, he now deeply understands that he is not qualified to bestow favors indiscriminately outside of the Qixia Sect.
As Du Fan watched the woman's retreating figure, his mind was already absorbed in the news he had just received, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
But the next moment, his eyes suddenly flashed, and he said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, please wait!"
Upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Shen trembled, her face turning deathly pale. However, she dared not run away. Taking a deep breath, she turned around, forced a smile, and spoke softly:
"Fellow Daoist Du, is there anything else?"
"Fellow Daoist Shen, please don't misunderstand. I suggest you head west instead," Du Fan said calmly.
"The west? Ah! I thank Fellow Daoist Du."
Upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Shen was taken aback at first, then a thought flashed through her mind, and a look of panic crossed her face. She gave Du Fan a deep look, revealing gratitude, and then without further hesitation, she hurriedly ran off in another direction.
"I was already being very careful and thought I hadn't given myself away, but these guys still managed to spot me. I could run, but since they're here, let them stay here forever. Otherwise, they'll just be a nuisance."
After the middle-aged woman disappeared, Du Fan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he muttered to himself. At the same time, he gently patted the storage bag at his waist with one hand, took out a light blue ring, and slowly put it on the index finger of his left hand.
This ring was none other than the invisibility ring he had crafted using the cores of the Five Elements Beast Demons in the Land of Scattered Souls. He had never used it since then, so taking it out now was the perfect opportunity.
After Du Fan put on the invisibility ring, his figure became transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in just a few breaths, he completely disappeared and merged into the void.
……
A moment later, four cultivators rushed over and suddenly stopped where Du Fan had disappeared. The four of them were surprised and their expressions were uncertain.
"Huh? This person was clearly locked onto by my divine sense just now, how could he suddenly disappear?" Huineng asked with a look of surprise and doubt.
"Could it be that this person discovered we were following them and used an invisibility talisman or an earth escape talisman to escape?" Xiaoyue's beautiful eyes turned cold as she said in a deep voice.
"No, neither invisibility talisman nor earth escape talisman can be completely undetectable by divine sense, unless he suddenly teleported out of the range of our divine sense." Huiguang's expression was also not good, and a cold light flickered in his eyes.
"Teleportation? Master Huiguang, you must be joking. That's a talent skill that only Nascent Soul cultivators can master. But where did this boy go? Did he use some special method that we don't know about to escape?"
Zhou Kai took a deep breath, a hint of hesitation in his mind.