Chapter 667: Unexpected Treasure
Xiao Chen let out a soft huff of surprise. He said, “There is consumption with Immortal Spirit Rings?”
The owner stroked his beard and smiled. “Naturally. Otherwise, where would the energy to form a small realm come from? Only the Immortal Spirit Ring from the Immortal Epoch can cycle their energies to some extent. All Immortal Spirit Rings now require Spirit Stones for maintenance.”
Xiao Chen pondered and said, “Will Medial Grade Spirit Stones work?”
He still had several million Medial Grade Spirit Stones, not having anywhere to spend them. If he could use them for an Immortal Spirit Ring, he would not need to waste them.
“You can; the effects are the same. It is just a matter of how much energy.”
After getting the answer he wanted, Xiao Chen performed a cupped-fist salute in grat.i.tude and prepared to leave.
At this moment, the owner seemed to have recalled something and suddenly called out to stop Xiao Chen. “Little Brother, wait a moment. Actually, I have an Immortal Spirit Ring with me. In the past, there was an inner sect disciple with insufficient Spirit Stones. So he used it as payment instead. The energy in it has already drained away, but the s.p.a.ce inside is still quite large, more than six thousand hectares.”
Xiao Chen looked strangely at the owner. Then, he received the ring that the owner proffered. After looking at it, he injected his Spiritual Sense into it.
Xiao Chen only saw darkness inside. Aside from negligible spots of light, he could not see anything.
Black lines could not help but form on Xiao Chen’s face. Although he had never seen an Immortal Spirit Ring before, this item was clearly defective; it would not fool him.
Wait for a while. Don’t be in a rush to return it.
Ao Jiao’s voice suddenly rang out in Xiao Chen’s mind. He saw a figure flash in the pitch-dark s.p.a.ce; Ao Jiao had appeared.
“This ring has a heavy aura of the Immortal Epoch. Toss in your Medial Grade Spirit Stones. Give it a try.”
Not saying anything, Xiao Chen immediately dumped in a million Medial Grade Spirit Stones. Then, he saw rain falling in the pitch-black s.p.a.ce. The rain had a faint radiance, looking very beautiful.
However, after the rain stopped, the pitch-black s.p.a.ce did not change. Xiao Chen still could not see anything, only darkness.
“Continue.”
After hearing Ao Jiao’s instruction, Xiao Chen threw in two million more Medial Grade Spirit Stones. However, there was still no change.
“Continue.”
Xiao Chen added three million Medial Grade Spirit Stones this time. The rain of light fell again but still…nothing.
“Continue.”
Xiao Chen now felt a little conflicted. Although the Medial Grade Spirit Stones were not very useful in the Kunlun Realm, they were not things that should simply be discarded. They could be used to refine Spirit Gathering Pearls. If he was willing to suffer some loss, he could exchange them for Superior Grade Spirit Stones.
However, Ao Jiao insisted they continue on and on; soon he was about to run out of Medial Grade Spirit Stones. Even so, he had not gained anything. He felt very wronged.
Ao Jiao said quickly, “Be quick. Just toss in another two million Medial Grade Spirit Stones. If you are any slower, the previous Spirit Stones will be wasted.”
Feeling helpless, Xiao Chen could only throw in the last of his Medial Grade Spirit Stones, adding them all.
“Drip…drip…!”
Spiritual rain fell again. At first, there was no change. Then, when he was about to give up hope, the pitch-dark s.p.a.ce started to lighten up. Eventually, the darkness disappeared.
That original spot of light became a small sun, hanging high in the sky.
A realm formed within the world. There were mountains, rivers, and vast plains. There were all sorts of plants, all full of life. The s.p.a.ce within was immense, at least sixty thousand hectares.
Ao Jiao giggled and said, “You silly fool, looks like you found a treasure. This is a bona fide Immortal Spirit Ring from the Immortal Epoch. I saw one in the past, when I adventured with Sang Mu. We had to toss in large amounts of Spirit Stones within a short period of time before we could open it.”
Xiao Chen rejoiced in his heart, but his expression did not change. He did not say anything yet. Then, his expression soured and threw the ring back to the owner, turning away after he did so.
“Little Brother, wait for a moment, wait for a moment. This Immortal Spirit Ring is really only drained of energy. You just have to put in some more Spirit Stones.” The owner pulled Xiao Chen back, refusing to let go.
Xiao Chen rolled his eyes at the owner and said, “You think I’m a fool? This Immortal Spirit Ring is clearly damaged already. It is not useful at all.”
The owner chuckled and said, “It does not matter if it is damaged. It can be repaired. Tell you what, I’ll sell it to you cheap: a hundred thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones.”
Seeing that Xiao Chen’s expression did not change, the owner clenched his teeth and said, “eighty thousand…alright, fifty thousand. Fine, final price, thirty thousand.”
Xiao Chen said, “I will buy another bottle of Spirit Freezing Pills, and you give me this Immortal Spirit Ring for free. What do you think?”
The owner’s eyes rolled around; his mind immediately started calculating. The profit margin on the Spirit Freezing Pills was about thirty thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones. This broken ring was not worth anything. It would already be good fortune for him if he could toss it in the bargain.
The owner quickly made his decision. He smiled and said, “Deal. Bring him another bottle of Spirit Freezing Pills!”
Xiao Chen took out one hundred and fifty Superior Grade Spirit Stones and then put away that Immortal Spirit Ring and the bottle of Spirit Freezing Pills. Finally, he left the shop, concealing his emotions.
“Boss, isn’t that Immortal Spirit Ring a big find that you made at the miscellaneous goods street? How could you give it away for free?”
The owner laughed, “What do you know? I was just boasting. That group of old fogeys at the miscellaneous goods street tricked me into buying that trinket. I purchased it for ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones and ended up wasting five million Medial Grade Spirit Stones on it. Even so, I did not manage to open up the s.p.a.ce within it.
“I was already quite fortunate to be able to dump it on that opinionated idiot!”
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After leaving the store, Xiao Chen walked for a long time before revealing an expression of wild joy. Then, he wore the Immortal Spirit Ring on his hand, his eyes glittering with happiness.
When he arrived at his courtyard, he could no longer contain his joy. Unexpectedly, that store owner really gave him an Immortal Spirit Ring with more than sixty thousand hectares of s.p.a.ce.
After thinking for a while, Xiao Chen took out the huge clump of dirt with the Netherworld Flower, making it appear in midair.
It had been close to three months since it received the support of Spiritual Energy. It had clearly withered considerably compared to the past. However, the white flame in the center was only slightly dimmer, still looking full of life; it did not appear to be close to death.
Xiao Chen pointed the Immortal Spirit Ring at the cube of soil, and a tremendous suction force pulled it in.
Then, he inserted his Spiritual Sense into the Immortal Spirit Ring. The clump of dirt floated in midair in the realm. He discovered that he could easily control that clump in the world inside the ring with his Spiritual Sense.
However, when Xiao Chen looked at this vast realm within the ring, he felt anxious. He did not know where he should put the plant.
Ao Jiao floated over and said, “Come with me and place the Netherworld Flower on the Spirit Vein’s origin. It will grow faster there.”
Xiao Chen controlled the Netherworld Flower and followed Ao Jiao. At the same time, he asked curiously, “There is a Spirit Vein in this ring? How come I did not feel it?”
Ao Jiao smiled gently and replied, “There is. However, it is only a Rank 1 Spirit Vein. Furthermore, it is of the lowest grade. It does not cover much area. In the future, when you are strong, you can bring in a few high-ranked Spirit Veins. At that time, you will be able to open your own private Spirit Herb garden.”
Following Ao Jiao’s lead, Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense brought the Netherworld Flower to a small, exquisite herb garden. Ao Jiao did something, and a large hole immediately appeared in the ground.
A ball of light flickered inside the hole. Spiritual Energy formed into white mist and rose up. Indeed, it was as Ao Jiao had said; there was a Spirit Vein here.
Pus.h.i.+ng in the clump of dirt that held the Netherworld Flower, Xiao Chen slowly filled up the hole. With the nourishment of the Spiritual Energy, the drooping Netherworld Flower instantly became brighter.
Seeing this, Xiao Chen rejoiced. The Netherworld Flame inside the Netherworld Flower was a high-quality flame among Yin-attributed flames.
After the Lunar True Flame swallowed it up, it would boost the Lunar True Flame’s strength considerably—and consequently the might of the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram.
Since the beginning, Xiao Chen had had an excess of Yang and a dearth of Yin.
To maintain balance, Xiao Chen could not even bring out half of the Purple Thunder True Fire in his right eye. This greatly restricted the power of the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram.
The Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram was one of Xiao Chen’s greatest trump cards. From some angles, it was even stronger than the Heaven Ranked Dragon Subduing Slash.
Although a Heaven Ranked Martial Technique was expensive and precious in this Kunlun Realm, they were not particularly rare. All the true inheritors of the Rank 9 sects would have a Heaven Ranked Martial Technique.
However, the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram was different. No one in the long history of this world had ever managed to achieve a balance between Yin and Yang. Xiao Chen achieved this by using the Taiji Diagram from his previous world, something that not even a Martial Sage or a Martial Emperor could do.
Ao Jiao smiled and stretched lazily, saying, “In the future, I will stay here and help you take care of the Netherworld Flower. I can help it to mature faster by several months.”
Xiao Chen smiled gently. “You know how to do this as well?”
Still smiling, Ao Jiao replied, “That is natural. In the past, I was the one managing the Thunder Emperor’s Immortal Spirit Ring. Every Martial Emperor would have their own Immortal Spirit Ring. They would steal Spirit Veins and Spirit Herbs to grow their own herb garden.
“An Immortal Spirit Ring of the Immortal Epoch is not easy to obtain. There might even be several peak Martial Sages who will envy you. This is an advantage that puts you ahead of many people.”
Xiao Chen smiled and did not say anything. Ao Jiao’s words could only serve as knowledge for him. His current strength was insufficient to steal a Spirit Vein, not even a Rank 1 Spirit Vein. Those Martial Sages would kill him with one slap.
With Ao Jiao helping to manage the Immortal Spirit Ring, he no longer had to worry about the Netherworld Flower. He withdrew his Spiritual Sense from the Immortal Spirit Ring. Then, he prepared to cultivate the Firmament Body Tempering Art.
He found a large bathtub and filled it with water. Then, he slowly dropped some Dragon Jelly Ointment into the water.
“Chi! Chi!”
The water immediately seethed, and the Medicinal Energy of the Dragon Jelly Ointment spread throughout the water. The water quickly started to steam, and a medicinal fragrance pervaded the room.
Xiao Chen carefully observed the water for a while before he stopped adding Dragon Jelly Ointment. There seemed to be enough for two more doses. One hundred thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones consumed, just like that.
Xiao Chen removed his clothes and muttered, “After spending so many Spirit Stones to buy the Dragon Jelly Ointment, I hope it’s effective.”
With a Spirit Freezing Pill clenched between his teeth, Xiao Chen stepped into the tub. Then, he sat cross-legged. The medicinal liquid poured into his body through his pores.
His complexion turned red as warmth flowed all over his body. The st.u.r.diness and strength of his physical body slowly increased.
The Quintessence in Xiao Chen’s dantian stopped flowing, everything becoming quiet. Then, he circulated only his Vital Qi and moved it around his body, spreading the Medicinal Energy.
“Chi! Chi!”
As Xiao Chen circulated his Vital Qi, a steel hammer seemed to pound his bones, marrow, blood, skin, and muscles, like the tempering of a piece of iron. This heart-wrenching pain felt excruciating.