Chapter 328 Chao Hanxiao's Friend
Chao Hanxiao smiled and said, "Please, both of you."
Zhong Cai also revealed a slightly pale smile, picked up the teacup, and carefully sipped, her movements unhurried and exuding a touch of elegance.
—They were quite pretentious.
Wu Shaogan also maintained a composed demeanor, regaining the air of the once upright and refined young master.
—He is very different from the Third Dou Wang who never pays attention to anyone and only focuses on his Daoist partner.
Chao Hanxiao glanced at Zhong Cai with concern, then hesitated before speaking, "Brother Qiu's health..."
Zhong Cai revealed a hint of worry.
Wu Shaogan said somewhat sadly, "Sui'an suffered serious injuries and went through some... so his illness is very complicated and strange. It will take a lot of effort to cure him completely."
Chao Hanxiao frowned slightly: "I see that Brother Qiu has a strong fragrance of pills on him, so he must be a very outstanding alchemist... Yet he has no clue about this illness?"
Zhong Cai coughed softly a few times, her lips turning slightly pale.
Wu Shaogan shook his head and sighed, "Sui An's alchemy skills are indeed remarkable, and he has been working hard to study them, but he hasn't found a solution yet. In the future, we will need to study many new medicinal materials."
Chao Hanxiao comforted him, "The creatures here come from many continents, and there are medicinal herbs that are not commonly found elsewhere. Brother Qiu will surely gain a lot." He spoke quite sincerely, "Moreover, the rare beasts here have long lifespans and have accumulated countless good things and inheritances. Brother Qiu is skilled in alchemy, and there will be many opportunities for trading in the future. Perhaps you can even exchange some inheritances that are useless to rare beasts but of great use to alchemists, and find a way to cure them."
Wu Shao chuckled: "Then I'll accept your kind words, Brother Hanqiang. Thank you."
Chao Hanxiao shook his head, looking somewhat guilty, and said, "I only talked a little, and couldn't really help."
Wu Shaogan exchanged a few more polite words with Chao Hanxiao.
·
After a conversation, the atmosphere between the two sides became much more harmonious and peaceful.
Zhong Cai spoke much less, and she mostly left her communication with Chao Hanxiao to Wu Shaogan.
Wu Shaogan and Chao Hanxiao talked back and forth, discussing various aspects of the Land of All Beings, and also mentioning many human ancestors that Chao Hanxiao knew.
·
The human cultivators who arrived here formed their own circle, and there was considerable interaction among them. However, there was virtually no communication with juniors like Chao Hanxiao or cultivators whose cultivation levels were not high enough.
The Tongtians didn't spread much information, so naturally Chao Hanxiao didn't know much either.
Roughly speaking, Chao Hanxiao knew that there should be more than a dozen powerful beings in this Land of All Beings—but there were also dozens of ninth-tier rare beasts.
He has mentioned three powerful figures who have reached the highest level.
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One of them is the Three Tribulations Heavenly Emperor Lieyun, a powerful figure with a fire attribute. He is quite domineering and once challenged several ninth-tier rare beasts at the same time, defeating them single-handedly in groups of three or five, thus making a great name for himself.
This man was a loner, but if a cultivator of a lower level appeared before him and asked for his guidance, he would not ignore them.
In essence, he is actually a rather open-minded and tolerant senior.
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The second is Qingfeng Ke, a second-stage Transcendent Realm cultivator, a wind-attribute cultivator, and very mysterious. Originally, no one paid much attention to him, but one day a giant python suddenly became greedy and deliberately blocked Qingfeng Ke's path when the blue light carrying the Starlight Key flew over, resulting in both of them being sent into the Starlight Arena for a duel between masters.
The giant python planned to use its constricting and biting abilities more during the sparring, hoping to tear off a few pieces of flesh to satisfy its appetite while fighting Qingfeng Ke—this was also a way of exploiting a loophole, since injuries were inevitable if the sparring was intense enough. This rule of "not harming each other" only applied fully within the Land of All Beings and outside the Starlight Arena. Once on the arena, it became "not killing the opponent" and "surrendering immediately upon encountering danger."
The python's plan was straightforward, but the actual execution was far from simple.
During the battle, despite the giant python's fierce attack, Qingfengke moved with incredible speed, then wielding a light sword, swiftly slicing off a layer of scales from the python's body, forcing it to admit defeat without even getting a single bite of meat.
Qingfengke's reputation spread from then on.
·
The third is Chi Lingjun, a second-stage Transcendent cultivator, a wood-attribute cultivator.
She is very skilled at manipulating special plants in combat. When the Crimson Vine she usually uses wraps around her arm, it looks like a red ribbon... That's probably why she gave herself that nickname.
This person became famous because of his feud with rare animals.
Hundreds of years ago, there was a Blood Lion at the peak of the eighth rank—Lion Yun—who loved to eat people. He often invited Nirvana cultivators to spar, cunningly using battles to hunt for prey, engaging in many borderline acts of violence. Many humans, knowing they would lose some flesh and blood, accepted these invitations in order to hone their skills.
This willing-to-hit and willing-to-be-hit situation wasn't a big deal, but Shi Yun later turned on the "public broadcast" mode, publicly toying with and mocking the Nirvana he was fighting, and even directly biting off a lot of Nirvana's flesh and chewing and swallowing it in front of everyone, which was just discovered by Chi Lingjun, who rarely came into this place.
Enraged, Chi Lingjun didn't bother with the eighth-tier blood lion. She "didn't stoop to the level of the weak," and instead went directly to the ancestor of the lion, Shi Yun. Coincidentally, several members of the blood lion clan arrived, all of them domineering. Some remained asleep, while others played around, and none of them stopped Shi Yun's behavior.
So Chi Lingjun gave the Blood Lion Ancestor a severe beating, and used a red ribbon to restrain the ninth-tier Blood Lion, quickly cutting its flesh with a dagger until it surrendered, at which point she stopped.
Lion Yun calmed down for a while, but its love for eating people couldn't be changed. Moreover, those in the Land of All Beings that accepted its invitation to spar were all plump and delicious to it, so it couldn't bear to give them up.
So Shi Yun didn't dare to go public with it anymore, but he still challenged people to a duel in private.
On the surface, Chi Lingjun didn't take the initiative, but later, when other cultivators were repeatedly provoked and forced to accept things they didn't want to, they secretly asked Chi Lingjun for help. Without saying a word, Chi Lingjun went and fought another battle with the ninth-tier blood lion, weakening it again and again.
Later on, Shi Yun dared not use any more tricks.
·
These three Tongtians all had remarkable deeds, while the others were relatively low-key and their fame was not widely known, making them difficult to find out about.
After Chao Hanxiao's introduction, Zhong and Wu had a pretty good idea of the powerful figures in this area.
Afterwards, Chao Hanxiao mentioned some of the more powerful Nirvana cultivators who had communicated with them, the younger generation, including the swordsman.
Zhong Cai smiled gently and said, "Senior Swordsman is very kind. When Senior Giant Bear gave us a beehive, my husband and I were not good at fighting and almost got into trouble. It was Senior Swordsman who helped us."
Chao Hanxiao nodded in agreement, saying, "Senior Zhangjian is indeed kind. He is not only very generous to us human juniors, but also has quite a few friends among the rare beast clans. He gets along quite well with both sides." He smiled and added, "Many juniors have asked Senior Zhangjian for guidance, and he is always willing to accept invitations to spar. Even if the arena requires a prize, he accepts whatever level of resources the juniors offer. During sparring, he focuses on giving guidance and is very dedicated."
"We, the younger generation of humankind, all deeply admire our sword-wielding predecessors."
Zhong Cai nodded gently and said softly, "Senior is indeed worthy."
Wu Shaogan echoed this sentiment.
Seeing that the two were interested in Li Zhangjian, Chao Hanxiao told them more about his deeds.
The Zhong and Wu couple listened with great interest.
[Old Wu, Chao Hanxiao is very secretive.]
[His temperament has also become much more amiable.]
What is his purpose in taking the initiative to get close to us?
[I've probably only made acquaintances with one or two people; they're all humans who have attained the Gate of All Beings, so it's normal for them to want to deepen their friendships.]
Old Wu, you're right.
Wu Shaogan's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't deliberately show his emotions.
Furthermore... even if he did have an ulterior motive, it wouldn't be now, at the very beginning of their contact.
Zhong Caihe's smile was exactly the same as before.
[That makes sense. We have plenty of time anyway. If he's sincere, we can cooperate. If he's genuine, we'll make more friends; if not, we'll just wait and see. There's no need to overthink it now.]
As for whether he's really Chao Hanxiao... when you go to the Starlight Arena for training later, Lao Wu, try to find some footage of him sparring to sell. Even if his appearance can change, Chao Hanxiao's spear technique has its own unique style that outsiders can't imitate.
Wu Shaogan picked up the teapot next to him, tapped the spout a few times, and added some hot tea for Zhong Cai.
Chao Hanxiao continued explaining about the swordsmen, interspersing his explanations with details about several rare beasts he was on good terms with, and the rebirth of other humans.
Both parties enjoyed the conversation.
The Zhong and Wu couple also gained a much better understanding of the other human races in the entire Land of All Beings.
At the same time, they became even more convinced that opening a grocery store here was a great decision.
Chao Hanxiao also mentioned matters related to trading and offered his advice.
"You can visit any of the shops on the street here. The rules vary from place to place, so just follow them when you enter."
"Many of the items we need for trading are displayed directly inside. After selecting them, the shopkeeper can choose from items of equal value."
"If you have a special request, it's best not to make it public and wake up the rare beasts. They have strange tempers, and even if they can't harm us humans, they can still make us suffer if they're unhappy. Therefore, all we need to do is prepare a note with our request and the location of our residence."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Cai asked curiously, "Then the invitation will be made according to the standards of our human race?"
Chao Hanxiao shook his head: "It has to be an extremely wide banner, and it has to be hung high so that they can see it."
Zhong Cai's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Hanging up banners... it's not impossible, it's just a little embarrassing.
·
Before long, several more human cultivators called out from outside, and without the Zhong Wu couple's concern, they also entered the area.
These were the friends Chao Hanxiao had mentioned earlier, the friends he had arranged to meet here.
Now, Chao Hanxiao introduced several more friends to Zhong Wu and his wife.
Zhong Cai quietly observed.
All those who are on good terms with Chao Hanxiao are at the Fusion or Palace Building stage, possess remarkable demeanor, and are relatively young, deserving the title of "young cultivators." They should all be top geniuses in their respective continents.
These people implicitly regarded Chao Hanxiao as their leader and all trusted him.
Upon meeting Zhong and Wu, the group initially appeared somewhat distant, but their conversation warmed up the atmosphere.
·
Everyone got along very well.
To prove that Zhong Cai's health was indeed not very good, he coughed from time to time during the event—not frequently, just to create the illusion that he was "sick".
Meanwhile, Wu Shaogan, as his Daoist partner who loved him dearly, would naturally take out a bottle every hour and bring it to Zhong Cai's lips so that he could consume the contents inside.
The contents of it... were a nourishing dew that tasted very sweet. When Zhong Cai drew it in a card game, she used it as a snack, but she never remembered to drink it.
Now I can have a couple of bites anytime, which is quite comfortable.
Seeing Zhong Cai's state, the others also felt concerned.
Zhong Cai accepted them one by one.
Then, everyone exchanged names and became friends. They also agreed that once they had enough arena keys, they would definitely go and spar with each other.
At the same time, these cultivators talked one after another, mentioning that the Starlight Arena was indeed very beneficial, and that going there early would be very advantageous. They also mentioned that since entering this place, their combat power had greatly improved because of the arena.
Chao Hanxiao laughed and said, "Brother Qin will not be disappointed once he goes to the arena to challenge the trials. If I were to explain in detail now, it would ruin the experience."
The other cultivators echoed, "Indeed! Experiencing it firsthand has been very rewarding!"
Zhong Cai glanced at Wu Shaogan subconsciously, feeling a slight flutter in her heart.
Wu Shaogan also smiled and said, "Sui'an and I are almost ready now, and we can go tomorrow."
The other cultivators laughed and said, "Be sure to experience it to the fullest!"
Wu Shaogan said, "Thank you for your guidance, that's definitely how it will be."
During this time, Chao Hanxiao threw out many puppets and ordered them to prepare food and water.
Many cultivators ate and chatted at the same time.
·
After several rounds of feasting, the cultivators were ready to get down to business.
Chao Hanxiao said to the Zhong and Wu couple, "We often trade our surplus resources, and this meeting is the perfect opportunity. Although we have only just met you two, why don't you two join us?"
Zhong Cai smiled slightly: "That would be perfect, my husband and I happen to have some resources to exchange for."
Upon hearing this, the other cultivators all took out their treasures.
One of the beautiful young women, draped in light feathers, held a small wine cup and displayed it.
"The imitation of the Moon Essence Cup has a similar function, and like the real Moon Essence Cup, it can collect moon essence to form dew. However, since it is an imitation, it naturally has limitations. Therefore, this item is only at the sixth level, and the dew that it condenses can only be used at the level of building a palace."
"Do any of you wish to trade anything? This item can be purchased with Xuan Stones; 100,000 low-grade Xuan Stones will suffice."
The first item to be brought out was already a rare find.
Zhong Cai was a little curious about the Moonlit Lamp, but in truth, the dew it condensed could be used to refine Moonlit Pills, a pill formula that spanned both the fifth and sixth levels, making it a decent medicinal material to collect.
However, since this was his first time trading with people in the Land of All Beings, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to directly accept Xuan Stones, as it would seem rather unrefined. So, after much thought, he selected a similar resource from the ancient city.
·
All the cultivators present saw that the somewhat fragile beauty in front of them took out a lantern, the light of which was bright and, when reflected on Brother Qiu's beautiful face, made Brother Qiu appear even more charming.
The next moment, the lanterns went out, and the atmosphere vanished.
It turned out that "Qin Changning" had wiped away the light of the lantern, leaving behind its original appearance—which was also quite magnificent.
Everyone had a keen eye and could tell that it was a level six Xuan artifact. Now, after regaining their senses, they quickly realized that when the lantern was lit, a strange fragrance emanated from its wick, revealing a peculiar charm that could likely aid them in cultivating their secret techniques.
Therefore, the value of this lantern and the replica of the Moonlit Lamp is about the same.
It all depends on whether the girl with light feathers is willing to make the trade.
·
The girl, who called herself "White Swallow," was known to others as "White Swallow Fairy." Her demeanor, which originally carried a hint of aloofness, was now tinged with a smile as she said sweetly, "The lanterns are nice; let's change them."
Zhong Cai handed over the lantern, and Fairy Baiyan smiled and handed over a small moonlight cup.
The two successfully completed the transaction, which also broadened the horizons of their other friends.
Then, the other cultivators also took out the items they wanted to trade, and they traded with each other several times.
After most of the transactions were completed, the post-dinner activity came to an end.
At that moment, a tall young man suddenly looked at Zhong Cai and asked, "Brother Qiu, I have a favor to ask, I wonder if you would be willing to listen?"
Zhong Cai said weakly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
The tall young man frankly admitted, "That's true."
Zhong Cai nodded slightly: "Brother Gu, please tell me first."
The tall young man, Gu Zhao, spoke frankly.
"I would like to inquire whether Brother Qiu can obtain any level seven pills?"
Zhong Cai suddenly realized that he was seeking the elixir.
Indeed, the fragrance of the elixir emanating from him is quite noticeable. If a new friend seeks his help for anything, it must be related to this.
Zhong Cai did not answer immediately, but asked again, "What kind of pill do you want?"
·
Upon hearing this, everyone present fell slightly silent.
If he had no confidence, he wouldn't have asked the question at all. Since he did ask, it's likely that this Brother Qiu really does have connections.
I just don't know how wide the avenues are.
If the space were wide enough, they would have one more way to seek the elixir.
Normally, while some necessary pills can be obtained by having their respective factions find alchemists to refine them, it is sometimes better to obtain them secretly and give themselves some trump cards.
This Land of All Beings is an extremely special place; any transactions they make here leave no trace on their respective continents.
·
Gu Zhao's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood the meaning. Without hesitation, he said, "A level seven Soul-Replenishing Pill."
Zhong Cai pretended to be stunned and asked again, "Is there a senior cultivator who has lost his primordial soul beside Brother Gu?"
Gu Zhao sighed, "It is the loss of a close relative."
Zhong Cai pondered for a moment.
Gu Zhao felt a little nervous—on his continent, there were very few seventh-level alchemists who could refine this kind of pill, and now the orders were booked for many years to come, while his loved ones could not hold on for much longer.
Brother Qiu's expression... I wonder if it will allow him to achieve his wish?
Zhong Cai spoke again quickly, but her expression showed a hint of difficulty.
“I can get my hands on a level seven Soul-Replenishing Pill, but…” He hesitated, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.
Gu Zhao was already invigorated when he heard the first sentence, but when he heard "but" immediately, he became a little nervous about what kind of twist would happen next.
Then, Zhong Cai revealed the turning point.
Zhong Cai frowned slightly and said, "It's just that the quality of this Soul-Replenishing Pill isn't very good."
Gu Zhao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled down again—as long as it exists, why is he being picky about quality? Does he even have the right to be picky about quality?
It should be noted that even in the Land of All Living Beings, alchemists are extremely rare, and humans rarely sell pills.
The beastmen don't recognize pills at all. They will only instinctively sense and quickly consume pills that are beneficial to them. Other pills that they don't recognize, even if they might be useful to humans, are either accidentally crushed or piled up together—which are then sold in shops, but the medicinal properties of many pills can interfere with each other, making them inedible, or they are so mixed up that they are difficult to find.
Gu Zhao had searched carefully in different shops some time ago, but unfortunately he still couldn't find it.
The most frustrating time was when he found level 6 and level 8 exams, but not level 7!
Why not?
Actually, there was one originally, but it just so happened that when it was taken out and mixed in with other things, it picked up a special smell. The beastman who possessed the pill liked it very much and ate it like candy.
...If the difference in strength hadn't been so great, Gu Zhao would have loved to challenge this beastman to a duel at the Starlight Arena!
·
That said, Gu Zhao cautiously asked, "Brother Qiu, what do you mean...?"
Zhong Cai could tell at a glance that this person was anxious. Without any intention of keeping him in suspense, she took out a small bottle and handed it to Gu Zhao without even offering a price.
"Here, Brother Gu, please check it yourself. I happen to have it with me."
Gu Zhao was surprised, and neither were the other cultivators, that this new friend actually carried such a high-level pill!
Their feelings were instantly strange, but they were mostly happy for Gu Zhao.
Gu Zhao held the pill bottle very carefully, as if he were holding a bomb. The action of opening the bottle was almost silent, without causing the pill bottle to vibrate at all.
Once the bottle was opened, a delicate fragrance instantly filled the air. The moment the cultivators inhaled it, it felt as if they had swallowed a refreshing mint, leaving them feeling invigorated.
Their primordial spirits also seemed to feel a sense of elation.
This is the feeling one gets from soul-enhancing pills! Because they benefit the primordial spirit, that's why there's such joy!
Gu Zhao's eyes were bright, and he cautiously lowered his head.
It is indeed a Soul-Replenishing Pill.
Is this Soul-Replenishing Pill of...superior quality?
For a moment, Gu Zhao fell silent.
The other cultivators who saw the pill also fell silent.
...A top-grade Soul-Replenishing Pill is called "not very good quality"?
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