The Effects of Life Essence, Trouble Comes Knocking

After a round of sales, only two of Jiang Taichu's original ten bottles of Life Essence remained.

The eight bottles he had sold instantly sent Jiang Taichu's wealth soaring to four hundred Gold Soul Coins.

A single Gold Soul Coin was enough to support a family's normal living expenses for ten months.

Now, Jiang Taichu had four hundred Gold Soul Coins. If he hadn't been a Soul Master, he could have lived the rest of his life without a care.

But to Jiang Taichu, that money wasn't enough—not nearly enough.

He was still too poor.

For his First Soul Ring, he now had Ah Yin as a contracted Soul Beast, and she needed to devour and absorb various Heavenly Treasures to evolve.

Fortunately, Ah Yin had absorbed her own Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone back then.

That was enough to let Ah Yin's age rise all the way to the ten-thousand-year level.

Otherwise, Jiang Taichu would have had his hands full.

But things would be different when it came to his Second Soul Ring.

If Jiang Taichu's guess was correct, once he recorded a second bloodline and absorbed a new Soul Ring, another contracted beast would surely appear.

When that happened, Jiang Taichu would need to invest a large amount of resources.

Not only that, Jiang Taichu himself also needed to cultivate.

He needed resources to increase his spiritual power, and resources to strengthen his body.

These were all things Jiang Taichu needed to consider.

"Sir, you spent so many Gold Soul Coins on a bottle of this so-called Life Essence. Could you have been scammed?"

"Yeah, that's fifty Gold Soul Coins. That's a lifetime's earnings."

Someone spoke up in front of Jiang Taichu's stall.

"Pah, pah, pah! I won't let you slander the little genius."

"Do you know who the little genius is? Who knows how many benefits the Life Essence he condensed has? Only people like you, who can't recognize a treasure, would stand here doubting him."

"I've taken the little genius's Life Essence myself. How could it possibly be fake?"

When the kindly old shopkeeper heard someone questioning Jiang Taichu, he immediately spoke up in rebuttal.

As an old man who had taken Life Essence, he had experienced its power firsthand.

"Could it really be genuine?"

Seeing how confidently the kindly old shopkeeper spoke, the crowd couldn't help but feel tempted.

Only two bottles were left. If someone snatched them up later, there would be none left.

"I'll take a bottle."

A burly man stepped forward.

He looked at the Life Essence on Jiang Taichu's stall and began to pray.

I hope this Life Essence works on Soul Masters.

I suffered a fatal injury years ago, and it left a hidden problem in my body. Ten whole years have passed, and I'm still stuck at level nineteen as a Soul Master, unable to advance.

Even if it's only a faint hope, I, Zhao Gang, have to take the chance.

Zhao Gang took fifty Gold Soul Coins from his pocket and gave them to Jiang Taichu. Then, following Jiang Taichu's signal, he took a bottle of Life Essence.

Beside him, the old men, led by the kindly old shopkeeper, opened their porcelain-jade bottles and poured the drop of Life Essence from each bottle into their mouths.

As soon as the Life Essence entered their mouths, the vitality it contained quickly began to take effect.

The aches in the old men's waists and the pains in their legs vanished.

Their backs and waists were no longer hunched, either. They stood straight, their bodies becoming sturdy and vigorous, no worse than those of middle-aged men in their thirties or forties.

Though their appearances hadn't changed much, they were visibly a few years younger.

"Th-this... the effects of this Life Essence are real!"

"The old men really have become stronger and healthier. Not only that, they even look a little younger."

"Heavens, doesn't that mean the Life Essence's other effects are real too?"

The eyes of countless onlookers in the crowd lit up at once.

Boosting virility, moisturizing skin...

These were the desires in the hearts of countless men and women.

For that, they were willing to pay a tremendous price.

Zhao Gang, who had just bought a bottle of Life Essence, watched the changes in the old men and unconsciously tightened his grip on the porcelain-jade bottle.

His breathing grew heavier, and the longing and anticipation in his eyes intensified.

Perhaps I really can heal the injury I suffered back then and make another attempt at becoming a Soul Grandmaster.

Zhao Gang opened the porcelain-jade bottle and poured the drop of Life Essence inside into his mouth.

When the Life Essence took effect,

Zhao Gang felt increasingly comfortable all over.

The next moment, he violently spat out a large mouthful of congealed blood.

The sight startled the surrounding onlookers.

"What happened to him? I just saw him take the Life Essence. Could that be the reason?"

"Like fucking hell!"

As soon as those words were spoken, a fierce-tempered old man among those whose bodies had grown stronger immediately cursed.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with the little genius's Life Essence. I swear it on my life!"

After spitting out the large mouthful of congealed blood, Zhao Gang laughed and said:

"My injury's healed! My injury's healed!"

"Not only that, but everything I accumulated over the years actually let me break through to level twenty."

"I, Zhao Gang, am a Soul Grandmaster now too! Hahaha!"

After his initial excitement, Zhao Gang looked toward Jiang Taichu and dropped to one knee.

"I, Zhao Gang, will remember the little genius's kindness today."

Jiang Taichu waved a hand.

"There's no need. We simply made an ordinary transaction."

"I got Gold Soul Coins, and you got Life Essence. As for the Life Essence letting you break through to level twenty, that has nothing to do with me."

Although Jiang Taichu said so, Zhao Gang still kept the kindness in his heart.

When they learned that the Life Essence had even allowed Zhao Gang to break through to Soul Grandmaster, the entire crowd went even crazier in an instant.

Only one bottle of Life Essence remained, and they had to get it.

In front of Jiang Taichu's stall,

A great axe was thrown out and lodged itself there, blocking everyone from approaching.

A burly, fierce-looking man stepped forward.

"Everyone, get back! Whoever dares compete with me for this bottle of Life Essence had better not blame me for getting rough."

At his words, everyone behind him craned their necks.

But some were still indignant.

"What gives you the right? What gives you the right to threaten people with force?"

The fierce man shot a vicious glance at the person who had spoken up.

"What gives me the right?"

"The fact that I'm a noble Soul Master, and an even more exalted level twenty-two Soul Grandmaster."

"I want to buy the Life Essence first. You got a problem with that?"

The person who had spoken up was too frightened to make another sound.

The status of a Soul Master was already exceptionally noble on the Douluo Continent, let alone that of a level twenty-two Soul Grandmaster.

Ordinary people like them couldn't afford to provoke him.

After giving a wicked chuckle, the fierce man came to Jiang Taichu's stall and reached for the porcelain-jade bottle containing the Life Essence without taking out fifty Gold Soul Coins.

The moment he reached out, Jiang Taichu slapped his hand away.

Jiang Taichu looked coldly at the fierce man.

"Payment in one hand, goods in the other."

The fierce man paid him no mind and said:

"Little brat, I don't have fifty Gold Soul Coins. How about you give me a bottle of Life Essence, and I'll protect you from now on?"