Natural Hidden Weapons, Dragon Beard Needle

"I never agreed to that!" Flender glanced at Ning Qiu.

"No, you named a price, and I accepted it. Money and goods exchanged at the same time," Ning Qiu said.

"I won't argue with you. This is my shop. You're not taking that crystal away," Flender said flatly.

"You dishonest merchant! How can you do this?" Xiao Wu snapped angrily.

"Is it because you're a soul master too?" Ning Qiu asked mockingly.

"It's good that you know," Flender chuckled.

"So what if you're a soul master? This is Suotuo City. From the way you dare speak, your Soul Power Level must be higher than ours. In other words, you're definitely no ordinary person. If you want to forcibly take it back, disregard your own dignity, and make a big deal out of this, then I don't mind fighting you to the bitter end," Ning Qiu shot back.

"Have you thought this through?" Flender fixed Ning Qiu with a sharp gaze.

"I've thought it through very clearly! Even if you're a Soul Saint, I'm confident I can hold out until the city's enforcement squad arrives," Ning Qiu replied.

Flender looked at Ning Qiu, instinctively sensing that the latter was anything but simple. So young, yet unflustered in the face of trouble, calm and composed—a child destined for great things.

"Forget it, forget it. Take the crystal," Flender finally conceded.

"Huh, Ning Qiu."

Just as Ning Qiu and Xiao Wu turned around, someone entered through the shop's doorway. It was Tang San.

"Tang San?"

Ning Qiu's heart skipped a beat.

"Ning Qiu, I never expected to see you here. Huh, this is... Hair Crystal." Tang San cried out in surprise.

"Hair Crystal?" Flender murmured.

"Ning Qiu, can you give me that crystal?" Tang San asked with blazing eyes.

"No," Ning Qiu replied.

"You can name your price." Tang San still refused to give up.

"This crystal cost my brother two hundred Gold Soul Coins. How much are you planning to offer?" Xiao Wu asked with a playful smile.

"Two hundred? Ning Qiu, you spent two hundred Gold Soul Coins on it. I'm willing to offer two hundred fifty," Tang San said.

"You're the fool!" Ning Qiu snapped irritably.

"If you think that number doesn't sound good, I can offer two hundred eighty. Two-eight, two-eight—sounds better now, right?" Tang San said with a smile.

"Not for sale." Ning Qiu smiled and shook his head.

"Three hundred."

"Not for sale."

"Three hundred fifty."

"Not for sale."

"Four hundred."

"Not for sale."

"Five hundred!" Tang San continued raising the price. "Five hundred should be enough, right? You paid two hundred Gold Soul Coins for it. If you sell it, you'll make a profit of three hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

"Not for sale. No matter how much you offer, I won't sell it. Xiao Wu, let's go. It's time for us to head back." Ye Xuan smiled. Having obtained a piece of Hair Crystal on this trip to Suotuo City, he was in an excellent mood.

"Ah!"

Tang San watched Ning Qiu's departing back and sighed helplessly.

"It's only a crystal. Kid, I have other crystals here. Want to take a look? If the price is right, five hundred Gold Soul Coins per piece." A gleam flashed in Flender's eyes as he regarded Tang San as a fat sheep.

Tang San swept his gaze over the crystals in the shop and gently shook his head.

"Kid, is there something wrong? Aren't these crystals the same as that one?" Flender asked, raising a brow.

"These crystals aren't the same as that one. That crystal was Hair Crystal," Tang San answered.

"Hair Crystal? What is Hair Crystal?" Flender asked in confusion. He had run this shop for decades. He had heard of the most precious Amethyst Crystal, but never of Hair Crystal.

Tang San looked at Flender. Since they were not acquainted, he had no intention of explaining anything about Hair Crystal to him. With a sigh, he said enviously, "Ning Qiu really is lucky. Not only did he become the village chief, but he also came across a piece of Hair Crystal worth more than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"What? Worth more than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins?" Flender's eyes widened in shock, though he also looked at Tang San skeptically.

Tang San looked at Flender without explaining, then left the shop.

"Did I... really sell a crystal worth over ten thousand so cheaply?" Hearing Tang San's words, Flender could not help but begin to doubt himself.

Inside the hotel.

Ning Qiu took out the crystal he had bought. With a thought, he summoned his martial soul, the Ancient Dragon Elephant.

Second Soul Skill: Dragon Elephant Transformation

With the dragon elephant possessing his body, Ning Qiu swung his palm at the crystal resting on the table.

Bang!

How could the table withstand Ning Qiu's brute force? It was smashed to powder by a single palm strike. At the same time, the crystal shattered, its fragments shooting in every direction. Countless streaks of Golden Light burst forth, finally hovering in midair in a dazzling display.

"Xiao Wu, hurry, help me gather all of these. Don't miss a single one," Ning Qiu said excitedly.

Following his instructions, Xiao Wu began collecting the golden specks floating in midair alongside Ning Qiu. The specks were tiny, only about the size of glass beads.

"Brother, what are these things? How can there be things like this inside a crystal? Are they gold?" Xiao Wu handed all the collected golden beads to Ning Qiu and could not help asking.

"This isn't gold. It's gold among gold," Ning Qiu answered, his expression brimming with excitement.

"Gold among gold?" Xiao Wu looked even more puzzled.

"Mm. Because they're worth even more than gold. That crystal just now wasn't an ordinary crystal—it was Hair Crystal. Certain crystals, when affected by external influences, develop golden strands within them. These golden strands are extremely tough and amazingly elastic, as fine as hair, which is why they're called Hair Gold. Crystals containing Hair Gold are called Hair Crystal," Ning Qiu explained in detail.

"But what is it used for? You look so excited and thrilled. Its use must be pretty significant, right?" Xiao Wu asked.

"Mm, its use is indeed significant. It can specifically pierce Protective Qi Auras. As long as Soul Power is infused into it, it will form golden needles as fine as hair." As Ning Qiu spoke, he took out a golden bead and injected a wisp of Soul Power into it. In the blink of an eye, the bead turned into an incredibly fine golden needle.

"It changed?" Xiao Wu said in surprise.

"Hair Gold that leaves the protection of the crystal curls up into granules. It only needs Soul Power infused into it to turn back into Hair Gold. By my estimate, that piece of Hair Crystal from earlier had a history of at least a hundred thousand years. If we encounter Soul Masters with Protective Qi Auras, we can use Hair Gold to catch them off guard and shatter their Protective Qi Auras!" As Ning Qiu spoke, he flicked his hand. The golden needle in his hand shot out like a bolt.

Bang!

The sudden explosion gave Xiao Wu a fright.

Following the sound, Xiao Wu saw that one leg of the table Ning Qiu had struck had been reduced to a pile of wood chips.

Xiao Wu did not dare imagine what would have happened if that attack had landed on a person. Wouldn't it have killed them outright?