Greed at Play, Battle of Tiger Fall Cliff

Su Hao pondered, "How powerful is the Heavenly Thunder Talisman?"

"You saw it yourself when I used it against He Tieniu. Do I need to elaborate?" Zheng Tu said urgently.

"The Heavenly Thunder Talisman is definitely more potent than the Lightning Strike Talisman and Thunder Fire Talisman.

And you used hundreds of Heavenly Thunder Talismans back then, only managing to kill him with the Crimson Thunder Treasure Talisman in the end..."

Su Hao's voice trailed off, his meaning clear.

"Junior disciple, I'm not good at haggling. How about two bottles of Top-grade Pills for one Heavenly Thunder Talisman? Be straightforward."

Zheng Tu raised his hand.

Su Hao sighed, "I stumbled upon a cave dwelling once, and all the pills came from there. I don't have many left now."

"I don't have many Heavenly Thunder Talismans left either," Zheng Tu's eyes flickered. "Three Heavenly Thunder Talismans for the remaining pills in your storage bag."

Su Hao silently took out two bottles of Top-grade Pure Qi Pills. "This is all I have."

"Huh?" Zheng Tu was very displeased. He had thought Su Hao was a generous person and would bring out four or five bottles.

"Sorry, it's really just two bottles," Su Hao said apologetically.

"Fine, two bottles it is. Consider it a good deed," Zheng Tu took out three Heavenly Thunder Talismans and placed them on the table. He had come to terms with it.

Talismans like the Heavenly Thunder Talisman weren't high in cost, just prone to failure. He could craft them with some time. In contrast, pills like the Top-grade Pure Qi Pill were uncommon.

It was the same for Su Hao; Heavenly Thunder Talismans were hard to come by.

However, for low-grade Top-grade Pure Qi Pills like these, the cost was only two or three spirit stones with a Three-Colored Lotus and some auxiliary materials. He could craft them with time, as many as he wanted. The only thing that bothered him was not daring to be too ostentatious, for fear of attracting unwanted attention.

Su Hao picked up a Heavenly Thunder Talisman and examined it. The greatest advantage of such talismans was their low spiritual energy consumption and ease of use. For low-level cultivators, the burden was far less than spells or magic artifacts.

"If you need talismans in the future, feel free to find me. Since you could spot me at a glance, you must know where I live. Also, please help me keep this transaction quiet. It's not good to let others know about our exchange today," Zheng Tu said, cupping his fist solemnly.

"Of course. I was worried you, Senior Brother Zheng, might let it slip. I have no pills left now. If I were to attract attention because of that, it would be so unfair," Su Hao returned the gesture.

"How could that be? I don't even know your name, Junior Disciple. I can't see through your cultivation, and your spiritual energy aura must be disguised. We're unlikely to meet again after today. To be safe, you go first. I'll cover the cost of the private room," Zheng Tu stood in place, watching Su Hao leave.

After Su Hao left.

Zheng Tu's smile vanished. "The moment this person met me, he called me Senior Brother... This indicates that subconsciously, he believes his seniority or strength is lower than mine. His strength likely lies in his art of concealing his aura and presence. As for the pills he 'accidentally' obtained from a cave dwelling, and having no remaining pills? What a cover-up! Since we're unlikely to meet again, there's no possibility of future transactions, so I'll go all the way!"

Top-grade pills, even low-grade Pure Qi Pills, were extremely valuable. With no impurities or pill poison, even cultivators with poor talent had nearly a ten-percent absorption rate when consuming them. One bottle was equivalent to seven or eight bottles of Low-grade Pure Qi Pills.

Su Hao left the private room and headed straight for a nearby stall. This time, he didn't waste time haggling. He spent all his remaining seven hundred spirit stones and bought a low-grade defensive inner armor called 'Turtle Scale Armor'.

Afterward, he left the Hidden Dragon Valley market. He infiltrated the mountain forest, moving at low altitude with his Qinggong. His speed was slow, not as fast as the Imperial Sky Art or flying magic artifacts, but it was advantageous in its quietness.

In no time, he crossed mountains and ridges, arriving at Tiger Fall Cliff, shrouded in thick fog. The area was dense with forest vegetation, with steep cliffs and precipices. A perfect place for murder and robbery. Su Hao stood silently beneath a large tree nearby.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a figure appeared hovering in the air. The person was standing on a shuttle emitting a faint glow.

"Tiger Fall Cliff?" Zheng Tu glanced at the location, recognizing this notorious place. He had suffered losses here himself in the past. "Could it be that this person anticipated I would come looking for him and deliberately chose this place?"

"Impossible... He's not a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He couldn't have detected the talisman spirit mark on the talisman."

Zheng Tu's expression shifted slightly, his thoughts beginning to waver.

"Senior Disciple Brother Zheng is looking for me?" Su Hao revealed himself, stepping out from the shade with a hint of confusion. "I clearly hid my aura completely. How did you track me?"

"Heh, not at all. I just happened to be passing by. Don't misunderstand, junior disciple brother."

Zheng Tu's face showed hesitation. He naturally wouldn't reveal the methods he used on the talismans.

But even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to see through their mysteries.

He was actually detected?

"On the other hand, junior disciple brother, do you have the leisure to wander around here, or are you planning to rob and kill? Could it be that those pills were obtained this way?"

Zheng Tu landed, the half-face mask gone, replaced by an innocent smile.

Su Hao shrugged. "It's best to be cautious and prepare for the worst. Also, to see if anyone foolishly comes looking for trouble."

He took out the Spirit Snake Sword from his storage bag.

"Junior disciple brother, are you going to make a move on me?" Zheng Tu chuckled.

"Enough, Zheng Tu, stop playing the innocent. I assume you did something to the talismans. If you could track me, you could probably make the talismans fail at any time. Since you followed me, you're not going to chicken out now, are you?"

Su Hao's expression turned grim. He had completely hidden his aura, yet this person still found him. Even if he suspected it was the talismans, he couldn't just throw away the talismans he'd spent a fortune on.

"Huh... You're quite perceptive, kid!" Zheng Tu was increasingly surprised. Even the method to disable the talismans was guessed by Su Hao? But what if he guessed it! At worst, it would be a mutual destruction. As long as Su Hao wasn't a Foundation Establishment cultivator, no matter how powerful this mysterious youth was, Zheng Tu was confident he could retreat at any time. Speaking of which, if he were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, why would he care about Qi Refining stage talismans? Therefore, this person absolutely couldn't be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his strength was probably not as good as Qi Refining Level 9 or 10. Any cultivator who reached this stage had their own skills; they would buy a few talismans at most, not spend most of their resources on these disposable items! Thinking this, Zheng Tu's calm smile gained a hint of ferocity. He noticed Su Hao's steadily rising aura, which stopped at the Qi Refining Level 7. "Your strength is only Qi Refining Level 7? Don't try to fool me. He Tieniu already used this trick, it won't work on me!" "However, you are definitely not at Qi Refining Level 10. If you had that kind of strength, why would you humbly admit defeat and call me senior disciple brother?" Zheng Tu burst into laughter, increasingly feeling that everything was under his control. Su Hao finally understood. It turned out that his address had revealed his weakness, making the other party think he was easy to bully! Su Hao sighed, stepped forward, and rapidly approached Zheng Tu with his sword. The sword light was swift and fierce, accompanied by a faint crimson heat. "Crimson Flame Sword Art?" Zheng Tu raised an eyebrow, his vigilance relaxing slightly. "Junior disciple brother, you're underestimating me too much, bringing out such trash cultivation methods to show off?"