The silver-haired Star Official muttered, "Was the Dragon Beard Fish really pretending to be dead just now?"
The young fish currently possessed astonishing vitality. If Chen Fusheng had not been quick enough to trap it in his palm, it probably would have escaped.
The disciples around them were even more shaken. This little fish could leap over thirty meters at the very least. What about an adult Dragon Beard Fish?
"No, no, that's impossible! You used some evil technique to bring it back to life, didn't you?" Ling Yao reached out to snatch the young fish.
"Shut up!"
The silver-haired Star Official shouted sharply. Ling Yao's body boomed, and his sea of qi felt as if it had exploded.
Blood streamed from his nose and mouth, and his hair hung loose. Everyone fell silent, trembling like cicadas in winter. How dare someone commit violence in front of a High-Ranking Star Official?
"Young brother, how about selling that Dragon Beard Fish to me?" the silver-haired Star Official turned around and asked with a smile.
Mu Zhen did not know who the silver-haired Star Official was. There were more than ten High-Ranking Star Officials inside the Star Palace of Tian Yuan Star Observation Manor.
Of course, more than half of the Star Officials kept out of worldly affairs. Some had even lived for two or three centuries. Even the older disciples did not know who this man truly was.
"My lord, could you let me think about it?" Chen Fusheng could not afford to provoke this old man. He neither refused nor agreed, while secretly congratulating himself for possessing the treasure of the Spirit Fish and saving the young fish!
Previously, Huang Tiancheng had made him drink fish soup all day. After growing suspicious, Chen Fusheng had asked about it and learned the truth.
"So be it!"
The silver-haired Star Official was not particularly eager to buy it. He had less than thirty years of life left. Even if he spent a huge sum to purchase the Dragon Beard Fish, he would not live to see it reach adulthood.
The greatest value of a Dragon Beard Fish was not in stewing and eating it. If one could raise it by their side and periodically extract its Treasure Blood for consumption, it could prolong life and restore an aging body!
For a lineage, it could bless the entire clan. It was like the spirit fruit tree of Mu Zhen's Lineage, which required the strength of the entire clan to cultivate and protect.
Of course, the price paid in the early stages was astonishing. One might afford to buy it, but not afford to raise it!
"Ling Yao, where are you going?" Liu Bai suddenly roared.
The Big Black Fatty and the others chased after him in unison. "Trying to leave without honoring your debt? Trying to be a deadbeat? Hand over the Second Order Foundation Establishment Fluid!"
Some unrelated disciples shook their heads. Ling Yao had at least been born into a major family. How had he become more and more like a shameless stray dog?
Seeing the silver-haired Star Official leave, Ling Yao forced himself to remain calm. "Although the Red Sun Fish cannot compare with the Dragon Beard Fish, its great size is its advantage. Do you dare name its price?"
"And there's this young fish. Who knows how much it will cost to raise it? Do you dare name its price?"
"In my opinion, once we return to the Star Gazing Manor, we should ask the auction house to determine the prices before deciding the winner."
"Is there any point in dragging this out?"
Chen Fusheng snapped, "The Red Sun Fish does not even qualify for the Spirit Fish List, while the Dragon Beard Fish is a Dragon Breed. Do we still need to argue over which is stronger?"
"No matter what you say, none of you can assess the final prices of these two fish."
Ling Yao was also furious. If not for the Divine Wandering Grand Dao, would a noble young master like him have been reduced to shirking his debt like this?
At that moment, Ling Yao developed a powerful killing intent. If he killed Chen Fusheng, he would not have to honor any of it!
"Ling Yao, your mouth is truly hard. How did the descendants of the Ling Family become a pack of deadbeats?"
A magnetic, alluring voice rang out, leaving everyone speechless. Had the Ling Family really been reduced to a pack of stray dogs?
A beautiful mature woman approached from afar. Her goose-shaped face was breathtaking, her skin moist and delicate, and her limpid autumn eyes seemed able to speak, captivating the soul.
She wore a loose red dress, yet it could barely conceal her domineering curves. Compared with the youthful girls around her, she was charming and enchanting, becoming the focus of the entire scene.
"If you admit that statement, I'll pay the Second Order Foundation Establishment Fluid. How about it?"
Chen Fusheng muttered inwardly, Where did this rich lady come from?
Liu Bai raised his head and walked arrogantly to Xu Guifen's side, practically announcing that his domineering queen had arrived!
Xu Guifen was nearly two hundred years old, yet she had maintained herself extremely well. Every frown and smile tugged at the heartstrings. She simply had a deep aversion to the Ling Family.
The forces within the Star Gazing Manor were tangled and complicated. There were many Star Officials who wanted to trample Xu Changfeng down, and Ling Yao's grandfather was among the greater threats.
The reason was simple: Xu Changfeng had no one above him to support him.
"When did I say I was going to renege? I merely want to wait until we return and have an authoritative institution determine the value. That small request isn't excessive, is it?"
Ling Yao argued, "Besides, all the senior brothers and fellow disciples are witnesses. You can't be in such a hurry, can you?"
"Looks like we'll have to invite the Palace Master to judge this matter." Xu Guifen understood everything that had happened in the wager. A servant had blocked Ling Yao's path to the Divine Wandering realm? The thought alone lifted her spirits.
The Foundation Establishment Liquid was secondary. The crucial thing was the Red Sun Fish!
"Do you need to alarm the Palace Master over such a trivial matter?" Ling Yao wished he could tear her mouth apart.
"I believe the Palace Master will be happy to uphold justice for a disciple." The angrier he became at Xu Guifen, the happier she was.
"Let me judge this for you."
A dignified voice rang out. Xu Guifen looked in surprise at His Highness Xuan Yuanchang as he approached.
The surrounding disciples watched solemnly. Chen Fusheng gazed at him in silence. He only wanted to take the resources and return to cultivate, but things had grown rather serious.
Xuan Yuanchang replied indifferently, "The Red Sun Fish is worth one hundred thousand star stones. But this Dragon Beard Fish fry?"
His words spread like a thunderclap. "I am willing to pay two hundred thousand star stones to buy it!"
Crash!
The entire scene erupted. That was two hundred thousand—the hundred-year stipend of a First-Order Star Official!
Ling Yao's face turned ashen. Xuan Yuanchang's words were an insurmountable mountain, leaving him without even the courage to refute.
Even more people admired the Royal Grandson Your Highness's magnanimity. The Ling Family was a native power of Tian Yuan Kingdom, yet he had shown no favoritism and instead spoken up for a servant.
The four Vajras of the Spirit Chef Hall were collectively ashamed. If they had known His Highness was broad-minded as the sea, fair and impartial, they would have eaten less of his Crimson Worm Grass. They should not have diluted the Hundred Flowers Dew, either.
Xu Guifen, meanwhile, cursed inwardly. Others did not understand the Dragon Beard Fish, but she knew it all too well.
Its price should at least be doubled!
"Your Highness, you are a step too late. This young friend already agreed to put the young fish up for auction."
A resonant voice rang out, and the disciples cried out in surprise. Xu Changfeng had actually entered the fray.
Naturally, Chen Fusheng hoped they would bid as high as possible. Then activating the Flood Dragon Diagram would no longer be a dream!
"An auction? Is there anyone in Tian Yuan City who can afford to raise a Dragon Beard Fish? Are they planning to dig a pond and leave it there?"
Xuan Yuanchang said coldly, "Raising a Dragon Breed requires not only a Blessed Grotto-Heaven but also frequent feeding with spirit liquid. Describing the cost as astronomical would not be an exaggeration."
"You are unaware, Your Highness, that the lord from the Heavenly Star Manor specifically instructed me to fish up a young fish from the Spirit Fish List, hoping to send it to the auction for bidding."
Xu Changfeng brought up Old Han, enraging Xuan Yuanchang. It was one thing for him to evade the matter of promotion, but he even wanted to snatch the young fish?
He did not intend to raise the young fish himself. What treasure had the powerful figures of the Heavenly Sun Star Palace not seen? It was most suitable as a gift.
Xu Changfeng understood this as well. Perhaps Old Han would be pleased enough to transfer him to a position at headquarters.
"These bastards are becoming more and more lawless."
Xuan Yuanchang looked coldly at Ling Yao's ashen face. "The young fish is part of the wager. Are you really going to abandon it like this?"
Ling Yao froze for a moment, then was overjoyed. "Chen Fusheng, come on! Don't stop! Keep going!"
Chen Fusheng was exceptionally irritated. Do you all want to bankrupt yourselves or what?
He had never imagined that after failing to buy it cheaply, a descendant of the imperial family would turn around and target him instead.
"Your Highness, matters of wagering should still be discussed by both parties." Xu Changfeng spoke up in Chen Fusheng's defense.
"Palace Master Changfeng, you need to keep the scales level."
Xuan Yuanchang looked down over the entire scene. "Ling Yao has lost too much. He cannot simply leave because he wins one round, can he? Your name is Chen Fusheng, right? You have no objections, do you?"
Objections, my ass!
"Since Your Highness has spoken, I naturally have no objections."
Chen Fusheng suppressed his anger. "It's just that after several consecutive rounds of fishing, I'm exhausted in body and mind. I want some time to recover!"
"You..."
Before Ling Yao could speak, Xu Guifen cut in. "That is true. Fishing consumes a great deal of physical strength. I am curious, Your Highness—what resources are you planning to wager against the Dragon Beard Fish?"
Boom!
Xuan Yuanchang's sea of qi seethed, emitting the terrifying roar of a tsunami and making his figure radiate a kingly majesty.
Behind him, a Bright Pearl rose, brilliant beyond compare. Its dazzling light illuminated the firmament until it seemed transparent, while the stars filling the sky became exceptionally conspicuous!
Chen Fusheng raised his head, somewhat shaken. A silver pearl hung high in the air, radiating vast gravitational force as it drew down the radiance of the stars.
This treasure could actually seize the power of the stars!
"The Gathering Star Pearl!"
Xu Changfeng's expression changed. This was a rare treasure that assisted cultivation, and it was even of immense significance for breaking through the fourth realm. Xuan Yuanchang had actually brought it out as a wager.
When Xuan Yuanchang made a move, he astonished the world!
He had no fondness for Chen Fusheng. He regarded Mu Zhen as his forbidden possession, yet a mere servant had actually managed to grow close to her?
"I need not say much about the price of the Gathering Star Pearl. Palace Master Changfeng, would you care to match my wager? Let us treat it as adding a little color for the disciples."
Xuan Yuanchang's words darkened Xu Changfeng's expression. Bringing out the Gathering Star Pearl was forcing him to make a move.
He had intended to find an excuse to refuse, but an aged, booming laugh came from the upper level.
"Hahahaha! I never expected His Highness to care so much for the disciples of our Tian Yuan Star Observation Manor. I thank you on their behalf."
Ling Yao's grandfather's voice rang out. "Palace Master Changfeng, His Highness rarely has such interest, and he has even brought out such a rare treasure. Even this old man wants to participate. You cannot allow our Star Gazing Manor to lose face."
That old bastard!
Xu Changfeng cursed furiously inwardly, but under the gazes of all the disciples, he could only smile bitterly. He patted the silver bag hanging at his waist. As its mouth loosened, rolling star clouds poured out and rose upward, concealing half the sky.
"That's the Star Cloud Bag!"
The Big Black Fatty cried out in surprise. The Star Cloud Bag had many functions. It could store items, release a star-cloud barrier, and even unleash terrifying absorption power. It was truly rare.
Chen Fusheng had never expected to be dragged into a high-level contest. No matter whether he won or lost, he was destined to offend one side.
"Palace Master Changfeng has quite the courage. We'll resume the contest in three days."
Xuan Yuanchang laughed loudly as he left. He had even ventured into the Abyssal Sea before. What did a tiny Black River amount to?
Before you continue