"Brother Liu, farewell!"
At the entrance to the small courtyard, Gu Han cupped his fists to bid Liu Ling farewell, an unprecedented trace of a smile on his cool face.
Kalon looked as though he had seen a ghost.
What on earth had happened during the time it took to drink a cup of tea, when he had not been involved!?
"Gu, my brother... farewell." Liu Ling's smile was forced, but he still gathered himself and responded.
Anyone who had been sweet-talked into agreeing to give away a Fourth-Grade Pill would wear the same expression.
The only thing worth being happy about was that Gu Han had not asked for an overly precious pill, only a Fourth-Grade Clear Bright Pill.
He happened to have one on him, casually refined by Master Gu He.
"No need to see you out." Gu Han entered the courtyard and shut the gate.
Liu Ling turned and left. Only after walking a long way did he sigh. "How did I end up agreeing to that?"
"What did you agree to do for Gu Han, Junior Brother Liu?" Kalon probed at the right moment.
"It's nothing much. I'm just giving him a Fourth-Grade Clear Bright Pill," Liu Ling answered casually.
Kalon:?
You had come charging over early in the morning, looking ready to demand an explanation and confront him head-on.
Yet before even a cup of tea's time had passed, not only was the matter unresolved, you had also given him a Fourth-Grade Pill.
Was Gu Han too strange, or were you simply too spineless?
"Why?" Kalon asked.
Why?
Liu Ling was asking himself the same thing.
Was it because Gu Han had said, "I see that Brother Liu is handsome and dashing, with first-rate strength and talent. You study under Pill King Gu He, are a Third-Grade Alchemist with the cultivation of a Dou Master, and before long, you'll win Senior Sister Nalan's heart."
Or because Gu Han had said, "Forget the Misty Cloud Sect. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, considering background, connections, talent, and prospects, who could compare with you, Brother Liu? Who could compete with you for the free-spirited Miss Nalan?"
No, it was because he himself had called Gu Han his Sworn Brother.
Naturally, one had to be generous toward a brother.
"It's no big deal. He and Miss Nalan are merely acquaintances who nod to each other, and he even helped me with something, so I'm simply repaying him a little." Liu Ling waved dismissively.
But Kalon felt that things were not so simple. He secretly noted to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Information sent back to the sect was all credit. It could earn generous Merit Points, which could be exchanged for the good things he wanted.
"Simp, simp."
"Women aren't the only ones who scam you out of money. Men do it too."
Looking at the Clear Bright Pill in his hand, Gu Han felt guilty for one second.
Even he had not expected this Fourth-Grade Pill to come so easily.
Now, he only needed to observe Zhang Chuchen a little longer. If there were no problems, he could hand it over at a suitable time and gain a Dou Ling thug.
"Cultivate, cultivate. Keep cultivating."
Putting away the pill, Gu Han returned to the secret chamber in his room, entered the Xuanwu Secret Realm, and continued cultivating while holding the Cold Jade.
In the blink of an eye, several more hours passed.
Past the midnight hour, Gu Han sensed that his Four-Star Dou Practitioner cultivation had completely stabilized and slowly opened his eyes.
``` [Mo Qing successfully broke through to Dou Zhe with the help of Qi Gathering Powder. In high spirits, he decided to head down the mountain to Yunlan Town for some fun. At Noon Third Ke, he bought an Ancient Book from the stall of a one-handed man in West Street Market. It came from a Dou Ling Tomb. After studying it carefully, he decided he had bought a fake and furiously tossed it into a brazier, accidentally obtaining the Mysterious Tier Intermediate Movement Skill Nine Snake Steps]
[Kalon went to an Outpost to report the situation, then received from his contact superior (a Seven-Star Dou Grandmaster) the Mysterious Tier High Grade Flying Fighting Skill Six Wild Goose Flight Skill, which the latter had exchanged with Ten-Year Merit Points. This Dou Technique was derived from Nine Wild Goose Flight Skill, had a speed rating reaching Quasi-Earth Tier, required the transplantation of Sixth-Grade Magical Beast Wings to master, and continuously consumed Dou Qi while flying. Its efficiency was far higher than ordinary Dou Qi Wings]
[Intelligence Details: Nine Wild Goose Flight Skill (Earth Tier Mid Grade flying Dou Technique crafting method; contains special Power of Space; requires materials from high-grade flying Magical Beasts to refine; speed rating reaches Quasi-Heaven Tier; accompanying Earth Tier Mid Grade movement technique "Yantianxing")]
Seeing these two pieces of intelligence, huge waves surged within Gu Han's heart.
In the original course of events, Mo Qing should have consumed the Jade Spirit Fruit to break through to Dou Zhe earlier, so he naturally would not have obtained this Nine Snake Steps. What incredible luck.
But what unsettled him even more was that the Six Wild Goose Flight Skill had been derived from the Nine Wild Goose Flight Skill.
After Xiao Yan successfully used the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bone Wings to create the Nine Wild Goose Flight Skill, he could achieve flying speeds beyond those of ordinary Dou Zongs at the Five-Star Dou Emperor realm. Once he became a Dou Zong, he even dared compete with Dou Venerates in speed.
Although the Six Wild Goose Flight Skill was much weaker and merely Mysterious Tier High Grade, it was definitely far stronger than the Purple Cloud Wings.
Most importantly, it was a ready-made Flying Fighting Skill.
"Then it's mine."
Gu Han closed his eyes and threw himself back into cultivation.
Time flew like an arrow, and before long, it was the second quarter past noon.
The blazing sun hung high overhead, yet Yunlan Town beneath Misty Cloud Mountain was crowded with people.
Although Yunlan Town was called a town, its population was likely greater than that of some ordinary cities.
It was only because the Misty Cloud Sect was unwilling to expand it that it had always been kept within a certain size.
At West Street Market, countless people had set up stalls and cried out their wares.
Wearing the uniform of an Outer Disciple, Gu Han moved through the crowd, drawing countless envious, probing, and reverent gazes.
"How much is this?"
Gu Han arrived before the stall of a middle-aged one-armed man and selected the only ancient book.
The middle-aged man's gaze swept over Gu Han's sleeve cuff. His expression turned restrained as he said, "My friends and I obtained this item from a Dou Ling tomb. We suffered grievous injuries because of it, and I even paid the price of one hand. Though it appears to only record secret tales, I..."
"The price!" Gu Han interrupted coldly.
"Uh." A glint flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes as he said, "Two thousand—no, one thousand. I'll sell it for one thousand Gold Coins."
In truth, they had already copied the contents of this booklet several times. It recorded the experiences and observations of that Dou Ling expert before his death from his own perspective. There was indeed quite a bit of useful knowledge within, but that was all.
The Ancient Book's unknown material and its origin in a Dou Ling Ancient Tomb were merely selling points. That was why he had put it out, intending to swindle some fool.
But he did not dare cheat a Misty Cloud Sect disciple too badly.
"Fine."
Gu Han reached out and stored the Ancient Book in his Storage Ring, then took out a bag and tossed it to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man weighed it in his hand, then opened the bag and looked inside. "The amount is correct. Payment and goods are settled."
Gu Han turned and headed into the distance.
"A Misty Cloud Sect disciple. Young and talented, but with poor judgment."
Once Gu Han had disappeared from sight, the one-armed man took out a notebook from his Storage Ring and placed it on the stall.
This notebook was not an Ancient Book. He would not mind selling it for over a hundred Gold Coins, nor would he mind selling it for a few dozen.
With a Misty Cloud Sect disciple acting as a fool, he could brag about it and sell it for a good price.
Before long, another Misty Cloud Sect disciple came to his stall. After examining it for a while, he shook his head and left.
Looks like not every Misty Cloud Sect disciple is easy to fool, the one-armed man thought.
Meanwhile, Gu Han found a hidden corner, entered the Xuanwu Secret Realm, and used a brazier he had prepared beforehand to burn the Ancient Book.
Before long, the Ancient Book underwent a strange change. Under the flames, it was reduced to three thin sheets of gold foil, upon which a Dou Technique was recorded.
Mysterious Tier Intermediate Movement Skill: Nine Snake Steps
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