A Deal Reached

Qin Yue had already vaguely guessed the truth, but he did not dare speak at this moment, afraid of provoking Nan Shuishui, who was clearly lost in her memories, and causing a fight to break out.

Although he was not yet a match for Nan Shuishui, a Soul Douluo, he was confident he could escape from her unharmed. But if that happened, entering the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Cave beneath the Earth Dragon Sect would become difficult.

Fortunately, Nan Shuishui remained fairly composed. She understood where the root of the issue lay and had no intention of taking her anger out on a junior like Qin Yue. She looked back toward the sky beyond the door, her voice filled with sorrow.

"I remember it was one afternoon. I had just broken through to Soul Saint not long before, and after finishing my cultivation, I suddenly felt like going out for a look. By chance, I saw Qin Haichuan meeting with that Old Heavenly Dragon. As they walked along the streets of Dragon City, they discussed some sort of cooperation."

"Curious, I quietly followed them, wanting to hear what it was about. Perhaps I was good at hiding, or perhaps Old Heavenly Dragon chose to show respect to the previous Earth Dragon Sect Master—my Aunt—but I really did catch a few key words."

"Besides some extremely precious lightning-attribute materials, the thing that caught my attention most was the 'Ascending Dragon Pill' that Old Heavenly Dragon mentioned repeatedly."

"I was still very young then. I was afraid they would discover that I had been eavesdropping and give Old Heavenly Dragon a legitimate excuse to eliminate me, the 'future of the Earth Dragon Sect,' ahead of time. So after hearing only a few sentences, I deliberately put some distance between us and returned to the Earth Dragon Sect, full of confusion."

"Not until several months later, when that Old Heavenly Dragon's great-grandson—whose talent had been far inferior to mine—revealed Soul Saint cultivation during a duel and successfully succeeded as Heavenly Dragon Sect Master with Old Heavenly Dragon's tacit approval, did I realize that something major must have happened without my knowledge."

"After exhausting every method at my disposal to investigate, I discovered that the time when Yu Longyuan's cultivation had soared—or rather, when his talent had improved—was almost exactly one week after Qin Haichuan met with Old Heavenly Dragon."

"I was too proud at the time and believed Yu Longyuan must have used some sinister method to raise his cultivation. So I fixated on Qin Haichuan, the man who had met Old Heavenly Dragon, and pursued the matter relentlessly."

"Persistence paid off. Through my investigation, I learned that the man was called Qin Haichuan. He possessed Soul Douluo cultivation, was the head of the Qin Clan of Forest Spirit City, and had come to Dragon City to make a deal with Old Heavenly Dragon."

"I did not know exactly why Qin Haichuan had come to Dragon City. It might have been related to a Head Spirit Bone. But I did obtain a definite answer regarding the payment. Aside from the miscellaneous materials, the core of it was your Qin Clan's 'Ascending Dragon Pill'!"

A Head Spirit Bone? A Head Spirit Bone that required someone to travel thousands of miles to request the aid of a Level 95 Super Douluo? Qin Yue's heart stirred, and he immediately thought of the Thunder Giant Skull that had been sealed within the Qin Clan's forbidden grounds, waiting for him to absorb it.

Nan Shuishui turned around and looked at Qin Yue with a wistful expression. "You truly deserve to be from the same clan as Qin Haichuan. Both times you appeared, you brought Ascending Dragon Pills. Both times, you wanted to make a deal with one of the major powers in the city."

Qin Yue felt completely reassured upon hearing this. Nan Shuishui had witnessed the effects of the Ascending Dragon Pill herself and would never choose to give it up. And Qin Haichuan's existence meant she would not dare seize it by force. She could only cooperate with him obediently.

Nan Shuishui glanced at her daughter beside her, whose eyes were gleaming as she listened, and sighed wearily. "Sigh... tell me. What do you want? Even if those ice-attribute ores are exceptionally rare, they are still far inferior to an Ascending Dragon Pill, aren't they?"

"A few pieces alone are indeed not enough." Qin Yue nodded slightly. "What I want is the entire mineral vein beneath the Earth Dragon Sect."

He had even figured out its location? What exactly lay deep within that bone-piercingly cold spring? A sharp glint flashed through Nan Shuishui's eyes. She did not believe for a moment that Qin Yue had come for ice-attribute ores.

She had looked into the Qin Clan. They were a renowned clan of lightning-element Soul Masters in Forest Spirit City. Since Qin Yue had earned the approval of clan head Qin Haichuan, he was most likely a lightning-element Soul Master as well. What did he need an ice-attribute mineral vein for?

Nan Shuishui did not want to hand over the treasured land discovered by her ancestors just like that. But she also understood that even if she refused this deal and the Qin Clan chose to give up, the Earth Dragon Sect would only be left guarding a treasure mountain they could not enter. Even their Title Douluo-level ancestors could not remain below for long, much less the current Earth Dragon Sect, which did not even have a single Title Douluo.

This time, she did not make Qin Yue wait long before speaking.

"The Ascending Dragon Pill's effects are indeed astonishing, and I also believe the information I uncovered was not merely rumor. But one pill is not enough. This is a treasured land passed down by the Earth Dragon Sect for a thousand years. If I sell it too cheaply, not only would I struggle to live with myself, but the several hundred Earth Dragon Sect disciples would also be dissatisfied. Even our ancestors would not forgive me."

Qin Yue frowned slightly and put on an extremely troubled expression. Only after more than ten minutes did he say in a deep voice, "Then two Ascending Dragon Pills. That is my bottom line. After all, the Earth Dragon Sect is not my only option."

Nan Shuishui's brow twitched. Of course, she understood what Qin Yue meant. If the Earth Dragon Sect was still not satisfied, the Qin Clan would continue cooperating with the Heavenly Dragon Sect and gradually drive the Earth Dragon Sect out of this region.

However, Qin Yue's reaction reassured her somewhat. It seemed that although the treasure beneath the Ice Spring was precious, it was not worth the equivalent of three Ascending Dragon Pills. Even if the Earth Dragon Sect took a loss, it would not be too great.

Qin Yue stared straight ahead, wholly focused, looking as though he would walk out the door and seek out the Heavenly Dragon Sect the instant she refused.

Seeing this, Nan Shuishui did not dare hesitate any longer and immediately made the decision. "It's a deal! As long as I see two Ascending Dragon Pills, the Earth Dragon Sect will immediately move away from here. Once the relocation is complete, you can come collect the pills!"

"Sect Master Nan truly is a remarkable woman. Then it is settled. When I come next time, I will bring two Ascending Dragon Pills."

Qin Yue nodded solemnly, but inwardly, he was already overjoyed.

The Ascending Dragon Pill could indeed strengthen dragon-type Martial Souls. In the eyes of others—especially dragon-type Soul Masters—it was one of the finest treasures in the world. But to the Qin Clan, it was merely leftover scrap from refining Dragon Extreme Pills.

Simply put, the Ascending Dragon Pill could also be called a "Lesser Dragon Extreme Pill." Its general effects were similar to those of the Dragon Extreme Pill, but their potency was worlds apart.

The reason it could enhance the origin of dragon-type Soul Masters was naturally because of the power of Heavenly Tribulation within the pill, which had undergone both natural dissipation and refinement into a medicinal pill.

Just as Soul Beasts underwent tribulation, Soul Masters who consumed Ascending Dragon Pills or Dragon Extreme Pills were like people who had passed through an incomparably tiny Heavenly Tribulation—one with only benefits and no drawbacks. Naturally, the origin of their Martial Souls would be enhanced.