"Hoo~"
An hour later, as he breathed out a scorching stream of air, Ye Li's eyes finally regained their clarity.
Instructor Feng had once appraised the Dragon Tiger Pill thus: "A nun who eats it will embrace a pillar; a jade maiden who swallows it will fall in love with firewood!"
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Now that Ye Li had tested it himself, the medicine's effects truly lived up to its fearsome reputation!
An ordinary person who consumed it would have blood spraying from all nine orifices and die within a quarter of an hour!
Trying to resist such lustful evil with the willpower of the initial Body Tempering stage was somewhat forcing a duck onto a perch!
Thinking back on the hardship of that hour, Ye Li still felt lingering fear:
"Even with peerless willpower, I nearly failed to hold on. The Dragon Tiger Pill's medicinal power is simply too terrifying!"
Having completed one-third of today's "Don't Do It Challenge," Ye Li felt his physical vigor reach unprecedented heights! He was refreshed and clear-headed.
He raised his eyes toward the panel:
Realm: Initial Body Tempering (81/1834)
"Azure Dragon Force (1918/100)"
In just one short hour, his body-refining progress bar had risen by another 6 points. The triple experience effect was remarkable.
Rising from the ground, Ye Li patted away nonexistent dust beneath San Niang's godlike gaze and stepped out of Jade-Rinsing Pavilion.
The moment he emerged, he saw the young man surnamed Wang walking out of the pavilion with a hand over his waist, speaking with another core martial artist beside him:
"Tell me, what is a person's life ultimately for? Money? Love? Power? Martial strength? Do these things truly matter to us? Perhaps we should devote more time to martial arts instead of indulging in women. I only failed to endure it just now because my will was not firm enough. Next time, I'll definitely hold out..."
Watching the core students exchange post-battle experiences during their sage time, Ye Li paid them no further attention and headed toward Yunjin Street.
This time, however, his destination was the Hundred Treasures Hall opened on this street.
The name Hundred Treasures Hall was plain and unremarkable, even a little rustic, yet it was a great power that no one in all of Guangming City dared provoke.
That was because every medicinal pill circulating throughout Guangming's markets came from there.
According to rumors circulating among the people, the power behind Hundred Treasures Hall came from the imperial capital of Great Xia, or perhaps somewhere even higher. Its shops could be found in every nearby city.
No matter which faction in Guangming needed to purchase pills for cultivation, it had to buy them through this power!
Though it was called Hundred Treasures Hall, the building itself was actually a seven-story tower.
It sold far more than pills. Talismans, holy water, concealed weapons, treasure armor—everything was available.
Ye Li had only heard of this place before. This was his first time setting foot inside.
The instant he entered, he could see just how luxurious the tower was.
Though the building looked plain from outside, within it stood sandalwood beams and pillars carved with coiling flood dragons holding pearls in their mouths. The floor was paved with lapis lazuli bricks, their cold gleam reflecting off crystal display cases along the walls in a dazzling cascade of light.
The display shelves were lined with all kinds of treasures, talismans, pills, weapons, and armor. It truly deserved to be the place that monopolized the city's pill trade.
"What is this honored guest seeking?" Just as Ye Li lifted his gaze to look around, a crisp voice came from behind him.
Turning his head, Ye Li saw a young girl in an apricot-yellow ruqun seated behind the counter.
She was around sixteen, with almond-shaped eyes curved like crescent moons and lingering baby fat on her cheeks. An Azure Bell in her hair swayed with her movements, chiming softly.
Ye Li gazed at the girl before him and stated his request. "Body Tempering Pills. Thirty of them!"
Hearing Ye Li's request, the girl's expression remained unruffled. She stepped out from behind the counter and smiled. "Honored guest, please wait here. I'll fetch them at once!"
As she spoke, her skirt fluttered as she headed toward the counter behind Ye Li.
Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle—
As she swayed, the Azure Bell in her hair rang with a clear yet unintrusive chime.
But the moment she came close to Ye Li's side, the bell's rhythmic ringing quietly fell silent.
The girl's steps paused faintly, then she casually stroked her hair as if nothing had happened.
Once the Azure Bell rang again, she lightly tapped a hidden compartment in the wall. Amid the sound of mechanisms turning, three celadon medicine bottles slid onto the counter. "Honored guest, at the original price, ten taels apiece."
Ye Li nodded to indicate that it was fine and was about to take out his money when the girl's laughter came from the next moment. "However, I find this young master pleasing to the eye, so I'll give you a ten-percent discount. Two hundred seventy taels!"
"Hm?" A trace of doubt flashed through Ye Li's eyes. He had never heard of Hundred Treasures Hall offering discounts before. Could this woman like me?
Thinking of his own appearance, Ye Li immediately felt that this was perfectly normal.
Anyone who could reject a divine man like him must have the Six Paths Sage invited into their home, right?
But after considering it, Ye Li still shook his head. "Forget it. Charge whatever it should cost, lest you get reprimanded because of me."
With that, Ye Li raised his hand, took out three hundred taels of silver, and slapped them onto the counter. "Three hundred taels. Keep the change."
The girl looked at Ye Li with a strange gleam in her beautiful eyes, then suddenly smiled. "Judging by this guest's attire, you are a core student of the Azure Dragon Gang, aren't you?"
Ye Li raised a brow. "What makes you say that?"
"There is a copy of the Essence-Locking Yuan Technique in the hall. It can lock essence, secure the foundation, and strengthen yang. It should be useful to you over the next half year. Two hundred taels of silver. Does this guest need it?" The apricot-yellow-clad girl smiled sweetly.
Ye Li frowned. Clearly, after learning that he was a core student, the girl had deliberately recommended this technique that could help him endure the Dragon Tiger Pill.
But unfortunately, Ye Li could keep his underpants dry on his own. There was no need to spend another two hundred taels to follow the Outer Dao.
Thus, he calmly shook his head. "No need. I trust my self-control. Thank you for your kind intentions, miss."
With that, Ye Li grabbed the porcelain bottles before him, stored them away, and turned to leave.
But as he was about to depart, he noticed an item displayed nearby. His steps halted as he asked, "How much is that thing?"
Following Ye Li's gaze, the girl saw a rippling, gleaming piece of treasure armor displayed in the corner.
"Is this guest referring to the Silver Scale Armor? It can withstand the chopping of a treasure sword forged from thousand-tempered steel. It costs two hundred taels of silver."
"Two hundred taels..." Ye Li pondered inwardly.
A Body Tempering martial artist's Qi-Blood Network could resist the brutal impact of blunt weapons, but it had no effective defense against the tearing force of sharp weapons.
With this treasure armor on him, he would have excellent defensive capabilities against both sharp and blunt attacks in battles against opponents of the same realm.
But two hundred taels...
As Ye Li pondered, his gaze shifted to an item nearby. "How much is that full-body heavy armor?"
At this moment, a suit of heavy armor that protected its wearer from head to toe stood before Ye Li.
Only the eyes were exposed, giving one an incomparable sense of security.
The apricot-yellow-clad girl thought for a moment. "This one... its material is inferior to the Silver Scale Armor, but it uses plenty of material, so its defensive power is no weaker."
"However, it is far too heavy to carry around. It only costs one hundred fifty taels of silver!"
"This one is actually cheaper?" A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Li's face. Then, after some thought, he said, "Let me consider it for a few days."
"No problem. Since this guest is interested, I'll reserve this treasure armor for you!" The apricot-yellow-clad girl smiled as she watched Ye Li leave Hundred Treasures Pavilion!
Once Ye Li's figure disappeared, an old man quietly appeared beside the girl and asked curiously:
"Miss, what is so different about this person that he deserves your attention?"
"Don't you think he is very mysterious?" The girl smiled as she gazed into the distance at Ye Li's back.
"What is mysterious about him..."
The old man dearly wanted to ask, but in the end, he chose to trust the girl's judgment.
The girl in apricot-yellow gazed at Ye Li's gradually receding figure and smiled.
"This sudden whim of coming to Guangming for a stroll has indeed been interesting."
As she spoke, the girl gently fiddled with the Azure Bell in her hair, a sly gleam flashing through her eyes.
Blue came from indigo, yet surpassed indigo.
To make the Fate-Measuring Bell fall silent within three feet, was the rank of this trait purple... or even higher?