Picking Up a Bargain

The scarred man gritted his teeth and continued, "That cub in the little girl's arms is definitely no ordinary beast. If we snatch it, we'll make a fortune. We'll only take the cub and not hurt anyone; they won't risk their lives against us for just a lion beast."

"Brothers, summon your Martial Souls!"

Hearing their leader's command, the men exchanged nods. Instantly, soul power surged, and soul rings began to rotate beneath their feet.

"Rock Rhino!"

"Gale Demon Wolf!"

"Blood Shadow Scythe!"

"Hmph! Trying to outnumber me?"

Chi Yuan sneered. Behind her, the Flowing Fire Kite Eagle let out a piercing cry. In an instant, black-clad figures filled the area for a hundred meters, surrounding them so tightly not even a drop of water could pass through.

Beneath every one of their feet, seven or eight profound soul rings pulsed rhythmically.

The onlookers and stall vendors who had stayed to watch the show now regretted it so much their guts turned green. They envied the 'lucky ones' who had already greased their heels and fled. Now, unable to leave, they could only lament, "Oh, why did we have to be so nosy..."

The scarred man and his group now looked like chicks being held in mid-air. They trembled, their legs turned to jelly, and they collapsed onto their knees with a thud.

The Martial Souls they had just summoned were retracted into their bodies in a panic; one man was so slow that only the tip of his weapon appeared before he forced it back in.

"M-my... my lords..." The scarred man swallowed hard. "W-we had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. We offended the young master and miss; we deserve to die. We won't dare do it again! Please, with your great magnanimity, spare us this once..."

Chi Yuan glanced sideways at her younger brother. She saw Lie Xu, who was holding Qian Renxue, nod slightly while keeping his head down to comfort her.

Chi Yuan looked coldly at the men kneeling before her. A faint smile curled her lips as she said softly to the black-clad figures surrounding them, "Leave none alive!"

With that, she turned, retracted her Martial Soul, and walked quickly to catch up with Lie Xu.

Behind them, aside from the first scream, nothing remained but the sound of clashing soul skills...

Lie Xu led the two girls back to the previous stall. The vendor, unsure whether to stay or go, said with a fawning expression, "Y-young master, you've returned. Please, take a look, take a look."

Lie Xu squatted down and began to carefully sense the remaining items on the stall.

After a long while, he finally locked his target onto a few pitch-black ores.

"Boss, I want these few stones. How much?"

The slovenly man had initially intended to wave him off, but after a moment's thought, he weakly held up five fingers.

Chi Yuan stepped forward and tossed a bag of gold soul coins onto the table. "Keep the change."

She then stored the ores into her soul storage device and led Lie Xu and the others toward the hotel.

"It was only five... copper soul coins..."

The man stood there holding the bag of gold coins, stunned. It took him a long time to react, and he looked toward the direction where Lie Xu and the others had vanished, tears welling in his eyes as he muttered, "Such good people, truly such good people..."

Qian Renxue tilted her head. "Brother Xu, what are these stones for?"

"You'll know when we get back."

Lie Xu acted mysterious, as if he were guarding against something.

"There is definitely a great treasure inside..."

Passersby watched the group's retreating backs, filled with curiosity but not daring to speak above a whisper.

Who... exactly was this youth?

The hotel was simple in its facilities, but it was kept spotlessly clean. A few pots of orchids on the counter added a touch of elegance to the minimalist environment, making it exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Inside the hotel room, the doors and windows were locked tight.

The three of them stared unblinkingly at the few pitch-black stones on the table.

"Brother Xu, is there really a treasure in these stones?"

Qian Renxue held Xiao Jiu, her eyes wide.

"There definitely is. Can't you two feel it?"

Chi Yuan and Qian Renxue exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Little Xu, we really don't see anything magical about them."

"Fine." Lie Xu rubbed his forehead helplessly. "What about you, Xiao Jiu?"

"Ao~"

Xiao Jiu, in Qian Renxue's arms, let out an excited cry. Lie Xu finally looked relieved—at least his child understood him!

Lie Xu said no more. He pointed to the unremarkable stones on the table and said, "Sister A-Yuan, trust me, the treasure inside will absolutely shock you. Use your strongest flame to melt them down."

How could something that triggered a reaction from his own Martial Soul be anything less than extraordinary?

Chi Yuan nodded. Flames ignited at her fingertips, forming a tiny kite eagle that circled her hand.

With a flick of her finger, the thumb-sized eagle dove toward the floating stone, transforming into a crimson flame that enveloped the black rock and began to scorch the outer layer of stone.

One minute...

Ten minutes...

The temperature in the room climbed higher and higher; the nearby marble tabletop began to yellow and grow scorching hot.

Twenty minutes...

Half an hour...

The other stones had been incinerated into fly ash and vaporized into nothingness, with only the final piece still struggling, having shrunk by half.

The group now focused their full attention, and Chi Yuan could not help but increase the output of her soul power.

Hum—!

At this moment, the black stone at the center of the flames had shrunk to the size of an adult's fist, radiating an ancient and profound aura that left everyone present stunned.

Suddenly, as a corner of the final thin layer of the rock shell melted away, a dark red light shot out from within...

Scorching!

Extremely scorching!

Accompanying this surge of leaking energy, Chi Yuan's flames suddenly intensified beyond her control, reaching a height she had never attained before, while her soul power was being consumed at an incredible speed.

If the previous consumption was like opening a water tower's faucet to its maximum, this was like installing a high-power pump onto the tower!

As more and more of the black lava shell melted and vanished, the treasure everyone had long awaited finally revealed its true form.

The moment the surface rock layer was completely melted away, an ancient, scorching aura—tinged with a faint, lingering trace of bloodline energy—pressed down on the three of them, making it impossible to get close enough to retrieve it. This pressure was even heavier than that brought by a hundred-thousand-year soul beast!

Within a single breath of the aura being revealed, Qian Daoliu and Lion Douluo appeared at the doorway simultaneously.

Lion Douluo waved his hand casually, and a lion formed of flames swallowed the soul bone in mid-air, creating a layer of orange-red flame patterns on its surface. Looking closely, the patterns seemed to flow like water, and the temperature in the room dropped instantly.

Only then were the others able to lift their heads to look at the object floating above Lion Douluo's palm.

Above the dark red soul bone, right in the center, a crimson-gold feather was deeply embedded into the bone, as if they were one and the same. A soul bone that was half-bone and half-feather floated quietly before the three of them.

"This... this is a soul bone!" Chi Yuan gasped.