Big Business?

Huo Yuhao set down his pen and looked at the one-meter-long survey questionnaire before him, his face full of irritation.

He really did not know which brain-dead higher-up had come up with something this absurd.

Rubbing his slightly throbbing temples, he turned to look at Xiao Xiao, who was still standing blankly outside the door.

"What do you need?"

Huo Yuhao's voice broke the somewhat strange silence in the dormitory.

Hearing him, Xiao Xiao finally swallowed and came back to her senses.

She forcibly tore her gaze away from Wang Dong's fair, long legs, her little face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Um..."

Xiao Xiao composed herself and said seriously, "There's a major deal at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion that requires the Young Pavilion Master to negotiate in person."

"Me?"

Huo Yuhao pointed at his own nose, thoroughly bewildered.

He asked in confusion, "Haven't you always handled this sort of thing? How could I possibly have the ability to negotiate a major deal?"

Xiao Xiao nodded solemnly.

Looking at Huo Yuhao, she said earnestly, "Sister Ju Zi named you personally. She said you have to be the one to handle this."

There was no helping it.

Since it was Ju Zi's arrangement, she must have had her reasons.

Huo Yuhao rose to his feet and casually draped a coat over himself.

"Wang Dong, stay in the dorm for now."

Huo Yuhao turned to Wang Dong, who was still sitting on the bed, and casually told her, "I'm heading out. I might not be back tonight."

"Hmph."

Wang Dong turned her face away and gave a cold snort, with no intention of responding to him at all.

Not only did she ignore him, she abruptly yanked up the blanket and covered herself from head to toe.

Huo Yuhao froze for a moment.

What was that about?

Ever since they had returned from Sea God Lake last night, the little girl had been in this cold, silent state. She would not speak, and he had no idea who had offended her.

Could it be that those few days every month when girls got irritable had come early?

Girls were fucking impossible to understand.

Huo Yuhao grumbled inwardly, then shook his head.

He had no time to worry about her little mood right now. He simply left the dormitory with Xiao Xiao.

Not long afterward.

The two of them were walking along the main road toward Shrek City.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and people streamed back and forth.

"Who are we doing business with this time?"

Huo Yuhao slowed his pace and turned to Xiao Xiao beside him.

"The Nine Treasure Glazed Sect."

Xiao Xiao lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of gravity.

Apparently afraid Huo Yuhao did not know, she deliberately added, "It's the sect Ning Tian from Freshman Class Nine belongs to. A very ancient and enormous top-tier sect."

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly.

There was no need for Xiao Xiao to remind him. His brain, enhanced by the development of his first soul skill, immediately began working at high speed, quickly pulling up the information from ancient books he had read in the Shrek Outer Court library over this period.

The Nine Treasure Glazed Sect.

If it was that sect, he truly could not think of what major business they could have with the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

As he remembered it.

The current Nine Treasure Glazed Sect was in a semi-reclusive state. They kept an extremely low profile, and ordinary people rarely even heard news of them.

The vast majority of the sect's disciples were members of the main family, meaning direct descendants who possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul.

As for children who failed to awaken the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, their fates were often sharply divided.

If their talent and martial souls were good enough, they would remain in the sect for focused training and become the backbone of the outer sect.

But if their innate soul power was weak and their martial souls were nothing special...

They could only be ruthlessly sent out into the outside world, never allowed to return to the sect or see their parents again.

It was undoubtedly a cruel yet realistic law of elimination.

Huo Yuhao considered it quickly.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was a top-tier support-type gemstone martial soul. Not only was it immensely useful in group battles, it also possessed an innate, keen sensitivity to precious and valuable objects.

It could be said that every Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul master was a living treasure-hunting radar.

No matter what grade of mineral or spiritual treasure it was, it would be difficult to escape their senses.

For some reason, he found it a little funny.

Could Ju Zi be planning to hire a batch of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul masters to search the entire continent for rare ores?

That would fit Ju Zi's resource-coordinating style.

But for something like that, was there really any need for him, the nominal Young Pavilion Master, to appear personally?

Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

VIP reception room.

The furnishings here were exceptionally refined, and every piece of furniture gave off a faint, calming sandalwood fragrance.

Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and walked straight inside.

Two tall girls sat on the spacious sofa.

One had neat, short golden hair and wore clean, elegant white clothes, her bearing poised and graceful.

The other had short fiery-red hair, skin as lustrous and fair as jade, and an exceptionally sharp, unruly air.

They were Ning Tian and Wu Feng from Freshman Class Nine.

When Huo Yuhao entered, Wu Feng, who was sitting to the side with her arms folded, immediately flashed an undisguised sharpness in her eyes.

Her narrow eyes brazenly assessed the somewhat handsome youth before her.

This was the seemingly ordinary guy who had instantly defeated his opponent in practical combat class.

As a fire-attribute assault-type soul master, Wu Feng believed in absolute power and direct confrontations down to her bones.

She instinctively felt some disdain for someone who relied on intangible, invisible spiritual power to win. She could even be said to look down on him.

What was more, his reputation was currently so prominent throughout their grade that she instinctively developed a hostile urge to compare herself with him.

Huo Yuhao ignored Wu Feng's provocative gaze.

He walked straight to the seat of honor and sat down.

"Hello, I'm Huo Yuhao."

Huo Yuhao introduced himself directly, without any needless fuss.

Ning Tian smiled faintly.

Her blue eyes quietly watched Huo Yuhao as she politely nodded.

"I've heard much about you."

Ning Tian's voice was clear and pleasant, carrying the composure and refined dignity unique to a disciple of a great sect.

"We were right next to each other on the freshman theory exam rankings. You were first in the grade, and I was second."

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.

Theory exam scores?

He really had not paid much attention to that stupid ranking. Once the exam was over, he had basically thrown it all to the back of his mind.

But if Ning Tian, the young mistress of the Nine Treasure Glazed Sect, had specifically investigated him, then she had clearly come prepared this time.

"I see. What a coincidence."

Huo Yuhao offered a polite remark, then leaned forward slightly and went straight to the point.

"I heard you want to discuss a major deal with our Spirit Medicine Pavilion?"

Ning Tian did not beat around the bush either.

As the sect's heir, she was accustomed to weighing all advantages and disadvantages with her family's interests as the foremost priority.

"That's right."

Ning Tian gently set down her teacup and said, "Your Pavilion Master wishes to purchase various rare gemstones from our Nine Treasure Glazed Sect in large quantities."

"And hopes to establish a long-term, stable order arrangement."

Your Pavilion Master? Had Ju Zi put on the guise of a Titled Douluo when dealing with outsiders?

What did Ju Zi need so many gemstones for?

Perhaps she was preparing to manufacture high-grade soul tools on a large scale.

Suppressing his doubts, he continued looking at Ning Tian.

Ning Tian paused, an extremely serious glint flashing through her beautiful eyes.

"And in exchange..."

"Our Nine Treasure Glazed Sect is extremely interested in and has a great demand for the Green Jade and Blue Jade Elixir liquids sold by your pavilion."