Innate Spiritual Milk

Zuo Xiaoqing.

The aloof, keep-others-at-arm's-length chill around her had faded considerably, but those beautiful eyes were like hooks as they scrutinized him back and forth.

Inside the venue just now, she had witnessed Ye Xingchen's entire stone-gambling process.

If the Red Sun Fire Essence had been luck, then what about the Earthvein Yellow Essence?

Once was coincidence; twice was skill.

This junior brother of hers definitely hid some great secret.

"Is something the matter, Senior Sister?"

Ye Xingchen stopped, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Earlier, Zuo Xiaoqing had given him the cold shoulder. He was not about to fawn over her now—after all, he had money.

Zuo Xiaoqing did not become angry because of his indifference.

"I was blind just now. I didn't expect you to be hiding your true abilities."

Zuo Xiaoqing openly admitted that she had misjudged him, her attitude entirely proper.

"Do you have some free time now? Would you come to my home for a visit?"

Go to the Left Clan?

Ye Xingchen saw it as clearly as a mirror.

One who showed kindness for no reason was either a traitor or a thief.

As one of Azure Cloud City's three great lineages, the Left Clan possessed deep foundations. A favored daughter of heaven like Zuo Xiaoqing would never invite a man home merely out of curiosity.

Most likely, she needed something from him.

And it was probably his "ability" at stone gambling.

Ye Xingchen weighed matters rapidly in his mind. Although he had money now, his foundations were still shallow. Being able to befriend the Left Clan would naturally be a good thing.

"Since Senior Sister has invited me so warmly, then I shall impose upon you." Ye Xingchen nodded.

A trace of delight flashed through Zuo Xiaoqing's eyes. She turned sideways and made a gesture of invitation.

A luxurious carriage drawn by two snow-white exotic beasts slowly approached. Its body was made from century-old purple sandalwood and engraved with defensive formation patterns. Even its curtains were woven from shark silk, every inch worth its weight in gold.

Ye Xingchen did not stand on ceremony and climbed straight into the carriage.

At a soft shout, the exotic beasts lifted their hooves, and the carriage smoothly entered the main street, leaving the envious gazes of pedestrians behind.

In the shadows of an alley not far away.

Several furtive figures poked their heads out.

"Did you see clearly?"

"Clearly! That brat got onto the Left Clan's Cloudflow Car, and Young Miss Left personally invited him aboard!"

"Damn it, could that brat be someone the Left Clan secretly groomed? No wonder he dared to challenge Young Master Li!"

"Quick, report back to the eldest young master!"

"We're here."

Zuo Xiaoqing lifted the carriage curtain.

Following her gaze, Ye Xingchen looked ahead. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, his heart still jolted.

This was the Left Clan?

What lay before him was not an ordinary residence, but an expanse of rolling spirit mountains!

Several peaks were enveloped by a great formation. Amid the swirling clouds and mist, pavilions and towers could vaguely be seen hanging from sheer cliffs. At the foot of the mountains, vast spirit fields lay in neat rows, their spirit grain golden and the fragrance of medicinal herbs assailing the nose.

Most outrageous of all, Ye Xingchen activated his Source Heaven Eye and swept his gaze across the area, only to discover that a small spirit vein was buried beneath the entire Left Clan estate!

Though it was merely a remnant vein, enhanced by formations, the spiritual energy here was more than five times denser than outside.

Cultivating here for one day was equivalent to five days outside.

Not to mention the patrolling guards—every one of them was armored and armed, and even the weakest had reached Qi Refining, Fourth Layer.

The carriage passed through the massive white-jade mountain gate. The stone lions on both sides were actually puppets refined from living creatures, radiating the pressure of Peak Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

Ye Xingchen subconsciously touched the six hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones in his storage bag.

Back at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, he had felt like a newly rich man, walking with the wind at his heels.

Only after arriving at the Left Clan did he understand what a true great house was, and what it meant for poverty to limit one's imagination.

I thought I counted as wealthy now. Ye Xingchen looked at the rows upon rows of spirit-gathering formations outside the window and mocked himself inwardly. Who would have thought that before true capital, I'm merely a beggar holding a golden rice bowl.

This gap was not something that picking up one or two bargains from stones could erase.

It was the accumulation of generations—perhaps even more than ten generations.

Yet he was not discouraged.

With the Origin Heaven Art in hand, the resources of this world were merely deposits he had yet to withdraw.

As long as the hoe was swung well enough, there was no corner of a wall that could not be dug down.

"Junior Brother Ye, please."

The carriage stopped before a magnificent hall. Zuo Xiaoqing got down first, stood upon the steps, and looked back with a smile.

Ye Xingchen straightened his robe and stepped down from the carriage.

Since he was here, he might as well see what medicine the Left Clan was selling in its gourd.

The hall was not as splendidly extravagant as he had imagined. Instead, it carried an unadorned, ancient simplicity.

A middle-aged man in brocade robes sat in the grand chair at the center.

"Father, this is my fellow disciple and junior brother, Ye Xingchen."

Zuo Xiaoqing respectfully performed a salute, then stepped aside.

Zuo Tianhe slightly raised his eyelids.

"Ninth Layer of Qi Refining."

Zuo Tianhe paused. "Xiao Qing said that at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, you cut open a piece of material so rotten it could not have been worse and found Red Sun Fire Essence? Then you smashed open a moss-covered stone and found Earthvein Yellow Essence?"

Ye Xingchen cupped his hands. "I was lucky. A blind cat ran into a dead rat."

"Luck?" Zuo Tianhe smiled, the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes bunching together. "Once is luck, but twice is luck too? The Myriad Treasures Pavilion is not a charity hall waiting for you to pick up bargains."

He pointed to the chair beside him.

"Sit."

Ye Xingchen did not stand on ceremony. He sat down boldly. The moment his backside touched the chair, a maidservant brought over spiritual tea. The tea broth was emerald green, spiritual energy curling from it; even one breath of its fragrance made his lungs and organs feel clear and open.

"Fine tea." Ye Xingchen praised it, yet did not drink. He merely set the teacup beside his hand. "Patriarch Left, you did not summon me here simply to invite me for tea and discuss the Dao, did you? Why not open the skylight and speak plainly?"

Zuo Xiaoqing's brow twitched slightly beside him.

A Qi Refining cultivator who dared speak to a Golden Core powerhouse like this—this brat must have thought his life was too long.

Zuo Tianhe was not angered. Instead, he gave Ye Xingchen another look. Young people these days were either timid and submissive or arrogant beyond measure. But this brat... very good.

"..."

Zuo Tianhe waved his hand, dismissing everyone else.

"My Left Clan faces a calamity."

Zuo Tianhe spoke, his voice resonant as a great bell. "The Left Clan's ancestor, also the Left Clan's only Nascent Soul True Lord, is nearing the end of his lifespan."

Ye Xingchen's eyelids twitched.

A Nascent Soul True Lord?

The Left Clan actually concealed a Nascent Soul ancestor? No wonder it could firmly occupy a place among the three great lineages. But if this news got out, the entire balance of power in Azure Cloud City would likely be reshuffled.

"Patriarch Left, telling me such a secret—aren't you afraid I'll turn around and sell it to the other two lineages?" Ye Xingchen tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingers, the rhythm steady.

"You are a smart man. Smart men love wealth, not courting death." Zuo Tianhe's tone was calm. "Besides, this is not much of a secret among the upper circles. The ancestor's limit is approaching. Without a way to extend his life, this towering Left Clan edifice will likely collapse by half."

Ye Xingchen said nothing, waiting for what came next.

"A method to extend his life has been found." Zuo Tianhe took a fragmentary prescription from his sleeve and slapped it onto the table. "The Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill. The pill formula is complete, the auxiliary ingredients are prepared, and I have even hired a fifth-grade alchemist. Only one main medicinal catalyst is missing."

"Innate Spiritual Milk."

Innate Spiritual Milk was born at the nodes of the earth's dragon veins, formed by gathering the creations of heaven and earth. A single drop could extend one's lifespan by ten years, cleanse the sinews and marrow, and even repair the soul. It was a priceless treasure with no market price.

"This thing will not be easy to find."