Black Rank Is Black Rank, Earth Rank Is Earth Rank!

"Can I inspect the goods first? That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Buy first. Inspect later."

"..."

Xue Qinghe was momentarily speechless at that refusal to act without a guaranteed payoff. What a profiteer.

After they signed a new contract,

Xue Qinghe pushed the Three-Thousand-Year Right Arm Bone across the table.

Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing client Qian Renxue's commission.

Obtained Three-Thousand-Year Right Arm Bone: permanently increases right arm strength by 15%.

Lu Chuan froze for a second.

He hadn't expected that completing a trade would do more than let him instantly master Cultivation Methods and skills. Obtaining a Spirit Bone could permanently boost his attributes too!

Seeing Lu Chuan suddenly lose focus, Xue Qinghe asked, "Brother Lu Chuan, what's wrong? Is there a problem with the Spirit Bone?"

"It's nothing. Something just came to mind."

Lu Chuan snapped back to himself and swept a hand through the air, storing the Three-Thousand-Year Right Arm Bone in his System Space.

Xue Qinghe asked no more. He gently rubbed the Porcelain Bottle holding the Self-Created Soul Skill scroll between his fingers, unable to hide his delight.

Just then, a Royal Imperial Guard called out from outside.

"Your Highness, we caught an intruder sneaking into the Crown Prince's Residence!"

Xue Qinghe frowned at once.

Someone's trying to assassinate me? Who?

Could Xue Beng and Xue Xing be making one last desperate move?!

His face darkened.

"Bring them in!"

At his command, several Royal Imperial Guards escorted someone into the hall. The cold edge of a long blade was pressed firmly against a young woman's neck.

The instant Lu Chuan saw her face, he shot to his feet, shock filling his voice.

"Zhu Qing?!"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes had been full of despair, but the moment she saw Lu Chuan, they lit up.

"Brother Lu! I finally found you!"

Xue Qinghe waved the guards away.

The moment the blade left her neck, Zhu Zhuqing hurried forward and threw herself into Lu Chuan's arms, wrapping both hands tightly around his waist.

Lu Chuan gently patted her back to soothe her and asked softly, "Why did you come here? Sneaking into the Crown Prince's Residence was dangerous."

With her face buried against his shoulder, Zhu Zhuqing explained quietly,

"I heard people outside say someone had clashed with the imperial family and been taken into the Crown Prince's Residence.

"I knew from their description it was you, so I slipped in to rescue you."

Lu Chuan stroked Zhu Zhuqing's hair, his voice gentle.

"You know what I'm capable of. No one in this world can lay a finger on me. You didn't need to take such a risk."

"But I was worried..."

Standing off to one side, Xue Qinghe gave a helpless cough as he watched them embrace. The scene had caught him completely off guard, forcing him to witness their affection up close.

"Brother Lu Chuan, sister-in-law, I'm still here. Should I give you two some space?"

Only then did Zhu Zhuqing realize someone else was present. Her face reddened, and she hurried out of Lu Chuan's arms.

Lu Chuan remained perfectly composed. He simply took Zhu Zhuqing's hand and led her to a chair beside him.

Xue Qinghe's gaze settled on Zhu Zhuqing as he quietly studied her.

She was still young, and the Soul Power she gave off was only at the Soul Grandmaster level.

Yet she had slipped past the palace's layers of guards and entered the Crown Prince's Residence undetected. That was no simple feat. It seemed that profiteer had given her something good.

He tested the waters.

"Brother Lu Chuan, would you sell me the Self-Created Soul Skill you gave my sister-in-law to conceal herself?"

"What Zhu Qing practices isn't a Self-Created Soul Skill. It's a Cultivation Method."

Lu Chuan was privately glad Zhu Qing had come. Without her, he would almost have forgotten about Cultivation Methods.

He had been so focused on Dou Techniques and Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid that Cultivation Methods had barely crossed his mind.

"A Cultivation Method?"

Xue Qinghe blinked in surprise. Yet another new term?

Just how many treasures does this man have?!

Lu Chuan held Zhu Zhuqing's small hand as he spoke.

"That's right. A Cultivation Method can speed up cultivation and refine Soul Power of a compatible attribute. Fighting above your level becomes no problem.

"Zhu Qing practices a darkness-attribute Cultivation Method. She uses her darkness-attribute Soul Power to hide herself, which is how she slipped in without a sound.

"Cultivation Methods are also divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. But they're even more precious than Self-Created Soul Skills."

Xue Qinghe had been shocked so many times that he was growing numb.

He was beginning to wonder whether Lu Chuan had come down from the Divine Realm.

With so many miraculous things and such absolute confidence, there was an eighty percent chance some God was backing him.

"Do you have a fire-attribute or light-attribute Cultivation Method? I have a close friend I'd like to buy one for."

Lu Chuan raised an eyebrow.

A close friend? Wouldn't that be your true self, Qian Renxue?

As it happened, he had both a Low Earth Rank Cultivation Method and a High Black Rank Cultivation Method that Xun'er had traded him. Both were fire-attribute.

"The Flame Scripture is a High Black Rank fire-attribute Cultivation Method. It makes your fire-attribute Soul Power purer and greatly strengthens all your fire-attribute Spirit Skills."

As he spoke, he spread his fingers.

A blazing fireball sprang into existence. It then transformed into a fire dragon that circled in front of Xue Qinghe.

Feeling the heat rolling off it, Xue Qinghe's eyes immediately lit up.

Lu Chuan continued,

"This one costs a Soul Bone Over Fifty Thousand Years."

"A fifty-thousand-year Spirit Bone?!"

Xue Qinghe rubbed the corner of his eye, his head aching.

He could afford that price. He just didn't know whether the Cultivation Method was truly that miraculous, and he was afraid to gamble on it.

Lu Chuan shrugged.

"That's only natural. A good Cultivation Method lets you cultivate much faster than others, and the higher its rank, the greater the boost.

"I also have a Low Earth Rank one. That'll cost a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

"It's only one step up! How did the price jump from a fifty-thousand-year Spirit Bone to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?!"

Disbelief filled Xue Qinghe's face, and his voice rose despite himself.

Lu Chuan's expression stayed calm. "Black Rank is Black Rank. Earth Rank is Earth Rank. They're worlds apart. There's no comparing them."

Xue Qinghe's mouth twitched. That profiteer really does have the nerve to ask for the moon.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was incredibly precious. Any Soul Master who obtained one would keep it to absorb personally, terrified someone else might steal it. Who would ever save one for a trade?

He waved a hand weakly, helplessness written across his face.

"Forget it. We'll set the Cultivation Methods aside for now. I'll test the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid first."

He glanced up at the darkening sky and extended an invitation.

"It's getting late. Why don't you two stay in a guest room tonight? We can continue discussing the trade tomorrow."

Lu Chuan answered evenly, "All right."

Xue Qinghe then had a maid lead Lu Chuan and Zhu Zhuqing to a guest room, while he went to a secret chamber.

A figure emerged from the shadows and stood respectfully before him.

"Young Master, shall I have your subordinate take that woman hostage and force him to hand over the Cultivation Methods?"

"No. No one is to touch that man! We must win his goodwill, not make an enemy of him."