Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment, then probed, "But... what if this junior does not have any more spirit stones?"
"Hehe, that is nothing!" The Golden Core cultivator laughed. "This old man merely acted on his own initiative. I could not bear to see the formations within the former magic treasure erased, which was why it took so long. If Fellow Daoist Bai has no extra spirit stones, then take this spirit armor."
"Then why did Senior...?" Xiao Hua asked in puzzlement.
"Did this old man not just say so? This old man also likes this spirit armor. I did not hand it over to Xia Ming all this time, firstly because it had been delayed, and secondly because I wanted to see whether Fellow Daoist Bai would part with it. This old man will certainly offer spirit stones or a magic treasure that will satisfy Fellow Daoist Bai in exchange!" the Golden Core cultivator hastily explained.
"Then how many spirit stones does Senior intend to offer?" Xiao Hua asked with a smile.
The Golden Core cultivator was overjoyed and promptly named a number.
"Good heavens, this spirit armor really is something!" Xiao Hua was delighted upon hearing it. "Many thanks for Senior Bai's hard work. This spirit armor is for this junior to preserve his life; this junior does not wish to trade his life for spirit stones yet!"
At those words, the Golden Core cultivator's expression changed slightly.
Though Xiao Hua could not see the cultivator's expression through Mihuan, he quickly swept his hand and took out the two magical artifacts he had obtained from the Huanling Sect. Then he brought out five spirit herbs approximately five thousand years old and placed them on the nearby table, explaining, "Please forgive this junior, Senior Bai. This junior did not