" The Spirit Fire is in the hands of a master Dao of Alchemy in Fengyang Prefecture."
"This fire is called ' Netherwater Flame,' a low-level Spirit Fire that originates from the deepest part of a cold, desolate lake. It draws upon the fire element from the earth while also possessing the coldness of the ethereal water. It only took shape under the tempering of the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi."
"It is said that certain special fire-based magical abilities require the assistance of this kind of Spirit Fire during cultivation."
Zhou Fuling didn't keep them in suspense, but revealed all the information she knew.
Lu Ming felt a surge of warmth in his heart. This so-called " Netherwater Flame " sounded more reliable than the Golden Plasma Fire. This kind of Spirit Fire, born from heaven and earth, took shape after a long period of condensation. It was full of fire element and was most suitable for using the Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus.
"Then how can I obtain it?" Lu Ming asked.
"In a few days, my fourth uncle will attend a gathering of Dao of Alchemy masters from Fengyang Prefecture to exchange skills Dao of Alchemy techniques. The Dao of Alchemy master who possesses the ' Netherwater Flame ' will be among them. It is said that he intends to sell this Spirit Fire Spirit Fire, but there are others who are also interested in it, so there will likely be a fierce competition."
"My fourth uncle told me to tell you that the first requirement for obtaining this Spirit Fire is that you must prepare 500,000 Heavenly Gold Sand," Zhou Fuling said.
"How much? Five hundred thousand Heavenly Gold Sand?!"
Lu Ming gasped. During his trip to Fengyang Prefecture, Lu Jin had thoroughly looted the Golden Gang Sword Hall and even sold some of its properties at a discount to raise 300,000 Heavenly Gold Sand for him. These Heavenly Gold Sand were still lying in his Heaven and Earth Sleeve.
Lu Ming originally thought that 300,000 Heavenly Gold Sand was a huge sum of money, enough for him to squander.
So this low-level Spirit Fire called " Netherwater Flame " actually requires 500,000 Heavenly Gold Sand?!
This is probably the biggest expense Lu Ming, no, the Thunderfire Hall, has ever incurred.
This was already beyond Lu Ming's capacity to bear. For a moment, he even considered giving up on the Spirit Fire. But... he really couldn't give it up; this Spirit Fire was too important to him.
With this Spirit Fire, he was able to condense the seventh Glazed Heavenly Light from his Sub-Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone, thus bringing him a great step closer to advancing to a true Grade Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone.
Moreover, the power of " Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus " will also increase dramatically, which will be Lu Ming's trump card for survival when he follows that prince into the Sacred Ruins deep in the Black Rain Zone!
Therefore, this low-level Spirit Fire is something he absolutely must obtain at this moment.
For a moment, Lu Ming found himself in a dilemma.
Could he possibly ask Zhong Taiyue for 200,000 Heavenly Gold Sand? But that's no small sum. He's only been here for a few days, and he's already learning other people's supernatural abilities. Now he wants to borrow such a large amount of money. Although Zhong Taiyue told him not to be a stranger to him, Lu Ming still finds it a bit difficult to ask.
Ultimately, it's because he didn't spend enough time with his maternal grandfather. If it were Lu Jin, Lu Ming would naturally be able to empty the Lu Clan's coffers without hesitation.
While Lu Ming was caught in a dilemma, Zhou Fuling noticed his changing expression. The quick-witted girl immediately understood what was going on and asked considerately, "Did you not prepare enough Heavenly Gold Sand? How much more are you short?"
Lu Ming did not answer.
Zhou Fuling blinked her beautiful eyes, knowing that men cared a lot about their pride when faced with such an embarrassing situation, so she smiled and said, "I can lend it to you, but one thing at a time, and even if we're close, we'll still have to pay interest."
Lu Ming was speechless. "So corrupt? I might as well sell myself to you."
"Selling yourself is fine too. Just sign a contract. I'm in need of a disciple, and I think you're quite suitable. But remember to listen to your master from now on. If I tell you to go east, you're not allowed to go west," Zhou Fuling said with a grin.
Lu Ming curled his lip.
"Alright, considering how much I've invested in you, I don't need this little bit more. How about I take a penny of interest?" Signing a contract of servitude was obviously a joke; Zhou Fuling just wanted to dispel Lu Ming's resistance.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "I've prepared 300,000 Heavenly Gold Sand; I'm still short 200,000."
"Okay, I'll make it up to you later," Zhou Fuling said casually.
Lu Ming didn't make a big deal out of it and just nodded. He was thinking that once he returned to Qingyuan Market, he would have to find a way to earn some Heavenly Gold Sand and pay it back to Zhou Fuling as soon as possible.
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Lu Ming looked directly at Zhou Fuling's beautiful and radiant face and expressed his sincere gratitude. She had indeed helped him a lot, and the favors he received kept piling up, making it difficult to repay.
Looking into the boy's bright and sincere eyes, Zhou Fuling's cheeks flushed slightly, her gaze flickered, and then she said, "Don't be so happy yet. I haven't finished speaking. The 500,000 Heavenly Gold Sand is just the first request."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Lu Ming's head, making his expression turn somewhat ugly. He'd already given 500,000 Heavenly Gold Sand, did he really have any other requests? Was this low-grade Spirit Fire really that hard to come by?
Damn it, I can't not... even if I don't want to!
Lu Ming gritted his teeth and asked, "What is the second request?"
Looking at his face, which was as black as a scald pot, Zhou Fuling said with a hint of fear, "It's a high-grade spiritual herb that's been around for a hundred years."
Lu Ming's vision went black. High-grade spiritual herbs were one thing; according to market prices, although expensive, they could be obtained with tens of thousands of Heavenly Gold Sand. But the requirement of a hundred years was extremely demanding.
For rare medicinal herbs, a hundred years is a critical threshold. Once this threshold is crossed, the Primordial Qi and medicinal properties contained within the herb surge dramatically, thus increasing its value significantly. This leads to many hundred-year-old medicinal herbs being snapped up by alchemists as soon as they appear, resulting in a supply shortage and making them difficult to buy even with money.
Where can Lu Ming find a high-grade spiritual herb that's a hundred years old in the short term?
Could it be that I'm truly destined to be without this low-level Spirit Fire?
"Don't worry, I've already asked my fourth uncle to keep an eye out for those Spirit Herb Pavilion in the city these next few days and see if we can find it," Zhou Fuling reassured her.
Lu Ming sighed. That was all he could do. It seemed he would have to ask his maternal grandfather for help after the birthday banquet. He was a local bigwig in the city and might have some connections.
As they were talking, the cheerful sound of the suona, a traditional Chinese wind instrument, came from the banquet area.
Zhong Quan rushed over. "Cousin Lu Ming, distinguished guests have arrived. Grandpa asked me to call you over so you can make an appearance in front of them."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Fuling chuckled and said, "Your maternal grandfather treats you quite well. He's spreading the word about you, his grandson, to all the various forces in Fengyang Prefecture. If anyone tries to harm you in the future, they'll have to think twice before acting against the Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall behind you."
The prestigious Fourth-Tier Divine Ability Hall, which has stood in the city for so many years, naturally commands a prestige far exceeding that of the Thunderfire Hall.
Lu Ming nodded. He was well aware of Zhong Taiyue's good intentions, so although he felt it was a bit troublesome, he still followed Zhong Quan.
Zhou Fuling followed naturally and gracefully.
Following Zhong Quan, they arrived at the bustling banquet area and immediately saw Zhong Taiyue waving at them.
Zhong Taiyue watched the three approaching, his gaze first falling on the unfamiliar Zhou Fuling. He was somewhat puzzled. Was this the noblewoman from the Zhao Clan? She didn't look much like he remembered her. But she seemed quite close to Lu Ming. Haha, his grandson was quite charming; they'd already reached an agreement on their first meeting?
Zhong Taiyue was very pleased, so he smiled kindly at Zhou Fuling and said, "Little girl of the Zhao Clan, are you satisfied with my grandson? I told your grandfather that my grandson is handsome and talented, and will never disgrace your Zhao Clan daughter."
Lu Ming and Zhong Quan's expressions immediately turned strange.
Zhou Fuling looked at Lu Ming with a half-smile on her face.
"Oh, so that's what you were doing just now. So you were on a blind date with that Zhao Clan? Did I disturb you? I'm so sorry."