Trading the Jade Huang for a Divine Ability

Swift as wind and lightning, Tang Yuan raced south day and night.

Whenever he truly ran out of strength, Tang Yuan summoned Tang Yi and had him carry him as he continued racing onward.

At last, on the morning of the final day before the teleportation array closed, Tang Yuan reached the teleportation point.

Looking at the swirling portal, Tang Yuan concealed his presence and quietly waited for the few remaining Holy Cardamom Sect members to pass through.

After he had waited an hour, not a single disciple remained in front of the portal. Seeing that it would close in the time it took an incense stick to burn, Tang Yuan circulated his Spiritual Qi and charged toward the swirling portal with all his might.

A hundred zhang from the portal, Tang Yuan stopped, standing with his saber across his body: Qi Feiming and Qian Xiaobao had suddenly leaped out of a thicket, blocking the portal.

"Well, junior brother Qian? Just as I said, Tang Yuan definitely hadn't returned. He went off to keep slaughtering beastmen." Qi Feiming sneered smugly.

Qian Xiaobao nodded and looked at Tang Yuan:

"Senior brother Tang Yuan, did you really get that beastman jade necklace, the 'Purple Jade Huang'?

Give it to senior brother Qi. He's willing to pay five thousand spirit coins for it."

Tang Yuan said nothing, merely watching the two of them coldly.

"Junior brother Tang, hand over the Purple Jade Huang. I'm willing to buy it or trade Law Artifacts for it.

Otherwise..." Qi Feiming's face darkened.

"Otherwise what?

Are you two planning to murder me and seize my treasure?" Tang Yuan formed a hand seal, and scorching flames rose from his demonic saber.

"Senior brother Tang, don't misunderstand.

You saved my life. How could I repay kindness with enmity?

The only reason I didn't go back was to persuade you.

Look, the portal is about to close. If you really did get the Purple Jade Huang, sell it to senior brother Qi." Qian Xiaobao waved his hands repeatedly and moved several feet away from Qi Feiming.

"Cut the nonsense. Hurry up and take out the Purple Jade Huang!" Qi Feiming glanced at the portal and slowly walked toward Tang Yuan.

If Tang Yuan fought Qi Feiming, it would inevitably take time, and he might not be able to get back.

Tang Yuan wore an indecisive expression as he watched Qi Feiming approach.

"The portal will close in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea," Qian Xiaobao called anxiously. "Why don't you two go back to the sect first and discuss it there?"

Tang Yuan snorted coldly, took out the Purple Jade Huang, and turned it over in his hand.

"Dark blue-green all over, with dragon, fish, and cloud patterns, and the purple taiji faintly emitting Spiritual Qi. It really is the Purple Jade Huang!

Give it to me, quickly!" Qi Feiming's eyes lit up, and he charged at Tang Yuan.

"You want it? Go get it yourself!" Tang Yuan hurled the jade huang behind him to the right with all his might, then rushed toward the portal at top speed.

"Damn it! I'll settle this with you when we get back to the sect!" Qi Feiming cursed, continuing to rush left to pick up the jade huang.

"Quick, quick, senior brother Tang!" Qian Xiaobao anxiously released Spiritual Qi to hold the portal open: it was visibly shrinking.

Within a few breaths, Tang Yuan reached the portal and turned to look. Qi Feiming had already picked up the jade huang and was charging over with a smug look on his face.

"You want the jade huang so badly? Then stay here in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm.

If fate wills it, we won't meet again in this lifetime." Tang Yuan threw several explosive talismans at Qi Feiming, then turned and walked into the swirling portal.

"We're all from the same sect. Can't we talk things over properly?..." Qian Xiaobao sighed softly, then turned and rushed into the portal as well.

Through endless darkness, stars flashed past their eyes, and Tang Yuan and Qian Xiaobao returned to Seeking the Dao Square on Holy Cardamom Mountain.

Just as the portal was about to close, a serpentine sword flew out of it.

Before anyone could get a clear look, Qi Feiming materialized from the sword, his face full of satisfaction.

"Damn it, I didn't expect Qi Feiming to have a high-grade spirit sword.

Judging by its grade, it should be a middle-grade Spirit Artifact.

Good thing I didn't get entangled in a fight with him just now." Tang Yuan curled his lips and walked aside to turn in his beastman canines.

Tang Yuan took out and turned in only thirty-five left spirit teeth and twenty-five right spirit teeth from beastman elites, receiving forty spirit coins.

Counting those he had picked up in the Thousand Ghost Cavern in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm, those Qian Xiaobao and the others had given him, and those he had exchanged one hundred red Spirit Crystals for, Tang Yuan still had 4,600 lower left canines and 4,200 lower right canines from beastman elites in his Storage Bag.

Tang Yuan didn't want to sell these beastman canines to the sect.

Since second-grade Spiritual Qi could be extracted from them, the "profiteer" Kou Cheng would presumably offer a higher price: before Tang Yuan had gone to the secret realm, Kou Cheng had already told him that he was buying beastman teeth at a high price.

Having survived the ordeal, the Holy Cardamom Sect disciples gathered in twos and threes, sighing among themselves in low voices.

"Silence!" High Person Ming Kun stood on the raised platform, his face angry.

The disciples on the square immediately fell silent as cicadas in winter.

"What's going on?" Qian Xiaobao asked Qi Yao in a low voice. She had returned early.

"Of the more than a thousand Early Qi Refinement disciples who went to the Barbarian Di Secret Realm this time, every last one was wiped out.

Of the more than a thousand Middle Stage of Qi Refinement disciples, fewer than sixty came back alive.

The number of beastman teeth collected this time fell far short of the High Persons' expectations.

Several High Persons are discussing whether to send us all into exile in the savage lands as punishment," Qi Yao replied quietly, her face full of worry.

"Reporting to High Person Ming Kun, the tally is complete.

In this trial in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm, we harvested a total of 1,385 lower left canines and 1,371 lower right canines from beastman elites.

Not a single lower canine from a beastman warrior was collected," Ding Chunqiu announced.

"A bunch of trash." High Person Ming Kun's eyes were full of chill.

"To refine and purify thirty strands of third-grade Spiritual Qi, we need at least twelve thousand beastman canines.

And now this bunch of disciples has collected only twenty-seven hundred beastman canines. They really are a bunch of trash.

I stand by my proposal: send them all into exile in the savage lands." High Person Kui Xuan's face was full of hatred.

"Among these disciples, there are several inner disciples from our six peaks.

Are they to be exiled as well?" High Person Yaoxi snorted coldly.

"Of course the inner disciples can't be exiled." High Person Kui Xuan curled his lips.

"Hmph..." High Person Yaoxi looked at the disciples below the platform. "These disciples all belong to our holy sect. Why must we divide them into different ranks?

Since we gave them our word, we shouldn't punish them as long as they completed the sect's task.

Before they set out, we also promised them that those who performed well would be rewarded, and might even be taken in as inner disciples of the six peaks.

What do you say, senior brother Ming Kun?"

"Ah, this is all fate. It seems True Person Ming Hong will scold me again.

He mentioned to me last time that two strands of second-grade Spiritual Qi would soon appear in the world.

It seems True Person Ming Hong won't tell me where the Spiritual Qi will appear this time.

Forget it, forget it.

Whoever wants to take in inner disciples may do so. In any case, I don't think much of a single one of them." High Person Ming Kun sighed softly, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep.

"Senior brother Li Bai, could the True Disciple Cultivation Method of your Li Xuan Peak, the 'Solar One Qi Divine Light,' be taught to a disciple who performed exceptionally well?" High Person Kui Xuan asked quietly.

"What a joke. The 'Solar One Qi Divine Light' is a Divine Ability Cultivation Method.

It cannot be taught unless a disciple has reached Foundation Establishment, or has rendered a heaven-shaking service." High Person Li Bai didn't even raise an eyelid.

"Oh? What if this disciple obtained the Purple Jade Huang from the Barbarian Di Secret Realm?" High Person Kui Xuan smiled.

"The Purple Jade Huang?!" High Person Li Bai frowned, and High Person Ming Kun's brows also creased slightly.

"Senior brother Kui Xuan, don't tease senior brother Li Bai." High Person Yaoxi looked at the disciples below the platform.

"Everyone knows that senior brother Li Bai's lifebound Dao foundation Law Artifact, the Heaven and Earth Ring, was damaged, which is why he has been unable to break through the Foundation Establishment Late Stage for so long.

Last time, the sect sent over a hundred disciples into the Barbarian Di Secret Realm specifically to search for the Purple Jade Huang, but none found it. Could a disciple have found it this time?"

"I'm not teasing senior brother Li Bai.

I only want to ask: if a disciple of mine really did find the Purple Jade Huang, could the 'Solar One Qi Divine Light' Cultivation Method be taught to him?" High Person Kui Xuan looked smug.

"If a disciple of yours really did find the Purple Jade Huang, you'd better keep it for yourself. I don't want to owe you that favor." High Person Li Bai's lips twitched.

"Besides, this Purple Jade Huang is only of great use to me, Li Bai. It is of no use to our Holy Cardamom Sect.

As I said, the 'Solar One Qi Divine Light' is a Divine Ability Cultivation Method. It cannot be passed on lightly."

The corner of High Person Kui Xuan's mouth twitched. "Even if you won't give my disciple the 'Solar One Qi Divine Light' Divine Ability Cultivation Method, as long as you admit you were wrong about what happened to my son and apologize to me, senior brother Li Bai, I'll offer you this Purple Jade Huang with both hands."

"Hmph...

Even if I can never break through the Foundation Establishment Late Stage in this lifetime, I will never bow my head to you." High Person Li Bai's face was full of disdain.

"Ah, senior brother Li Bai, why must you be like this?..." High Person Yaoxi sighed softly.

"All right, all right, you two, stop squabbling here.

If neither of you wants the Purple Jade Huang, I still do." High Person Su Ying curled his lips, looked down at the disciples, and said in an imposing voice, "Which of you disciples below found the Purple Jade Huang in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm? Step forward at once."

As soon as the words fell, Qi Feiming straightened his clothes and walked toward the platform with his head held high and chest thrust out.

Tang Yuan snorted coldly and followed him.

"Interesting, interesting. Why are two disciples coming over? Could they have found two Purple Jade Huangs?

But according to legend, there's only one Purple Jade Huang in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm.

That Qi Feiming is indeed an inner disciple of Kui Wood Peak.

But who is that handsome disciple following behind him?" The corner of High Person Yaoxi's mouth lifted slightly as she looked at Tang Yuan...