"How much for the Blood Orchid Gall?" Ye Xuan squatted down, picking up the gall from the stall and asking. The purity of this Blood Orchid Gall was very high, and the demonic essence within was also quite abundant. It was clearly from an adult Blood-Eyed Snake, making it an excellent material for creating Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid.
"You can see for yourself. It's marked one hundred Profound Coins," the middle-aged man said, jutting his chin toward it.
"You've got to be kidding me, trying to rip people off like this. The Blood-Eyed Snake is one of the weaker Tier One Demon Beasts, and it's not very smart. With the right method, a Tier One Samurai like you wouldn't even get injured. You could kill at least five of them a day without any danger. How can you have the nerve to sell it for so much? Fifty Profound Coins, and not a single one more." Ye Xuan instantly cut the price in half.
"Easy for you to say! You think Black Wind Ridge is some kind of amusement park you can just waltz in and out of? I searched for a long time and risked my life to kill this Blood-Eyed Snake. Kill five a day? If they were that easy to find and hunt, this entire trading hall would be flooded with Blood Orchid Galls." The middle-aged man glanced at Ye Xuan, his tone dismissive.
'Who haggles like that?' he thought. 'Cutting the price in half right off the bat... No matter what, the Blood Orchid Gall is the essence of a Blood-Eyed Snake. The cheapest one I've ever seen still sold for eighty Profound Coins.'
"That's because your method of searching is wrong," Ye Xuan said with a cold smile, revealing a few details about the creature's habits. "Blood-Eyed Snakes love dim, cold places, but they need to sunbathe for at least an hour every day. If you combine that with their other habits and look in the right places, forget five a day—even eight or ten wouldn't be impossible."
If he weren't so short on Profound Coins, he couldn't have been bothered to haggle at all.
Although his father managed a portion of the family's businesses, the ventures he was given to oversee were unimportant, as he had lost all his martial ability. Thus, even though Ye Xuan was a direct descendant of the Ye family, he didn't have much money on him.
"Is that true? Blood-Eyed Snakes need at least an hour of sunlight a day?" The middle-aged man's brow twitched. He knew they liked dim, cold places, but hearing Ye Xuan speak with such confidence, he was starting to believe him.
"Would I lie to you? They love dim, cold places, but they need to sunbathe for at least an hour to replenish their body heat. They also drink water once at night, so their habitats are usually around ten li from a water source. If you search based on that criteria, you'll find at least three Blood-Eyed Snakes a day. After a few days of that, you'll be able to replace that shabby gear of yours with a new set." Ye Xuan chuckled coldly. "So, how about it? With all the information I've given you, you're still making a profit selling it for fifty Profound Coins."
"Eighty Profound Coins. I can't go any lower." The middle-aged man was still skeptical of Ye Xuan's words. 'Even veteran hunters who've been doing this for years don't know the creature in this much detail, do they?'
Still, he had searched for Blood-Eyed Snakes in Black Wind Ridge for a long time, specifically looking in especially dark places, but had come up empty for two or three days straight. He only stumbled upon one by accident as he was about to leave. Thinking back, it was indeed not far from a sunny, open area. As for any water sources, he hadn't paid any attention.
Ye Xuan's words matched his experience perfectly, making them seem very credible. The middle-aged man pondered, 'Should I try his method?'
"Still too expensive. I've told you so much; you won't lose out by selling it to me for fifty Profound Coins. If you don't sell, I'm leaving. Now, if you were to give me this Blood Orchid Gall for free, I'd even reveal another little secret about the Blood-Eyed Snake's habits." Seeing the middle-aged man still hesitating, Ye Xuan finished speaking and turned as if to walk away.
Ye Xuan was flat broke and didn't have much money to buy the Blood Orchid Gall. But it was the best material for making the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid. If he really couldn't get it, he would have to use a substitute, but that would reduce the potion's effectiveness by more than forty percent.
"Wait."
Seeing Ye Xuan about to leave, the middle-aged man quickly called out to him and picked up the Blood Orchid Gall from the stall. "It's just one Blood Orchid Gall. If what you said is true, then I'm not losing anything—I'm gaining. It's yours. Now, tell me, what other habits do Blood-Eyed Snakes have?"
Ye Xuan's previous explanation had been so logical and detailed that the middle-aged man was already seventy to eighty percent convinced. If he could really hunt three or more Blood-Eyed Snakes a day in the future, what was one Blood Orchid Gall as a tuition fee?
The middle-aged man seemed like an honest person. Having acquired a Blood Orchid Gall without spending a single coin, Ye Xuan was in a great mood.
"Seeing as you're a pretty honest guy, I'll give you a tip: don't go to that place I mentioned earlier—the dim, cool spot near an open area, about ten li from a water source. If you go looking there, you'll probably get tangled up with a Ghost Python before you even find a Blood-Eyed Snake," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly.
The middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat. He had been so convinced by Ye Xuan's earlier confidence that he'd already decided to scout the area tomorrow. He never imagined it was a lie. A Ghost Python, though also a Tier One Demon Beast, was twice as strong as a Blood-Eyed Snake. He was a Tier One Samurai, but only at the First Layer of Samurai. Compared to a Ghost Python, which was equivalent to a Second Layer Samurai, there was a significant gap. If he ran into one, he probably wouldn't die, but he'd inevitably end up injured and bedridden for ten days to half a month.
If he hadn't stopped Ye Xuan, the consequences would have been dire.
The middle-aged man looked at Ye Xuan with lingering fear, his heart filled with nothing but alarm.
'I have no idea where this kid came from,' he thought. 'He screws people over without even lifting a finger. If you crossed him, you probably wouldn't even know how you died.'
Seeing the middle-aged man staring at him with such a resentful look, Ye Xuan chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. If I had told you all that and you still refused to sell me the Blood Orchid Gall, wouldn't I have suffered a huge loss? Since you're such an honest fellow, I'll tell you the truth. It's true that Blood-Eyed Snakes sunbathe for an hour a day, but they only drink water once every three to five days. So, the place you need to look is about fifty li from a water source. If you search there, you'll find at least three Blood-Eyed Snakes a day, if not more. And if you find a large amount of mugwort nearby, there will be at least five in that area. The smell of mugwort is their absolute favorite."
Ye Xuan gave a faint smile. "I'm not lying to you this time. Consider it payment for the Blood Orchid Gall you gave me."
To Ye Xuan, the habits of a mere Blood-Eyed Snake were worthless. It was no great loss to share the information.
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up. This time, he was completely convinced. He recalled that there had indeed been a few stalks of mugwort near where he found the last Blood-Eyed Snake.
"Little brother, my name is Shi Cheng. See if there's anything else you need on my stall. Take whatever you want. If you need me in the future, you can find me here at the trading market. Basically, if I'm not in Black Wind Ridge, I'll be here."
The middle-aged man was completely won over by Ye Xuan. He lacked talent; at thirty years old, he was only a Tier One Samurai and had no martial soul. Reaching the late stages of the Samurai realm was likely the peak of his life's potential, and who knew when that would even happen. Although Ye Xuan was young, his words and actions gave him a sense of profound foresight. Moreover, he was very likely a Soul Refiner's apprentice.
"Aside from this Blood Orchid Gall, nothing else on your stall is of any use to me," Ye Xuan said coolly. "Besides, as a First Layer Samurai, you should be focused on how to break through to the Second Layer as soon as possible instead of thinking about making money every day."
The middle-aged man shuddered. He had never told anyone his level. How did this young man know? 'If he figured it out just by looking at me, what kind of perception must he have?'
In his eyes, Ye Xuan's image not only grew taller but also became increasingly mysterious.
"Thank you," the middle-aged man said sincerely.
Ye Xuan couldn't help but laugh. The guy had given him a Blood Orchid Gall for free and was now thanking him for it. He was adorably foolish. 'But in this world,' Ye Xuan thought, 'genuinely honest people like him are a rare sight indeed.'
He had a good impression of the middle-aged man. Putting away the Blood Orchid Gall, he offered one last piece of advice. "If I'm not mistaken, you've been stuck at the First Layer of Samurai for many years. The reason you can't condense and expand your Profound Sea to break through to the Second Layer of the Spirit Profound Realm is because you've fought too many battles in the past. You have many hidden injuries, and your kidneys once suffered internal damage, leading to a loss of vital essence. I'll teach you a method. Every day, take one portion each of Doray Leaf, Zhi Xin Grass, and Crescent Stone. Simmer them over a low flame for three hours, then add the concoction to your bathwater and soak for half an hour. After ten days, try to break through to the Second Layer of the Spirit Profound Realm again."
Shi Cheng's body trembled violently. Five years ago, his lower back was injured during an adventure, damaging his kidneys. Although he had mostly recovered after some conditioning, it had left a hidden ailment. Now, his lower back would ache faintly on damp and rainy days. How could this boy possibly know that?
A powerful surge of excitement rose in his heart.
When he looked up, Ye Xuan was long gone. Without a second thought, Shi Cheng immediately packed up his stall. He had made his decision: he would go buy the materials now, try Ye Xuan's method tonight, and then test his luck in Black Wind Ridge tomorrow.
Leaving the trading market, Ye Xuan felt quite relaxed.
He now had all the materials he needed. He just had to refine the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid, and then he could nourish his body. After that, he would be able to cultivate Profound Qi and open up more of his Profound Veins.
In his past life, Ye Xuan was not just an Eighth Grade Soul Emperor; he also possessed astonishing skill in other fields. Alchemy, formation arts, Artifact Refining... there was nothing he couldn't do, and nothing he hadn't mastered. He had reached an extremely high level in each, a level on par with his Soul Refiner realm. This was why, in his past life, though he was only an Eighth Grade Soul Emperor, his fame surpassed that of several Ninth Grade Soul Emperors.
However, Ye Xuan had a new headache: to perform the refinement, he needed a refining room and a lot of equipment.
After a moment of thought, Ye Xuan suddenly smiled. He already had a solution in mind.
After asking for directions from passersby a couple of times, it wasn't long before Ye Xuan arrived in front of an immense and magnificent building.
"So this is the Alchemist Association of Blue Moon City? It's a bit on the small side, but it should at least have some simple refining rooms."
The Alchemist Association was an organization second only to the Soul Master Tower and the Profound Hall. On the Celestial Profound Continent, Alchemists held an extremely high status, and their organizations were spread across the entire land. In his past life, Ye Xuan had been an honorary elder of the continent's Alchemist Association and a Ninth Grade Alchemist.