Pfft!
Fourth Brother Derek Ji spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning ghostly pale. His eyes burned with venom as he glared at Senior Azure—Ian Song in disguise—but he didn’t dare make another move. He wasn’t stupid; anyone who could injure him in a single strike was far stronger than he was. Even against late Nascent Soul experts, he could usually exchange dozens of blows, and with the right artifacts and techniques, maybe even win. But this was on another level entirely.
“Sixth Brother, help your Fourth Brother inside to rest!” Gavin Ji steadied himself, then turned to Senior Azure with a polite smile and cupped his fists. “May I ask how to address you, honored friend? I am Gavin Ji of the Ji Clan.”
“I’m Senior Azure,” Ian said coolly.
“So you’re Senior Azure. May I ask which sect you hail from—”
Ian waved his hand, cutting Gavin Ji off mid-sentence. “Enough—I know why the Ji Clan is here. You want the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, right? Well, it’s in my hands. If you want it, show me you’ve got enough spirit crystals.”
“What? The Yellow Springs Secret Canon is really in your hands!” Seventh Brother blurted out, unable to contain himself.
Gavin Ji was much calmer, fixing Senior Azure with a steely gaze. “Are you planning to sell the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, Senior Azure?”
“Why not?” Ian shot back.
“Of course you can. What price do you have in mind, Senior Azure?” Gavin Ji asked, narrowing his eyes.
Ian smiled. “I plan to auction off the Yellow Springs Secret Canon at the foot of Jade Maiden Peak in ten days. Highest bidder wins.”
“What, you’re really going to auction it?” Gavin Ji blurted out, shocked by Ian’s decision.
“That’s right.” Ian nodded.
Gavin Ji’s face instantly turned ugly. “Senior Azure, could we speak in private?”
“Say whatever you want right here. I don’t do sneaky backroom deals.” Ian curled his lip.
Gavin Ji: “...”
After a long silence, Gavin Ji finally forced out, “Senior Azure, could you sell the Yellow Springs Secret Canon directly to my Ji Clan? We’d owe you a favor!”
Ian snorted. “How many spirit crystals is a favor worth? Just name your price.”
Gavin Ji brightened at that. “I’d like to inspect the Yellow Springs Secret Canon first.”
“Heh-heh.”
“So Senior Azure agrees?”
“Heh-heh.”
Gavin Ji’s face darkened. “Senior Azure, you claim to have the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, but all we have is your word for it. If you won’t let me see it, how do I know you’re not bluffing?”
Ian’s expression turned cold. He sneered, “Did I beg you to buy it? If you want it, fine. If not, get lost!”
Gavin Ji’s face got even darker, his chest heaving with frustration. He muttered to himself, I’m not mad, I’m not mad. Once I get the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, I’ll teach this damn woman a lesson!
Taking a deep breath, Gavin Ji forced a smile. “Senior Azure, my Ji Clan is willing to offer one thousand high-grade spirit crystals.”
“Heh-heh.”
Here we go again.
Just hearing that ‘heh-heh’ made Gavin Ji want to strangle someone.
“Two thousand!”
“Heh-heh.”
“Three thousand high-grade spirit crystals—that’s my Ji Clan’s absolute limit. Please, Senior Azure, have mercy!” Gavin Ji felt his anger about to explode.
“Ten thousand high-grade spirit crystals. Take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, I’ll just auction it.”
“Ten thousand high-grade spirit crystals!”
Gavin Ji sucked in a cold breath. That was nearly all the Ji Clan’s assets—and way beyond what he had the authority to promise.
“Senior Azure, could you lower the price a bit? How about five thousand?”
“Scram!”
“You—!”
Gavin Ji nearly burst a lung, but managed to hold back. “Senior Azure, could you give me a day? I need to go back and consult with the clan!”
“Time’s limited!” Ian waved him off impatiently.
“Thank you, Senior Azure!”
Gavin Ji cupped his fists to Ian, then gave instructions to his three brothers. After that, he leapt onto his spirit-tool flying sword and sped off toward Yuyang Commandery.
He had to consult with Jason Ji about this—ten thousand high-grade spirit crystals was way too much for him to decide alone.
Jade Maiden Sect, Splendor Palace.
“Senior, won’t this provoke the Ji Clan?” Lana Snow asked worriedly.
“Relax. As long as I’m here, the Ji Clan can’t touch the Jade Maiden Sect!”
“Thank you, Senior!” Lana bowed again.
“Alright, you may go.” Ian waved them away.
Once Lana and the others had left, Ian summoned Leah Ling to come in and give him a massage.
Half an hour later, Ian told Leah to stop, then smiled and asked, “Hey, Leah, do you want to become a peerless powerhouse?”
“Of course I do!” Leah replied without hesitation.
Ian pressed, “If you had a chance to become a peerless powerhouse, but you’d have to give something up, would you take it?”
“Give up what?” Leah asked, a little worried.
“I can make you a peerless expert, but you’ll have to be my maid for a hundred years. Deal?”
“Senior, I’m willing!” Leah agreed instantly.
Ian smiled in satisfaction. He pressed a finger to Leah’s brow, imprinting the first layer of the Nether Phoenix Art into her sea of consciousness.
The Nether Phoenix Art came from the Divine Temple’s Library Pavilion—a technique far superior to the Yellow Springs Secret Canon. If Leah mastered just the first layer, she’d reach the Golden Core stage.
When Ian withdrew his finger, Leah still hadn’t woken up.
It took a full hour before Leah finally finished absorbing the first layer of the Nether Phoenix Art.
Then, under Ian’s guidance, she began to cultivate.
Ian had to admit, the Nether Phoenix Art he’d chosen for Leah fit her physique perfectly. After just one full circulation, all her true essence transformed into Nether Phoenix essence. Two more cycles, and her cultivation jumped straight from fifth-layer Qi-Refining to sixth-layer Qi-Refining.
As the saying goes, even a hero needs helpers.
In a world where immortals existed, Ian’s current strength only made him a mid-tier expert at best. That meant he needed to cultivate a team of powerhouses to handle things for him.
After days of observation, he was satisfied with Leah’s talent and temperament. As for the other three third-generation attendants, none had caught his eye.
He was also keeping Lena Ling in mind—if the right opportunity came up, he planned to pass her a technique perfectly suited to her physique as well.
While Gavin Ji raced back to the commandery city, three streaks of sword-light shot toward the Jade Maiden Sect at breakneck speed.
Half an hour later, the sword-lights arrived above the Jade Maiden Sect, revealing a middle-aged man and two elders.
The leader was Victor Tu, Wind Division Head of the Yuhua Sect. Behind him stood his two loyal Wind Division elders.
“Sect Master, what should we do?”
One elder asked.
Victor Tu’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. “Kill every disciple of the Jade Maiden Sect to prevent any leaks. Capture that green-robed woman, Azure, alive!”
“Yes, Sect Master. Leave it to me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the elder formed a sword seal. Instantly, a pale blue giant sword, over ten zhang long, appeared above the Jade Maiden Sect, radiating a bone-chilling cold that seemed to freeze the entire void. He was confident that one strike would freeze all of Jade Maiden Peak solid.
A cruel smirk curled at the elder’s lips. With a flick of his finger, the giant sword slashed down toward the Jade Maiden Sect.