Chapter 425: Return to Extreme Yang City
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Zhu Xuan’er, ranked thirteenth in the Prodigy Roll of the north region. In the ranking tournament that would come about a month later, it was a sure thing for her to be ranked among the top three. It was not an impossible thing for her to be ranked first even.
Furthermore, she was the greatest beauty of the north region. Without even showing her whole face, she was capable of making the excellent disciples of Heaven’s Sword Sect be at her beck and call, trying their best to gain her favor.
How enchanting was she to be able to do that?
Yet someone actually ignored her charms and actually rebuked her as a little girl!
Zhu Xuan’er was really very displeased. If Ling Han was an old man in his fifties or sixties, she would have nothing to say. But it was obvious that this guy was three or four years younger than herself, yet acted all aged and experienced; how could she not explode with anger?
Most importantly, Ling Han’s expression seemed to be so natural. He did not look at all like he was playing a cat and mouse game with her. This was practically like stabbing a few dozen times directly into Zhu Xuan’er’s heart that had always been so confident!
At this moment, she really felt a strong impulse to pull off her veil. She was sure that once Ling Han saw her magnificent beauty, he, too, would fallt captive to her charms.
However, firstly, she had never wanted to make use of her beauty, and secondly, she was more fearful that Ling Han would fall for her and use the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass, or his status as an Earth Grade alchemist, to force her to his will. Thus, she gritted her teeth and suppressed this kind of impulsive urge.
“Grandmaster Ling, you look to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. If Xuan’er is a little girl, then what are you?” she countered.
“Silly girl, whether one is mature or not is decided by one’s mental age, not by the way one looks. I know already just by listening to you that you’re really a silly girl.” Ling Han shrugged, turned and left.
Meanwhile, Hu Niu made a face at Zhu Xuan’er, then caught up to Ling Han. Tugging on the corner of Ling Han’s shirt, she giggled in laughter.
‘Damn! Damn! Damn!’
Zhu Xuan’er felt like she was about to go crazy. How could there be such a man that would drive one to such anger; he was really too irritating, wasn’t he? He really made one want to throw something at him, right?
***
Ling Han was very satisfied. This trip to the Dark Devil Forest was practically perfect. Not only did he reap massive benefits from this journey, he had also managed to con Asura Demon Emperor and solve a huge problem. He had also met the Rain Emperor again. This dominating Emperor had already set out on his path of a ruler, and his future achievements were boundless.
He brought Hu Niu with him back to Extreme Yang City. If Yin Lan already managed to obtain the Nine Leaf Black Ganoderma for him, he would be able to concoct the Restore Spirit Pill.
Zhu Xuan’er actually caught up with them and travelled alongside Ling Han. This made Hu Niu very displeased—she felt that this woman that liked to move her behind as she walked was really too annoying. Why did she keep trying to seduce her Ling Han?
Ling Han had already transplanted the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass. Actually, this stalk of Spiritual Herb had yet to reach full maturity, but after growing in the Black Tower for over a dozen days, it should be mature enough. Thus, when Ling Han returned to Extreme Yang City, this stalk of Spiritual Herb was fully grown, but bore only three pieces of fruit. Yet the main stem very rapidly wilted, as if it had transferred all its life into these three pieces of fruit.
The fruit could not be used; the value of the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass lay in its stem. However, these three pieces of fruit meant that over a month later, Ling Han would be able to gain three stalks of hundred-year-old Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass.
At that time, he would use one and sell another to Zhu Xuan’er. He would leave the last to continue bearing fruit, and in the future, he would no longer be short of this Spiritual Herb.
He returned to the inn, yet found out that Liu Yu Tong and the others had long moved out. However, they had left behing an address for Ling Han with a waiter. Naturally, it was because Liu Yu Tong and Li Si Chan had decided, and finally found a new home for them.
When they reached Extreme Yang City, Zhu Xuan’er floated away, whereas Lign Han went to his new home.
It was located in the eastern part of the city. From the outside, it looked very ordinary, but there was actually a sizable lake inside. Willow trees hung over the lake, making for a very pleasant scenery. Furthermore, there were platforms and towers, water pavilions and stone bridges, making one feel as if one had found a spot of calm in chaos.
They had actually even hired guards at the doorway—they halted Ling Han’s advance. This made Hu Niu display her ferocious true nature and she almost bit them. Thankfully, Zhu Wu Jiu just happened to come out and hurriedly welcomed Ling Han into the residence. He also informed the guards that this was the real owner of the Ling Residence.
They had also hired some servants to work in the manor. After all, the manor was extremely large, and Liu Yu Tong and the others had other matters they needed to do, primarily cultivation and pill concoction, so how would they have time to do trivial tasks?
Soon, Liu Yu Tong and the others came out to receive him.
Ling Han roughly grasped the current state of events. Whether it was Forget Not or Alchemist King Pavilion, due to Liu Ji Tong’s care, naturally no one dared to make any designs on them. However, because Ling Han had left for too long, the ingredients at Forget Not were almost finished. From last month onwards, they had even used the method of selling those dishes that needed these ingredients and limited the amount. Otherwise, they would have had no more ingredients to sell by now.
It was the same for the Alchemist King Pavilion. The higher grade alchemical pills that Ling Han had concocted were practically sold out, and although Li Si Chan had considerable talent in alchemy, she was still a very far way off from the Alchemy Emperor.
Thankfully, Ling Han finally returned.
Naturally, business matters had to be dealt with as soon as possible. Lign Han withdrew a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as some livestock from the Black Tower and told Zhu Wu Jiu to deliver them to Forget Not. As for alchemical pills, when he had the time, he would enter into the Black Tower to concoct them. After all, they needed time to be concocted, and could not just be withdrawn like those food ingredients.
When it was time for lunch, Gong Letian came without an invitation.
He was already addicted to the good stuff sold in Forget Not, yet after they limited the supply of dishes, he could only eat one excellent dish with each meal. How could his mouth, which had grown picky, tolerate this? Thus, he would come everyday to join them for a meal because Liu Yu Tong and the others had long become picky as well and had to have dishes made with the food ingredients from the Black Tower for every meal.
When he saw that Ling Han had returned, this guy immediately pounced on him and wailed, “Brother, you have finally come back. I’m almost about to die from waiting for your meat!”
Ling Han could not help but wear a dark expression. Did this guy know how to talk? He wanted to eat his flesh?
Ling Han had returned today, so everyone naturally needed not continue conserving their supplies. Multiple kinds of gourmet dishes were served; they fiercely ate their meal, causing all of their stomachs to become rounded from the feast. After Gong Letian left, Ling Han gathered all of them around him.
“This is the Heavenly Luck Stone,” Ling Han said, and explained the effects as well.
This made everyone astonished. If they refined this small rock, then when they broke through to the next Tier in future, they would gain an additional four or five Battle Stars worth of battle prowess? That was really too shocking; how could such a priceless treasure exist in this world?
They were people of Rain Country, and due to their limited knowledge, they naturally could not have heard of such a treasure.
Everyone was extremely excited. Even elite cultivators of the Flower Blossom and Spiritual Infant Tier would fight over such a treasure so that they could help their own juniors raise their ability, but Ling Han actually managed to get as many as nine pieces of such a rock; it was really astonishing.
They were filled with gratitude and each swallowed a piece of Heavenly Luck Stone. Once they broke through to the next major Tier, their battle prowess would spike up a long way. This would be proven earliest through Liu Yu Tong and Zhu Wu Jiu, because they were both already on the ninth layer of the Gushing Spring Tier. They had already strengthened their cultivation foundations close to perfection and were ready to break through.
Can Ye would be much slower. He had just broken through to the second layer of the Spiritual Ocean Tier and still had a very long way to go until the Spiritual Pedestal Tier. Guang Yuan was worse off. Because he was cultivating anew, he was indeed advancing at a faster rate than Can Ye. However, because his cultivation had regressed, even if he once again broke through to the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, he would still only be recovering his original ability and not breaking through. As a result, the benefits offered by the Heavenly Luck Stone would only be visible when he broke through to the Flower Blossom Tier.
On the other side, Li Si Chan was unwilling to swallow the Heavenly Luck Stone no matter what. To her, this was an extreme waste. She only needed the advancement of her cultivation level, and it would be enough for her to be able to concoct alchemical pills. For her, very powerful battle prowess was really not of much use.