Instead of immediately grabbing the black iron piece, he casually tossed the bloodstained green magic core in his hand and smiled at the shifty-eyed mercenary behind the stall. "Which beast is this from?"
"Young master has good eyes! This is from a rank-one Wood-Devouring Fox—a top-tier core among its rank. Our Sharp Fang mercenary team camped for three days and killed five foxes just to get this one..." The mercenary's tone turned ingratiating upon noticing Xiao Yan's fine clothes.
"If you're interested, just 500 gold coins. Several of our brothers were badly injured..."
Xiao Yan rubbed the bloodstains—still fresh—and nodded. Glancing at the two bronze stars on the man's chest (marking him as a two-star Dou Practitioner), he remarked casually, "Overpriced. Standard rank-one cores go for 400 to 450. And Wood-Devouring Foxes are among the weakest magical beasts—don't tell me your team lacks even basic Dou Practitioners?"
The mercenary's smile stiffened. Clearly surprised by the boy's market knowledge, he forced a chuckle. "470 then. We've got families to feed..."
With an exaggerated sigh, Xiao Yan bent down and randomly grabbed several items from the stall—including the peculiar iron piece. "470 for all these."
The mercenary's eyes darted over the assortment. Seeing nothing valuable, he relaxed. "Deal!"
Tossing a coin pouch, Xiao Yan left without another word.
"Not bad, kid. Quite the shrewd shopper."
"These merchants will triple prices if they spot your interest. No point being fleeced."
After escorting Xun'er home, Xiao Yan practically flew to his room, locking doors and windows securely.
Turning, he found Yao Lao already materialized. Dumping his purchases on the table, he demanded eagerly, "Got everything. What now?"
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Yao Lao's gaze lingered on the black iron piece. "Aren't you curious about this?"
Xiao Yan blinked, then hurriedly produced it. "What's it for?"
Yao Lao took it with a smirk. "It contains a combat technique—likely sealed by an alchemist. Only those with exceptional soul perception could detect it."
"Technique?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up like lanterns. "What rank?"
In this world, combat techniques were as prized as cultivation methods. Powerful techniques could unleash strength far beyond one's normal capacity.
Like cultivation methods, techniques were classified into Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow tiers. Most publicly available techniques were Yellow-tier at best—true treasures required joining sects or academies.
Occasionally, lost techniques resurfaced through luck—like this iron piece.
After examining it, Yao Lao announced, "Palm Pull Technique: Mystic-tier Low-grade!"
"Mystic-tier?!" Xiao Yan nearly dropped the slate. His family's strongest technique was only Mystic-tier Mid-grade—reserved for elders!
"Mastery allows pulling thousand-pound boulders. Against foes, it can extract blood directly from their bodies."
"Extract blood?!" Xiao Yan gulped. "That's insane! Who survives blood loss?"
"Only works on weaker or equal opponents. Against stronger foes, you'll just pull them closer to kill you." Yao Lao tossed it back dismissively.
But to Xiao Yan, this was a treasure! Cradling the slate, he grinned. "Still better than our family's techniques!"
"With your three Dou Qi segments, you'll be lucky to pull a twig."
Ignoring the jab, Xiao Yan studied the slate lovingly until Yao Lao snatched the magic core. "Fetch a basin of water."
Recognizing preparation for alchemy, Xiao Yan stored the slate and scrambled to comply.
In the quiet room, Yao Lao held a Purple Spirit Grass. His left hand suddenly burst with pale flames—raising the temperature instantly.
Xiao Yan watched awestruck. Materializing Dou Qi into flames? Even Father can't do that!
The white flames consumed the grass, reducing it to green liquid within seconds. After adding all three grasses and two Bone Cleansing Flowers, the mixture purified through relentless heating.
Next came the magic core—an hour-long process that left the liquid emerald-green and docile.
As the flames dissipated, Yao Lao held a single glowing drop. Its potent energy made Xiao Yan's mouth water.
"Can I take it now?"
"Suicidal. Your meridians would shred." Yao Lao flicked the drop into the water basin, turning it jade-green.
"Train in this. With your talent, reaching seven segments in a year is trivial."
Xiao Yan nodded eagerly—until Yao Lao added,
"Ah, forgot to mention—the solution lasts two months. So you'll need to repurchase these materials regularly."
Xiao Yan's face fell.
Damn alchemists—only the rich afford this!
Key Terms:
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Wood-Devouring Fox (吞木狐): Weak rank-one beast with wood-attributed cores.
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Palm Pull Technique (吸掌): Mystic-tier blood extraction combat skill.
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Soul Perception (灵魂感知力): Vital for detecting hidden techniques/alchemy.
Cultural Nuance:
Xiao Yan's bargaining tactics reflect traditional market wisdom—never reveal true interest to avoid price gouging. The iron piece's concealment method mirrors real-world "milk mirror" secret messages (invisible ink techniques) used historically.
Style Note:
The dialogue balances Yao Lao's sarcastic mentorship with Xiao Yan's youthful enthusiasm. Descriptions of the alchemical process are streamlined while preserving key details about herb purification and energy stabilization. The financial punchline maintains the original's humorous critique of cultivation resource inequality.