NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: The Mysterious Bronze Fragment
The interior of the Jùbǎo Pavilion was far more expansive than its outward appearance suggested. Its shelves were laden with a dazzling array of items: pills, magical treasures, heavenly materials, monster corpses, and even demon slaves.
The first three floors housed common goods, catering to cultivators from the Foundation Establishment realm to the Sea of Qi realm.
The fourth through sixth floors offered items suitable for those at the Divine Bridge realm up to the Dao Palace realm.
The top three floors, reserved for Divine Ability realm cultivators and above, contained rare and precious treasures, items rarely seen in the outside world. Their prices were exorbitant, some even requiring Divine Origin Stones to purchase.
Chu Xiu, standing on the fourth floor amidst the heavenly materials, held a stalk of Mystic-grade Azure Spirit Grass, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow.
Chu Xiaoran, who had been accompanying him for nearly two hours, watched him with a puzzled expression. He had spent the entire time examining various items, yet he hadn’t purchased a single thing.
If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought he was trying to glean some profound insight or comprehend a world-shattering technique from simply holding the objects.
Of course, she had no idea what he was actually doing.
Chu Xiu was comparing prices.
Using high-grade spirit stones as his baseline, he discovered a surprising discrepancy in the breakthrough points awarded for items of equal value.
For example, a Mortal-grade weapon worth 50 high-grade spirit stones yielded 2 breakthrough points.
A Mortal-grade spirit herb of the same value yielded 10 breakthrough points.
And a Second-grade Qi Replenishing Pill, also worth 50 high-grade spirit stones, yielded 15 breakthrough points.
The difference was significant.
He had a theory about the reason behind this disparity.
The concentration of spiritual energy within an item seemed to influence the number of breakthrough points awarded. At the same level, artifacts yielded fewer points than heavenly materials, which in turn yielded fewer points than pills.
Following this logic, what contained the highest concentration of spiritual energy in the world?
Not heavenly materials, nor divine weapons…
…but living beings. Cultivators.
A predatory gleam flickered in Chu Xiu’s eyes.
‘I wonder… if I were to exchange a human cultivator… or a demon… to the system… how many breakthrough points would I receive…?’
Chu Xiaoran, who had been discreetly observing him, felt a chill run down her spine as she caught his gaze.
‘How… how can a mere Sea of Qi realm cultivator’s stare make me tremble?’ She wondered, her mind reeling.
“System, is my idea feasible?” Chu Xiu asked, his voice a low murmur.
[Holy shit, Host! You truly are a genius! Such a cruel and brilliant idea! As expected of a Fated Villain! Triggering a system reward: Earth-grade flying ship, the Xuanyin Shuttle!]
“Huh?”
[Your thinking is truly out of this box! However… I’m afraid I must inform you that you cannot directly exchange living beings for breakthrough points.]
“Not directly, you say?” Chu Xiu mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
A slow smile spread across his face.
[Host… please don’t look at me like that… I’m… I’m scared! *trembles*]
“I recall… thirty years ago… the Artifact God Sect refined a Heaven-grade artifact called the Guiyuan Crucible. It can forcibly extract the essence, qi, and vital energy of a recently deceased cultivator, condensing it into a pill-sized Yuan Essence Crystal.”
“If I were to acquire a Guiyuan Crucible… and then…”
[*Shudders*… terrifying!]
“Would that be feasible?”
[Of course! Host, you truly are a genius! As expected!]
Chu Xiu nodded, his smile widening.
He was in excellent spirits. He had just discovered a new path to power, a new way to increase his strength.
He turned to Chu Xiaoran, who was staring at him with a stunned expression.
“Junior Sister Chu…”
“Ah! Yes, Senior Brother? What can I do for you?” She snapped out of her reverie, instinctively straightening her posture, accentuating her already impressive figure.
“I need to purchase some pills,” Chu Xiu said casually. “Qi and True Essence replenishing pills. Let’s start with fifteen million high-grade spirit stones worth.”
???
Chu Xiaoran’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide with surprise.
‘What on earth does he need so many replenishing pills for? Is he planning to bathe in them?’
Despite her confusion, she quickly retrieved her communication jade slip and relayed his request. Fifteen million high-grade spirit stones… that was a significant transaction, even for the Jùbǎo Pavilion.
The pavilion buzzed with activity as disciples from various floors scrambled to gather the requested pills, their movements like a hive of busy bees.
Chu Xiu, his hands clasped behind his back, strolled down to the first floor.
Several disciples, recognizing him, cast curious glances his way. Those who had lost spirit stones to him in the arena glared at him with a mixture of resentment and envy.
‘Damn it… I can’t seem to escape this guy…’
‘Tell me about it…’
Chu Xiu ignored them, his gaze sweeping across the shelves, his mind already on the mysterious bronze fragment.
As he paused before an unassuming display, a strange sensation washed over him. The blood-red sword mark on his forehead flickered momentarily.
He turned his head, his gaze drawn to a small, tarnished bronze fragment lying at the bottom of the shelf, almost hidden beneath a layer of dust and grime.
It looked utterly ordinary, like a broken piece of some ancient artifact, nothing more.
Yet, it resonated with his Heavenly Sword Intent, a faint but unmistakable connection.
He reached down and picked it up, gently blowing away the dust.
Its surface, dull and unremarkable, revealed nothing of its hidden power.
But within Chu Xiu, his Heavenly Slaughter Sword Intent stirred, a restless energy yearning to connect with the fragment, its allure undeniable.
“Junior Sister Chu,” he said, his voice calm, his expression betraying nothing of his inner excitement, “how much for this item? I’ll take it.”
Chu Xiaoran, her brow furrowed in confusion, studied the fragment. ‘What could he possibly see in such a mundane object?’ she wondered.
“It’s nothing valuable, Senior Brother. If you like it… you can have it.”
Chu Xiu flipped his hand, storing the bronze fragment in his spatial ring. He then retrieved a pouch containing a hundred high-grade spirit stones and tossed it to her.
“I dislike being indebted to others,” he said casually.
Chu Xiaoran, surprised by his generosity, accepted the pouch, a flicker of warmth in her eyes. Her initial impression of this arrogant and flirtatious young man was beginning to shift.
…
Soon, the pills Chu Xiu had ordered arrived.
Two hundred thousand Qi Replenishing Pills, worth ten million high-grade spirit stones.
And ten thousand True Essence Replenishing Pills, worth five million high-grade spirit stones.
After settling the payment, Chu Xiu stored the mountain of pills in his spatial ring and turned to leave.
He was eager to return to his cave dwelling, to begin his cultivation and to study the mysterious bronze fragment.
“Senior Brother Chu…”
Chu Xiaoran, who had been silently following him, finally spoke, her voice hesitant.
Chu Xiu turned, a polite smile on his face. “Is there something else, Junior Sister Chu?”
She hesitated for a moment, her lips pursed, before replying, “There’s… there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
“And what would that be? If it’s too much trouble, don’t hesitate to say so.”
Chu Xiaoran’s face fell. She led him to a private room on the second floor. After he had settled into a comfortable chair, she poured him a cup of tea, her movements graceful and deliberate.
“Senior Brother,” she began, her voice soft, “are you familiar with the Tai Su Divine Pagoda?”
“Of course.”
“It’s the Emperor’s personal artifact, right? Both offensive and defensive, containing countless realms within. It’s located on Tai Su Peak, isn’t it? Not only is it the sect’s most treasured artifact, but also a prime training ground for disciples.”
“Indeed,” Chu Xiaoran confirmed. “And the matter I’d like to ask for your help with… it’s related to the Tai Su Divine Pagoda.”
“Senior Brother… do you know…”
…