Chapter 408: Phoenix Hibiscus

Gongsun Yu, with a pricing hike to one thousand Purple Profound Coins, squinted at Yun Che. Had they been at the Black Moon Merchant Guild's auction, he would never have dared to show such arrogance. But at this underground exchange, with the renowned name of Saint Sword Sect, he certainly felt entitled to act with a degree of arrogance and disdain. He hadn't expected someone merely at the Earth Profound Realm to dare to challenge his warning and bid against him.

He had expected Yun Che to be intimidated by the prestige of the Saint Sword Alliance, his substantial wealth, and the sudden increase in the bid. To his surprise, Yun Che's expression remained entirely unchanged. With complete composure, Yun Che stated, "Eleven hundred Purple Profound Coins!"

To casually utter a sum of over a thousand Purple Profound Coins would be impossible without an extraordinarily deep family background. As the son of the Saint Sword Sect Master, Gongsun Yu received approximately twenty thousand Purple Profound Coins annually, which was the total amount required for his cultivation throughout the year. Spending a thousand to buy two Purple Crystal Marrows was already close to his limit and far exceeded the value of the Purple Crystal Marrows themselves. Yet, after his earlier arrogance, he now faced a sudden, unapologetic challenger who topped his bid. If he allowed himself to be outbid now, it would be utterly humiliating.

Gongsun Yu clenched his teeth, though his expression remained nonchalant. "Twelve hundred Purple Profound Coins."

"Fifteen hundred!" Yun Che responded immediately, without the slightest pause or hesitation, right after Gongsun Yu's voice.

Everyone in the hall showed a slight change in expression. Little Qi’s face, in particular, blossomed into a begonia-like smile. Previously, she hadn't paid much attention to Yun Che, but now, her gaze toward him was full of affection, her phoenix eyes so enchanting they almost seemed to drip with charm.

Gongsun Yu's expression finally turned grim. Fifteen hundred Purple Profound Coins was nearly his entire monthly expenditure. Using such an amount for two Purple Crystal Marrows far exceeded his mental threshold. The most valuable essence produced in a Purple Profound Crystal mine was the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal, followed by the Purple Crystal Marrow. Fifteen hundred Purple Profound Coins would be enough to buy one or two Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals. Buying this Purple Crystal Marrow felt like throwing money away.

He turned around, a strained smile on his face, and said, "My friend, seeing your generous spending, I imagine your family background must be quite distinguished. Here in Divine Phoenix City, while I don't know everyone from prominent families, I'm familiar with most. Yet, you seem quite unfamiliar to me. Could you be from out of town? Oh… judging by your attire, are you perhaps a friend from one of the Six Nations?"

Yun Che, of course, understood Gongsun Yu’s intentions. He sneered inwardly, not bothering to evade the question, and replied directly, "You guessed correctly. I am not from Divine Phoenix Nation, but from the Azure Wind Nation in the east. However, where I am from should have no bearing on this exchange, should it?"

Someone from Azure Wind Nation?

Everyone in the hall had been speculating about Yun Che's origins, assuming that his lavish spending and lack of inhibition in challenging Gongsun Yu meant he must come from an extraordinary background. Now, hearing that he was from the Azure Wind Nation, they all displayed expressions of extreme disdain, bordering on ridicule. People of the Divine Phoenix Nation held an almost instinctive contempt for the other Six Nations, and among those, Azure Wind was the weakest. In their eyes, people from Azure Wind Nation were always unequivocally inferiors.

"Oh... oh! Hahahaha, so it’s a friend from Azure Wind Nation." Gongsun Yu burst into wild laughter, the unpleasantness of being suppressed by Yun Che instantly vanishing. "No wonder you're so interested in this Purple Crystal Marrow. I suppose in your Azure Wind Nation, you must never see such high-grade treasures, right? In that case, I am certainly willing to yield it to you... But I am a bit curious, what do you need this Purple Crystal Marrow for? Is it perhaps like me, to enhance the spirituality of a weapon? Oh no, in your Azure Wind Nation, a Sky Profound artifact is probably already a top-tier treasure, isn't it? This Purple Crystal Marrow wouldn't even be useful for that. Besides, your profound strength is only at the Earth Profound Realm, hehe, it seems even controlling a Sky Profound artifact would be a struggle... As for using it as energy for a Profound Ark... Hmm? Does Azure Wind Nation even have anyone who can afford a Profound Ark?"

The hall immediately filled with unsuppressed laughter. In front of someone from Azure Wind Nation, even the lowest in power and status among them felt a sudden surge of superiority. Why would they need to hide their mockery of an inferior?

Upon revealing his origin from the Azure Wind Nation, Yun Che knew such a scene would unfold. He remained unfazed, unwilling to waste a single word on these people. He produced fifteen hundred Purple Profound Coins and took the jade box containing the two Purple Crystal Marrows from Little Qi's hand. Purple Crystal Marrow was an essence nurtured only within sufficiently large Purple Profound Crystal mines, possessing a certain natural spiritual quality, so it could indeed enhance a weapon's spirituality, though he was unsure of the degree. If the effect was significant, he would try to acquire more.

And the next item for trade was Yun Che's true purpose for coming!

Little Qi again took a jade box from the elder behind her, her smile charming. "Our second treasure is a medicinal herb. Although it isn't as grand as the Purple Crystal Marrow, its rarity surpasses even the Purple Crystal Marrow!"

As she spoke, Little Qi opened the jade box. A plant, shimmering with red light and shaped like a flame, appeared before their eyes. The box was then immediately closed again to prevent any loss of its medicinal properties.

"Oh, it's a Phoenix Sunflower!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing the words "Phoenix Sunflower," Yun Che's gaze immediately fixed on the jade box… It seemed he could leave soon.

“That’s right, it’s a Phoenix Sunflower, and a newly matured, undamaged one at that!” Little Qi said with a beaming smile. “As you all know, young masters, the Phoenix Sunflower can not only be used in medicine, for tempering meridians, and for profound enlightenment, but it also greatly aids in cultivating fire-attribute profound arts, especially in breaking through bottlenecks. However, whenever a Phoenix Sunflower appears, it is immediately collected by the Divine Phoenix Sect. This particular plant in my hand is the only Phoenix Sunflower in the entire Divine Phoenix Empire outside of the Divine Phoenix Sect. Not even the Black Moon Merchant Guild could acquire it… So, young masters, if you need it, do not miss this chance, or you’ll have to wait until this time next year to possibly find one.”

Little Qi's words sounded a bit exaggerated, but Yun Che knew they weren't false, as he had visited the Black Moon Merchant Guild yesterday and indeed, they had no Phoenix Sunflowers there. As soon as Little Qi finished speaking, he directly interjected, "What's the starting price?"

Little Qi's limpid eyes subtly shifted toward Yun Che, and her soft voice said, "It seems this young master from Azure Wind Nation is also very interested in this Phoenix Sunflower. The starting price for this Phoenix Sunflower is one thousand Purple Profound Coins."

Although rare, the Phoenix Sunflower was by no means a top-tier medicinal ingredient. Moreover, its use in medicine presented significant difficulty and a high loss rate. For those who did not cultivate fire-attribute profound arts, it held little value. Thus, a price of one thousand Purple Profound Coins was truly excessive, clearly exploiting the "last Phoenix Sunflower" gimmick for an exorbitant demand. Most people in the hall showed no interest, but as soon as Little Qi finished speaking, Yun Che immediately declared, "Two thousand Purple Profound Coins, I'll take it!"

With tens of millions of Purple Profound Coins at his disposal, Yun Che's confidence was boundless. He now only wanted to acquire this Phoenix Sunflower as soon as possible, without wasting any more time… The ranking battle was only half a month away, and every minute, every second, was extremely precious to him.

"Holy cow!" many people gasped.

Spending fifteen hundred Purple Profound Coins on two Purple Crystal Marrows... and now, two thousand Purple Profound Coins for one Phoenix Sunflower...

Was this kid from Azure Wind Nation overflowing with money or just an idiot!?

After announcing the one-thousand-Purple-Profound-Coin price, Little Qi's heart was still filled with apprehension, knowing full well the price was somewhat inflated. But to her surprise, no sooner had she finished speaking than the price instantly doubled. She was instantly overjoyed, her face brightening with radiance. "This young master from Azure Wind Nation is truly generous and magnificent, directly offering two thousand Purple Profound Coins! I like such young masters the most... Is there any other young master willing to offer a higher price? This is the last Phoenix Sunflower this year, you know. If you miss it, no amount of money will be able to buy it..."

Everyone else remained silent… A joke, unless one was cultivating a fire-attribute profound art and had reached a bottleneck, or desperately needed it for an important alchemical concoction, who would spend over two thousand Purple Profound Coins on a Phoenix Sunflower? Seeing no response, Little Qi smilingly walked towards Yun Che. "Congratulations, young master, this Phoenix Sunflower is yours. Please be careful with it."

Yun Che swiftly handed over two thousand Purple Profound Coins, then took the jade box containing the Phoenix Sunflower. With the Phoenix Sunflower in hand, his objective for the day was accomplished. Next, he only needed to find a place to refine the Heaven and Earth Pills with the Sky Poison Pearl, then spend about two to three days refining them. His profound strength should then be sufficient to reach the peak of the Earth Profound Realm, giving him greater confidence when facing the Divine Phoenix Sect.

As for whatever else was being sold, he had absolutely no interest. Yun Che was just about to stand up and leave when a loud laugh suddenly came from outside: "Hahahaha! Miss Little Qi, I'm truly sorry, I ran into a few blockheads on the way and took a moment to teach them a lesson, so I'm late. Please don't blame me, Miss Little Qi."

The voice was deep and resonant, filled with an obvious arrogance. As the voice echoed, a tall, burly man in light armor strode in, head held high. The man appeared to be around thirty years old. Though not as massive as Xia Yuanba, he was remarkably robust, especially his exposed muscles, each one bulging prominently and shimmering with a metallic sheen, radiating explosive power that could be felt just by looking at him.

His hair was fiery red, standing upright like a cluster of burning flames, and his body exuded a strong aura of fire-attribute profound energy.

Upon seeing this tall man, everyone in the hall visibly changed their expressions. Even Gongsun Yu, who had been arrogant moments before, tensed up, showing deep apprehension.

Seeing this man, Little Qi's face split into a wide smile as if she had seen her own father. With graceful steps, she actively went to greet him. "Oh, Young Master Zha! What are you saying? Your presence here is an honor I've cultivated for countless lifetimes, how could I possibly blame you... Come, Young Master Zha, please take the main seat. The exchange has only just begun, and the main event hasn't even arrived yet. I'm sure today's 'main event' will be very interesting to you, Young Master Zha; it will definitely be worth your trip."

"Who is this person? He seems so arrogant," someone on Yun Che's right whispered to their companion.

"Didn't you hear Miss Little Qi call him 'Young Master Zha'? He must be from the Blazing Sun Sect!"

"What! The Blazing Sun Sect? The second most powerful sect in the Divine Phoenix Empire, second only to the Divine Phoenix Sect?"

"That's right! This man is Zha Yan, the seventh young master of the Blazing Sun Sect! His talent is extremely prodigious. He's only twenty-eight this year and is already a half-step Emperor Profound practitioner. It's said he's already attempting to break through to the Emperor Profound Realm! In the Divine Phoenix Empire, no one dares to provoke him, except for the Divine Phoenix Sect."

"Miss Little Qi's 'main event' is naturally a must-see. However, my main purpose for coming today is the Phoenix Sunflower in Miss Little Qi's hands," Zha Yan said with an arrogant expression. "My Emperor Profound bottleneck has loosened, and a breakthrough is imminent. I urgently need a Phoenix Sunflower to assist me, but that damned Divine Phoenix Sect has taken all the Phoenix Sunflowers. Fortunately, Miss Little Qi still has one. I'm taking this Phoenix Sunflower, and anyone who tries to contend with me... hehe."

Who Zha Yan was had no bearing on Yun Che. He had already risen from his seat, preparing to turn and leave, but upon hearing Zha Yan utter the words "Phoenix Sunflower," Yun Che's steps instantly halted…

Goddammit, it's happened again!