Chapter 764: Wronged Big Shot

The hall was silent. Everyone looked at the paper on the table, their expressions a mix of surprise and wonder, clearly startled by Zhou Yuan's directness. No one had expected him to be so straightforward.

So his previous indifference, his reluctance to get involved, was just because he hadn't seen any benefit? This person truly doesn't act without seeing a clear advantage.

Facing their numerous gazes, Zhou Yuan remained unfazed. He wasn't familiar with the Yi family; if they wanted his help, they naturally had to pay a price. You can't expect someone to fight for you for free.

The materials listed on the paper were essential for him to evolve the Ancestral Dragon Scripture to its second stage. Now that Zhou Yuan had recovered his strength, the most urgent task was to evolve his Genesis Qi into the coveted seventh-grade "World-Suppressing Sky Dragon Qi." Once his Genesis Qi evolved, Zhou Yuan's power would also increase.

However, the materials required for Genesis Qi evolution were quite rare. Zhou Yuan currently had no backing from the Cangxuan Sect, effectively being on his own. Gathering them by himself would take an unknown amount of time and effort. Therefore, since the Yi family now had a request, they would naturally be the ones to bear the cost.

The silence lasted for a while.

Yi Qianji, who was sitting beside Yi Qiushui, suddenly reached out. The paper was drawn into his hand through the air, and he slowly read it. After he finished reading, his eyelids twitched slightly, because some of the materials listed were quite valuable. However, he said nothing more, simply passing the paper to allow other members of the Yi family to see it. Finally, the paper reached Yi Qiushui's hands.

"Haha, young friend, your price is truly quite high," said another Tianyang Realm expert from the Yi family, who was seated below Yi Qianji, a forced smile on his face.

"The combined value of these materials would be more than enough to hire a renowned veteran late-stage Divine Dwelling expert," Liu Ming couldn't help but huff, glaring angrily at Zhou Yuan. "You're only a mid-stage Divine Dwelling expert, what makes you worth this price?"

Liu Tianying, standing by, didn't stop her. He had also seen the paper moments ago and felt that the young man before them was being a bit excessive and arrogant. A mid-stage Divine Dwelling expert wasn't worth this price. Even if Zhou Yuan had defeated Xu Feng, it wasn't enough. In fact, if Yi Qiushui hadn't spoken up suddenly earlier, they wouldn't even have considered Zhou Yuan as an external aid for the Yi family, as they believed he still lacked experience. Yet, this young man, whom they had somewhat looked down upon, was now making an exorbitant demand, treating the Yi family as a foolish spender. Paying such a high price to hire a mid-stage Divine Dwelling expert as an external aid – if news of this got out, the Yi family would likely become a laughingstock, making outsiders think the Yi family was desperately grasping at straws, truly at their wits' end.

As they spoke, other Yi family members began to whisper among themselves, their gazes turning somewhat unfriendly towards Zhou Yuan.

However, Zhou Yuan remained unmoved, merely smiling faintly. "You get what you pay for."

The others were so exasperated they almost laughed. This young man truly had thick skin! What kind of "good value" is a mid-stage Divine Dwelling expert?

At the head of the table, Yi Qiushui, who had remained silent, lightly tapped the tabletop with her slender, jade-like fingers, producing a crisp sound. The chatter in the hall immediately died down. Clearly, Yi Qiushui commanded considerable respect within the Yi family. This was evident from the fact that neither Yi Qianji nor the other Tianyang Realm expert of the Yi family had ever contradicted her. Of course, this was also partly due to her grandfather's high position as an elder in the Tianyuan Region.

Yi Qiushui's clear, bright eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan as she slowly said, "Brother Zhou, the price you've asked for is indeed not low."

Zhou Yuan sighed inwardly. He naturally knew how precious those materials were. If the Yi family weren't so desperate for help right now, they probably wouldn't even pay him any mind even if he volunteered. But he had no choice. If he didn't gather those materials soon, his Ancestral Dragon Scripture would remain stuck at the second stage. He frowned slightly, hesitating whether to reduce the list of materials.

However, just as he was about to speak, Yi Qiushui's soft voice came again: "However, the Yi family can afford these materials."

Zhou Yuan looked at Yi Qiushui in surprise. Other Yi family members couldn't help but try to interject and object, but Yi Qiushui stopped them. Her bright eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan as she said, "As long as Brother Zhou can truly guarantee that our Yi family won't lose this struggle for the Prefectural Lord position, I will not only provide these materials but also add one hundred portions of high-grade Divine Dwelling elixirs."

As soon as she spoke, not only did the Yi family members exclaim in astonishment, but even Zhou Yuan's heart slightly trembled. One hundred portions of high-grade Divine Dwelling elixirs! Previously, Zhou Yuan had over a hundred portions of Divine Dwelling elixirs, but they were all low-grade, and all of them had been torn apart by the spatial turbulence. These one hundred portions of high-grade Divine Dwelling elixirs were equivalent to five hundred portions of low-grade ones. This was definitely a generous offer for a Divine Dwelling expert. With these Divine Dwelling elixirs as cultivation resources, Zhou Yuan's subsequent cultivation speed would surely increase.

Zhou Yuan licked his lips, a flicker of fervent excitement in the depths of his eyes. Yi Qiushui's generosity and boldness were undeniable. However, what made Zhou Yuan slightly puzzled was whether she truly thought so highly of him.

While Zhou Yuan's heart was stirred, the others found Yi Qiushui's actions extremely difficult to comprehend. Even Yi Qianji couldn't help but cough softly, saying tactfully, "Qiushui, although Zhou Yuan's strength is decent, he is ultimately only a mid-stage Divine Dwelling expert. How can he guarantee that our Yi family won't lose?" If Yi Qiushui hadn't always been so intelligent in the past, even Yi Qianji would have wondered if this incident had hit her too hard, causing her to become muddled. Guaranteeing the Yi family wouldn't lose? Among all the Divine Dwelling experts in the entire Tianyuan Region, perhaps only those chosen talents on the Divine Dwelling Rankings could achieve such a feat, right? Those ranked talents all had extraordinary backgrounds. Even Qiu Ling and Liu Zhixuan had a gap compared to them. What made the Zhou Yuan before them so special?

"That's right, Sister Qiushui," Liu Ming nodded repeatedly. "Although the situation isn't great, don't be so anxious. Don't we still have my brother? With him here, we don't need to fear Qiu Ling!" She truly couldn't understand why Yi Qiushui valued Zhou Yuan so highly. She had never seen Yi Qiushui treat her own brother with such importance. This made her quite indignant, because in her opinion, her brother was far more excellent than that Zhou Yuan, whose origins were unknown.

However, Yi Qiushui paid no attention to their tactful advice. Her eyes remained fixed on Zhou Yuan. As for Zhou Yuan, Yi Qiushui's feelings towards him could be summed up in two words: mysterious. He was clearly just a young man from another Heaven Region, but for some reason, Yi Qiushui could sense an ineffable aura about him. He was very confident. Even when in this unfamiliar place, and even when facing the Qiu family's Tianyang Realm expert, Zhou Yuan had never shown the slightest hint of panic or loss of composure. This indicated that he certainly possessed some extraordinary abilities. A person who wasn't afraid of a Tianyang Realm expert, and who could still make an outrageous demand in the current situation, Yi Qiushui didn't believe he was merely bluffing.

Zhou Yuan's gaze met Yi Qiushui's. He was actually somewhat puzzled as to why she dared to place such a heavy wager on him. But none of that mattered to him. As long as he could get the materials, no matter how high Yi Qiushui's gamble, he would take it.

After pondering for a moment, he directly nodded, even under the somewhat scornful gazes of Liu Ming and the others.

"I promise you," he said. "I will do my utmost to ensure your Yi family wins this struggle for the Prefectural Lord position. However, I hope those materials can be given to me within two days."

Yi Qiushui lightly tapped the table with her jade-like hand, her red lips slightly parted. Her response was crisp and decisive. "Agreed."

Thus, a transaction that seemed utterly ludicrous to the Yi family members was completed under their tearful, helpless gazes.