Chapter 17: The Myriad Treasures Pavilion

## Chapter 17: Wan Bao Ge

Deep in the night, Ye Chen once again slipped out of the Small Spirit Garden under the cloak of darkness.

He sought out a patch of lush jungle, settling cross-legged on a massive boulder.

*Crack!*

*Crack!*

Soon, the sounds of bones colliding echoed through the stillness. Three hours of brutal body refinement had left him utterly spent, sweat dripping from every pore. Yet, he was gradually adapting to the tearing pain that wracked his body. The benefits were undeniable. With each cycle of the Heaven Incinerating Art, his physique grew more refined, the latent power in his muscles a source of growing excitement.

Once his spiritual energy was completely depleted, Ye Chen bathed in the starlight and moonlight, devouring the mountain's pure spiritual essence like a whale gulping water or a cow sucking milk. After an hour, he sprang down from the boulder.

The subsequent training focused on the Beast Heart Fury, a close-combat technique. Combined with his formidable physique, its offensive power became truly overbearing.

By the time Ye Chen had gathered his breath, the eastern sky was already tinged with a hint of red. The spiritual energy of dawn was particularly rich, the essence of the alternating sun and moon at its purest. As Ye Chen ascended the Spirit Mountain of Heng Yue Sect, many disciples were already emerging from their cave dwellings.

"Ye Chen!"

When the disciples seated on the rocks, absorbing spiritual energy, saw Ye Chen, they cast him glances filled with a mix of surprise and intrigue. At this moment, few dared to underestimate this newly arrived outer disciple. Yesterday's battle had forged his reputation, challenging the head of Di Yang Peak and demonstrating his unyielding spirit in the face of adversity.

"This kid became famous in one battle, but his future days may not be easy."

In hushed tones, many disciples privately discussed, their gazes fixed on Ye Chen.

"What kind of person is Ge Hong? Can he easily forgive him?"

"I heard that Ge Hong ordered one of his true disciples, who had been in seclusion, to come out and teach Ye Chen a lesson."

"Is that so? Then there's a good show to watch."

Amidst the surrounding whispers, Ye Chen, sword at his side, walked with a light step. His hearing, however, was exceptionally keen; how could he not pick up on some useful information?

"True disciple." A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Ye Chen knew the coming days would be far from peaceful. Although he hadn't been at Heng Yue Sect for long, he had already heard much about Ge Hong's character: vengeful, ruthless, and using any means necessary. These two traits perfectly encapsulated Ge Hong's nature, and a storm of retribution was undoubtedly brewing behind the scenes.

"Seems I need to hurry up and enhance my strength," he murmured, quickening his pace.

After turning several wide bends, Ye Chen stopped before a pavilion. This colossal structure, spanning ten thousand *zhang* square, was magnificent and stood as a symbol. Above its entrance hung a plaque bearing the inscription: Wan Bao Ge.

Wan Bao Ge, in essence, was a marketplace within Heng Yue Sect. It sold a diverse array of goods: spiritual herbs, spiritual liquids, spiritual fruits, spiritual jades, profound arts techniques, spiritual tools – everything a cultivator could need was available. Beyond these, it also housed numerous peculiar and unusual items, purported to be treasures, though their authenticity remained a matter of speculation.

Heng Yue Sect disciples could use spirit stones to purchase items here, and naturally, they could also sell their own possessions. Zhengyang Sect had similar sect shops, and their business was invariably prosperous.

"Wonder if this Wan Bao Ge of Heng Yue Sect has any genuine treasures," Ye Chen softly murmured before stepping inside.

Presiding over Wan Bao Ge was a stout, portly old man with a large belly and prominent ears, whom the Heng Yue disciples called Elder Pang Da Hai. Unlike Zhou Da Fu at Ling Qi Ge, this fellow's eyes were round and bright, radiating a keen and piercing gaze. Anyone attempting to steal from him would find it utterly impossible to escape his notice.

"Greetings, Elder," Ye Chen bowed respectfully upon entering.

"Hmm, feel free to look around," Pang Da Hai, chest bared and belly exposed like a Maitreya Buddha, replied, his eyes sharp and observant. "Little one, mind you don't steal anything."

"How could this disciple dare!" Ye Chen smiled and ventured deeper into the pavilion.

Wan Bao Ge was vast inside. The fragrant scent of spiritual herbs and fruits permeated the air. With a sweeping glance, Ye Chen spotted many extraordinary treasures that made his eyes light up with greed.

"Fire Lotus Flower."

His eyes gleamed as he beheld a stalk of lotus flower that appeared to be aflame. A pure fire-attribute aura radiated from it, accompanied by a rich spiritual power containing pure spiritual essence.

Licking his lips, Ye Chen glanced at the price, then involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Five hundred spirit stones." Ye Chen shook his head and reluctantly walked away. It wasn't that he lacked spirit stones; he had a little over a thousand, but despite his astonishing spiritual power, he was hesitant to spend so much.

After a few steps, his gaze was constantly drawn to new wonders.

"Human Yuan Grass."

"Bi Yang Flower."

"Purple Vine Ginseng."

Stalk after stalk of vigorous spiritual herbs made Ye Chen salivate. If he could consume and refine all of them, his cultivation would undoubtedly surge.

"But the price..." He shook his head helplessly, no longer willing to even look at the prices. The more he looked, the more his heart ached. He had originally thought a thousand spirit stones was a small fortune. Now, he realized he had been completely mistaken. In this Wan Bao Ge, his meager collection of spirit stones was truly insignificant.

For the next hour, Ye Chen continued to browse. He completely ignored the section dedicated to spiritual tools. With the Heaven's Fury in hand, he truly disdained other spiritual weapons.

Upon reaching the area with techniques and profound arts, Ye Chen greedily picked up ancient scrolls one by one. However, to his disappointment, they were all basic Qi Control profound arts, utterly dispensable to him.

"Jade Spirit Liquid?" In a corner of Wan Bao Ge, Ye Chen picked up a damaged ancient scroll. Four large characters were written upon it: Jade Spirit Ancient Scroll. A trace of doubt in his heart, he opened the first page and was slightly surprised, for the first page of the Jade Spirit Ancient Scroll recorded the refining method for Jade Spirit Liquid.

"Wan Bao Ge even sells this?" Ye Chen's surprise was understandable. Jade Spirit Liquid, like spirit stones, not only contained spiritual power but could also be used as currency. It was an essential item for the daily cultivation of Heng Yue Sect disciples. Traditionally, Jade Spirit Liquid was a monopoly within Heng Yue Sect, uniformly distributed by the sect. Ye Chen had always believed the refining method for Jade Spirit Liquid would never be disseminated, yet here it was, neatly displayed. Weren't they afraid of disciples secretly learning it?

Ye Chen scratched his head and involuntarily glanced at the price of the Jade Spirit Liquid refining method, a wave of astonishment washing over him.

"Exaggerated! How could the refining method for Jade Spirit Liquid be so valuable, yet only sell for twenty spirit stones?" Ye Chen's gaze returned to the ancient scroll in his hand, inexplicably thinking this Jade Spirit Ancient Scroll must be fake.

At this moment, Elder Pang Da Hai, his stout body waddling, approached. Seeing Ye Chen holding the Jade Spirit Ancient Scroll in a daze, he curiously inquired, "Little fellow, are you interested in the Jade Spirit Ancient Scroll?"

Ye Chen snapped back to reality, scratched his head, and asked with a smile, "Elder, is the price of this Jade Spirit Ancient Scroll not marked incorrectly?"

"How could it be!"

"Then is the refining method for Jade Spirit Liquid truly only worth twenty spirit stones?"

"This ancient scroll's value is indeed very high, but it's useless to ordinary cultivators!"

"Why is that?"

"Refining Jade Spirit Liquid requires flames nurtured by heaven and earth, at least Earth Fire. Ordinary cultivators find it useless; they don't possess Earth Fire." Pang Da Hai dug at his ears and said, "Our Heng Yue Sect only has one Earth Fire sealed in Ling Dan Ge, guarded like a treasure by that old undying Xu Fu. His Ling Dan Ge probably earns more money than my Wan Bao Ge."

"Earth Fire?" Ye Chen's eyes brightened, then he softly inquired, "Then can True Fire be used for refining?"