Chapter 1281: Tat Yan Ancient Book

The attendant, a young man only about thirty years old with a cultivation level of only Half-Saint, initially showed no particular interest in exchanging spirit stones. However, when he saw the countless items on the ground, his eyes immediately widened in astonishment.

Prices in the black market were exorbitant, so unless there was an urgent need, very few people chose to exchange items there. It was usually almost empty. For a random customer to suddenly produce such a large quantity of items was simply incredible.

"Young master, are you exchanging all of these?" The attendant managed to ask after a moment, recovering from his shock.

"Yes," Zhang Xuan nodded. These items, some looted from the Qingtian lineage and others extorted from the Qingyuan Imperial Family, had once been invaluable treasures to him. However, now that his cultivation had reached the late Nascent Soul realm, they were no longer useful. Rather than keeping them to take up space, exchanging them all would also contribute to improving his strength.

"Alright, I'll calculate them now..." Knowing a major client had arrived, the attendant dared not delay. He hurried inside and soon returned with an elder.

After meticulously tallying all the items, the elder looked up. "All your items combined can be exchanged for approximately one hundred thirteen high-grade Quintessence Spirit Stones. Here is the manifest..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "No need. Just bring the spirit stones!" He had already calculated the value while they were being counted, and it was not significantly different from the elder's estimate.

"Very well! Go fetch the spirit stones!" The elder nodded. The attendant went inside and shortly returned, handing over a storage ring. Zhang Xuan took it casually and checked; it contained exactly one hundred thirteen spirit stones.

"Young Master Zhang, by directly exchanging over a hundred spirit stones, you have automatically been upgraded to a VIP of our market," the elder said with a smile, handing him another token symbolizing VIP status. "Tonight, there happens to be an auction open only to VIPs. Would you like to attend?" Exchanging so many spirit stones at once made him a significant client, even in the black market, easily qualifying him for VIP status.

"An auction?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I'm not interested for now." What he lacked at the moment were spirit stones; other items were of little importance to him.

"Young master, please don't be so quick to refuse. Listen to me first; you might change your mind," the elder chuckled.

"Oh?" "Among the items up for auction are two mid-tier Saint artifacts for those at the Out-of-Body realm, and a quasi-grade 8 medicinal pill that can restore all the power of an Out-of-Body realm cultivator within three breaths. It's the best item for surviving the Out-of-Body tribulation!" the elder explained.

During the Out-of-Body tribulation, confronting the Heavenly Tribulation, if one's power is insufficient, they can easily be killed, their body and soul obliterated. To prevent such accidents, many would spend enormous sums to purchase quasi-grade 8 pills that could quickly restore their vital energy, keeping their strength at its peak. Having such an item significantly increased the success rate. Naturally, this item was also extremely expensive, far beyond what an average person could afford.

"Never mind..." Zhang Xuan continued to shake his head. Having cultivated the Canon of Conferred Sages, his true qi was inexhaustible, so such a pill offered little benefit to him. As for Saint artifacts, with the Golden Origin Cauldron and numerous puppets at his disposal, any others were unnecessary.

"If the young master isn't interested in these, then the last item will surely capture your interest!" The elder chuckled softly, his gaze still on Zhang Xuan.

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan asked, curious.

"The Ancient Tome of Bedside Teachings!" the elder announced.

"The Ancient Tome of Bedside Teachings?" Zhang Xuan frowned. He had never heard that name before.

"It is said that back then, when Saint Luo passed through this place, Hall Master Yan came to pay his respects. Seeing Saint Luo resting, he stood motionless for three days and three nights, even as heavy snow covered him, turning him into a snow sculpture. Moved by his sincerity, Saint Luo sat on his bed and delivered a lecture, during which flowers rained from the sky, golden lotuses sprung from the earth, vital energy cascaded down, and heaven and earth trembled... These teachings were recorded by Hall Master Yan and passed down through generations, becoming what is now known as the Ancient Tome of Bedside Teachings!" the elder explained.

"Saint Luo?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes, the ancestor of the Luo Clan of Saints, Luo Tianyun!" The elder nodded. "It is said that this ancient tome contains some secrets of the Luo Clan's cultivation techniques. If one studies it diligently, they can gain a profound understanding of space. However, for many years, no one could find it... It was only recently, by a stroke of luck, that it was discovered and eventually made its way here."

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows rose. He wasn't particularly interested in ancient tomes, but the mention of the Luo Clan piqued his interest. If he could gain insight into the Luo Clan's cultivation techniques through this, it would undoubtedly be a great help when he eventually searched for Luo Ruoxi.

"What price is this ancient tome expected to fetch?" Zhang Xuan paused, then looked at the elder. Knowing the price beforehand would allow him to figure out how to acquire the necessary funds. Although he had exchanged over a hundred spirit stones, it was likely far from enough to purchase such a valuable item.

"Even though the Ancient Tome of Bedside Teachings was not personally written by Saint Luo, it contains his teachings. Even if only one or two tenths of it remains, it is still an invaluable treasure for cultivators at the Nascent Soul and Out-of-Body realms! Therefore, its price is substantial. The starting bid alone exceeds five hundred high-grade Quintessence Spirit Stones, and the final price will likely surpass a thousand. So... if the young master wishes to purchase it, you may want to prepare the spirit stones in advance!" the elder said. In his view, anyone who could casually exchange so many items must be a wealthy young master, and acquiring several hundred or even a thousand Quintessence Spirit Stones shouldn't be difficult for him.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan paused, then nodded. "Please reserve a spot for me. I'll go prepare, and I'll be back before the auction." There was still some time before nightfall, which was perfect for him to visit the Life-and-Death Arena and see if he could earn a thousand spirit stones.

"Yes!" The elder nodded and dispatched someone to make the arrangements.

"Let's go!" With their business concluded, Zhang Xuan said no more. He called out to Zhang Jiuxiao and asked him to lead the way towards the arena.

The arena was located in the innermost part of the underground black market. Before entering, their strength was thoroughly checked, and they were given tokens representing their cultivation levels; only then were they allowed entry.

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan had already reached the late Nascent Soul realm, Zhang Jiuxiao was speechless. Honestly, the speed of this man's progress was driving him crazy. When they first met, Zhang Xuan was only at the Spirit Severing realm. Within a few days, he reached the mid-Nascent Soul realm, similar to Zhang Jiuxiao himself... His cultivation level hadn't changed an hour ago when he was fighting Hall Master Yue and the others, yet now he had already broken through...

He had always considered himself a genius, but witnessing Zhang Xuan's progress made him realize just how vast the disparity was. They weren't even on the same level.

"I just broke through because I had accumulated enough," Zhang Xuan said, trying to comfort him as he saw Zhang Jiuxiao's crestfallen expression.

"Accumulated enough..." Hearing this, Zhang Jiuxiao felt even more disheartened. Other people's accumulations took decades—ten, twenty, thirty years... measured in tens of years. But for this guy, it was days—one, two... There was simply no comparison.

"Never mind, he's a Celestial-Acknowledged Master Teacher..." After a moment of internal struggle, Zhang Jiuxiao found acceptance. If a Celestial-Acknowledged Master Teacher also followed a standard, step-by-step path like him, how could they gain Heaven's recognition?

"Gentlemen, which of you will be participating in the arena battle?" While Zhang Jiuxiao was still lost in thought, a young man in charge approached.

"I will," Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright, then, I'll explain the rules and requirements for the arena battle in detail," the young man said. "To participate, you first need to pay two high-grade Quintessence Spirit Stones as a registration fee! During the matches, weapons, hidden weapons, and the like must be provided by the arena; you are not allowed to bring your own... This is for fairness!"

"Understood," Zhang Xuan nodded. He had already guessed that weapons wouldn't be allowed; otherwise, bringing a powerful weapon would make resistance impossible, leading to countless deaths and rendering the so-called life-or-death gamble meaningless.

"Furthermore, after you win five consecutive matches, betting will begin. Because wagers are involved, you are not allowed to voluntarily surrender unless you are beaten to half-death or crippled. Please be mentally prepared for this," the young man continued.

"Half-death or crippled?" Zhang Xuan frowned. Zhang Jiuxiao hadn't mentioned this before.

"Yes. When bets are placed, the stakes are high. If someone who could clearly win intentionally surrenders, it would severely damage our market's credibility! Therefore, anyone found to be voluntarily or deliberately surrendering will be severely punished without leniency!" the young man stated.

"I understand," Zhang Xuan nodded. Although he didn't entirely agree with this rule, he knew that without such regulations, everyone would fight sham matches, and the arena would lose its purpose. It certainly wouldn't attract countless people to bet wildly.

"Alright, that's all. If you wish to proceed with the match, I'll register you now. Those not participating, please head to the spectator stands!" The young man finished explaining.

"Okay," Zhang Xuan nodded, took out two of the spirit stones, paid the registration fee, and then handed the entire storage ring to Zhang Jiuxiao.

"Bet for me. Bet everything on me to win every time..."

"Alright!" Zhang Jiuxiao nodded. Zhang Xuan was there to earn spirit stones, so he naturally knew exactly how to place bets. After receiving the instructions, Zhang Jiuxiao was led to the spectator stands by the young man, while Zhang Xuan was taken backstage to prepare.

*Boom!* As he passed the spectator stands, Zhang Xuan glanced inside. There was a battle underway on the stage, true qi surging and emitting fierce roars. Countless people were shouting excitedly, causing adrenaline to rush.

"Tear him apart! Tear him apart!" Roars echoed through the air. Looking through the doorway at the arena, Zhang Xuan saw an armored middle-aged man let out a roar and lift a challenger into the air.

The middle-aged man was massive, at least two meters tall. The challenger, lifted by him, looked like a small chicken. *Rip!* With another roar, the man was instantly torn in half, blood splattering across the floor.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched, and his fist clenched. He had fought countless battles, but this was the first time he had witnessed such barbarity, treating human life as mere child's play.

Earlier, seeing various goods for sale, he had thought this place wasn't much different from other markets. But witnessing this scene, he realized that a black market truly was a black market... Human lives were worthless here, unless... one possessed strength superior to everyone else. Otherwise, they would inevitably die on stage. No wonder Zhang Jiuxiao had only fought five matches before quitting; the psychological impact was simply too great.