Chapter 6: Exchange (Part 2)

Guo Shier was a fugitive from the Gu Mi Luo family. He had little contact with them and knew almost nothing about them. He said, “Trading is possible here too.”
Ling Zhenren said, “I have Huang Yan Tu and Shan Ling Mu. Little guy, how do you plan to trade?”
Guo Shier didn’t dare set a random price and said, “Please tell me, senior.”
Ling Zhenren thought for a moment and said, “You’re collecting materials to build an altar. Well… I won’t take advantage of you. If you have sixty pieces of refined An Luo Stone, I’ll give you enough Huang Yan Tu and Shan Ling Mu to build a virtual altar.”
Guo Shier replied promptly, “Okay!” He had tens of thousands of pieces of refined An Luo Stone—after all, more than half of the An Luo Stone collected by the entire North Talisman Gate ended up in his hands.
One piece of refined An Luo Stone was about the size of a box of cigarettes from his past life. Guo Shier took out a talisman bag, filled it with sixty pieces of refined An Luo Stone, and said, “Here.”
Bao Chengyong was surprised and said, “Hey, little guy, you have quite a few good things.”
Guo Shier was confident that these top experts wouldn’t try to snatch them, as he still carried the title of a disciple of the Gu Mi Luo family. He said, “Senior, if you have Tai Hao refined gold, you can also trade it with me.”
Bao Chengyong replied, “I don’t have Tai Hao refined gold. It’s too difficult to obtain.”
Ling Zhenren took a quick look and was surprised, “Not bad. The quality is actually so high.” The others also picked it up to examine it, all showing expressions of surprise. They had no idea that because he had plenty of An Luo Stone and wasn’t afraid of waste, Guo Shier refined it using the most luxurious methods to obtain the purest An Luo Stone, hence its exceptional quality.
Mo Nuochini said, “I have a piece of Tai Hao refined gold. I originally planned to use it to craft an altar treasure. Well… if it could be exchanged for ten pieces of An Luo Stone…”
Jue Hu Mi Luo couldn’t help but say, “Mo Nuochini, you’re exaggerating!”
Mo Nuochini’s face turned slightly red. He knew he had gone too far and said, “Since it’s a trade, there’s no such thing as exaggeration. Everyone does as they please—trade if you want, or not if you don’t.”
Guo Shier said, “Let’s trade!” For him, An Luo Stone wasn’t rare, but he didn’t have a single piece of Tai Hao refined gold.
Ling Zhenren threw a talisman bag at Guo Shier and said, “Check it yourself.”
Guo Shier took the talisman bag and examined it briefly, then was overjoyed. The amount of Huang Yan Tu and Shan Ling Mu Ling Zhenren gave him was substantial, and they were all refined. He said, “Thank you, senior.”
Ling Zhenren replied, “No need to thank me. This is just a trade.”

Guo Shierou took out another ten pieces of Anluo Stone and traded them to Monochini. Monochini took out a silver-white metal strip about a foot long and said, “I’ve already refined this Taihao Pure Gold.” He then pulled out a not-too-large vial and said, “Here’s a bottle of Hidden Talisman Water for you—about ten jin in weight.” He glanced at Juehu Miluo and added, “This way, your elders won’t be displeased.”

Guo Shierou was secretly delighted. In the Oceanic Secret Realm, he had obtained some Hidden Talisman Water from beneath the Heavenly Snake Calamity Turtle, though in small quantities. Together with this ten-jin amount, it should be enough to construct a Virtual Form Altar. He bowed and said, “Thank you, senior. Is there any other senior who needs to trade? I still have Anluo Stone.” He was willing to take the risk—this opportunity was simply too rare.

Yan Ruodai asked, “Can other things also be traded?”

Guo Shierou smiled and replied, “Of course!” He didn’t need that much Anluo Stone anyway; he had planned to use it for trading. With this chance, he certainly wouldn’t miss it.

Shi Yanxilong took out two Soul Bead Gems and said, “These are two Soul Bead Gems sealed with spells. One contains the soul of a Level 13 Mutated Thunder Eagle, and the other contains the soul of a Level 10 Abnormal Earth Dragon. Once you’ve built your own Soul Altar, you can release these souls onto it… I’ll trade them for forty pieces of Anluo Stone.”

Guo Shierou’s eyes almost popped out. They could so easily obtain the souls of Level 13 Mutated Talisman Beasts and Level 10 Abnormal Talisman Beasts—these guys were truly terrifying. He loved soul-related items and immediately said, “Deal!”

Almost everyone traded with Guo Shierou to get Anluo Stone. For these top-tier professionals, many things weren’t precious—souls of Level 11 or 12 meant nothing to them. With their skills, hunting down such beasts was a simple task. Aside from Abnormal Talisman Beasts above Level 10, which required more effort, they didn’t care about the rest. Trading them for Anluo Stone was a great deal.

Yan Ruodai also exchanged the soul of a Thunder-type Mutated Talisman Beast for some Anluo Stone and was quite satisfied.

The only one who didn’t trade with Guo Shierou was Juehu Miluo. He was heartbroken but couldn’t stop Guo Shierou from trading. Anluo Stone was mostly found in extreme secret realms and lower-tier continents. Even for top-tier professionals like them, it wasn’t easy to locate. Moreover, even if they found it, they wouldn’t dig for it themselves—they would just inform their sect or family, and someone else would go extract it.

Guo Shier felt satisfied as he put away the items he had obtained. He had gathered enough materials, as the first step in constructing the virtual altar required only a small amount. These materials would suffice not only for him but also for the Eagle Demon. The only thing missing was Taihao Pure Gold; having one more piece would complete everything.

Bao Chengyong couldn’t resist anymore and shouted, “Feng Xilong… Bai Long Wood!”

Feng Xilong replied irritably, “What do you want?”

Bao Chengyong tried to flatter him, “Elder Feng, Lord Feng, ancestor Feng… I want Bai Long Wood!”

Feng Xilong replied succinctly, “Dream on!”

Bao Chengyong asked, “What do you want then?” He blocked Feng Xilong’s path and persistently pestered him.

Feng Xilong said, “Everyone says Bao Chengyong is a scoundrel. Today, I’ve seen it for myself. What do you plan to do? Rob me?” He stood calmly, appearing unbothered.

Bao Chengyong stamped his foot and said, “The two of you… Even if I tried to rob you, I couldn’t win… Sigh, Lord Feng, you’re ruthless! Tell me… what else could I use to exchange for your Bai Long Wood?”

Feng Xilong tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, “If you had some Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Strike Storage Wood… that would work too.”

Bao Chengyong immediately exclaimed, “Feng Xilong! Are you trying to annoy me on purpose? If I had Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Strike Storage Wood, why would I need Bai Long Wood? It’s far better than Bai Long Wood…”

Feng Xilong smiled and said, “I’ve already given you my conditions. It’s you who don’t have anything suitable to exchange. You can’t blame me for that.”

Hearing the words “Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Strike Storage Wood,” Guo Shier’s heart skipped a beat. He did have quite a bit of it, but he dared not use it for trading anymore. He had realized that when Feng Xilong mentioned it, almost everyone’s gaze turned to him, clearly showing how precious and rare this material was.

Bao Chengyong cried out, “Who has Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Strike Storage Wood?”

Yan Ruodai smiled and said, “Bao Chengyong, what are you crazy about… Even if someone had it, they wouldn’t trade it. It’s one of the most precious materials in the lightning element. If used to build an altar, it can endow it with lightning attributes. If added to a sacrificial artifact, it can enhance its lightning quality.”

Shi Qini nodded and said, “If my Thunder Bottle could incorporate Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Strike Storage Wood, it wouldn’t have been unable to withstand the lightning just now. Unfortunately… I’ve searched for a long time without finding any.”

Guo Shier and Eagle Demon exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of shock. When Guo Shier had collected the ten-thousand-year thunder strike storage wood, Eagle Demon was also there; he knew Guo Shier had a large amount of it.
Bao Chengyong scratched his head in distress, his mouse-like mustaches trembling nonstop as he said, “Use something else… exchange it for a different material, Feng Xilong. Be reasonable!”
Feng Xilong replied, “Reasonable? Bao Chengyong, stop trying to take advantage. If you can’t come up with something suitable, you just keep making trouble. You’re still a top-tier professional—this is my last question: are you going there or not?”
Bao Chengyong showed a conflicted expression, rubbing his hands frantically, frowning, and mumbling hesitantly, clearly unwilling.
Feng Xilong didn’t rush him and waited quietly.
Ling Zhenren asked, “Where?”
Feng Xilong replied, “The Magic Rock Secret Realm.”
Ling Zhenren’s expression changed slightly as he asked, “Has the Magic Rock Secret Realm opened?”
Feng Xilong shook his head. “No. We need to go through the Yàn Continent first.”
Yan Ruodai was surprised. “Is it that Yàn Continent on your Gu Xi Long family’s territory?”
Feng Xilong nodded. “That’s right.”
Ling Zhenren said, “It’s a continent occupied by mutated and alienated people. There are many powerful alienated beings there—it’s very dangerous.”
Yan Ruodai pondered for a moment before saying, “The Magic Rock Secret Realm… you actually have a way to enter it? That sounds like a great place.”
Ling Zhenren said, “The Magic Rock Secret Realm is rich in magic liquid, which is excellent for refining altars. Hmm…”
Bao Chengyong said, “If everyone else is going, then I’ll go too… but you have to give me the Bai Long wood first.”
Feng Xilong smiled slightly and asked, “Is there anyone else who wants to come with us?”
Jue Hu Miluo showed a conflicted look in his eyes but quickly made up his mind. “I’ll join!”
Shi Qini and Mo Nuoqini exchanged a glance and shook their heads simultaneously. Shi Qini said, “We brothers won’t join. The Magic Rock Secret Realm is too dangerous.”
Yan Ruodai thought for a while before saying, “Well then, I’ll go!”
Ling Zhenren pondered for a while before saying, “Alright, I’ll go too. The Magic Rock Secret Realm is famous—it would be a shame not to visit it at least once.”
Feng Xilong clapped his hands and laughed. “Great, very good.”
Guo Shier said, “Senior Jue Hu, we won’t go.” He didn’t want to get involved at all. They were all top-tier professionals, while he was just a junior Great Sage—going there would be suicide.
Jue Hu Miluo said, “Let’s go together! You can’t just wander around outside. With me around… I can protect you a bit.”

Guo Shier was inwardly distressed; he hadn’t expected Juehu Miluo to ask him to go with them. He hurriedly said, “Elder Juehu, my abilities are limited. If we go together… I’m afraid I’ll hold you back.”
Juehu Miluo glared and said, “With me protecting you, what’s there to worry about? Just follow me.”
Guo Shier was anxious but didn’t show it on the surface. He knew he couldn’t keep refusing, as that would arouse Juehu Miluo’s suspicion. He said, “Please take good care of me, Elder.”
Juehu Miluo replied, “As an inner disciple, you should call me ‘uncle,’ not ‘elder.’”
Guo Shier had no choice but to say respectfully, “Yes, uncle.”
The others didn’t mind either. These four kids were from the Gu Miluo family, so any danger was Juehu Miluo’s responsibility. Besides, having these four kids around meant there would be people to do chores like boiling water, cooking, and setting up tents—they were excellent laborers.
Feng Xilong said happily, “Then… let’s leave this place.”