Chapter 766: The Price of One-Yuan Heavy Water

Zhang Xuan indeed did not hear Luo Qiqi's call. Executing the Red Dust Heaven-Treading Step, he hugged the ground, flying forward silently.

After three recognitions as a master teacher, his Eye of Insight had advanced. Though the traces left behind by the woman were faint, they were still clearly visible to his eyes.

"Hmm? Where is she going?"

Following the traces along the lakeside for a while, he suddenly saw them veer straight toward a hillside. Zhang Xuan looked puzzled.

Though he had never been to this hillside, he knew there were no dwellings on it. It was already dark—what was this woman doing here?

Taking advantage of the night, he continued forward.

The hillside was covered with low shrubs, and at the top stood an octagonal pavilion.

Such pavilions were common in the academy, serving as places for students to cool off or to stop and exchange insights.

Enlightenment and breakthroughs in understanding could happen in an instant; going back and forth might cause one to miss that feeling.

Hugging the shrubs, Zhang Xuan flew toward the pavilion. Before he reached it, he indeed saw a seductive figure standing inside. Under the starlight, she appeared hazy, like a beautiful painting.

He had to admit, Hu Yaoyao had an excellent figure. From a distance, she looked like a dark-night specter, captivating anyone who laid eyes on her.

With the Library of Heaven's Path in his mind, Zhang Xuan was not easily moved by women—except for Luo Ruoxi, who had made him lose composure and faint twice. Still, he couldn't help but admire the figure before him.

"Alright, come out!"

Standing in the pavilion, her graceful posture curving seductively, Hu Yaoyao suddenly spoke.

"Was I discovered?"

Zhang Xuan was startled, then shook his head.

He was executing the Red Dust Heaven-Treading Step, moving through the air without leaving any trace. Moreover, he wasn't following closely behind her; he was tracking her using the Eye of Insight. Such a method would be hard for even a Saint-domain expert to detect, let alone a Mortal Swaying Realm layer 9 cultivator like her.

"Haha, Yaoyao is so perceptive. I just arrived, and you already found me..."

Just as he was wondering why she had said that, a laugh rang out. Then, from one side of the hillside, the sound of footsteps on wind came, and a tall figure landed in the pavilion.

It was a young man who looked about thirty. His cultivation surged like a river, matching Hu Yaoyao's—also a Mortal Swaying Realm layer 9 expert.

At such a level, age could no longer be judged by appearance.

Though he looked thirty, he had likely lived at least fifty or sixty years.

Still, compared to the over two-hundred-year lifespan of the Mortal Swaying Realm, this age was still quite young.

"You live up to your name, cultivating the True Sun Technique. Before you even arrive, you blaze like a great sun, impossible to miss!" Before Hu Yaoyao could speak, a faint voice sounded, and another figure appeared.

It was a woman, about the same age as Hu Yaoyao, and her beauty was no less than that of the enchanting woman. However, her temperament was the polar opposite.

Yaoyao was like a seductress, every move stirring the heart, making one want to hold her and ravish her. This woman, on the other hand, was icy cold, like a block of ice, keeping people at a distance.

"Live up to your name? Could it be... Xue Zhenyang?"

Seeing two people arrive in succession, Zhang Xuan dared not move, hiding in the shrubs, puzzled.

He had heard of something called the True Sun Society, whose president was a fifth-year student named Xue Zhenyang. Now hearing this, he connected the dots.

"Yeah, this guy really doesn't know how to hide. If he were like me, Yaoyao wouldn't have noticed!"

As he speculated, another figure appeared.

This one was like a ghost. If he hadn't spoken, even Zhang Xuan wouldn't have noticed him or known where he came from.

"Long Cangyue, you cultivate the Cold Moon Technique, moving by night, making yourself neither male nor female. I'm not like you!" Xue Zhenyang snorted.

"You're the one who's neither male nor female! Believe me, I'll teach you a lesson?" The young man called Long Cangyue was furious.

"Come on, think I'm afraid of you? Haven't stretched my muscles in a while. A fight wouldn't hurt!"

True qi churned within Xue Zhenyang, making him blaze like a flame, ready to attack at any moment.

"A loser under my hand dares to boast? Since you want to fight, I'll oblige..."

Long Cangyue sneered.

The two were at daggers drawn.

"Alright, you two start fighting as soon as you meet. Don't you know we have business to discuss today?"

Hu Yaoyao snorted.

Hearing her words, the tension eased. They both laughed: "Right, we can spar in private. Today, we have important matters to attend to. Can't delay."

"Alright, everyone's here. Dong Xin, you just got back. Share the news you've gathered."

Seeing them stop quarreling, Hu Yaoyao waved her hand and looked at the woman nearby.

"Yes. I went to that place and observed quietly for two days. Zhenyang was right—the thing definitely exists. But... the danger is greater than expected. With just the four of us, I'm afraid it will be hard to succeed."

The cold-faced woman, Dong Xin, hesitated before speaking.

"Indeed, it's tough. Not to mention the complex natural environment, those two big fellows alone are more than we can handle head-on." Xue Zhenyang, no longer irritable, frowned.

"Right, we need to plan carefully. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't get the thing and might even lose our lives." Long Cangyue chimed in.

"Plan carefully? How? If I'm not mistaken, this thing will ripen within the month. Once it's fully ripe, those two big fellows will definitely devour it to wash their marrow and strengthen their tendons. Then they'll break through, and we'll have no chance!"

Xue Zhenyang waved his sleeve and snorted.

"Zhenyang is right. Once it ripens, we'll have no chance. We must sneak in before it ripens and seize it at the moment of ripening. Otherwise, missing this opportunity, we'll need decades of hard work to break through to Half-Saint!" Hu Yaoyao nodded, frowning.

"Yes, we all understand that. The question is how to break through the defenses and deal with those two big fellows."

Xue Zhenyang shook his head and looked at the woman: "Dong Xin, you're the most famous genius in the Beast Taming Academy. You said you had a way to deal with them, right?"

"Those two beasts have ancient bloodlines. Ordinary things won't tempt them. Before I left, didn't I tell you to buy One-Yuan Heavy Water? It can purify ancient bloodlines. Using it as bait, we might lure them into a trap. Once trapped, we'll have our chance!"

Dong Xin frowned, then looked up at the others: "By the way, did you buy it?"

"Buy it? How? One-Yuan Heavy Water costs a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones per jade bottle. You know our financial situation. Where would we get that much money?" Xue Zhenyang shook his head with a bitter smile.

Even as fifth-year students, a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones was hard to come by.

"One-Yuan Heavy Water?"

Zhang Xuan, hiding nearby, was intrigued.

The Five Radiance Golden Body had five layers. After merging various body-tempering techniques, the first layer required no treasures, but the remaining four did.

The second layer needed Earth Core Blaze Rock, and the third layer required exactly this One-Yuan Heavy Water as an aid.

He had only heard the name before, never knowing what it looked like or where to find it. Now he had news from these people.

They wanted to buy it too.

"A hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones... that's ten high-grade spirit stones... so expensive!"

He was excited but also felt helpless.

From his understanding of the third layer of the Five Radiance Golden Body, he would need about ten bottles of One-Yuan Heavy Water to master it... He only had ten high-grade spirit stones on him, enough for one jade bottle. He still had a long way to go!

"Wasn't there the new student registration a few days ago? Shouldn't you have made a fortune?"

Hearing Xue Zhenyang complain about being broke, Dong Xin couldn't help asking.

During new student enrollment, every society could make a killing. This year was a decennial recruitment cycle, with thirty thousand new students. Even if they earned just three spirit stones per person, a hundred thousand would be almost enough!

"A fortune? We'd be lucky not to lose our shirts! Don't you know what happened these past two days?" Xue Zhenyang hadn't spoken, but Long Cangyue shook his head.

"Know what? I just arrived and sent you a message to meet here. I haven't had time to go back. What happened? Did the academy interfere?" Dong Xin looked at him curiously.

She had spent two days at that place, plus travel time, and had only arrived tonight. She didn't know what had happened at the academy.

Every new semester, it was routine for senior students to extort newcomers, and the academy generally didn't interfere.

First, to temper the newcomers' pride and teach them that there were always stronger people. Second, to help master teachers collaborate better in the future against the Otherworldly Demons.

With the academy not interfering and newcomers easy to fool, they should have made a good profit. It had almost become an industry. How could they be losing money?

"Don't say I didn't warn you. A freak appeared among the newcomers and completely disrupted the business! This year's entrance exam was organized by your Beast Taming Academy. You must have known about it long ago, right?"

Long Cangyue said.

"Yes." Dong Xin nodded. "Dean Mi personally handled it, preparing for months."

As a top genius in the Beast Taming Academy, she had good relations with the teachers. She had known about the exam before the news even spread.

Dean Mi had been capturing spirit beasts that plagued the land, and she had even participated, personally catching seven or eight.

"The rules for this exam were simple: killing a Mortal Swaying Realm layer 4 peak spirit beast earned one point... Do you know how many points that freak among the newcomers got?"

Long Cangyue said.

The new student entrance exam had been over for a few days. As the president of the Cangyue Society, it wasn't hard for him to find out the details.