Chapter 1737 - Myriad Artifact Pavilion
Tu Zhengbao's heart sank at Liu Wuxie's smile. He naturally didn't care about losing one hundred thousand immortal stones. He received a generous amount of monthly salary as a mentor, but what truly terrified him was losing his reputation.
If he handed over one hundred thousand immortal stones, it would be the same as admitting that he was inferior to a newly appointed assistant mentor. This meant that his status would plummet in the future.
If he refused to hand over one hundred thousand immortal stones, it would mean that he had gone back on his word. Once he lost his credibility as a teacher, how could he teach students in the future and command their trust? Neither outcome worked in his favor. But since matters had reached this point, he could only try to minimize his losses.
Losing immortal stones didn't matter much, but he couldn't afford to lose his reputation as well.
"Assistant Liu, I'm impressed by your means. A bet is a bet, and here are one hundred thousand immortal stones," Tu Zhengbao said. He naturally knew the right decision to make as an old fox.
His flattering tone had instantly dissolved his embarrassment. He even added a few compliments to imply that he had no real grudges against Liu Wuxie and that they merely had different views. This instantly gave him a way out of this situation.
"Thank you, Mentor Tu. You're welcome to come and exchange pointers in the future if there's a chance," Liu Wuxie replied politely as he took the immortal stones over. After he kept all the immortal stones in his interspatial ring, a faint smile rose on his lips.
With the Fire Spiritual Pill and one hundred thousand immortal stones, his breakthrough to the High Immortal Realm had become certain now.
The class now had twenty-one students, and he was only lacking nine more. But based on the current look of things, it wouldn't be easy for him to recruit any more students with all the mentors slyly lurking like foxes. They had already been keeping a watch on their students and had prevented them from falling for this spiritual array.
"Since no one else wants to try, the recruitment will end here today," Liu Wuxie announced. With that, the crowd around them began to disperse.
After returning to the courtyard, Liu Wuxie swept his gaze over the twenty-one students. Under his piercing gaze, even Xiang Rulong chose to lower his head.
"It's your turn now," Liu Wuxie said. He stepped aside and handed the rest over to Ye Linghan, who was the actual mentor. He was merely an assistant mentor here.
A bitter smile rose on Ye Linghan's lips. After experiencing everything over the past two days, she knew that Liu Wuxie was better suited as a mentor, while she was more like an assistant.
"Starting today, you are all students of the spiritual array class. I only have three rules, and I will expel anyone who violates them," Ye Linghan said after clearing her throat.
"First, respect your mentors. Second, do not bully the weak with your strength. Third, I do not wish to see my students killing each other," Ye Linghan said, keeping everything short.
Everyone nodded, indicating they would follow it strictly.
"Mentor Ye, what will we learn today?" Zhang Dashan asked. He had joined the same batch as Xiang Rulong and had decent talent.
"I'll leave the class arrangements to Assistant Liu," Ye Linghan said, looking at Liu Wuxie with a hint of provocation. She had yet to go after Liu Wuxie for the notice he had posted, but she decided to let it go for now since he had helped her recruit so many students.
"Rest for today. The class will start tomorrow, and I need to prepare some things. All of you may leave first," Liu Wuxie said.
Upon hearing the arrangement, everyone began leaving one by one.
"Xiao Qian, hold on!" Liu Wuxie called out.
"Teacher, is there anything else?" Xiao Qian asked nervously.
"Where do you live?" Liu Wuxie asked, keeping his tone as soft as possible. After all, the repeated setbacks that Xiao Qian had suffered throughout the years had made her timid.
"My family lives on the outskirts," Xiao Qian said, not daring to hide anything. The journey from the Azure Flame Dao Hall to her home would take over two hours.
"I have to buy something in the city. I'll make a visit to your home along the way," Liu Wuxie said, and planned to leave with Xiao Qian.
Like others, Liu Wuxie also wanted to know who had sealed Xiao Qian's Heavenly Sacred Blood. Anyone who could seal the Heavenly Sacred Blood would definitely have reached the Immortal Emperor Realm or even surpass it.
Although Liu Wuxie had excavated her Sacred Innate Physique, he could not seal the Heavenly Sacred Blood himself, even if he relied on methods from his previous life. He began to wonder if there could be existences that surpassed the Immortal Emperor Realm in the celestial realm. But as soon as that thought appeared, he quickly shook his head.
Ye Linghan hurried over as well. The three left the Azure Flame Dao Hall as they headed toward the nearest city, the Eastern Emperor City. The journey would take about fifteen minutes as the Azure Flame Dao Hall wasn't far away.
The city was enormous, over ten times larger than Fourfold City, with hundreds of clans of varying sizes residing within it.
There were also second-tier sects in the surroundings who possessed average strength, and they were even slightly inferior compared to the Azure Flame Dao Hall.
As the trio entered the city, they were surrounded by the hawkers' cries. Many cultivators could be seen weaving through the street, each possessing formidable cultivation.
Xiao Qian grew increasingly nervous as she often chose remote alleys whenever she traveled in the Eastern Emperor City. This was her first time walking on the main street in this manner.
As a profound immortal, Ye Linghan could be considered an expert in the Eastern Emperor City, and she garnered attention wherever she went. Her stunning beauty also drew countless people's stares.
"Wuxie, what are you going to buy?" Ye Linghan asked curiously. The facilities in the Azure Flame Dao Hall were complete, and they could apply to the upper echelons if they needed anything.
"An alchemy cauldron," Liu Wuxie replied. He planned to refine some pills himself in the future, and an alchemy cauldron naturally became indispensable.
Back in Fourfold City, he had considered buying one, but he hadn't come across any suitable ones.
Ye Linghan nodded. She had long known of Liu Wuxie's alchemical skills.
Besides an alchemy cauldron, Liu Wuxie also needed some materials for spiritual arrays, which the Azure Flame Dao Hall likely didn't have. After all, Zhongsun Wen and Xia Yuanming taught only specific spiritual arrays, while Liu Wuxie sought to break that tradition. Likewise, it was also a challenge for him.
"The Myriad Artifact Pavilion, what a domineering name," Liu Wuxie said as he looked at a building that resembled a cauldron supported by four pillars. This building could be seen even from a far distance.
"The things here are expensive," Ye Linghan said. This wasn't her first time here, and she was familiar with the place.
The Myriad Artifact Pavilion was an asset of the Eastern Emperor Pavilion. Eastern Emperor City also originated from the Eastern Emperor Pavilion.
Liu Wuxie didn't know that, nor did he need to. He only wanted an alchemy cauldron, and he didn't mind paying a higher price as long as the quality met his standards.
When the trio entered the Myriad Artifact Pavilion, the interior was far larger than what Liu Wuxie had imagined. They were dazzled by countless artifacts the moment they stepped in, and many artifact spirits even manifested by their sides.
Liu Wuxie was visibly surprised. Only now did he understand why Ye Linghan had said the items here were costly. The steep prices were not without reason; each artifact was one of a kind. A mere one hundred thousand immortal stones likely wouldn't even be sufficient to buy a high-grade artifact.
There was a longsword hovering in the air with a white-clothed man seated on it. He was the longsword's artifact spirit, and he was looking at the surroundings. The artifact spirit inspected every customer who stepped in.
Liu Wuxie began to look around after he entered. Most of the artifacts sold here were in the form of weapons, which he didn't need as he already had the Bloodthirst Blade. But excellent alchemy cauldrons were rare, and luck alone determined whether someone could find one.
An exclamation echoed from their left as a young man hurried over. "Linghan, are you looking for something?"
Upon seeing the youth, a hint of disgust flashed in Ye Linghan's eyes, followed by a hint of helplessness.
The young man was somewhat surprised by Ye Linghan's arrival, which explained his tone.
"I'm accompanying a friend to buy an alchemy cauldron here," Ye Linghan explained, turning to look at Liu Wuxie.
"Since you're Ye Linghan's friend, that naturally makes you my friend as well. Brother, may I know what kind of alchemy cauldron you need?" Shen Chao asked. He was likely a steward in the Myriad Artifact Pavilion based on his clothing.
Liu Wuxie glanced at Ye Linghan. He hadn't expected her to have such a broad social circle, let alone friends in the Myriad Artifact Pavilion.
Seeing Liu Wuxie's teasing gaze, Ye Linghan could only glare back at him.
"I need an alchemy cauldron capable of refining third-grade immortal pills, and a higher grade is also fine," Liu Wuxie replied. It wouldn't be an issue for him to refine third-grade immortal pills once he reached the High Immortal Realm.
Even among third-grade immortal pills, their value varied greatly. Some third-grade immortal pills could even raise a person's cultivation unconditionally, while others could only increase their immortal energy and broaden their laws.
"Please follow me," Shen Chao said, making an inviting gesture.
"It looks like you two have an extraordinary relationship," Liu Wuxie said, sending a voice transmission into Ye Linghan's soul sea as he walked behind Xiao Qian.
"He's also a mentor of the Azure Flame Dao Hall, but only part-time. He's responsible for blacksmithing, and we have interacted a few times in the past. Our relationship is ordinary," Ye Linghan quickly explained, fearing that Liu Wuxie might misunderstand.
"I don't think it's ordinary," Liu Wuxie replied with a mischievous smile. He could tell that Shen Chao's attitude toward Ye Linghan had crossed the line of ordinary acquaintance.
"Teacher, this person seems to be fond of Mentor Ye," Xiao Qian whispered. Even she could notice it.
Ye Linghan turned around to glare at Xiao Qian, who stuck her tongue out and shut her mouth. Xiao Qian revealed her innocent side only when she was with Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan.
The group passed through a hall and entered a residence, where everything was elegantly arranged, with ancient trees overhead, the courtyard covered in flowers and plants, birds chirping, and the fragrance of flowers drifting from all directions.
"Shen Chao, this is the inner courtyard. Merchants don't sell alchemy cauldrons here," Ye Linghan said after sensing that something was wrong.
Liu Wuxie looked around and discovered several spirit immortals concealed in the surroundings. This proved that the Myriad Artifact Pavilion wasn't as simple as it looked.
"To be honest, I invited several friends here to preach about Dao and exchange our insights. Since you're here, you naturally can't miss this gathering," Shen Chao replied without hiding anything.
"I'm sorry, but we still have other matters to attend to. We won't disturb you any longer," Ye Linghan said with a hint of displeasure on her face as she turned to leave.
"Mentor Ye, why are you in such a hurry to leave? We're only exchanging our insights, and there is no harm."
Right at this moment, several youths walked over from another doorway, who appeared to be in their thirties, much older than Liu Wuxie. However, in the celestial realm, even someone over a hundred years old was still considered young.
