radicalducati 1117. Strange Things
1117. Strange Things
The trade fair began with some high-grade herbs and other resources. Alchemists are a minority, and many powerful individuals, after acquiring valuable herbs, would not consume them raw but would save them and have alchemists refine them into pills, or trade them directly with alchemists.
The trade fair brought together the highest-ranking alchemists from across the continent, making this the perfect opportunity for them to make deals. Xiao Yan even sensed that some of the powerful figures who took the stage at the beginning were rather impatient.
During this time, Xiao Yan and his group also took a fancy to several high-quality herbs. Elder Lin, Master Huo Zhen, and Elder Yao took turns purchasing them.
Of course, not every transaction can be successfully completed. Some may be due to excessively high prices, while others may be due to being too ordinary. In the end, the owners who bring these items to the market can only leave disappointed.
As time went on, the quality of the items displayed at the trade fairs also began to improve.
An elderly man with a white beard slowly stepped onto the stage: "I have a strange flame here—the Xuanhuang Flame. I won't go into its effects, but the requirement is a ninth-grade pill. Of course, I won't provide the materials."
When the yellow flame was revealed, everyone present was slightly surprised. They hadn't expected to be able to obtain a strange flame at this trade fair, and many people showed considerable interest in it.
The Xuanhuang Flame is ranked twenty-third on the list of strange flames. Although it's at the bottom of the list, it's still a strange flame, and its value isn't low. The old man with the white beard's request for a ninth-grade pill isn't actually that unreasonable.
This has led to the first instance of supply falling short of demand today, with many people willing to pay a price to try and buy this Xuanhuang flower.
Of course, this also includes Guiyuan Mansion. Neither Huo Zhen nor Elder Lin possess any different flames. If they can seize this opportunity to acquire one, it will also help them improve.
The two of them had asked Xiao Yan in advance, since it was common knowledge that Xiao Yan was skilled in various kinds of strange fire. If Xiao Yan really wanted to take it, they would give way first.
Looking at the Xuanhuang Flame, Xiao Yan was also weighing the pros and cons. He felt that this strange fire wouldn't be a significant boost to his strength, since he had already reached the late stage of a three-star Dou Sheng. Xiao Yan estimated that even in the best-case scenario, absorbing the strange fire would only raise him from the late stage of a three-star Dou Sheng to the peak of a three-star Dou Sheng.
Its improvement to the Fire Lotus is probably limited now, because the Fire Lotus values the quality of the flame more. Compared to the top ten strange flames, especially the Eight Desolate Destruction Flame, this Xuanhuang Flame is far from enough.
Xiao Yan's final thought was: try making an offer; it would be best if he could get it back, but if not, then forget it.
Xiao Yan then tried to give his own offer, but it was rejected almost without hesitation. Xiao Yan realized that others must have offered significantly higher prices.
Ultimately, it was the Medicine Clan that won the Xuanhuang Flame. When Xiao Yan learned of this, he immediately felt relieved. There was no other way; as a major alchemist clan, the Medicine Clan's main strength lay in their wealth and power. They simply produced two rank-nine pills without hesitation, instantly suppressing the other competitors who wanted to bid.
While it may seem that this competition yielded a plethora of Grade 9 pills, the success was largely due to favorable timing and circumstances. If they were to attempt to refine Grade 9 pills under normal circumstances, more than half of them would likely fail.
No one can guarantee success in refining a ninth-grade elixir. Even a master alchemist like Yao Dan still faces a considerable probability of failure when refining a ninth-grade treasure elixir.
The Medicine Clan acquired it, and Xiao Yan didn't feel it was a pity. He continued to wait for the next item to be traded.
The next person to reach the center was a Dou Sheng-level expert. He appeared to be a middle-aged man, and what was particularly striking was that he was clearly a master of physical cultivation. According to Yao Lao, this person didn't operate in the Central Continent, but rather had chosen to travel to the distant Southeast Continent. Xiao Yan didn't pay much attention to this; it was his freedom to choose where he wanted to go.
However, because of the importance of this trade fair, the other party had traveled all the way from the Southeast Continent to the Central State. With a slight wave of his hand, five items were taken out of his storage ring and floated in mid-air.
Xiao Yan scanned the area with his soul perception and sensed a strange aura, which piqued his interest once again.
Xiao Yan's gaze immediately locked onto the central item among the five items. It was a small, bluish-green bottle, but the seal was so tight that it was impossible to clearly see what was inside.
Even though it was sealed, Xiao Yan could still sense a subtle flow of energy around the bottle. Because he couldn't see what was inside, yet could feel it was something extraordinary, Xiao Yan paid it extra attention.
Then the one-star Dou Sheng began to introduce them one by one. Everyone was familiar with the first four items, or at least knew what they were.
When the last item was introduced, everyone present visibly became more attentive.
A hint of pride flickered in the eyes of that one-star Dou Sheng as he held the small bottle in his hand.
"I named this substance Hurricane Qi, which I obtained by chance in a ruin. I consulted many ancient texts but found nothing. Its effect is also very simple: as long as you inhale a wisp, an extremely strange wind energy will appear in your body almost instantly, and your speed will be greatly enhanced. I have tried it, and inhaling one breath lasts for about two or three hours. Once activated, even a Heaven-rank movement technique cannot catch up with you."
Upon hearing this, many powerful figures present frowned slightly. To their utter astonishment, they had never heard of such a thing before.
The same was true for Xiao Yan and his group. Whether it was Elder Yao, Elder Lin of the Pill Tower, or Huo Zhen, they were all completely unfamiliar with this and had never learned about it in any ancient texts.
One of the Thunder Clan members was clearly particularly interested in the hurricane-like aura: "Talk is cheap, can we try it out?"
The one-star Dou Sheng hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "I've already used it twice. I predict this bottle of gas can be used a maximum of six more times. It would be a huge loss to waste it now. Anyone willing to exchange it can try it out."
This made many people hesitate, since without testing, the effects couldn't be perceived, and whether or not to buy it became highly questionable.
"We're all acquaintances, so I'm absolutely not exaggerating when I say it's effective. It's extremely useful for both tracking and escaping. All I need are two Rank 9 Treasure Pills and a Heaven-Rank cultivation manual, and I'll offer it to you!"