385 - Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama

Chapter 385: Purchasing the Sword Stone "One million?" Ye Linglong hesitated for a moment, thinking that her master's selling price might be a bit low. She had given him at least a hundred pills, and he only managed to sell them for a million. Zou Guanqing immediately looked at Ye Linglong with contempt. "Are you kidding me? One million? It's ten million, okay!" Ye Linglong was instantly taken aback and stared at him. "Ten million celestial crystals! Master, how much did you sell each for?" Zou Guanqing replied, "One hundred thousand each." Ye Linglong fell silent. How much had she originally sold each for? "One hundred thousand! Is anyone even buying them at that price?" Ye Linglong skeptically eyed her master, deeply suspecting that her master had resorted to coercion. Zou Guanqing nodded. "Plenty are rushing to buy them. All the pills you gave me were sold. Those old guys have loads of celestial crystals, and these top-grade Spirit-Breaking Pills have no side effects. Why shouldn't they spend some? Everyone has juniors at home." Ye Linglong nodded in understanding, considering her master's status, and sighed inwardly. Comparing oneself to others can be infuriating. Back when she sold them for twenty thousand each, she thought that was already expensive. Zou Guanqing took out a storage ring. "Come here, disciple." He retrieved a golden card from the space ring and handed it to her. Ye Linglong accepted the card. It was a celestial crystal card from the Celestial Realm. Focusing her mental energy on it, she found it held exactly ten million celestial crystals. "Master, what about your celestial crystal card?" Ye Linglong intended to give Zou Guanqing half, out of fairness. After all, part of the reason the Spirit-Breaking Pills sold for such a high price was because of him. Zou Guanqing waved his hand dismissively. "I was just joking. How could I take your celestial crystals?" Although he refused in words, his heart bled a little. His disciple was earning celestial crystals at an astounding rate. No wonder alchemists were always so wealthy. Ye Linglong insisted, "Master, you're being too formal. I'm your disciple, isn't it right for a disciple to honor their master?" Zou Guanqing couldn't stop smiling. His heart was filled with gratitude towards the person who transferred Ye Linglong to his Formation Court. Otherwise, how could he have snatched such a good disciple from that old geezer surnamed Hai? Using the celestial crystal cards, Ye Linglong transferred five million celestial crystals over. Zou Guanqing protested, "No, that's too much. The pills were all made by you. How can I take half?" "Master, I couldn't sell my pills at this price before. Their willingness to pay ten thousand celestial crystals is partly because of you. Why would you refuse this from your disciple?" Zou Guanqing was so pleased by Ye Linglong's words that he was eager to teach her all his lifetime of knowledge. For the rest of the time, the two of them discussed many topics related to formations in the study. During their exchange, Zou Guanqing discovered that Ye Linglong had a thorough reserve of knowledge and many fresh ideas. Similarly, Ye Linglong was impressed by Zou Guanqing's experience as the foremost formation master of the Lower Celestial Domain. He effortlessly explained many concepts she had only partially understood. In conclusion, they were both very satisfied. Towards the end, Ye Linglong carefully asked, "Master, do you know if there is some sort of grand formation under the Celestial Spirit Academy?" Zou Guanqing seemed puzzled. "Why do you ask? Did you hear something?" Ye Linglong smiled and nonchalantly responded, "I just happened to hear something and asked out of curiosity." Zou Guanqing squinted, pondering for a moment. "I'm not aware of anything. I've never heard of any formations under the Celestial Spirit Academy. Did you mishear?" "Oh~ maybe I heard wrong. I was just asking offhand." Ye Linglong smiled and changed the subject. After exchanging a few more words, Ye Linglong took her leave. With celestial crystals in hand, Ye Linglong slipped into the academy's trading post, selecting some celestial herbs and materials for formations that her space lacked. While she was browsing, a sword stone caught her eye. It was a sword stone condensed from a sword cultivator's intent, containing their moves and sword intent. However, whether one could comprehend it or how much they could grasp depended on one's talent and affinity. Ye Linglong checked the price: four million lower-grade celestial crystals. She mused that while the sword stone's quality wasn't top-notch, it was decent, indicating that the sword cultivator who condensed it had considerable skill. However, four million seemed too low a price. After some consideration, she decided to purchase it. Having acquired the sword stone, Ye Linglong decided not to browse further, fearing she might spend all her celestial crystals. At checkout, the attendant greeted her enthusiastically, "Ye Alchemist." Ye Linglong's mouth twitched slightly. She nodded, thinking to herself that she was clearly from the Formation Court, so why was he calling her Ye Alchemist? Seeing the sword stone in her hand, the attendant remarked with curiosity, "Ye Alchemist, interested in the sword stone? It's been sitting here for quite some time." Ye Linglong was curious in return, "Why? I thought the price was reasonable for such a quality sword stone." The attendant explained, "Ah, it's not a secret really. Although the sword stone is precious, no one has been able to comprehend anything from it. It might as well be a worthless stone. It's been passed around multiple owners and eventually brought back here, with the price dropping each time." Ye Linglong thought, "No wonder." Nonetheless, she decided to try her luck and proceeded with the purchase, totaling over six million. This immediately wiped out the five million celestial crystals she just earned, but fortunately, she had made a decent sum from the Body Refinement Court crowd earlier. After Ye Linglong left, the staff at the trading post gathered to chat. "She's definitely the genius both deans fight over, spending celestial crystals without a second thought." "Well, if you had her skills, you'd do the same." "Sigh~" ... After leaving the trading post, Ye Linglong called back the little imp, Xiao Hei, who was lost in play, and headed towards her courtyard. She planned to spend the next few days studying the sword stone to enhance her skills. After all, she had devoted most of her recent energy to formations and alchemy, neglecting her sword intent for a while. On her way back, she took a tranquil path lined with beautiful trees. As she walked, she suddenly sensed a faint killing intent in the air. That killing intent was aimed at her. Narrowing her eyes sharply, she glanced towards a spot where a figure shrouded in black appeared midair, clutching a short sword glinting green, lunging straight for her throat.