Such a scene was enough to make others green with envy. A few particularly shameless men even had their mouths hanging open, drooling.

  Only Han Luo secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Thankfully, the Copper Mirror’s grade was high enough—

  Otherwise, he would have been exposed under Chi Xiao’s piercing gaze. Her eye-related divine ability was no joke.

  Just now, even the Copper Mirror trembled under its influence. He needed to be even more cautious from now on.

  As Chi Xiao and Lu Long left, the atmosphere relaxed. But in the next moment, A horde of men rushed forward, surrounding his stall.

  “Brother! Ten beast cores—the same ones Lu Long just bought!”

  “Me too! Give me ten!”

  “You, get in line! Little brother, I’ll take ten as well!”

  They fought to get ahead, swarming his stall like a pack of hungry wolves. Han Luo ’s lips curled into a smile.

  Slowly, he raised two fingers. “Two hundred lower-grade spirit stones per core. Limited stock. First come, first served.” There was a brief silence.

  Then—

  “Damn! Brother, that’s daylight robbery!”

  “Yeah! You sold it to Lu Long for one hundred twenty, but now you’re charging two hundred?!”

  Voices grumbled in protest, others nodding in agreement. Han Luo remained calm.

  “Senior brothers, if you don’t want to buy, don’t block others. If you think two hundred spirit stones is too expensive, then clearly—you’re looking down on Lu Long.” His words echoed like a thunderclap.

  Immediately, sharp glares locked onto the complaining cultivator.

  “…Fine! I’ll take ten!” The man gritted his teeth, throwing down spirit stones as if venting his frustration. With the market now in a buying frenzy, Han Luo quickly sold out.

  In total, he had 98 beast cores.

  With Lu Long’s 120 spirit stones included, his total earnings came to: 19,720 lower-grade spirit stones.

  Not bad. Not bad at all!

  Beast cores were useful for cultivation, but the ones he had weren’t perfectly refined. Rather than hoard them, he sold them to gather funds for formation materials.

  It had been a whole year since he joined Luo Xian Sect, but he still had no proper residence.

  He was basically homeless. Now that he had enough spirit stones, it was time to move on to the next step.

  —

  Midday approached.

  Han Luo left the market and made his way toward the sect’s exchange center. The exchange center was Luo Xian Sect’s official trading platform.

  Not everyone had time to run a stall, so cultivators could directly trade for materials here.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Of course, prices at the exchange center were slightly higher than the market.

  Still, it was reliable and convenient. Han Luo pulled out a prepared list of materials.

  At the same time, he also brought out all the items he no longer needed—spells, formation plates, poisons, miscellaneous tools… The exchange center was run by senior disciples using their spare time to earn spirit stones.

  But even though they were part-time workers, their attitude was strictly professional. “Hello, junior brother,” the senior sister at the counter said with a sweet smile.

  “Based on the value of the items you're exchanging, you’ll still need to pay an additional one thousand lower-grade spirit stones to complete the trade.” Her voice was gentle, but Han Luo felt an ache in his heart.

  Seriously?

  He was the future of Luo Xian Sect! A once-in-a-millennium genius with a supreme spiritual root!

  And yet, he still had to earn his own cultivation resources? Sect Master had talked big, claiming that rules couldn’t be broken.

  He even tried to sugarcoat it, saying:

  “Resources you earn yourself are the most valuable.”

  Bullshit!

  It was just an excuse to be stingy!

  Fine.

  If that’s how it is…

  “Senior sister, can I inspect the materials first?”

  Being cautious, he had to check for defects. If there were problems, exchanging them later would be a huge hassle.

  “Junior brother, rest assured, all our materials go through ninety-nine rounds of screening. The quality is guaranteed.” Her smile was still warm and professional, but there was an edge of impatience.

  He didn’t budge.

  “You might be sure about the quality—but I need to check for myself.”

  The senior sister’s eyebrow twitched.

  “Junior brother, I’m sorry, but that’s not allowed. Our rules forbid material inspections.”

  Her tone remained polite, but now had a hint of irritation.

  “What’s going on?”

  A deep voice interrupted them. An elderly man with silver hair and sharp eyes approached.

  This was Elder Tie, the long-time overseer of the exchange center. The senior sister immediately reported the issue.

  “Elder Tie, this junior brother wants to inspect the materials, but according to regulations, disciples aren’t allowed to do that.” Elder Tie nodded, turning toward Han Luo .

  “You must be a new disciple. Perhaps you aren’t aware of our rules…”

  Halfway through his sentence—

  He paused.

  Then, after a moment, his expression softened.

  “…You may inspect the materials. Come with me. Xiao Lou, you follow as well.”

  Xiao Lou: "Huh?!"

  She looked at Elder Tie in complete shock.

  This old man had run the exchange center for over a hundred years.

  He was famous for being stubborn—as rigid as a rock in a latrine.

  Even when Sect Master Yun Yangzi came personally, Elder Tie refused to compromise.

  But now… he backed down for a new disciple?!

  Impossible.

  A crazy thought popped into her head—

  "Wait… Could this guy be Elder Tie’s… illegitimate son?!"

  She didn't dare say it out loud, but she followed them with suspicious eyes.

  —

  Inside a private room, Elder Tie gestured toward the materials.

  “You may inspect them here.”

  Then, to Xiao Lou—

  “You assist him.”

  “Yes, Elder.”

  Han Luo bowed politely.

  No doubt about it.

  Elder Tie recognized his Copper Ring and knew he was from Wu Dao Peak.

  Earlier, Han Luo had subtly revealed the ring, and Elder Tie caught on immediately.

  Clearly, he had received instructions from the Sect Master.

  Otherwise, this rule-obsessed elder wouldn’t have broken protocol so easily.

  Han Luo had long heard tales of Elder Tie Rulai.

  His most legendary feat?

  Publicly scolding Sect Master Yun Yangzi in front of countless disciples and Yun Yangzi actually apologized to him afterward!

  “What a terrifying old man…”

  With that thought, Elder Tie left the room. Now, only Han Luo and Xiao Lou remained.

  “Senior sister, please bring out the materials.”

  Xiao Lou complied, placing them on the table. Everything was for setting up a Tier One formation. She wasn’t a formation master, but she had handled these materials countless times.

  “…Junior brother, are you a formation master?” Formation masters were rare in Luo Xian Sect. Even though he was a newcomer, his future looked extremely promising.

  If she built a good relationship with him now… maybe one day—

  She could quit this job!

  Her idea was great.

  But Han Luo ignored her. He pulled out a pair of enchanted glasses—a custom-made treasure from his master, Wu Dao.

  It functioned like a magnifying lens, hundreds of times more effective, and made examining materials far easier.

  Focused, he carefully inspected every item.

  Xiao Lou sat across from him, hands on her cheeks, smiling sweetly as she stared at him. She hoped to catch his attention. It didn’t work. Han Luo was completely absorbed in his task.

  “…He’s so serious. Just for checking formation materials?”

  She found it unbelievable—maybe even ridiculous.

  But she couldn’t deny—

  A man who focuses seriously… truly shines.

  “Sluuuurp…”

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