Chapter 31 (1/2)

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

Yuan Qinghua stuck out his thumb and praised Xu Yi. “You have good thinking, Brother. I have had countless customers and many fans of gambling among them, but few as farsighted as you. Indeed, there is a clever rule that prevents this loophole. Please look to the left of the flagpole, Brother. There is a long table and an old man in a square hat. He is the cultivation tester. Before a duel, both parties are to present a drop of blood to be tested. As a practitioner’s cultivation level increases, the changes are evident in the blood. Between practitioners of different cultivation levels, the thickness and colour of blood would be different. Through a blood test, they can confirm that the cultivation level of both parties is equal.”

Xu Yi relaxed a little more when he heard this. He was not simply asking too many questions. It was just that this was a matter of life and death to him, and he had to be cautious. If there were loopholes in the regulations, and the Black Dragon Hall had all intentions to do him in, they could simply send in an expert at the Qi Ocean stage. If that happened, it would be useless no matter how he planned or prepared.

After a few more questions and finding out that his customer was truly not interested in placing bets, Yuan Qinghua finally gave up. He began to inquire instead about Xu Yi’s cultivation level and what he needed to get from his trip into the city.

“What, you… you are actually a practitioner at the peak of Body Forging! May I ask how old you are, Brother?”

Yuan Qinghua’s eyes were full of surprise. This customer in front of him, although looking a little down and out, definitely did not look old at all.

“I have passed the age of thirty!” Xu Yi said calmly.

In actual fact, he had only just passed his eighteenth birthday. The reason why he did not want to reveal his actual age was simply because he did not want to attract unnecessary trouble.

The good thing was that he now sported a scraggly beard, looking decrepit and a lot older than he was.

But even so, it was enough for Yuan Qinghua to jump in surprise. “One cannot judge a book by its cover indeed. From what I know, across the entire Guang’an City, the number of people who have reached the peak of Body Forging before the age of thirty can be counted with one hand, and all of these are the sons of noble families. Brother Yi, for you to achieve such levels of cultivation at such a young age, you would surely shine brightly when you achieve greater heights along the path of the Martial Way in future. Let me congratulate you in advance! I hope to have more of Brother Yi’s support in future!”

Xu Yi had not expected this guy to be such a bootlicker. In a serious tone, he said, “You’re getting a bit too far-fetched here. It’s getting late; let’s talk after we get things done.”

Yuan Qinghua sensed the unhappiness in Xu Yi’s voice, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly agreed and stopped saying anymore nonsense. Leading Xu Yi across the bridge, they headed towards the central street.

After a short while, Yuan Qinghua pointed to a door ahead of them. “Brother Yi, as long as you enter this place, you will be able to gather all the things that you need. And I promise you, the prices and quality of the goods here will be good.”

The shop in front of them was indeed very large. Its front entrance was fifteen meters wide, and the purple gold Nanmu doors were ten meters high, with four of them in total. Even their door sills that were a foot high were made out of gilded copper.

In the middle of the entrance was a broad and shiny signboard placed at the top. Written in beautiful calligraphy were the words “Linglong Hall”!

When one’s eyes stopped on the words, they seemed to come to life, turning into a meandering dragon, flying around the sign and forming the words “Linglong Hall” again when it gathered in the middle. It was truly mysterious and awe-inspiring.

“Brother Yi, don’t take this signboard lightly. This magical array was made by a master craftsman with precious jade from the East Sea as the main material. It was outlined with magical runes and made with three green gold snake demons before being completed. In the whole Guang’an City this is the only such piece.”

Noticing Xu Yi’s interest, Yuan Qinghua spared no saliva and began to introduce the signboard to him.

“Snake demon? Could it be that such monsters exist in this world?”

Xu Yi’s heart leapt in surprise, but he did not say anything.

After seeing Liaochen’s spirit, he was pretty much immune to things like ghosts and spirits. Even when it came to things like monsters and demons, he had some mental preparation.

Also, his time was short, and he was not willing to waste any more words on this issue, hence why he chose to hide it and not bring it up.