To the west of the Chen Kingdom lies the Chang Kingdom, and to the north of both is the Shatuo Empire. At the juncture of these three great empires lies the Tianlang Mountain Range, which forms a vast circle of imposing, undulating peaks, spanning nearly twenty thousand li from east to west and north to south.

Lingyu City, the renowned Spirit Master sect famous across the continent, is nestled deep within the southwestern reaches of the Tianlang Mountains, over three hundred li into the range, and claims no allegiance to any single nation. However, the safest route into Lingyu City invariably requires passing through Zhaoyang Town, located in the northwestern expanse of the Great Chang Empire.

Zhaoyang Town is small yet bustling, owing its vibrancy entirely to its strategic location, perfectly cradled at the bottom of a massive mountain recess. Beyond the town limits, a wide thoroughfare, tens of meters across, runs straight north toward Lingyu City.

For the more than three hundred li between, the path is flanked by desolate, uninhabited wilderness. Thus, whether they are Spirit Masters or ordinary folk, all travelers heading to Lingyu City make Zhaoyang Town their mandatory stopping point before entering the mountains.

As evening approached, Zhaoyang Town flowed with an endless stream of people and a constant clatter of carriages and horses. The roadside was lined with vendors, the majority peddling medicinal herbs and the pelts of Spirit Beasts; some even offered incredibly cute, low-level minor Spirit Beasts for sale.

As the light faded, illumination began to bloom along the streets, a kaleidoscope of multicolored neon auras blending and reflecting, bathing the entirety of Zhaoyang Town in bright, vibrant light. “What kind of ridiculous ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ is this?

Trying to fleece this old woman with a scrap of medicine like this?” A clear, cold voice suddenly cut through the din near the entrance of an inn. The voice, as melodious as a warbler’s song, coupled with such a fiercely aggressive statement, instantly snagged the attention of the thronging crowd.

Everyone turned to look, spotting five young men, each looking to be about twenty years old, aggressively surrounding a single young woman. The girl possessed exquisitely fine features, beautiful and delicate as if carved from jade, yet her figure was statuesque and commandingly tall, bordering on explosive.

Furthermore, the clothing she wore was exceedingly tight, exaggerating the graceful contours of her form— Observe how the full, rounded peaks of her bosom strained upward before the lines sharply contracted, cinching into a waist so slender it seemed graspable. Immediately following, the curves swelled abruptly into two plump, proud globes, arcing in a beautiful, tempting sweep before sharply tapering once more into two long, shapely legs, the tightly encased muscles appearing to hold a startling tension and latent power.

What was most astonishing was the faint hint of childish innocence that lingered on the face of this enchantingly alluring and physically mature young woman. This juxtaposition of a mature physique and a youthful countenance lent her an unmistakable, unique allure that glued the eyes of many surrounding men to her, unable to look away.

“Little girl, the shards of the ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ are still lying on the ground; you plan to deny responsibility?” the handsome young man in white, standing opposite the girl, sneered coolly. Hearing this, the crowd noticed the scattering of cyan powder in leaf-like fragments around the girl’s feet.

Murmurs immediately erupted: “‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’? That Rank Two Spirit Medicine capable of boosting one’s rank by two levels consecutively?

Judging by the color and shape, it certainly looks like it!” “It’s completely shattered now; its efficacy must be greatly diminished. Even if it can still be consumed, cultivating further will be difficult.” “This young lady is in trouble.

A ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ is worth millions of gold coins! What a shame, such a rare spirit medicine wasted.” “…” Hearing the surrounding whispers, the white-clothed youth grew even more triumphant, chuckling, “Little girl, did you hear all that?” As he spoke, his gaze briefly but deliberately swept across the proud, jutting expanse of the girl’s ample chest, a flicker of barely concealed greed in his eyes.

Surrounding the girl, the other four young men displayed varying expressions—some mocking, some shifty-eyed, others lustful, and one grim-faced—but all subtly blocked every escape route for Bai Yuqing, clearly intending to press the matter. The girl, however, seemed entirely unconcerned by them, a cold, dismissive smirk touching her lips: “Even if it were a ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill,’ so what?

You five filthy scum, just say what you want—don’t try to scheme for it using some supposed ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill.’ It makes me truly despise you!” The white-clad youth choked back his anger, retorting with affected annoyance, “Little girl, you overestimate yourself. Are beautiful women scarce on the Tianling Continent?

Why would I waste a ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ on a child like you? Do you even know the final sale price of the ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ auctioned at the Great Chang Empire’s ‘Red Chamber’ three years ago?

Three million! Three million!

Little girl, I’m too lazy to argue. This pill is broken; tell us how you intend to compensate us?” This type of ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ was the most wondrous of Rank Two Spirit Medicines; upon ingestion, it could instantly advance a Spirit Channeler’s cultivation by two ranks.

However, its formula had long been lost; countless alchemists had failed to reverse-engineer it, meaning the remaining pills in the world were exceptionally rare and commanded astronomical prices. If a single ‘Jade Leaf Glazed Pill’ were put up for auction, countless bidders would fight for it, and the final price would easily surpass three million.

A young man standing nearby chimed in with a lazy smile, “If it fetched three million three years ago, the price can only have risen now. Never mind four million, three-point-five million is the absolute minimum.

Little girl, seeing as you’re traveling alone, your spirit card probably doesn't hold that much gold. We won’t make things too hard for you.

How about this: forget the leftover half-million; just give us three million flat, and we’ll call it even.” “No need to forget the remainder, I’ll give each of you three-point-five million!” Three-point-five million! A sum most ordinary people could never earn in a lifetime, yet the girl uttered this figure with such sudden ease that it stunned everyone present.

Then, under the wide-eyed gaze of the crowd, the girl swept her right arm up. The broad, heavy sword she had been leaning against the ground sprang upward, its keen tip pointing directly at the white-clothed youth before her, mocking him, “This sword of mine is worth at least three-point-five million gold coins.

Which one of you wants to step up first to claim the payment from me?” “Good!” A wave of sympathy stirred among many onlookers, and seeing the girl’s sheer audacity, several couldn't help but applaud and cheer. The five young men froze for a moment, then burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.

After a long pause, the white-clad youth finally managed to suppress the smile tugging at his face, wiping a tear from his eye. “Little girl, truly brave.

To offer payment in such a manner! Very well, we respect that.

Since you’ve displayed your payment, it would be impolite of us to refuse! Brothers, which one of you will claim the gold from this young lady?” “I’ll go first!” The young man who had remained sullen, his face resembling a bitter gourd, suddenly barked, simultaneously reaching out a hand.

The very air in a radius of ten meters violently distorted. In an instant, countless specks of violet light detached themselves from the void, coalescing within moments into a long, purple greatsword.

The Bitter Gourd Face gripped the sword, visible arcs of lightning intermittently flashing and swirling along its blade, accompanied by continuous, sharp crackling sounds. A Thunder Element Fusion Spirit Master?

Suddenly, the surrounding spectators, especially the non-Spirit Masters, scattered like startled sparrows, scrambling away to avoid collateral damage. In the first three tiers of Spirit Master cultivation—Spirit Gathering, Spirit Channeling, and Spirit Fusion—Spirit Gathering involved merely accumulating elemental spiritual energy; Spirit Channeling required communicating with the elemental spiritual energy of heaven and earth; but Spirit Fusion involved the true melding of these energies.

Forging an actual weapon from elemental energy was a technique only accessible to Spirit Masters who had reached the Fusion Realm. “Wait!” At this critical, tense moment, a voice abruptly interjected…