“Recommend the Flower City Veterinarian of the Five Wills!” After saving a severely burned dog, Zhou Xiao suddenly grasped the ability to communicate with animals—the Beast Language. Thus, his previously tranquil life began to brim with color! All sorts of animals possessing extraordinary skills started appearing around Zhou Xiao: those adept in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; those skilled in medicine and gambling; those capable of solving criminal investigations… Whatever talent an animal possessed, he could effortlessly wield, even gaining some unique abilities that should have belonged exclusively to the beasts….

“What in the world is going on? Why is that good-for-nothing buying all these useless, low-tier elixirs?”

It wasn't just the transaction hall that was thrown into an uproar by the news displayed on the massive light screen; nearly every merchant stationed there was in complete disarray.

Inside a private viewing room adjacent to the main hall in Jie Fu City, Feng Yu frowned, observing the scene below with a puzzled expression.

“Even an idiot should have some limits. Two hundred and fifty million Naxi Pills, two hundred and fifty million Hanyuan Pills, and an open-ended buy order for armor and weapons. Doesn’t anyone around him offer a word of advice? What exactly is Zong Shou planning? Could there be some deeper meaning hidden within all this?”

Listening to Feng Yu’s muttered speculation, Xiong Kui, seated opposite him, merely smiled faintly. “It seems the rumor that Zong Weiran left this Young Lord a massive fortune before disappearing is indeed true. Tens of thousands of fourth-tier beast crystals—just what he’s brought out today—could rival the assets of most secluded sects…”

Feng Yu snorted coldly inwardly; now was hardly the time to dwell on such matters. No matter how much money that Young Lord possessed, they couldn't access the funds stored in the San Lu Bank.

With the support of the major powers like the Sword Sect, as long as they could assert that Zong Shou was being coerced or acting against his will, they could refuse payment. Even the Tai Ling Sect, the foremost among the Ten Great Sacred Lands, would hesitate to provoke this situation, let alone them.

“Enough idle talk. What are you, the Blazing Flame Mountain, planning?”

“The same as you: hesitation!”

Xiong Kui sighed lightly and walked over to the window as well. “Who knows what schemes that good-for-nothing is hatching? We at Blazing Flame Mountain have quite a stockpile of low-tier spirit elixirs accumulating. Over the years, we’ve amassed around eighty million. Adding what we’ve purchased from vassal cities, the total should reach a staggering one hundred and seventy million. This chance to offload them is rare. Moreover, if we don’t take this deal, someone else surely will!”

Feng Yu also gazed down at the colossal transaction hall, spanning six thousand zhang in diameter, teeming with a surging crowd. Countless people were engaged in hushed conversation.

“That’s why I can’t be bothered to figure out his reasons, or perhaps that Young Lord has truly gone mad.”

As Xiong Kui spoke, he slanted a look at Feng Yu, laced with icy derision. “We are both intelligent men; why waste words misleading each other? Selling off these elixirs is enough to allow Blazing Flame Mountain to expand our elite forces by another two hundred thousand troops, sustaining us for three years. Isn't that precisely what you, Feng Yu, have been aiming for? Once you secure Yin Long Valley, and seize a few Qian Tian Mountains or perhaps some of our Blazing Flame Mountain's spirit stone veins, regardless of whether this transaction turns out to be profitable or a loss, it will be worthwhile, correct?”

Feng Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly, then curved into a knowing smile. “Well said, Xiong Kui of Blazing Flame Mountain. Your Flame Bear lineage is truly an anomaly among the Bear Clan of the Demon Race!” With that, he turned and walked straight out the door, departing with a flourish.

“Hmph! And what about your Wind Leopard Clan?”

Xiong Kui let out a cold sneer, then his gaze sharpened as he began to scrutinize the intricacies of this massive transaction. A moment later, another scornful laugh escaped him. “That good-for-nothing is most likely just a fool—with this much money, he should be bolstering his troops! Or even winning over a few powerful protectors for his own safety. To instead buy these low-tier elixirs is utterly idiotic!”

Emerging from the auction hall, enduring the gazes as sharp as blades, Zong Shou found four Earth Extreme Pills in his possession.

He had purchased them at the reserve price, using a total of only six thousand fourth-tier spirit stones.

The Human Extreme Pill could elevate someone with no martial cultivation to the Xiantian realm within a few short years, establishing an incredibly solid foundation and extending life by a century. It usually cost around one thousand five hundred fourth-tier spirit stones.

The effect of the Earth Extreme Pill was slightly more potent and acted incredibly fast. Any expert below the Seventh Meridian of the Earth Wheel realm who consumed one could easily open up one Meridian of cultivation. For Xiantian Martial Masters below the Third Meridian of the Earth Wheel, it could open up two or even three Meridians.

The typical price hovered around two thousand five hundred fourth-tier spirit stones. They were prohibitively expensive, generally only purchased by Xuanwu Masters preparing to break through a bottleneck. Furthermore, the entire Dong Lin Cloud Continent saw fewer than forty of these pills flow outward annually. Even the Sacred Lands and Sects possessed them sparingly.

Even a major sect renowned for alchemy, like the Dan Quan Sect, only initiated their furnaces once every two years, yielding fewer than forty-nine pills per batch.

During the previous auction, the auctioneer had set the starting bid for these Earth Extreme Pills at one thousand five hundred stones, suggesting they should sell for well over ten thousand stones each.

Yet, when Zong Shou bid, no one dared compete, allowing him to secure the pills for the starting price plus a few extra beast crystals.

“Young Master, you are being far too heavy-handed!”

Chu Xue’s eyes were currently curved into crescent moons, beaming. “I saw those few people earlier looking absolutely furious! But their clothing seemed a bit familiar, like that Fang Shu…”

Zong Shou chuckled. Who else besides the Dan Quan Sect would have surplus Earth Extreme Pills to auction here?

But the people of this era were truly too honest; they hadn't even arranged for shills. Or perhaps they simply hadn't anticipated such an event occurring and were unprepared?

This time, it had truly been an unexpected boon.

Hu Zhongyuan, meanwhile, stared fixedly at the pills in Zong Shou’s hand, his eyes glowing, a string of saliva involuntarily hanging from the corner of his mouth, utterly covetous.

Zong Shou smiled, dangling one Earth Extreme Pill in front of Hu Zhongyuan. “If you dare eat it right now, I’ll gift it to you.”

Hu Zhongyuan was initially ecstatic, but within moments, his face fell into profound dejection, his head drooping low. Without a pictorial guide, he truly dared not swallow it. He could only watch as Zong Shou leisurely tucked the few Earth Extreme Pills into his sleeve, filled with regret.

Then, the expressions of everyone around them suddenly grew solemn. Hu Zhongyuan’s demeanor likewise stiffened as he looked forward.

Before them, dozens of figures exuding extraordinary auras had materialized, all focusing their divine gazes upon Zong Shou.

Two of them had just appeared not long ago: Feng Yu of Yun Xia Mountain and Xiong Kui of Blazing Flame Mountain. However, they were now smiling faintly, all previous coldness gone, replaced by the countenance of shrewd businessmen.

These two were positioned slightly further back. The figures leading the group were either profound Xuanwu Masters or powerful Soul Force practitioners in the Soul Returning realm, their auras deeply concealed. If the assumption was correct, these were likely the stewards stationed in Jie Fu City representing the various secluded sects.

The leading two both smiled towards Zong Shou and offered a slight bow. “Fang Chen, Outer Gate Steward of the Pill Spirit Sect, greets the Young Lord.”

The other spoke simultaneously, “I am Qiao Han, Outer Gate Steward of the Void Artifact Sect, here regarding the Young Lord’s transaction.”

Zong Shou couldn't help but feel amused. Only two hours had passed since he released the news, yet these people reacted with incredible speed.

There was no need for prolonged conversation with these individuals; the place of transaction was set directly at the San Lu Bank.

Conducting transactions through the bank incurred a one percent commission, but it ensured peace of mind and security. The elixirs purchased could also be stored directly within the bank.

There was no room for price negotiation. Zong Shou held over ninety seventh-tier Beast Crystal Soul Stones, and quite a few sixth-tier spirit stones as well—items that martial cultivators and spirit masters alike drooled over. As for the low-tier elixirs, many factions were desperate to offload them. They couldn't even attempt to inflate the price; Zong Shou purchased them in bulk at a price depressed by thirty percent below the market rate. If they refused to sell, they could simply leave! He preferred not doing business with them.

Naturally, it was impossible for such an immense volume of spirit elixirs to be transported all at once.

Zong Shou favored the secluded sects that possessed Minor Universe Bags, which simplified transportation. The factions from the various Cloud Cities were the most inconvenient. The great cities like Blazing Flame Mountain and Yun Xia Mountain were manageable, but the small cities scattered across the region meant they couldn't feasibly transport their elixirs to Jie Fu City.

Fortunately, the San Lu Bank had numerous branches, numbering over a hundred in total, distributed across the Dong Lin Cloud Continent. As long as the elixirs were delivered to a branch office within five days, the transaction would be considered complete.

However, this arrangement meant the bank required a higher cut. This infuriated Zong Shou, who promptly squeezed the price of these disparate goods down by another half a percent before expressing satisfaction.

Only the way these individuals looked at him was somewhat irritating. Before the transaction, they fawned over him excessively. After the deals were concluded, their expressions were utterly laced with mockery and disdain.

This was especially true for Fang Chen, the Outer Gate Steward from the Pill Spirit Sect, who had offloaded nearly five hundred million worth of low-tier spirit elixirs. The sect’s alchemical prowess was undeniable. Rumor had it that this sect had fifty thousand outer disciples who had already reached the level of first-tier Alchemists; that number was likely not false.

Once the spirit stones were in hand, Fang Chen made no attempt to conceal his feelings. Beyond contempt, there was a distinct satisfaction, as if he were savoring revenge for the matter of the four Earth Extreme Pills. He clearly still held a grudge over that incident.

“The Pill Spirit Sect is aware that the Young Lord has been named the Young Master of Xuan Shan City. That City Lord Xuanyuan truly is muddle-headed, actually intending to marry Junior Sister Yiren to a fool like you. Our Pill Spirit Sect will never acknowledge this marriage. Young Lord, you should look to your own fate! Heh, if your father knew how you were squandering the wealth he left behind, I wonder if he’d leap up from the Sunken Cloud Sea in anger…”

With that, he let out a cold snort, cast a condescending glance down at Zong Shou, radiating superiority, and then departed with a flourish.

Zong Shou felt a strange flicker of curiosity. Had Fang Shu failed to return to the Pill Spirit Sect? Could this again be the doing of those other two figures?

Come to think of it, several years later, his cheap father did indeed emerge from the Sunken Cloud Sea. And the foundation of the Ling Yun Sect in the Eastern Cloud Continent was utterly eradicated afterward.

Among everyone involved in the transactions within the bank, only one elder attendant of the bank failed to display any hint of scorn.

This was a man in his seventies, yet Zong Shou couldn't fathom the depth of his aura. He constantly observed Zong Shou with deep astonishment mixed with a measure of inquiry.

When others weren't looking, he shook his head slightly. “The Young Lord is indeed as Sect Master Yan described—extraordinary! His mastery of martial dao and spirit techniques has reached such a realm! And his ability in business is truly remarkable. How are the people of this world all so blind…?” (To be continued)