"Young Master, what is this thing?" Chuxue tilted her head, looking with great curiosity at the seashell-like object in Zong Shou's hand, which could actually hear people talking.

"A Sound-Listening Conch, a Rank Seven Spirit Tool. It's said that within a hundred thousand zhang, it can ignore any Spirit Art below Rank Four. In the Desolate Cloud Era, it was specifically used for eavesdropping. I had Little Jin repair it using the method of Form Mimicry Solidification, but it can only function at about thirty percent of its original capacity."

Zong Shou chuckled, a hint of nostalgia surfacing in his eyes. Besides the Sound-Listening Conch, there was also a Wall-Penetrating Mirror, which could see through any barrier within a hundred thousand zhang. He once owned one himself; it was quite a novelty for a while, though he was more timid than thieving. Later, a certain friend borrowed it and never returned it—truly a wicked thing.

A sudden silence fell over everyone in the room. It wasn't because of the Sound-Listening Conch, but because of Little Jin.

Then, all eyes turned to the Rank Eight Spirit Sword that Zong Shou had brought back.

If it could use Form Mimicry Solidification to repair a Rank Seven Spirit Tool, then fixing the Nine-Qilin Sword didn't seem like a difficult task. Only then did they understand why Zong Shou had brought back these discarded Spirit Tools. A single Rank Eight Spirit Tool was worth a hundred Rank Seven Beast Crystals; this time, they had truly made a killing!

Especially Chuxue, who nearly dropped the teacup in her hand with a loud clatter as it hit the floor. Zong Shou always boasted about how formidable his spirit pet was in guarding him, and she had never believed it until this moment. Even if it possessed no other skills, this singular ability of Form Mimicry Solidification was incredibly impressive.

Zong Shou seemed to have guessed their thoughts, shaking his head. "It's not as exaggerated as you imagine. Even with Little Jin repairing this sword now, it would only manage at most ten percent of its power. And it could only be used for sixty breaths."

The others, however, were not convinced; being usable for sixty breaths was already quite good. The next moment, however, a series of moans suddenly echoed from the conch: "Mmm, mmm, ah, so powerful, comfortable, destroy me..." The voice was like a silver bell, exquisitely charming, punctuated by sounds of smack, smack, smack and heavy gasps.

Hu Zhongyuan’s eyes immediately lit up, while Tan Tao remained composed, his ears also subtly perked. Chuxue, on the other hand, had flushed cheeks, but Ruoshui merely blinked, looking quite curious.

Zong Shou was listening with keen interest when he suddenly felt two fingers pinch and twist the soft flesh at his waist. He knew this must be that little girl Chuxue asserting dominance. With a sigh of resignation, he changed the magical formula, shifting the conch’s orientation.

Then, a low voice emerged from the shell: "Zong Yuan, that ungrateful whelp! When have big brother and the Young Master ever treated him poorly over the years? How dare he betray us and defect to that useless Heir Apparent! I think he doesn't want to live anymore..."

Everyone in the room paused slightly, casting meaningful glances toward Zong Yuan, whose expression remained impassive.

Then another voice sounded shortly after: "Perhaps it's inconvenient for him? Or maybe he didn't see our contact signals, so he didn't rush over?"

"How could he not see? Arrange to meet here four hours from now."

"He learned those secret signals. If he put even a little thought into it, he would know."

The low voice let out a cold laugh: "Look at him, sticking to Zong Shou like glue, putting on a show of loyalty. Half a month ago, he even caused a ruckus with Zong Shou in Xuan Mountain City; everyone knows that. He's most likely set his heart on submitting to Zong Shou. I truly don't know if he's stupid or infatuated? Following the Elder and the Young Master, his future is boundless. He insists on jumping onto a sinking ship, does he truly believe that Zong Shou, with Xuanyuan Tong's backing, can securely hold the Demon King's position?"

Zong Shou blinked. It turned out his guess about the signal was actually correct; this room was the designated meeting place. Just as he was feeling a bit smug, the voice from the Sound-Listening Conch sounded again.

"Do you think... he might have found out about that matter? Otherwise, it makes no sense. The Elder has favored him greatly over the years. Given his temperament, he doesn't seem like the type to be disloyal or unjust."

"Absolutely impossible! That matter was extremely secret; even when the Sovereign investigated thoroughly back then, there was no result. How could someone with no power or influence like him possibly discover it? In that great war, everyone besides big brother and us perished; there are no witnesses left. Everyone knows his father died fighting because the Sovereign's reinforcements arrived too late..."

Zong Shou was momentarily stunned. His original intention was merely to listen to what they were saying, and if possible, plant a seed of doubt in Zong Yuan's heart. Instead, he overheard such explosive, melodramatic revelations! He had no idea what conspiracy or hidden truth lay beneath all this.

The younger voice noticeably choked slightly: "If it's not because of that, then has he discovered the tampering the Elder did on his cultivation technique and spear skills? Given his talent, it's not strange for him to perceive flaws in his Martial Dao foundation. That this child could reach the Martial Grandmaster realm so early must have a reason."

"What does that have to do with my brother? Disciples from side branches are inherently forbidden from learning the direct lineage martial arts. It should be more than enough that big brother managed to procure a few incomplete secret techniques for him; Zong Yuan should be immensely grateful even if he found out."

The low, aged voice was now clearly extremely impatient: "Back then, if it were up to me, we should have finished this child off long ago. But big brother saw his potential and insisted on sparing his life. Hmph..."

Zong Yuan's veins were already bulging, his muscles taut. He bit his lower lip until specks of blood appeared, and twin streams of blood seemed to flow from his palms. His crimson eyes now held a look of pleading toward Zong Shou. His face cycled between pale and ashen, his lips white like a corpse, and his voice was weak and powerless: "Stop it! I beg you, Young Master, stop the sound, I beg you, stop playing it!"

A slight tremor laced his voice, filled with deep despair and a hatred that cut to the bone.

The voices in the Sound-Listening Conch, however, continued.

"Actually, big brother originally intended to take his mother as a second wife. Unfortunately, that woman's temper was too rigid; she refused to remarry even if it meant death. Hmph, if she had shown a little more pity for her son, Zong Yuan would have had a chance to become part of our Zong Clan's direct lineage, but alas..."

Before the rest of the sentence could be uttered, a thunderous roar ripped through the air. A Purple Lightning Spear shot out suddenly, seemingly reaching the absolute limit of human capability in an instant. Caught completely off guard, even Zong Shou appeared too slow to react. The Sound-Listening Conch before him was knocked aside by the spear tip, and the sound cut off abruptly.

Zong Shou felt a pang of heartache, yet was secretly astonished. This fellow truly lived up to his reputation as the genius Zong Weiran favored; this single thrust surpassed the standard of Martial Dao Momentum. While there had been an element of deliberate yielding on his part, this display was still somewhat unexpected. If Zong Yuan could maintain this level of spear technique consistently, even Zong Shou wasn't entirely certain he could win.

He quickly snatched the Sound-Listening Conch back into his hand. Spirit Tools from the Desolate Cloud Era were built with solid materials; Little Jin had not struck their core, so there was no actual damage. Only then did Zong Shou truly relax.

However, when Zong Shou turned back, ready to curse loudly, he saw Zong Yuan covering his face, his body trembling in spasms. Though silent, tears were dripping slowly from between his fingers—he was actually weeping.

Zong Shou was momentarily speechless, and a degree of guilt surfaced in his heart. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly broke into a slight smile. "Oh right, Zong Yuan, I was wondering if you wanted to personally sever the heads of Feng Yu of Yunxia Mountain and that Xiong Kui of Blazing Flame Mountain and use them as wine gourds? No, wait—urine pots..."

Zong Yuan froze momentarily, raising his head in astonishment. Then he saw Zong Shou suddenly flick his finger, sending a pill flying toward him. "If you still have the spirit for this, then reach the fourth pulse of the Earth Wheel within five days. With this Earth Extreme Pill, you can't tell me you can't do it?"

Hu Zhongyuan immediately grew envious, and Tan Tao was also subtly moved. As for Zong Shou's words about using the heads of the two Heirs Apparent as urine pots, they regarded it with a degree of indifference. If those two young masters' heads were that easy to take, they would have been claimed long ago.

The transaction for the low-grade spirit pills would have to wait another five days. During these five days, Zong Shou settled down in Jie Fu City. Every day, he occupied himself tinkering with a purple spear and a set of soft armor. Both Spirit Tools were treasures left by Zong Weiran, boasting an impressive Rank Five.

Zong Shou was naturally unqualified to fundamentally remake them, but he could add things based on the existing foundation—specifically, two small Spirit Formations. Fortunately, both pieces were internal refinement items, allowing him to manage the task with his skill in talismans and formations. Five days later, the inner layer of the armor was covered in dense, blood-colored runes. The same was true for the purple spear, which also had an eye-of-dragon-sized, bright yellow jade bead inlaid at the spearhead—an item he had salvaged from a pile of junk in the Kongqi Sect's treasury a few days prior.

"The formation array on this armor, combined with my Soul Controlling Art, should allow me to accurately control Zong Yuan's body even amidst a massive army, provided he doesn't resist. This Yuan Gathering Bead, combined with the formation on this spear, should be able to absorb some elemental power during combat, though the efficiency is rather low. I need to store some up first! Zong Yuan's strength is still a bit lacking; it would be best to buy a higher-grade external elixir."

"Also, these two Spirit Formations cannot sustain any damage at all; they truly give one a headache. Right, my spear skills—those guys who were ranked alongside the Seven Emperors always said I was a complete mess. Am I really that bad? Using a spear in place of a sword isn't that far off, is it? When I used spears, didn't they still fail to defeat me? As for charging through formations, I should pass the test, but the Spirit Arts are extremely difficult to counter; I need to prepare some talismans..."

While murmuring to himself, reviewing the results of five days of meticulous work, Chuxue suddenly rushed back into the private room as if mad, her face flushed with excitement.

"Young Master! They've plummeted, they've plummeted!"

Zong Shou’s train of thought was interrupted, and he looked up, confused. "Plummeted what? Did you trip while walking?"

"No!" Chuxue vigorously shook her head like a rattle-drum, catching her breath. "The Beast Crystals, all the Beast Crystals and Spirit Stones are crashing! They dropped by three times in an instant; it's terrifying!"

Zong Shou’s brow finally twitched slightly, and he strode out.

Walking to the Trading Hall in Jie Fu City, he found the area in an uproar, everyone in a state of bewildered panic. On the two massive display screens were endless streams of messages advertising the sale of Spirit Stones and Beast Crystals. The sight was blindingly glaring! (To be continued)

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