Hearing this, the expressions of the Ran father and daughter shifted repeatedly as they looked at Li Guanqi...
Both had assumed the pieces of immortal ore were consigned by some major sect. Neither had imagined they actually belonged to Li Guanqi.
"You truly continue to amaze me..."
"Young friend, you really are one who hides his depth."
After some discussion between Li Guanqi and Ran Shiming, Ran Shiming ultimately purchased the ore Ran Qingshuang needed for three million immortal crystals.
Then Li Guanqi had a thought and inquired whether the Ran clan possessed several types of immortal herbs.
To his surprise, they truly had one of the immortal herbs he was searching for!
In the end, Li Guanqi decided to make an exchange.
Yet Ran Shiming adamantly refused...
"No, no, absolutely not!"
"These two items are not of equal value; you would be taking far too great a loss."
"Moreover, you generously imparted the Dao to my daughter without holding anything back. Our Ran clan has yet to repay such kindness, so how could we let you suffer a loss?"
"Let us do this: as your elder, listen to me."
"The immortal herb is a gift to you, and the immortal crystals will still be yours—consider it your compensation for teaching my daughter that spear technique."
Li Guanqi was truly unable to decline.
He could only "helplessly" accept a full thirty thousand second-grade immortal crystals and an exceptionally precious second-grade immortal herb.
When Li Guanqi returned to the inn, he unexpectedly received a transmission from Ran Qingshuang.
"If there is ever a chance in the future, I truly hope to meet this senior!"
"Thank you."
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. Putting down the jade slip, he entered a meditative cultivation state.
Around this time, a message arrived from Wanxiang Tower inquiring whether he would accept bartering for his consigned goods.
Hearing this, Li Guanqi's eyes lit up. He agreed and drew up a list of what he sought.
The next day, Li Guanqi donned a black robe and arrived early at Wanxiang Tower.
A steward personally received him and led him to a VIP private booth of the highest tier.
That evening, the auction commenced on schedule. Because the immortal ores were of supreme quality, numerous weapon refiners drove the bids up with ruthless fervor, each bolder than the last.
Watching from above, Li Guanqi felt somewhat disappointed. His purpose in coming was to see if he could find any traces of Meng Jiangchu.
Unfortunately, practically none of the weapon refiners here had ever heard of the man.
Li Guanqi merely bid on a few bottles of pills for cultivation before losing interest.
Not until someone offered to trade an item from Li Guanqi's list did his spirits perk up slightly.
"Young Master Li, take a look at this spirit herb. Does it satisfy you?"
Li Guanqi pinched the spirit herb, his brow furrowing slightly. Sensing his reaction, the steward spoke up.
"Indeed, this spirit herb's condition is mediocre, its age is somewhat lacking, and its medicinal potency will be slightly inferior."
However, the steward bowed slightly beside Li Guanqi and continued, "Nevertheless, this spirit herb is exceedingly rare. Young Master Li could drive down the price and take it for now; if higher quality becomes available later, you can replace it."
Reflecting on the steward's words, Li Guanqi found them reasonable. He went ahead and accepted it at an inexpensive price.
By the time Li Guanqi finally departed Wanxiang Tower, he had another storage ring in hand.
By now, he could be considered a magnate in his own right; converted into first-grade immortal crystals, he held nearly forty million.
However, he kept only five million in that denomination, having exchanged all the rest for second-grade immortal crystals.
Upon returning to the inn, he noticed two faint, lingering auras trailing him.
With a cold sneer, he paid them no heed. If they had a death wish, he would not mind sending them on their way.
Still, these two auras were somewhat peculiar.
They had not begun following him just today at the auction—he had sensed someone tailing him starting the day before yesterday.
Shutting the door and windows, Li Guanqi frowned slightly.
"Could they be from Liuyang Manor?"
Night deepened. Li Guanqi sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed in cultivation. The immortal primal energy within him roared, now thoroughly stabilized at the ninth-layer Mystic Immortal realm.
Suddenly, a faint spatial fluctuation rippled through the air, followed closely by a second.
Cultivating with closed eyes, Li Guanqi frowned slightly before slowly opening his eyes and gently exhaling a breath of turbid air.
Pulling himself out of cultivation, Li Guanqi turned his hand to produce a jade slip, from which Lin Jinting's voice resonated:
"Kid Li, I got wind of a secret piece of news claiming that Soul-Nourishing Nectar is very likely to exist in Nether Spirit Valley of Quping Prefecture!"
"The news only just leaked out. Do you want to head over and take a look?"
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered. According to records, Soul-Nourishing Nectar could nourish a cultivator's divine soul, mend soul flaws, restore original memories, and even awaken memories from past lives.
It was also crucial for reviving his master.
Then came the second jade slip, which was from Ran Shiming of the Ran clan.
Its contents were largely identical to what Lin Jinting had reported, except it included a detailed map of Quping Prefecture.
After sending his thanks to both, Li Guanqi's eyes gleamed with resolve.
He rose, left an immortal crystal in the room to cover his stay, and vanished into the night in a flash.
As for the tails behind him...
Two figures emerged from the shadows. One of them frowned and said in a heavy voice, "We lost him... How are we going to account for this to the Family Head?"
He turned to the man beside him, speaking somewhat timidly.
The man shook his head and said quietly, "The target's strength is immense, and there was nothing we could do. Let's just report the truth when we get back."
"Besides... I wouldn't recommend the Family Head clash head-on with him. When that kid was only a third-layer Mystic Immortal, he dared to take on Tianhua Sword Sect."
"Just our Liuyang Manor alone is nowhere near enough to contend with him..."
The first speaker nodded in deep agreement and cursed under his breath, "If Zhu Zishan is truly that stupid... the two of us might as well find a new master."
"Naturally. I have no wish to be killed by someone like him."
With that, the two departed to report back to Zhu Zishan.
In the eyes of these two consecrated elders, Zhu Genfu was already fortunate to have escaped with his life.
At the Ran Residence.
"Father, has he already left?"
"Yes. News reached us recently that something he needs may have appeared in Nether Spirit Valley."
An inexplicable sense of disappointment flickered deep within Ran Qingshuang's eyes.
Yet this disappointment was not born of romantic affection.
Rather, it felt more like... disappointment over losing a formidable rival.
Seeing this, Ran Shiming could not help feeling helpless. *What am I going to do with this martial fanatic of a daughter...?*
"Father, I am going into seclusion."
With that, the young woman turned and left.
Ran Shiming sat alone in the study, pondering.
The jade slip before him held intelligence concerning Li Guanqi.
"Qinzhou's Lin family... Lin Jinting, is it?"
Under the shroud of night, the auras of the two pursuers behind him faded away. Li Guanqi's expression remained tranquil.
Glancing at the map, he found that the marked location for Nether Spirit Valley was quite vague.
It was even marked with the word "Danger" in red.
Yet Li Guanqi paid it no mind. After confirming the direction of Nether Spirit Valley, he calculated the distance, estimating it would take roughly a month of travel.
Studying the map once more, he decided to travel by teleportation array toward Nether Spirit Valley to save time.
Seven days later, Tianming City.
Clad in black robes, Li Guanqi stepped out from the teleportation array. This city was still nearly two thousand li from Nether Spirit Valley.
Without a moment's delay, his figure flashed and vanished into the city.
Chapter 1671