Chapter 163

Chapter 163: The Responsible Party at Zhen Yuan Tower

Before entering Zhen Yuan Tower, Zhou Luo deliberately stuck multiple spiritual symbols onto his body to avoid revealing any flaws.

He followed the crowd into the lobby on the first floor.

Rows of shelves displayed various objects within the lobby. Runes glowed upon them, each bearing a restriction.

There stood a beautiful receptionist before every isolated display booth.

They possessed lovely features yet emitted no fluctuation of spiritual energy; all were ordinary mortals.

Even so, no one dared to plunder goods inside Zhen Yuan Tower anymore.

Because everyone knew that in Longfeng Marketplace, besides the untouchable Bao Ling Zhai which had the backing of Qinyuan Sect, the deeply connected Zhen Yuan Tower stood equally formidable.

Once, a desperate evil cultivator, seeing so many mortals in the lobby, conceived a wicked scheme. He snatched items from a display booth and tried to flee outside.

But he barely ran one mile before being impaled through the chest by a streak of rainbow light. He was utterly, completely dead.

Witnesses to this scene recoiled in shock at the power radiating from that rainbow streak.

For it originated from a Foundation Establishment great cultivator.

After that, the existence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator safeguarding Zhen Yuan Tower became known far and wide.

This alone might have been sufficient to inspire caution.

But the Tower once dared compete with Bao Ling Zhai, vying for a spiritual artifact, causing even greater astonishment.

Bear in mind, though Bao Ling Zhai also relied on a Foundation Establishment cultivator behind the scenes, theirs was backed by an Immortal Sect like Qinyuan Sect.

Even so, Zhen Yuan Tower showed no intention of backing down and ultimately secured the spiritual artifact.

Crucially, Bao Ling Zhai registered no complaint whatsoever afterwards.

To make an Immortal Sect choose silence after having treasure snatched away…

The depth of Zhen Yuan Tower’s backing proved far greater than imagined.

Only after this incident did the people of Longfeng Marketplace truly rank the two trading centers together.

One could say: if you couldn’t find something at either of these places, it was essentially unavailable anywhere else.

Inside the lobby, as Zhou Luo had just stepped through the door, an attractively dressed, curvaceous beauty approached him swiftly.

"Dear gentleman, what might you require?" The beautiful receptionist batted her eyelashes at him, carrying a hint of coquettishness.

Zhou Luo frowned slightly.

Was this unremarkable face of his truly so captivating?

Had his disguise already been pierced?

"I’m here to sell something!"

Without hesitation, Zhou Luo stated plainly.

Hearing he sought to sell, the beautiful receptionist maintained her smile, gently inquiring, "Is the gentleman familiar with Zhen Yuan Tower’s policies?"

Anyone wishing to sell items at Zhen Yuan Tower could not offer goods of paltry value.

After all, an establishment of its stature naturally disdained dealing in common odds and ends.

"Mhm." Zhou Luo was well aware of the rules here.

"Then please follow me to the second floor, Young Master," said the beautiful receptionist, swaying her slender waist as she walked nearby.

Zhou Luo followed in silence.

The second floor of Zhen Yuan Tower featured a spacious, well-lit large room with an open door. Inside were rows of armchairs arranged in circles.

On either side of the armchairs were small private booths.

At the very front of the room stood a platform, evidently designed specifically for conducting auctions.

The beautiful receptionist led him to a neighboring room.

Pushing the door open, they entered to find a counter resembling that of a "pawnshop."

The counter was quite high, and behind it sat an elderly man in gray robes, dozing off.

"Manager Sun," the beautiful receptionist called softly.

The old man yawned and leaned forward to look down. "What are you selling?"

"The Lifespan Pill!"

Zhou Luo met those deep eyes calmly, his expression serene as he spoke.

At the name, a flicker of pure shock darted across Manager Sun’s aged face, his eyes shining with a bright light.

All his lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by a deeply serious expression.

He glanced at the beautiful waitress and gestured for her to wait outside.

Only after she closed the door did Manager Sun shift his gaze back and settle it on Zhou Luo.

"How many do you have?"

"Twenty-five," Zhou Luo answered.

After arriving at the Longfeng Marketplace, he had initially planned to search for ingredients to craft more Lifespan Pills.

But he discovered one key ingredient was scarce here.

It was then he realized one main ingredient for crafting Lifespan Pills was unique to the Qinyuan Sect.

Fortunately, he had acquired some from the Qinyuan Sect earlier; otherwise, these pills wouldn’t exist.

So, out of an original batch of twenty-seven Lifespan Pills, he had kept two for emergencies.

Hearing the number, Manager Sun’s pupils contracted slightly. He asked in a grave tone, "Are you a Pill Master from the Qinyuan Sect?"

The crafting method for Lifespan Pills and one specific main ingredient were exclusive to the Qinyuan Sect. Given the quantity this young man possessed, he likely had a strong connection to the sect.

"No."

Manager Sun seemed quite surprised by Zhou Luo’s answer.

But his experience was vast, and his mental strength profound; he could sense the truth. He smiled faintly.

"Excellent, excellent. Heroes indeed emerge among the young."

Manager Sun pressed no further. After expressing admiration, he went straight to business: "Assuming they are of good quality, I can offer you five hundred spiritual stones."

Five hundred spiritual stones.

That was already a very high price.

Zhou Luo had originally estimated it would only be around four hundred.

However, thinking of that large room he had seen earlier, the other party was definitely going to auction these Lifespan Pills, and the price would likely be even higher.

This had nothing to do with him.

Being able to sell them for five hundred spiritual stones was plenty.

One shouldn’t be greedy anymore.

In such a place, making a one-time deal was best.

"Good, deal." After saying that, Zhou Luo took out a jade bottle.

Upon seeing that jade bottle, Manager Sun’s eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed it, releasing his mental strength to inspect it.

After confirming it was the Lifespan Pill, he withdrew his gaze and said, "You can sit here for a while. I’ll go find a specialist to examine it. If the quality is good enough, the price might be even higher."

Zhou Luo did not refuse.

Zhen Yuan Tower was large and powerful, and he wasn’t worried about the other party running off with the Lifespan Pill.

So he simply sat on a nearby round chair and quietly waited.

Behind the counter, Manager Sun strode like the wind and vanished from the spot in an instant, arriving in a room further inside.

There were many rooms inside, each with a jade plaque above the door engraved with words, all names of various skills.

Manager Sun knocked on the door of the alchemy skill room.

"Enter." A deep voice came out.

Manager Sun respectfully pushed the door open, revealing a middle-aged man sitting inside.

The man looked imposing with sharp facial features, and his eyes were as deep as the ocean, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Elder Qi." Manager Sun bowed respectfully.

This middle-aged man was named Qi Chuan, the person in charge of Zhen Yuan Tower, who was also a Second Level top-level Pill Master.

"Manager Sun, what kind of potion are we procuring this time?" Qi Chuan asked in a gentle voice.

"Reporting to Elder Qi, it’s the Lifespan Pill. You can examine its quality."

Manager Sun deferentially took out that jade bottle and presented it in front of the other man.

Hearing the words "Lifespan Pill," Qi Chuan’s eyes flickered slightly.

He wondered, was it a disciple from the Qinyuan Sect coming to trade?

But why didn’t the other party choose the neighboring Bao Ling Zhai?

He lightly glanced at the jade bottle, and after confirming it was the Lifespan Pill, he slowly asked, "What is the background of the other party?"

"Elder Qi, it’s unclear, but the other party said he isn’t a member of the Qinyuan Sect," Manager Sun reported truthfully.

"Not from the Qinyuan Sect?" Qi Chuan frowned.

One main ingredient of the Lifespan Pill was unique only to the Qinyuan Sect, so how could he have the materials if he wasn’t from there?

Could it be that he found that particular main ingredient?

Suddenly, Qi Chuan stood up. "I’ll go take a look."