Chapter 717: Seven hundred seventeen registered
"These two fellows!"
After the astonishment, Yun Xiao no longer dwelled on it. However, this turned out to be a good thing. Initially, there was already a peculiar mouse on his shoulder. Adding a fiery red little bird would probably attract even more attention.
Yun Xiao was still in a pretty good mood. According to what the Golden Snake Worm had said, within Red Feather’s body lay the bloodline of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. The legendary Ancient Heavenly Phoenix could sit on an equal footing with the nine Divine Dragons.
Unexpectedly, he had only come to Yuyang City to participate in the Spirit Fighting Conference, hoping to win the Thunder Spirit Crystal reward for the champion, yet he acquired a young Ancient Heavenly Phoenix in the Meridian Spirit trading street. It had to be said that his luck was extremely good.
At this moment, Yun Xiao somewhat looked forward to seeing the expression of Xu Huan, the young master of the Spirit Fighting Branch, when he finds out he missed out on the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. How spectacular would that be?
However, something like the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, Yun Xiao would not easily reveal in public. Of course, even if Red Feather did appear, it was unlikely anyone would associate it with an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, right?
After fussing for an entire night, once Yun Xiao calmed down, dawn was already breaking. Now without a trace of sleepiness left, he directly stepped out of his room, and there was already a figure standing outside—it was the young master of the Lin Family, Lin Xuanhao.
"Xuan Hao, you’re up so early?"
Seeing this, Yun Xiao was a bit surprised. Logically, there were still several days before the start of the Spirit Fighting Conference, and during this time, shouldn’t everyone be closing off to familiarize themselves with the use of their Meridian Spirit?
"Big Brother Yun Xiao, we still need to make a trip to the Spirit Fighting Commerce. To participate in the Spirit Fighting Conference, you also need to sign up first!"
Lin Xuanhao seemed to know what Yun Xiao was puzzled about, and quickly explained. Hearing this explanation, Yun Xiao was startled again, but soon he came to a realization.
"This time, the Spirit Fighting Conference in Yuyang City is divided into two categories: Spirit Vein Realm and Qi Seeking Realm, grouping based on the cultivation level of the participants. The rewards for the two categories are also different."
Lin Xuanhao explained as he led Yun Xiao outside. Hearing this, Yun Xiao’s previous speculations were confirmed.
Although the fights with Meridian Spirits were very different from Meridian Qi battles, they were still linked to the cultivator’s cultivation level. A Meridian Spirit of a Spirit Vein Realm cultivator would probably never be a match for that of a Qi Seeking Realm cultivator.
Actually, such a simple division into two Great Ranks could put cultivators like Yun Xiao, in the early stages of the Qi Seeking Realm, at a disadvantage. After all, if he faced up against Meridian Spirits of cultivators in the late or peak stages of the Qi Seeking Realm, he was not very confident.
Even those who came to sign up for the Qi Seeking Realm Spirit Fighting Conference were probably seldom in the early stages of Qi Seeking. Because the chances of securing a ranking were undoubtedly very slim.
However, since he was already here, for the sake of his soon-to-be-activated Thunder Attribute Ancestor Vein, Yun Xiao would not back down. Moreover, he believed that with the strength of the Golden Snake Worm, even if he encountered those late-stage Qi Seeking Realm Meridian Spirits, he should still have a fighting chance, right?
The two chatted as they walked, and soon they arrived at the headquarters of the Spirit Fighting Commerce located at the center of Yuyang City. Although this was only a branch of Douling Commerce, the magnificent momentum made it apparent at first glance that it was something extraordinary.
"Spirit Fighting Commerce!"
Above the great hall of the commerce hung a dazzling gold plaque, inscribed with four golden characters, which made Yun Xiao murmur unconsciously. Then he and Lin Xuanhao stepped into the great hall of the Spirit Fighting Commerce.
The ground floor of the great hall was bustling and lively, with at least all the cultivators reaching the Spirit Vein Realm. Furthermore, many of them were quite young, only slightly older than Yun Xiao and his companion.
This made Yun Xiao reflect that the prodigies of the Tenglong Continent were indeed much more formidable than those of the Hidden Dragon Continent. After all, during the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, even the most talented individuals from the Hidden Dragon Continent were only at the peak of the Meridian Union Realm like Shen Wannian from the Xuan Jiuding.
And on the Tenglong Continent, even in a remote Southern Domain, cultivators at the peak of Meridian Union Realm were as common as stray dogs, with Spirit Vein Realm prodigies found everywhere. This was the gap between the two different continental planes.
Setting aside these Spirit Vein Realm cultivators, the rest were all of the Qi Seeking Realm. As Yun Xiao moved forward, he even sensed some strong cultivators in the late stages of the Qi Seeking Realm.
It seemed that the champion’s reward of the Thunder Spirit Crystal for the Qi Seeking Realm category at the Spirit Fighting Conference had indeed attracted many formidable cultivators. A Seventh Rank Thunder Spirit Crystal was the most tempting for Qi Seeking Realm cultivators.
Even some cultivators who did not cultivate the Thunder Attribute could exchange the Thunder Spirit Crystal for an equivalent treasure that suited their own attributes from other cultivators.
"Big Brother Yun Xiao, look, that is the Thunder Spirit Crystal!"
As Yun Xiao was secretly sensing these strong presences, Lin Xuanhao suddenly tugged at his sleeve. The words he spoke made Yun Xiao suddenly turn his head.
He saw that at the deepest part of the first floor of the Spirit Fighting Commerce’s great hall, there was a translucent crystal cabinet. On the stand inside the cabinet was a crystal the size of an adult’s fist.
Ssst ssst!
Even from this distance, Yun Xiao could clearly see silver lightning occasionally flashing across the crystal, exuding an extremely mysterious aura.
"Thunder Spirit Crystal!"
At this moment, Yun Xiao had no doubt. With the power of his soul, he could sense that it was indeed a Thunder Attribute Strange Spirit Crystal. Back in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, he had fought against many formidable Thunder Attribute Strange Spirits.
Yun Xiao could even feel that while looking at the Thunder Spirit Crystal, in the regions below the shoulders on his back, there seemed to be a slight stirring, which was obviously encountering something of the same origin.
"Thunder Spirit Crystal, I must obtain you!"
These thoughts flashed through Yun Xiao’s mind as he murmured to himself, seemingly forgetting that with his early stage cultivation in the Qi Seeking Realm, saying such a thing in the bustling first-floor hall of Douling Commerce was somewhat laughable.
"Where did this country bumpkin come from? A mere early-stage cultivator in the Qi Seeking Realm, yet he dares to speak such arrogant words!"
Although Yun Xiao’s muttering was soft, it was still overheard by some nearby cultivators. Immediately, a voice heavy with mockery rang out, drawing the gaze of both him and Lin Xuanhao.
"Young lad, what are you looking at? That Thunder Spirit Crystal is certainly mine; you’d better stop your foolish daydreaming!"
The one who had spoken was an old man with white hair and beard, appearing somewhat aged and decrepit, yet his tone was incredibly haughty, drawing the attention of many people to their confrontation.
Sizzle!
As Yun Xiao turned to look at the old man, the latter’s withered eyes suddenly opened wide, and a slender lightning spark flickered to life, as though tangible.
"He’s a cultivator of the Thunder Attribute!"
Seeing this, Yun Xiao had an epiphany; it seemed that the elder, who practiced the Thunder Attribute Cultivation Technique, was determined to win the Thunder Spirit Crystal, inadvertently adding another powerful adversary for himself.
"Hmph, the Thunder Spirit Crystal is the champion’s reward, it’s not yet certain to whom it belongs!"
Before Yun Xiao could speak, Lin Xuanhao at his side had already grown discontent. The old man’s arrogance, acting as though the Thunder Spirit Crystal was already in his pocket, irked him, prompting a retort.
"You two kids who haven’t even grown all your hair yet, you might as well go home and drink your milk!"
In the eyes of the elder, Yun Xiao’s early-stage cultivation in the Qi Seeking Realm was negligible, not to mention this middle-stage Spirit Vein Realm youth. There was no comparison between them, so he spoke even more rudely.
Crackle!
The elder seemed to have a rather short fuse, too. As soon as his words fell, his eyes emitted two silver lightning bolts targeted directly at Lin Xuanhao.
"You..."
Seeing this, Lin Xuanhao’s face turned deathly pale. He had never expected the elder to attack in the great hall of Douling Commerce; was he not afraid of Douling Commerce’s repercussions?
A strike from a late-stage Qi Seeking Realm powerhouse was more than mid-stage Spirit Vein Realm Lin Xuanhao could bear. If these bolts of thunder fully struck him, he might be severely injured in an instant.
Whoosh...
At this critical juncture, just when Lin Xuanhao was in despair, an arm suddenly stretched out beside him, and a blood-red light reflected into his eyes. Then, the two silver lightning bolts ultimately failed to strike him.
"Yun Xiao, thank you!"
Lin Xuanhao knew who had saved him and immediately expressed his thanks, his angry gaze then turning to the elder, as if he were about to spit fire.
"Eh? This kid’s got some skills!"
However, the elder didn’t care about Lin Xuanhao’s angry stare; instead, he looked interestedly at Yun Xiao for a long while, then uttered these words of superiority.
"Such insignificant tricks, and you think you can hurt my brother? You are thinking too highly of yourself!"
Yun Xiao returned the gaze without a hint of intimidation, and his words caused the elder’s aura to burst forth instantly—a testament to Yun Xiao’s skill in provoking hostility.
"Inner conflicts are forbidden within the commerce hall, and violators will lose their eligibility to participate in the Spirit Fighting Conference!"
Right as tensions were escalating, a clear voice suddenly rang out. Upon hearing it, both Yun Xiao and Lin Xuanhao felt it sounded vaguely familiar.
"Xu Huan!"
When the two turned their heads toward the source of the voice, they saw several figures striding down from the staircase, the leader a young man who was none other than the Commerce’s young master, Xu Huan, with whom they had an unpleasant encounter the day before in the Meridian Spirit trading street.
If the Meridian Spirit trading street was a mix of all sorts, then the Douling Commerce hall was Xu Huan’s home turf. Especially as he approached and caught a glimpse of Yun Xiao and Lin Xuanhao, a flicker of obscure brilliance passed through his eyes.
"Young Master Xu Huan, it was this old man who started it; it has nothing to do with us!"
Lin Xuanhao, likely fearing Xu Huan might hold a grudge from yesterday, spoke up loudly. Many onlookers had witnessed the incident, leaving no room for the elder to deny it.