While Han Li was lost in thought, Wei Wuya let out a long breath of relief.
"Indeed — these are genuine scales shed by a shape-shifting poison dragon. They're exactly what I need. It looks like my treasure has a good chance of becoming even more powerful."
With undisguised delight, Wei Wuya carefully placed the crimson scales back into the box. A flash of light, and the jade container vanished without a trace.
Then he raised his head and looked Han Li over once more before speaking with a serious expression: "Truth be told, I'm genuinely surprised that you could produce something so precious. These poison dragon scales are of tremendous importance to me. While this trade can be considered mutually beneficial, you'll still be representing our Tiannan in the wagering duel. I really can't let you come out behind on the deal. Tell you what — I happen to have one last piece of Geng Metal on hand. I was saving it for future generations, but since you clearly need it so badly, I'll include it as well. That way, I won't have taken advantage of you."
Wei Wuya turned his palm over, and another piece of Geng Metal the size of a chicken egg appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Han Li.
"There really is more Geng Metal!" The corner of Han Li's mouth curved upward, and with restrained pleasure, he caught the piece.
With this additional piece, he would have more than enough to refine all thirty-six flying swords at once. This went a long way toward fulfilling his original intention for offering such a rare material.
After all, eighth-level monster beast materials were actually worth slightly more than these pieces of Geng Metal. Without offering something more while also expecting him to fight in the wagering duel, it wouldn't have made much sense.
If Wei Wuya or Supreme Yang had more Geng Metal on hand, they would most likely have been compelled to produce it by this move.
Of course, there was no need to spell out this subtext — they would naturally understand the implications of Han Li's grand gesture.
After all, they were all Nascent Soul cultivators, and none of them would take the other for a fool. Otherwise, if Han Li had simply pocketed the Geng Metal from before, dusted off his hands, and walked away as though it had been a simple trade without ever mentioning the wagering duel, these two old monsters could only have glared helplessly with no grounds for complaint.
At that moment, Supreme Yang had finished examining the item in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He too seemed quite satisfied with the turtle shell.
However, upon seeing Wei Wuya produce yet another piece of Geng Metal, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face. After a brief pause, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a pale yellow object about as thick as a thumb and five or six inches long — it looked like a section of plant root.
"I can see that your wood spiritual energy is remarkably abundant, Fellow Daoist. You must primarily cultivate wood-attribute techniques. I don't have anything particularly suitable on hand, but I do have this small section of ancient immortal vine root. Whether you use it to refine a wood-attribute treasure or carry it on your person to nourish your wood spiritual energy, it will be of great use — more than enough to compensate for this eighth-level Mystic Turtle shell," Supreme Yang said in a deep voice.
"Oh? That's —" Wei Wuya's face registered surprise when he saw what Supreme Yang was holding, clearly taken aback.
Han Li was initially somewhat disappointed, but seeing Wei Wuya's reaction sparked a sudden realization.
Ancient immortal vine? Could it be that Xuantian Immortal Vine — the one the Righteous and Demonic paths had stolen essence from, desperately trying to revive?
Han Li stared at the object in Supreme Yang's hand, his expression turning to one of shock.
Supreme Yang, seeing that Wei Wuya had recognized the item, showed no surprise. He simply said in a matter-of-fact tone: "Given your standing, Brother Han, you must have heard about the Xuantian Immortal Vine that surfaced not long ago. Unfortunately, despite every method we attempted, we couldn't revive it. In the end, we had no choice but to divide it with the Demonic path and use it as refining material. This piece is one quarter of that vine's root. My own cultivation technique is a fire-attribute art. This material is rare, but it's useless to me — consider it a gift, Fellow Daoist."
With that, Supreme Yang tossed the item over.
"The Xuantian Immortal Vine!" Han Li caught the pale yellow object and murmured, genuinely stunned.
He had read numerous ancient texts and naturally knew what the Xuantian Immortal Vine was. He also understood why both the Righteous and Demonic paths had schemed so desperately to revive it.
The term "Immortal Vine" was merely a broad generalization. Any vine-type Spirit Root variant with extraordinary uses in this realm could be called an Immortal Vine.
But the Xuantian Immortal Vine was something else entirely.
Only a scant few of the most ancient vine-type Spirit Roots were worthy of having "Xuantian" prefixed before their name. Every single one of these vines was an ancient Spirit Root that had appeared at the very dawn of a realm's creation, when heaven and earth first separated from primordial chaos. Whether the flowers they bloomed or the spiritual fruits they bore, each possessed the inconceivable ability to defy the Heavenly and Earthly Laws of their world. They were truly heaven-defying existences.
But which specific types of Xuantian Immortal Vines existed, and what grand powers they held — that knowledge had been lost to the passage of countless ages. No one today could identify them.
That the cultivators of the Righteous and Demonic paths had recognized this seemingly ordinary, withered vine in the ancient cultivator's cave as a Xuantian Immortal Vine — they had deduced this from the words left behind by that ancient cultivator.
At first, both sides naturally treated it as a supreme treasure. The Righteous and Demonic factions even fought several violent clashes over it.
Later, when the higher-ups from both factions arrived, they decided to first attempt reviving the vine. After all, even if it were successfully restored, who knew when it would next bloom and bear fruit — for the Xuantian Immortal Vine, even a fruiting cycle of a hundred thousand years would be perfectly normal.