"Attending a trade fair and encountering such troublesome matters, it seems better to stay put at the inn for the next few days." Yuan Ming quickly walked out of the Ten Thousand Goods Immortal Trip, his figure disappearing into the throngs of the street.

Yuan Ming did not return to the previous inn. Instead, he simply chose another one. Once he expertly set up the forbidden spell in the room, he immediately entered the Shura Palace to start processing Crystal Stones.

The shell of the Crystal Stone was extremely hard, and Yuan Ming was exceptionally cautious while cutting, fearing that even a slight mistake would cause damage to the Fiery Fire Essence Stone inside.

After half a day's effort, Yuan Ming finally managed to grind away the shell of the Crystal Stone bit by bit, revealing the fiery red stone within.

The stone, apart from its color, appeared no different from an ordinary stone. However, the moment Yuan Ming held it, he felt an intense heat that seemed to boil the Qi-Blood within his body.

In just a moment, the high temperature emanating from his body ignited the surrounding air, causing a large amount of steam to form.

"Such powerful Fire Essence Power. If refined into a Spiritual Treasure, even Cultivators at the Late-Stage of Returning Void might not be able to resist it," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

In the next instant, the Stealing Heaven Tripod suddenly emerged, emitting a ray of light that absorbed the Fiery Fire Essence Stone and embedded it into the Altar Formation.

The array instantly lit up with a red halo, quickly spreading to the surroundings and merging into the Void.

Yuan Ming immediately attempted a probe, discovering that the seal on the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space had further loosened, allowing the space passage to expand to a size he could easily pass through.

Yuan Ming's face showed a trace of joy; the Stealing Heaven Tripod had finally regained a bit of its power.

It seemed that by collecting the remaining spiritual materials, the Stealing Heaven Tripod's Divine Skills could be restored.

At that moment, his joy quickly faded as he looked up toward the outside.

The forbidden spell he had set up in the inn room was triggered—someone seemed to have come looking for him.

Yuan Ming decisively put away the Stealing Heaven Tripod, left the Shura Palace, and returned to the room, using his Divine Sense to probe outside. He discovered it was a stranger male cultivator with a Nascent Soul Stage cultivation that came looking for him.

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" Yuan Ming murmured for a moment, then opened the door and directly asked.

"Senior, my master said he has found the whereabouts of many high-level spirit woods and would like to invite you to another elegant room in the inn for a detailed discussion." The person outside didn't dare delay and directly stated the purpose.

"Who is your master?" Yuan Ming asked, puzzled.

"It is President Cao of the Green Wave Chamber of Commerce," the stranger male cultivator immediately replied.

"Green Wave Chamber of Commerce..." Yuan Ming's expression changed slightly.

He had heard the name of this chamber of commerce before; it was based on East Extreme Island and had business dealings with many islands. Not weak in power, possessing high-level spirit wood would be normal.

"So, it's the Green Wave Chamber of Commerce. How did you come to know that I need high-level spirit wood?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Our president and Steward Liu of Ten Thousand Goods Immortal Trip are long-time friends. He heard from Steward Liu the day before that Fellow Daoist Wan needed a lot of high-level spirit wood. Coincidentally, our chamber collected a batch recently, so we wish to make a deal with Fellow Daoist Wan," the stranger male cultivator said.

"I see. If that's the case, why not discuss it directly at the Green Wave Chamber of Commerce?" Yuan Ming's gaze became slightly focused.

"My master said that the origin of that batch of spirit wood is somewhat troublesome and it's not convenient to discuss it at the chamber," the stranger male cultivator replied, his expression unchanged.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming stared into the eyes of the Nascent Soul cultivator before him, causing him some unease.

"In that case, lead the way," Yuan Ming withdrew his gaze and said.

The stranger male cultivator let out a sigh of relief in his heart and quickly turned to lead the way.

Soon, the two arrived in front of a room on the fourth floor of the inn.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Wan," the stranger male cultivator made a gesture of invitation at the door.

Yuan Ming did not hesitate; he pushed open the door and walked in.

Upon entering, he immediately saw a screen with cloud-patterned white cranes carved upon it, standing before him. Beside the screen, two burly men stood like iron towers, silent but emitting a powerful aura, both were at the Late Stage of Returning Void.

"The young master is waiting for you," said the burly man on the left, his tone disdainful, indicating Yuan Ming to go around the screen to meet the master.

Yuan Ming frowned slightly, directly ignoring the two burly men, stepping around the screen into a more spacious hall.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Wan, how have you been?" At that moment, Nan Shangfeng lounged lazily on a large canopied bed, with a demure female cultivator gently massaging his temples from behind.

Beside him sat two female cultivators clad only in veils, one holding a goblet and another with a fruit platter, cheeks flushed, attending to Nan Shangfeng.

One of them, an exceptionally beautiful woman in a pink dress, was the same person who demanded the Red Shining Crystal at the trade fair.

"If Young Master Nan wanted to invite me over, there was no need for such roundabout methods. You could have just said so," Yuan Ming said, his face showing no surprise, as he sat opposite Nan Shangfeng.

"Oh, you guessed it was me?" Nan Shangfeng showed an intrigued expression.

"I have just arrived at East Extreme Island, and have not made enemies with others. Apart from you, I cannot think of anyone else who would go to such lengths to draw me here," Yuan Ming remarked calmly.

"Since you guessed it was me, you still dared to come?" Nan Shangfeng sat up straight.

"Young Master Nan has already found the inn, whether I come or not, what's the difference?" Yuan Ming chuckled lightly and responded.

"Indeed, it seems you're not only smart but also quite self-aware. I truly have some admiration for you. However, your rushed judgment this time does make a big difference whether you come here or not." Nan Shangfeng laughed heartily.

Noticing Nan Shangfeng's imperious demeanor, always with a condescending attitude, Yuan Ming felt repulsed and couldn't be bothered to think about the meaning of those words. He said blandly, "I've already come. Young Master Nan, just say what you have to say."

"On account of Tong Xin, I can overlook your offense at the trade fair. What the man just said inviting you here was no deceit, indeed there is a business to do with you." Nan Shangfeng put away his smile and said faintly, raising a hand to clap.

The female cultivator holding a wine cup beside him immediately stood up and took out three wooden boxes from the Storage Ring to display to Yuan Ming.

The first wooden box contained a green spirit wood several feet long, its surface covered with fish scale-like Spiritual Patterns, exuding a startling Spiritual Power fluctuation.

Level 5 spiritual material, Green Scale Xuan Wood.

The second wooden box also contained a Level 5 Spirit Wood, Iron Gang Wood.

The third wooden box held a section of withered yellow bamboo, without the slightest spiritual power aura, appearing like an ordinary dead bamboo. The only peculiar aspect was the many brown spots on its surface, resembling tears.

"This is the sixth-level spiritual material, Tear Bamboo! Unfortunately, it's already withered, greatly reducing its value." Yuan Ming's gaze fell on the third wooden box, his eyes flickering.

"Name your price, Young Master Nan, for these three pieces of high-level spirit wood, how many Spirit Stones do you want?" He quickly raised his head and said.

"What a joke! The last thing I lack are Spirit Stones, and I'm not selling these three pieces of spirit wood. I want to exchange them for the Red Shining Crystal you bought before. This offer should be generous enough, right?" Nan Shangfeng leaned back against the bed again, stating his demand.

"These three pieces of high-level spirit wood, when priced, are several times more than that Red Shining Crystal. What is it that you truly want, Fellow Daoist?" Yuan Ming pondered for a moment before asking.

If not for Void's reminder, he wouldn't have noticed the Fiery Fire Essence Stone hidden within the Crystal. Nan Shangfeng's cultivation is slightly lower than his, so he shouldn't have noticed it either. Why this obsession with the Crystal?

"Naturally, it's for the smile of a beauty. My ambition in life is not great; I just wish to expand my harem and collect all the beauties in the world. Whatever catches their eye, I must help them acquire." Nan Shangfeng laughed loudly, pulling the girl in the pink dress beside him closer and running his hands freely over her.

Yuan Ming scrutinized Nan Shangfeng in front of him, seemingly verifying the truthfulness of his words, then shook his head and said, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Young Master Nan. As I said at the trade fair, that Crystal I have great use for, no matter how high the price, I won't part with it."

"I've already shown you enough respect. It seems you've made up your mind to snub me," Nan Shangfeng's face turned cold.

"It's not that I'm unwilling, I simply can't." Yuan Ming sighed lightly, shaking his head.

To extract the Fiery Fire Essence Stone, the outer Red Shining Crystal was already destroyed in the process. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't give it to Nan Shangfeng anymore.

However, the light in front suddenly dimmed as two robust men guarding the screen approached.

"Leave the item, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!" The man on the left said in a muffled voice.

"This is East Extreme Island, the Ten Thousand Treasure Auction is about to begin, and Dongji Palace strictly forbids any fighting. Surely Young Master Nan wouldn't knowingly break the law?" Yuan Ming looked at Nan Shangfeng.

"Mere Dongji Palace, my Daluo Sect couldn't care less. Moreover, ensuring the outside doesn't notice the battle here is quite simple." Nan Shangfeng raised his hand, casting a spell.

Suddenly, the walls around the room glowed, becoming solid rapidly, and the surrounding scenery changed swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, everyone present found themselves in a spacious White Jade Hall.

Yuan Ming looked around, suddenly remembering Nan Shangfeng's earlier words, "Whether you come here makes a big difference," and a trace of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This inn room was probably transformed from this White Jade Hall, entering this room meant entering the hall.

"This is my Void Palace. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Wan? Even if we fought fiercely here, the outside wouldn't detect a thing." Nan Shangfeng asked with a smile.

"What a treasure, able to merge with the void, completely undetectable. Could it be a Space Spiritual Treasure?" Yuan Ming retracted his gaze and asked, his expression still calm.

"Has no one ever told you that your act of calmness is extremely irritating!" Anger suddenly appeared on Nan Shangfeng's face, and with a wave of his sleeve, a green light shot out, stabbing toward Yuan Ming's throat.

Seeing this, several women around him hurriedly flew to a distant place to avoid danger.

Yuan Ming raised his right hand, and two fingers turned pitch-black in the state of the Undying Tree, clamping down on the green light with a clanging sound.

The green light revealed its true form, an odd green sword molded like a Spiritual Snake.

The sword buzzed while writhing, trying to pierce Yuan Ming's fingers but could not move forward an inch.

"No wonder you dared to come here without fear, you've hidden your strength well, but you're just being clever." Nan Shangfeng's expression subtly changed, and he swiftly formed a spell with both hands.

The green sword's light flourished intensely, and a phantom of a giant green python, an Artifact Spirit, appeared on the blade.

The power of the green sword surged, suddenly breaking free of Yuan Ming's grip, aiming for his heart.

The two burly guards of Nan Shangfeng also took out Spiritual Treasures, one wielding Dragon Pattern Dual Blades and the other wielding a Blood-colored Long Spear, assaulting Yuan Ming from front and back.

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