The First Venerable of All Paths

One certificate is valid forever.

It is a conceptual realm recorded in the lineages of several female emperors.

Learning is permanent, breaking through is eternal.

Once Fang Xuan reaches this level, he will be able to achieve twice the results with half the effort in cultivating any martial arts, supernatural abilities, or secret techniques in the future, without having to spend a lot of time comprehending or cultivating them.

This is definitely the best option right now.

Reaching this level is no easy feat.

However, Fang Xuan possesses the Chaos Saint Body and extraordinary comprehension, so he is extremely confident in his abilities.

After making his choice, Fang Xuan began to multitask.

While practicing the "Primordial Chaos Scripture", one should also comprehend the Primordial Long Fist.

While cultivating the "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Void Technique," continue to comprehend the state of unity between man and sword.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Fang Xuan had just finished practicing the Primordial Long Fist and was about to go out to inquire about the auction when he saw two figures walking towards him.

One of them was the girl he had seen before.

The young man beside her was talking incessantly.

"Junior sister, come back with me."

The two drew closer and closer.

"Things are not peaceful outside, and your master is very worried about you."

Although Li Xintong was extremely annoyed, she still patiently said, "Then I'll trouble Senior Brother Gu to go back and tell Master that I can protect myself."

"Junior sister, I'm doing this for your own good."

The young man said, "Besides, we're not..."

Before the young man could finish speaking, Li Xintong glanced at him.

Although he didn't speak, the young man still felt a chill and quickly shut his mouth in embarrassment.

"Since my junior sister doesn't want to go back, then I'll stay here and keep her company."

But Li Xintong didn't even bother to respond. After entering the room, she slammed the door shut.

The young man, having been rebuffed, looked rather unpleasant.

Just then, he happened to see Fang Xuan opposite him and took the initiative to speak up: "Friend, let's discuss this."

"Give me your room, and I'll give you double the compensation."

Seeing that Fang Xuan remained unmoved, the young man frowned.

"One hundred yuan per stone, fixed price!"

The young man said in a deep voice, "Kid, you'd better know when to stop. Don't push your luck. One hundred yuan stones is no small amount for you."

"Excuse me, could you move aside?"

After locking the door, Fang Xuan pushed the young man aside and walked straight downstairs.

"you......"

The young man's expression changed as he watched Fang Xuan's retreating figure.

"You ungrateful wretch!"

With a cold snort, the young man turned and left.

Fang Xuan, of course, had no idea that he had incurred the young man's wrath over such a trivial matter.

This has led to a series of troubles.

Of course, these are all for later.

Perhaps because the auction was about to begin, Mingyang County was even more lively.

Some martial artists even found a place on their own and put some of their unused items out for sale.

Therefore, as soon as you step out of the inn, you are greeted by a cacophony of hawking cries.

However, they were all ordinary things, and Fang Xuan, with his limited perspective, didn't find any of them appealing.

"Brother, you're wrong about that."

Just then, a dispute arose from one of the stalls.

"Although this Soul-Binding Grass is of average quality, it has a certain chance of enhancing one's spiritual power if consumed directly; if it is used as the main ingredient to refine into a pill, the effect will be doubled. Charging you 20,000 Yuan Stones is not expensive."

The stall owner went on and on about the benefits of the Soul-Binding Grass.

But the martial artist in front of the stall bargained, saying, "You yourself said it's only a certain probability, not a certainty; as for refining it into a pill, that requires at least a third-grade alchemist. If I had that ability, would I need your Soul-Binding Grass?"

The stall owner, unfazed by being exposed, simply softened his tone and asked, "So, how much can you offer?"

The martial artist held up three fingers.

"A maximum of three thousand yuan stones."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner was shocked, and the smile on his face vanished completely.

"You think you can buy my Soul-Binding Grass for three thousand spirit stones? You must be kidding me. Get lost, I'm not selling it."

The martial artist snorted coldly and turned to leave.

The stall owner, fuming, put a black medicinal herb into the box and was about to put it away.

"Boss, can I take a look at your Soul-Binding Grass?"

Fang Xuan walked up to the stall and spoke calmly.

"You want to buy it?"

The stall owner glanced at Fang Xuan and, seeing him dressed in all black and wearing a bamboo hat, didn't find it strange.

The auction is about to begin, and there are quite a few strangely dressed people in Mingyang County, so the stall owners are already used to it.

He said calmly, "You can take a look, but I won't sell it for less than 20,000 shi."

"no problem."

Seeing that Fang Xuan agreed, the stall owner reopened the box.

"It really is the Soul-Binding Grass."

Fang Xuan nodded to himself.

Having inherited the legacy of the Dan Ding Empress, Fang Xuan naturally recognized all the medicinal herbs and spiritual plants in the world.

However, this *Heartbreak Grass* plant is not in very good condition; its leaves are slightly curled, and the main stem has a crack.

"Do you want?"

Seeing that Fang Xuan remained silent for a long time, the stall owner said impatiently, "Don't delay my business."

"Twenty thousand shi, I'll take it."

Fang Xuan said, "However, I have a small condition."

"What are the conditions?"

The stall owner looked at Fang Xuan warily.

"take it easy."

Fang Xuan said, "I just wanted to ask you about some things related to the auction."

"Oh, you mean this? No problem then."

The stall owner grinned and said, "I'm not bragging, but I'm from Mingyang County. I'm a frequent drinking buddy of one of the managers at Tianbaolou, so I know a lot of inside information."

"Oh?"

Fang Xuan was somewhat surprised, not expecting such an unexpected gain.

However, it cannot be ruled out that the stall owner was exaggerating.

"This auction at Tianbaolou will only have twelve items in total."

The stall owner spoke up, saying, "Each of these photographs is no ordinary item; they are extremely valuable. If you don't have the capital, I advise you not to go and humiliate yourself."

As he spoke, the stall owner whispered, "I also heard that the highlight of this auction is a fragment of a map of a secret realm, and many forces have come to bid on it."

Fang Xuan's heart stirred.

Is it really a fragment of a secret realm map?

It seems that this trip to Mingyang County was worthwhile.

I just don't know if it's the Azure Lotus Secret Realm.

"But don't even think about it."

The stall owner glanced at Fang Xuan and said, "This fragment of the map has long been coveted by several major forces, and it will definitely be hyped up to an extremely high value."

Thank you for letting me know.

After paying 20,000 shi, Fang Xuan put the Soul-Binding Grass into his pocket.

Next, Fang Xuan wandered around a few more stalls, casually buying a few medicinal herbs while also inquiring about the auction.

The results were all pretty much the same.

This confirmed Fang Xuan's suspicion that the auction was not a trap, but a real event.

While Fang Xuan was strolling around, he discovered that there were still many portraits of him posted in Mingyang County.

To avoid trouble, Fang Xuan quietly returned to the inn, waiting for the auction to begin the next day.

......

Inside the inn.

Fang Xuan took out the Soul-Tethering Grass he had just bought.

"Although its condition is so-so, it's better than nothing."

Fang Xuan smiled slightly and opened his palm.

With a "poof," the Undying Phoenix Flame appeared in his palm, enveloping the Soul-Binding Grass, and he slowly began to refine it.

Although the Soul-Binding Grass can be taken directly, its effects are not significant.

If one can remove the impurities and extract the essence, it can nourish and enhance the power of the soul.

As the Undying Phoenix Flame was refined, a faint medicinal fragrance quietly wafted out.

The room across the street.

As Fang Xuan summoned the Undying Phoenix Flame, Li Xintong, who was in a state of cultivation, suddenly opened her eyes.

"Earth fire? The scent of medicine?"

Li Xintong frowned slightly and muttered to herself, "No wonder her soul realm has reached the first rank; she's also an alchemist."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Xintong did not go to disturb them.

The other party is probably refining pills; if I were to visit them in a way that would offend them, it would only displease them.

Alchemists are all known for their extremely eccentric temperaments.

Judging from their appearance, they were probably also there to participate in the auction.

I'll try again tomorrow to see if I can ask them for a small favor.

In just half an hour, Fang Xuan refined the Soul-Binding Grass into a liquid the size of a thumb.

The liquid was amber in color and emitted a strange aura.

Just one whiff was enough to invigorate Fang Xuan and make his soul leap with joy.

Fang Xuan circulated his cultivation technique and released his divine soul.

The amber liquid instantly transformed into a misty aura, penetrating Fang Xuan's sea of ​​consciousness and soul.

After Fang Xuan absorbed the spiritual liquid of the Soul-Tethering Grass, his spiritual power did indeed increase slightly compared to before.

It's probably comparable to Fang Xuan's month of arduous cultivation.

After doing all this, Fang Xuan continued to cultivate.

Silent all night.

Early the next morning.

Fang Xuan packed his belongings and pushed open the door, where Li Xintong was already waiting.

And judging from the looks of it, they were clearly waiting for him.

Fang Xuan raised an eyebrow: "Is there something you need?"

Sensing the wariness and distance in Fang Xuan's tone, Li Xintong said softly, "Please don't misunderstand, sir. I just want to ask you to help me refine a pill."

Li Xintong wore a plain dress today, with delicate features and a faint scholarly air about her. Compared to her aloofness yesterday, she appeared more humble and gentle today.

But the other party knew that he was an alchemist, and he was not as simple as he seemed on the surface.

Seeing that Fang Xuan remained silent, Li Xintong took the initiative to explain, "Xintong was not spying on you. It's just that last night when you were refining medicine, the earth fire and medicinal fragrance filled the air, so Xintong guessed that you must be an alchemist."

Just as Fang Xuan was about to speak, the young man he had bumped into yesterday came quickly and happened to see Li Xintong smiling and talking to Fang Xuan. A surge of anger rose in his heart.

You, Li Xintong, are something else.

He usually gives me the cold shoulder, but he chats and laughs with a complete stranger. It's utterly absurd.

Moreover, this person rejected me yesterday.

Enraged, he strode forward, pulled Li Xintong behind him, and glared at Fang Xuan like a ferocious beast guarding its prey.

"Stay away from my junior sister!"

He turned to look at Li Xintong and asked with concern, "Junior sister, he didn't bully you, did he?"

"Senior Brother Gu, you are extremely rude!"

Li Xintong frowned, quickly pulled her hand away from Gu Can's, and said with displeasure, "Apologize to them immediately!"

"Apologize?"

Gu Can looked at Li Xintong in disbelief and said, "Junior sister, you actually want me to apologize to him? Who does he think he is!"

"you......"

Just as Li Xintong was about to speak, Fang Xuan said calmly, "I may not be anything special, but if you dare to bark again, I won't hesitate to let you know what it means to have trouble coming from your mouth."

After saying that, Fang Xuan straightened his clothes and left.

However, these words infuriated Gu Can.

"Junior sister, did you see that? This person is incredibly arrogant!"

Gu Can said in a grim tone, "If it weren't for Master's instructions, I would have given him a good beating!"

"You dare!"

Li Xintong addressed him by his name coldly, saying, "Gu Can, you have disappointed me greatly. When we return, I will have my master go to the Gu family to annul the engagement."

Gu Canru was struck by lightning.

He never expected that his beloved junior sister would want to break off their engagement for a stranger.