Fang Yuan stared down at Xue'er with a condescending gaze.
Xue'er was young and beautiful—tall and radiant with youth, possessing the striking otherworldly charm of blue eyes, blue hair, and skin like ice, bones like jade.
That dewy, supple skin and full chest would have most men's eyes glued firmly in that direction.
She truly was the foremost beauty of the Snow People.
But Fang Yuan was utterly unmoved by her captivating looks. Not only unmoved, he even spoke to challenge her: "Is this the sincerity of your Snow People?"
Xue'er couldn't quite grasp what Fang Yuan meant and quickly said, "Please clarify, Lord Fang Yuan."
"A paltry gift like this, and you want to form a marriage alliance with me? Your people think too highly of themselves if you believe you can so easily gain the support of an Eighth Transformation cultivator. Such a windfall is no different from pie falling from the sky." Fang Yuan sneered.
Xue'er froze.
Fang Yuan's directness and bluntness caught her off guard.
Then, a surge of shame and anger welled up inside her.
She was the outstanding prodigy of the Snow People's younger generation, universally recognized as their greatest beauty. This time she had brought generous betrothal gifts and personally come to propose a marriage alliance—essentially throwing herself at him, humbling herself before him.
She never expected Fang Yuan to be so arrogant as to dismiss her entirely, and what's more, to be so insatiable that he considered the Snow People's bride price too meager to represent their sincerity.
How was this meager?
The bride price was genuinely substantial—handpicked treasures from the Snow People's own storehouses, all intended for Fang Yuan.
Previously, Xue'er had held a fairly good impression of Fang Yuan. After all, he was extraordinarily gifted, possessing Eighth Transformation combat power—an achievement almost no ordinary person could reach. But now, her impression of him plummeted.
If it had been her old self, Xue'er would have stormed off long ago. But at this moment, she was not a free individual—she bore the weight of her tribe's development strategy on her shoulders.
Xue'er took a deep breath and asked, "Lord Fang Yuan, since you have already accepted two batches of betrothal gifts, you must be favorable toward this marriage alliance between our sides. If you are dissatisfied with the bride price, you may state your requirements. I will relay your message back for the clan elders to discuss."
Fang Yuan had long since prepared his list. Without delay, a mortal Information Path Gu flew from his body and was delivered into Xue'er's hands.
"What?!" Xue'er took a cursory glance, and her eyes went wide.
Fang Yuan's appetite was truly staggering.
But even in her shock, she was beautiful—her widened eyes only diminished her usual cold demeanor, lending her an air of unexpected charm.
"This isn't the only list," Fang Yuan added.
"You have additional demands?" Xue'er's expression turned ugly as she barely suppressed the fury within.
To her surprise, Fang Yuan acted with complete composure. His shamelessness had already surpassed the thickness of a city wall. He spoke in a tone as though stating the obvious: "If your clan satisfies this list, the sincerity would be roughly sufficient. But your personal sincerity is still lacking."
"My sincerity?"
Fang Yuan tilted his head slightly and smiled faintly: "Not just any random nobody has the right to become my, Fang Yuan's, wife. Although the Snow People have put you forward, whether you are qualified or not still requires passing my test."
"A test?" Xue'er gritted her teeth. "Please clarify, Lord Fang Yuan."
Fang Yuan mused: "Go to Tai Qiu and collect souls for me. Once you leave here, someone will come to make arrangements for you."
Xue'er's heart filled with bitter resentment. She was a prodigy blessed by heaven—when had she ever been treated with such cold dismissal?
But constrained by the weight of her tribe's mission, she had no choice but to nod and agree.
Watching Xue'er's departing figure, Fang Yuan fell into deep thought.
This arrangement meant Xue'er's combat power could also be utilized, adding another Gu Immortal to assist Fang Yuan's cultivation.
But that wasn't the main point.
What Fang Yuan truly wanted was to probe.
Accepting the second batch of betrothal gifts, expressing dissatisfaction with them, and demanding to test Xue'er—all of this was to project arrogance and pride, all in order to probe the Snow People's bottom line.
If they wanted a marriage alliance, just how deep was their resolve?
It could be said that the deeper their resolve, the more profit Fang Yuan could squeeze out of them.
Fang Yuan was in no rush.
A marriage alliance wasn't something decided in a few words. The two sides were not truly familiar with each other, and while Fang Yuan was probing them, the Snow People would certainly probe him in return.
But Fang Yuan could be certain—there was absolutely profit to be made here!
The marriage alliance, however, was not the main focus.
Fang Yuan soon set it aside and threw himself fully into his arduous cultivation.
Soul Path cultivation was one aspect, managing his Immortal Aperture was another. Beyond that, Fang Yuan utilized the Wisdom Halo to refine a large batch of killer moves.
Fang Yuan's most powerful technique was undoubtedly the Immortal killer move Reverse Flow Protection Seal, but he was not in a rush to refine this one.
Although this move was already somewhat unreliable against Heavenly Court's Gu Immortals, Fang Yuan's current environment was still relatively safe. Not only was he far away in the Northern Plains, but he was also hidden within the Langya Blessed Land, further concealed by the Ghost Official's Garment—in the short term, Heavenly Court could not find him.
Moreover, refining the Reverse Flow Protection Seal would take considerable time with slow results.
After much deliberation, Fang Yuan decided to refine the Wisdom Path killer moves controlled by Purple Mountain True Monarch.