Rogue cultivators were, by and large, a suspicious and paranoid lot. Without absolute certainty, it was perfectly normal for many of them to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
"
Jiang Chen instructed Jiao Yun, who stood at his side.
Jiao Yun hurriedly bowed and accepted the order. "Please give your instructions, Young Lord."
Jiang Chen handed several scrolls to Jiao Yun. "These are the items. Go out and make the announcement."
Jiao Yun received Jiang Chen's decree and walked outward with the scrolls.
"Everyone, please quiet down for a moment. By Young Lord Zhen's decree, I am here to announce the acquisition of several items. Any friend who possesses any of these items is welcome to come speak directly with Young Lord Zhen in person. The Young Lord has stated that however much you can produce, he will purchase it all. The price will be absolutely fair!"
Upon hearing that Young Lord Zhen wished to purchase items, not only were the rogue cultivators' attention captured — even the titans in the guest pavilion involuntarily turned to look in Jiao Yun's direction.
Jiao Yun unrolled the first scroll and announced in a loud voice, "First item for acquisition: the Eight-Treasure True Grass. This is a grass formed when eight rare and exotic insects parasitize and merge together. Anyone who possesses this treasure, our Young Lord Zhen is willing to purchase on a priority basis, with favorable pricing…"
The Eight-Treasure True Grass was not exactly an unfamiliar treasure in the cultivation world. Most cultivators had actually heard of this item.
It was a peculiar thing — similar to Spiritual Medicine, yet not quite Spiritual Medicine. It was a spiritual creature possessing life, yet sometimes it appeared in the form of an herb.
In summary, it was part insect, part grass, and exceedingly precious. Many alchemists would incorporate the Eight-Treasure True Grass into pill refinement, and there were quite a few types of pills that could be refined with it.
However, it seemed the alchemy world had not yet fully explored the pill-refining applications of the Eight-Treasure True Grass. The efficacy of pills refined with it was not much greater than the grass itself.
Therefore, although the Eight-Treasure True Grass was precious, most people still valued it based on its intrinsic worth. It barely qualified as quasi-heaven-grade; in reality, it was merely an earth-grade spiritual item.
"The Eight-Treasure True Grass? No way — Young Lord Zhen is buying those at high prices? I actually had one before, but unfortunately, I sold it long ago."
"I once saw one at an auction. It fetched a pretty decent price back then."
"This thing, though rare, isn't exactly unheard of. With Young Lord Zhen's discerning eye, why would he stoop to something like this?"
"Yeah, could it be that Young Lord Zhen has another touch-of-gold move up his sleeve?"
"I'm really looking forward to it! Young Lord Zhen's moves are always astonishing. That Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi — if Young Lord Zhen hadn't explained its wonderful uses, even if it had ended up in my hands, I'd have just sold it off as an ordinary heaven-grade Spiritual Medicine, right?"
"Exactly! Young Lord Zhen has the gift of turning dross into gold. Only when good things reach his hands do they truly appreciate in value."
"This Dragon
"That depends on the person. A genius like Young Lord Zhen probably doesn't come along once in ten thousand years, right?"
"Whatever you all think, I'm convinced about Young Lord Zhen. People used to say Pill Fire City was impressive, with deep reserves. I feel Pill Fire City does have reserves, but their character is leagues behind Young Lord Zhen's. Pill Fire City squeezes rogue cultivators dry and drinks their blood — that's something the entire rogue cultivator community agrees on."
"Indeed. I hope that once Young Lord Zhen's influence grows, he won't follow in Pill Fire City's footsteps."
"Absolutely not. Glazed Royal City has never had that kind of tradition under the Peacock Great Emperor, and Young Lord Zhen is not that sort of person."
"Mm, as long as Young Lord Zhen keeps being this fair and generous, I'll support Glazed Royal City from now on. I'll never set foot in Pill Fire City."
The rogue cultivators buzzed with discussion, all of them deeply curious about Jiang Chen's acquisition of the Eight-Treasure True Grass.
Jiao Yun repeated the characteristics of the Eight-Treasure True Grass once more before rolling up the first scroll. "The second item for acquisition is a spiritual creature called the Golden-Crown Cloud Crane. This crane bears a golden crown on its head, making it quite distinctive. Anyone who possesses a Golden-Crown Cloud Crane, Young Lord Zhen is also willing to purchase at a high price."
The Golden-Crown Cloud Crane — this name was far less familiar. Not many people knew of it. Even among the few who had heard the name, they knew it as an auspicious spiritual bird whose cultivation level and combat ability were not particularly impressive. However, the flesh and blood of the Golden-Crown Cloud Crane were tremendously nourishing — a sacred healing item for elite powerhouses. It was far more effective than many healing medicines.
However, the Golden-Crown Cloud Crane was exceedingly rare.
"The Golden-Crown Cloud Crane — they say every bit of its flesh and blood is a treasure. It can restore the vital energy of gravely wounded people. It's a rare and sacred healing item."
"Does Young Lord Zhen intend to refine the Golden-Crown Cloud Crane into a sacred healing medicine?"
"Though the Golden-Crown Cloud Crane has excellent healing effects, it can't bring the dead back to life, can it? What sort of divine move is Young Lord Zhen planning with this acquisition?"
Now, every time Jiang Chen announced the acquisition of a new item, everyone scrambled to probe deeper into his motivations, eager to know what astonishing move he had planned this time.
It had to be said — Jiang Chen's reputation for turning stone into gold had already taken deep root in the hearts of the rogue cultivators.
Only the Coiling Dragon Great Emperor and Young Master
Back at that auction in Glazed Royal City, it was under Jiang Chen's suggestion that Young Master Ji San had acquired a Golden-Crown Cloud Crane, which had eventually led to the creation of the Pine and Crane Pill.