It was early spring, and gentle breezes blew.

Ye Meng's clothes fluttered in the wind. Her face was charming, and her eyes were smiling like pink peach blossoms.

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Ou Yangming's face was expressionless. He swept his long sleeves backward and grabbed the wooden box. He bent his index finger and lifted it up. With a slight force, the wooden box creaked, and the thin lid on it was opened. A magic staff that was bent like a deer's antler lay quietly inside. Its color was slightly yellow, and it was only as thick as a thumb.

He focused and suddenly stared at it.

As he focused, a white light flashed on his palm. This was the Appraisal Light. Immediately, a set of data appeared in his mind.

[Item: Magic Winter Staff]

[Equivalent Rank: Magic Tool, High Grade, Rank One]

[Attributes: Toughness +31, Power +1 (White Silver), Agility +1 (White Silver), Durability 31]

[Skill: Winter Invasion (Releases a layer of cold mist that can freeze the air) At the same time, increases the power of cold-mastery magic arts by 10%]

Ou Yangming had a strange expression on his face. He cleared his throat as if he was in a difficult situation. His throat moved a little, and he wanted to say something but stopped.

Ye Meng was smart. She rolled her eyes and asked with a smile, "Fellow Friend Yu, what do you want to say? Please go ahead. We open our doors for business, after all. Whatever you say or do, as long as it's reasonable, we can discuss it."

"Well, uhm... The quality of this magic staff!" Ou Yangming stammered.

Ye Meng's face lit up as if she "knew" what he was worried about. She responded warmly, "Don't worry, fellow friend. The 10% increase in the power of cold-mastery magic arts can't be faked. Though it sounds exaggerated, it has been verified by the pavilion master, so there's absolutely no mistake." To her, the 10% increment was considered a nature-defying property.

After hearing her response, Ou Yangming's expression became even stranger.

Ye Meng noticed the expression on Ou Yangming's face and looked as if she was trying to be considerate toward him. She explained, "Fellow Friend Yu, this magic staff's properties are strong, and its cost-effectiveness ratio is extremely high. It's rare to see something like this!" She sounded calm, but her voice was vaguely bewitching.

Ou Yangming felt odd. To him, the properties of this magic staff were very poor.

Especially when compared to the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer, they could not be mentioned on equal terms at all. One was a star while the other was a grain of sand.

Nonetheless, Ye Meng sounded like she respected it very much, so this made Ou Yangming feel uncomfortable. A thought crossed his mind, 'Could it be that the quality of magic staff is so poor in the Spiritual Realm?'

The corner of his mouth twitched. He cleared his throat and said oddly, "Attendant Ye, this... This magic staff skill doesn't quite match with the cultivation technique I'm cultivating. Is there anything else?" As he said that, a faint yellow flame emerged from his fingertip.

Ye Meng revealed a regretful expression and replied to him softly, "No wonder you don't like the Magic Winter Staff. It turns out that its properties don't match." She found another explanation that she thought was reasonable.

Ou Yangming really wanted to tell her that it was not the properties that were the problem but the poor quality that did not catch his eye. Even so, when the words were about to reach his mouth, he swallowed them back.

After returning the staff into the wooden box, he carefully handed it to the maidservant.

Ye Meng's sexy lips parted after a moment of silence. She tucked her black hair behind her ear and asked, "Do you think the scenery at the foot of a mountain is the same as the scenery at the top?" When she asked, a hint of confusion flashed deep inside her eyes where one could not see.

"What?" Ou Yangming could not keep up with the thoughts of this beautiful attendant, but he still pondered seriously for a while and answered, "At the foot of a mountain, you can see surging streams, towering mountains, grass and trees bending down; at the top of a mountain, standing high, you can naturally see further, your vision is wider, and you can see more things. You can observe the mountain range that stretches out but when you look up and see the entire sky, the scenery is different."

Ye Meng looked like she had expected this.

It was then when Ou Yangming's calm voice was heard again. "Of course, if one is standing on the top of the mountain while the other is standing at the foot of the mountain, when they look at each other at the same time, they're equally tiny."

His voice was like thunder on a sunny day, and it exploded in Ye Meng's ears.

It made her feel as if the clouds and mists were cleared for her to see the clear sky. Her eyes were bright as she cupped her hands and bowed slightly. She expressed, "Thank you, Fellow Friend Yu, for your explanation!"

Before long, the maidservant brought another wooden box. The wooden box was ancient and had existed for at least hundreds of years. There was a thin crack on it, and it gave off a heavy feeling.

Ye Meng looked at Ou Yangming with a gentler expression. Her life was not a bumpy one, but it was not smooth either. While it was turbulent, she knew people like she knew pills, and she was always accurate. With the help of a noble, she managed to pull through. Nevertheless, the young lady always thought that some people were born to stand on the peak of a mountain and look down on the earth while some could only stand at the foot of a mountain for their whole life no matter how hard they worked. How could one swim and transform into a roc? That was why she raised the question. After hearing the young fellow's answer, she suddenly had an epiphany as if she was enlightened.

Even her smile became gentler as she handed the wooden box over with both hands.

When the wooden box was opened, an ancient aura rippled in the room.

Ou Yangming thought of something, so he sent his mental power directly into the magic staff. His expression became stranger than before, and his eyebrows were knitted together.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Attendant Ye, this magic staff..."

Ye Meng looked like she knew what he meant again. She introduced, "Brother Yu, this magic staff is called the Blazing Fire Cold Cicada. It has the word "cold" in its name, but its property is fire. The increase in magic arts has only reached 8%, but it's still rare. The key is that its quality has already reached a magic tool of High Grade Rank Five. Brother Yu, you can't miss it!" It was obvious that she had regarded Ou Yangming as a friend who she could become friends with.

Ou Yangming held his chin and shook his head. "Attendant Ye, the properties are still not quite to my liking. Is there a staff that could increase the power of magic arts by more than 20%?"

After hearing what he said, Ye Meng was speechless. There was only one thought left in her mind.

'Did he come here to taunt me on purpose? Increase the power of magic arts by 20%? And more? How's this possible?'

Ye Meng stared at Ou Yangming's face and tried to understand his thoughts. His face was clean without any stubble. He looked 70% sincere and 30% doubtful as if he really wanted to buy such a staff.

After staring at him for a while, she was discouraged.

She smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Yu, a 20% increase in the power of magic arts is incredibly rare in the entire Spiritual Realm. Though the Seven Stars Sect is the greatest sect in Zhangzhou, a treasure of such a level can't be found here."

Only then did Ou Yangming understand how precious the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer was.

Previously, he had thought that the 50% increase in magic arts' powers was just an additional property. It was only after seeing the 2 staff and hearing Ye Meng's answer that he understood that he was wrong—very wrong. At the same time, a strong evil interest arose in his heart. 'If Ye Meng knows that the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer that I refined could increase the power of magic arts by 50%, what would she think? She'd probably be so shocked that she won't even be able to speak.'

Despite that, Ou Yangming was only thinking about it. He smiled and asked, "Attendant Ye, how many contribution points does this Blazing Fire Cold Cicada cost?"

"10,000 contribution points. I'll take the liberty to give you a 10% discount. Any less and I won't be able to give you an offer." Ye Meng's expression was sincere. Being able to give a 10% discount was indeed her limit.

"Thank you, Attendant Ye." Ou Yangming cupped his hands slightly, but he was secretly calculating in his heart. The 10,000 contribution points were equivalent to the value of a white Volcanic Ore. He rubbed his chin with his fingers and wondered for a while before he asked, "Then how much do I need to pay with spirit ores?"

Ye Meng calculated in her head for a moment before she answered, "200,000 spirit ores!" The price was not cheap at all as it was already more than a quarter of the price of a middle-rank flying carpet.

Ou Yangming nodded but did not say anything. With a flip of his wrist, he took out many precious spiritual herbs from his interspatial bag and asked, "I heard from Brother Ling that we can barter here?"

"Yes!" Ye Meng nodded lightly. She quickly accepted the spiritual herbs and began to calculate.

These spiritual herbs were picked from the secret realm that Xu Junqing had set up. The ones that were at least 1,000 years old were exceptionally valuable.

After about 15 minutes, everything was settled.

Ou Yangming placed the Blazing Fire Cold Cicada into the wooden box and gently put it into his interspatial bag.

He took the stairs and returned to the hall.

Ling Yue and Guan Yue were in the midst of a passionate love affair. As long as they had each other, they would not feel bored no matter how long they waited.

When Ou Yangming walked down, they were strolling around the hall. When they saw him, they quickly walked over and smiled. "Brother Yu, have you gotten it?"

"Yes." Ou Yangming nodded lightly and raised his hand to make a victory gesture.

Guan Yue was like a cat that had been piqued of curiosity. She lowered her voice and said, "I haven't seen such a thing yet!" The thing she was talking about was naturally a staff.

"When we go back, you can look at it for as long as you want." Ou Yangming laughed in surprise.

"Really?" She blinked her eyes, looking very adorable.

Ling Yue just watched with a smile, his eyes full of admiration. He was fascinated by the playfulness of a young girl like Guan Yue.

"Hurry up and go back. Let's celebrate the victory of Brother Yu getting a spot to enter the Big Ruins," Guan Yue said loudly. Seeing that someone was looking over, she quickly covered her mouth and looked around twice, urging the others to hurry up and leave.

After the 2 of them left, Ye Meng in the private room on the second floor...

She brushed her chin with her fingers and thought, 'What an interesting person. Those who could obtain a slot to enter the Big Ruins were not simple people.

'Besides, he's a caster, and yet he doesn't have the common sense of one. What kind of person are you exactly?'

She was like a curious fox, and she wanted to go and investigate.

When Ou Yangming and his companions returned to Ultimate Sword Peak, it was already evening. The early spring sun was warm and not hot.

Ou Yangming took out the Blazing Fire Cold Cicada and examined it carefully.

The staff was only a meter long, and it curved like a deer's antlers. 3 grey cracks crisscrossed and spread especially at the top of the staff. A walnut-sized spirit beast core was embedded in the staff. Ou Yangming was not very satisfied with the properties, but he was still pleased with the overall craftsmanship of the staff.

With a flash of thought, golden mental power surged into the staff like a tide. Ou Yangming observed the structure of the staff. After understanding it, he could then smith one himself. The Blood Spear Dragon Slayer could cast spells but to be honest, he was also confused as to why that was the case.

This was his main purpose of buying a staff—to secretly learn from the blacksmith who refined it!