Chapter 104: Chapter 103: Dance of the Flower Fairy

He went upstairs to the door of the private room and knocked a few times.

"Come in!"

A naturally authoritative voice came from inside.

Slightly curious, Fang Cheng pushed the door open and entered.

The private room was simply and cleanly furnished. A middle-aged man was suspended in mid-air, sitting cross-legged.

Beneath him was a jade mat shimmering with a spiritual light, clearly an extraordinary item.

The man possessed a powerful aura and seemed to have just awoken from meditation.

Fang Cheng could faintly sense that the man’s aura was comparable to Elder Lu Wei’s. He had to be a Life Talisman Realm Cultivator.

It seemed he was an Outer Elder.

"What is it?"

The man sized Fang Cheng up and asked coldly.

Fang Cheng presented a distress talisman. "I’m here to redeem Merit Points."

The man’s gaze fell on the distress talisman. His expression shifted slightly, and with a flick of his hand, he pulled the talisman through the air and into his grasp.

He studied the talisman for a few moments before confirming, "This is indeed one of our sect’s distress talismans. You were the one who rescued them?"

With that, he looked at Fang Cheng, his gaze filled with suspicion and scrutiny.

Only the rich and noble could possess a sect distress talisman. Even if their own strength was lacking, they were sure to have numerous life-saving measures. What kind of danger could force such a person to use their talisman? And how could a mere Sensing Realm cultivator possibly resolve it?

Fang Cheng’s expression remained unchanged. He ignored the man’s question and simply said, "Elder, I am here to redeem Merit Points."

The man glanced at the talisman again before holding out his hand. "Your Identity Token."

Fang Cheng handed over his Identity Token.

The man took out a Jade Ruyi and tapped it lightly on Fang Cheng’s Identity Token. A brilliant spiritual light flared, and a spectral image of the number "10,000" flashed into view.

He handed back the Token and asked, as was customary, "Is there anything you want to trade for?"

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you have any Tier Two Demon Beast flesh and blood?"

Without a word, the man channeled his Magical Power and waved the Jade Ruyi, causing a screen of light to appear.

He formed a hand seal and activated a Secret Technique. Countless characters surged onto the light screen, cascading down like a waterfall of text.

After a moment, the text on the light screen suddenly froze, leaving just over a dozen lines.

The man pointed at the screen. "See for yourself."

Fang Cheng looked up and saw the screen was filled with descriptions of Demon Beast flesh and blood, along with their costs in Merit Points.

One thousand pounds of Tier Two Early Stage Demon Beast flesh and blood: 3,000 Merit Points.

The same weight of Tier Two Mid Stage Demon Beast flesh and blood cost 6,000 Merit Points, while Tier Two Late Stage was 9,000 Merit Points.

Fang Cheng thought for a moment, then said, "Elder, I’ll take one thousand pounds of the Tier Two Late Stage Demon Beast flesh and blood."

The man nodded. "Very well."

With that, he pointed to the wall. A circular Array materialized on the smooth surface, its Array Patterns glowing brightly as they slowly rotated.

「A moment later.」

A block of sapphire-blue ice about ten feet wide emerged from the Array!

Frozen within the ice were three large chunks of unidentifiable Demon Beast flesh, dark red and appearing perfectly fresh.

"Catch," the man said coolly.

With a wave of his wide sleeve, Fang Cheng swept the sapphire-blue ice into his storage bag.

The man swiped Fang Cheng’s Identity Token across the Jade Ruyi, and nine thousand Merit Points instantly vanished from his balance.

"Anything else?"

The man looked up at Fang Cheng, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Fang Cheng’s expression shifted. Looking at his remaining Merit Points, he asked, "Elder, do you have any Stone Meditation Huts?"

The man changed his Spell, and the Jade Ruyi flashed faintly. The text on the light screen began to scroll once more before coming to an abrupt halt, leaving a single line.

"A Tier One Top Grade Stone Meditation Hut, priced at nine hundred seventy Merit Points. Do you want it?" the man asked.

Fang Cheng saw the line as well and nodded. "I’ll take it."

The man nodded. With another point of his finger, the Array on the wall whirred to life again. Soon after, a peculiar palm-sized stone emerged from it.

Fang Cheng accepted the peculiar stone, giving it a brief inspection before storing it away with a satisfied nod.

With his Merit Points now nearly depleted, he promptly took his leave.

The man watched him go, a contemplative look on his face.

...

「The next day.」

The Cave Mansion of Outer Disciple Liu Shiyan.

Carrying a jug of Spirit Wine, Fang Cheng strolled up to the entrance of the Cave Mansion.

Senior Brother Liu’s Cave Mansion was on an island not far from the one Fang Cheng and Chen Yu Yan shared. The journey took less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Today was the full moon celebration for Senior Brother Liu’s daughter. Ye Yan had promised to attend, but unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to make it.

Liu Shiyan and his wife were already waiting at the entrance. When they saw Fang Cheng, they greeted him with wide smiles. Liu Shiyan asked curiously, "Junior Brother, where’s your partner?"

Fang Cheng explained, "She had a family emergency and had to rush home a few days ago."

With that, he presented the Spirit Wine as a gift.

Senior Sister Yang accepted it, and Senior Brother Liu said warmly, "Ah, I see. Junior Brother, please, come in! The banquet is all set."

Accompanied by Senior Brother Liu, Fang Cheng stepped inside the Cave Mansion.

The Cave Mansion had clearly been meticulously decorated. A magnificent banquet was spread across a large table in the center of the main hall. A dozen or so Cultivators of varying temperaments were seated around it. When Fang Cheng entered, they all immediately stood up to greet him.

To his surprise, Chen Yu Yan was among them.

Liu Shiyan introduced them with a smile. "Junior Brother, these are all fellow disciples and good friends of my wife and I."

Aside from Chen Yu Yan, these Outer Disciples all had Late-stage Sensing Cultivation. They had clearly spent many years in the Outer Sect, but it seemed their strength was insufficient to pass the trials for the Inner Sect.

He greeted the crowd with a smile, and at Liu Shiyan’s direction, took the seat of honor at the banquet table. Liu Shiyan and Chen Yu Yan sat on either side of him.

None of the other Outer Disciples seemed surprised by this arrangement, so it appeared Liu Shiyan had briefed them beforehand.