Chapter 102: The Immortal Roc and the Blazing Moon

"Master Feng, just tell me what is needed to forge the Heart-to-Heart Connection Aura."

The little bald boy spoke with great bravado. In his determination to marry Danya, he had decided to go all out; he would not hesitate to dip into the treasury left to him by his mother before she left the sect.

"Since you are so sincere in your pursuit of this treasure, little monk, we shall proceed according to the rules of my Nine-Star City." Seeing that the boy had taken the bait completely, Feng Shang suddenly adopted a grave tone. "First, for my old man to forge a Star-Refining treasure, a deposit must be paid. Since you seek one of the ten supreme Star-Refining auras, this deposit must be of the highest caliber."

"Mm-hmm, go on."

"Secondly..."

Feng Shang and the little monk exchanged thoughts through telepathy.

They had become friends through their confrontation. Old Yuan, seeing the two of them whispering excitedly and clearly enjoying their conversation, stroked his beard and smiled. Though he did not know what they were discussing, it appeared that the young master of Nine-Star City and his own young master were already budding friends. Old Yuan felt deeply gratified.

...

"Little monk, I have told you everything you need to know. The most critical component for forging the Heart-to-Heart Connection Aura is a Ten-Direction Ancient Heart. As for the other divine materials, with the resources of your Yuchu Sect, collecting them shouldn't be difficult. Now, let’s discuss the deposit."

Feng Shang waited with practiced ease. With his silver tongue, he had successfully hoodwinked the little monk. He had even fabricated a list of ingredients, instructing the boy to begin scouring the universe for rare, or even unique, divine treasures. Naturally, the list was a mix of truth and lies. The formulas for the ten supreme Star-Refining auras were things Feng Shang had only glimpsed in his youth; in truth, collecting any one of them was as difficult as ascending to heaven. Even for his own "Something-from-Nothing Aura," the Nine-Star City had spent years preparing, exhausting immeasurable divine materials and personally visiting the edges of the universe, stepping into several famous forbidden zones to collect special divine essences.

As for the materials required for the Heart-to-Heart Connection Aura, they were all treasures of the spiritual universe. The conditions for gathering them were impossibly harsh, requiring not just manpower and wealth, but a stroke of luck. Most importantly, Feng Shang had casually invented the "Ten-Direction Ancient Heart." Since no one had ever seen such an item, it was destined that the little monk would never be able to complete the collection.

If the materials could not be gathered, how could he ask the old man to forge the aura? The matter would eventually fade away, while he, Feng Shang, would have already pocketed a substantial deposit.

"Master Feng, I have noted everything down. Name your price for the deposit."

The little monk was deeply convinced and had no suspicions. He even felt that Feng Shang was incredibly professional, providing such detailed instructions. He truly lived up to his upbringing in Nine-Star City.

Feng Shang chuckled inwardly, nearly bursting with laughter. He had not expected the young master of the Yuchu Sect to be so gullible; with just a few words, he had decided to part with his wealth. He was naively adorable. *I’ll let you pay for this lesson today!*

"Not long ago, the Flower Sea asked my old man to forge the 'Heavenly Spirit Reversal Aura.' That aura is not even as good as the Heart-to-Heart Connection, but take a guess at how much the Flower Sea paid?" Feng Shang feigned a mysterious air.

"How much?" the little monk asked.

"Four 'Wishing God Heaven-Startling Feathers,' ten 'Cultivation Spinels,' and a chance to experience the inheritance insights of the Immortal Lord Li!"

Feng Shang did not blush as he spoke, doubling the exaggeration. If the Divine Lords of Flower Sea were to hear this, they would certainly be speechless—they did not even possess the inheritance insights of Immortal Lord Li, let alone offer them to an outsider.

The little monk, however, did not seem particularly surprised.

"Your deposit: two Wishing God Heaven-Startling Feathers and five Cultivation Spinels, or other treasures of equivalent value." Feng Shang, cunning and treacherous, finally revealed his true colors, preparing to fleece him dry.

"Can the entire deposit be paid in Cultivation Spinels?"

The little monk did not know what a Wishing God Heaven-Startling Feather was; he had heard the name vaguely but hadn't paid much attention. He was, however, familiar with Cultivation Spinels, as his mother had once slain a great many masters and plundered countless such spinels.

"That won't do. While Cultivation Spinels are precious, they are also the most common of treasures. I will take at most five; you must use something else for the rest." Feng Shang refused, being intentionally picky. He had plenty of Cultivation Spinels himself; by comparison, he craved unique and rare treasures.

"Hmm, I'll have to think."

The little monk rubbed his chin, pondering which of the treasures his mother had left behind were plentiful or currently unused. *Oh! I have it!*

"Master Feng, what do you think of this?"

With a flick of his hand, the little monk produced a "World God Slip," shimmering with brilliant sacred light. Sixteen sharp lines formed the image of an Immortal Peng, crowned by a blazing moon, looking down upon the universe with disdain. Several dazzling beams of scorching light erupted from the slip, shining brightly into the eyes of everyone present.

"A World God Slip!"

Feng Shang was stunned, and Old Yuan, Qing'er, and the others widened their eyes in shock.

In his urgency, the little monk had forgotten that he and Feng Shang were supposed to be negotiating in secret. He had exposed this precious World God Slip right in front of everyone.

*You little fool!* Feng Shang cursed silently, though his eyes remained burning with greed. World God Slips were powerful and rare; countless people in the human universe sought them in vain. For the sake of a single slip, even a Divine Lord of the Cultivation Realm would risk life and limb in the forbidden zones of the universe.

"I forgot."

The little monk realized his mistake and was suddenly startled. Holding the Immortal Peng Blazing Moon Slip, he didn't know whether to put it away or hand it to Feng Shang.

"Don't panic. Just say you brought it for me to appraise," Feng Shang, quick-witted, immediately devised a plan.

"Young Master, you actually possess a World God Slip?" Old Yuan looked at the little monk in astonishment. Though he was his guardian, he was not entirely clear on the full extent of the boy's assets; the fortune left behind by the previous sect leader remained a mystery.

"An Immortal Peng with a blazing moon, the ultimate light—this must be a great, fierce spirit from the Xuanming Era, right?" Qing'er remarked, not without surprise. This was the fourth World God Slip she had witnessed with her own eyes. The Immortal Peng was a powerful spirit that had long vanished into the river of time; when born, it was accompanied by a blazing moon, covered in 640 million light feathers that formed a map of slaughter. It was extremely close to the laws of light and usually ascended to become a Master upon adulthood.

"I brought this for Master Feng to appraise. Here, Master Feng, take a good look."

The little monk glanced at the crowd and spoke loudly, though his tone betrayed his lack of conviction. Once finished, he impatiently handed the precious Immortal Peng slip to Feng Shang.

Feng Shang had to admire him; the little monk's acting was truly abysmal. Could he be any more melodramatic? With the slip now in his reach, Feng Shang had no choice but to take it, feeling a headache coming on.

"Haha, it really is a World God Slip! You really do have one, little monk. I'm impressed." Feng Shang forced an awkward laugh, leaving the others present looking at him with confusion.

Old Yuan wondered if the two had been boasting to each other about their treasures and prowess; it was not unusual for young people to be competitive. Little Huang and Ying'er frowned, finding Brother Feng Shang a bit strange—why couldn't he stop that awkward laughing? Beyond that, they could sense nothing amiss.

Only Qing'er grasped the situation. Her beautiful eyes widened, shimmering with golden light, in utter disbelief. *Could Brother Feng Shang be trying to swindle someone out of a World God Slip with nothing but empty promises?*

*That is going too far!*