Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris
The sea beasts that lived in the Nanming Sea looked plain on the outside, but every part of them was a treasure. Their tail fins, scales, bones, and even their tentacles could all be used for artifact forging. Some sea beasts even grew demon cores in their bodies that were worth a fortune, drawing countless cultivators here to search for treasure.

Yu Zhao had a water spiritual root. She was born with no affinity for alchemy or artifact forging. Even to refine her own life-bound magic treasure, she had to go to the Greenwood Sect and borrow an alchemy room.

Because of that, she had very little interest in the walls full of sea beast materials. Even so, she still picked out some of the most popular alchemy ingredients.

After all, she was going to ask Mu Ye for help. It would not be right to show up empty-handed.

The female cultivator from Merfolk Pavilion had thought she could close a big sale on the third floor. She felt a bit disappointed, but did not dare show it on her face. She still kept smiling warmly.

She said with a smile: “Immortal Maiden, if the goods on the third floor are not to your liking, why not go have a look at the fourth floor? The fourth floor sells all kinds of rare treasures produced in the Nanming Sea, such as Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris, Deepsea Azure Essence Stones, Nanming Shell Pearls, and so on.”

“Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris?”

Yu Zhao raised her brows with interest.

Lately, she had felt that the incense blend she was using was not quite enough.

“To the fourth floor.”

The female cultivator was overjoyed and led Yu Zhao and Little Red up to the fourth floor.

If she had to use only one word to describe the fourth floor of Merfolk Pavilion, Yu Zhao would choose:

Glittering.

The luminous pearls that were used as simple lighting and decoration on the first floor were, on the fourth floor, reduced to mere background to set off all kinds of rare treasures. In the glass display cases, those treasures were piled up like mountains.

The pillars that held up the walls were made of seabed crystal with extremely high clarity, refracting gorgeous colors under the sunlight.

Even the carpet under Yu Zhao’s feet was made from the hide of some unknown sea beast. It was soft and thick. Every step she took felt like stepping on clouds.

After Little Red entered the fourth floor, she could not even bear to blink, as if missing even a single glance would be a regret for life.

The female cultivator saw the reactions of Yu Zhao and Little Red and smiled knowingly. She began to introduce the treasures of the fourth floor to them one by one.

Yu Zhao was only interested in Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris, but that did not stop her from listening carefully.

Going out to temper herself was meant to broaden her horizons. Listening more never hurt.

Before long, they reached the glass display stand where the Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris was placed.

Dragon Ambergris was a strange incense in the cultivation world. It was amber in color. When burned, it gave off a sweet fragrance that calmed the mind and steadied the will, and also moved qi and blood.

The piece of Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris in front of Yu Zhao had a deep golden outer layer. It was about as big as a human head. It was a top-grade piece, rarely seen even among Dragon Ambergris.

“May I try the scent of this Dragon Ambergris?” Yu Zhao asked.

The female cultivator’s eyes instantly shone with a burning light. She said: “Of course.”

In business, they were never afraid of people trying things. They were only afraid that no one wanted to try.

If a customer wanted to test the fragrance, it meant she had the desire to buy.

The female cultivator was more than happy. Naturally she would not refuse.

Dragon Ambergris was different from common incense blends. It had special tools for testing the scent.

The female cultivator fetched a small silver spoon and a small silver plate. She gently scraped a thin layer of powder from the Dragon Ambergris with the spoon and placed it on the silver plate.

Then she set the silver plate on top of a lit candle.

After only a few breaths, a strange fragrance spread to every corner of the fourth floor.

“Hm? What is that smell?”

“Fragrant but not cloying, pure but not gaudy. Could it be Dragon Ambergris?”

“Come on, let’s go take a look.”

The customers who had been scattered around the fourth floor all came over when they smelled it.

When they saw Yu Zhao and the other two testing the scent, some of them showed sudden understanding, while others looked full of curiosity.

The powder the female cultivator had scraped off the Dragon Ambergris was not even as big as a fingernail, yet the fragrance it released when burning was strong and long-lasting.

Even after the powder had burned away completely, the air was still filled with the unique smell of Dragon Ambergris, as if it had seeped into their very bones.

Before Yu Zhao could speak, a customer could not help asking impatiently: “How much is this Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris?”

He also had a female cultivator attending to him.

The female cultivator said calmly: “Immortal Elder, this piece of Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris comes from the Nanming Deep Sea. It is extremely rare. The price is five hundred high-grade spirit stones.”

The customer who had asked the question was like someone doused with a basin of cold water. The heat in his eyes cooled at once.

Although Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris was rare, there were not many people who used it. Aside from a small group of fragrance lovers, very few people were willing to spend such a high price on a piece of incense material.

Yu Zhao was not a fragrance lover, but Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris would be very helpful to her when she used illusion art. She did not hesitate for long and asked the female cultivator to take out the Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris so she could bring it away when she left.

The female cultivator had already guessed this might happen when Yu Zhao asked to test the scent. But when Yu Zhao really said she wanted to buy this piece of Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris, the female cultivator still felt a dizzying rush of joy.

The commission from a sale of five hundred high-grade spirit stones was enough for her to live out the rest of her life in comfort, without worrying about food or clothing.

The other female cultivators of Merfolk Pavilion looked at her with envy, secretly hating that they had not met such a generous customer as this senior.

The female cultivator stood there in a daze for quite a while before she finally reacted. She hurriedly apologized to Yu Zhao for spacing out.

After Yu Zhao said she did not mind, the female cultivator quickly took the Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris from the glass display stand and stored it separately.

The one most shocked by Yu Zhao buying the Ten-thousand-year Dragon Ambergris was not the female cultivator from Merfolk Pavilion, but their guide, Little Red.

Five hundred high-grade spirit stones was a number she did not even dare to dream of, yet this senior had spent it without even needing to think.

She was full of envy, yet also had an unspeakable sense of loss.

She was absent-minded the whole way. Only when she found herself back at the entrance of the fourth floor did she suddenly realize that this senior had already walked through the entire floor, while she had missed a lot because she had been distracted.

She bit her lower lip as a strong feeling of regret rose in her heart.

Yu Zhao and the female cultivator did not notice Little Red’s distraction. The female cultivator was introducing the fifth floor to Yu Zhao.

“Immortal Maiden,” she said slowly, “to tell you the truth, there is only one treasure on the fifth floor of Merfolk Pavilion, and it is very expensive. No matter whether you buy it or not, anyone who goes upstairs has to pay a fee of ten high-grade spirit stones.”

After she finished speaking, even she felt that the condition from Merfolk Pavilion was a bit harsh. She slowed her speech, afraid of offending Yu Zhao.

“What is sold on the fifth floor?” Yu Zhao asked curiously.

The female cultivator shook her head and said: “Immortal Maiden, we do not know either.”

A trace of interest flashed in Yu Zhao’s eyes.

Merfolk Pavilion was selling something that even the people of Merfolk Pavilion did not know about?

She decided on the spot to go up and take a look.

She turned to Little Red and said: “You’re coming with me.”

Little Red shook her head wildly and said: “Senior, I’m not going. I’ll wait for you here.”

Just taking one look already cost ten high-grade spirit stones. That was too scary. She did not feel worthy.

The female cultivator also told Yu Zhao that only one person could go up at a time.

Yu Zhao gave up on trying to persuade her. After she paid ten high-grade spirit stones, she went up the stairs to the fifth floor alone.

At the top of the stairs was a closed door. Yu Zhao gently pushed it, and the door opened by itself, revealing a deep, dim passage.

The corners of Yu Zhao’s lips curved slightly as she stepped gracefully into the passage.