When something seems amiss, trouble is usually brewing.
Decisively, Qin Feiyang grabbed a jade box and lifted the lid. As the lid opened, a chilly air surged out. Delight instantly flashed in Qin Feiyang’s eyes.
In the jade box, a peculiar flower lay quietly, the size of a baby’s fist, entirely pure white, appearing as if it were carved from bone.
Isn’t this the Flower of Death?
Meanwhile, the Wolf King’s eyes also lit up, practically drooling.
Who would have thought that such a treasure would be hidden in this treasure vault?
Seeing the look in Qin Feiyang’s and the Wolf King’s eyes, Wang Hong furrowed his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Do you two know what this is?"
Qin Feiyang tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?"
Wang Hong eyed him suspiciously. "I’m one of the guardians of this treasure vault, so of course, I know what treasures are here. Are you telling me *you* don’t recognize the Flower of Death?"
Qin Feiyang paused thoughtfully for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don’t recognize it. Senior, could you explain?"
"You genuinely have no idea?" Wang Hong pressed, looking searchingly at Qin Feiyang.
Qin Feiyang nodded.
Internally, Wang Hong breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. "This is just a common medicinal ingredient. It’s nothing special."
The man and wolf exchanged glances.
The Flower of Death, ordinary? Who are you trying to fool?
Qin Feiyang chuckled. "Senior, if you don’t want me to take this Flower of Death, you can just say so directly. Why bother lying to me?"
"You know about it?" Wang Hong was taken aback.
The Wolf King smirked. "Of course, we do. We obtained one in the Netherworld."
Instantly, Wang Hong felt awkward. Indeed, he didn’t want Qin Feiyang to take the Flower of Death. Because it was so precious, he had tried to trick Qin Feiyang by claiming it was merely an ordinary medicinal plant.
Who would have thought his attempt to be clever would backfire so spectacularly, leaving him in such an embarrassing situation?
Qin Feiyang glanced amusingly at Wang Hong, then casually grabbed another jade box. As he lifted the lid, rays of colorful light shot out.
"Whoa, this is the Jade Crystal Flower!" the Wolf King exclaimed.
"What?" Wang Hong stared blankly at the man and wolf. "You know about the Jade Crystal Flower as well?"
"Is it strange that we know?" the Wolf King casually glanced at him, then picked up another jade box. Opening it, he immediately pursed his lips in disdain.
Inside this jade box was a Blood Ginseng. For others, a Blood Ginseng was an incredibly rare treasure, but to the Wolf King, it was nothing special. He promptly closed the lid and put it back.
But just then, Qin Feiyang suddenly furrowed his brows and extended his hand. "Let me see that."
Previously, when the Wolf King opened the jade box, he too had glanced at the Blood Ginseng but hadn’t paid it much mind. However, as the Wolf King closed the lid, a strange feeling struck him.
This Blood Ginseng... it seems different from ordinary ones.
The Wolf King said disdainfully, "It’s just a Blood Ginseng. What’s so special about it?"
Meanwhile, Wang Hong, standing to the side, was intently staring at Qin Feiyang, a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
"Cut the nonsense." Qin Feiyang rolled his eyes at the Wolf King, stepped forward to take the jade box, opened the lid, and examined the Blood Ginseng carefully.
"Hm?" Suddenly, Qin Feiyang’s eyes narrowed in focus. Then, a look of unrestrained joy spread across his face.
The Blood Ginseng lay quietly in the box, radiating a faint crimson light. At first glance, it looked no different from an ordinary Blood Ginseng. However, upon closer inspection, a stunning discovery could be made: a blood-red pattern on its surface. This pattern was shaped like a tiger.
Furthermore, according to Qin Feiyang’s observations, there were no signs of carving on the Blood Ginseng. This was enough to prove that the tiger-shaped pattern was not man-made but had formed naturally. He was also familiar with this pattern, known as the Tiger-shaped spiritual pattern. Only medicinal herbs that had reached an age of ten thousand years could produce such a pattern!
In other words, the Blood Ginseng before him was a full ten thousand years old!
A ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng! How could he not be excited?
The primary ingredient required to concoct the Small Creation Pill was precisely such ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herbs! He had previously thought these ingredients were nearly impossible to find, yet, to his astonishment, he had found one right here.
Meanwhile, Wang Hong, observing Qin Feiyang’s expression from the side, felt his heart sink.
It’s over. This kid has definitely figured it out. He just couldn’t understand how Qin Feiyang seemed to know everything!
One had to understand that ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herbs were thought to have long vanished from the world. Therefore, very few people today knew their characteristics. Even he himself, when he first saw this Blood Ginseng, had only learned it was a ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng after hearing the Old Master’s explanation.
But Qin Feiyang identified it at a glance. How could this not be utterly unbelievable? Could it be that this kid had seen one before? But that’s impossible! How could a mere country boy like Qin Feiyang have had the chance to encounter such a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herb?
Just as Wang Hong was mired in confusion, Qin Feiyang closed the jade box, turned to him, and said with a laugh, "Senior, I’ll take this Blood Ginseng."
Wang Hong’s face twitched.
The Wolf King, however, grew slightly anxious and sent a voice transmission to Qin Feiyang, "Xiao Qinzi, you’re ignoring the Flower of Death and the Jade Crystal Flower just for this Blood Ginseng? Is there something wrong with your head?"
Qin Feiyang replied via voice transmission, "You wouldn’t understand."
"What does that mean?" the Wolf King pressed, frowning.
Qin Feiyang chuckled in his mind as he transmitted, "This is a ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng. It’s countless times more valuable than the Flower of Death and the Jade Crystal Flower."
"What?!" The Wolf King was stunned. "A ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng?" He stared dumbfounded at the jade box.
Observing Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King exchanging glances, Wang Hong couldn’t help but frown. "Lad, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?"
Qin Feiyang laughed. "Senior, are you planning to try and trick me again? Don’t bother. I want this one."
You damned brat,
Wang Hong grumbled internally, but reluctantly nodded. "Fine then. Since the Old Master has given the word, take it!"
Qin Feiyang smirked, unhesitatingly picked up the iron box, swept his gaze over the other jade boxes, and asked dubiously, "Senior, why are there ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herbs here?"
Wang Hong replied, "They are said to have been left by the first State Office Lord."
"Ah, I see." Qin Feiyang nodded in understanding.
If they were collected by the first State Office Lord, then it wasn’t too surprising. After all, the first State Office Lord and the first Emperor were contemporaries.
"Are there any other ten-thousand-year-old herbs here?" the Wolf King asked, his eyes practically glowing with greed as he scanned the jade boxes on the iron shelves.
Wang Hong’s face darkened immediately. "You’ve already taken the Blood Ginseng! Why are you still asking so many questions?" he snapped.
"I’m just asking! I didn’t say I wanted them. Why be so stingy!" the Wolf King pouted.
"You think *I’m* stingy?" Wang Hong pointed at his own nose, glaring at the Wolf King. But then, his expression changed; he frowned and fell into deep thought.
Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King watched him curiously.
After a moment, Wang Hong looked up at them and said via voice transmission, "If you can agree to one condition, I’ll bend the rules and let you select one more item."
The man and wolf exchanged joyful glances. The Wolf King eagerly transmitted, "What’s the condition? Tell us!"
Wang Hong transmitted, "Give me the elixir formulas for the Potential Elixir and the Nine-Bend Yellow Dragon Pill."
"What?!" the Wolf King exclaimed angrily. "Aren’t you being too greedy?"
Qin Feiyang also wore a furious expression.
The elixir formulas for the Potential Elixir and the Nine-Bend Yellow Dragon Pill... either one could bring endless wealth. Asking for two elixir formulas at once—isn’t he afraid of biting off more than he can chew? Most importantly, this is the State Office’s treasury. Nothing here belongs to any single individual. Even the Old Master, as the State Office Lord, cannot claim these items as his own, because this is the public property of the entire Spirit State. Yet now, Wang Hong is actually using the treasury’s items to make a deal with me? I never expected that the usually upright and honest Wang Hong would harbor such a devious scheme!
Observing Qin Feiyang’s and the Wolf King’s expressions, Wang Hong sighed deeply. "I know, you’re probably thinking I’m a greedy scoundrel."
"Aren’t you?" the Wolf King sneered.
"No," Wang Hong shook his head. "I’m doing this for the Old Master."
"Hm?" Qin Feiyang frowned.
How does this involve the Old Master?
A worried look appeared on Wang Hong’s face. "There are many things you don’t know. One of them is that the Old Master is about to step down."
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"We know about that," Qin Feiyang said.
Wang Hong blinked in surprise. "How did you find out?"
"The previous State Office Lord told us," Qin Feiyang replied.
"I see," Wang Hong muttered. He then asked via voice transmission, "Did she also tell you that after the Old Master steps down, he must go to guard the altar?"
Qin Feiyang nodded.
The Wolf King interjected impatiently, "We know all that. Just tell us directly: what is your purpose in wanting these two elixir formulas?"
"To help the Old Master enter the Imperial Capital," Wang Hong explained via voice transmission. "The Old Master has always wished to live out his remaining years in the Imperial Capital. But do you know? He has to wait until the next generation participating in the Nine States Battle achieves victory before he can enter the Imperial Capital. And frankly, I don’t have much confidence in our chances for the next Nine States Battle."
"That can’t be right. Aren’t there still many outstanding talents in the Inner Hall now?" Qin Feiyang said. "Like Murong Jing, for example. Ten years from now, her achievements will surely be no less than those of Dongfang Wuheng and the others."
"I’ve heard of Murong Jing too," Wang Hong acknowledged. "Her talent in alchemy is excellent, her cultivation talent is also quite good, and she maintains a low profile. She’s a promising seedling. But as far as I know, she only recently broke through to become a Two-star War Emperor. At this rate, do you think she can reach the War Ancestor realm in ten years?"
"What?" Qin Feiyang was stunned. He remembered that he and Murong Jing had entered the Inner Hall at the same time. He was now a One-star War Ancestor, yet Murong Jing had only recently broken through to become a Two-star War Emperor.
Isn’t that a bit too slow?
"Can she be compared to freaks like you lot? Every one of you has opened the Door of Potential," Wang Hong said, rolling his eyes.
Qin Feiyang gave a wry chuckle.
Indeed, by the standards of normal cultivation speed, Murong Jing was already exceptionally talented. It was only when compared to monsters like them that her talent seemed ordinary.
"So, my plan is to nurture them using the Potential Elixir and the Nine-Bend Yellow Dragon Pill," Wang Hong continued with a smile. "With the help of the Potential Elixir and the Nine-Bend Yellow Dragon Pill, our Spirit State will undoubtedly win the Nine States Battle ten years from now. By then, the Old Master will finally be able to fulfill his wish and live out his later years in peace in the Imperial Capital."

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