Chapter 16 Scarlet Flame Jade

This chunk of fiery red stone was only the size of a millstone, its surface flickering with a red glow.

At a glance, Yang Ji saw the information displayed: "Fire Cotton Stone, containing Scarlet Flame Jade within. Wearing it on the body keeps one warm in winter and cool in summer, able to nourish the divine sense and strengthen the soul, and can suppress the emergence of Heart Demons to a certain extent."

The brief information thrilled him to madness.

Whether it was for nourishing the divine sense or suppressing Heart Demons, any treasure with just one of these functions could be sold at a high price.

Because the soul is especially important in the later stages of cultivation.

To become a Divinity Transformation from a Nascent Soul True Monarch, one has to transcend the three calamities of Gale, Sun Strike, and Shocking Thunder, which are trials for the Primordial Spirit.

Upon overcoming these trials, one can attain a pureyang Primordial Spirit, beyond the fear of wind and fire, unscathed by thunder.

With the Primordial Spirit leaving the body, one could traverse ten thousand li in an instant, possessing the Great Divine Power of instantaneous movement. When the Dharma Image of Heaven and Earth manifests, one could sit in the courtyard and annihilate enemies thousands of miles away.

Some powerful Nascent Soul True Monarchs, without having to undergo Divinity Transformation, could split their Primordial Spirits in two, achieving an external incarnation just like a Divinity Transformation.

One person would appear in the world to be worshipped, while another would hide in the depths of the Cave Mansion, concealing both talents and fame. One person with two lives, it was truly formidable.

The Nascent Soul True Monarch was rightfully the revered patriarch of a region.

Thus one could see the preciousness of items that nourish the divine sense.

Moreover, the function of suppressing Heart Demons was also extraordinary.

Anyone on the path of cultivation could not avoid Heart Demons.

Cultivating too rapidly could easily breed Heart Demons, as could greed and desires.

Then at such times, how valuable would a treasure capable of suppressing the emergence of Heart Demons be?

All cultivators with a clear mind would undoubtedly understand its value without needing further explanation.

Scarlet Flame Jade!

There was actually a piece of Scarlet Flame Jade contained within the Fire Cotton Stone!

What was that worth?

Five thousand spirit stones?

Or ten thousand spirit stones?

Yang Ji immediately couldn't wait to split the Fire Cotton Stone with his sword and took out the Scarlet Flame Jade.

Looking at the thumb-sized Scarlet Flame Jade in his hand, he felt extremely pleased.

Indeed, sea monsters were no ordinary creatures, worthy of being the lords of the ocean; even their chosen Cave Mansions were treasures troves.

Yang Ji was delighted, and having obtained a piece of Scarlet Flame Jade, he immediately began a thorough search through all the tunnels and the caves connected to them.

However, after searching twice, he still couldn't find a second piece of Scarlet Flame Jade.

But such treasures of heaven and earth were rare by nature; finding even one was a stroke of great fortune.

Yang Ji was fully satisfied and left the cave in high spirits, releasing his Water Boat into the sea and stepping aboard.

He had been out for more than a month.

The gains were substantial.

Yang Ji planned to return to the city and sell all the materials from the demonic beasts.

In exchange for spirit stones, he would embark on his grand alchemy venture.

The Water Boat carried him along smoothly, and by dawn, Yang Ji had arrived at Nanfeng Island.

...

Myriad Treasures Tower.

Jin Dafu was currently looking at the materials piled up before him, clicking his tongue and saying, "Younger Brother Yang actually managed to kill a King Crab at the same level as you, your combat strength is truly formidable."

Indeed, a flicker of admiration crossed his eyes, for those who could slay same-level demonic beasts on their own were extraordinary geniuses.

"Hehe, luck. Elder Jin, please calculate how much these materials are worth in spirit stones," Yang Ji said as he sat in a chair, taking a sip of Spiritual Tea, looking quite content.

"Ordinarily, a Grade Two Demonic Beast is worth two hundred spirit stones, and a Third Grade Demonic Beast is valued at three hundred spirit stones."

"A Level Four Demon Beast, having condensed a Demon Core within its body, is worth double the price, thus six hundred spirit stones. As for a Fifth Grade Demonic Beast, it's one thousand two hundred spirit stones."

"Of course, that's the value of a common Fifth Grade Demonic Beast. This King Crab is definitely worth two thousand spirit stones, not much less than a common sixth-level demonic beast."

"Two thousand spirit stones?" Yang Ji looked indifferently at Jin Dafu. He had roughly estimated the King Crab's value, and two thousand spirit stones were about right. He didn't feel like haggling and thus nodded, "Alright."

"Hmm, additionally, this Arrow-Toothed Demon is more ordinary, worth six hundred spirit stones. As for the other Fire Cotton Stones and Sinkstones, I'll offer fifty spirit stones. Altogether, these materials add up to two thousand six hundred and fifty spirit stones. Younger Brother, how does that sound?" Jin Dafu said with a smile.

"Alright! Also, could Elder Jin please appraise another treasure for me?" Yang Ji said with a mysterious smile.

"Oh? A treasure? What kind of treasure?"

Jin Dafu's curiosity piqued as he saw the smile on Yang Ji's lips and his healthy look.

"Please, Elder Jin, take a look at this and tell me how many spirit stones it's worth."

Yang Ji touched his Storage Bag and pulled out a thumb-sized object, resembling a piece of red agate, smooth and fiery red throughout, a three-inch red glow emanating from its surface, like a burning blood-red flame.

"What is this?"

Upon seeing the object, Jin Dafu's eyes flickered with surprise, quickly hidden away at a startling speed.

If not for the words "Shocked" above his head, Yang Ji almost thought he had undergone no emotional change at all.

Jin Dafu didn't look much at the Scarlet Flame Jade, first casually took a sip of his tea as if he were a lord leisurely rolling up his sleeves, then indifferently took the treasure and began to inspect it with an air of nonchalance.

"Brother, don't be in such a hurry, let me have a look for you!"

He held the Scarlet Flame Jade between two fingers, inspecting it from the left and then from the right, looking extremely focused and serious.

After a long gaze, he finally said without a trace of sound:

"Brother, your eyesight still needs work."

"This is just a chunk of red jade, it's nothing special."

"This kind of red jade is generally born in the submarine magma areas, where the rocks are scorched by high temperatures. Over time, they form this red jade."

"It's actually similar to alchemy, but red jade can't compare to the preciousness of medicine pills, it's abundantly available."

"You're just starting out on your adventures, brother, there's still a lot to learn."

Jin Dafu smiled slightly, paused, and then said,

"Since you've brought it to me, I can't let you walk away for nothing. Ten spirit stones, I'll take it."

Jin Dafu spoke with confidence, and after finishing his words, he took a satisfying sip of spiritual tea, with the words [Comfortable], [In Control], [This is probably worth about five thousand spirit stones], [Big profit] floating above his head.

"Yang Ji, brother, how about it?" He looked at Yang Ji with a smile in his eyes.

You think you can pull a fast one on me, Jin Dafu?

The initiative was now in Yang Ji's hands, and he chuckled inwardly, feeling no rush at all.

He immediately responded with a forced smile:

"Elder Jin, that's not very honest of you. I brought this Scarlet Flame Jade here because I thought you were a straight shooter. How can you say it's red jade?"

This?

This guy actually recognizes the Scarlet Flame Jade? Those are some sharp eyes.

Jin Dafu was inwardly shocked and guiltily shifted his gaze, quietly sizing up Yang Ji.

He then picked up the Scarlet Flame Jade on the table again, examined it closely, and after a while, he confidently said:

"Brother, I won't make a mistake, this truly is red jade. Look at this color, doesn't it just scream 'red jade'?"

"Oh? If Elder Jin's eyesight isn't up to it, then I'll just take the Scarlet Flame Jade to other shops to have a look." With that, Yang Ji prepared to get up.

"Hey, brother, don't rush; please sit down!"

Jin Dafu gestured with his hand, coaxing him to stay with kind words.

He was very surprised inside.

This guy has some connections!

With my countless experiences in treasure identification, it took me quite a while to confirm that this is Scarlet Flame Jade, but this guy was utterly certain from the start; he didn't hedge at all. How does he recognize it?

Jin Dafu gave Yang Ji a glance, feeling somewhat sullen, then picked up the Scarlet Flame Jade again, pretending to inspect it while frowning. Then he suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed:

"Oh my, it really is Scarlet Flame Jade. Look at me, I almost missed it. I was about to let the brother lose hundreds of spirit stones."

Jin Dafu, oh Jin Dafu, such an impeccable act, it would be a waste not to become an actor on Earth; Yang Ji was truly amazed.

Jin Dafu sighed while holding the Scarlet Flame Jade, saying, "It's a pity, indeed a pity!"

"This piece of Scarlet Flame Jade is not mature enough, likely having formed for less than a hundred years. It hasn't absorbed enough heaven and earth essence, and the spiritual energy within the jade is lacking. Although it can nourish the divine sense, the effect is minimal, so it can only be considered as low-grade."

"Had it been one of those pieces that have existed for hundreds of years, a glance would only reveal a mass of burning blood flames, and one wouldn't be able to see its surface at all."

"You only got a faint hint of three inches of red glow from this piece, and its value is just about a thousand spirit stones."

Jin Dafu shook his head with repeated regret.

"I have seen many of this kind of Scarlet Flame Jades in my family; they are worth no less than five thousand spirit stones. Elder Jin, you better not try to cheat me. I came to Myriad Treasures Tower because I wanted to take care of your business."

Yang Ji feigned anger. The reason he didn't take it to other shops was to avoid drawing unwanted envy and trouble.

And at Myriad Treasures Tower, he held the title of Ship Guardian, which was worth far more than tens of thousands of spirit stones.

Jin Dafu was likely still counting on him for the next sea venture; to cheat him would be to harm his own interests, wouldn't it?

Jin Dafu, being the shrewd man he was, knew better than to be shortsighted for such a small amount of spirit stones.

Family?

Seen many?

This youngster... He couldn't possibly come from a significant family, could he?

Jin Dafu's expression flickered slightly, surprised inside. With such discerning eyes, could he actually be from a big family?

Not likely, right? He's so poor.

Yang Ji, of course, noticed what was on his mind.

At this moment, he was capitalizing on his broad knowledge and experience, signaling, "Don't try to fool me, or else next time I have something good, I won't bring it here for trade."

While the Scarlet Flame Jade was a good item, it was indeed lacking in age and too small, as Jin Dafu had said, so the effect on nourishing the divine sense was not significant. Exchanging it for spirit stones was the best option for now.

"Five thousand spirit stones... brother, this puts me in a difficult position," Jin Dafu said, his face showing difficulty.

Seeing that there was not the slightest sign of compromise in Yang Ji's eyes, Jin Dafu felt a bit deflated.

However, Yang Ji's next words brightened his mood significantly.

"Elder brother, you're not the one in a tough spot here, I still need to buy spiritual medicines and a pill furnace."

"Haha, brother, no problem at all," Jin Dafu said upon hearing that, his eyes lighting up as he broke into a wide grin.