Soul Calendar Year 2639.
It had been eighteen months since Yang Fan began his journey of training outside the clan.
In the blink of an eye, he'd already spent one year and three months in Tian Dou City.
Now, Yang Fan was a Five-Star Dou Zhe!
And that wasn't all.
Months of relentless practice had refined his alchemy skills—he was now a certified Tier-2 Alchemist. Advancing further, however, proved difficult—his current cultivation level and soul strength were simply insufficient.
An alchemist's grade was directly tied to their soul power.
At his current stage, refining even the simplest Tier-3 pill was nearly impossible to control.
Clatter-clatter—!
Yang Fan dumped out all his savings—accumulated over a year and a half from alchemy sales and arena duels.
A staggering 100,000 gold soul coins!
With this fortune, if he returned to the Breaking Clan today, even his grandfather would have to call him "Big Brother."
"Stop gawking!" Yao Lao chided. "Pack up—we're leaving."
As of today, Yang Fan's second phase of practical training had concluded.
Yao Lao had already planned his next stage of cultivation—but first, the master and disciple duo had one more stop to make:
the Tian Dou Auction House.
According to Yang Fan's intel, a ten-thousand-year Blazing Dragon Gallbladder Grass would be auctioned today. He'd waited over two months just for this opportunity.
Soon—
Yang Fan arrived at the auction house.
With 100,000 gold coins and prior experience, he navigated the venue with ease, heading straight for the central hall.
The moment he entered, he was startled—today's crowd was unusually large.
Could they all be here for the Blazing Dragon Gallbladder Grass?
He instinctively patted his storage soul tool, feeling his wallet tremble in fear.
He took a random seat. Within half an hour, the coveted herb was wheeled onto the stage.
This was Yang Fan's first time seeing such a potent Blazing Dragon Gallbladder Grass.
It was a vibrant orange-red plant, over half a meter tall, with a slender stem culminating in a fiery five-petaled crimson flower—like a living flame.
As a ten-thousand-year plant-type soul beast, it had already been reduced to a corpse upon arrival—but its medicinal potency remained fully intact.
"For our esteemed soul masters," the auctioneer announced tersely, "this is a ten-thousand-year Blazing Dragon Gallbladder Grass…"
The staff gave minimal introduction—they knew this item would sell itself. Simply placing it on stage guaranteed demand.
"Starting bid: 20,000 gold soul coins!"
In a world where pills and herbs were undervalued, this was already a sky-high price.
Immediately—
Bidding began.
"21,000!"
"22,000!"
"25,000!"
"…"
Yang Fan's initial strategy was to observe quietly—hide his desperation for the herb.
But he couldn't stay calm for long.
These bastards were all after the Blazing Dragon Gallbladder Grass! In the blink of an eye, the price shot up to 36,000.
Every bid made Yang Fan mentally curse their ancestors.
When the price hit 40,000, bidding stalled…
"41,000!"
Yang Fan's voice cut through the silence.
Auction rules required minimum increments of 1,000 gold coins—otherwise, he wouldn't mind making a scene.
41,000 gold coins—already beyond his budget.
Across the entire continent, few would pay 40,000 gold coins for a single herb.
Just as Yang Fan thought he'd won—a voice shattered the silence.
"42,000!"
Yang Fan whirled around—only to lock eyes with someone glaring right back at him.
Old acquaintances… Huo Wu!
Beside her sat her brother, Huo Wushuang—the same man Yang Fan had crushed a year ago. Next to them sat an elderly man. Their shared fiery red hair clearly marked them as family; the burly elder was likely the siblings' relative.
None wore masks, making them instantly recognizable.
Over the past year, Yang Fan had crossed paths with Huo Wu once more in the arena—and effortlessly defeated her again.
From her expression, she still hadn't connected "Yao Chen" to the mysterious duelist who'd dominated the arena.
"43,000!"
The bidding war had reached fever pitch.
At 40,000, most had dropped out. Now, only Huo Wu stood against him.
"44,000!"
"45,000!"
"50,000!"
Yang Fan's heart pounded—but he coolly called out: "51,000!"
Psychological warfare.
He wanted Huo Wu to believe: Daddy's got money. No matter your bid, this herb is mine.
Just as Huo Wu prepared to counter, the elder grabbed her arm.
"Enough. 50,000 isn't worth it."
That sum could buy other fire-attribute tonics nearly as potent as the Blazing Dragon Gallbladder Grass.
"You little brat—I'll remember you," Huo Wu spat bitterly, forced to swallow her defeat.
Though she couldn't see his face behind the mask, his voice betrayed his youth.
The victorious Yang Fan didn't linger—especially after provoking the Blazing Flame Academy.
He paid 50,000 gold coins, snatched the herb, and vanished immediately.
"Still think you're rich?" Yao Lao teased.
Yang Fan groaned. "Master, why do you always bring up the one thing I don't want to hear?"
He'd worked tirelessly for a year to earn 100,000 gold coins—only to lose half in one go.
Again—the path of Dou Qi cultivation is long and arduous!
But thinking of the grand plans this herb would enable, his frustration faded.
"Master, when do we refine it?"
"Not yet. First—leave the city."
Their next destination: Sunset Forest.
Over the past year, Yang Fan had meticulously deduced Dugu Bo's location.
He'd analyzed the original story: when Tang San was kidnapped, the Golden Iron Triangle chased for a full day before finding Dugu Bo's mountain.
Using this, he calculated their maximum travel distance in one day.
Key insight:
By the "weakest link principle," the group's speed was limited by the slowest member—Yu Xiaogang.
In an emergency, he might have swallowed his pride and let Flender carry or support him—but factoring in their search time, the distance couldn't exceed 600 kilometers.
600 kilometers sounded vast—but drawing a 600-km radius from Tian Dou City, the overlap with Sunset Forest was actually quite small.
And within that zone, locating a massive poison barrier?
Not difficult at all.
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