Chapter 209 Raising the price on the spot! Three treasures plus 500,000 lightning attribute spirit crystals?

Shi Potian's signature boisterous laughter echoed from near to far. As he strode out of the hall with a powerful gait, the gazes of the crowd waiting in the courtyard grew increasingly fervent.

Seeing the undisguised, triumphant smile on Shi Potian's face, as if he had just won a great battle,

everyone understood that the War Beast Sect had also successfully secured this Grand Elder Dong Xuan!

Although the specific conditions were unclear,

judging by Shi Potian's smugness—as if he wanted to announce it to the whole world—the price paid was likely exorbitant, and the harvest must have left him extremely satisfied.

For a moment,

the atmosphere in the courtyard became even more tense.

The further back one was in the queue, the more it meant that the prices offered by the previous factions might have already whetted this young Grand Preceptor's appetite, and the price they would have to pay would likely be even greater.

Just as Old Man Huang Mu, holding his vine cane, prepared to step forward, a water-blue figure beside him, as graceful and swift as flowing water, snatched the lead. It was Fairy Liu Lan.

"Old Man Huang, if you'll excuse me."

Fairy Liu Lan's cold voice drifted over. Though it was an apology, her indifferent tone and preemptive move carried a faint hint of being brook no opposition.

She glanced back at Old Man Huang Mu, her eyes, like deep pools, flashing with a trace of the subtle pride and competitiveness inherent to a Hidden Family.

Old Man Huang Mu's footsteps faltered.

The smile on his face froze slightly, and a flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his smiling demeanor, tapping his vine cane on the ground.

He chuckled softly.

"Fairy Liu, please go ahead. This old man is in no hurry."

Despite his words,

the hand gripping the vine cane tightened slightly.

Elder Liu Lan said no more.

She turned and walked into the hall with a graceful posture.

The layer of mist shrouding Tian Jian Peak seemed to offer no resistance to her.

Inside the hall.

Jiang Yun had just put away the Beast-head Token and the Communication Jade Talisman given by Shi Potian. He was savoring the lingering aftertaste of the sudden change in status and wealth when he saw Fairy Liu Lan walk in.

"Elder Dong Xuan."

Fairy Liu Lan nodded slightly as a greeting. Her tone remained cold, but compared to how she treated outsiders, she clearly showed more respect toward Jiang Yun.

"Elder Liu, please take a seat."

Jiang Yun rose and gestured.

Fairy Liu Lan sat down opposite Jiang Yun.

With an elegant posture, she got straight to the point: "Elder Dong Xuan, my Liu Family has not come this time to seek a long-term collaborative honorary position like the Qian Family or the War Beast Sect."

"Oh?"

Jiang Yun's eyes flickered slightly.

If not a collaboration, then what could it be?

Jiang Yun was somewhat expectant.

He was all ears.

"My Liu Family wishes to invite young friend Dong Xuan to our clan to help appraise a... special item."

Fairy Liu Lan's tone was flat,

yet it carried a sense of being difficult to refuse.

"However, regardless of whether the appraisal is ultimately successful or not, the Elder may choose any one treasure from my Liu Family's vault to take away as compensation."

Helping with an appraisal?

Choosing any one treasure as compensation?

Jiang Yun quickly calculated in his heart.

This sounded like a one-time commissioned task, with the reward being a treasure from the Liu Family's vault.

As a Hidden Family, the value of the items in the Liu Family's vault was likely immeasurable.

This condition seemed decent, especially for a newly appointed Grand Preceptor who was starting from scratch; the allure of a top-tier treasure should not be small.

But Jiang Yun keenly captured several key points in Fairy Liu Lan's words.

First,

she directly stated it wasn't a long-term collaboration.

It was a one-time favor.

Second,

the fact that he could take a treasure regardless of success sounded generous, but it also indirectly indicated that the item to be appraised might be extremely troublesome—they were even prepared for the appraisal to fail.

Jiang Yun did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "Elder Liu, forgive this Junior's curiosity. In the provincial capital, besides myself, there are two Senior Grand Preceptors: President Yun Xi and Head of the Qian Family. Why hasn't the Liu Family invited them? With the attainments of those two Seniors, they might have more certainty."

Fairy Liu Lan seemed to have expected this question. A faint, nearly perfect smile appeared on her cold face.

"Elder Dong Xuan is too modest. At the Wanjian Heavenly Altar today, the appraisal talent and insight shown by you, little friend, are already above those of the Head of the Qian Family in my view. As for President Yun Xi..."

She paused, her tone remaining calm.

"President Yun Xi has a special status and oversees the Guild; she likely wouldn't be moved by external objects or easily agree to such private appraisal requests. Moreover, the items in my Liu Family's vault might not be indispensable to the Appraisers Guild."

Her words were very tactful, but Jiang Yun understood.

The meaning was simply: you're better than Qian Guangquan, and since you're just starting out and are poor, you're easier to influence.

As for President Yun Xi, she didn't lack treasures, couldn't be easily invited, and might not be willing to take on such private work.

These words both flattered Jiang Yun

and subtly pointed out Jiang Yun's current situation.

A newly appointed Grand Preceptor.

Lacking Foundation and accumulated resources.

The Liu Family's one-time treasure reward should be very attractive to you.

If it were the Jiang Yun who had just come out of C-City with barely any money in his pocket, he might indeed have been tempted.

But at this moment,

Jiang Yun had just accepted the promise of a hundred billion in shares from the Qian Family and a pre-payment of 2.5 million spirit crystals from the War Beast Sect; his mindset had already undergone a subtle change.

The Liu Family... thought he was young,

and just starting out. Did they want to use an impressive-sounding but potentially controlled offer like 'any choice from the Hidden Family vault' to fool him into taking on a clearly troublesome appraisal task?

Beneath his mask, the corners of Jiang Yun's mouth

curled into a very faint, somewhat cold arc.

Since you think I'm easy to talk to and think I'm poor... then why don't I... be a bit more shameless?

Thus,

a seemingly very easy-going, even slightly naive smile appeared on Jiang Yun's face, and his tone became exceptionally casual.

"Elder Liu is too kind. To be of service to a Hidden Family like the Liu Family is this Junior's honor."

He flattered her first.

Then his tone shifted. It remained casual, but the content began to veer off course.

"However... although I am a newcomer, I also know the weight of the word 'sincerity.' Just now, for a mere honorary title, the Head of the Qian Family brought out ten percent of the Qian Sheng Chamber of Commerce's shares. That's a generous gift worth 120 billion, with monthly dividends of 10 billion."

"Sect Master Shi, in order to invite me to be a Hall Master, also directly pre-paid 2.5 million Attribute Spirit Crystals as a monthly salary deposit."

Jiang Yun counted on his fingers, casually mentioning the prices of the previous two as if enumerating his treasures. Then he looked up, watching Fairy Liu Lan through his mask with eyes that appeared exceptionally sincere, drawing out his words.

"The Liu Family is a great Hidden Family on par with the Huang Family. Your Foundation is surely far beyond what ordinary chambers of commerce or Sects can compare to. This item to be appraised... sounds quite special and important... This compensation, well..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already more than clear.

The price your Liu Family is offering seems a bit... insufficient compared to the previous two.

You are a Hidden Family.

Surely... you aren't stingier than them?

Elder Liu Lan's cold face, which had remained as still as stagnant water, finally showed a clear fluctuation for the first time upon hearing the conditions Jiang Yun casually reported from the Qian Family and the War Beast Sect!

In her eyes, which were like deep pools,

her pupils uncontrollably contracted slightly.

A clear look of shock and disbelief flashed across her face!

Ten percent of the Qian Sheng Chamber of Commerce's shares?

Monthly dividends of 10 billion?!

The War Beast Sect pre-paying 2.5 million Attribute Spirit Crystals as a monthly salary deposit?!

Either of these two conditions

was enough to make any power feel the sting!

Have the Qian Family and the War Beast Sect gone mad?!

To win over a sixteen-year-old Grand Preceptor, they actually paid such a blood-curdling price!

She had originally thought Jiang Yun was young.

Having just been promoted, he should have had great interest and awe toward the mystery of a Hidden Family and the choice of their vault. The temptation of a top-tier treasure should have been enough to move him.

She never expected that those two boors would completely ignore Common sense, using the most simple and crude wealth and resources to instantly raise Jiang Yun's appetite and vision to such a terrifying height!

Now,

the bargaining chip she had prepared—choosing one item from the Hidden Family's vault—likely really did become a symbol of insufficient sincerity or even stinginess in Jiang Yun's eyes!

Thoughts raced through Elder Liu Lan's mind as she sighed inwardly.

She had come in too late after all!

Dong Xuan's market price had already been hyped to the heavens by the previous two families!

She quickly adjusted her mindset.

Knowing her original plan would no longer work,

she barely maintained her composure on her cold face. After a moment of deliberation, she spoke: "Elder Dong Xuan is quite right. It was my Liu Family's lack of consideration. In that case..."

She gritted her teeth and raised the price.

"If the Elder is willing to act, afterward, you may choose three treasures from my Liu Family's vault. How about it?"

Three items!

A direct increase from one to three!

This was already an extremely high price offered by the Liu Family!

She believed

that even the Qian Family's shares and the War Beast Sect's spirit crystals might not completely overwhelm three treasures from the Liu Family's collection in terms of rarity and potential value!

However,

after Jiang Yun finished listening,

he only gave a soft 'oh.' The naive smile on his face remained unchanged, as if he were thinking.

Just as Elder Liu Lan thought this price should be enough to move him, Jiang Yun spoke again. His tone was still that 'I'm very easy-going, but I want this price' style.

"Three treasures... that does sound much more sincere than one."

He rubbed his chin,

as if seriously weighing it.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something,

he said casually,

"However, this Junior has been a bit short on funds lately, especially thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals, which are quite scarce. I see that Elder Liu has an extraordinary bearing, and the Liu Family is a Hidden Family with a long Legacy; your collection must be quite abundant..."

He paused.

Looking at Fairy Liu Lan, he clearly enunciated the latter half of his sentence.

"How about this, Fairy Liu. This Junior can agree to go to the Liu Family to help with the appraisal. As for the conditions... we'll go with what you said, three choices from the vault. In addition, add another five hundred thousand thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals. What do you think?"

"What?!"

This time,

Fairy Liu Lan could no longer maintain her calm. A clearly visible look of shock appeared on her cold face, and she even instinctively cried out in a low voice!

Three treasures weren't enough?!

He also wanted an additional five hundred thousand... thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals?!

thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals were already rarer and more precious than ordinary five elements Attribute Spirit Crystals. A quantity of five hundred thousand, even for a Hidden Family like the Liu Family, was definitely a massive resource expenditure that would cut to the bone!

This wasn't just hiking up the price anymore.

This was simply... a lion opening its massive maw!

Looking at Jiang Yun's 'I'm being very fair' expression, Fairy Liu Lan felt an indescribable, complex emotion toward this sixteen-year-old youth for the first time.

Where was this boy some novice, easily fooled youth?

This was clearly a little fox in sheep's clothing, one who ate people without spitting out the bones!

His appetite was even bigger than Shi Potian's!

The air in the hall

suddenly became somewhat stagnant because of the conditions Jiang Yun had so nonchalantly added.

Jiang Yun leisurely picked up his teacup and took a light sip, waiting for Fairy Liu Lan's answer.

He knew the price he asked was a bit harsh, but this was a negotiation.

Since the other party had a request for him, and he had already proven his value, why couldn't he ask for a high price?

The initiative was now in his hands.