111: Befriend Dong Sheng

Dong Sheng rubbed his stubbly chin, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He was clearly calculating the value of a favor from a Third-Rank Alchemist against the loss of twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

A moment later, he slapped his thigh hard, as if he had made a great decision:

"Fine! Junior Brother Lu, you're a straightforward man and a rare Alchemist. I, Dong Sheng, will give you this Face!"

"Then—five thousand Spirit Stones less! Fifteen thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! How about that?"

"This is bleeding me dry for the sake of your status and sincerity, Junior Brother!" He deliberately put on a pained expression, but a hint of testing remained deep in his eyes, wanting to see Lu Yang's bottom line.

Hearing this, Lu Yang felt little joy; instead, his brow furrowed even tighter.

Fifteen thousand Spirit Stones! The price was still a heavy burden. The small fortune in his Storage Pouch couldn't even cover a fraction of it. A look of bitterness couldn't help but show on his Face.

In this moment of desperate anxiety, a spark of inspiration struck Lu Yang's mind like lightning!

He suddenly remembered Dong Sheng's identity—a mission fanatic who made a living by hunting Yao Beasts! What did such a person need most? Powerful means of attack or entrapment!

And what was he now? A newly promoted Fourth-Rank Formation Master! Especially among the Ancient Wonder Formations he had just comprehended, there was a Formation specifically designed to trap powerful living beings!

"Senior Brother Dong," Lu Yang took a deep breath to suppress his excitement. His voice regained its composure and even carried a hint of confidence. "Fifteen thousand Spirit Stones is still an astronomical figure to me."

"However... Senior Brother, you hunt Yao Beasts year-round. You must have a pressing need for powerful entrapment Formations, right?"

Dong Sheng blanked for a moment and nodded subconsciously. "Naturally! High-rank Yao Beasts are cunning and fierce. Having a powerful Formation to help would make things twice as effective with half the effort, and safer too."

Lu Yang smiled slightly and threw out his real bargaining chip: "Then... what if I exchange the method for setting up a peerless Fourth-Rank Formation—the Five Spirits Dragon Entrapment Formation—along with its Formation Plate, for that bottle of Green Flood Dragon Essence Blood in your hand? What do you think, Senior Brother?"

"A Fourth-Rank Formation?! The Five Spirits Dragon Entrapment Formation?!" Dong Sheng's eyes suddenly erupted with terrifying brilliance, and his breath hitched!

His Face was instantly flooded with immense surprise, and he almost jumped up! A Fourth-Rank Formation! This kind of thing was considered a strategic resource even within the Sect, worth far more than twenty thousand Spirit Stones!

Especially since the name sounded so domineering; it was simply a top-tier Sharp Weapon for hunting Yao Beasts!

"Are you serious?! Junior Brother Lu, you... you can produce a Fourth-Rank Formation?!" His voice trembled slightly, filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

"I am serious, of course." Lu Yang nodded calmly, his expression certain.

Dong Sheng forcibly suppressed the joy that was almost overflowing, but soon, a hint of suspicion crept onto his Face. He rubbed his hands together, asking with a merchant's shrewdness:

"Formations are good things... but, Junior Brother, don't blame me for being suspicious. Fourth-Rank Formations are incredibly profound. I, Dong Sheng, am a rough man who only knows how to swing a blade. I know nothing about the Dao of Formations!"

"Even if you give it to me, I won't know how to use it. Wouldn't that be a waste of a heavenly treasure?"

Lu Yang had expected this and replied calmly, "Rest assured, Senior Brother. This Formation is not a single-use talisman, but a reusable Formation Plate."

"Furthermore, if you need to use this Formation to hunt powerful Yao Beasts in the future, just let me know in advance. I will personally be there to activate the Formation and control it to trap the enemy for you! I'll ensure you can successfully take down your target!"

Lu Yang had his own calculations when proposing this plan.

He valued not just the bottle of flood dragon blood before him, but also Dong Sheng, an experienced 'hunter', and the 'Heaven-Severing Mountain' and 'Fallen Dragon Abyss' he had mentioned!

Since those places could produce Third-Rank Peak Green Flood Dragon Essence Blood, there was no guarantee there weren't other flood dragons or even more precious Yao Beasts!

He needed flood dragon blood to Cultivate the Flood Dragon Transformation and Essence Art, and one bottle would likely be far from enough. If he could use this opportunity to establish a connection with Dong Sheng, or even visit the Fallen Dragon Abyss himself... that was the long-term plan!

"Good, good, good!" Hearing this, Dong Sheng had no more reservations. He beamed with joy and shouted his approval repeatedly. "Hahaha! With your words, Junior Brother Lu, and the help of this Fourth-Rank Formation, I... cough, I won't have to worry about those tough Third-Rank Yao Beasts anymore. Maybe I can even try for some Fourth-Rank big guys! Splendid! It's a deal! Exchange!"

Dong Sheng generously handed the Spirit-Locking Cold Jade Bottle toward Lu Yang while holding out his other hand, palm up, his eyes full of expectation:

"Junior Brother Lu, the flood dragon blood is here! And the Formation Plate for the Five Spirits Dragon Entrapment Formation...?"

Looking at the Jade Bottle held out to him, Lu Yang felt a surge of heat in his heart. He reached out to take it, saying, "Thank you, Senior..."

However, just as his hand touched the cold bottle, the words caught in his throat. Formation Plate? Where would he have a ready-made Fourth-Rank Formation Plate right now!

The smile on Lu Yang's Face instantly became stiff and awkward. He sheepishly withdrew his hand and rubbed his nose. "Uh... Senior Brother Dong, to be honest... this Fourth-Rank Formation... the Materials are rare and hard to find. The Formation Plate... still needs a few days to gather the Materials and be meticulously refined..."

The smile on Dong Sheng's Face receded as quickly as a tide. His brow furrowed into the shape of the character ' river', and his eyes suddenly became as sharp as knives. A fierce Evil Qi, honed from years of hunting Yao Beasts, faintly emanated from him:

"Hmm?! Junior Brother Lu, what do you mean by this? Are you playing with me? You want to take my flood dragon blood with nothing but empty words?!"

He sized Lu Yang up, his tone full of doubt. "Besides, you are only at the Foundation Establishment Early-stage. How could you refine a Fourth-Rank Formation? That's simply unthinkable!"

"Even if you really can refine it, you have to refine it first and place the real thing before me for this deal to count, right? How can you take the goods first and deliver later?"