23: Showdown

The second time Lu Yuan stepped into the City Lord's Mansion, his state of mind was completely different.

The mansion remained majestic and solemn, and the sandalwood scent in the air seemed even more concentrated than last time.

The armored guards on both sides of the long corridor had gazes like cast iron, locking onto his every move.

But this pressure could no longer shake his mind in the slightest.

He was not a prisoner.

He was here to negotiate.

A trader holding the secret life of the other party.

Inside the great hall, only Chen Changqing was present.

He sat at the head of the table, the tea in front of him exuding coolness, clearly having waited for a long time.

Seeing Lu Yuan enter, he did not even lift his eyelids, his gaze scrutinizing and impatient.

"Where is it?"

His voice was not loud, yet it made the hall's pillars hum, the majesty of a Golden Core Cultivator fully displayed.

Lu Yuan stopped in the center of the hall.

He did not follow the other party's script; he did not immediately pull out the manual of the Dao of Alchemy.

"Family Head Chen."

He bowed slightly, his posture low enough, but his tone was steady and unruffled.

"Junior has found the manual."

"But before handing it over, Junior would like to discuss an investment with Family Head."

Investment.

These two words made Chen Changqing's action of raising his teacup freeze in mid-air.

He slowly put down the teacup.

The bottom of the cup made a dull 'thud' as it touched the zitan wood table.

The temperature of the entire hall seemed to plummet to freezing point with that sound.

"Bargaining?"

Chen Changqing's eyes completely turned cold.

An invisible Spiritual Pressure surged out from his body, the air was squeezed, letting out a groan of unbearable burden, pressing down on Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan felt his bones creaking.

But the expression on his face showed no change.

His breathing remained at that steady frequency.

"Junior will exchange this manual for the Improvement direction of the subsequent three layers of the Chen family's Fierce Sun True Art."

Boom!

Furious killing intent filled every corner of the hall.

The table, the floor, the pillars, a visible layer of white frost was rapidly spreading.

"You are coveting my Chen family's fundamental Cultivation Technique?"

Chen Changqing's voice.

"You seek death."

The Spiritual Pressure had already materialized into a sharp blade, pressing against Lu Yuan's glabella.

He only needed a thought to make this Qi Refining Cultivator, who did not know his place, perish body and soul.

Lu Yuan, enduring this pressure capable of tearing apart one's Divine Soul, spoke calmly.

His voice was not loud, yet it pierced through this sea of killing intent.

"Junior is merely stating a fact."

"liu xuan's manual of the dao of alchemy records a Pill Formula regarding a 'foreign species fire toxin'."

"This toxin is formless and shapeless, deeply rooted in the Meridians and Dantian, and every full moon, a fierce fire burns the heart, incinerating the Dao foundation."

He paused, then looked directly at the other party.

"And this Pill Formula is the... only antidote to counter the hidden injuries in the body of a Fierce Sun True Art Cultivator."

As his words fell.

The overwhelming killing intent suddenly receded.

The fury on Chen Changqing's face froze.

Then, it shattered inch by inch.

In its place was extreme shock, an undisguised horror.

The Dao injury within his body was precisely this 'foreign species fire toxin'.

His greatest secret in this life.

A secret that absolutely no one else knew.

Yet, at this moment, it was so casually revealed by a Junior in the Qi Refinement Stage, right in front of him.

Inside the hall, there was a dead silence.

He took out the yellowed liu xuan's manual of the dao of alchemy from his Storage Pouch and offered it with both hands.

"Junior is merely an information merchant."

"I have no interest in the Cultivation Technique itself, only in the principle of 'equivalent exchange'."

"The value of this manual is enough to exchange for what Junior desires."

He adopted a very low posture, but his words were incredibly sharp, giving the other party an irresistible step down.

Chen Changqing stared at Lu Yuan.

Deep within his turbid eyes, colossal waves surged.

He couldn't understand.

He racked his brains but couldn't figure out how the other party had seen through his foundation.

Heavenly Secret Pavilion... was this the power of that mysterious organization?

After a long while.

Chen Changqing reached out and took the manual.

His movements were very slow, that thin booklet.

He did not mention the Cultivation Technique Improve again.

Instead, he took out a Storage Pouch from his bosom and threw it to Lu Yuan.

"The items inside are enough for you to Foundation Establishment."

He paused, then looked deeply at Lu Yuan, enunciating each word heavily.

"Also..."

"I, Chen Changqing, owe you a favor."

Lu Yuan took the Storage Pouch and swept it with his Divine Sense; the mountain of Spirit Stones and rare Materials made his heart skip a beat.

He calmly put it away and bowed again.

"Thank you, Family Head Chen."

The first step of the test was completed.

The reward far exceeded expectations, and it came with a favor from a Golden Core Cultivator.

Of course, he also knew that the fundamental flaw of the Fierce Sun True Art was still tightly guarded by this old fox.

The other party had only temporarily sealed his mouth with heavy profit and a favor.

However, it didn't matter.

The crack for the transaction had been opened.

The bargaining chip was in hand.

Next, the initiative in this transaction would completely change hands.