Chapter 217: Choosing an Egg

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Choosing an Egg

Just then, the eggshell finally cracked open, and a small beast with fur like crimson flames burst forth.

Upon seeing it, the stall owner immediately cried out in surprise.

"It’s a Red Jade Ape! That’s a Tier Two Spirit Beast! Heavens, I’ve hit the jackpot!"

Jiang Xu remembered that the books Shen Ji had given him included a Demon and Spirit Beasts Encyclopedia, so he promptly pulled the book from his Storage Bag. After searching for a moment, he found its description:

[Red Jade Ape: A Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Beast. It is cloaked in fur with a crimson glow, shimmering as if forged from solidified, scorching lava, its entire body radiating the warm hue of red jade. Its disposition is both agile and courageous. It can manipulate the Power of the Fire Element, excels at wielding flames, is resistant to heat and fire, and is naturally drawn to sources of fire.

It has a docile temperament, readily bonds with humans, and is of great benefit to Artifact Refiners and Alchemists. The pure Power of the Fire Element contained within its body has immense utility, whether used to augment the power of Magical Artifacts during refining, or extracted into elixirs to aid a Cultivator’s Cultivation.

Furthermore, due to its unique constitution, its essence blood, bones, and fur can all be used in Alchemy and Artifact Refining. The resulting treasures are not only of superior quality but are also imbued with additional Fire Attribute properties. For this reason, it is eagerly sought by countless Artifact Refining and Alchemy Sects.]

The surrounding Cultivators stared wide-eyed at the small beast.

The small beast that had just hatched from the Spirit Beast Egg was a Fire Attribute Spirit Beast known as a Red Jade Ape.

It was petite, only about the size of an adult’s palm. Its fur was as dazzling as a ruby, shimmering with a crystalline luster that was especially eye-catching in the darkness.

Its form was light and agile, its limbs slender yet powerful, and its short, flexible tail resembled a fiery whip.

The little Red Jade Ape’s eyes were as bright as stars, its pupils a fiery red, as if two burning flames flickered within.

Upon hatching, the little Red Jade Ape emanated an intense yet gentle Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi. This energy formed a faint halo around it, causing the ambient temperature to seemingly rise by a few degrees.

Although newly born, it displayed a vitality far beyond that of an ordinary newborn beast. It stood up quickly after hatching, its eyes filled with a lively and curious light.

The little Red Jade Ape still had fragments of its shell clinging to its body. It appeared extremely alert, and the moment it saw the bidder, it perked up and scurried affectionately onto his shoulder.

A look of delight instantly spread across the bidder’s face; clearly, he was very pleased with this transaction.

A Tier Two Spirit Beast sells for far more than a Demon Beast of the same rank. After all, they are highly intelligent, attuned to humans, and very obedient. Moreover, this was a primate-type Spirit Beast, which, upon reaching maturity, could possess intelligence comparable to an adult human.

Even an ordinary Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Beast cub could sell for two thousand Spirit Stones, to say nothing of a Tier Two Middle Grade primate Spirit Beast like this—someone would willingly pay five thousand Spirit Stones for it.

Although it wasn’t a Tier Three Spirit Beast, a Tier Two Spirit Beast was perhaps better for him. A Tier Three Spirit Beast would likely attract disaster.

Meanwhile, the man who had gambled on the egg looked at the one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones in his hand, then at the Tier Two Fire Attribute Spirit Beast that had already accepted another master, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

He knew he had missed the chance to earn far more Spirit Stones, but he had also avoided the corresponding risk.

If the Spirit Beast Egg had hatched a mere Tier One Spirit Beast, or even a Tier One Lower Grade Demon Beast, it might not have been worth even a few dozen Spirit Stones.

At least he had made a clean profit of two hundred Spirit Stones. It was a small gain, but a gain nonetheless.

’Earning Spirit Stones is so difficult these days. It’s a struggle just to get enough for my regular Cultivation, let alone save any up.’

When the surrounding Cultivators saw that a Tier Two Middle Grade Red Jade Ape had been hatched for only one thousand Spirit Stones, their eyes went red with jealousy. They swarmed the stall, all of them starting to pick out eggs, hoping to strike it rich.

Tempers even flared between some Cultivators who had set their sights on the same egg, and they looked ready to come to blows.

Humans were just like that.

They only saw how much money others made, only saw how glamorous others appeared on the surface.

When others gambled away millions and were driven to jump off a building, some of them felt sympathy, while others treated it as a joke. But they never believed they could be so unlucky themselves. They always thought they were the chosen ones, different from everyone else, utterly self-conceited.

Only when they were hopelessly addicted, had gambled away their entire fortune, and were buried under a mountain of debt, did they finally realize how ignorant and foolish they had been.

One by one, Spirit Beast Eggs, Demon Beast Eggs, and Spiritual Insect Eggs were placed upon the altar.

The stall owner, busier than ever, began inducing the hatchings on the altar, clearly enjoying himself.

Watching the stall owner’s bustling activity, Jiang Xu got a strange feeling.

’That first Red Jade Ape egg was probably a plant,’ he thought. ’Even the gambler and the two bidders were likely shills arranged by the stall owner.’

’The whole point was to ignite the atmosphere at this gambling stall.’

’Once people get swept up in the heat of the moment, they do irrational things. Cultivators are still human, not disciples of the Buddhist Sect; they can’t escape their passions and desires.’

’Even among disciples of the Buddhist Sect, aside from the Buddhas themselves with their profound Dharma, no one could guarantee they had completely shed all worldly passions.’

But even though Jiang Xu understood all this, he still found himself at the stall, examining the colorful eggs.

He understood the ploy, but he was also curious and wanted to try his luck.

His Divine Sense couldn’t penetrate the eggs, but his Spiritual Eye Technique allowed him to see a little. Even if he couldn’t discern the magnitude of the Spiritual Qi fluctuations or judge the Bloodline Level of the creature inside, he could still make out its attribute.

Jiang Xu planned to pick a Wood Attribute Spirit Beast. He already had the Spirit-Devouring Insect, so he didn’t have high requirements for a Spirit Beast’s combat power. He was simply curious to see if a contracted Spirit Beast would have any direct synergy with his Cangmu Skill.

Although Jiang Xu suspected there was no connection between the two, it was always worth a try.

Among the dozens of assorted beast eggs, Jiang Xu didn’t find many with the Wood Attribute.

He checked them one by one and found their prices were all high, with a single one costing a thousand Spirit Stones or more.

The eggs were also sorted into different grades and price ranges.

The smoother the egg’s surface, the more vibrant and complex its patterns, and the larger its size, the higher the price.

Conversely, those with rough surfaces, simple and sparse patterns, and a small size had lower prices.

’It seems even an egg has to be good-looking to be popular,’ he mused.

After searching for a long time, Jiang Xu finally managed to pick out a Wood Attribute Spirit Beast egg.

However, when others saw the egg Jiang Xu had chosen, they couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

There was no other reason for it: the egg Jiang Xu was holding was just that ugly.

Who knew what corner of the stall Jiang Xu had found it in.

One didn’t expect a perfectly smooth surface, but it shouldn’t be so pitted and bumpy. It looked utterly pathetic.

And forget about patterns—its surface was completely pockmarked!