Chapter 612: Upgrading the Reward

Lin Xuan squinted at the Phoenix Race’s Elder. ‘If we really fight at the same Cultivation level,’ he thought, ‘my chances of winning would be extremely high. Fighting above my level has always been my specialty. If we were at the same rank, I might not get an instant kill, but it would be very easy.’

“You seem very confident in yourself,” the Phoenix Elder said, sizing him up, her beautiful eyes gleaming. “My Phoenix Race has always been known for its speed. Even if I suppress my Cultivation to your level, that doesn’t mean everything else will be suppressed to the Spirit Pill Stage Layer. My other Realms are still intact, as are the abilities of my Martial Arts…”

“You mean you’re only suppressing your Cultivation, and everything else remains unchanged?” Lin Xuan asked.

‘The principle is actually the same as my Soul Pearl,’ Lin Xuan thought. ‘After a Soul Possession, I gain access to various Realms, mastered Martial Arts, and my control over my surroundings increases dramatically. That’s how I can unleash incredible power even when my Cultivation is relatively low.’

“Yes. My Divine Thought’s Cultivation is at the Void Spirit Stage. Do you still think this is a simple power? If you’d like to increase the difficulty, I don’t mind, but the reward won’t change at all,” the Grand Elder of the Phoenix Race said, covering her mouth with a graceful smile. Despite her charm, her beautiful eyes held a hint of fighting spirit.

Beneath that stunningly beautiful face was a true battle enthusiast.

“I think I’ll pass on that. There’s no increase in the reward. If the reward were to increase, then I might consider it,” Lin Xuan said with a smile.

‘What a ridiculous proposition,’ he thought. ‘Why would I agree to increase the difficulty without an increased reward? That’s just asking for trouble.’

“Are you serious about that?” The Phoenix Elder’s beautiful eyes suddenly lit up as if she had just thought of something.

Lin Xuan was taken aback. ‘Could this Phoenix Elder really be willing to increase the reward? That seems a bit too casual, doesn’t it? But then again, anyone powerful enough to leave behind a Divine Thought must be an extremely formidable Phoenix Elder. They would know a lot and have a lot to give.’

“Of course. Without any reward, where would I find the motivation? What about the Heart of the Fire Phoenix? Could you make that the reward?” Lin Xuan suggested, a bit mischievously, proposing a sensational prize.

“A human like you wants the Heart of the Fire Phoenix?” the Phoenix Elder laughed. “Even if I really gave it to you, you wouldn’t be able to take it. If your bloodline isn’t pure enough, touching it would instantly turn you to ash. I’m not joking. If I didn’t have human friends, I wouldn’t be wasting so much breath on you. I advise you not to touch it, and I mean if you ever encounter one for real.”

“Alright then. In that case, what kind of reward can you offer?” Lin Xuan asked. He was only asking casually; he never really thought she would give him the Heart of the Fire Phoenix—that would be a joke. If it were that easy to obtain, everyone would have already tried.

“There will certainly be a reward, but it will be a personal one from me, unrelated to anything else in the Phoenix Ruins,” the Phoenix Elder said with a smile. “How about this? I’ll give you a few sets of Celestial Level Martial Arts, all of which are quite rare among humans…”

“I’ll pass!” Lin Xuan refused without a moment’s hesitation. “I don’t need those. Can we trade it for something else?”

‘There’s no way I’m taking that stuff. It’s pointless for me,’ he thought. ‘My head is already filled with plenty of Celestial Level Martial Arts. The crucial thing is that they don’t suit me. Having more would be meaningless.’

“If you don’t even want those, then I really don’t know what to give you.” The Phoenix Elder frowned, genuinely unable to think of anything else to offer him. It seemed that aside from human Celestial Level Martial Arts, she had nothing else.

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed as he said, “Oh, there are things. For example, some Phoenix Essence Blood, high-level Martial Arts of the Phoenix Race, or the location of a hidden treasure on Phoenix Island. All of those would be excellent treasures!”

Lin Xuan was truly asking for the moon. Every single reward he mentioned was top-tier, especially asking for the location of a treasure on Phoenix Island. That was just pure greed.

“You humans really are a greedy bunch! People always say you’re greedy, and you still deny it!” The Phoenix Elder showed no sign of displeasure on her face. She was still smiling, completely unfazed by his request.

“I don’t know if they deny it, but I won’t. I am greedy, and I do want these rewards. The only question is whether you can give them,” Lin Xuan said with a smile. “These things would be a great help to me. This isn’t greed; it’s just a desire to become stronger. If I don’t even have that, how can I ever grow more powerful? It’s like if you saw a top-tier Spirit Fruit. Are you telling me you wouldn’t pick it?”

The Phoenix Elder paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, covering her mouth. “I’ve never met someone as shameless as you. But then again, you have a point. Who doesn’t want something better?”

“Let me think… The Phoenix Race’s Martial Arts are impossible to give you; they are forbidden from being taught to outsiders. As for the treasures of Phoenix Island, the Phoenix Race’s treasures are all within the Phoenix Ruins. Whether you can obtain them depends on your own ability.” The Phoenix Elder thought for a moment before finally saying, “That only leaves the Phoenix Essence Blood. I can give you that. As it happens, I have some Phoenix Essence Blood right here!”

With a light wave of her hand, a bottle of Phoenix Essence Blood appeared in mid-air. Lin Xuan focused his gaze and saw that the slightly translucent Jade Bottle was filled to the brim with Phoenix Essence Blood!

“I have a full five drops of Phoenix Essence Blood here, and their Grade is not low. This is Spirit Grade Phoenix blood. King Grade blood can only be obtained from the Heart of the Fire Phoenix.” The Phoenix Elder swirled the bottle in her hand and said with a faint smile, “How about this? For every layer of Cultivation I increase the difficulty by, I’ll reward you with one drop. How does that sound?”

Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up, and he nodded immediately. “That sounds great! Let’s do that!” He quickly agreed, afraid she might have proposed something like increasing her Cultivation by two layers for just one drop of Essence Blood.

“Then how many layers of Cultivation do you want me to increase by?” the Phoenix Elder asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Five layers!” Lin Xuan said without hesitation, holding up his palm.

“Five layers!?” the Phoenix Elder said in astonishment. “Are you sure you want me to increase it by that much? In that case, I’ll be fighting you with the Cultivation of the Peak of Spirit Pill Stage. Are you sure you agree to this?”

“Of course, I agree. Without taking some risks, how can one obtain better rewards?” Lin Xuan said with a smile. “Opportunity and risk go hand in hand, after all!”

“Very well. In that case, I’ll raise my Cultivation to the Peak of the Spirit Pill Stage. If you lose and get burned to a crisp, don’t blame me.” The Phoenix Elder’s eyes held a look of someone about to enjoy a good show, as if she could already see Lin Xuan being roasted like a suckling pig.

“No problem. It’s a deal then. You can’t go back on your word,” Lin Xuan said hurriedly.

“My word, the word of Huo Qingling, is never false. Besides, I am a Grand Elder of the Phoenix Race. Do you think I would lie?” With a light wave of her hand, Huo Qingling made the Jade Bottle disappear. At the same time, she rapidly raised her Cultivation to the Peak of the Spirit Pill Stage, and her aura surged explosively. “Now, we can begin!”

FWOOSH!

Suddenly, the Yulan Sacred Fire erupted from Lin Xuan’s body, and an extreme cold instantly caused the temperature in the space to plummet.

“The… The Yulan Sacred Fire?!” Upon seeing it, Huo Qingling covered her mouth in shock.