Chapter 358: Choosing a Treasure

The instant Li Luo stepped into the Treasure Pool, a brilliant light flared before his eyes, so intense that he couldn't help but close them. After several breaths, when he opened them again, the scene before him had completely changed.

The surroundings seemed like the bottom of a lake, the water crystal clear, and he himself appeared to be enveloped in a bubble of water. Under the bubble's protection, he could walk through the water unharmed.

"So this is the inside of the Treasure Pool?"

Li Luo's gaze was curious as he surveyed his surroundings, and then he saw many glowing fish darting about joyfully. At first he paid them no mind, but when one fish swam past his eyes, he was shocked to see that its body was slightly translucent, and within its belly, a tiny short sword was faintly visible.

The short sword radiated light, with a faintly fierce and violent energy rippling outward. On the sword's hilt, there was a thin white light mark, like a vertical white eye.

"This... this is a treasure?!"

"All these fish in the Treasure Pool are transformed treasures?!" Li Luo's eyes were filled with shock. Although he had long anticipated that the Treasure Pool would hold a great number of treasures, when the schools of fish swam past him up close, it still struck him with an overwhelming sense of awe.

How could the Jinlong Treasure House be this outrageously wealthy?!

Li Luo stood dumbfounded for quite a while before gradually coming back to his senses. With a sigh, compared to a faction of this level, not to mention the Luo Lan Mansion, even the Holy Phoenix Star Academy was probably more than a step behind.

He simply couldn't imagine what terrifying power the so-called main branch of the Jinlong Treasure House actually possessed.

However, these emotions were quickly suppressed by Li Luo. No matter how powerful the Jinlong Treasure House was, it had little to do with him. The most important thing right now was to first find a treasure suited to himself.

Thinking this, Li Luo began to stroll through the lake, occasionally watching fish radiating white light swim past, but he didn't rush to act, instead carefully examining these fish.

After observing for a while, Li Luo discovered that the white light emitted by these fish also varied in intensity. If his guess was correct, fish with strong white light were all upper-grade White-Eye treasures, while those with weaker white light were lower-grade White-Eye.

As for fish radiating golden light... he hadn't seen a single one.

This matched Li Luo's guess—Golden-Eye treasures were rare even within this Treasure Pool.

As Li Luo wandered about, a fish radiating white light drifted past his eyes. He reached out and caught it. The fish didn't struggle, lying quietly in his hand. Within its belly, a shrunken cyan longsword could be seen.

A faint light bloomed within the fish's body, then wove together before Li Luo's eyes, forming a simple passage of text.

"Nine Spirit Sword, lower-grade White-Eye, forged from Nine Spirit Ironwood, can amplify wood-phase power. Exchange price: three hundred and eighty Dao Gold coins."

Li Luo gave it a cursory glance, then released the fish. He wasn't skilled with swordsmanship; dual blades and a great bow suited him better. The two paired together allowed for both close defense and long-range attack.

A moment later, he caught another fish.

"Mystic Mud Armor, upper-grade White-Eye, cast from hundred-times-forged Mystic Mud, tempered through nine-nine fire, indestructible, can counter metal-edge power, but fears water-phase power. Exchange price: six hundred Dao Gold coins."

Li Luo's eyes lit up—an upper-grade White-Eye defensive treasure! With this armor, his defense would surely increase greatly. But unfortunately, what he urgently needed right now was not this kind of defensive item, and the Dao Gold coins he had were far from enough to exchange for it, especially since he still needed to save some Dao Gold coins for the baptism.

So after hesitating for a while, Li Luo could only let it go with regret.

In the following period, Li Luo examined several more White-Eye treasures, among them no lack of eye-catching items, but none were suited to him, so in the end he gave them all up.

The search continued until half an incense stick's time later.

Li Luo finally encountered a treasure that made his heart stir.

"Spirit Mantis Blades, a pair of blades, both lower-grade White-Eye, forged primarily from the dual blades of the Golden Spirit Mantis, unmatched in sharpness, with the power to split metal and shatter stone. The twin blades interlock like a spirit mantis strangling its prey, with terrifying killing power. Exchange price: five hundred and ten Dao Gold coins."

Li Luo gazed at the dark-cyan dual blades within the fish before him, greatly moved. This was exactly the pair of blades he needed, except their price far exceeded that of ordinary lower-grade White-Eyes. Presumably this was because what appeared to be a single item was actually two blades.

He stared at the fish, hesitating for quite a while, then finally gritted his teeth and decided to exchange for it directly.

But just as Li Luo was about to make his move, another fish drifted over, radiating bright white light—at a glance he could tell it was upper-grade White-Eye.

Li Luo looked over curiously, then casually caught it.

But when he looked, he was somewhat disappointed, because within the fish's belly was not a weapon treasure, but a milky-white luminous pearl. The pearl radiated a warm light that soothed the heart and calmed the mind.

A curtain of light emanated from within the fish.

"Holy Light Tranquil Heart Pearl, upper-grade White-Eye, refined from Holy Light Pearls. Held in the mouth, it can emit a Holy Light barrier to shelter the spirit and neutralize many forms of contamination. This is a consumable item. Exchange price: six hundred and thirty Dao Gold coins."

Li Luo's initially disappointed gaze gradually grew solemn as this curtain of light appeared.

"Shelter the spirit, neutralize many forms of contamination..."

Li Luo swallowed. Wouldn't this also work against the will-contamination of the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf?

Wasn't the contamination within the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf's power exactly what troubled him most right now?

Although Lv Qing'er had cultivated the "Frost Heart Mysterious Qi," that still couldn't completely offset the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf's will-contamination. So over the past few days, Li Luo had constantly worried—what if he lost control when unleashing this power?

And now, the appearance of this "Holy Light Tranquil Heart Pearl" finally gave him some assurance.

But trouble arose again—if he chose the "Holy Light Tranquil Heart Pearl," he wouldn't have enough Dao Gold coins left for the "Spirit Mantis Blades."

Right now, he also needed a suitable weapon treasure.

Li Luo's expression shifted, his eyes full of struggle. At this moment he wanted nothing more than to roar at the sky—it's just Dao Gold coins, can't I go on credit first?!

But that was just a thought. Going on credit was clearly impossible—after all, this was the Jinlong Dojo, not the Daxia Jinlong Treasure House. He couldn't exactly discuss it with Yu Yu Hongxi...

So after struggling for quite a while, Li Luo finally made his decision.

He closed his eyes, grabbed the "Holy Light Tranquil Heart Pearl," then without looking again at the "Spirit Mantis Blades" floating before him, his figure shot upward, and he directly chose to exit the Treasure Pool.

Forget it—this blade was not fated to be his. He'd wait until he got back and find someone to specially forge a treasure tailored to him!