Chapter 18: Truly a Perfect Match

Luo Yao hurriedly carried Fang Qingyan away, while Zhao Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, rose from the ground, looked resentfully at Luo Yao's departing figure, and then carried Zhao Lili away as well.

The onlookers finished gawking but did not leave; instead, they continued to discuss the matter.

"Tell me, is that Elder Gongsun the same one who brought Luo Yao back before..."

"It seems so, but why did he refuse to take Luo Yao as a disciple back then, yet accept her as a disciple now?"

"Perhaps it was because her talent was poor back then, so..."

"Her talent was poor back then, isn't it the same now? Talent is destined; how could it change..."

"True!"

She happened to be lacking a Defense Weapon and a Flying Sword, so Luo Yao decisively refined these two treasures.

Only then did the crowd realize that they had bet on Luo Yao to lose just now; seeing the situation now, it seemed Luo Yao had won, so hadn't their Spirit Stones been wasted?

It must be remembered that when Elder Gongsun brought her back from outside back then, Luo Yao had already tried to become his disciple but was rejected, as he said her aptitude was insufficient and she was unqualified to be his disciple.

Anyway, regardless of the situation, having a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator as a patron now meant she didn't need to live in constant fear day and night, and she also didn't need to worry about Zhao Yang's retaliation for the time being.

Speaking of Zhao Yang, she thought of the Storage Bag in her hand.

"Heavenly Spirit Fruit, Purple Jade Ganoderma..."

"Could it be that she has already consumed them all?"

"Laugh your ass off!"

Additionally, there was a Defense Magical Treasure, also a Superior Mortal Artifact.

This Weapon was forged from Ice Silkworm Silk, which was exactly what Luo Yao needed to refine her Dharma Treasure.

Obviously, Luo Yao's guess was correct; Zhao Lili did not believe she would lose at all, and she also did not want to give Luo Yao a bargain, so she decisively consumed the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

It must be known that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage was so difficult not only because of talent but also because of external forces.

"This is... a Marrow Cleansing Pill?"

Luo Yao was stunned for a moment, and then she was overjoyed.

She didn't know if Zhao Yang had two pills or if he hadn't given one to Zhao Lili at all; anyway, now it was her lucky break.

Additionally, the Marrow Cleansing Pill that Luo Yao wanted seemed not to have been found.

With the Marrow Cleansing Pill, her strength could advance a bit further.

Never mind; it saved her over a hundred Spirit Stones.

It was just that Elder Gongsun suddenly taking her as a disciple made her uneasy.

Furthermore, there were quite a few Talisman Papers. These, in Luo Yao's eyes, could not stir any waves within her.

"What nonsense!" someone said discontentedly, "She was already at Qi Refining Stage 5 when she was eight years old, and she could even withstand a move from someone at Qi Refining Stage 10 without injury, while we are over twenty years old and only..."

More importantly, there was actually a Weapon called "Heavenly Net".

Although the Marrow Cleansing Pill could not change talent, it could remove impurities from the body and cleanse the marrow.

"By the way, how much did you lose?"

Finally, Luo Yao actually found a Marrow Cleansing Pill in Zhao Yang's possession.

These were all Spirit Herbs needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"You really know how to bring up the one thing that hurts, don't you?"

But the Foundation Establishment Pill required over a thousand kinds of Spirit Herbs; although most were easy to find, a small portion was extremely rare.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect her to have such incredible luck, being taken as a disciple by a Foundation Establishment Stage Elder!"

Like precious Healing Pills, Pills that restore Qi, and Pills for cultivation in the late Qi Refining stage, these added up to ten bottles, and now they were Luo Yao's lucky break.

The crowd immediately showed expressions of sympathy; what a ruthless person! They themselves had only lost one or two Spirit Stones, while that person had lost everything; thinking this way, everyone's mood improved considerably.

The crowd was extremely envious; now that she had a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator as a patron, wasn't her future boundless?

Moreover, even if Zhao Yang wanted to avenge Zhao Lili, he would have to weigh the consequences.

If not for these two Superior Mortal Artifacts, how could Zhao Lili have lasted so long? If she had been holding them, facing Zhao Yang, perhaps she would not have been so powerless.

"This is..."

And this one from Zhao Yang was what her cheap master had snatched.

One snatched the younger sister's Storage Bag, and the other snatched the older brother's Storage Bag.

Luo Yao first opened Zhao Lili's Storage Bag; the first things that caught her eye were those two Superior Mortal Artifacts.

After putting away the Marrow Cleansing Pill, Luo Yao looked to the side; there were some artifact-refining materials, including Beast bones and wings, which could be said to be very precious.

Therefore, the Xuanyuan Sect only produced two or three Foundation Establishment Pills every year.

"I've made a profit!"

They originally thought Luo Yao was trash, but now looking at it, the trash was actually them.

That person was crying with a sorrowful face, "I just wanted some comfort; after all, I bet five Spirit Stones, and they're all gone; my entire fortune is gone, wuwuwu!"

However, fortunately, she still had her Golden Finger; becoming stronger was just a matter of time.

She suppressed her excitement and continued to check.

It was a pity there was only one; otherwise, she could have given it to Yan Jie.

Luo Yao knew nothing of the farce that followed; after arriving at her Cave Abode and confirming that Fang Qingyan was not seriously injured, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to recall the previous battle.

"Sigh!"

Previously, Elder Gongsun in her impression had a cold face but a kind heart, but now, although it was still clear that his face remained cold, there was a hint of indifference within the coldness; she didn't know if it was her illusion.

Disappointed, Luo Yao could only look at Zhao Yang's Storage Bag; Zhao Yang was at Qi Refining Stage 10, so she didn't know what good things he might have.

It could be said that these two Weapons were the most expensive items on Zhao Lili's person.

Zhao Lili's Storage Bag was what she managed to snatch off when Zhao Yang knocked her flying.

Suddenly, a voice rang out at an untimely moment.

Beside them, there were still some people who had bet on Luo Yao to win, and now they burst into laughter, clearly very happy.

But now, it was hers.

Two Storage Bags — one was Zhao Lili's, the other was Zhao Yang's.

As a result, the Pill she had wanted was nowhere to be found.

After pouring them out, Luo Yao was somewhat surprised. Setting aside technique Jade Slips and the like, now that Luo Yao had the Nine Nether Departing Water Art, she looked down on all other techniques.

Speaking of which, her strength was still not enough.

Otherwise, facing Zhao Yang, she wouldn't have been so helpless.

Counting it up, Luo Yao alone had obtained a full four Superior Mortal Artifacts, not to mention the rest. All in all, although this Life and Death Duel had nearly killed her, the harvest was enormous.

The crowd immediately glared furiously at the person who had just spoken.

Otherwise, she couldn't possibly have broken through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer relying solely on the Frost Condensing Pill.

After that, she began continuing to sort through the contents of the Storage Bags. There weren't many things on Zhao Lili — four or five Spirit Stones, a few bottles of ordinary Pills, and some Jade Slips.

If aided by a Foundation Establishment Pill, the breakthrough rate would reach at least seventy to eighty percent.

One was a ring — an offensive Dharma Treasure. Although it wasn't a Superior Mortal Artifact, it was a Middle-grade Magical Artifact.

Seeming to sense the atmosphere was off, someone quickly changed the subject.

"However, I heard that the year Elder Gongsun brought Luo Yao back, he entered closed-door cultivation to charge at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and it looks like he succeeded now."

But they were almost always bestowed upon those with great contributions to the sect, or even obtained by the sect's Elders. Ordinary disciples had no way of getting them at all, so they could only collect Spirit Herbs themselves and ask the sect's Elders to help refine them.

The moment they thought of this, the crowd's hearts ached. They had sold everything they had to scrape together Spirit Stones, planning to make a fortune, but who would have known…

Speaking of which, their masters really were "well-matched."

Many people sighed one after another, deeply regretting that the one favored by a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator wasn't themselves.

The reward for her duel with Zhao Lili was a Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Additionally, the Pills on Zhao Yang were not only numerous in quantity, but varied in type.

To be honest, perhaps because it had been a long time since she'd seen him, Luo Yao always felt that the current Elder Gongsun made people very uncomfortable.

However, this laughter immediately enraged those who had lost money, and they swarmed forward at once.

Sure enough, good moods could be transferred.

But now…

However, a few Dharma Treasures made Luo Yao's eyes light up.

"Hahaha!"

The moment these words came out, the crowd fell silent at once.

Zhao Yang was clearly also collecting materials to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, but now, Luo Yao had gotten the bargain.

Although the Foundation Establishment Stage was still far off, preparing the materials in advance meant that when the time came, everything would be ready except the final push.

(End of this chapter)