Chapter 67: Heaven Rank? Quasi-Heaven Rank?

"For example?" Yao Lao straightened his posture slightly, his eyes becoming serious as he prepared to haggle.

"For example..." Wei Yang looked directly at Yao Lao, "A heaven-tier cultivation technique of the fire yang attribute!"

"What?!" Yao Lao's expression was quite fitting; his hand trembled almost pulling a few strands from his beard. His eyes widened as he shouted furiously, "Have you lost your mind? Why would you think that an old man like me would have a heaven-tier cultivation technique? And of the fire yang attribute, no less? You might as well go and rob someone!"

"A heaven-tier cultivation technique! Do you think it's cabbage or something?! And still of the fire yang attribute?"

Wei Yang just laughed. He could see it now: Yao Lao was simply feigning exasperation, but in truth... he did have it.

Ha, old fox!

"Senior, don't put on such an act." Wei Yang relaxed, adopting a look of a composed sage, raising a fair and slender hand from his wide-sleeved robe, observing it meticulously under the moonlight as if there were flowers on it.

"Even though I haven't left the Jia Ma Empire, I'm no ignorant bumpkin."

"Given my lineage, do you think I would have no opportunities at all?"

"So, Senior, don't think you can deceive me because I'm inexperienced."

"Different Flames and other heavenly treasures, such precious things, and still a mature form... is it not worth a single heaven-tier technique? Even if it's just a lower tier one." Wei Yang said calmly.

In his words, he directly set the price bottom line: heaven-tier lower rank!

Yao Lao withdrew his expression, stroked his beard, and silently pondered Wei Yang.

Wei Yang smiled back calmly.

After a moment, Yao Lao spoke, "Hehe, Wei brat is crafty. Don't try to deceive me; although in my hometown, the value of a Different Flame would indeed be worth a heaven-tier lower rank technique, but... hehe, this isn't my hometown!"

"Senior's hometown is likely Central Plains, right?" Wei Yang joked.

"Oh, you even know about Central Plains." Yao Lao was slightly surprised, "It seems the opportunity you obtained is quite extraordinary."

"That opportunity was not bad in the past, but now seems a bit insufficient." Wei Yang smiled humbly, telling the truth, "Merely a high-level Xuan-tier fire yang technique with matching martial skills."

Yao Lao nodded while stroking his beard, "A high-level Xuan-tier fire yang cultivation method with matching martial skills is barely decent. At least it's a legacy left by a Dou Wang."

He glanced at Wei Yang and chuckled, "With your age and talent, reaching the peak of Dou Huang in five years shouldn't be too difficult... Enduring a bit, entering Dou Zong within ten years isn't impossible, isn't that sufficient?"

"Hehe." Wei Yang chuckled lightly, "Naturally, people always strive for better. Although I'm not yet nineteen, in ten years, I'd be close to thirty—just a Dou Zong?"

Wei Yang shook his head, "Even if by then I risk life and limb to absorb the Green Lotus Core Flame, I'd at most just be a middle-rank Dou Zong."

"These ten years are exactly the time for me to make progress, yet to end up just as a mid-rank Dou Zong, doesn't Senior think it's a bit wasteful?"

"Indeed it is wasteful!" Yao Lao acknowledged, "With your talent, and your gift in soul, being confined to the small Jia Ma Empire isn't justified."

"So, junior has to make a choice, for fish and bear's paw, cannot both be obtained!" Wei Yang said, "Should I choose the future, or Different Flames?"

"Of course, choose the future! Different Flames, there's more than one in the world, but the future, there's only one chance!"

Wei Yang looked at Yao Lao, "Heaven-tier lower rank fire yang cultivation method, that's my bottom line! If Senior can't meet this price, I could personally take a trip to Central Plains."

"With your foreigner status, and as a mere Dou Wang, entering Central Plains won't be easy!" Yao Lao's tone carried a hint of intimidation, "Moreover, if you reveal the Different Flames, you may not even keep it safe."

"Junior is not only a Dou Wang but an alchemist." Wei Yang retorted, "In a short period, I have confidence to reach a five-tier level, hitting peak five-tier within half a year. Within a year, I aspire to reach six-tier! A six-tier alchemist shouldn't be considered trivial even in Central Plains, right?"

Yao Lao was momentarily speechless.

Given his past as the continent's top alchemist, a six-tier alchemist wouldn't catch his eye.

But that doesn't mean a six-tier alchemist isn't valuable; even in Central Plains, it's certainly not trivial.

In Dan Tower, one could gain recognition and protection due to identity.

Even a top-tier force with a sitting Dou Zun, wouldn't easily neglect.

Mid-to-high-tier Dou Zong forces, would even highly prize such a status.

...

"Old fox!"

"You little fox!"

Both silently cursed in their hearts simultaneously.

Their prior negotiation was merely a haggling strategy.

After all, negotiation is a process of gradual concession.

Obviously, now with some verbal sparring, both sides subtly understood the other's bottom line.

Thus.

Yao Lao gently stroked the black ancient-looking ring on his hand, contemplatively stating, "No need to hide, I do have a heaven-tier lower rank cultivation method, but not of the fire yang attribute."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yang directly flipped his hand.

Instantly, a green lotus with a diameter exceeding three feet appeared in his palm.

Yao Lao's eyes lit up upon seeing the lotus, his breath quickening for an instant.

The blue lotus, with eight petals, seemed to be carved from perfect azure jade, exuding an inherent sense of natural harmony.

In the center of the lotus was a hole where a palm-sized azure flame flickered and burned quietly.

With the appearance of this lotus, the temperature on the mountain peak seemed to rise gradually, yet oddly imparting a sense of coolness.

The surrounding space was filled with fire attribute energy rushing towards the lotus seat.

And around the green lotus seat, several layers of transparent soul force barriers isolated all internal and external fluctuations.

In Yao Lao's eyes, a wisp of frosty white flame flickered, disappearing soon after.

Wei Yang, supporting the lotus with his hand, looked at Yao Lao and asked with a smile, "How about it?"

A flash of heat passed through Yao Lao's eyes before it quickly hid away again. Stroking his long beard, he nodded and slowly said, "The Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Different Flame List, born in the earth's depths, tempered by countless earthly fires' honing, fusion, compression, sculpting…"

"Spiritual awakening in ten years, form taking in a hundred, turning into a lotus in a thousand years; at major completion, its hue shifts green, spawning a cluster of green fire in the lotus center, called Green Lotus Fire, also known as Green Lotus Core Flame!"

"This flame's power is unfathomable and can even cause volcanic eruptions near volcanic areas, forming calamities of natural force!" Wei Yang added.

Yao Lao glanced at Wei Yang, acknowledging that Wei Yang's understanding of the Green Lotus Core Flame almost paralleled his own.

Clearly, he'd read the Different Flame List.

Not a genius from backwater towns with little exposure.

Yao Lao inhaled deeply, prompting from his ring a red-gold scroll and a dark red scroll.

Instantly, the air filled with an arcane and searing aura.

Wei Yang's expression shifted as his eyes locked onto the two scrolls.

Yao Lao, eyeing the floating scrolls, turned to Wei Yang and said, "Wei brat, no need for riddles. Here are two cultivation methods, one is a heaven-tier low-ranked fire attribute method. The other is quasi-heaven-tier fire yang attribute method, but it comes with matching quasi-heaven-tier martial skills, choose."

First, Yao Lao motioned to the dark red scroll, which was a heaven-tier low-ranked fire attribute method.

He then pointed to the red-gold scroll, a quasi-heaven-tier fire yang attribute method, with matching quasi-heaven-tier martial skills.