Chapter 33: The Purple Dragon Diamond

Above the sky, the wind howled. Xin Yun spread his arms and held Yi Luo Xiang close, draped in a thick leather cloak that shielded them from the cold currents of the high-altitude air. As for A'Da, being a Bronze First Order Martial Artist, such gusts couldn't affect him at all.

At this moment, although Xin Yun didn't need to meditate, compressing the energy in the Dragon Ball from a gaseous to a semi-liquid, mist-like state still took time. Moreover… once the energy was compressed, it had to absorb the energy between heaven and earth for a period before it could replenish the Dragon Ball.

However, even though he hadn't reached the Bronze rank yet, Xin Yun was already a Martial Artist with the strength of Ten Stars without a rank. The cold wind in the sky had a very minimal effect on him, so... Xin Yun's body remained warm, unlike Yi Luo Xiang, who had to draw warmth from him.

With her hands tightly wrapped around Xin Yun's waist and her head pressed against his chest, the more Yi Luo Xiang was in contact with him, the more warmth and closeness she felt. Even in the high altitudes, she could still derive warmth from him—a warmth that was not only physical but also emotional.

Embracing Yi Luo Xiang, Xin Yun didn't indulge in joy. With his eyes slightly closed, he continuously exerted his spiritual power, compressing the blue energy flow within the Dragon Ball while drawing the energy of the world around into the Dragon Ball before compressing it further.

This was not a task that could be finished in one or two days. Even with enlightenment, it would take a long time to complete. The accumulation of energy has always been a slow process.

Of course, Xin Yun had also thought about using Dragon Crystals to quickly enhance his strength—at the very least, reaching Bronze First Order could be achieved early. However, his experiences from his previous life taught him that although Dragon Crystals are very powerful, they are, after all, an external force, and it's better not to rely on them if possible.

It wasn't that using Dragon Crystals to enhance one's strength would prevent becoming one of the Nine Great Experts, but external forces, after all, are external. They can never quite match the power derived from one's own cultivation, and when using it, there will always be a slight sense of separation.

Take Ming Xuan as an example. The fundamental reason he could rise above others and sit at the top was that all his power was gained through his own cultivation. His control was so natural and he executed his skills so flawlessly that even if an opponent's energy was higher than his, in terms of energy quality, they could never compare with him.

Up to a certain point, quantity is more important than quality. However, when strength reaches a certain stage, quality becomes the most crucial factor in determining superiority, and no amount of quantity can match the importance of quality.

Nevertheless, if Xin Yun's goal was merely to be one of the Nine Great Experts, he would definitely still use Dragon Crystals. But Xin Yun knew that the so-called Nine Great Experts were only powerful for a moment and definitely not the highest realm. Therefore… for long-term goals, external forces like Dragon Crystals absolutely should not be used. Cultivation... must rely on one's own gradual accumulation.

In the following two months, under Xin Yun's guidance, A'Da piloted the Pig Dragon, shuttling continually between various cities and towns. After two months, Xin Yun successfully turned the remaining One Hundred Gold Coins in his hand into Ten Thousand, and A'Da's hundred had increased by more than forty times, reaching over Four Thousand Gold Coins!

Finally, two months later, the group arrived at their destination—Cang City! A commercial metropolis even larger than Ta Mountain, the greatest within a million kilometers, centered around trade and commerce.

Upon arriving, the trio checked into an inn. The reason for their haste was that in a few days, the Treasure Exchange Convention, held only once every ten years, would take place here. At this convention, the Ninth Grade Purple Dragon Creation Stone would be available, which was the very objective of Xin Yun's journey!

Xin Yun's dragon was summoned in advance and did not wait until his eighth birthday, mainly because Xin Yun's soul was too powerful. After being tempered through three lifetimes, he could have summoned it even at a younger age. If it weren't for the Azure Sea, Xin Yun would probably have summoned his own dragon the moment he left the dried well.

As for Yi Luo Xiang, Xin Yun was not planning to rush her growth. No matter what, he intended to start the process on her birthday. Now, since Xin Yun had summoned his dragon early and his birthday had passed a month ago, so... up to this point, there was still one month to go until Yi Luo Xiang's birthday, which coincided with the time of the Treasure Exchange Convention.

Of course, the Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone was priceless, not something that could be bought with money. Although Xin Yun now possessed a fortune exceeding ten thousand Gold, that amount was only good for a glance at the Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone, let alone touching it, which others might not even agree to.

Originally, it was impossible to bring a Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone here for trade—this was an act of desperation. This matter was related to the life of a member of the Nine Great Experts who was ranked fourth in the future!

Undoubtedly, aside from cheat-like individuals like Xin Yun, those who owned a Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone were from powerful and influential major clans, and this time was no exception. The family offering the Dragon Creation Stone was indeed such a clan!

The future member of the Nine Great Experts, ranked fourth, was also clearly a super genius. Calculating his age, he should be sixteen by now. Although young, he had become a Gold Six Star Martial Artist under the cultivation of his family, relying on his own talent. Not to mention among the younger generation, even among the elders, he belonged to the first-order martial artists.

Unfortunately, his training methods were too reckless. During one of his external cultivations, he nearly had his soul destroyed. Although he managed to escape by luck, he was left with just a breath of life and would certainly die if not treated promptly.

The family resorted to such a precious trade this time, essentially to save this individual. To obtain the Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone, buying it with money was out of the question. The only way to get it was with the legendary Divine Dragon Fruit, which was said to have the effect of resurrection from the dead!

The Divine Dragon Fruit not only had resurrecting effects but also instantly increased the consumer's power upon consumption. It was a miraculous fruit known only in legends, so rare that it might not appear once in a hundred years. Therefore, although its value could not compare with the Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone, its rarity, coupled with the urgency of the other party, made the exchange possible.

By coincidence, this edition of the Treasure Exchange Convention just happened to have a Divine Dragon Fruit available. Therefore... The only way to get that Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone was to acquire that Divine Dragon Fruit at any cost before the stone appeared!

Even though the Divine Dragon Fruit was precious and very rare, compared to the Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone, it was significantly less valuable. Its greatest significance lay in life-saving and power-enhancing. In contrast, the Dragon Creation Stone was even more precious, with fewer than ten appearing in a million years until the moment of Xin Yun's rebirth. Its value was so high it could be worth at least two Divine Dragon Fruits.

Now, Xin Yun only had ten thousand Gold in his possession, far from enough to purchase that Divine Dragon Fruit. There was no time left to make money, and even if he made a fortune in Gold Coins, it wouldn't be enough.

The only strategy for Xin Yun was to use his ten thousand Gold as capital and take advantage of his memories from rebirth. He would continuously acquire those seriously undervalued treasures from the Treasure Exchange Convention, then develop their true value, and trade them for even more expensive treasures until he secured the Divine Dragon Fruit. Once he had the Divine Dragon Fruit in hand, the Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stone would be within reach.

As soon as he arrived at the inn, upon hearing that they would stay in the city for the next month, A'Da didn't hesitate for a second before he left the inn. For the past two months, he had been busy making money and hadn't been with a woman for those two months. Now that he had some free time, how could he restrain himself? He dashed out immediately.