Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 385: Negotiation

The Aetherhorn Deers had become some of the top merchants on the Daemon Continent for good reason.

Master Lou fell silent, instinctively glancing at Asura, who gave no indication.

Master Lou said, "Let's do it this way, but I can't guarantee an exact amount. I'll do my best to provide half."

Xu Ziran was overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation, Master Lou. In the future, if you need any materials, you can always contact our shop. We can even provide whatever you need in advance and exchange it for array discs later, no problem."

Full of sincerity! These three words perfectly describe his behavior at this moment.

"Mm!" Master Lou nodded and said, "Indeed, there are some things I need your help to find. This includes some rare essences. I'm currently conducting some special experiments, attempting to use arrays to manifest bloodline power. If successful, it should..."

At this point, he abruptly stopped speaking, as if realizing he had said too much, and a flash of regret was visible for a moment in his eyes.

Xu Ziran was excited and said, "No problem, we should be able to meet all your needs."

Master Lou chuckled mockingly and said, "Meet all my needs? That's a big statement. Are you saying that if I want the blood of the Crystal Demon Emperor or the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, you could provide that, too?"

"Uh... Master Lou, please don't joke about that," Xu Ziran said awkwardly.

Master Lou said, "Who's joking? In bloodline array research, the stronger the bloodline, the better the effect. It’s possible that using the Crystal Demon Emperor's blood for the array could temporarily grant the user that omnipotent ability."

"What? How is that possible?" Xu Ziran almost blurted out, his face full of disbelief.

Master Lou said calmly, "In this world, nothing is impossible. That room can isolate energy, right? Asura, come with me. If we don't show some real skills, they'll think I'm just bragging."

As he spoke, Master Lou stood up and walked toward the room insulated with crystal walls and arrays.

Xu Ziran looked at Asura and quickly said, "Brother Asura, I didn't mean it that way! Please explain to the master."

Although he said this, he made no move to stop Master Lou from demonstrating his abilities.

"Don't worry, it’s fine." Asura nodded to him, then followed Master Lou into the room.

Master Lou took out several items, all appearing to be highly precious materials. As a caravan leader and a high-ranking member of the Aetherhorn Merchant Association, Xu Ziran had a keen eye, and even he was taken aback by the rarity of some of these materials.

Then he saw Master Lou begin to move. Intense flames burst forth, and god-level fire surged instantly.

One by one, the rare materials were silently engulfed by the flames, dancing and melting before Master Lou.

Master Lou's expression remained calm as he worked skillfully. Soon, an array disc took shape before him. Light glowed faintly in his eyes, and a crimson carving knife appeared in his hand, quickly engraving the array disc with profound patterns. Intense flames surrounded the disc, making it difficult for Xu Ziran to see the patterns clearly. At this moment, he dared not interrupt and could only watch Master Lou's actions intently through the crystal wall.

Master Lou's movements were sometimes wild, sometimes cautious. The array disc quickly became covered in patterns, and the mystical feeling grew by the second.

Finally, after a full quarter of an hour, Master Lou put down his carving knife, a hint of heartache in his eyes. He picked up the array disc, blew on it as if to remove an imaginary speck of dust, and then inspected it before handing it to Asura.

Asura took the array disc and walked out.

Master Lou followed closely behind.

"Amazing craftsmanship, truly amazing! I never thought you could create an array disc in such a short time. It's awe-inspiring," Xu Ziran said with admiration.

Master Lou waved his hand and said, "It's not that easy. A lot of materials were wasted to speed up the process. Didn't you notice that the cost of materials for this array disc alone has already exceeded all the other discs you sold? This is the cost of accelerated production, it needs some very precious catalysts. Anyway, you should recognize this array disc."

Asura handed the array disc to Xu Ziran. Xu Ziran examined it carefully and then infused it with his spiritual power, immediately identifying the disc's effects.

Spirit Fusion Array!

This was one of the array discs that the Shrek Squad had used during their group battle in the Great Beast Fighting Arena, and it was far more important than the Spirit Summoning Array. Moreover, the Spirit Fusion Array Disc had never been sold on the market.

The fact that the other party had created a Spirit Fusion Array Disc in such a short time left Xu Ziran with no further doubts.

He bowed respectfully and said, "I've seen it before. This is a Spirit Fusion Array Disc. I know what it does, but I am unable to give you a price for it."

Master Lou said calmly, "You'll know soon enough. It will appear at the Ancestral Court auction in half a month. There will also be a few new array discs, which will help set the price. This disc is a gift to you as a gesture of goodwill. Just return the materials I used earlier."

"Master Lou, you're very generous!" Xu Ziran was overjoyed and quickly put the array disc away. Obtaining an array disc for just the cost of the materials was an incredible deal.

What Xu Ziran didn't know was that, in reality, making a Spirit Fusion Array Disc with ordinary materials would take more or less the same time. Many of the precious materials just used were wasted. Master Lou had intentionally crafted it this way to impress him.

"Master Lou, about the bloodline array you mentioned earlier, how far along is your research?" Xu Ziran asked tentatively.

Master Lou said calmly, "I knew you would ask about this. I'll show you something today. Otherwise, you won't be motivated to find the essence blood for me. But crafting bloodline arrays is extremely difficult, and making the array discs is even harder, with a very high failure rate. I won't embarrass myself by attempting it here. I've given Asura a completed array disc. Let him show you."

As he spoke, he sat on a nearby sofa, looking somewhat tired, and closed his eyes to rest.

Xu Ziran's eager gaze instantly turned to Asura. Asura nodded at him, then took out an array disc from his chest pocket. This array disc was a beautiful light blue, with many strange patterns on its surface. Each pattern was exquisite yet seemed to distort the viewer's vision, making Xu Ziran feel slightly dizzy just by looking at it.

Asura said, "This is an array disc specifically crafted by Master Lou. This disc can harness the power of a plant-type bloodline. When Master Lou first began his research, he obtained various nymph bloodlines from the Solstice Empire. As you know, nymph bloodlines are relatively easy to acquire. The preciousness of this disc lies in the fact that Master Lou fused multiple nymph bloodlines into it, allowing them to devour each other and evolve, resulting in this creation. Its power can rival that of a third-tier bloodline. Despite multiple attempts, only this one disc has been successfully made, making it extremely precious. Fortunately, it’s reusable."

Xu Ziran was not just shocked, but outright frightened. "An effect equivalent to the ability of a third-tier bloodline? How, how is that possible?"

This was simply unheard of.

Master Lou said proudly, "If I couldn't achieve what people think impossible, how could I call myself a master? Asura, demonstrate it for him."