Chapter 682: Heavenly Spirit Primitive Species

Xu Bai lingered in the shop, and the owner didn't stop him. After all, Xu Bai possessed an unparalleled beauty; simply by standing there and doing nothing, he could attract the gaze of many passing cultivators. Even though cultivators could reshape their appearance and stunning beauty was not uncommon, Xu Bai's appearance was still striking at first glance. Furthermore, his ethereal and mysterious aura added to his allure.

Men and women alike stopped in the shop. While discreetly observing Xu Bai, they casually bought a Heavenly Spirit Flower as a pretense. Business boomed, and the shop owner was naturally delighted, beaming with joy. Overjoyed, he wished Xu Bai would stay in the shop day and night.

However, this was clearly impossible.

Two days later, the Heavenly Spirit Flower Xu Bai had chosen bloomed magnificently. Initially, people paid little attention to it, their gazes still frequently lingering on Xu Bai. But when Xu Bai held the Heavenly Spirit Flower in his palm, and everyone inadvertently glimpsed it, gasps of astonishment erupted one after another.

"What is this?"

"Its crimson is like powder, faintly visible... it can be rated as a first-grade Heavenly Spirit!"

"Hiss, I heard a first-grade Heavenly Spirit Flower recently sold for a high price of one hundred thousand contribution points. This one surely won't sell for less than that, will it? I heard he bought it for a thousand contribution points; isn't that an immense profit?"

"Wow, not only is he beautiful, but his luck is also incredible. How enviable."

"Is this the wondrous effect of luck? Even without deliberately seeking it, every word and action causes things to develop in a way that benefits oneself." Xu Bai held the Heavenly Spirit Flower, remaining silent, contemplating how luck influenced reality. Feeling a portion of his own luck dissipate, Xu Bai immediately drew from the Black Bird Feather to replenish it.

Regaining his composure, Xu Bai saw cultivators, including the shop owner, excitedly gazing at the Heavenly Spirit Flower in his hand. He couldn't help but smile faintly. "Even the most beautiful face is not as captivating as profit."

So, in front of everyone present, he calmly said, "First-grade? It's mere trash." Then, spiritual energy surged in his hand, and in an instant, the twelve-petaled, first-grade Heavenly Spirit Flower turned to ashes.

"What are you doing!"

The scene immediately erupted in an uproar. Although Xu Bai was the owner of the Heavenly Spirit Flower and how he dealt with it was his private matter, it was still a treasure worth over one hundred thousand contribution points. To casually destroy it and then repeatedly call it "trash"... this was truly a bit too much! The expressions of the cultivators present all turned sour.

Moreover, a scholarly-looking cultivator, holding a Heavenly Spirit Flower, approached Xu Bai with a livid face and exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist! You may not love it, but please do not harm it! The life of a Heavenly Spirit Flower is inherently brief. During its bloom, it should fully display itself to the world..."

He was still righteously declaring his sentiments.

"Move aside, you're blocking my way," Xu Bai said, taking out a folding fan and casually pushing him aside. Completely ignoring him, Xu Bai slowly walked away.

"You..." The scholarly cultivator's face immediately flushed. Strictly speaking, the scholar's appearance wasn't bad. But compared to Xu Bai, he lacked a certain allure. He had already been somewhat displeased with Xu Bai, and now, being disregarded, jealousy and anger surged within him simultaneously.

"First-grade Heavenly Spirits are trash? You speak with great arrogance! You should know that with the original species unseen, the most beautiful Heavenly Spirits in the world are only those few supreme-grade ones. Could it be that you have seen one?" the scholar shouted at Xu Bai. "As far as I know, those supreme-grade Heavenly Spirits were purchased and sent to various influential figures of the Immortal Alliance for viewing as soon as they bloomed. What is your status, and when did you see them?"

The scholar was still somewhat cautious, fearing offending someone he shouldn't. His tone was restrained, with a hint of a test.

Hearing this, Xu Bai turned around. With a "swish," he opened his folding fan. He lightly fanned himself and smiled as he shook his head, "I have not seen the so-called supreme-grade Heavenly Spirits either."

"Then you are truly a sensationalist, ignorant and reckless..." The scholar immediately felt relieved and angrily rebuked him.

"But in my eyes, even the supreme-grade Heavenly Spirits are nothing but trash."

Although Xu Bai's voice was soft, it struck everyone's ears like a clap of thunder. The scholar was stunned on the spot. Then, infuriated to the point of laughter, he said, "According to you, perhaps only..."

Xu Bai finished his sentence, "Exactly! Only the original species can be called a true Heavenly Spirit Flower!"

As he spoke, he extended his right hand. A translucent, cicada-wing-thin "paper" unfolded in his hand. A Heavenly Spirit Flower, appearing lifelike, materialized on the paper. The scenery on all seventeen petals was incredibly clear. One could even see the entire flower subtly trembling.

The scene instantly fell into a deathly silence. Everyone present had some knowledge of Heavenly Spirit Flowers, and the one in Xu Bai's hand immediately captured their complete attention.

"The original species?"

A moment later, someone awoke from their trance and exclaimed in surprise.

"What, that's the original species!"

"A Heavenly Spirit marvel, truly a Heavenly Spirit marvel. Compared to the original species, even supreme-grade or first-grade ones look like trash if they have even a hint of crimson!"

Not only was the rude scholar stunned, but the cry of "original species" also attracted the attention of most cultivators in Heavenly Spirit City. More and more cultivators arrived upon hearing the news, staring blankly at the original species Heavenly Spirit Flower in Xu Bai's hand.

"Bang!" The pot of Heavenly Spirit Flower in the scholar's hand fell to the ground, but he himself didn't care at all. He merely gazed at the original species in Xu Bai's hand with a somewhat crazed look, his eyes infatuated, and slowly approached.

Just as he was about to reach Xu Bai, Xu Bai suddenly put it away.

"No..."

As if he had lost his dearest loved one in an instant, a savage expression appeared on the scholar's face. Like a madman, he seemed to lunge towards Xu Bai.

Fighting was prohibited within the Immortal Alliance's Sky City. Before the towering Statue of the Heavenly Venerate of Teachings could mete out punishment, a glimmer of light flashed on Xu Bai's clothes. Xu Bai remained unmoving, while the scholar shrieked and was repelled backward. Then a beam of light descended from the Venerate statue, and the scholar instantly turned charred black. After struggling for a moment, he became motionless and fell dead to the ground.

Cultivators from the Martial Arts Hall quickly arrived to collect the body, and combined with the anomaly of a cultivator's death overhead, it finally deterred the crowd. Xu Bai cupped his hands to those around him and drifted away.

"It's over. The Heavenly Spirit Flower business is finished," the shop owner murmured, his face ashen, as he watched Xu Bai's retreating figure. As he spoke, his gaze swept over the Heavenly Spirit Flowers filling his shop. He quickly wrote a "90% off sale" sign and hung it outside.