Xu Bai lingered in the shop, and the owner did not stop him.
After all, with his breathtakingly exquisite appearance, Xu Bai merely standing there, doing nothing, was enough to attract the attention of passing cultivators.
Even though cultivators could reshape their appearances, and those with stunning looks were not uncommon, Xu Bai was still someone who could leave people in awe at first glance.
Moreover, the otherworldly and mysterious aura he carried only added to his allure.
Both men and women paused in the store, secretly observing Xu Bai while casually purchasing a Heavenly Spirit Flower as a cover.
Business boomed, and the shop owner was naturally overjoyed. Overwhelmed with excitement, he wished Xu Bai could stay in the store day and night.
However, that was obviously impossible.
Two days later, the Heavenly Spirit Flower Xu Bai had chosen bloomed in full splendor.
At first, no one paid much attention, as their gazes still frequently drifted toward Xu Bai.
A chorus of exclamations erupted.
“This is…?”
“The petals are truly red, yet tinged with an almost imperceptible pink… This can be rated as a first-grade Heavenly Spirit Flower!”
“Hiss… I heard that a first-grade Heavenly Spirit Flower recently sold for a sky-high price of 100,000 contribution points! No matter what, this one can’t be worth any less, right? But he only spent 1,000 contribution points to buy it—that’s an enormous profit!”
“Wow, not only is he beautiful, but even his luck is this good? How enviable.”
…
“So this is the power of fortune. Even without deliberate pursuit, every word and action causes things to develop in a direction beneficial to oneself”
Holding the Heavenly Spirit Flower, Xu Bai remained silent, contemplating how fortune influenced reality.
Sensing that part of his luck had been depleted, he immediately drew from the Feather of the Black Bird to replenish it.
As he returned to his senses, he noticed that the cultivators, including the shop owner, were all looking at the flower in his hands with intense excitement.
Xu Bai smiled slightly.
“No matter how beautiful one’s appearance, nothing moves the human heart more than profit.”
Then, in front of everyone, he spoke indifferently:
“First-grade? What trash.”
With that, spiritual energy surged in his palm, and in an instant, the twelve-petaled, first-grade Heavenly Spirit Flower turned to ash.
“What are you doing?!”
The crowd erupted in shock.
Although Xu Bai was the rightful owner of the flower and could dispose of it however he wished, it was still a treasure worth over 100,000 contribution points!
Destroying it so casually—while even calling it “trash”—was simply too much!
The faces of the cultivators darkened, their expressions turning grim.
One scholar-like cultivator, clutching a Heavenly Spirit Flower in his arms, stepped forward with a livid expression.
“Fellow Daoist! You may not love it, but please, do not harm it!”
“The life of a Heavenly Spirit Flower is already fleeting. In its full bloom, it should be admired and shared with the world…”
He continued speaking in righteous indignation.
“Move aside. You’re in my way.”
Xu Bai, however, simply flicked open a folding fan and effortlessly brushed the scholar to the side.
Ignoring him completely, Xu Bai walked away unhurriedly.
“You—!”
The scholar’s face flushed red with anger.
Strictly speaking, this scholar was not bad-looking, but compared to Xu Bai, he lacked a certain charm. He had already felt somewhat displeased with Xu Bai, and now, being looked down upon, jealousy and anger surged within him all at once.
“All first-grade Heavenly Spirits are trash? What an arrogant statement! You should know that unless the Original Species appears, the most beautiful Heavenly Spirits in the world are merely a few top-grade ones. Have you ever seen one yourself?” The scholar shouted at Xu Bai.
“From what I know, those few top-grade Heavenly Spirits had just bloomed and were immediately bought, gifted to various Immortal Alliance dignitaries for their viewing pleasure. Who exactly are you, and when have you ever seen one?”
The scholar was somewhat cautious, afraid of offending someone he shouldn’t. His tone was restrained, carrying a hint of probing.
Xu Bai turned around upon hearing this.
With a crisp swish, he unfolded his folding fan, gently fanned himself, and shook his head with a smile. “As for those so-called top-grade Heavenly Spirits, I have never seen them either.”
“Then you are just being pretentious and ignorant!” The scholar, relieved, immediately lashed out in anger.
“But in my eyes, those so-called top-grade Heavenly Spirits are nothing more than trash.”
Although Xu Bai’s voice was light, it fell upon everyone’s ears like a thunderclap.
The scholar was momentarily stunned.
Then, overcome with rage, he let out a bitter laugh. “By your logic, then only…”
Xu Bai calmly finished his sentence for him. “That’s right! Only the Original Species can truly be called a Heavenly Spirit Flower!”
As he spoke, he extended his right hand.
A translucent, paper-thin sheet—delicate as cicada wings—unfolded in his palm.
A Heavenly Spirit Flower appeared on the sheet, as vivid as if it were alive.
All seventeen of its petals were incomparably detailed, to the point where one could even see the entire flower trembling ever so slightly.
The scene instantly fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone present was well-versed in Heavenly Spirit Flowers, and the moment they laid eyes on the one in Xu Bai’s hand, it seized their full attention.
“The Original Species?”
After a brief moment, someone snapped out of their trance and cried out in shock.
“What?! That’s the Original Species!”
“The absolute pinnacle of Heavenly Spirits—worthy of its name! Compared to the Original Species, any so-called top-grade or first-grade Heavenly Spirit, if tainted with even a hint of blood, is nothing but garbage!”
…
Not only was the previously arrogant scholar stunned, but the cry of “Original Species” had also drawn the attention of nearly all the cultivators in Tianling City.
More and more cultivators rushed over upon hearing the news, staring at the Heavenly Spirit Flower in Xu Bai’s hand in a daze.
“Crash!” The scholar’s pot of Heavenly Spirit Flowers fell to the ground, yet he seemed completely indifferent.
Instead, he stared at the Original Species in Xu Bai’s hand, his eyes filled with obsession as he slowly stepped closer.
Just as he was about to reach Xu Bai, Xu Bai suddenly withdrew it.
“No…!”
As if losing the most cherished thing in his life, the scholar’s face contorted with madness. He lunged at Xu Bai in a frenzy.
In Immortal Alliance’s Cities, combat was strictly forbidden.
Before the towering statue of the Immortal Ancestor could even deliver its punishment, a radiant glow flickered on Xu Bai’s clothes.
Xu Bai remained motionless while the scholar let out a miserable cry, violently rebounding and flying backward.
A divine light then descended from the Immortal Ancestor’s statue, instantly scorching the scholar’s body into a charred husk.
After struggling for a moment, he lost all signs of life and collapsed to the ground, dead.
The enforcement cultivators from the Martial Hall rushed over to collect the corpse. The heavenly phenomenon marking the death of a cultivator finally suppressed the restless crowd.
Xu Bai clasped his hands in a courteous salute to those around him before drifting away.
“It’s over. The Heavenly Spirit Flower business is finished.”
The shop owner watched Xu Bai’s departing figure, his face ashen as he muttered to himself.
Glancing at the neatly arranged Heavenly Spirit Flowers in his shop, he quickly wrote a sign: “90% Clearance Sale”, and hung it outside.