Chapter 120: The Martial Arts Exchange Fair

By six o'clock in the afternoon, Yu Xiaoyu had finally finished showing Lin Yi around Snake Valley.

At that moment, Granny Qiu approached with a warm smile. "Mr. Lin," she said, offering a polite salute.

Yu Xiaoyu quickly stepped forward, linked her arm with Granny Qiu’s, and asked coaxingly, "Grandma, how did it go? Was the Wei family wiped out?"

Granny Qiu shook her head. "That's impossible. The Wei family is, after all, a major clan in the Northern Province. They possess considerable strength. Even if they are currently on the decline, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. If they were pushed to a desperate counterattack, it would leave our Snake Valley severely damaged, only allowing others to reap the benefits."

"But the Wei family tried to exterminate us! Are we just going to let them off like that?" Yu Xiaoyu pouted, clearly displeased.

Granny Qiu patted Yu Xiaoyu’s head. "Don't worry. This time, we managed to bite off a significant piece of the Wei family. We have signed a twenty-year contract, and during this period, Snake Valley will hold a thirty percent stake in all of the Wei family's assets."

"Still, I think we were too easy on them," Yu Xiaoyu muttered.

"Silly girl, now that the Wei family's prodigy has been crippled, this is our chance for Snake Valley to rise. All of this requires sufficient capital. Do you have any idea how much the Wei family is worth?" Granny Qiu asked with a mysterious smile.

"One hundred billion?" Yu Xiaoyu guessed.

Granny Qiu shook her head and chuckled. "Nine hundred billion. Their annual net profit alone is one hundred billion. Thirty percent means thirty billion a year. Over twenty years, that’s six hundred billion—enough to build another Snake Valley."

"No way!" Yu Xiaoyu exclaimed, shocked by the Wei family's immense wealth.

"It’s true. Xiaoyu, starting tomorrow, I intend to pour one-tenth of Snake Valley's resources into you, aiming for you to reach the Grandmaster level before your advanced training begins," Granny Qiu said.

"Grandma, I will definitely work hard," Yu Xiaoyu said, clenching her fists.

Granny Qiu smiled, then turned to Lin Yi. "Mr. Lin, we owe much to you today. Without your help, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"It's nothing. This was merely a transaction. By the way, does Snake Valley have any spirit stones for sale? I can purchase them with medicinal pills," Lin Yi replied.

"Medicinal pills!" Granny Qiu’s eyes lit up. Given Lin Yi’s status and strength, the pills in his possession must be extraordinary.

"Grandma, Mr. Lin just exchanged some medicinal herbs with me for these earlier. It’s called a Pei Yuan Dan," Yu Xiaoyu said, pulling a jade bottle from her storage pouch.

Granny Qiu took the pill and sniffed it gently. She felt a wave of rejuvenation wash over her, and her aged body seemed to regain a hint of vitality.

"Excellent pill!" Granny Qiu praised, then quickly asked, "Mr. Lin, are you truly willing to trade your pills with us?"

If she had one hundred Pei Yuan Dan, she would have the confidence to double the overall strength of Snake Valley.

"Yes," Lin Yi nodded.

"Then please follow me, Mr. Lin. In our vault, we have about one million low-grade spirit stones and three hundred jin of mid-grade spirit stones." As Granny Qiu led the way, she explained the source of their supply.

Lin Yi asked, "How does Snake Valley possess so many spirit stones?"

Granny Qiu explained with a smile, "Mr. Lin, we acquire our resources partly through martial arts trade fairs, and some we purchase directly from the Martial Arts Association in the capital."

"I see," Lin Yi nodded.

While one person's supply of spirit stones might be limited, the combined total of a hundred or a thousand people would be quite substantial. It was likely that other transcendent factions used similar methods to accumulate vast quantities of spirit stones. He recalled a convention held in Shan Province, but unfortunately, there hadn't been many spirit stone transactions; most were simple barters.

Lin Yi asked again, "Where are these martial arts trade fairs held?"

"The trade fairs are held in the capital and Shanghai, organized jointly by the five major factions of the Yanxia. They are meant to provide a platform for martial artists. If you go there, Mr. Lin, you will find out easily," Granny Qiu replied.

Lin Yi nodded, deciding to look into it when he went to the Martial Arts Association for his training. Before long, he reached the vault with Granny Qiu. She did not hold back and opened the heavy doors. While the vault contained many items, few were worthy of Lin Yi's interest.

"Mr. Lin, how many spirit stones would you like?" Granny Qiu asked with confidence.

"All of them," Lin Yi replied.

Granny Qiu coughed violently, clearly choked by Lin Yi's words. *As expected of Mr. Lin, his appetite is truly massive. He wants to drain my entire reserve in one go.* This was the accumulation of decades for Snake Valley.

"Half would be acceptable as well," Lin Yi added.

"And how many of those... what was it called... pills are you willing to provide?" Granny Qiu asked tentatively.

"Pei Yuan Dan," Yu Xiaoyu reminded her.

"Oh, right, Pei Yuan Dan," Granny Qiu smiled.

Lin Yi currently had over two thousand Pei Yuan Dan in his possession, along with many other types of pills. After a moment of thought, he said, "How about this: for these spirit stones, I will give you two thousand Pei Yuan Dan, plus one hundred Beauty Pills. How does that sound?"

The Beauty Pills were something Xiao Qian had crafted on a whim; Lin Yi had several hundred on him. While they didn't hold much appeal for men, they were priceless treasures to women.

"What is a Beauty Pill? Does it just make skin fair?" Yu Xiaoyu asked curiously. If that were the only effect, the value would be significantly lower.

Lin Yi laughed. "That is only a small part of it. The greatest effect of the Beauty Pill is that it fixes one's appearance, maintaining youth for a hundred years."

As expected, Yu Xiaoyu’s eyes widened at this. "Heavens! Such a magical pill actually exists?"

Granny Qiu was also stunned. She remembered Wei Ruoxue of the Wei family, who had consumed a rare heavenly treasure to keep her appearance and physique frozen in her thirties. She hadn't expected Lin Yi to possess such a miraculous pill. However, her focus remained on the quantity of Pei Yuan Dan mentioned.

Two thousand.

What a concept! Currently, the entire reserve of pills in Snake Valley totaled only two thousand, and over a thousand of those were merely for healing. It seemed this Mr. Lin was not just wealthy, but exceptionally so.

"Well, Granny Qiu, what do you think of my offer?" Lin Yi asked.

"Excellent, Mr. Lin's terms are excellent," Granny Qiu said, clearly delighted. She added, "Mr. Lin, do you happen to have any pills that extend one's lifespan?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "Not at the moment."

Granny Qiu caught the nuance in his words—since he didn't have any *at the moment*, he surely would in the future. She quickly said, "Then, if you ever obtain such pills, Snake Valley is willing to pay a high price for them." Even though a Grandmaster lived for two hundred years, no one ever complained about having a longer life.

After the transaction was completed, Lin Yi stayed at Snake Valley for the night.

The next day, as Lin Yi departed, he encountered two burly men. Both looked menacing, covered in scars from blades and bullets, clearly veterans of long-term combat.

"Are you the one who injured my brother?" asked the one-eyed brute.

"Your brother?" Lin Yi frowned.

"Fat Tiger," the other man reminded him.

Lin Yi recalled hitting a fat man the previous day; he remembered hearing passersby call him something like "Fat Tiger." Had they not reminded him, he would have forgotten about the person entirely.

"Something you need?" Lin Yi asked coldly.

"What do you think? You dare to beat my brother so miserably," the one-eyed man said. He was Black Tiger, the leader of the Three Tigers. His strength was at the first stage of the Grandmaster level. Though he had only recently broken through, he was already a figure whom many factions sought to appease. Yet yesterday, his brother had been crippled by some unknown youngster, an act that filled Black Tiger with rage.

"I gave him a chance. Don't blame me," Lin Yi shook his head.

"Heh, so should I thank you, then?" Black Tiger sneered, raising his hand to strike a blast of *qi* at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi didn't even move. The *qi* struck his protective internal energy and shattered into pieces.

Black Tiger narrowed his eyes. "You have some skills." He didn't believe Lin Yi was stronger than him; he assumed the man must be wearing a powerful defensive artifact.

"Average. You have three seconds to get out of my way," Lin Yi said, having no interest in wasting time with them. A Grandmaster and a half-step Grandmaster—honestly, looking at them for more than a second was a waste.

"You cocky brat, you really think you're something, don't you?" Black Tiger channeled his *qi* into his fist, forming a faint, ghostly tiger head. This was his signature technique, the Fierce Tiger Fist, which was why the martial arts world called him "Black Tiger."

*Whoosh.*

Black Tiger threw a punch at Lin Yi. It was incredibly fast, and given the short distance, the fist was in front of Lin Yi in an instant. Black Tiger almost envisioned the scene of Lin Yi’s heart being crushed by his blow.

However, his immensely powerful fist was blocked by a single palm from Lin Yi.

"Sigh," Lin Yi sighed. He had given them a chance; why did they insist on seeking death?

"Brat, let go!" Black Tiger yelled, swinging his other fist at Lin Yi.

But before it could land, Lin Yi pulled his hand forward with force. Black Tiger felt a massive surge of power, and he lost control, leaning forward until he slammed face-first into the ground with a loud *thud*.

"Big brother!" Xia Tiger charged at Lin Yi, head-butting toward him.

Lin Yi raised a leg and kicked him directly in the chin, sending him flying.

Black Tiger’s eyes bulged with rage; he had never suffered such humiliation. He tried to stand, but Lin Yi’s strike had broken several of his ribs.

"Get lost. If you don't leave now, you'll stay here forever," Lin Yi said coldly.

Black Tiger shivered. He could tell Lin Yi wasn't lying. He hurriedly pulled a healing pill from his pocket and swallowed it. Once his pain eased slightly, he clutched his chest and stood up, his bones feeling as if they were falling apart. He went to Xia Tiger, and upon seeing he was merely unconscious, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hoisted his brother onto his shoulder and limped away.

After dealing with them, Lin Yi headed to the airport. Yu Xiaoyu had bought the ticket for him. He had originally intended to use a flying boat, but since the ticket was already purchased, he didn't want to waste it.

Once seated on the plane, Lin Yi closed his eyes to rest. Suddenly, a crisp voice reached his ears.

"Mr. Lin? You're here too?"

Lin Yi opened his eyes to see a beautiful young woman standing before him. It was Ye Shuang'er, whom he had met at Feng Mountain. Beside her was Master Du. Lin Yi’s Fire Spirit Pearl had been obtained from this very man.

"Yes, just out for some business," Lin Yi replied, not putting on any airs. Meeting was fate, after all.