"It might not go as you wish," Zhu Ju reminded her.

"The Sect definitely factored in its potential appreciation when they set the price."

"If there was a sure way to earn a hefty amount of Spirit Stones, they would just lease it. At worst, they’d sign a long-term lease. Why would they bother selling it?"

Since they were selling,

it likely meant the profits were average.

Or it would take a very long time to see a return, making it less convenient than raising funds quickly.

He was speaking from experience.

"Senior Brother..." Ning Ruxue frowned.

"Have you done business before?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"The Sect is selling the shops to raise Spirit Stones, and also to attract other powers to open branch stores."

"It’s a huge investment; you should be more cautious." Seeing her expression darken, Zhu Ju sighed helplessly.

"I don’t have many Spirit Stones on hand. I’m afraid I can’t help."

"Hmph!"

Ning Ruxue snorted coldly.

"I knew Senior Brother couldn’t be counted on."

"Forget it."

She sighed.

"I’ll figure something out myself."

Several thousand Spirit Stones was an amount that not even a Core Disciple could necessarily produce, let alone an Inner Sect Disciple.

Her beautiful eyes shifting, Ning Ruxue walked towards an Inner Sect Disciple from the Celestial Sword Lineage.

Nearby, Xiao Bufan was approached by two disciples from the Flying Phoenix Lineage, and he left with one of them.

Zhu Ju stood where he was, completely ignored. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He wasn’t ugly—in fact, you could even say he was quite pleasant-looking—but he lacked the vibrant energy the others exuded.

He carried an air of weariness.

There was no light in his eyes.

Compared to the other prodigies of the three lineages, he naturally didn’t stand out much.

Plus, he had no interest in this ’matchmaking’ to begin with. As a result, he stood there for a long time without anyone approaching him.

"Young man."

A somewhat familiar voice spoke up:

"As a man, you have to make the first move."

"Senior Sister Zhongli."

Zhu Ju turned and cupped his hands towards the speaker.

"Senior Sister, are you also participating in this kind of gathering?"

Zhongli Changuang was a Core True Inheritance disciple of the Flying Phoenix Lineage. Normally, she wouldn’t need to be here.

"I’d like to, but Master wouldn’t agree."

Shrugging, Zhongli Changuang sighed.

"They’re all hot-blooded young people, and they’re choosing partners. The Sect was afraid someone might start a fight to show off, so they asked me to come and keep an eye on things."

"Tsk, tsk..."

"All these delectable young people, but I can only look, not touch. It feels like a cat is scratching at my heart."

Zhu Ju gave a dry laugh.

He didn’t know she had this side to her.

"What?"

Zhongli Changuang looked over, blinking her beautiful eyes.

"With all the pretty female disciples in our Flying Phoenix Lineage, is there really not a single one that catches your eye?"

"That’s not it." Zhu Ju shook his head.

"I just haven’t thought about that sort of thing."

"I get it!" Zhongli Changuang clapped her hands lightly.

"The belle of the Dragon Head outshines the Flying Phoenix. It seems that after spending so much time with Senior Sister Pei, your standards have gotten higher."

"Huh..."

"Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Pei Jingque? I’d advise you to give up as soon as possible. You can’t handle that woman."

"Senior Sister," Zhu Ju sighed softly.

"Please don’t joke."

"Hee hee..." Zhongli Changuang chuckled lightly.

"Someone’s coming. Seize the opportunity."

Before her voice had even faded, her figure had already vanished from the spot.

"S-Senior Brother."

The newcomer was thin and wiry, with slightly dark skin. Her features, however, were quite delicate. She spoke nervously:

"My name is Qu Hongxiao, a disciple of the Celestial Sword Lineage."

"Junior Sister Qu." Zhu Ju said, cupping his hands.

"I am Zhu Ju."

"Senior Brother Zhu," Qu Hongxiao said.

"Did nobody want you either?"

"..." Zhu Ju was taken aback.

"More or less."

"Th-Then... should we go sit somewhere for a bit?" Qu Hongxiao’s pretty face flushed red as she whispered the invitation.

"There’s no need." Zhu Ju shook his head, refusing her outright.

"I’m not interested in that."

"Is that so." Qu Hongxiao lowered her head, her voice heavy.

"I... I understand. Sorry to have bothered you, Senior Brother."

She turned, jogged over to a tree, and her shoulders trembled. She raised a hand to wipe at her face.

’She’s not crying, is she?’

A look of surprise appeared on Zhu Ju’s face.

He had never really encountered a situation like this before and for a moment didn’t know how to handle it.

Fortunately, Qu Hongxiao only took a moment to compose herself before heading towards another male Inner Sect Disciple.

A short while later, pouting, she returned to the tree once more.

After being rejected several times in a row, she seemed to have lost all hope, standing blankly under the tree and watching the others pair up.

"Feeling sorry for her?"

Zhongli Changuang appeared again.

"Then go over and talk with the young lady for a while."

"Senior Sister." Zhu Ju shook his head.

"Don’t you have anything better to do?"

"Hm?" Zhongli Changuang rolled her eyes.

"Do you think I enjoy hovering around you? There are plenty of younger, more handsome men here."

"The painting!"

She held out her hand.

"The painting you promised me."

"When did I promise..." Zhu Ju’s voice trailed off. It seemed there really was such an agreement.

He immediately nodded.

"How about I paint it now?"

"That works."

Zhongli Changuang’s face lit up with excitement.

"Do I need to strike a pose?"

"No need." Zhu Ju took out a brush, ink, and paper. After studying her for a few moments, he began to paint with sweeping strokes.

"Just be natural, Senior Sister."

"That simple, huh." Zhongli Changuang’s beautiful eyes twinkled as she paced around the area.

"I heard you chose the Artifact Refining Truth?"

"Yes." Zhu Ju nodded.

"During the battle with the Five Poison Sect, I acquired a set of Flying Swords. They were just lacking in Spirituality, so I reforged them."

"Let me see."

"Mm."

Zhu Ju didn’t refuse. With a surge of True Qi, five Flying Swords floated slowly out from the Sword Pouch at his waist.

He couldn’t keep them hidden forever; they were bound to be revealed sooner or later.

This time, he didn’t use Divine Soul Sword Control, and he could clearly feel the difficulty and sluggishness in controlling the Flying Swords.

"Not bad!"

Zhongli Changuang nodded.

"A complete set of Magical Artifacts. Its power is likely no weaker than a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact. If you had the right Sword Formulas, it would be even more powerful than one."

"Did you mix in Star Meteorite Iron?"

"Yes." Zhu Ju paused his painting.

"Senior Sister, you also understand Artifact Refining?"

"Of course." Zhongli Changuang said, as if it were obvious.

"I’m an expert in this field. It’s a shame I don’t have the Celestial Sword Lineage’s Artifact Refining Truth. We should exchange pointers when we have time."

"I would be honored to receive your guidance, Senior Sister." Zhu Ju nodded happily, then asked curiously:

"You must have a Magical Artifact as well, Senior Sister?"

"Hee hee..." Zhongli Changuang chuckled, and with a light flip of her pale hand, a length of Seven-Colored Spirit Silk appeared, wrapping around her arm.

"Seven-Colored Clouds. It can be used for both offense and defense."

With a gentle wave, the colored clouds shot out more than ten zhang, circled in mid-air, and returned with a fruit it had plucked from a tree.

It moved so fast that even with his perception, Zhu Ju could barely follow it.

"A High Grade Spiritual Artifact?"

"That’s right."

Zhongli Changuang nodded.

"Unlike Low and Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts, most High Grade Spiritual Artifacts can be stored in the Dantian and nourished with True Qi."

"Their power is naturally on a different level as well."

She spread her fingers, and the Seven-Colored Clouds suddenly shrank, turning into a gleam of light that merged with her True Qi and vanished.

This scene left Zhu Ju stunned for a moment.

’It really is a High Grade Spiritual Artifact!’

’But one could guess that an item like this consumes an enormous amount of True Qi. Even if it were given to me, I might not be able to control it.’

’Wait a second!’

’Now that I have an Outer Pill, it might not be impossible for me to try.’

"Wow!"

Just as he was marveling at the High Grade Spiritual Artifact, a cry of wonder sounded by his ear. It was Qu Hongxiao, who had approached at some point without him noticing. Looking at the emerging portrait on the paper, she exclaimed in amazement:

"It’s so beautiful!"

"Senior Brother Zhu, can you paint one for me, too?"