Chapter 356: Chapter 356: Don’t Be Too Confident

"Why aren’t you leaving? Do I need to call the staff over?"

Ye Xuan sneered, his face full of disdain.

Seeing that Ye Xuan wasn’t bluffing, the cloaked man cursed himself inwardly. ’I’ve really shot myself in the foot.’ He couldn’t afford to lose face now. He quickly said, "Fine. A bottle of Venerable Intent Pills for one Soul Essence Stone. I agree."

It wasn’t that Ye Xuan was truly indifferent to the Soul Essence Stone. Hearing the cloaked man’s words, he stated flatly, "I need to see the Soul Essence Stone."

"Fine."

The cloaked man gritted his teeth. He knew that when it came to trading, he was no match for the young man before him.

Tossing over a jade box, the cloaked man said through clenched teeth, "Where are the Venerable Intent Pills?"

Only then did Ye Xuan produce the Venerable Intent Pills again.

The cloaked man took the jade vial and, without a second glance, turned to leave.

But the strange feeling in Ye Xuan’s heart intensified, and he reached out to stop him.

"What do you think you’re doing? The deal is done. Are you planning to keep me for dinner?" the cloaked man said coldly.

"Who said the deal is done? I haven’t inspected your item yet. What’s the rush?"

Ye Xuan said lightly as he opened the jade box.

Inside the box lay a bright yellow Crystal Stone, emitting the faint aura of a Soul Essence Stone. In both appearance and aura, it was identical to the real thing.

But Ye Xuan sneered inwardly.

"You’ve played a clever trick."

He said coldly, the frosty glint in his eyes like a sharp blade landing on the cloaked man’s face, as if trying to pierce his veil.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," the cloaked man said in a low voice. "You were the one who agreed to trade Venerable Intent Pills for a Soul Essence Stone. You’ve inspected the goods, so you’d best step aside. I have business to attend to."

The cloaked man was in a hurry to leave.

"Don’t understand?" Ye Xuan’s voice turned frigid. "You think you can trade a worthless rock disguised as a Soul Essence Stone for my Venerable Intent Pills?!"

"Worthless rock?" The cloaked man laughed in anger. "What I gave you was clearly a Soul Essence Stone. Don’t tell me you’re trying to swindle me? I’ve been trading here for a long time. Do you think you can just blackmail anyone you please? Be careful you don’t bite off more than you can chew."

"Is that so?"

Ye Xuan sneered, then suddenly picked up the Soul Essence Stone from the box and smashed it on the table.

CRACK! The bright yellow Soul Essence Stone immediately split in two.

"So a grand Tier Six Soul Essence Stone is this brittle. This is the first I’ve heard of it," Ye Xuan said with a sneer, holding the broken pieces.

He had felt something was off all along, and not just because the man was concealing his aura. Thinking back, he recalled a very strange feeling the moment the man produced the jade box.

It wasn’t until he had the box in his hands that he realized the source of that strange feeling: there was a Restriction on it.

The Restriction on the box could simulate all sorts of auras. His attention had been completely focused on the Soul Essence Stone inside. It was only when he held the box that he realized it didn’t contain a Soul Essence Stone at all—it was a Bright Heart Stone disguised as one.

A Bright Heart Stone is a Tier Three material. Its appearance, shape, and size are very similar to a Soul Essence Stone; the only differences are its hardness and aura. The cloaked man had used some unknown method to make the Bright Heart Stone emit the same aura as a Soul Essence Stone. Combined with the Restriction on the jade box, even Ye Xuan hadn’t been able to identify the fake in his haste.

If not for his lingering suspicions, the cloaked man might have actually succeeded in trading a single Bright Heart Stone for his Venerable Intent Pills.

"You..."

Seeing Ye Xuan smash the "Soul Essence Stone," a hint of panic crept into the cloaked man’s voice.

"Tsk, tsk. Turning a Bright Heart Stone into a Soul Essence Stone... you’re quite skilled," Ye Xuan said, looking at him with a cold smile as anger welled up inside him.

It wasn’t because the man had tried to cheat him out of his Venerable Intent Pills, but because he’d gotten his hopes up for nothing.

The cloaked man fell silent. Just as Ye Xuan thought he was about to beg for mercy, the man’s tone suddenly changed. "I have roamed this underground black market for a long time, and you’re the first person to see through my treasure. Your eyes are sharp indeed. Since that’s the case, I’ll return your Venerable Intent Pills. Give me back my item, and we’ll be even."

’Ye Xuan was so angry he almost laughed. This guy tried to scam him, and now he thought they could just trade back and call it a day?’

Before he could speak, the cloaked man suddenly added in a casual, nonchalant tone, "This must be your first time at the underground black market. The things you’re buying are all treasures that remove impurities from Soul Power. I’ve heard that the Profound Mystery Sect is strictly investigating such items to track down a young man who killed their Elder Gale. I wonder if you have any connection to this person? Or perhaps... you are the very man the Profound Mystery Sect is looking for?"

"Are you threatening me?" Ye Xuan’s tone instantly turned ice-cold.

’He hadn’t expected the man to identify him based on that information, much less have the gall to threaten him.’

The cloaked man spoke nonchalantly, "If you insist on seeing it as a threat, then a threat it is. Since you’ve realized the Soul Essence Stone is a fake, neither of us has really lost anything. Why not just go our separate ways? Must we fight to the death? What’s the point?"

"Is that so?" ’Ye Xuan was fuming, but he laughed internally.’

"You’re quite the schemer, aren’t you? You had an escape route planned all along. But even if I am the person the Profound Mystery Sect is looking for, I dared to kill one of their elders. Can you guarantee you’re more intimidating than a Profound Mystery Sect elder?" Ye Xuan retorted without hesitation.

This wasn’t just a blind counterattack from Ye Xuan; it was true. A man who would dare to kill a Profound Mystery Sect elder would hardly be afraid of someone so secretive.

The cloaked man wasn’t scared at all. "If you dare to make a move here, you won’t get out alive either. And once you leave the underground black market, you won’t even know who I am. How could you possibly come looking for trouble with me?"

The cloaked man looked as if he had Ye Xuan right where he wanted him.

Ye Xuan laughed, his voice full of meaning. "A woman repeatedly calling herself ’this old man’... No matter how I hear it, it just sounds... awkward."

"What did you say?"

Ye Xuan clearly felt the other person’s body tremble. She couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

"A Cloak of Concealment, a Voice-Changing Restriction, a Transformation Skill... Tsk, tsk, you have quite a few ways of hiding yourself. You must have a lot of enemies here. But what I want to say is, you shouldn’t be so confident in your Disguise Skill."

Ye Xuan waved his hand and said casually, "Your features are so obvious, I’m sure I could find out who you are quite easily. You want to leave? Go ahead. I just wonder if you’ll be able to escape my assassination before the Profound Mystery Sect’s Martial King experts arrive. I’m really looking forward to finding out."

Seeing Ye Xuan’s indifferent expression, the cloaked person was clearly flustered. She fell silent for a moment, then said through gritted teeth, "What is it you want?"

Ye Xuan looked calmly at the cloaked person and said, "How could I dare to do anything to you? You’re the one who came to swindle me out of my Pills, and then you threatened me. I’m terrified right now. I have this little problem—when I get scared, I’m capable of anything. Especially with women."

"You..." The cloaked person was truly panicking now, her voice trembling. She deeply regretted approaching Ye Xuan. Not only had he seen through her scam, but he had also seen through her identity. If he came looking for her later...

She didn’t dare imagine the consequences. This was a man who dared to kill even a Profound Mystery Sect elder.

She tried her best to calm herself and said through clenched teeth, "I was in the wrong this time. State your demands. And I swear I won’t say a word about your situation."

Ye Xuan gave the cloaked person a cold look. Seeing that she had yielded, he said lightly, "One Soul Essence Stone, and we’ll call this matter settled."

The cloaked person’s brow furrowed. "Another condition. I don’t have a Soul Essence Stone. How about this? I’ll give you three hundred Lower Grade Profound Stones as compensation. You..."

"I said, one Soul Essence Stone," Ye Xuan interrupted her coldly. "Don’t tell me you don’t have one. To disguise this Bright Heart Stone as a Soul Essence Stone, you added Double Yellow Leaf, Transparent Crystal Powder, and soaked it in Alfalfa Marrow Liquid for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. But most importantly, you added a minuscule amount of Soul Essence Stone powder to the Alfalfa Marrow Liquid. That’s why this Bright Heart Stone has such a distinct Soul Essence Stone aura."

"That’s something that can’t be faked by any other means. Therefore, you must have a Soul Essence Stone."

"Don’t test my patience again. One Soul Essence Stone. Once I have it, this matter will be dropped."

Ye Xuan’s voice was cold and left no room for doubt.

"You knew my entire process just by looking at the finished product? You..."

The cloaked person was completely and utterly stunned.

She had been wondering how Ye Xuan knew the Soul Essence Stone was fake. After all, not even a Fifth Grade Soul Refiner could see through her forgeries, and a Sixth Grade Soul Refiner would have to examine it carefully to have a chance of spotting the fake.

But Ye Xuan had seen through it in an instant.

At first, she thought it was just her bad luck today. Now she finally understood: the young man before her had an understanding of materials that was far superior to her own.

"Fine, I agree." A mix of fear and shock filled her heart as she gritted her teeth and accepted Ye Xuan’s demand. "But the Soul Essence Stone isn’t on me right now... I need..."

"I’ll go with you to get it," Ye Xuan said directly.

The cloaked person’s body trembled, her heart filled with bitterness.

Just as Ye Xuan was about to stand up and leave with the cloaked person, a raspy voice suddenly called out, "I hear you have Clearing God Pills and Profound Light Pills? And any other Pills of Fifth Grade or lower?"

The raspy voice was stern, as if ready to strike if Ye Xuan gave the wrong answer.