Change all of these into gold for me

Damn it, what kind of lousy spirit array is this? Why can't I activate it!

Tu Yiyi's eyes were red from crying, her sobs coming in hiccups. Frustrated by her failed array, she angrily threw away the spirit stone in her hand.

"Tu Langlang, where the hell have you run off to? I'm being bullied!"

Tu Yiyi curled her petite body into a ball, sitting at the entrance of the inn, wailing loudly.

Passersby exiting the inn shook their heads at the sight.

"How could that bastard bring himself to rob this poor girl?"

"Miss, don't cry anymore."

A faint fragrance drifted by.

Tu Yiyi looked up and saw a young man in white standing before her.

There was no denying it—he was exceptionally handsome.

With rosy lips, fair skin, and a tall, slender frame accentuated by his white robes and folding fan, he truly embodied the saying, "A gentleman as peerless as jade under the heavens."

Tu Yiyi gasped inwardly. What a pretty boy!

"Oh heavens, it's Young Master Gu!"

"So it really is the Young Sect Master of Tianxuan Sect! His aura is unmatched!"

Gu Changfeng smiled gently and extended a hand toward Tu Yiyi.

He had always believed that the age of sixteen was when a girl blossomed into her most beautiful self.

Thus, when he met Shen Muxuan three years ago, he fell head over heels, drowning in love.

He had even proposed marriage multiple times!

But as the saying goes, "No water can compare to the vast sea." Who would have thought that after three years apart, Shen Muxuan would have... grown up!

Though the marriage contract had long been settled, he had intended to break it off—until his father laid eyes on the peerless beauty Mu Qingyi, the Pavilion Master of Qingyuan Pavilion, and decided she would make the perfect daughter-in-law.

Because his father preferred mature women. In his eyes, Mu Qingyi was the only woman in the entire immortal sect worthy of his precious son!

For Gu Changfeng, this was a nightmare.

He already found women in their late teens too old, and now his betrothed was pushing thirty!

Every time he protested, his father berated him, calling him blind and ungrateful.

Left with no choice, Gu Changfeng reluctantly accepted.

But now, meeting Tu Yiyi, he felt that familiar flutter in his heart again.

"What do you want?" Tu Yiyi asked warily.

Gu Changfeng smiled warmly. "This humble one feels an instant connection with the young miss—"

"You trying to hit on me?" Tu Yiyi raised an eyebrow.

Gu Changfeng's lips twitched. Must she be so blunt?!

Even if that was exactly what he meant.

Rong City, Official Road Post Station.

A young man with naturally curly black hair and wispy bangs stood atop a broadsword, his gaze sharp as he stared in the direction of Tianxuan Sect.

"Young Master!"

Three martial artists approached, bowing slightly as they spoke solemnly.

This young man was none other than the second son of the Heavenly Demon Sect's leader—Ning Er.

"Where's Elder Xing?"

Ning Er gripped his broadsword, raising an eyebrow at the three.

Elder Xing shuddered before hurriedly replying, "Reporting to the Young Master, we stopped at Yue Lai Inn for a short rest."

"Then what's with the injury?" Ning Er's sharp eyes zeroed in on the wound on Elder Xing's palm.

Elder Xing quickly hid his hand, voice trembling. "T-This was from accidentally stabbing myself with chopsticks while eating."

Ning Er stared coldly at him before drawling, "I may be the second son, but I'm not stupid. How the hell do you stab your own palm with chopsticks? And what about your asshole?!"

At this, all three men flinched.

These three martial artists were the very ones An Yi had skewered with chopsticks earlier.

The reason they were late was because they had to visit a clinic to remove the chopsticks lodged in their rear ends and treat the wounds.

Just thinking about it made them tremble with rage.

They had never encountered someone so vile and shameless!

"Keep your perversions in check. The sect doesn’t mind same-sex preferences, but don’t push it."

Ning Er saw right through their lies and snapped, "Tomorrow or the day after, Mu Qingyi will be married. I want all of you on high alert! I'm crashing that wedding! If anything goes wrong, I'll offer your heads as sacrifices!"

The three shuddered.

This idiot actually plans to go through with it?!

Their group only had four people, with Ning Er being the strongest at the mid-stage of the Void Realm.

With such meager strength, attempting to disrupt a wedding seemed suicidal!

Ning Er narrowed his eyes, lost in thought as he recalled Mu Qingyi's delicate beauty, his expression turning disturbingly infatuated.

He had loved her for years. The thought of his goddess becoming another man's wife filled him with unbearable anguish.

It felt like a green hat was already perched on his head.

Furious, he had rushed from the Heavenly Demon Sect overnight, determined to steal her away.

He refused to tolerate even a hint of green in his life!

"Elder Xing, this fool really plans to crash the wedding. It's happening soon—are we really going to follow him to our deaths?"

One of the martial artists crept closer, whispering fearfully.

They were actually spies planted by the Heavenly Demon Sect's true heir, Ning Haotian.

Dying for Ning Er? Not a chance.

Elder Xing's face darkened as he rubbed his sore backside. "This is Ning Er's own doing. If he gets himself killed trying to steal a bride, the Young Master will be more than pleased."

The other two exchanged sinister smiles.

In prestigious sects, the struggle for succession was never simple.

Rong City, Yongle Pawnshop.

"This second-tier spirit core—five taels of silver!"

The pawnshop owner glanced at the spirit core in his hand, yawning as he named the price.

An Yi raised an eyebrow before pulling out another. "What about this one?"

"Tsk, a light-attribute second-tier spirit core? Rare sight. I'll give you eight taels." The owner perked up, examining it more carefully.

The owner was a plain-faced middle-aged man who didn’t seem the type to swindle customers.

An Yi then produced a third-tier spirit core. "And this?"

"Impressive! A third-tier spirit core... forty taels of silver!"

The owner's expression turned respectful.

Third-tier spirit cores were indeed uncommon.

Hearing this, An Yi frowned, a sense of unease creeping in.

He knew the gold-to-silver exchange rate here was roughly ten to one.

Forty taels of silver equaled four taels of gold!

And this was just for a third-tier core.

"What about this?"

An Yi pulled out a fourth-tier spirit core and handed it over.

The fourth-tier core, with its superior luster and radiant spiritual energy, far outshone the third-tier one.

The moment it appeared, the owner's eyes widened in shock. "M-My heavens! A fourth-tier spirit core?! Am I seeing this right?"

At his exclamation, everyone in the pawnshop turned to stare, their gazes burning with greed at the core in An Yi's hand.

After all, most spirit beasts lurked in the Tianluo Forest.

Hunting for spirit cores was a life-risking endeavor!

Outskirts were mostly populated by first- and second-tier beasts, many of which didn’t even produce cores.

To find third-tier cores, one had to venture deep into the forest—a perilous journey where death was a constant companion.

As for fourth-tier cores? Surviving an encounter with a fourth-tier beast was already a miracle. Who'd dare think of hunting one?

Thus, fourth-tier cores were exceedingly rare in the market.

The moment An Yi revealed it, many began scheming.

"W-Worth three hundred taels of silver!"

The owner took a deep breath before declaring the price.

This was a major deal!

At the mention of three hundred taels, even Wei Xiang's eyes lit up.

They were rich!

To him, An Yi now seemed bathed in a golden glow—exceptionally dashing.

An Yi felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

After conversion, a single fourth-grade spirit core was worth thirty taels of gold!

Holy shit! How much money had that damn she-dragon cost him?!

An Yi's heart ached as if it were bleeding. Suppressing his fury, he took a deep breath and poured out a full bag of fourth-grade spirit cores from his storage space with a clatter.

"Exchange all of these for gold!"

In an instant, the entire pawnshop fell dead silent.