BTTH: From Genius to Invincible-Chapter 318: The Snake Tribe’s Dispute

Word Count: 2,846 Words

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Since the shopkeeper's price was fair, Xiao Yan selected a relatively valuable, high-grade tier 6 pill from among those stored in his storage ring; it was a pill of excellent quality.

Xiao Yan was that kind of person; if others treated him courteously, he would respond in kind.

When the shopkeeper saw the pill that Xiao Yan produced, his face lit up with delight as he repeatedly expressed his gratitude. Because of Xiao Yan's 'generosity,' the difference in quality translated into a significant increase in value!

Yue Mei stood by, her eyes glimmering when she noticed a stalk of Body Transformation Grass in the jade box. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, somewhat awkwardly, "Little Clan Leader Xiao, are you... able to refine the Body Transformation Pill now?"

Who wouldn't desire a Body Transformation Pill? Back then, Gu He had tried to trade a Body Transformation Pill with Queen Medusa for a Heavenly Flame. Xiao Yan believed that Medusa would have agreed to the exchange if she hadn't known a secret method to evolve using a Heavenly Flame.

One could imagine that, in the hearts of magical beasts, the value of the Body Transformation Pill was comparable to that of a Heavenly Flame.

Xiao Yan glanced at the beautiful snake-woman before him, who looked a bit embarrassed. He had met Yue Mei even earlier than Medusa, and she had once captured him to take him back as an alchemist slave.

He gave a soft chuckle and said, "I can't refine it yet, but with diligent practice, I might be able to in a few years."

"If 'Big Sister' Yue Mei needs this little alchemist's help to refine pills, the Yan Alliance has its rules, you know."

Yue Mei couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. This guy still remembered that incident.

Undoubtedly, Xiao Yan was now the Yan Alliance's iconic figure. Half of the alliance's reward system was supported by him alone.

Currently, the Yan Alliance could hire alchemists from the Alchemist Association to refine lower-tier pills, but for any pill above the peak of tier 5, they had to rely entirely on him.

In particular, after Xiao Yan gained the ability to refine the Zong Breaking Pill, the Yan Alliance had even enticed one Dou Emperor expert each from the Luo Yan Empire and the Mulan Empire to join them.

One could imagine how crucial Xiao Yan was to the Yan Alliance.

Suddenly, Nalan Yanran, who had been silent all along, glanced at Xiao Yan and blinked her beautiful eyes. "You owe me an Emperor Breaking Pill."

????

"Huh? When did I owe you a pill?" Xiao Yan was baffled. Although the Emperor Breaking Pill was only a peak tier 5 pill, its effect was similar to the Zong Breaking Pill, increasing a Dou King's success rate in breaking through to Dou Emperor by 20%.

But he wasn't a philanthropist. How could he give someone a pill for no reason?

Even though our relationship isn't shallow, it's not that deep either, is it?

Just then, Hai Bodong patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, cleared his throat twice, and said, "Did you think that in the two years since the Yan Alliance was established, you could simply be a hands-off leader with no responsibilities?"

"Yanran has spent years fighting off enemies at the alliance's borders, slaying many Dou Kings in the process. She has accumulated quite a bit of merit and already submitted a request for an Emperor Breaking Pill, and you're the only one in the entire Yan Alliance who can refine it."

!!!!!!!

Xiao Yan was startled upon hearing this. He suddenly realized an issue and asked, "I want to ask... are there currently some people in the Yan Alliance who have accumulated a lot of merit and are just waiting to exchange it for pills or request me to refine pills?"

At his question, Hai Bodong's eyes flickered evasively; Nalan Yanran covered her mouth and giggled while nodding; and Yue Mei's eyes even shone with stars. Only Xiao Yan's eyes were blank.

Princess Yue Er raised her hand and patted his shoulder, her eyes showing sympathy. "It's not just 'some people.' All the Dou Kings and above in the Yan Alliance are serving the alliance with the goal of having you refine pills."

"Moreover," she added, "when Queen Medusa wanted to join the Yan Alliance, she promised in the Snake-People Tribe that as long as the leaders of the eight major tribes were willing to join the Yan Alliance, once you could refine the Body Transformation Pill, if they gathered the ingredients, they could come to you to have it refined."

!!!!!!!!!

Only then did Xiao Yan realize that Medusa had sold him out!

Did she think the Body Transformation Pill was so easy to refine? That was a high-grade tier 7 pill, and it took several days to refine just one!

"Over the past few years, the three major empires have been continually provoking and invading. How could the Jia Ma Empire and the Misty Cloud Sect alone defend against them?" Nalan Yanran had always been in the Yan Alliance, so she knew more about its situation than Xiao Yan did.

Indeed, the Yan Alliance had an agreement not to interfere with the administration of other countries. However, if other countries were attacked, the question of who would support them became a problem. Those who went to support risked their lives, and without rewards, how could they be motivated?

Moreover, as the Yan Alliance expanded its power, it would gain a great deal, but at present, it was still in a development phase, spending more than it earned.

Some low-tier pills were entirely refined by Yue Er. However, she had also received all the cultivation resources of the Yan Alliance; otherwise, how could she have advanced from a peak 3rd-tier alchemist at the Alchemist Grand Meeting to a 5th-tier alchemist in just four or five years?

And now, it was Xiao Yan's turn to repay the debt.

He was one of the four leaders of the Yan Alliance. Naturally, he had his responsibilities!

"Damn it! That Medusa has also washed her hands of everything! Why am I the only one who has to make up for it!" Xiao Yan gnashed his teeth. Why should he be the one refining pills while Medusa could cultivate peacefully?

When she returned, he would definitely teach her a good lesson!

"Hey, that sword looks pretty good."

Just then, his gaze fell on an exquisitely crafted longsword in one of the display cases. He was about to inspect it more closely when a voice rang out from outside the shop.

"Heh heh, isn't this Yue Mei? It's been so long, and you're still a Dou King."

"Oh my, how come you still have a snake body? Don't tell me you haven't transformed yet," an arrogant voice said as a man stepped into the shop, laughing heartily.

To be precise, this was not a man but a snake-person. Unlike Yue Mei, who still had a snake's lower body, this man had already transformed most of his body. His snake tail had disappeared, replaced by a pair of legs, yet patches of snake scales still marked his face. His eyes were vertical pupils, and he had a pointed, snake-like head with visible venomous fangs.

Xiao Yan could tell at a glance that the man had used a Demon Transformation Pill to achieve partial transformation.

Generally, magical beasts would use the Demon Transformation Pill to achieve a partial transformation and then rely on their own strength to complete the full transformation when they were strong enough. The reason was very simple; the Body Transformation Pill was just too expensive.

Yue Mei's eyes flashed with anger when she saw him. She ground her teeth and snapped, "Lu Feng, you traitor! How dare you show your face!"

The man called Lu Feng sneered coldly and mocked disdainfully, "Ridiculous. This is the Sky Serpent Empire of the Sky Serpent Mansion. Why can't I show up here?"

"Moreover, I'm not a traitor. The Sky Serpent Mansion is the orthodox one. This is the ancestral land of our tribe, not that damn desert."

When Xiao Yan's group had flown to the Sky Serpent Empire on the Serene Sea Scaly Beast, they had heard from Hua She Er and Yue Mei that the relationship between Medusa's Snake-People Tribe and the Sky Serpent Mansion was not very good and was even somewhat hostile.

After all, the Sky Serpent Mansion had great ambitions to unify the entire North-Western Region and invade the Central Plains. Naturally, the only snake-tribe faction in the North-Western Region that refused to join the Sky Serpent Mansion was a thorn in their side.

Most importantly, rumors had it that both the Snake-People Tribe and the Sky Serpent Mansion originally lived in the Central Plains.

But later, for some unknown reason, both were expelled from the Central Plains and exiled to the North-Western Region, eventually evolving into the current Snake-People Tribe and Sky Serpent Mansion. Presently, the most powerful snake-tribe in the Central Plains was the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.

This was also why the Sky Serpent Mansion had always wanted to return to the Central Plains, because their homeland was there and they wanted to go back.

From their conversation, Xiao Yan guessed that the snake-man before them was likely a former tribal leader of the Snake-People Tribe who had defected and joined the Sky Serpent Mansion.

This wasn't anything strange. In the world of magical beasts, such things were all too common. Rather, it was a miracle that Medusa, who only had the strength of a Dou Emperor at that time, could hold on for so long.

'No wonder Medusa was willing to risk her life to evolve. It seems the Snake-People Tribe is in an even more perilous situation than I imagined.' Xiao Yan couldn't help but think of that extraordinary woman who risked everything to evolve.

Lu Feng glanced at Yue Mei with a hint of aggression in his eyes and said with a smile, "Yue Mei, I heard that Medusa took you all to join some so-called alliance. Ha ha, after so many years, you still haven't made any progress. How about bringing your Mei Snake Tribe to join my Lu Snake Tribe? I guarantee that if you obediently follow me, you can reach the Dou Emperor realm within two years and even obtain a high-grade tier 6 Demon Transformation Pill. I'm sure you'll surpass Medusa in no time."

"A high-grade tier 6 pill! That lousy Snake-People Tribe of yours doesn't even have a 5th-tier alchemist!"

Hearing his words, Yue Mei could only grit her teeth and remain silent. The Snake-People Tribe was indeed backward and impoverished, and being in the middle of a vast desert, there was nothing they could do.

"Hey, you stinky snake! Do you have a death wish?! How dare you bully my people!" Zi Yan immediately puffed out her chest and raised her little fist.

As a member of the magical beasts, she naturally regarded herself as the big sister. Moreover, in terms of age, not to mention Yue Mei, even the Amethyst Winged Lion King and the Serene Sea Scaly Beast had to call her 'Little Grand Aunt.'

Lu Feng coldly glanced at the members of the Yan Alliance. Sensing that the strongest among them was only Hai Bodong, an 8-star Dou Emperor, he sneered and said, "Heh heh, so these are the people from your Yan Alliance participating in the Great Meeting of Factions? It seems you've indeed declined; you're not even as strong as Medusa."

"Without strength, yet you dare to come to the Yellow Spring Treasure Pavilion."

Hai Bodong's eyes turned cold, and he was about to speak, but Xiao Yan lightly waved his hand and smiled at this guy, who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth just because he had joined the Sky Serpent Mansion. "So, you're saying you want to compete with me for this item?"

"Call it what you will. That Rank 7 Monster Core Weapon is indeed a good item. It'll make a fine gift for the Saintess in a few days."

Lu Feng said proudly. He could not help but feel jealousy creeping into his heart upon seeing how young Xiao Yan had already reached 3-star Dou Emperor strength; he himself had once been lauded as the greatest genius after Medusa among the snake-people. And looking at the stunning women around Xiao Yan, how could his vainglorious ego possibly stand it?

When Xiao Yan heard the term 'Saintess,' a subtle glint flashed in his eyes.

"Shopkeeper, I'll take this sword. Send it to the Elder's Mansion for me!" Lu Feng glanced sideways at Xiao Yan and sneered.

Yue Mei saw Lu Feng being so aggressive and was about to speak, but in the end, it turned into a sigh. Originally, since they were once from the same tribe and had fought together, she did not want things to escalate to hostility. However, some matters were beyond her control. Here, her status could be said to be the lowest, and she knew that Lu Feng was just asking for trouble!

The shopkeeper looked toward Xiao Yan, wanting a clear signal before deciding anything. After all, Xiao Yan had shown interest in the sword first, and, more importantly, he valued Xiao Yan more.

Only if Xiao Yan didn't want it could he sell it to the next customer.

Lu Feng noticed the shopkeeper waiting on Xiao Yan and barked haughtily, "Shopkeeper, ignore who came first or last. Whatever he offers, I'll outbid him! In any case, I must have this sword today!"

Even Nalan Yanran showed a hint of a cold smile when she saw Lu Feng actually planning to crush Xiao Yan with financial power. She stood aside, waiting to watch the show. This guy truly did not know how high the sky was; he probably had even forgotten his own mother's surname.

Competing in wealth with a 7th-tier alchemist? The combined wealth of the entire Jia Ma Empire and Snake-People Tribe could not match his.

"Always outbid me?" Xiao Yan smirked and shook his head. "Just based on you—a fellow who can't even afford a Body Transformation Pill—you want to snatch something from me? Shopkeeper, I'll take the sword."

Lu Feng, on the verge of retorting, was cut off by Xiao Yan's calm voice: "I'll pay with one Mighty Huang Pill."

"Mighty Huang Pill!!" the shopkeeper exclaimed in surprise.

Although Xiao Yan casually gifted Mighty Huang Pills to Hai Bodong and Yun Yun, the preciousness of the Mighty Huang Pill ranked among the top three in tier 6 medicinal pills.

To obtain a Mighty Huang Pill, the three major leaders of the Black-Corner Region had not hesitated to bring all their sect members to fight Han Feng. One could imagine the value of a single Mighty Huang Pill.

Earlier, when Xiao Yan had used a high-grade tier 6 pill to exchange for medicinal ingredients, if he had used a Mighty Huang Pill, it would have at least required an additional portion of ingredients in return.

"You... you... don't spout nonsense! Do you think Mighty Huang Pills are like pebbles on the roadside? Can you produce one?" Lu Feng snorted coldly, naturally not believing that Xiao Yan could take out a Mighty Huang Pill.

Xiao Yan did not bother wasting words. He merely laughed mockingly, directly took out a pill bottle from his storage ring, and tossed it to the shopkeeper, his casualness as if he were really throwing a pebble.

The shopkeeper was nervous and hurriedly caught the pill bottle. When he saw its smooth luster and gently sniffed it, a fragrance that relaxed his entire body wafted out.

"It is indeed a Mighty Huang Pill. There's no mistake."

Lu Feng heard the shopkeeper's confirmation and his face changed dramatically, turning ashen. He glared angrily at Xiao Yan and finally gritted his teeth, "Hmph! It's just a Mighty Huang Pill; I can provide one too."

"No, no. Take a good look. That is the highest quality Mighty Huang Pill, refined using a Heavenly Flame. If you want to outbid me, you'll need to produce an Emperor Heaven Pill or a Zong Breaking Pill," Xiao Yan said as he gently shook his head and smiled.

The shopkeeper nodded lightly and said, "Indeed, this Mighty Huang Pill is of exceptionally high quality, the best I've seen in my life. It would be difficult to find a Mighty Huang Pill of higher quality. If you want better, it would require an Emperor Heaven Pill, a Zong Breaking Pill, or a tier 7 medicinal pill."

"However, whether it was refined using a Heavenly Flame, this old man cannot determine."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan snapped his fingers, and with a 'snap,' a cluster of cyan-green flames appeared in front of him.

Xiao Yan used practical action to prove it. Heavenly Flames? He had them, and quite a few at that.