The Nine-Grade Lotus Platform

When he burst into the room, the fat merchant nearly fainted from fright. Xiao Chen, too, gaped in astonishment.

The little snow-white beast had gone too far—it had actually carried back a huge sack. Inside, radiant light swirled and auspicious colors intertwined, the bag bulging with who knew how many heavenly treasures and earthly marvels.

The enormous sack was much taller than Keke itself. Compared to the one-foot-long little beast, the five-foot-long sack was absurdly disproportionate.

The sack was already open. The snow-white beast, utterly intoxicated, was rolling inside in delight, its large eyes narrowed into crescent moons from joy.

The fat merchant nearly sat down in terror, stammering, "It's over, it's over. The 'Southern Wilderness Spirit Essence Hall' has been cleaned out. Keke has looted all the spiritual treasures from their First-Class Hall! Damn it... the value is incalculable! If this is discovered, we'll be in deep trouble. We'll have to pay double the price!"

Xiao Chen also felt a headache coming on. The theft of so many heavenly treasures and earthly marvels was bound to be a major incident in Heavenly Emperor City. There was no way to resolve this quietly. How much was this all worth?!

Keke's bright eyes darted around cleverly. Then it jumped up and blocked Xiao Chen and the huge sack, its meaning clear: don't even think about making me return it—I'd rather die than do that!

Xiao Chen felt like he was going crazy. He rubbed his temples vigorously. If this matter wasn't handled properly, even a small misstep would lead to disaster.

"Damn it, what the hell was the Southern Wilderness Spirit Essence Hall doing? So many treasures—didn't they have a single expert guarding the place? Weren't they afraid of being looted?!" Xiao Chen complained in frustration.

Zhuge the fat merchant felt speechless. Your little snow-white beast looted their First-Class Hall, and you're blaming them? The fat man grumbled inwardly, his head also aching from the sheer trouble. He explained weakly, "Have you forgotten what day it is? Today is the first day of the Southern Wastes' Beast King Tournament. The first match was the battle between two Dragon Kings. Almost every expert in Heavenly Emperor City went to the Beast-Fighting Arena to watch. The three old geezers guarding the First-Class Hall all abandoned their posts—I saw them myself entering the VIP room at the arena."

"But isn't the Dragon King battle already over?" Xiao Chen complained helplessly.

"The Dragon King battle is indeed over, but there are two more Beast King matches afterward. Since they went, do you think they'd come back after just watching one match?"

"Keke... you... sigh!" Xiao Chen was so angry he didn't know what to do. He had no idea how to handle this.

The snow-white beast, however, was ecstatic, as if it had won a great victory. It dove back into the huge sack to rummage around.

"No, we have to return it, or it'll cause a public outcry!" Xiao Chen sighed helplessly.

"Right, and we need to do it early, before the three old geezers return. We have to return it exactly as it was," the fat man also felt this was a thorny issue. The Southern Wilderness Spirit Essence Hall was a major financial conglomerate with enormous wealth and considerable influence in the Southern Wastes.

"Ya-ya-ya..." The snow-white beast was unhappy. It poked its head out of the huge sack, grumbling angrily, as if saying this was its hard-earned reward and it absolutely refused to return it.

The fat man was speechless. You call this hard-earned? Might as well just move into the Spirit Essence Hall!

"No, Keke, you have to return it. Otherwise, the consequences will be very serious. We'll face disaster," Xiao Chen had to patiently reason with the little creature.

After much persuasion and lavish promises, the snow-white beast finally pouted reluctantly and nodded. Of course, it couldn't return everything. The Nine-Grade Lotus Platform was naturally confiscated. In addition, the snow-white beast also pulled out a small pouch of choice items to keep for snacking.

Swoosh!

With a flash of white light, Keke vanished, dragging the huge sack.

The wait was filled with anxiety. Half an hour passed, and the little beast still hadn't returned. Finally, Xiao Chen shot straight into the sky, ready to charge to the Southern Wilderness Spirit Essence Hall and fight to the death—even if it meant exposing himself, he didn't care. The little beast must not come to harm!

But just then, Keke wobbled back. Its little belly was round and full, and it was burping. Occasionally, it would turn back with a lingering look.

Utterly dumbfounded!

There was no need to guess—after returning the things, it had gorged itself at their place. It certainly wouldn't suffer from a "spiritual essence famine" in the short term.

"Alright, it's finally returned!" The fat man let out a long breath. Even though they had kept the Nine-Grade Lotus Platform, it was just one among many heavenly treasures and earthly marvels. Although it was an absolute rarity, it had been sitting in inventory for two or three years without selling. Its cost price was only a hundred thousand gold coins or so. Only recently, with the opening of the Beast-Fighting Tournament, had they started jacking up the price. Losing it like this would certainly cause a storm, but it was still much better than having the entire First-Class Hall looted.

The Southern Wilderness Spirit Essence Hall's holdings included the First-Class Hall, the Heavenly Materials Pavilion, the Earthly Treasures Pavilion, and several other treasure stores, each with its own signature supreme spiritual essence. The Nine-Grade Lotus Platform of the First-Class Hall was their family heirloom treasure.

Legend had it that the Buddha himself possessed a Nine-Grade Lotus Platform. It was truly a peerless treasure. After being refined by the Buddha, it could not only bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh but was also a supremely powerful spiritual artifact that combined offense and defense—one of the sacred instruments dreamt of by all cultivators.

The First-Class Hall's Nine-Grade Lotus Platform was naturally not so miraculous, but it was still a naturally formed precious material, a rare completed lotus platform. It was dotted with jade light, translucent and flawless like jade. It was about the size of a washbasin. When held, it felt warm and smooth, shining brilliantly like warm jade.

"Alas, such a pity. It's only the size of a washbasin. If it were nurtured for a few more tens of thousands of years, it might have become a sacred object like the Buddha's lotus platform!" The fat man looked regretfully at this treasure material.

This was obviously unrealistic. Who could live tens of thousands of years? Who could guard it that long? Even a deathless immortal wouldn't want to spend endless ages waiting. Merchants valued profit. Once they discovered this spiritual essence, they certainly wouldn't let it grow naturally.

Zhuge the fat man said, "This was originally formed by an ancient lotus growing for thousands of years in a small lake atop a giant mountain deep in the Southern Wastes. There are some Buddhist relics on that giant mountain. It's likely that in the distant past, gods or buddhas must have manifested there."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen also felt a twinge of regret. Perhaps it was indeed connected to the Buddha's Nine-Grade Lotus Platform. Maybe it had even grown from a seed of that Buddhist sacred object.

Peeling open the jade-like lotus platform, a burst of fragrance assailed his nostrils. Inside were four emerald-green lotus seeds, each the size of a dragon's eye. They were like emeralds, glowing and shimmering, dazzling to behold. Their color was completely different from ordinary lotus seeds, and they were much larger—truly like divine objects. The fragrance filled the entire courtyard with its richness.

Four supreme-quality emerald lotus seeds immediately made Keke close its eyes in bliss. It felt that even though it had returned so many spiritual essences, keeping this heavy treasure was worth it! But by now, it had no appetite left, having eaten its fill at the First-Class Hall.

Xiao Chen sensed trouble. He quickly covered the four crystal-clear emerald lotus seeds, then called Keke, the Little Defiant Dragon, and the Azure Dragon King over. Without favoritism, each of the three sacred beasts received one seed. Xiao Chen kept the fourth for himself.

"Eat them quickly, or the fragrance will spread and attract attention!"

With that, Xiao Chen popped the gleaming emerald lotus seed into his mouth. Instantly, the seed dissolved into a vast surge of spiritual energy, rushing into his five viscera and six bowels, then converging into his hundred meridians. But ultimately, it was seized by the Central Pivot acupoint along the line of his spine. Dazzling divine light condensed into a bright point, and the Central Pivot acupoint was divinely transformed!

Abundant life essence burst forth, surged through Xiao Chen's body, and then established connections with the other divinely transformed acupoints. Golden lines, like a network of veins, linked them together.

Half a quarter of an hour later, everything calmed down. Xiao Chen opened his eyes. He was no longer surprised by the divination of acupoints. He could anticipate that in the years of cultivation to come, such events would occur frequently.

The snow-white beast Keke crunched the emerald lotus seed like a sugar pill. But before it could taste it, a surge of spiritual energy rushed into its body, leaving the little thing quite disappointed. It could only smack its lips reflectively.

As for the jade-like peeled lotus platform, Xiao Chen did not waste it. He crushed it and applied it all over the Little Defiant Dragon's wounds. The platform sparkled with light points; it too contained boundless heavenly and earthly essence. It resonated with the sacred tree inside the Little Defiant Dragon's body, and the spiritual energy all flowed into its body through the wounds.

One could clearly see the terrifying wounds on the Little Defiant Dragon healing. The jade-like lotus platform withered rapidly, eventually turning into powder and falling off.

Seven-colored divine light blazed. Xiao Chen sent the Little Defiant Dragon back into the house. He estimated that after one more night, it would be fully recovered.

The Azure Dragon King had been slowly restoring its divine lucidity over these days. However, it was very silent, even somewhat dejected. It did not reject Xiao Chen, clearly recognizing this old friend. After enjoying the emerald lotus seed, it silently returned to its room to continue healing its spiritual wounds.

The fat merchant watched the entire process, immensely envious. Unfortunately, his constitution was too poor; he was in no position to enjoy the emerald lotus seed.

In the evening, word came from the Beast-Fighting Arena. The other two Beast King matches had also concluded. A meter-long Golden Lion King had instant-killed its opponent and advanced smoothly. The Little White Tiger had also performed well; after a fierce battle, it had severely injured another young Beast King and advanced in turn.

The theft of the Nine-Grade Lotus Platform from the Southern Wilderness Spirit Essence Hall—the storm arrived as expected. From afternoon to evening, it caused an uproar. Zhuge the fat merchant naturally became the prime suspect. Who else had been haggling over the price so often these past few days?

The fat man was quite depressed. He had only sniffed a few breaths of the aroma, and yet he was under suspicion. Meanwhile, the real culprit had gone off to feast at the Undying Sect as if nothing had happened.

The Undying Sect in Heavenly Emperor City occupied a vast area, like a garden. Inside, fine trees were lush and verdant. There were also pavilions, towers, small bridges over flowing water, flying waterfalls, and mountain springs—the scenery was breathtaking, like a fairyland.

Xiao Chen grumbled inwardly. In this inch-of-gold city, the residences of the major powers were either ancient castles or palaces, and gardens were indispensable. Continuous houses and expansive gardens—what a staggering fortune! Too extravagant!

"It's you?!"

Entering the garden-style Undying Sect, Xiao Chen happened to run into Yan Qingcheng. Lithe and beautiful, Yan Qingcheng wore a blue-and-white long dress that accentuated her tall, vibrant figure exquisitely. Her jade-like face bore no trace of makeup. Her natural beauty was pure and otherworldly, a beauty so matchless it could move even a stone man.

"What, not welcome?" Xiao Chen appeared utterly nonchalant, a far cry from the sharp, fierce demeanor he had when confronting enemies in the past.

"You are certainly not welcome here!" Yan Qingcheng felt very conflicted. Practicing the Shatter Demon, Plant God technique, she could no longer be too far from Xiao Chen—at least they had to live in the same city. Yet facing this former great enemy who had captured her, she found him utterly displeasing no matter how she looked at him.

"What kind of talk is that? Is this how you treat a guest? I've come to the Undying Sect to take you home and live a proper life!"

"You..." Yan Qingcheng's jade-like face flushed with anger. Seeing Xiao Chen's lazy, carefree demeanor, she wished she could slap him across the face. But she had to restrain herself. She gave a light snort and said, "Keep dreaming!" With that, she turned and walked away.

Whoosh!

Xiao Chen unfurled his Undying Wings and once again appeared behind Yan Qingcheng. He didn't say much, just followed her all the way.

"Why are you following me?"

"Why can't I follow you?"

His tone was completely indifferent, which infuriated Yan Qingcheng. No one had ever treated her with such disrespect. Even those who harbored lust in their hearts for her peerless beauty were nothing but fawning admirers, never daring to cross her. This fellow was so outrageously presumptuous, truly despicable!

"Xiao Chen, you..." Yan Qingcheng bit her rosy lower lip, suppressing her anger. "If you need to see the elders, go quickly. If you keep pestering me, don't blame me for calling someone."

"I feel like this is turning into a scene from a melodrama—beauty and the bully."

"And you're not the bully?" Yan Qingcheng, light as a flower butterfly, fluttered into the air, about to fly deeper into the garden.

"So you're saying I'm a bully? Then maybe I should make it a fait accompli. Otherwise, I always feel like I'm being wrongfully accused."