Chapter 84: Dragon Coins

Chapter 84: Dragon Coins

As Ji Xinghuo caught sight of the Dongji Pass built atop treacherous mountain terrain, he heaved a sigh of relief. "We're back," he exclaimed with joy.

"Yeah!" Chi Zhonglin vigorously nodded, adding with a curse, "That was no easy feat!"

Jiangnan Cayi, on the other hand, looked utterly exhausted.

Only Ren Mian remained spirited and alert, maintaining her peak condition with a delighted expression in her eyes.

Their journey to the Deep Rock Rift had taken them fourteen days, but the return trip had been completed in just ten, with barely any rest along the way as they pushed forward day and night.

They had no choice but to hurry.

Not long after leaving the Deep Rock Rift, Ji Xinghuo noticed an increased number of patrols from the Bei Luoshimen tribe. It was clear they were searching for his group. On the route back from the Deep Rock Rift, every city had dispatched numerous teams for both overt searches and covert ambushes—their numbers were impossible to estimate.

There were also aerial squads of Gelaokake in the skies, conducting what seemed like a carpet search.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't afford to relax for even a minute.

Relying on magnetic field sensing and his Myriad Phenomenon Star Eyes, they evaded wave after wave of enemies. Even when they encountered monsters, they didn't engage, pressing on almost without rest to return as quickly as possible.

And now, they had finally made it back!

Upon entering Dongji Pass, Ji Xinghuo and his group checked into an inn within the fortress and enjoyed a good night's sleep for over a dozen hours, rejuvenating their spirits.

The next day, they rode into Yanhuang City and boarded a airship back to Villa Olympia.

Only when they returned to the familiar comforts of home did the four truly relax.

Ren Mian headed upstairs to her bedroom, while Jiangnan Cayi promptly changed into her home clothes and, as always, began tidying up.

"There's no place like home," she sighed contentedly.

Chi Zhonglin dropped his lava gun and flung himself onto the sofa in the living room. "I could lie here all day and do nothing," he declared.

"Then go ahead and lie there," Ji Xinghuo said with a laugh before returning to his room. He put away his weapons and armor, shedding the ceramic steel protective gear that had become so familiar. He felt instantly more comfortable.

Qinghong slithered down from his wrist and crawled into its dog bed on the windowsill, revealing its true form as Tie Jianqing coiled up in a circle.

After keeping watch every night during their journey back, it was now time for some well-deserved rest.

When Ji Xinghuo emerged from his shower, he found that Qinghong had already fallen asleep.

He opened the Myriad Phenomenon Star Eyes interface.

Despite not having dedicated any specific time to cultivation during their trip across more than twenty star domains, which amounted to nearly two months on Earth, his stellar power had still increased automatically, now reaching 394 points!

"The benefits of Ether Affinity are amazing!" Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim. He glanced at the progress of Ether Affinity, which remained at (Level 3: 197/1439). The path to the next level seemed distant.

However, he had made significant gains in mental source energy, most of which had been acquired in the city of the Rock Lizards.

[Mental Source Energy: 820]



Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up as he eagerly rubbed his hands together. This was the first time he had accumulated so much mental source energy, and he couldn't wait to use it to upgrade some of his abilities.

"Let's see if I can enhance Qinghong's abilities first."

He glanced at Qinghong, curled up in its dog bed by the window, and opened the small interface. He selected "Dimensional Stomach" and channeled his mental source energy into it.

However, nothing happened.

There was no change in the ability's progress, and his mental source energy remained untouched.

"Hmm?"

Ji Xinghuo frowned, wondering if he needed to be in physical contact with Qinghong. He walked over to the windowsill and gently placed his hand on Qinghong's serpentine body before attempting to enhance the ability again.

This time, it worked.

As his mental source energy was consumed, the progress of "Dimensional Stomach" began to rise from (Level 1: 13/1021) – 14, 15, 16... Soon, it surpassed 20, but Ji Xinghuo stopped there and switched to enhancing "Minification," which also showed direct progress.

Qinghong had two abilities that were synchronized with Ji Xinghuo's: Golden Scale Iron Spine and Ether Affinity.

When Ji Xinghuo tried enhancing his own Ether Affinity, he found that Qinghong's Ether Affinity progressed in sync with his.

The same was true for Golden Scale Iron Spine.

After some contemplation, Ji Xinghuo decided, "Let's upgrade Golden Scale Iron Spine first."

This was because it offered the best value, simultaneously increasing the defense of both himself and Qinghong, achieving two points of effect for one point of mental source energy. Additionally, Golden Scale Iron Spine was close to leveling up, requiring only a little over two hundred points of mental source energy.

Ji Xinghuo kept his hand on Qinghong's body as he continued to expend his mental source energy.

Qinghong, who had only just fallen asleep, opened its eyes, confusion evident in its gaze. It could sense that it was rapidly growing stronger, and a hint of panic crept into its heart.

"Don't worry," Ji Xinghuo sent a mental message, reassuring his companion. "It's me enhancing you. This is a good thing."

Qinghong relaxed, and its scales began to glow faintly, their color gradually shifting.

The vibrant green of its scales faded slightly, making way for more golden edging, which crept inward, transforming the quality of the scales. They became harder and more resilient. Within its serpentine body, its spine was also undergoing reinforcement, enhancing its strength and explosive power.

The scales that had appeared on Ji Xinghuo's skin underwent similar changes, granting him slightly improved defense and strength.

In no time, Golden Scale Iron Spine reached (Level 3: 1/1237).

Ji Xinghuo promptly stopped channeling his mental source energy.

Even though both were exceptional abilities, and both were at Level 3, Golden Scale Iron Spine required significantly more mental source energy to upgrade than Thousand Dexterity Hands. The remaining mental source energy wasn't sufficient.

By now, a quarter of Qinghong's scales had turned golden, and Ji Xinghuo's own scales appeared less green.

"Two more levels, and I'll probably become a full-fledged little golden man," Ji Xinghuo joked.

Qinghong raised its head to look at him, conveying its delight and also inquiring about the sudden stop.

"It's not like I can just enhance abilities whenever I want," Ji Xinghuo explained. "I have to pay a price for it." Qinghong seemed to only partially understand, or perhaps it was pretending not to understand. Its head rubbed against his hand, seeking affection like a child asking for candy.

Sighing, Ji Xinghuo relented. "Alright, I'll enhance your sense of smell as well."

Qinghong's Spirit Scent was at Level 2 with a progress of 50/113, requiring only 63 points of mental source energy to level up.

As he channeled 63 points of mental source energy, Qinghong's Spirit Scent advanced to Level 3, its progress now showing (Level 3: 1/503).

Spirit Scent was a quality ability, and upgrading it didn't require a substantial amount of mental source energy. However, Ji Xinghuo didn't plan to enhance it further. Although the remaining 525 points of mental source energy could upgrade "Minification" to Level 2, he intended to keep it for his own use.

"That's it for now," Ji Xinghuo said seriously. Qinghong nodded, looking a little disappointed, and laid its head back down in its dog bed, its gaze drifting towards Ji Xinghuo without a trace of its previous drowsiness.

Having rested in Dongji Pass the previous day, Ji Xinghuo felt refreshed and energized. With nothing else to do, he headed to the training room.

After over twenty days without cultivation, his stellar power had been increasing slowly, and he felt something was amiss.

Several hours later...

After completing three training cycles in one go, Ji Xinghuo was drenched in sweat, feeling incredibly invigorated. His stellar power had increased by a whole point!

"Xinghuo, come here quick!" Chi Zhonglin shouted, poking his head out.

Ji Xinghuo wiped the sweat off his body and entered the living room, where he found all three of his teammates present. "What's up?" he asked.

Chi Zhonglin smiled and said, "It's time to distribute the spoils of war!"

As Ji Xinghuo took a seat at the table, Ren Mian opened the box in front of her and took out several tiny glass vials, handing one to each of them. Each vial contained a Chaning Egg. "Everyone gets one Chaning Egg. Just eat it, and it'll take effect," she explained.

As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Zhonglin twisted open the cap, poured the Chaning Egg into his mouth, and washed it down with a big gulp of water.

"That's it?" Ji Xinghuo asked, smacking his lips.

Ren Mian nodded.

Ji Xinghuo followed suit, popping the Chaning Egg into his mouth like a pill and washing it down with water. The egg was about the size of a mung bean and had no discernible taste.

However, he soon felt a change—that familiar hunger for exotics returned.

As expected, it's an expansion wonder! Ren Mian and Jiangnan Cayi also consumed their Chaning Eggs, their actions more graceful than those of the two men.

"This Chaning Egg came at just the right time," Chi Zhonglin exclaimed happily. "I took Bloodthirsty Frenzy last time, so I can fuse it now. After some more training, I can choose a suitable star gland and then make a breakthrough to become a Super Exhuman!"

Most star glands were artificial, but some were natural organs born within monsters' bodies.

Neither type was inherently better; it depended on compatibility.

It had to match both the Exhuman's genes to avoid rejection and their profession template to maximize its power.

There were numerous companies and research institutions on Earth that developed star glands, with prices ranging from tens of millions to billions of yuan. It all depended on personal preference.

Some companies also sold natural star glands, but the success rate of implantation and their power were not guaranteed.

Overall, artificial star glands were more stable and easier to obtain.

Most people opted for artificial star glands.

Ji Xinghuo was still two levels away from becoming a Super Exhuman, so he didn't need to worry about star glands yet. He asked, "Cayi, aren't you also preparing to advance to Super Exhuman?"

"Yes," Jiangnan Cayi nodded lightly. "But I still lack one exotic."

She was a Refiner Demon and an Evil Spirit.

Refiner Demon was a unique profession template, with the core abilities being "Dark Matter Demon Body" and "Iron Will," which allowed her to seal demons within her body and borrow their power.

Jiangnan Cayi only possessed a "Heart Demon," which could amplify the power of her Evil Spirit.

However, she lacked the "Demonize" ability.

She also didn't have the "Power Demon" and "Night Demon" that other Refiner Demons sealed within them, and her combat style leaned more towards stealth and control.

Her Evil Spirit abilities were also incomplete.

Although she possessed part of the abilities of two profession templates, giving her strong control capabilities, she lacked power in head-on combat.

"Cayi, I'll help you look for someone selling a demon soul. If not, you can fuse with Demonize first," Ren Mian said, clearly having made prior arrangements.

"Okay, Sister," Jiangnan Cayi agreed readily.

Ren Mian continued, "I'll take the remaining two Chaning Eggs. They might come in handy. I'll give you guys monetary compensation—three million each."

Chi Zhonglin immediately shook his head. "Just take them, Ren jie. No need for that."

Ji Xinghuo agreed as well.

"No, it's not the same," Ren Mian insisted. "I already took the most valuable spiritual ability. I can't just take these Chaning Eggs for free." As she spoke, she took out more than twenty golden coins from the box. "These are True Dragon Coins from the True Dragon Empire. Each one is worth 10,000 gold dragons. Take them."

True Dragon Coins! Ji Xinghuo had seen pictures of them before but had never held one in his hand.

These five-sided coins bore a fearsome true dragon on one side and the word "wan" (ten thousand) in Dragon language on the other. They appeared to be made of pure gold but were actually forged from an extremely expensive and rare alloy. They contained a unique energy signature that identified them as the legal tender of the True Dragon Empire.

The True Dragon Empire was one of the most powerful nations in the Star Realm, ruling over vast territories.

The Tianyu Wang Court of Qianfeng Yuanlin was merely a vassal state of the True Dragon Empire, and an obscure one at that, holding little significance.

The True Dragon Empire was the overlord of the Star Realm!

Their True Dragon Coins were manufactured with ether technology and were widely circulated in the Star Realm, commanding a high and stable value. They were one of the most commonly used currencies.

Due to their portability, durability, and discreet nature, True Dragon Coins were popular among Exhumans. They came in denominations of 10,000, 1,000, 500, and 100 gold dragons. Smaller denominations were actually less common, as regular cash from Earth was typically used for smaller transactions.

A single True Dragon Coin with a face value of 10,000 gold dragons was worth approximately 4.5 million yuan on Earth.

Ren Mian gave seven coins to each person.

Ji Xinghuo held the seven True Dragon Coins in his hand, feeling their weight. They made a crisp, pleasant sound when they collided.

With these coins, he could exchange them for over 30 million yuan on Olympia or Earth.

"Thank you, Ren jie," Chi Zhonglin happily accepted the coins, seeing that she was insistent.

Ji Xinghuo also expressed his gratitude.

"As for the remaining exotics," Ren Mian continued, "Xinghuo, you can sell them, but not to the Dragon Gazing Tower. Bring the money back, and we'll split it among the three of you." She handed over the other exotics obtained from the Chaning as well as the ones they had hunted on their way to the Deep Rock Rift.

"Alright," Ji Xinghuo nodded. These exotics could fetch a price of over ten million.

With the matter settled, Ren Mian headed upstairs to prepare for her ability fusion.

Ji Xinghuo, on the other hand, set out with the exotics to sell them.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end