My Crazy Upgrade System

"You have a Soul-Nourishing Grass?" Yi Tianyun asked, skeptical.

"Yes, I have a Soul-Nourishing Grass. I happen to have one stalk right here... Come with me. It’s absolutely real!" The middle-aged man, who had a rather shifty look about him, didn’t seem trustworthy at all.

Still, Yi Tianyun followed him. Even if the man was a scammer, he was curious to see how the con would play out.

The shifty man led him to a corner and quickly produced a stalk of Soul-Nourishing Grass. Tucked within its leaves was a small red crystal, wedged right in the middle.

The man saw the crystal, plucked it out, and casually tossed it aside. But Yi Tianyun, with his quick reflexes, caught the small crystal in mid-air.

"My apologies. I didn’t realize a little stone was stuck in there. You interested in it?" the shifty man asked, puzzled.

"A little. Where did you get this stone?" Yi Tianyun asked, holding up the red crystal.

"This thing... It must have gotten stuck in the plant when I picked the Soul-Nourishing Grass." The shifty man’s eyes darted around. "You want to know the location?"

"Not really. I’m more interested in where you found the Soul-Nourishing Grass," Yi Tianyun said nonchalantly, tossing the stone aside. It landed on the ground, looking like nothing more than a pretty, discarded red rock.

A look of disappointment flashed across the shifty man’s face, but he quickly recovered with a smile. "If you want to know, I can take you there later. But first, are you buying this Soul-Nourishing Grass? The price is a steal—just one million Spirit Stones."

’It’s definitely a Soul-Nourishing Grass, the real deal. My Eye of Investigation confirms it. The only issue is that it was picked before it fully matured, so its effects will be greatly diminished. What a waste of a heavenly treasure. But if he’d waited for it to grow, someone else would have likely picked it. The time needed was just too long.’

"Five hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Take it or leave it," Yi Tianyun said flatly. "You were going to sell this at the Celestial Dragon Treasure Tower, weren’t you? I bet the price they’d offer would be rock-bottom. You’d be lucky to get even three hundred thousand from them. Soul-Nourishing Grass is Rare, but it’s not worth that much. Consider the extra two hundred thousand my payment for your trouble."

Soul-Nourishing Grass is rare, but that doesn’t mean there’s a high demand for it. Its effects are quite limited, after all. No one in their right mind would pay such an exorbitant price for such a marginal improvement.

"It seems you’re a man who knows his wares, sir... Alright, fine! Five hundred thousand it is!" The shifty man gritted his teeth. He’d wanted to fleece a big spender but had run into an expert instead.

"Good, five hundred thousand," Yi Tianyun said, immediately transferring the Spirit Stones. He had that much to spare. After all, having slain so many powerful cultivators, his personal wealth was considerable.

’He could have easily afforded five million, let alone five hundred thousand, but he refused to be swindled. Just because he was rich didn’t mean he was a fool. Otherwise, no amount of wealth would last.’

"Heh, thank you, sir!" The shifty man grinned, handing the Soul-Nourishing Grass to Yi Tianyun. He was more than satisfied with getting five hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

After taking the payment, he made an inviting gesture. "Sir, please follow me. I’ll lead the way."

’His attitude did a complete one-eighty after getting paid. Money really does talk.’

The instant the shifty man turned, Yi Tianyun reached out toward the ground. With a subtle flick of his power, the red crystal flew from the floor into his palm, and he seamlessly stored it in his inventory.

The shifty man led him out of the Imperial City. They proceeded on foot at a snail’s pace. The man clearly didn’t own any form of transportation; he was utterly destitute.

"How far away is this place?" Yi Tianyun frowned, not wanting to waste any more time dawdling.

"It’s by a river about thirty li from here. We can get there in half a day on foot..."

The next moment, Yi Tianyun grabbed the man’s shoulder, pushed off the ground, and shot into the air, flying in the direction he had pointed. The man was so terrified he thought his soul would leave his body.

"A... A Core Transformation Stage expert..." The shifty man’s face went pale with terror. He was completely powerless to resist. His own cultivation was only at the second or third level of the Core Formation Stage; how could he possibly stand up to a Core Transformation Stage expert?

"Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. Just tell me the truth about the location," Yi Tianyun said, his gaze turning icy. "But if you try to deceive me in the slightest, don’t blame me for what happens next."

"Yes, yes, yes... I understand, I understand..."

Following the man’s directions, they quickly arrived at the bank of a small river. When Yi Tianyun set him down, the shifty man was still visibly shaken from the flight.

"I-I found it right here," the shifty man stammered, pointing at the river. "I was just passing by when I saw something in the water. I went down to check it out, and you’ll never believe it, there was a Soul-Nourishing Grass..."

Yi Tianyun glanced into the river and immediately spotted a subtle disturbance. Sure enough, there were signs of digging—a small pit that hadn’t yet been filled in by sand and silt.

"Alright, that’s all. You can go," Yi Tianyun said, dismissing him.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you!" The shifty man turned and fled, not daring to linger for a second, terrified that Yi Tianyun might kill him.

’Out here in the middle of nowhere, with such a massive gap in their cultivation levels... if Yi Tianyun decided to kill him, what good would five hundred thousand Spirit Stones be? His life was worth more than any amount of money.’

After the man was gone, Yi Tianyun took out the small red crystal again, examining it with narrowed eyes. ’A Phoenix Companion Crystal... To think I’d find one in a small river. He recognized the Soul-Nourishing Grass but had no idea what this was. Looks like this is my lucky day...’

The small red crystal in his hand wasn’t just some pretty rock—it was a Phoenix Companion Crystal!

’To put it simply, these crystals only appear when a phoenix is born. That means one thing: there has to be a Phoenix Egg nearby. A phoenix is a Divine Beast! How could I pass up this opportunity? And it’s not far from the Imperial City. I have to find that Phoenix Egg while I still have time.’

’When it comes to Divine Beasts as pets, the more the better. I’d never complain about having too many.’

Yi Tianyun immediately set off along the riverbank. He unleashed his Spiritual Power to its fullest extent, continuously probing the riverbed, not missing a single detail. He wanted to see if there was a hidden passage or anything else of note at the bottom of the river.

’Based on his deduction, there was a high probability that a living phoenix was somewhere in this area!’

’It had probably just hatched. Why else would a Companion Crystal have fallen off? The benefits of subduing a living phoenix were self-evident. If I nurture it carefully, it could become more than just a mount—it could be a powerful ally in battle!’

’The power of a Divine Beast is terrifying. At the same cultivation level, they can crush almost any opponent. Even if it’s young and weak now, I could raise it within the sect. In the future, it could become the sect’s guardian Holy Beast.’