Douluo Dalu 2: Peerless Gu master

"Hello, Sister Xiaotao!" After introducing themselves to each other, Huo Yuhao briefly explained why they were staying in the area.

Ma Xiaotao smiled charmingly and waved her hand. "It's no trouble at all. I remember there's a treasure appraisal event for the core disciples of the outer courtyard today. I can take you in with me."

During her afternoon practice session, Ma Xiaotao truly realized how comfortable it was to train without being disturbed by the evil fire.

She felt better than ever, almost moved to tears. Her martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix, inherited from her ancestor Ma Hongjun, was tainted with the troublesome evil fire.

This fire, also known as the fire of desire, had tormented her since her martial soul awakened. Countless times, she had collapsed during training, overwhelmed by the evil fire's influence.

 While her ancestors had released the evil fire through indulgence, Ma Xiaotao, with her self-respect and pride, would rather die than resort to such methods.

Even Yan Shaozhe, the dean of Shrek's Martial Soul Department, was at a loss for how to help her.

For other soul masters, meditation and daily battles were routine, but for Ma Xiaotao, they were luxuries she couldn't afford.

On weekdays, she relied on Xu Sanshi, whose Mystic Deep Turtle martial soul had dual water and earth attributes, to temporarily suppress her evil fire.

However, due to the difference in their soul power levels, this was only a stopgap solution. Now, with Huo Yuhao's help, the clouds had finally parted, and the moon shone brightly.

 She wouldn't let go of the hope he had brought her after all her suffering. As long as she had the Ultimate Ice, everything would be fine!

 Although the Evil Fire Phoenix would continue to produce evil fire, as long as Huo Yuhao was around, she could indulge in training and combat without being troubled by it.

Ma Xiaotao had come to Shrek City to buy some training resources, intending to repay Huo Yuhao later. By sheer coincidence, she ran into him just as he seemed to be in a bit of a predicament.

Whether to strengthen their bond or for the sake of her future happiness, helping him was a no-brainer.

With her status, bringing two people into the event was a trivial matter. Besides, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were Shrek students, and from what she could sense, their talents were exceptional. There was no reason to turn them away.

The Treasure Pavilion was backed by Shrek Academy, and its first floor was specifically reserved for students whose status wasn't yet sufficient.

However, as long as they passed a potential assessment, talented Shrek students could be given opportunities.

"Alright, then I'll trouble Sister Xiaotao," Huo Yuhao said. Noticing Wang Dong's slightly unnatural expression, he asked, "Wang Dong, what's wrong? Aren't you coming?"

Wang Dong forced a smile and shook her head. "Yuhao, you go ahead with Senior Sister. I've already made plans to meet Senior Brother here."

As Wang Dong explained, she had arranged to meet Bei Bei soon, which was why she had brought Huo Yuhao here in the first place.

She couldn't just join the Tang Sect and leave others hanging.

Huo Yuhao understood and nodded. "Alright, I'll go ahead then. See you later."

With that, he was promptly whisked away by Ma Xiaotao, leaving Wang Dong standing alone, her lips twitching slightly. 'The relationship between Senior Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao is really close, she thought.'

---

As an inner courtyard disciple who had been promoted from Shrek's outer courtyard, Ma Xiaotao was intimately familiar with the treasure appraisal process.

Thanks to the intimidating aura of her red inner courtyard robe, she dismissed the welcoming attendants and led Huo Yuhao straight to the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion without any hindrance.

The second floor was where the treasure appraisal event for the outer courtyard's core disciples was being held.

Compared to the first floor, it was quieter and more elegant. The layout seemed scattered, but each booth was strategically placed for maximum visibility. Each booth was covered by a large crystal glass case, displaying various rare items.

"What a pity, Yuhao," Ma Xiaotao said, sounding slightly disappointed. "There's no treasure appraisal event for inner courtyard disciples today. Otherwise, I would have taken you there to broaden your horizons. But for you, the treasures here might be more suitable. If you see anything you like, just let me know, and I'll buy it for you."

'Women may affect the speed of one's cultivation, but rich women certainly don't,' Huo Yuhao thought to himself. He naturally accepted Ma Xiaotao's generosity. There was no need to pretend to refuse.

"Thank you, Sister Xiaotao. There is indeed something I need here," Huo Yuhao said.

As soon as he stepped into the treasure appraisal event, the Ice Emperor's voice echoed in his mind.

"Yuhao, there's something good at the third booth on the left. It might be perfect for you," the Ice Emperor said.

Tianmeng chuckled. "I should say, it's very suitable for you. It's a piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue, and the quality is quite good."

Following the Ice Emperor's guidance, Huo Yuhao led Ma Xiaotao to the third booth on the left side of the hall. On display was a black crystal, dull and uneven in texture.

A detailed description was provided on the booth:

[Thousand-year whale glue: A special substance produced in the brains of whale-type soul beasts. It has excellent nourishing effects on soul masters, strengthening the body, muscles, bones, and the endurance of the meridians.]

As Huo Yuhao stopped, Ma Xiaotao looked at the whale glue with curiosity, her expression slightly puzzled. "Yuhao, are you interested in this low-quality whale glue? High-quality thousand-year whale glue is golden and transparent, like crystal. A genuine piece would cost at least 50,000 gold soul coins. This one is only priced at 6,000. I don't think it's worth it. Don't worry about saving money for me. I'm a top VIP at the Treasure Pavilion and can get a 40% discount."

With that, Ma Xiaotao pulled out a red VIP card with golden patterns from her storage soul tool. The card was made of red spirit jade, engraved with the ancient characters for "Treasure Pavilion."

 It was one of the perks given to her as a core disciple of Shrek's outer courtyard after her talent was recognized. With this card, she could choose one item from the treasure appraisal event each year without paying and enjoy a 40% discount on all purchases.

Huo Yuhao smiled and explained in a low voice, "Sister Xiaotao, this isn't a thousand-year whale glue. It's ten-thousand-year whale glue."

"Ten-thousand-year whale glue?!" Ma Xiaotao was stunned. Ten-thousand-year whale glue was extremely rare in human history.

The Treasure Pavilion had misjudged this piece, assuming its black color was due to weathering and deterioration, leading to its low price.

Huo Yuhao continued, "Yes, typically, ten-thousand-year whale glue is dark yellow. This piece is black because of long-term weathering, which is why no one at the Treasure Pavilion recognized its true value."

Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "In that case, we've hit the jackpot!"

As they spoke, they quickly secured the ten-thousand-year whale glue. The treasure appraisal event would last until midnight, but Huo Yuhao had no intention of staying that long.

Perhaps because the whale glue was so cheap, Ma Xiaotao insisted they browse the rest of the exhibits. After finding nothing else of interest, they prepared to leave.

[Ma Xiaotao]

[Relationship: Close Friends]

[Achievement Task: Waiting for Refresh]

A new best friend had appeared, but unfortunately, the achievement task was still refreshing.

"Next, I'll need your help refining the whale glue, Sister Xiaotao," Huo Yuhao said.

Although he could achieve a similar effect using the Fire Furnace Gu, he saw no reason to pass up this opportunity to deepen their bond. 'Generous and kind Sister Xiaotao, please help me with my cultivation.'

…

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