Chapter 2520: This is the Standard

"Enough, it's certainly enough."

Ye Chen chuckled and quickly handed over the *ben ming fa qi*, conveniently taking the three pieces of *zhu qi xian liao*. The *Zao Hua Shen Tie* was especially precious to him—it was absolutely priceless and impossible to buy.

The Song Shan sect leader let out a cold snort and turned to leave, afraid that staying even a second longer would make him hold back an internal injury. On this trip, he had originally planned to get back not only his sect's *Man Tuo Xian Cao* but also the *ben ming fa qi*.

Now, it seemed he had thought too much—those three pieces of divine iron had only been exchanged for the life-bound artifact.

In reality, he had indeed overthought it. Ye Chen had no intention of giving up the *Man Tuo Xian Cao*, no matter what was offered in exchange. Compared to these treasures, he cared more about Mu Liuqing's life.

"What a huge profit." The Hua Shan goddess laughed, with a touch of playfulness.

"Don't rush, there's more." Ye Chen was even more delighted. He hadn't put away the three pieces of divine iron yet, instead suspending them in mid-air, lined up side by side, all shimmering with divine light, each one more radiant than the last.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before another person arrived at the peak.

This time, it was the Tai Shan sect leader. His face was even darker than the Song Shan sect leader's, and the moment he saw Ye Chen, he could barely contain his anger, looking ready to explode.

Ye Chen sat down and took out the Tai Shan godson's *ben ming fa qi*—it was still that rag—and began wiping it vigorously, striving to polish it to a dazzling shine.

The Tai Shan sect leader didn't immediately ask for it back. Instead, he glanced at the three pieces of divine iron floating in the air, paying particular attention to the *Zao Hua Shen Tie*, an immortal material of that level, unmatched in the world.

"It's from the Song Shan predecessor," Ye Chen said casually.

The implication was clear: if you want to exchange for your godson's *ben ming fa qi*, you have to meet this standard. If you offer less, I won't trade.

The Hua Shan immortal laughed—it was truly entertaining.

Recalling the daytime gambling battle, Ye Chen had standards for that, and now he had standards for exchanging *ben ming fa qi* as well—at least three pieces of divine iron as the baseline, otherwise, no deal.

The Tai Shan sect leader's expression grew even more somber. He did have divine iron of this caliber, but it pained him greatly. Still, he couldn't refuse the exchange—without the *ben ming fa qi*, his godson was doomed to lose.

"If you fuse this artifact into your iron staff, it will definitely make it even more dominant."

"Exactly what I was thinking, hero."

"If you don't know how to forge, I can teach you, senior sister!"

The Hua Shan goddess and Ye Chen chatted again, with the goddess, who was supposed to be dignified, playing the role of a shill quite skillfully—it was all for the Tai Shan sect leader's benefit, urging him to exchange if he wanted to.

"Enough talk, I'll give it." The Tai Shan sect leader snorted coldly, showing great resolve as he flicked his sleeve dramatically, sending out three pieces of immortal iron that floated into the air.

"Here you go, predecessor, take your artifact." Ye Chen said obligingly. The three pieces of immortal iron from the Tai Shan sect leader were of high quality, not inferior to the Song Shan sect leader's in any way.

"Your Hua Shan has truly taken in a fine disciple." The Tai Shan sect leader left as he spoke.

Before departing, he couldn't help but glance at the Hua Shan immortal, his suppressed anger nearly erupting. This Five Peaks duel had left him with a belly full of internal injuries.

The Hua Shan immortal paid it no mind—it was all their own doing, so why blame Hua Shan?

"These sects really favor sons over daughters!" the Hua Shan goddess sighed.

Whether it was the Tai Shan or Song Shan sect leader, they had only exchanged for their godsons' artifacts and never even asked about the goddesses' artifacts.

Ye Chen understood this well. One reason was the high cost; the other was that the goddesses from both sects were already betrothed to godsons from other sects, destined to be taken away eventually. Weighing the pros and cons, they wouldn't bother exchanging for the goddesses' artifacts, and they didn't have enough divine iron anyway.

In this regard, the Hua Shan immortal was superior to those two sect leaders. If it were the Hua Shan goddess who had lost her *ben ming fa qi*, he would retrieve it at any cost, without any favoritism.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen set up his arrangement again, waiting for the other sect leaders to arrive.

He hadn't destroyed the artifacts he had won yet, implying that if the sect leaders cared about their godsons and goddesses, they would come to exchange. In a way, this was building goodwill.

It wasn't long before the Heng Shan and another Heng Shan sect leaders arrived one after the other.

These two sect leaders had also come to retrieve the artifacts. Although they had been eliminated, these were still their artifacts, refined over hundreds of years, and quite valuable—especially since they were quasi-emperor level.

Compared to the Tai Shan and Song Shan sect leaders, these two were more reliable.

As soon as they arrived, they noticed the six pieces of *zhu qi xian liao*. No need to ask—they knew who had provided them: the Song Shan and Tai Shan sect leaders. There was still a duel in two days, after all.

Ye Chen stood with his hands behind his back, steady as a rock, saying nothing. The setup spoke for itself—this was the standard: exchange if you have it, forget it if you don't.

The two sect leaders felt a pang of pain and glanced at the Hua Shan immortal.

The Hua Shan immortal wouldn't interfere—it was a rare opportunity to gain some benefits, and besides, these were Ye Chen's treasures, so they should talk to him.

"Could you lower the price a bit?" the Heng Shan sect leader stroked his beard and suggested.

"No bargaining." Ye Chen shook his head with a smile, thinking to himself that both sects were wealthy beyond measure, so why quibble over such trifles? This standard was already generous—take it or leave it.

The two sect leaders took a deep breath, tempted to rob the place and beat Ye Chen while they were at it. What a cunning little stone spirit—you're quite the expert at this!

Frustrated as they were, they still had to make the exchange—talking wouldn't change anything.

The trade went through as per the standard: another six pieces of divine iron.

The two sect leaders left, stewing in their anger. This Five Peaks duel had started with high spirits, but they ended up eliminated, humiliated, and out three pieces of divine iron each.

"Think about Tai Shan and Song Shan—maybe you'll feel better."

The Hua Shan immortal flipped through an ancient scroll and sent a telepathic message.

Remarkably, hearing that made the two sect leaders feel a bit better. Their sects had it bad, but others had it worse—those two had lost two artifacts each, plus a piece of alchemy material. In comparison, hey, things balanced out a bit. At least someone was worse off.

After them, two more people descended: the elders of the black and white godsons.

These two old fellows had faces as dark as night. They had gone up to stand up for their daughters-in-law, but in a moment of carelessness, Ye Chen had knocked them down, and in the gambling battle, they lost their *ben ming fa qi*.

"Three pieces of divine iron—quite the bold move," one of the sect leaders tsked.

"This standard should be acceptable to you two predecessors," Ye Chen said with a smile.

"We were prepared for it." The two sect leaders said grimly, each pulling out a storage bag. After all, it was their sect's godson's artifact—they had to get it back. That was their own flesh and blood. Without the artifact to bolster them, how could they maintain face? They were ready to be fleeced—it was their own fault.

The exchange went smoothly this time, and the two sect leaders left in a rage.

"Now, that should be it," the Hua Shan goddess said with a light smile.

"Not necessarily." Ye Chen laughed and glanced at the sky—more people were coming.

Unlike before, these were juniors: two young men, one with purple hair and one in white robes, both strikingly handsome and possessing special bloodlines with surging vital energy.

Ye Chen remembered these two; he had seen them during the Five Peaks duel. They weren't from the Five Peaks but belonged to major sects, powerful figures in the scattered immortal realm with deep foundations.

They hadn't come just to visit—they were here to exchange artifacts: one for the Song Shan goddess and one for the Tai Shan goddess. Clearly, those two goddesses were their wives.

Since the Tai Shan and Song Shan sect leaders didn't care, they had to step in—otherwise, they wouldn't be allowed in the bedroom at night.

"It's great to have someone who cares," the Hua Shan goddess said with a smile.

"Goddess, put in a good word for us with your little stone spirit—cut us a deal," the purple-haired youth said with a dry laugh, immediately spotting the standard. It was ridiculously expensive!

"I can't make that decision." The Hua Shan goddess shrugged.

"This is the standard—no exceptions for anyone." Ye Chen took a swig of wine, looking every bit the shrewd merchant. As a businessman, profit was king, and that was his style—he'd squeeze every bit he could. These were godsons from major sects, all loaded, so he'd fleece them for all they were worth.

"Marrying a wife and having to empty your pockets—ouch!" the white-robed youth grimaced.

"Thinking about the wedding night, it's all worth it." Ye Chen said meaningfully.

The two godsons rubbed their noses, and the thought of the wedding night energized them. They couldn't help but daydream—a goddess in bed would surely be wonderful.

"Is this just fantasizing?" the Hua Shan goddess glanced at them.

"Goddess, don't joke." The two godsons coughed dryly and waved their hands. For the sake of their wives, they had to pay up—it was a lesson learned. They wouldn't mess with Hua Shan's Ye Chen again.

Given how sensible they were, Ye Chen not only gave them the artifacts but also threw in some extras.

The so-called extras were the legendary collector's editions.

"How tasteful."

When the two godsons left, the way they looked at Ye Chen had changed. This Hua Shan little stone spirit wasn't just a prodigy with insane talent and combat power—his tastes were on another level. He seemed proper on the surface, but in reality, he was utterly shameless.

" Mission accomplished." After seeing them off, Ye Chen collected the divine iron.

As always, for treasures, one could set aside face. Since he started cultivating, that had been his approach. If he ever ran short on resources, he wouldn't mind kidnapping a few godsons or goddesses—that was his specialty and signature skill.

With so much divine iron, fusing it into the *Dinghai Shen Zhen* would surely forge a divine weapon.

The Hua Shan immortal and Hua Shan fairy watched with satisfaction. Their little stone spirit didn't even need elders to give him treasures—he handled it himself, self-sufficient and thriving.

Compared to the Hua Shan godson, this little stone spirit was better at managing things. They should hand Hua Shan over to him.

"Aren't you going to share some with me?" The Hua Shan goddess gave Ye Chen a sidelong glance. After all, I helped you lure them in. As the saying goes, finders keepers.

Ye Chen glanced at the Hua Shan immortal and fairy, then pulled the Hua Shan goddess aside and mysteriously handed her an ancient scroll.

This was also a collector's edition—a illustrated romance story.

Once that was done, he vanished in a flash.

"Shameless!"

A second or two later, the Hua Shan goddess's scolding rang out, sharp and piercing, as she stomped her feet furiously. She was using Ye Chen's body, but her face was flushed bright red.

The Hua Shan immortal and fairy looked on with strange expressions, wondering what Ye Chen had given her. It must not have been anything good, given how secretive he was—it had driven the goddess to lose her temper completely.