That despicable, scheming woman, she actually disguised herself as an elf lady!

"Yes, that's right!"

Liu Huan nodded with a smile, his face calm as still water, but he felt a surge of pleasure in his heart.

His lips couldn't help but curl upwards!

He came here with a desire to show off, after all, returning home in glory is like wearing fine clothes at night.

Four rounds of bone forging!

Even for these tribal warriors deep in the swamp forest, completing this task was no easy feat.

Each rare and precious herb that can help the human body complete and embark on four rounds of bone forging is guarded by a powerful demon.

Even if one obtains the treasure, one must endure hardships and rely on astonishing willpower to consume it and complete the four rounds of bone forging.

Without a strong will and determination, the body will not be able to withstand the violent effects of the medicine, and will eventually suffer broken meridians and become a cripple!

Becoming a cripple is the best outcome; most tribal warriors, even with secret protection, will eventually explode and die.

Adeline was certain that Liu Huan did not possess any related secret methods; he must have simply swallowed it orally, with a success rate of less than one percent.

How did they actually succeed?!

Liu Huan wasn't entirely sure about this either, but he guessed that it was the seed inside the Demon Swordsman that helped him overcome this difficulty.

Just as he was about to reach his limit, he clearly sensed a trickle of water, like the Milky Way falling directly into his dantian!

Only when the magic swordsman seed has enough energy can it sprout and emerge under extreme emotional release!

Otherwise, even if you drain it dry, the seed won't have enough energy to germinate!

"I never expected this!"

Adeline clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Even in our Grayfeather tribe, only a handful of people have managed to reach the fourth stage of body tempering in the past hundred years. I originally thought you would fail, so I planned to exchange for a sufficient amount of resources this time!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Huan recalled that when he left last time, the other party had asked if they could increase the scale of the transaction next time.

Unexpectedly, this old fox had this plan in mind, certain that he would fail and die during his fourth attempt at bone forging!

When Adeline saw Liu Huan's expression, he knew that his thoughts had been seen through, but he didn't care much and just chuckled.

Liu Huan picked up a glass of wine from the wooden table, took a sip to calm his thoughts, and continued his conversation with Adeline.

"This time I brought 100 catties of refined salt and ten sets of porcelain cups, hoping to exchange them for the Whispering Bells of the Wind."

"Whispering Lily of the Valley? Impossible, that's too precious."

Upon hearing Liu Huan's request, Adeline frowned and refused without even thinking!

Whispering Bell Orchid is a rare treasure that can help warriors in the Refining Realm break through to become professionals. Its importance is self-evident; it is a strategic resource passed down through the tribe.

How could he possibly use it to exchange for refined salt that was merely to satisfy his appetite?

Even if Adeline were willing, he would surely be drowned in the spittle of the tribe's young men.

Liu Huan nodded slightly when he saw that Adeline refused; the other party's reaction was within his expectations.

If it were him, he wouldn't have traded for such a precious treasure as the Whispering Bell Orchid either. Liu Huan's proposal of an obviously impossible deal was also a prelude to the deal that would follow.

So Liu Huan continued to make his demands.

"Since the Whispering Bellflower isn't an option, can I exchange it for the Holy Spirit Tree Heart and Silverleaf?"

The Holy Spirit Tree Heart is a low-level healing treasure that the Evergreen Divine Tree produces once a year, while Silver Leaf Grass is a unique treasure of the Gray Feather Tribe that can help improve the strength of those in the Refining Realm.

The juice of silverleaf grass, when mixed with Qinghui Holy Dew, has the effect of warming and nourishing the five internal organs and cleansing the eight extraordinary meridians.

If taken for a long time, it can greatly shorten the time it takes to cleanse the body!

This is why the warriors of the Grayfeather tribe had time to search for precious treasures that could be used for secondary purification.

While these two items are considered rare treasures in the Grayfeather Tribe, they are not unacceptable compared to strategic resources like the Whispering Bell Orchid, which takes ten years to cultivate and ten years to bloom.

As the head of his clan, Adeline was naturally a powerful professional as well.

After some thought, he compared the fine salt, Holy Spirit Tree Heart, and Silver Leaf Grass that Liu Huan had brought with him. After hesitating for a moment, he decided that he could proceed with the deal.

In this world, due to the prevalence of various magical and martial arts techniques, technological development is not progressing smoothly, let alone a fine luxury like refined salt.

Not to mention the tribes in these forests, even the nobles of the kingdom can only enjoy a taste of delicacies made from refined salt by depending on the kingdom's natural salt mine production this year.

The refined salt obtained by the Grayfeather Tribe was not all supplied to the tribe's upper echelons; a considerable portion was used for trade with other tribes.

Even though the Grayfeather Tribe cannot touch its own Whispering Bell Orchid, other tribes also have similar treasures that help warriors in the Refining Realm break through.

Adeline was also a cunning old fox. He used the refined salt he had traded with Liu Huan as a middleman, exchanging it for useful resources from other tribes.

He pretended to hesitate for a moment before replying:

"It's possible to trade, but the value of the Holy Spirit Tree Heart and Silver Leaf Grass is far greater than that of the previous Purple Spirit Fruit."

"What price should the clan chief have in mind?"

In negotiations, whoever reveals their bottom line first is more likely to be at a disadvantage.

Although Liu Huan lacked negotiation skills, he still possessed basic common sense.

Adeline was, of course, a cunning old fox, well aware of this.

Instead of directly stating his expectations, he tested the waters.

"Fifty pounds of snow salt can be exchanged for a Holy Spirit Tree heart, and twenty pounds of snow salt can be exchanged for a Silver Leaf Grass."

Upon hearing this, Liu Huan felt that he could accept it and that it was still within his tolerance range, but this needed to be compared with others.

Compared to the previous transactions involving Purple Spirit Fruit, this price is clearly unreasonable!

I'm not a sucker, and Adeline's price is clearly outrageous. After all, the price of a single Purple Spirit Fruit is only five catties of fine salt.

A single silverleaf grass plant dares to quadruple in price?!

"Hehe, Chieftain, isn't your price too high? You know my abilities and how precious refined salt is in this forest."

"I could have traded with other tribes, but I came to the Grayfeather Tribe out of old friendship. Now, however, I see no sincerity from the chieftain!"

After hearing this, Adeline also felt that his asking price was a bit excessive, but that's how business negotiations are—a battle without gunpowder.

He gritted his teeth and said:

"Forty pounds of snow salt can be exchanged for a Holy Spirit Tree Heart, and fifteen pounds of snow salt can be exchanged for a Silverleaf Grass!"

"I have not yet seen the clan chief's sincerity."

Liu Huan shook his head again, then walked out of the house and looked at the soldiers drilling under the tree.

Liu Huan was familiar with the two people who were instructing the soldiers; they were Virgil and Elvira.

Adeline also came out and looked down.

Liu Huan's lips curled into a smile as he touched his nose and turned around, saying:

"Chief, since we can't reach an agreement, why don't we make a bet?"

"What kind of bet?"

"I challenge Virgil and Elvira to a duel. If I win, they must grant my terms! Thirty pounds of snow salt, one Holy Spirit Tree Heart, and ten pounds of snow salt, one Silverleaf!"

"What if you lose?"

"Then we will follow the clan chief's terms."

Adeline hesitated for a moment. Virgil was a warrior in the Cleansing stage, while Elvira was his daughter and a tribal warrior whom he had high hopes for, investing heavily in her training.

Elvira's cultivation level is the same as Liu Huan's, also at the fourth stage of Bone Forging Realm. It can be said that, on the surface, Liu Huan does not have much of a chance of winning.

After considering it for a moment, Adeline agreed with a confident look on his face.

"Can!"

It's no wonder that Liu Huan was offered free snow salt. Originally, Adeline had only offered those conditions to better negotiate the price, but he didn't expect that Liu Huan would end up hurting himself.

After agreeing to the bet, Liu Huan and Adeline descended the spiral wooden staircase from the treehouse to the ground.

After Adeline explained the bet to the two men, Virgil laughed several times.

"Liu Huan, you're going to suffer a huge loss this time! Although your progress is astonishing, and I'm not confident of victory at the same cultivation level, now that you've crossed a major cultivation level, unless you're a reincarnation of a martial god, you absolutely cannot defeat us!"

Moreover, Virgil knew that Elvira had recently reached the fourth level of the Bone Forging Realm. How could they possibly lose in a battle of attrition?

It's safe to say that Liu Huan is going to lose face big time this time!

Adeline harbored a lot of wicked intentions. Although he knew Liu Huan couldn't win, he didn't tell the two of them that Liu Huan had entered the fourth stage of bone forging.

He probably wanted to see their surprised expressions and, incidentally, train them a bit.

Upon hearing this, Liu Huan's expression turned slightly strange, but he didn't say much. He asked a newly recruited soldier in the hunting party for a curved sword and said calmly:

"The outcome will be revealed in the hands of the soldiers."

Since his mindset was elevated to the state of clarity, Liu Huan's previously obscure and difficult-to-understand moves have gradually become clear, and he has even touched upon the legendary skills related to professionals!

The swordsmanship of the Northern God School has gradually returned to simplicity, and the complicated moves have gradually been transformed into a simple slash. The internal energy that has not yet transformed into battle qi is already able to swirl around the whole body.

Even if one cannot achieve the sword aura in the Demon Swordsman state, one is still invincible with just internal energy and slashing.

Liu Huan was confident that he would not lose to Virgil, who was only in the Cleansing stage. He glanced at Virgil, who looked relaxed, and chuckled.

"Are you prepared for failure? My greatsword is already itching for a strike!"