Chapter 62: Abundant Harvest

After finishing his words, Lin Xiao paid no further attention to Wang Yao and went straight to deal with the corpses of the Gale Wolves and Shadow Wolves. With so many spirit beasts, he wondered if any of them would yield spirit pearls; it would be wonderful if he could get seven, eight, nine, or even ten of them.

Wang Qing and the others saw Lin Xiao digging for spirit pearls but said nothing. After all, these beasts had all been slain by Lin Xiao and Shen Yao, and their spoils within the secret realm naturally belonged to them.

Instead, Wang Qing glanced at Shen Yao beside him. “Shen Yao, aren’t you going to help? There might really be spirit pearls. You contributed to killing these spirit beasts too.”

Shen Yao shook her head. “I’ve already been eliminated. There’s no need for me to get involved. Let him handle it himself.”

Lin Xiao moved quickly as he dealt with the spirit beast carcasses. Dozens of Gale Wolves, and not a single spirit pearl among them—this irked him somewhat. Fortunately, the wolf pelts and fangs could still fetch a bit of money, and he unceremoniously collected them all.

In the end, only the Shadow Wolf was left. Looking at its sleek, pitch-black fur, Lin Xiao knew that the most valuable materials among all these wolves came from the Shadow Wolf. Yet, what he hoped for most was for this fellow to produce a spirit pearl.

He didn’t have high expectations, but even if the chance was slim, he had to try. The moment his hand touched a round bead, he froze.

Unbelievable! There really was a spirit pearl.

It was a jet-black pearl, and upon sensing it, Lin Xiao discovered it contained the power of Shadow Assault.

When everyone saw that Lin Xiao had actually found a spirit pearl—and a level two shadow-type at that—they were left speechless.

“What kind of luck does this kid have? A level-two spirit pearl! Even ordinary level-two pearls go for over a million on the market now.”

“That’s true, but this isn’t just any spirit pearl. It’s a level-two shadow-type, and those are rare and highly sought after. The price will at least double.”

“Double? That’s an understatement. I’m not sure of the exact value, but this kid’s struck it rich, that’s for sure.”

All the chatter around him drifted into Lin Xiao’s ears. He couldn’t help but smile—participating in the secret realm assessment had truly been the right decision. In such a short time, he’d made a fortune. He had never realized making money could be this easy.

Curious, Shen Yao walked over to Lin Xiao. When he saw her approach, Lin Xiao instinctively assumed she was there to snatch the pearl.

“What are you doing? This spirit pearl is mine—no one can take it from me!”

Shen Yao rolled her eyes in exasperation. What did he take her for? Though the spirit pearl was valuable, she didn’t particularly care for it. If it were a level-two power-type pearl, perhaps she would be interested. Judging by his money-grubbing manner, she guessed he was really short on cash.

“Please! What are you thinking? I’m not here to take it. I just thought it looked nice and wanted to see it up close.”

Relieved, Lin Xiao realized it was nothing serious as long as she wasn’t going to fight him for the pearl. He waved the pearl briefly in front of her, then quickly put it away.

“There, you’ve seen it. You can go now.”

Shen Yao: (╬￣皿￣)

Forget it, don’t get angry. Lin Xiao had struck at her today—her grandfather would never let him get away with it. At that thought, a shadowy smile appeared on her face.

Lin Xiao didn’t understand, but he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Still, he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he guarded the pearl even more closely, pretending to put it in his pocket when in fact he stored it in his spatial ring.

Only then did Lin Xiao finally relax. Ignoring Shen Yao, he continued to process the Shadow Wolf’s carcass. Once he was done, he looked at the pile of wolf pelts and frowned. What was he supposed to do with all this?

He couldn’t just put them all into his spatial ring; although his previous sales had aroused some suspicions, no one had concrete evidence. But if he stored all these wolf pelts in front of everyone, people would definitely take notice.

Was he supposed to carry them back by hand? They weren’t that heavy, but it would certainly be a hassle.

His gaze quickly fell on Wang Qing.

“Examiner, do you buy wolf pelts and fangs?”

Wang Qing was momentarily stunned—he didn’t expect Lin Xiao to try and do business with him. As someone from the military, he did indeed have a use for these materials.

“Yes, I’ll buy them. They can be made into armor, and we do need them. The price will be a bit lower than the market, though, as they’re not worth much. For Gale Wolf pelts, I can give you a thousand each, five hundred for a pair of fangs. The Shadow Wolf materials are worth more—a pelt for ten thousand, fangs for five thousand. If you’re willing to sell, I can transfer the money to you now.”

Lin Xiao had no idea about the market prices, but even though it wasn’t a fortune, it was still extra income.

“Deal. I’ll sell to you—forty-five wolf pelts, plus the fangs, and the Shadow Wolf materials. That’s sixty-two thousand five hundred; just give me sixty thousand.”

Wang Qing didn’t haggle—he transferred the money to Lin Xiao immediately and had his men collect the wolf pelts.

Then, an idea struck Lin Xiao. With the pelts and such dealt with, he still had two spirit pearls on hand—why not sell them to Wang Qing as well?

Although the price might be lower, the pearls were of no use to him. Having cash in hand was more reassuring.

“By the way, Chief Examiner, do you buy spirit pearls?”

Wang Qing was taken aback—was this guy planning to sell him the Shadow Wolf’s pearl, too? The military had many talented individuals, including those of the shadow element. Shadow-type pearls were particularly rare; if Lin Xiao wanted to sell, Wang Qing would definitely buy.

“I’ll buy.”

Lin Xiao’s face lit up. He immediately produced the two spirit pearls he had acquired. Wang Qing hadn’t been watching Lin Xiao all the time, so he didn’t realize Lin Xiao had gotten another pearl earlier, but he didn’t think much of it and began to examine them.

One was a wind-type, imbued with Enhanced Wind Blade. It was just a level-one skill, but a rather fine one. The other was the shadow-type Shadow Assault—an excellent find.

The market price for Enhanced Wind Blade was about one million, but Shadow Assault, if auctioned, could fetch at least five million.

“These two pearls—I can give a maximum of five million. The price is a bit below market value, but it’s your call. If you don’t want to sell, I have no objections.”

Lin Xiao knew the pearls were valuable, but he didn’t expect just these two to fetch five million.

“Sell! Why wouldn’t I? Even if it’s a small loss, I’ll take it. How do you want to pay?”

Wang Qing was surprised by Lin Xiao’s decisiveness.

“All right! But I don’t have that much cash on hand—I’ll need to apply for it. Don’t worry, I’ll get you your money before you leave.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiao eyed Wang Qing with some suspicion.

Was this guy planning to stiff him?

Noticing Lin Xiao’s mistrustful look, Wang Qing couldn’t help but laugh wryly. As a regimental officer, he wasn’t about to cheat anyone.

“You keep the pearls for now. When the money arrives, we’ll make the exchange.”

Only then did Lin Xiao relax. As long as his money was safe, he was content.

This journey into the secret realm had truly been rewarding. Even without the final prize, he had already earned over seven million—a sum he had never dared to dream of before.

At this moment, Lin Xiao’s mood could be summed up in one word:

Ecstatic!