Chapter 554: Chapter 555 Who’s Fooling Who?
Li Xiaobai spoke righteously, causing Situ Guixiong’s chest to heave with rage.

It was clear that he was being hustled, and yet the audacity to claim oneself an honest man?

Would an honest man even take money?

“Brother, name your price, how much more?”

Situ Guixiong asked, his gaze briefly sweeping over the cultivators below, and he let out a sigh of relief, realizing no one had caught up yet; he was still in the lead.

“A fixed price, 500,000 top-grade Spirit Stones, and the title of Aolai Country’s number one youth will be yours, how about that?”

Li Xiaobai said with a smile.

“Brother, are you joking? This tea is indeed precious, but if one is truly determined to find it, it’s not impossible to buy. It doesn’t count as extremely rare. Such an exorbitant demand, that’s hardly fair, is it?”

A flash of anger crossed Situ Guixiong’s eyes. For some reason, whenever he looked at this seemingly honest fool before him, he couldn’t help but unconsciously think of that cultivator named Li Xiaobai.

Both are shameless in their own ways.

Lacking any semblance of pride as a chosen and strong cultivator.

“Brother Situ, you are the eldest son of the Situ Household, the future heir to the family. Are you really so reluctant to spend such a small sum?”

“Spending money is how you make money. You must understand, what you’re buying now is not just a cup of tea, but also an honor. Being able to outperform the younger generation now will make it easier to establish your footing within Aolai Country when you inherit the family power in the future!”

“Don’t you want to be renowned among the younger generation, Brother Situ? Such an opportunity lays before you today; do not miss this golden chance.”

Li Xiaobai spoke slowly, persuasively tempting.

“May I inquire the esteemed name and master of brother, I am the eldest son of the Situ Household; maybe there have been some dealings between our two families.”

“How about we form a good bond? The tea goes to me today, and consider that I, Situ Guixiong, owe brother a favor.”

Situ Guixiong, not wanting to be taken for a fool, frowned and spoke. In Aolai Country, someone dared to hustle him and still expect to get away with it?

“Skip the nonsense, brother, I respect you as a real man, and that’s why I’m willing to hand over this precious opportunity to you. If you can’t even come up with this amount of money, then you might as well honestly continue climbing from below.”

Li Xiaobai raised the wine cup in his hand and said lightly.

“You!”

Situ Guixiong was at a loss for words, looking at the people still climbing below, then at Li Xiaobai bringing the tea up to his lips. Gritting his teeth, a sharp look flashed in his eyes as he suddenly said, “Fine, I’ll trust you this once, brother. 500,000 top-grade Spirit Stones, I’ll buy it!”

Situ Guixiong’s complexion turned ashen as he flicked his wrist, tossing out a Space Ring. Li Xiaobai gave it a slight scan and verified the full 500,000 top-grade Spirit Stones.

Satisfied, he nodded and handed over the tea.

“Brother Situ, I wish you success in reaching the top!”

“Heh, brother, that’s too much praise.”

A cold light flickered in Situ Guixiong’s eyes as he downed the tea in one gulp, feeling the spiritual power that had dried up in his Dantian replenishing.

For now, he would let the Spirit Stones stay with Li Xiaobai; once the tea party was over, he would immediately take action to retrieve them with interest. Did he think the Situ Family’s Spirit Stones were that easy to take?

His Internal Cultivation Technique cycled through several Meridian Circulations, relieving the fatigue in his flesh, and he continued his ascent. Perhaps it was the breakthrough of a limit; Situ Guixiong cleared several steps in succession without the slightest hesitation.

Watching the swiftly advancing figure ahead, Li Xiaobai gave a slight smile and quietly followed again.

Situ Guixiong would never have dreamed that the seemingly honest guy behind him would persistently chase after him.

At this moment, he leaped over more than a dozen steps, powered by the rapidly replenishing spiritual power in his dantian, and arrived at the sixty-ninth step.

The spiritual power within him dried up again, and his fleshly body slowed down under the immense pressure, but Situ Guixiong’s eyes twinkled with mirth; in previous years, it took him about three hours to get to this point, pausing along the way.

Yet now, he had reached it in only two hours, thanks in part to Li Xiaobai, who instilled a sense of urgency in him, but even more because of his own growth and strengthened capabilities over this period.

This stairway not only tempered his body but also served as a test of his achievements. Now, among the cultivators of Aolai Country, surely no one could catch up to his pace!

With this thought, Situ Guixiong’s mouth curved in a smile full of superiority. He turned and glanced down briefly, but his expression froze immediately.

Lying obediently on the step behind him was a person who was now locking eyes with him.

It was the seemingly loyal and honest fellow from before!

Dammit, when did this guy come up? Didn’t he give away all the tea to himself?

Situ Guixiong was dumbstruck.

“Brother… Brother, what’s the situation? Why are you here?”

Situ Guixiong asked incredulously. He had climbed more than a dozen steps without stopping, while this person was clearly at his limit and yet managed to keep up with him—what was the secret?

“Hehe, Brother Situ, I’ve come to understand that giving it my all is the greatest respect I can show my opponent!”

“You’re a respectable adversary, so I must also give it my all. If I were to deliberately fall behind Brother Situ, that would be an insult to the Situ Family!”

Li Xiaobai, with wide-open eyes, spoke with an earnest expression.

Situ Guixiong shook with anger. Giving it your all is the greatest respect? How come he found it hard to believe when these words came from you?

However, he immediately noticed a small bottle in the other’s hand and could not help but ask, “Brother, what is that in your hand?”

“This? This is a top-grade Revitalizing Pill, an elixir that can quickly restore spiritual power. There are only three pills in total. I’ve already taken one, and there are two left. You’re not thinking of buying them, are you?”

Li Xiaobai said breathlessly, with a red-faced effort, clutching the small bottle tightly as if afraid it might be stolen.

Seeing the other person in such a state, Situ Guixiong was even more convinced that it was these elixirs that allowed the other to catch up so quickly. He had to admit, although the guy was a bit simple, he had some fine items on him, much better than the ones he had prepared.

“Name your price.”

Situ Guixiong said indifferently, certain that with these two pills, he could definitely leave the other behind.

“Impossible, without these pills, I can’t climb anymore.”

Li Xiaobai shook his head like a rattle-drum.

Hehe, that’s exactly what I wanted, for you to be unable to climb!

Situ Guixiong’s mouth revealed a smile as he amiably said, “Brother, in the Linglong Pagoda not only can the pressure temper our bodies, but we can also make a small fortune with elixirs—why not do it?”

“Your village needs development, and if the old village chief saw you returning with a large number of spirit stones, he would surely be overjoyed, wouldn’t he?”