Chapter 453: Xiao Hua Returns
After hearing Xiao Hua's voice, Yuan decided to stay in the game for a little longer to see why it'd taken her this long to return and where she'd gone.
A few minutes later, Xiao Hua returned to the Cultivators' Haven.
"Thank the heavens you're okay, Xiao Hua. I was worried that something bad might've happened to you because you have been gone for so long!" Yuan gave her a tight hug after seeing her again.
Xiao Hua didn't immediately respond and merely enjoyed the sensation of being hugged by Yuan while silently blushing.
"By the way, I returned after just two days." Feng Yuxiang said to her.
"I'm sorry, Brother Yuan, but Xiao Hua wanted to fulfill your request, so Xiao Hua did her best trying to find a unique treasure," she said.
She then reached inside her storage pouch before taking out a small glass bottle of semi-transparent azure-colored liquid that had around 1 ounce of liquid inside.
"What is this?" Yuan raised his eyebrows.
"Celestial Water." Xiao Hua said in a calm voice.
"W-What did you just say?" Feng Yuxiang was the first to speak, and she sounded like she was in disbelief.
"Celestial Water." Xiao Hua repeated.
"Celestial Water?! Impossible! Where in heaven's name did you go to obtain Celestial Water?! I refuse to believe that you have found that in the Lower Heavens! Even the Spirit Heaven wouldn't have something like this!" Feng Yuxiang quickly said.
"What's so valuable about this Celestial Water?" Yuan asked.
"Celestial Water is from an extremely rare treasure known as the Celestial Tree. This treasure can only be found in the fifth heaven and above, and the Celestial Tree can only produce one drop of Celestial Water every 10,000 years! An ounce of Celestial Water is worth even more than Mythic-grade treasures!" Feng Yuxiang explained.
"Furthermore, Celestial Water has the ability to increase one's innate talent by at least 10 percent! Although it only works if you drink an ounce at a time, it's still incredibly sought after! That bottle of Celestial Water can start even a huge war if people know about it!"
"Increasing one's talent by at least 10 percent? That is definitely unique and sounds very expensive… How on earth did you acquire such a treasure, Xiao Hua? And where did you go to obtain it?" Yuan asked her.
"..."
After a moment of silence, she said, "Xiao Hua went to the upper heavens to obtain the Celestial Water."
Both Yuan and Feng Yuxiang's jaws dropped after hearing her words.
"Y-You went to the upper heavens for this?" Yuan almost couldn't believe his ears.
It now made sense why it took so long for Xiao Hua to return. To think she'd traveled to the upper heavens during this time. He was speechless.
"If you don't mind me asking, exactly how far did you go?" Feng Yuxiang asked her.
However, Xiao Hua remained silent, clearly unwilling to reveal everything.
Yuan and Feng Yuxiang looked at each other, unsure how they should react anymore.
"Does Brother Yuan not like it?" Xiao Hua asked him a moment later.
"Eh? Of course, I like it. In fact, I am flattered that you'd gone all the way to the upper heavens to acquire such a valuable treasure for me. I just don't know how to react…" He quickly said.
Xiao Hua nodded, and then she turned to look at Feng Yuxiang, "What treasures did you acquire for Brother Yuan?"
Obviously, Xiao Hua didn't forget about their 'friendly competition', hence why she even bothered to ask Feng Yuxiang in the first place.
A bittersweet smile appeared on Feng Yuxiang's face, and she said, "Y-You win this one. There's no way my treasures could compare with your Celestial Water even if I had a carriage-load of them."
Xiao Hua nodded in a calm manner, yet there was a glint of delight within her eyes.
"Here, Brother Yuan, you should drink it." Xiao Hua offered this priceless treasure that even Immortals would kill for to Yuan in a casual manner.
"A-Are you sure? It must've cost a fortune, right? I highly doubt my spirit stones were able to pay for even a small fraction of its price…" Yuan said.
"It's okay. Xiao Hua didn't have to pay for it," she said, shocking them even more.
"What? You're telling me that you'd manage to obtain the Celestial Water for free? As if I'd believe that!" Feng Yuxiang said afterward.
"It's true." Xiao Hua said, not even bothering to explain herself.
"If you say so, I will drink it. I don't want your effort to go to waste, after all." Yuan said.
No matter how she'd acquired this treasure, it was a fact that she'd gone all the way to the upper heavens to obtain this treasure for him.
After taking a deep breath, Yuan removed the seal on the glass bottle and chugged the Celestial Water down in a single gulp.
"Whoa!"
Yuan immediately kneeled on the floor after he drank the Celestial Water, feeling his entire body heating up at a significant rate.
"W-What is this? I feel so hot!" Yuan exclaimed, recalling when he'd first awakened his bloodline, as this was a familiar feeling.
However, unlike previously, he didn't feel any pain from the heat no matter how hot it felt.
In fact, he didn't feel any discomfort.
Yuan's eyes suddenly began flickering with a golden glow, almost like his Dragon's Gaze was activating and deactivating itself continuously.
"Is this supposed to happen?" Feng Yuxiang asked Xiao Hua.
This is her first time witnessing someone consuming Celestial Water, too.
"I… I don't know…" she said, as this was her first time witnessing it as well.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the upper heavens, the jade tablet with the word 'Destiny' engraved into it began glowing once again.
When this happened, an old man suddenly appeared before it like a ghost, and he proceeded to stare at the jade tablet with a profound look on his face.
"The jade tablet is reacting once again, yet I cannot sense your presence… Just where in the Nine Heavens are you, Master?" The old man muttered in a low voice.