At the street stall, an ancient, pitch-black ring caught his attention.
This ring was truly ordinary, so common it couldn't be more common, the kind of thing no one would bother picking up if it were dropped on the ground.
Yet it was precisely this ring that stirred something within Ye Chen, making him sense a hint of the extraordinary.
For a fleeting moment, a brilliant light flashed in his eyes. He stood there silently gazing at it for a long while before shaking his head.
Without the supreme Dharma power of his past life, it was impossible for him to truly discern the secret within the black ancient ring; he could only rely on his supreme intuition to feel it.
The fervent look in his eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared, well concealed. Ye Chen reached out and picked up a gleaming dagger next to the ring, addressing the lean stall owner: "How much for this dagger?"
The stall owner was a small, old man who seemed quite honest, but his eyes gleamed with shrewdness, clearly a cunning fellow just like the previous fat stall owner. Seeing Ye Chen casually pick up the dagger, he rubbed his hands together and chuckled: "Little brother, I must say you have a good eye, spotting a real treasure right away."
"To be honest with you, this dagger is the best treasure in my possession. Don't let its small size fool you—it's a blade that can slice through iron like mud, a rare treasure in this world. Its origins are no simple matter either; it was once used by a powerful Xiantian expert, making it exceptionally valuable. But since you've taken a liking to it, I'll make a sacrifice and give you a discount—just one thousand gold coins."
The people around them were immediately taken aback. This was no Xiantian weapon; it was clearly an extremely ordinary dagger, at best a bit sharper. One thousand gold coins was simply an outrageous demand.
This stall owner was clearly taking advantage of Ye Chen's youth, trying to swindle him—truly black-hearted.
Ye Chen frowned. "Even if it's a blade that slices iron like mud, isn't a thousand gold coins a bit too expensive?"
The stall owner hurriedly said, "Little brother, this isn't expensive at all. You must know that any weapon used by a Xiantian expert is worth far more than this price. If it weren't for the fact that I feel a connection with you, I would never offer this price—I'm completely taking a loss here."
"Well then, I only have three gold coins on me. If you're willing, we can make the trade. If not, forget it," Ye Chen said bluntly.
The lean stall owner was dumbfounded. Although he had expected the so-called dagger wouldn't sell for a thousand gold coins, the drop to three gold coins was simply too extreme. He hastily said, "Little brother, you can't haggle that ruthlessly. How about three hundred gold coins? That's already cutting to the bone."
"Three gold coins," Ye Chen repeated, still unhurried.
"Thirty gold coins, how about that? I really can't go any lower," the stall owner gritted his teeth.
"Four gold coins!" Ye Chen raised the price... by exactly one gold coin.
Damn it, isn't this just causing trouble? The stall owner's face darkened, and he felt the urge to chase the customer away. But when his gaze fell upon the golden ancient character "Ye" on Ye Chen's chest, his expression changed dramatically. That was clearly the emblem reserved for direct descendants of the Ye family.
In this Luo Feng City, the Ye family was the biggest local power. No one dared to offend them, especially not a direct descendant—who would dare, unless they had a death wish?
Looking more carefully, he distinctly noticed three exceptionally burly men in the crowd who showed clear hostility toward him, making the stall owner increasingly uneasy. His heart fluttered with anxiety—could he really be this unlucky?
He looked again at Ye Chen's calm and natural demeanor, something only an important figure of the Ye family could possess. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "Fine, fine!"
After speaking, as if realizing his own impropriety, he deliberately frowned and added, "I've been short on liquid funds these past few days, and seeing that you, little brother, aren't exactly flush with cash either, let's settle for four gold coins."
Ye Chen casually picked up a few more inconspicuous items from the stall, including the ancient ring, and said, "I'll spend another gold coin to buy a few more items. This young master quite likes them."
Hearing this "young master," the stall owner became even more convinced. Seeing that the other items were all unremarkable, he didn't pay them much mind and quickly said, "Alright, little brother, whatever you say."
Ye Chen flicked his fingers, and five gleaming gold coins appeared, flying toward the stall owner to complete the transaction.
With this ancient ring in hand, Ye Chen felt delighted, sensing it was an extraordinary object. It would be worth studying carefully once he returned to his residence.
Leaving the street stall, Ye Chen no longer had any intention of idly strolling through the commercial street. He only wanted to return to his residence and study the ancient ring properly, feeling he might uncover something truly remarkable.
After retrieving the medicinal herbs from Zhang Shan's shop, he returned directly to his residence. Heading straight to his courtyard, Ye Chen immediately took out the ancient ring and began examining it carefully in his hand.
The ancient ring was truly ordinary, entirely pitch-black and unremarkable, without any strange patterns. It was simply a ring formed from a loop of black iron.
Yet, this ring gave him a rather peculiar feeling, as if it might be an incredible treasure.
"How strange. What exactly is this thing?"
Ye Chen muttered to himself. He placed the pitch-black ancient ring in his palm, observing it closely. He even circulated the internal energy within his body, applying some principles from his past life. But the ancient ring remained plain and ordinary, showing no unusual phenomena.
Generally speaking, when stimulated by energy, some treasures would reveal their mysterious aspects.
But this ancient ring before him was different, showing no fluctuations whatsoever.
However, his intuition told him this ancient ring was not simple. This intuition stemmed from his supreme perception in his past life. Having reached that level in his previous existence, he could often commune with the spiritual realm, his intuition sharp enough to foresee future events.
Although he had been reborn, his keen intuition remained, and his intuition had never been wrong.
He tried squeezing the ancient ring with force, but although it looked ordinary, it was incredibly hard. Even with Ye Chen's terrifying strength of several thousand jin, he couldn't cause the slightest deformation in the ring.
"If I still had the cultivation of my past life, I wouldn't be so helpless," Ye Chen sighed inwardly. Looking at this black ancient ring, he felt utterly at a loss and quietly lay down on the bed.
At that moment, the little maid Huan'er entered with tea and snacks. Seeing the young master sitting cross-legged on the bed with furrowed brows, as if troubled by something, she couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, what are you looking at?"
"Huan'er, come here for a moment," Ye Chen said without turning his head.
Huan'er obediently walked over. "Young Master, what is it?"
"Huan'er, what do you think of this ring?" He pointed to the black ring on the bed.
Huan'er looked at it for a while and shook her head. "It's very ordinary. Is it a ring made of black iron? What do you need this ring for, Young Master?"
Ye Chen suddenly grabbed Huan'er's small hand and directly slipped the ring onto her slender finger. Stroking his chin, he nodded very seriously. "Huan'er, from now on, you are my person."
Huan'er tilted her head in confusion, asking innocently and cutely, "Why?"
"Huan'er, which finger did I put the ring on?" Ye Chen asked instead of answering, with a half-smile.
Huan'er looked at her fair, tender little hand. "The ring finger."
"Do you know what that means?"
"No."
Ye Chen burst into laughter, pulling Huan'er closer and pinching the little maid's pretty, tender cheeks. "Wearing a ring on the middle finger means you're married. Huan'er, from now on, you are the young master's person. Hurry up and submit to the young master."
Huan'er was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face flushed bright red as she let out a gasp of surprise. She quickly threw the ancient ring off her hand and covered her face as she ran out. "Young Master, you're so bad! Huan'er isn't married yet!"
Teasing Huan'er put Ye Chen in an especially good mood, and he couldn't help but let out three hearty laughs.
At that moment, a sudden inspiration struck him. He remembered there was still one method he hadn't tried yet, and that was—
Blood Recognition!
In the cultivation world, truly powerful magical artifacts or some secret treasures required blood for recognition, thereby activating them through bloodline connection. Undoubtedly, this mysterious pitch-black ancient ring might require such blood recognition.
Ye Chen bit his finger, and a drop of blood shimmering with obscure golden light fell onto the ancient ring.
Immediately, the ancient ring began to glow with a hazy radiance. Accompanying this, a gentle voice sounded beside Ye Chen's ear—
"Little fellow, do you wish to become a peerless powerhouse? If so, take me as your master!"
Before his eyes appeared a figure in white robes, looking at him with a cheerful smile...