"The mysterious encounter in the black treasure chest"

Ye Xuan proceeded with the belief that "the customer is always right," as he asked his question directly and picked up the black treasure chest indicated by Xue Qinghe on the shelf.

"Young Master, it's 10,000 soul gold coins. Please make your payment immediately, as our store doesn't offer credit," Ye Xuan declared, placing a hand on the black treasure chest while extending the other, expecting the payment.

An infuriated guard exclaimed, "Disrespectful! Do you have any idea who this gentleman is? He is His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of our Tiandou Empire. Doesn't His Highness the Crown Prince have 10,000 soul gold coins?"

"Xue Qinghe?" Ye Xuan had heard of the Douluo Continent during his time on Blue Star. Xue Qinghe from the Tiandou Empire, could this be the Qian Renxue from the Spirit Hall?

This could get complicated.

Nevertheless, the conflict between these empires and the Spirit Hall was completely beyond his control. His sole purpose was to sell this treasure chest.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Ye Xuan said with a smile, attempting to rectify his mistake. "This morning, a magpie was singing in the courtyard before I woke up. It turns out it was an omen of your arrival. With Your Highness's noble status, you undoubtedly have the necessary resources."

Despite his words, Ye Xuan kept a hand on the treasure chest and showed no signs of handing it over. Xue Qinghe, being an incredibly astute person, immediately identified Ye Xuan's doubts.

"Please show me the money," requested Xue Qinghe.

A guard handed a golden ticket to Ye Xuan, who examined it closely but couldn't determine its authenticity.

"Curse you! This is His Highness the Crown Prince! Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince is attempting to use counterfeit bills? He has insulted His Highness repeatedly. Why not let us punish him?" angrily shouted one of the guards.

Ye Xuan tucked away the golden ticket and told Xue Qinghe with a smile, "Your Highness, do not be alarmed. I have never seen a golden ticket with such a high denomination before, so I'm curious." As he said this, he withdrew his hand from the treasure chest.

Xue Qinghe showed no anger at all. He maintained his gentle smile, exuding kindness. Despite his undeniable nobility, he displayed no arrogance and had an admirable open-mindedness.

Taking a step forward, Xue Qinghe examined the treasure chest emitting black light. He opened it, and there were no signs of powerful soul power fluctuations or thunderous sounds. It appeared as if he had just opened a completely ordinary box.

Within the box, Xue Qinghe found an object resembling a capsule, green in color and quite tempting.

"Is this really worth 10,000 soul gold coins?" Xue Qinghe pondered aloud as he held the capsule, looking at Ye Xuan with a doubtful expression.

Ye Xuan closed the empty treasure chest and placed it back in its original position. When you open a treasure chest and remove its contents, as long as you place the treasure chests back on the shelf, new items will be replenished inside and ready to be sold again.

"This is a Power Capsule. If your spirit power level is below 80, consuming it will instantly increase your spirit power level by two," Ye Xuan explained casually.

Xue Qinghe looked at the capsule in his hand and smiled.

Although he had been restraining himself, he quickly realized that his intelligence had been challenged by the individual in front of him.

"Do you think I will believe you?" Xue Qinghe inquired with a skeptical tone.

"This is a black market store, but our products are genuine and fair. Given your status as a prince, 10,000 soul gold coins are a trifle to you. Why not let one of your bodyguards try this Power Capsule? The effect will be immediate, and you can verify whether my words are true," suggested Ye Xuan.

If Xue Qinghe didn't need to open more treasure chests, Ye Xuan wouldn't bother explaining so much. After all, as long as he was in the store, he considered himself invulnerable. Even if the feared Ultimate Douluo or a hundred-level god-level powerhouse were to appear, they wouldn't be able to harm him.

Xue Qinghe, however, was not an ordinary person. When he looked at Ye Xuan, there was a hint of determination in his eyes. Any hint of falsehood in this guy's words would result in his immediate execution.

He handed the Power Capsule to a guard by his side, who took it and consumed it instantly. A tremendous surge of spirit power emanated from his body, sending the other guards outside the store. Interestingly, the flow of spirit power had no effect on Xue Qinghe; it was like a spring breeze caressing his face, leaving him untouched.

"My spirit power is constantly increasing. Forty-two, forty-three. My spirit power level has indeed risen by two," the guard exclaimed with an astonished face and eyes filled with disbelief. He looked at Ye Xuan, showing amazement and admiration.

When Xue Qinghe saw with his own eyes the astonishing effect of the Power Capsule, a look of amazement illuminated his face. He found it hard to understand how a small capsule could elevate someone's spirit power level by two in such a short time, but the evidence was right before his eyes, and he had no choice but to believe it.

"Your Highness, it's true. This follower's spirit power has indeed increased by two levels. It was forty-one just a moment ago, and now it's forty-three," the man whispered, confirming what had occurred.

Xue Qinghe nodded, regaining his gentle smile. He looked at the rows of treasure chests on the shelf behind Ye Xuan and then fixed his gaze on the red treasure chest.

"The third row, the fifth chest, the red one," Xue Qinghe directed.

As soon as Ye Xuan took the red treasure chest, he was handed a golden ticket worth a hundred thousand taels.

"As expected of a prince, you are making the right choice," Ye Xuan remarked with a smile.

"A thousand-year soul ring," Xue Qinghe whispered.

In the ranking system, soul rings change color as they age: white for ten years, yellow for a hundred years, and purple for a thousand years. This was clearly a thousand-year soul ring.

However, there was a dilemma. This soul ring was not dropped by the soul beast I killed, so I cannot absorb it. Or so Xue Qinghe initially thought.

"This is a soul ring that anyone can absorb. Once you do, you can extend the lifespan of any of your soul rings by two thousand years. Not bad," Ye Xuan explained with a touch of regret.

Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Although he was still somewhat puzzled, he began to absorb the thousand-year soul ring.

Two soul rings appeared next to Xue Qinghe, both of them yellow. As Xue Qinghe closed his eyes slightly, the second yellow soul ring visibly turned purple.

Soon after, Xue Qinghe opened her eyes. A flash of excitement crossed her gaze, as she never expected her second soul ring to turn purple.

She looked at Ye Xuan, but her eyes lit up even more as she looked at the treasure boxes behind Ye Xuan, feeling great passion and anticipation.

Xue Qinghe opened the red treasure box immediately, and a ripple of spiritual power emanated from within. Inside was a purple-colored soul ring, similar to the one she had recently obtained from defeating a soul beast. This soul ring rested silently at the bottom of the treasure chest.