The Profound Realm Key has disappeared?

As Jia Ren neared Lingyuan City, the vanishing Profound Realm Key gradually solidified, restoring itself to its original form.

A Wish Bizarre wish-granting item?! It was switched out by someone? The secret stash of the Xuan Shui Sect at the Linyuan Pawnshop has turned into a fake? Or was it that right after it left the Linyuan Pawnshop, someone had their eyes on it, executing a switch in complete secrecy?

Jia Ren thought of the peculiar feeling he had when he just left the Linyuan Pawnshop. He was more inclined to believe the latter.

Such a secretive switch of the treasure could not possibly have been done by a cultivator!

Jia Ren was confident in his Divine Soul power; even Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn't have managed it.

Combined with the fake Profound Realm Key, the perpetrator... must be connected to the Wish Bizarre. The Wish Bizarre isn't intelligent and wouldn't actively steal such an item; the person behind this must be a cultivator. The True Fire Palace didn't get the Profound Realm Key, causing many to point their fingers at the destroyed Xuan Shui Sect. There are definitely people in Lingyuan City who know about the Xuan Shui secret stash at the Linyuan Pawnshop. Unable to take it, they've been waiting in the dark. When the Insect External Incarnation went to retrieve the Xuan Shui secret stash, it was already being watched... The other party chose not to rob it, which would easily reveal their identity; instead, they subtly executed a clever substitution. Using the power of the Wish Bizarre, they silently swapped the Profound Realm Key. This move was clever. If I hadn't noticed, I might have thought the item in the Xuan Shui secret stash was the fake Profound Realm Key. Even if the problem with the Profound Realm Key was discovered, there's no way to find the mastermind. This also prevents me from acting recklessly out of desperation and leaking the news of the Profound Realm Key, drawing fire onto myself. The dismal state of the True Fire Palace Master is clear to see; even false news caused heavy losses to the True Fire Palace. As long as their identity is not revealed, safety can be ensured. If I want to take action, I have to identify the target accurately. With millions of cultivators in Lingyuan City, finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

A flame burned in Jia Ren's heart; he was determined to make the person who dared to beard the lion in its den pay a price!

The value of the Profound Realm Key was evident from the fall of the True Fire Palace's Nascent Soul Cultivator, the True Fire Palace sealing off its sect, and the numerous Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Four Great Desolate Domains coming here. Such a treasure must not fall into the hands of others.

Jia Ren didn't know which old monster had acted. Regardless, I have to root out this individual. This is not an easy task; I don't even know who the perpetrator is. One thing is certain: the mastermind's cultivation level will not be weak, likely a Nascent Soul Cultivator. The Nascent Soul Cultivators in Lingyuan City number over a hundred. Most of them are native pseudo-Nascent Soul Cultivators who will never leave Lingyuan City in their lifetime. The real Nascent Soul Cultivators are the most suspicious; those who have left during this period are the ones worth focusing on. Next are the cultivators who made a wish with the Wish Bizarre during the time I visited the Linyuan Pawnshop; these are all breakthrough points in finding the mastermind. There's also a simple method: wishing with the Wish Bizarre... Just thinking about the unknown price makes me resist from the bottom of my heart. Beyond that, there's another approach. Spread the news of the Profound Realm Key to draw other cultivators to deal with the mastermind? What good would doing so bring me? At most, it would annoy the culprit who's hiding, and in the end, I wouldn't be able to retrieve the lost Profound Realm Key. If chaos erupts in Lingyuan City, my plan to rapidly increase my strength by using Lingyuan City will fall through.

Finding the real culprit... probably won't get the Profound Realm Key back! It's better to first craft the Third Order Talisman Pill!

Jia Ren resolved to make the one hiding in the shadows pay a price.

Currently, he had three approaches to deal with Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The first was the Third Order Talisman Pill brute-force annihilation route; every Bizarre Mirror represented a destructive baptism by a Talisman Pill. The power of a Third Order Talisman Pill far surpassed that of a Second Order one, with lethality exceeding normal limits; the Profound Realm Key could not be guaranteed to survive such an attack.

The second was to trap a Nascent Soul Cultivator with the Mirror Apparition Array, where they would be beaten to death by their own Mirror Bizarre clone. My Formation skill isn't high enough yet; it needs further improvement.

The third was to enhance the strength of the Yin Moon Demon Corpses with the Demon-Sealing Tower Treasure, forming the Yin Moon Devil Corpse Great Array.

Jia Ren wouldn't choose just one of the three; instead, he'd pursue all three in parallel.

The Insect External Incarnation has been exposed and is quickly leaving Lingyuan City. This could reduce the vigilance of the one hiding in the shadows.

「Thousands of miles away.」

His true body opened its eyes in the temporary cave dwelling, leaving behind the Personal Treasured Demon-Sealing Pagoda and Evil-Warding Treasures, then strode out.

Jia Ren knew that operating in Lingyuan City with an Insect External Incarnation was inconvenient; one was exposed while enemies remained hidden, a very passive position.

It's time for my true body to take action! I plan to buy low-priced materials in the city to improve my skill proficiency levels. Having confirmed there's no danger in Lingyuan City, it's time to use this place to my advantage.

The Insect External Incarnation returned to its original cave dwelling, taking over the work for the true self: enhancing the strength of the Yin Moon Demon Corpses with Corpse-Ritual Fire, setting up the Gathering of Tricks Array, and creating Gathering Oddity Talisman Stones.

The Gathering Oddity Talisman Stone, with Spiritual Power-drained medium-grade Spirit Stones as its main material, was a product born from an improved version of the Collecting Bizarre Talisman Script. It was a kind of talisman stone that could absorb, store, and release Bizarre Qi. Similar to a Spirit Stone for Bizarre Demons, it would become the core for setting up Bizarre Formations in the future.

Not long ago, Jia Ren had conducted an experiment. The Gathering of Tricks Array underwent a second modification, using Gathering Oddity Talisman Stones as the core of the Formation. The effect was dramatically enhanced; the speed and range of Bizarre Qi gathering increased more than tenfold. This also proved that his research direction was correct.

Jia Ren spent half a day reaching Lingyuan City. He transformed into the visage of Zhen Yi and joined the queue.

The proficiency level of the Insect External Incarnation maxes out at Grandmaster Level. The New Moon Illusory Face Technique has an even stronger hiding capability; deceiving a Nascent Soul Cultivator should be no problem.

He smoothly entered Lingyuan City.

To ensure safety, it's not convenient to make contact with Yang Shengwu. I'm not sure when an unknown cultivator started watching me. For caution's sake, I can't meet with Yang Shengwu, to prevent that unknown Nascent Soul Cultivator from linking the Insect External Incarnation to me. After entering the city, the most important thing is to exchange Spirit Stones for Abyss Coins to get some starting capital. In Lingyuan City, I'll purchase materials, craft them into treasures, sell them for Abyss Coins, and complete a positive cycle. With my skills in Artifact Refining, Talisman Crafting, and Alchemy, it won't be hard to earn Abyss Coins. By then, I can exchange Abyss Coins back into Spirit Stones, taking a slice of the profits for myself.

Jia Ren entered Lingyuan City with familiarity, looking for suitable targets. Regular shops exchange one Spirit Stone for one Abyss Coin, but I would never consent to such a loss-making deal.

Continuing on his way, the Qingxu Money House caught Jia Ren's attention. The money house operated like a pawnshop, engaging in lending businesses with a "Nine out, Thirteen Return" policy—their primary source of profit. In other places, there was a risk of not collecting debts, but Lingyuan City was different.

Can't pay back the Spirit Stones? You could even sell your lifespan to repay the debt. As long as a person wasn't dead, they still had value.

"Senior, are you looking to borrow Abyss Coins?" Jia Ren had just walked into the Qingxu Money House when someone immediately approached him respectfully, an enthusiastic smile on his face.

Typically, those borrowing from money houses were Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Golden Core Cultivators were rare, and each transaction involving one was a big deal.

Nascent Soul Cultivators... Such individuals are among the top forces in Lingyuan City; how could they possibly lack Abyss Coins? The strongest cultivator this money house has ever seen was at the Golden Core Stage.

"This Fellow Daoist seems unfamiliar. Could it be your first visit to Lingyuan City?" A middle-aged man holding a whisk, possessing an air of immortal-like grace, walked over. "As you haven't announced your affiliation, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ling Chong of Qingxu View."

This kind of appearance, running a money house? The contrast is a bit too stark… I've never heard of the name Qingxu View before. With over a million cultivators in Lingyuan City, it's impossible for just one Sect or influential power to govern everything; there are all sorts of forces, a mixture of good and bad. Sects like the Xianzhen Palace, Seven Seas Tower, and Profound Heaven Sword Sect also send cultivators here. There are many local Sects in Lingyuan City; is Qingxu View one of them?

"My name is Zhen Yi, and I have visited Lingyuan a few times before," Jia Ren said.

He had no intention of pretending to be a new arrival; why would he want to be seen as a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered? Stating that he understood the unspoken rules in advance could also save him some trouble.

Seeing that Jia Ren did not mention his Sect, Ling Chong Zhenren regarded him with slightly less esteem and said aloofly, "Is Daoist Zhen here to borrow Abyss Coins? I can do Daoist Zhen a favor and offer 'seven out, eleven return.' How about that?"

A Golden Core Mid-Stage Cultivator is not weak and can be considered a noteworthy figure. Being able to freely enter and exit Lingyuan City means he isn't restricted here; his talents are far above the ordinary. Golden Core Cultivators deserve some respect, after all.

"Daoist Ling Chong, please don't misunderstand," Jia Ren replied. "I'm not here to borrow, but to exchange Spirit Stones for Abyss Coins. How does the Qingxu Money House conduct such exchanges?"

Ling Chong Zhenren's smile became three times warmer upon hearing about exchanging Spirit Stones for Abyss Coins. One item was Abyss Coins, useless outside Lingyuan City; the other was Spirit Stones, vastly different in value. Any cultivator who knew the ropes wouldn't get ripped off.

"Three to one. How about exchanging one Spirit Stone for three Abyss Coins?" Ling Chong Zhenren offered.

Normal exchanges are one to one, yet Qingxu Money House is offering three to one? The difference is simply too great! To be precise, the regular shops... are too greedy! They're basically scamming people to death! Furthermore, if it weren't a Golden Core Mid-Stage Cultivator like me exchanging, ordinary Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivators wouldn't get much of a bargain for Abyss Coins. This is far from the limit. Qingxu Money House still has a large margin for profit. Jia Ren always assumed the worst when it came to human nature.

"Daoist Ling Chong, aren't you a bit too greedy?" Jia Ren stated, his eyes devoid of any ripple, as calm as an abyss. "One Spirit Stone for ten Abyss Coins!"

"Fellow Daoist, the Qingxu Money House cannot agree to this price," Ling Chong Zhenren replied. "Abyss Coins hold considerable value in Lingyuan City; they can be exchanged for many useful treasures. At this exchange rate, it would be better for us to spend some time slowly converting Abyss Coins back into Spirit Stones."

Cultivators were constantly entering Lingyuan City, and many still had full pockets. Slowly exchanging Abyss Coins for Spirit Stones, though less efficient, was still better than losing money. Many Sects bought Abyss Coins from several high-ranking individuals in Linyuan at a rate of no more than one to ten. Not making a profit was considered a loss.

Jia Ren did not hesitate; he turned on his heel and left.

By shopping around, I can always find a better exchange rate for Abyss Coins and Spirit Stones. I have plenty of time and am not in a rush.

After visiting five money houses in a row, the most generous one offered an exchange rate of one Spirit Stone for five Abyss Coins.

「Until the sixth one.」

"Eh, Daoist Zhen... Senior?" a voice exclaimed. "You're still alive?!"

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