Chapter 197: Chapter 180: Seven-Star Spirit Water, Seven-Star Cyan Spring Fruit

In the following quarter hour, a few more Cultivators made successive offers, but the smug look on the young Pill Master’s face gradually faded with each bid of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and Spiritual Materials that fell short of his expectations.

His gaze swept over the audience below before finally settling back on Lu Zhao. His expression softened toward him; after all, the thirty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and five thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones this junior brother had offered was currently the highest concrete bid.

He sighed to himself and sent another Transmission Sound to Lu Zhao. "Junior Brother, give me a real price." His tone carried a faint, almost imperceptible hint of exhaustion and compromise.

Lu Zhao sighed inwardly. ’These fellow sect members are all such schemers, hoping to snag a bargain without offering anything truly valuable.’ In comparison, his own bid of thirty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones seemed exceptionally "sincere." After a moment of thought, he decided to raise the stakes. "Senior Brother, I am willing to add another five Middle-Grade Spirit Stones."

The young Pill Master fell silent for a moment, but Lu Zhao could tell from his expression that he was still haggling with several others via Transmission Sound. After about half a quarter hour, he stopped the transmissions, a more conflicted look on his face. He was clearly unsatisfied with any of the offers, yet he was desperate to make a trade.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao knew he needed to add a little more fuel to the fire. He sent another Transmission Sound: "Senior Brother, if that is still not enough, I am willing to add a Tier Two Lower Grade ’Golden Lingzhi’."

As soon as he said this, the young Pill Master’s tense expression suddenly relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He immediately sent a Transmission Sound back, his tone a complex mix of understanding and subtle praise. "What a move, Junior Brother! First, you made a low offer to entice others to keep their bids down, then you secretly raised your price to clinch the deal. So be it. It seems this bottle of Spirit Water of mine was fated to be yours after all."

Lu Zhao could only manage a wry smile. ’I wasn’t actually trying to be clever this time; I just genuinely wanted it.’ Still, as long as he could get the Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Water, it didn’t matter what the other party thought.

He said no more and quickly walked onto the stage. Under everyone’s gaze, he handed over thirty-five Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, five thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, and a jade box containing the Golden Lingzhi. The young Pill Master carefully inspected the items and, finding everything in order, solemnly gave Lu Zhao the bottle of "Cold Abyss Spirit Water" that emanated a dense, icy aura.

The moment the water was in his hand, Lu Zhao felt a bone-chilling cold. The Spirit Water Power was pure and condensed. Reassured, he carefully placed it in the deepest part of his Storage Bag and quickly walked off the stage.

The Trade Assembly continued. Several more people went on stage, and while the items they displayed were unique, none held much appeal for Lu Zhao. He sat quietly in the audience, his mind already wondering what grade his Hundred Waters Magic Disc could reach if he used this newly acquired Spirit Water.

An hour later, it was finally his turn to go on stage to seek an item. He walked slowly up to the Jade Platform, took a brocade box from his Storage Bag, and gently opened it.

Instantly, a faint, cold aura spread out. Inside the box lay a fist-sized metal chunk that glowed with a deep, mysterious blue luster, its surface looking as if ice crystals had formed on it. It was the Tier Two Middle-Grade "Jade Cold Iron" he had obtained from the Xu Family.

"One piece of Tier Two Middle-Grade Jade Cold Iron," Lu Zhao’s voice was clear. "I wish to trade for a Tier Two Water Spirit Stone. The higher the grade, the better. If any fellow sect member has a Tier Two High-Grade Water Spirit Stone, do not worry about my inability to cover the difference in value. Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, Tier Two Spirit Medicine, or other items of equal worth are all negotiable."

The moment this item appeared, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of several cultivators in the audience who had fierce auras and carried long swords; they were clearly interested. One of them, a female cultivator in a plain white Sword Robe with a cold and aloof air, was the first to speak. "Junior Brother, I have a Tier Two Middle-Grade Water Spirit Stone. I can trade with you."

Lu Zhao was inwardly delighted but kept his expression impassive. "Senior Sister, would you please take it out so I may have a look?"

The female cultivator did not hesitate. With a flip of her hand, she produced a pebble-sized Spirit Stone. It was a gentle, sky-blue color, and it seemed as if waves were flowing within it. A pure Water Spirit Qi washed over them; it was indeed a high-quality Tier Two Middle-Grade Water Spirit Stone. Lu Zhao carefully sensed it and, after confirming it was genuine, was about to nod in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist, wait!" a steady voice called out. A middle-aged man in black martial attire with a square jaw and a profound aura stood up.

He cupped his fist toward Lu Zhao. "I am Chu Zeling. Although I do not have a Tier Two Water Spirit Stone, I can see that you are a Water-Attribute Cultivator, so I imagine you wouldn’t mind having more Tier Two Spirit Water." As he spoke, he flipped his palm over, and a palm-sized Jade Bottle appeared. The body of the bottle was engraved with the pattern of the Big Dipper. The liquid inside was a pale silver, with specks of starlight drifting and swirling within it, emitting a pure yet mystical Water and Wood Spirit Qi.

"This is the Tier Two Middle-Grade ’Seven-Star Spirit Water’. It has a miraculous effect on nourishing the Spiritual Soul and stabilizing the foundation of Water Cultivators. I wonder if it is to your liking, Fellow Daoist?"

Lu Zhao’s gaze shifted between the female cultivator’s Tier Two Middle-Grade Water Spirit Stone and Chu Zeling’s Seven-Star Spirit Water as he quickly weighed his options. The Water Spirit Stone was a core component for refining his Magic Disc, but the Seven-Star Spirit Water was no ordinary item either. Especially since he cultivated the "True Water Spirit Transformation Skill," he truly couldn’t have too much Tier Two Spirit Water.

Even setting aside his Main Cultivation Method, its ability to nourish the Spiritual Soul was equally important for his cultivation of the "Thousand Threads Technique." Although his Divine Sense had increased greatly due to reaching Foundation Establishment, making it relatively simple to cultivate the next few Spiritual Soul Threads, and he wasn’t currently lacking Soul-Type Spiritual Objects, the boost to his Spiritual Soul’s foundation from his breakthrough would eventually be depleted.

After a moment, he made his decision and said to the female Sword Cultivator, "Senior Sister, let’s trade." He needed the Water Spirit Stone to raise the grade of his Hundred Waters Magic Disc. And judging by Chu Zeling’s aura as a Metal Attribute Sword Cultivator, he probably wanted this Jade Cold Iron even more.

The female cultivator nodded slightly. The two walked forward and completed the exchange under everyone’s watchful eyes. The Jade Cold Iron fell into the female cultivator’s hands, while Lu Zhao carefully and preciously put away the gentle, sky-blue Water Spirit Stone.

Seeing this, a flash of disappointment crossed Chu Zeling’s face, and he was about to turn and sit down. But Lu Zhao called out to him, "Fellow Daoist Chu, please wait."

Chu Zeling stopped and turned to look at Lu Zhao, his voice tinged with confusion. "Didn’t you already trade with someone else, Fellow Daoist?"

Lu Zhao smiled faintly and took another, slightly smaller jade box from his Storage Bag, opening the lid. Inside was not a Spiritual Material or Pill, but a piece of incredibly hard ore about the size of a baby’s fist, glowing with a faint, cold luster.

"Fellow Daoist, I can tell at a glance that you are proficient in the Sword Dao. This is ’Profound Gold Stone,’ a Tier Two High-Grade Metal Element Spiritual Material, and a top-grade material for refining Metal Attribute Tier Two Magical Artifact Flying Swords. I wonder if this can be traded for the bottle of Seven-Star Spirit Water you hold? Since their value and grade aren’t equal, I would require you to make up the difference."

When Chu Zeling saw the Profound Gold Stone, an unconcealable light of joyous surprise erupted in his eyes. This was exactly what he urgently needed! Forcing down his excitement, he pondered for a moment before sending a Transmission Sound to Lu Zhao:

"Fellow Daoist, to be honest, I only have this one bottle of Seven-Star Spirit Water. However, I have something else that might make up the difference." He paused and took out a Spirit Fruit the size of a longan. It was as green as jade, and its surface had a naturally formed pattern of seven starbursts. A clear, sweet fragrance containing a vast Life Essence Qi quietly spread out.

"This is a Tier Two Middle-Grade ’Seven-Star Cyan Spring Fruit,’ a Main Material for refining several types of Tier Two Middle-Grade Cultivation Pills. If you take this fruit to an Alchemist, it would be no trouble at all to trade it for several bottles of Pills to raise your Cultivation. Even if you don’t want to go to the trouble, at your Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, directly refining this fruit would be enough to condense two to three drops of Magical Power True Liquid, saving you several years of hard work."

Lu Zhao looked at the Seven-Star Cyan Spring Fruit, which was brimming with Spiritual Qi, and understood. The item was indeed valuable, and its allure was especially great for someone like him, who had few sources of Pills and wanted to raise his Cultivation quickly. Chu Zeling had clearly brought out one of his prized possessions, showing his sincerity.

He pondered for a moment before finally nodding. "Done."

The two once again walked forward and, under the witness of the supervising Chief Steward Wei Qingping, completed the exchange. Lu Zhao took possession of the Seven-Star Spirit Water and the Seven-Star Cyan Spring Fruit, while Chu Zeling preciously carried away the Profound Gold Stone.

As Lu Zhao walked off the Jade Platform, many gazes from the audience were fixed on him, and the faint sounds of whispering could be heard.

"Who is this Junior Brother? How is he so wealthy?"

"First he traded for the Cold Abyss Spirit Water, then a Tier Two Water Spirit Stone, and finally he even got Seven-Star Spirit Water and a Seven-Star Cyan Spring Fruit. Tsk tsk, looks like he’s someone who hides his true strength."

"Look at his steady aura and decisive actions. He’s probably not someone to be trifled with..."

Lu Zhao acted as if he didn’t hear the surrounding discussion, returning to his seat with a calm expression. He waited until the Trade Assembly was over before quietly leaving with the crowd.

Back in his cave residence, Lu Zhao sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in his Quiet Chamber. He first placed the gentle, sky-blue Tier Two Middle-Grade Water Spirit Stone in his palm, feeling the surging, pure Water Spirit Power within it. Next, he took out the bottle of Cold Abyss Spirit Water and uncorked it. An icy aura spread out, and a flash of eagerness crossed Lu Zhao’s eyes. With these two items, his Hundred Waters Magic Disc could be upgraded to Tier Two Middle-Grade at the very least.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the Seven-Star Cyan Spring Fruit and the Seven-Star Spirit Water. The fruit was a translucent green, with seven starbursts faintly glowing beneath its skin. The Spirit Water was like a reflection of the Star River, with specks of silver light drifting within. The former could help his Cultivation advance, while the latter could both nourish his Spiritual Soul and aid his training. Both were of significant use.

"A bountiful harvest..." Lu Zhao murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. But his eyes immediately returned to their usual calm. ’On the path of Cultivation, one either advances or falls behind. Now that I have the resources, I must convert them into strength as soon as possible. It seems I need to make a trip to the Artifact Hall soon.’

Just as Lu Zhao was wondering who to find at the Artifact Hall and whether he should ask Zhou Xianlu for help again...

「In a cave residence atop a Tier Two Spirit Vein in Bixia Marketplace.」

Chu Zeling was stroking the Profound Gold Stone in his hand, his face filled with joy. With this, his Tier Two Flying Sword could be improved even further. However, deep in his eyes, there was a hidden, imperceptible shadow.

"Lu Zhao..." he murmured the name, his knuckles unconsciously tapping on the stone table. "A former Wanderer, skilled with Puppets during the Qi Cultivation Stage, and now so wealthy after reaching Foundation Establishment, not to mention so decisive... It seems this Inner Sect Steward of the Bixia Sect has quite a few secrets."

He recalled Lu Zhao’s composure when he had taken out the Jade Cold Iron and the Profound Gold Stone at the Trade Assembly, and the boldness with which he had traded for the Water Spirit Stone, Spirit Water, and Spirit Fruit. Doubts sprouted in his mind. How could an Inner Sect Steward who had just reached Foundation Establishment and had no backing so easily produce Spiritual Materials of such high grade, even if he’d had a few lucky breaks?

"Forget it. It’s not easy to make a move against someone from the Bixia Sect. If word got out, not even my family could protect me. Right now, the most important thing is to refine my Flying Sword into a Tier Two High-Grade artifact." Chu Zeling suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and carefully put away the Profound Gold Stone.

But in his heart, the name "Lu Zhao" had been marked for future notice, just waiting for an opportunity to arise.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.