Chapter 499 - 471: Coral Palace Banquet

Chapter 499: Chapter 471: Coral Palace Banquet

Two days before the auction was set to officially begin, an invitation made from the Coral Palace’s distinctive pink Spirit Pearls was delivered to the residences of the Golden Core Cultivators throughout Spirit Platform Palace.

An elder from the Coral Palace was hosting a banquet, inviting Golden Core Cultivators from all factions. The location was the Coral Palace’s annex, situated in the northwest corner of the main island.

When Li Yuan received the invitation, his phantom-face disguise had already been switched to that of a Golden Core Demon Cultivator. This persona had appeared in the preview hall and on several previous occasions. A few Golden Core Cultivators recognized him, treating him as a Loose Cultivator of unknown origins but considerable strength from the outer seas.

After nightfall, Li Yuan arrived at the Coral Palace’s annex.

The annex was built upon a seaside coral reef cliff, cultivated entirely from living coral that emitted a soft, pinkish-white glow in the darkness. Flanking the main gate stood a Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple of the Coral Palace. Seeing a guest with the aura of a Golden Core Cultivator arrive, they respectfully stepped aside to lead the way.

The banquet hall was exceptionally spacious. Its semi-circular dome was paneled with transparent Crystal Stone, offering a view of the starry sky and the rolling waves in the distance.

More than ten Golden Core Cultivators were already seated within the hall.

In the host’s seat sat the Late-stage Golden Core elder from the Coral Palace—the same middle-aged man in aqua-blue robes from the preview hall. A smile on his face, he held a jade cup and conversed quietly with those beside him.

The Late-stage Golden Core Sword Cultivator from Dragon Abyss Pavilion occupied the first seat on the right. His expression was as hard as iron, and the heavy sword at his back leaned against his chair, its blade occasionally emitting a very low hum.

Meanwhile, Dark Slaughter Zhenren was huddled in a shadowy corner. His gaunt frame, hidden beneath red robes, seemed to merge with his chair, with only a pair of turbid eyes slowly moving under the light.

The other Golden Core Cultivators belonged to various factions or were Loose Cultivators. Li Yuan had seen most of them at the preview hall but was not closely acquainted with any.

Li Yuan took a seat in a secluded spot near the entrance, accepted the Spirit Wine from an attendant, and listened quietly to the conversations around him.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation naturally turned to the Celestial Peak Sect.

"The date for the Divinity Transformation Ceremony has been set." The Coral Palace elder set down his jade cup, his voice neither loud nor soft, yet perfectly audible to everyone present. "It’s in three months. The Celestial Peak Sect has already sent formal invitations to the various powers to witness the ceremony."

"Three months?" The Sword Cultivator from Dragon Abyss Pavilion snorted. "How long has their old ancestor been preparing?"

"At least fifty years," the Coral Palace elder stated calmly. "From the time he entered seclusion to now, he has failed twice. This is his third attempt, and word is he has a very high chance of success."

"Once he achieves Divinity Transformation, Spiritual Qi from the Upper Realm will pour down, turning the thousand-li radius around the Celestial Peak Sect into a veritable paradise," an Early-stage Golden Core Loose Cultivator interjected, his tone thick with envy. "At that point, merely cultivating in the vicinity of the Celestial Peak Sect would likely speed up one’s progress by thirty percent."

Holding his wine cup, Li Yuan silently committed this information to memory.

Just then, the Sword Cultivator from Dragon Abyss Pavilion suddenly turned his head to look at the Coral Palace elder.

"Speaking of resources, there’s something I’d like to clear up with you right now." The Sword Cultivator’s tone was level, but his gaze held an unconcealed edge. "That Tier Three Water Element Spirit Vein northeast of the outer seas... when did your Coral Palace get its hands involved?"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly grew tense.

The smile on the Coral Palace elder’s face didn’t vanish, but it receded slightly. "That Spirit Vein is located in the open sea, outside the territory of any power. My Coral Palace merely sent men to survey it. How is that ’getting involved’?"

"The open sea?" The Sword Cultivator from Dragon Abyss Pavilion sneered. "My Dragon Abyss Pavilion’s Sea Patrol Disciples are on duty within a thirty-li radius of that Spirit Vein. Your people bypassed the patrol line and dove deep into the sea to survey it in the dead of night. You call that ’surveying’?"

The Coral Palace elder set down his jade cup, his gaze meeting the Sword Cultivator’s. "The Spirit Vein is on the seabed. A patrol on the surface has no authority over the seafloor."

Their auras began to clash covertly.

The spiritual pressure of two Late-stage Golden Core masters faced off silently in the banquet hall. The expressions of several nearby Early-stage Golden Core Cultivators changed, and they instinctively leaned back in their seats.

The tense atmosphere in the hall lasted for several breaths.

Ultimately, it was the Coral Palace elder who first relaxed his expression. He raised his jade cup in a small gesture toward the Dragon Abyss Pavilion Sword Cultivator. "This is a banquet. Let’s not discuss such dispiriting matters. We can discuss the ownership of the Spirit Vein at a later date."

The Dragon Abyss Pavilion Sword Cultivator fell silent for a moment, then raised his cup and took a shallow sip, granting the elder some face.

In his corner, Dark Slaughter Zhenren let out a silent laugh.

Li Yuan didn’t say a word from beginning to end, merely continuing to drink his wine in silence.

As the banquet moved into its second half, attendants guided the guests to an open-air platform behind the annex. The platform faced the sea, offering an expansive view and a pleasant sea breeze.

This was the trading portion of the evening’s festivities.

On a dozen or so stone tables were various items brought by the attendees, for the present Golden Core Cultivators to inspect and trade among themselves. It couldn’t compare to a formal auction in scale, but it had the advantages of being private and commission-free.

Li Yuan walked slowly among the stone tables, his gaze sweeping over the displayed items.

Most were Tier Three pills, High-Tier Spiritual Materials, and a few rare transcripts of Cultivation Techniques. Their quality was decent, but they weren’t things Li Yuan urgently needed. He didn’t have many Spirit Stones and needed to save them for the auction.

He made no purchases.

But as he passed a stone table filled with Spirit Fruits and Spirit Tea, his perception ability triggered twice in a three-foot radius.

Two flashes of green light.

On the stone table, a fist-sized, thoroughly jade-green Spirit Fruit rested on a jade plate, exuding a refreshing Spiritual Qi. Beside it was a sealed jade jar, from which the faint aroma of tea was escaping.

They were Spirit Fruits prepared for the guests.

Li Yuan walked to the table and reached out, picking up the Spirit Fruit.

[Equippable Item Detected: Jade Essence Spirit Fruit (Complete)]

[Trait Preview: Jade Essence (Green)]

[Effect: Permanently increases Spiritual Power purity, foundation is slightly increased.]

[Permanence Condition: Cultivation has reached Late-stage Foundation Establishment.]

The condition had long since been met.

Li Yuan set the Spirit Fruit down and turned to the adjacent jade jar. Lifting the lid, an exceedingly serene tea fragrance wafted over him. Inside the jar were several dried tea leaves, a faint Spiritual Light visibly flowing through their veins.

[Equippable Item Detected: Clearing Spirit Tea (Complete)]

[Trait Preview: Clearing Spirit (Green)]

[Effect: Increases Divine Sense acuity, enhances meditation efficiency.]

[Permanence Condition: Use Divine Sense to comprehend the Dao rhythm within the tea leaves until resonance is achieved.]

Li Yuan glanced at the Early-stage Golden Core Cultivator who was minding the goods by the table.

Li Yuan picked up the Spirit Fruit. Equip.

A green light flashed. The condition was met.

[Jade Essence Spirit Fruit (Green) has become a permanent trait.]

The phantom image of the Spirit Fruit shattered in his equipment slot, dissolving into motes of green light that merged with his body. The purity of his Spiritual Power was once again enhanced by a minuscule amount.

A trickle of information flowed into his mind, detailing the methods for planting and cultivating the Jade Essence Spirit Fruit.

Next, Li Yuan took a tea leaf from the jade jar, placed it into one of the prepared teacups, and poured hot water over it.

The tea’s fragrance filled the air.

Li Yuan lifted the teacup to his nose. A sliver of his Divine Sense probed into the tea, making contact with the incredibly subtle Dao rhythm contained within the leaf.

One of his twelve Divine Sense Lines split off, concentrating on comprehending the essence of heaven and earth condensed within the tea leaf. The Dao rhythm was like a tiny stream, slowly unfurling under the touch of his Divine Sense—cool, distant, and tranquil.

After several breaths, an extremely faint hum resonated from the depths of his Divine Sense.

Resonance achieved.

[Clearing Spirit Tea (Green) has become a permanent trait.]

A cool power spread out from his sea of consciousness. The edges of his Divine Sense grew sharper, and the precision of his perception of surrounding Spiritual Waves was elevated once more.

Another stream of information trickled in, this time about cultivating the Spirit Tea.

Li Yuan set down the teacup, his expression unchanged.

After the trading session concluded, the Coral Palace dispatched several small ferry boats to escort the Golden Core Cultivators back to their respective residences.

Li Yuan boarded a ferry boat headed for one of the smaller, affiliated islands. Besides him, there were two Early-stage Golden Core Cultivators and a Coral Palace disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage who was piloting the vessel.

After departing from the Coral Palace annex’s dock, the ferry boat sped along the waterway between the islands.

Halfway through the journey, the sea suddenly erupted with vast, silvery-white waves.

The Foundation Establishment disciple piloting the boat paled. "A Silver Shark Swarm!"

Dozens of silvery-white dorsal fins sliced through the water’s surface in unison, closing in on the ferry boat at high speed. These silver sharks were a size larger than ordinary Sea Demons. Their Scales carried a deeply unnatural metallic luster, and a dark red crystal was embedded in each of their eye sockets.

Mutated silver sharks. Their power ranged from Tier Two Middle Grade to Top Grade.

The ferry boat’s Defensive Array shuddered violently under the swarm’s assault, sending ripples spreading across its shield of light.

The two Early-stage Golden Core Cultivators stood up at the same time and began to cast their Magic. But there were too many mutated silver sharks, and their movements were bizarrely coordinated. Several sharks struck the bottom of the boat from underwater simultaneously, causing the entire vessel to lurch violently to one side.

Standing at the stern, Li Yuan raised his right hand.

The perfected Spiritual Power of his Cold Stream Spirit Fusion Skill surged from his palm.

Ice Seal Skill.

With the ferry boat as the epicenter, the surrounding seawater within a ten-zhang radius froze solid in an instant. The charging Silver Shark Swarm plunged headfirst into the rapidly solidifying ice, their immense inertia embedding them deep within its surface, trapping them completely.

The layer of ice continued to expand outward.

The trapped silver sharks struggled within the ice, the metallic sheen on their Scales flickering erratically as their mutated Spiritual Power furiously battered the icy prison.

Li Yuan formed a blade hand with his left fingers. His Water Spiritual Power condensed into dozens of extremely fine water blades that shot into the cracks of the ice with pinpoint accuracy.

Each water blade struck a silver shark’s vital core.

The instant the water blades entered their bodies, a chilling cold flooded through the wounds, freezing their Spiritual Power circuits solid.

In a matter of breaths, large patches of dark red blood stained the surface of the ice.

Over a dozen mutated silver sharks were dead. Sensing the overwhelming danger, the rest let out piercing shrieks and fled toward the deep sea.

The ferry boat was steady once more.

Li Yuan retracted his Spiritual Power. With a grasping motion, he pulled several of the shark carcasses toward him and extracted a few mutated Inner Cores that radiated a cold Spiritual Qi.

The Inner Cores showed no glimmer of a trait. They were ordinary Tier Two mutated Demon Beast materials, but of high quality. They would fetch a good price in Spirit Stones at the market.

Li Yuan stored the Inner Cores in his personal space and calmly sat back down.

The ferry boat continued on in silence, soon docking at the pier of the affiliated island.