Chapter 277 - 261: Exchange Meet

Chapter 277: Chapter 261: Exchange Meet

"Celestial Wind Pavilion."

Chu Mu stopped before the pavilion.

The pavilion before him was no stranger.

After arriving at Water Heaven Workshop, he had made many inquiries about the place.

It served as an auction house, and it was said that an auction was held once a year, featuring countless rare treasures.

He had been busy with closed-door Cultivation before and had never attended.

’This time...’

Chu Mu gently stroked the Jade Token in his hand, lost in thought.

’An exchange meeting for Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators...’

He pondered for a moment, surveying the many items in his Storage Ring.

He still had many Lower Grade Spirit Stones left, but to Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, Lower Grade Spirit Stones were clearly not of great importance.

As for Middle Grade Spirit Stones, he only had a few.

’And the other items...’

Besides the trump cards he had prepared for himself, the only presentable things he had were some rare Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Materials.

The more valuable of these Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Materials had been painstakingly collected by him, and he had great use for them himself. There was no way he would trade them.

As his thoughts turned, his Divine Sense finally focused on one of the Cyan Wolf Puppets.

A Tier Two Early Stage Puppet was equivalent to an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment existence.

’If something he truly desires appears, the weight of this Puppet, with combat power comparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm, should be enough.’

He stepped into the Celestial Wind Pavilion, and a woman dressed as a maid immediately came to greet him.

He tossed out the Jade Token, and the maid caught it, immediately leading Chu Mu toward the second floor.

"Senior, this way, please."

At the top of the stairs, the woman stopped and gestured forward with her hand.

Chu Mu looked at the entrance before him. A faint blue fluorescent light sealed the doorway to the second floor. Faint fluctuations of Spiritual Power shimmered, and the Array Prohibition inscribed on the doorframe was clearly visible.

It was an Array Prohibition designed purely to inspect one’s Cultivation.

Those below the Foundation Establishment Realm could not enter.

Chu Mu took a step forward and passed directly through the blue, glowing gateway.

Just as it appeared from the outside, the Celestial Wind Pavilion covered a vast area, and its second floor was naturally extremely spacious.

Passing through the gateway, a spacious and brightly lit hall came into view.

The hall’s furnishings were rather simple.

Directly ahead was a raised platform, similar to an auction stage, with rows of seats below it.

At this moment, seven or eight cultivators in various attire were seated below the platform. A scan of their Cultivation revealed that they were all at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Seeing Chu Mu walk in, a few cultivators glanced back at him, but then immediately looked away as if they had seen nothing.

Observing this, Chu Mu’s wary state of mind relaxed slightly.

He casually found a seat in a back row and sat down, silently observing the surrounding cultivators and the hall itself.

There weren’t many cultivators in the hall. Some had their auras concealed and wore bamboo hats, clearly disguising their identities, while others were completely open, chatting cheerfully with the cultivators around them.

As time passed, more and more cultivators walked in, filling the once-empty seats.

Several hours passed, and the number of cultivators in the hall had grown from the initial eight to nearly twenty.

Without exception, all of them were at the Foundation Establishment Realm!

After the fourth hour, a few more cultivators had taken their seats in the hall when a side door on the platform suddenly opened, and an old man in a gray robe walked out.

As the old man emerged, the once somewhat noisy hall fell instantly silent.

Under the sweep of Divine Sense, the old man’s Late Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation was perfectly clear.

"It seems quite a few more fellow Daoists have joined my exchange meeting this time."

The old man wore a smile, looking every bit the host.

Evidently, this was the Righteous Alliance’s Honored Guest Elder that Xie Hui had mentioned.

"Same old rules. I’ll get us started."

The old man didn’t waste time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Three bottles of Moonlight Pills, which can assist with Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivation. They have a significant medicinal effect even for those at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment."

"One bottle of Moon Dew Pills. A single pill is enough to restore two-thirds of an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivator’s Magical Power within half a quarter-hour."

"I’m looking to trade for Spirit Medicines of at least two hundred years old, or Tier Two or higher Pill Recipes or Pill Books."

Chu Mu’s eyes burned with desire. Ever since he entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, he hadn’t had a chance to properly cultivate. Besides constantly building up his foundation and preparing his various trump cards, the main reason was that he had already given up hope on his own abysmal aptitude.

His aptitude was so poor that his painstaking Cultivation couldn’t even compare to the effect of a single Elixir.

Moreover, now that he was cultivating the Great Sun Scripture, condensing the Great Sun True Flame to temper his body and refine his techniques, and with the leap in his Divine Soul Saber, he had even less reason to worry about Erysipelas.

What he lacked were simply the Elixirs to assist his Cultivation.

And Tier Two Elixirs were simply not available on the open market...

Chu Mu surveyed the many items in his Storage Ring.

He had quite a few Spirit Medicines over two hundred years old. Back when he refined the Soul Cleansing Pill for Zhao Shuang, he had made a fortune.

In the Secret Realm, he had also found several aged Spirit Medicines himself. On top of that, the cultivators he had killed in the Secret Realm all had some rare Spirit Medicines, more or less, in their Storage Talismans.

Furthermore, he also had several bottles of "Bell Stone Spiritual Milk," which was known as a Body Refining Holy Medicine.

The reason he had never used it was simply due to an Alchemist’s instinct.

After all, the entire point of the Alchemy Skill was to better draw out the medicinal properties of Spirit Medicines.

Consuming Spirit Medicines directly was the most inferior method.

Using the Bell Stone Spiritual Milk as the main ingredient to refine a Body Refining Elixir—that was the way to maximize its benefits.

This was true in terms of both quantity and quality.

However, with his current foundation in the Alchemy Skill, he was not yet capable of doing so.

He hesitated for a moment, then ultimately suppressed the impulse in his heart.

’I’m an Alchemist, too.’

’The Alchemy Skill is much simpler than the Artifact Refining Skill.’

’With ’Spiritual Radiance,’ as long as I can get my hands on a Pill Recipe and gather the Spirit Medicines, I can have an endless supply.’

’Trading Spirit Medicines for a few bottles of Elixirs is a bad deal for an Alchemist.’

’Who knows if the Spirit Medicines I trade away now will be the very ones I’ll need to search for later?’

While Chu Mu was weighing the pros and cons, several cultivators immediately went up, presented their Spirit Medicines, and had them inspected by the old man. Some successfully made the trade, while others returned to their seats in disappointment.

In the end, all the bottles of Elixirs were traded. The old man walked off the stage with a cheerful laugh, and another cultivator took his place.

The man took out a banner that radiated a sinister Yin Qi and looked out at the audience, speaking slowly.

"An Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Thousand Souls Banner, in exchange for Body Refining-type Elixirs or Spirit Medicines."

This time, however, unlike the lively scene when the old man had brought out his Elixirs, the hall was completely silent. Not a single person spoke up to trade.

Finally, the man asked again, unwilling to give up, "Doesn’t any fellow Daoist need this?"

Still, no one responded. The man left the stage in disappointment.

Another cultivator walked up to the platform.

"A Top Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Red Cloud Miasma. When activated, it releases a miasmic red cloud. The miasma is refined from a hundred rare poisons and can easily corrode Magical Power barriers, and can even corrode defensive Spiritual Artifacts."

"For Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, it clings like maggots to bone, eroding Magical Power and rotting the flesh..."

The man held a swirling ball of red mist, demonstrating its effects as he explained.

This time, the atmosphere in the hall was undoubtedly much more fervent. A Top Grade Spiritual Artifact was second only to a Magical Treasure, and it was the strongest type of artifact a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator could use.

Chu Mu stared intently at the red cloud. He didn’t have many thoughts of acquiring it; it was merely an Artifact Refiner’s instinct, a desire to glimpse the method used to refine it.

"I will trade this Spiritual Artifact for a Tier Three Upper Grade Celestial Spirit Wood. The Celestial Spirit Wood must have a growth period of at least eight hundred years."

Finally, the man stated his condition for the exchange.

The fervent atmosphere in the hall instantly froze. Chu Mu was also stunned—a Tier Three Spiritual Material, and a Tier Three Upper Grade one at that, with a growth period of over eight hundred years.

Using such a Spiritual Material to refine a Spiritual Artifact would be a waste. It was a material fit only for refining Magical Treasures, or even Lifebound Treasures.

’To be able to offer a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact and demand a Spiritual Material meant for a Magical Treasure, this person’s Cultivation... ’

Chu Mu looked at the man. He was middle-aged and wore a plain short shirt, looking like a common farmer. His aura was retracted, making it impossible to detect anything.

But the faint sense of threat he perceived from his Divine Soul Saber was clear proof that this man’s Cultivation was by no means low.

"If anyone has news of a Celestial Spirit Wood, that can also be traded. Elixirs, Spiritual Artifacts, Spiritual Materials—if it’s something I can provide, I, Li, will not refuse."

Seeing the continued silence, the middle-aged man added.

At this moment, the old man, who had been sitting silently to the side, stood up. He scanned the cultivators present and spoke in a solemn voice.

"If any fellow Daoist has a Celestial Spirit Wood, or knows of its whereabouts, do not hesitate. You can inform him or trade with Fellow Daoist Li. I guarantee there will be no trouble whatsoever."

Despite these words, the hall remained silent. The man seemed to have expected this and showed little change in expression as he left the stage.

Just as before, one cultivator after another went on stage, presenting all sorts of items for trade. Some were overjoyed with the results, but most left the stage dejectedly.

Along the way, although there were items that piqued Chu Mu’s interest, they were only slightly tempting and not enough to entice him. He never spoke up and naturally gained nothing.

When it was his turn, he took out the Storage Talisman that held a Cyan Wolf Puppet. With a wave of his hand, the enormous Cyan Wolf Puppet appeared on the platform.

The appearance of this single Puppet immediately caused an uproar. Everyone present was a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, so it was not difficult for them to discern the grade of this Cyan Wolf Puppet.

A Foundation Establishment Realm Puppet, even if it was only Tier Two Lower Grade—equivalent to the grade of a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact—was clearly not something that could be compared to the value of a mere Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.

After all, a Spiritual Artifact, even a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact, required a cultivator to personally control it, consuming their Divine Sense and Magical Power to fight. But a Puppet only needed to be given an order!

It didn’t consume any of the cultivator’s Magical Power or Divine Sense at all!

To a cultivator, a Tier Two Lower Grade Puppet was equivalent to having an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment companion or a Tier Two Early Stage Spirit Beast—an existence that could fight alongside them.

The uproar from the audience was clearly within Chu Mu’s expectations.

Puppets were inherently different from Spiritual Artifacts; they were a very special type of existence.

Cultivators who specialized in Puppets were even more terrifying.

Putting other things aside, if he could refine a dozen or even several dozen of these Cyan Wolf Puppets, forget cultivators at the same realm—even Late Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivators would have to flee at the sight of him!

He would be able to walk sideways in the Foundation Establishment Realm!

He ignored the clamor from below and began his introduction in an orderly manner.

"Tier Two Lower Grade, Cyan Wolf Puppet, a close-combat type."

"The Puppet’s main body is made of Vajra Jade, and its durability is slightly stronger than a Lower Grade defensive Spiritual Artifact."

"The Puppet is powered by two Fire Attribute Middle Grade Spirit Stones. Its close-combat attacks are also imbued with Fire Attribute Spiritual Power..."

"The Puppet also has a self-destruct function. At its core are three Spiritual Bombs, each equivalent to a full-power strike from an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivator. The three Spiritual Bombs are linked by an Array Prohibition, and their simultaneous detonation has the mighty power of a full-power strike from a Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivator, creating an area-of-effect blast..."

After his brief introduction, he looked down at the audience, their fervent gazes clearly visible.

He pondered for a moment before speaking slowly under the focused stares of the assembled cultivators:

"This Cyan Wolf Puppet is for trade. I want a complete Alchemy Inheritance from Tier One to Tier Two, including the corresponding Pill Recipes, or a Tier Two Upper Grade or higher Spiritual Material."

...