Chapter 349 - 303: Real? Fake?

Chapter 349: Chapter 303: Real? Fake?

Jiang Xu wasn’t surprised. As a common means of communication in the Cultivation Realm, it was only natural for a Sound Transmission Talisman to have such basic features.

However, he was more concerned with whether any unusual investigative or tracking-type magic had been attached to the Sound Transmission Talisman.

As a place where numerous cultivators gathered, Xiao Jin Island had no shortage of people with ill intentions. For him, setting foot on the island for the first time, it was especially important to remain vigilant.

Jiang Xu’s gaze swept slowly across the Talisman Paper, at times focusing on a specific rune, at others taking in the entire structure.

He was like a vigilant falcon, not missing a single potential clue.

Jiang Xu’s Divine Sense extended like delicate tentacles, quietly probing along the lines of the runes, attempting to detect any abnormal energy fluctuations or hidden magical imprints.

After a meticulous examination, Jiang Xu found no trace of any investigative or tracking-type magic on the Sound Transmission Talisman.

The runes were pure and orderly, built solely around the core function of transmitting information, showing no superfluous or abnormal structures.

Despite this, Jiang Xu did not let down his guard.

High-level tracking magic could be cleverly hidden deep within the runes, perhaps so well that not even his Spiritual Eye Technique could easily detect it.

Even if Hua Ying was only a Qi Cultivation Perfection Cultivator, that didn’t mean another Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t have cast such a high-level technique on the Sound Transmission Talisman.

Jiang Xu stood on the Dharma Ship, gazing at Xiao Jin Island just ahead, and pondered.

’Even though I already inspected that Sound Transmission Talisman carefully with my Spiritual Eye Technique and found no signs of investigation or tracking...’

But to be safe, Jiang Xu decided to take a more drastic measure.

To eliminate any potential hidden dangers, he chose to turn the Sound Transmission Talisman directly to ash.

With a light flick of his finger, a ball of blazing fire instantly ignited at Jiang Xu’s fingertip. Golden light flickered within the leaping flames—it was his Innate True Flame.

Jiang Xu placed the Sound Transmission Talisman into the flame. The Talisman Paper rapidly carbonized in the intense heat, turning into wisps of smoke until only a pile of ash remained.

He nodded in satisfaction. Now that the Sound Transmission Talisman was completely destroyed, his wariness eased slightly.

By now, Jiang Xu had arrived at the shore of Xiao Jin Island.

He deliberately chose a quieter spot to land, avoiding the bustling main docks.

Yet even at such a remote landing spot, a sizable crowd had gathered.

Jiang Xu moved among the bustling crowd like a leaf on the water. He appeared to be drifting along, but his mind was as clear as a mirror, taking in everything around him.

Numerous mortal guides crowded the shore, scrambling to hawk their services to the newly arrived cultivators, their voices full of fervent enthusiasm.

Among the crowd were also cultivators who appeared to be loitering, glancing about nonchalantly, but their gazes were sharp, scrutinizing every cultivator who set foot on the island.

Some acted alone, others in small groups, their goal to find a suitable lamb to fleece.

Jiang Xu moved through them, deftly avoiding the overly enthusiastic guides while discreetly observing the cultivators who were hunting for lambs.

Their gazes swept over Jiang Xu. Some moved on quickly, clearly judging him an unsuitable target.

Others lingered for a moment, seeming to take a slight interest in him.

But Jiang Xu remained composed and unreadable, making it difficult to fathom his true intentions.

After a brief pause, most of the gazes shifted away, evidently deciding Jiang Xu was not their ideal lamb.

Still, a few gazes lingered on Jiang Xu, a flicker of hard-to-perceive interest in their eyes.

Seeing them show signs of moving in his direction, Jiang Xu felt a chill.

Jiang Xu did not panic, however. In a place like Xiao Jin Island, any exposure or impulsive action could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Unhurriedly, he suppressed his aura and, like a fish diving into the deep, silently vanished into the crowd.

He moved nimbly through the tide of people, cleverly evading those who seemed intent on following him from behind.

In just a few quick maneuvers, Jiang Xu successfully shook his pursuers and disappeared from their line of sight.

The crowd was dense by the shore, but it thinned out rapidly once he left that area.

Leaving the clamor of the shore behind, Jiang Xu found himself on a quiet path.

It was much less crowded here, and he felt a sense of relief.

By now, he had used the Concealing Breath Spell to lower his cultivation to the level of the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

This was a fairly common realm on Xiao Jin Island—not low-level, but not so high as to be conspicuous. It was perfect for Jiang Xu, who wanted to keep a low profile and gather information on his first visit.

An overly high cultivation level tended to attract unwanted attention, and even invite trouble, whereas the Qi Cultivation Late Stage allowed him to blend in with the ranks of ordinary cultivators without arousing suspicion.

As Jiang Xu ventured deeper into Xiao Jin Island, he noticed scattered stalls starting to appear on both sides of the road.

The stalls were small but distinctive, attracting passing cultivators to stop and browse.

His curiosity piqued by the goods on display, Jiang Xu ambled closer to take a look.

The items displayed at the stalls were mostly old Magical Artifacts and yellowed Cultivation Method Books.

They gave off an aura of great age, as if laden with a heavy history.

The stall owners were eloquent, bestowing upon these objects grand titles like "Ancient Magical Treasure" and "Ancient Techniques" as they recounted their legendary origins.

They vividly described how they had braved countless perils to delve deep into ancient, untrodden ruins.

They told of exploring alongside their dearest friends, struggling on the brink of life and death, and being the sole lucky survivors while their companions tragically perished within.

In these heroic tales, the stall owners were now forced to part with their cherished finds to care for the widows of their fallen friends.

They were selling these treasures from the ruins at extremely low prices, all to provide for the living expenses and ensure the continuation of their friends’ bloodlines.

As the stall owners told these stories, their expressions were pained and sincere. Their words were earnest, at times impassioned and soaring, at others low and mournful, as if they were reliving every moment.

Tears glistened in their eyes and their voices trembled, as if recalling those times they had depended on each other for survival, leaving no listener unmoved.

Even a cultivator like Jiang Xu, who had seen his share of the world, was moved by these tragic and heartfelt stories. He couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration for the stall owners’ profound loyalty and honor.

At the same time, he also grew deeply interested in these so-called "Ancient Magical Treasures" and "Ancient Techniques."

Jiang Xu approached a stall and carefully examined the time-worn Magical Artifacts.

Although they were ancient, he could still feel the fluctuations of Spiritual Power contained within. Some even emitted a faint glow and possessed a considerable Spiritual Pressure.

As for the quaint Cultivation Method Books, their covers were yellowed and the writing somewhat faded, but the ancient patterns and inscribed characters on the covers were still clearly visible.

Jiang Xu gently opened one of the books. The text within indeed described a Cultivation Technique he had never heard of before.

’Although I know these stories are just a sales pitch,’ Jiang Xu thought, ’it’s undeniable that these Magical Artifacts and books might actually have some value. Perhaps among these many stalls, there really are some overlooked treasures hidden, just waiting for the right person to discover them.’

Jiang Xu moved between the stalls, his gaze sharp as he used his Spiritual Eye Technique to examine every item, one by one.

At first, he was deeply suspicious of these stalls.

He assumed the owners were just swindlers skilled at spinning tales, and that the so-called "Ancient Artifacts" they displayed were likely just replicas or even ordinary, powerless objects.

Jiang Xu had mentally prepared himself to find at most one or two genuine articles out of ten, even considering the worst-case scenario: that everything was fake.

But to his surprise, the more he looked, the more astonished he became.

He discovered that nearly half of the goods were genuine Ancient Artifacts!

This was a far cry from his initial assessment. The stalls he had assumed were filled with fakes were now displaying a surprising degree of authenticity.

The adventures recounted by the stall owners, while perhaps exaggerated in their tragic details, were—at least regarding the origin of the items—actually true.