Chapter 687 542: Washing Spirit Sand

After leaving the auction house, Ji An parted ways with his sect members. At this moment, the bright moon hung in the sky, and the flow of people on the merchant flying ship surged, with the bustling noise continuing until midnight.

Ji An first went to the Golden Puppet Pavilion next door and said to the attendant:

"I want to sell a batch of Tier Two Top-Grade Spiritual Materials, who should I talk to?"

The attendant gave a gentle smile, "Please follow me to the VIP room, the Pavilion Master will come to speak with you shortly."

As a professionally trained service personnel, she easily identified the customer's status through his clothing.

The Daoist robe the other party wore was embroidered with the distinctive pattern of the Golden Spirit Sect, indicating that he was a Golden Core Cultivator.

Cultivators of this level could only be received by the Pavilion Master personally.

Ji An was led into the VIP room to wait, and the attendant hurriedly left. Soon, a cultivator with a scholarly appearance came in.

"Haha, we just saw each other at the auction. I am Profound Wood Daoist Master from the Golden Puppet Pavilion. How should I address you, fellow cultivator?"

Ji An smiled, indeed they had caught sight of each other when leaving, "I am Xuanqing Daoist Master of the Golden Spirit Sect, a pleasure to meet you."

After the pleasantries, Ji An took out three segments of Azure Dragon Wood, each about ten feet long, and explained his intention:

"I have a batch of Tier Two Top-grade Azure Dragon Wood, and if the price is right, I am willing to sell it."

What he took out were three segments of spiritual materials that could be combined to form a whole piece, which would fetch a higher price when sold whole, supposedly providing better coordination when crafting large puppets.

Now that he was a Golden Core Cultivator, the selling price of spiritual materials should be higher than before.

Profound Wood Daoist Master's expression suddenly changed, but soon returned to normal.

He extended his divine sense to inspect the spirit wood, the vigorous and masculine dragon's roar echoed in his sea of consciousness.

After checking the spirit wood, he suppressed the joy in his heart and said in a deep voice:

"This is the main material of a whole Azure Dragon Wood, full of spiritual essence. We are willing to purchase it for seventy top-grade spirit stones.

If the friend cultivator sells ten or more, the purchase price can reach seventy-five top-grade spirit stones."

During the day, cultivators from the Golden Spirit Sect had already come once to sell many top-grade Azure Dragon Woods, which were of similar quality to this one.

Previously, only the Divine Wood Sect could consistently produce spiritual wood of this quality.

However, the Divine Wood Sect sold such high-quality spiritual materials at a price of ninety top-grade spirit stones per piece.

Now, it was confirmed that the Golden Spirit Sect had found a method to mass-produce Tier Two Top-grade Azure Dragon Wood.

For the Golden Puppet Pavilion, finding a supplier to replace the Divine Wood Sect would be a very favorable outcome.

Ji An revealed a peculiar smile; this price was much higher than he expected. He originally thought having around sixty top-grade spirit stones would be satisfactory.

He remained silent, waiting for the other's response, thinking he might possibly garner some additional top-grade spirit stones.

Profound Wood Daoist Master observed his reaction and warmly said:

"Fellow cultivator, this price is offered with great sincerity. My main intention is to establish a long-term collaborative relationship with you, which is why I am offering this high price."

If an individual came to sell spiritual materials, he guessed that the other party was likely the cultivator who grew the top-grade Azure Dragon Wood for the Golden Spirit Sect.

For if it was an errand for the sect, at least two people would come together to avoid suspicion.

Haggling was not Ji An's forte, and more importantly, he was satisfied with the price, so he took out most of his spiritual materials.

In total, there were twelve pieces, leaving two pieces in the Grotto Void Stone, making the spacious VIP room immediately feel crowded.

Profound Wood Daoist Master's face lit up with delight, feeling that his guess was correct.

After inspecting the spiritual materials, he took out a pile of top-grade spirit stones and counted out the sufficient amount, saying:

"Fellow cultivator, please count."

"Hmm, nine hundred top-grade spirit stones, exactly."

With that, Ji An put the spirit stones away.

Profound Wood Daoist Master stored the Azure Dragon Wood in the Grotto Void Stone and sincerely said:

"Fellow cultivator, what do you think of my suggestion?

If we maintain this cooperation, and next time if you can deliver ten or more top-grade Azure Dragon Wood of the same level, I am willing to offer two top-grade spirit stones as a token of gratitude.

This token of gratitude is separate from the transaction and represents my sincerity."

The news that the seal of the Demon Cave had loosened had spread among all the Nascent Soul Sects, and the key disciples of each sect were also aware of this information.

All the sects were preparing in advance, and the prices of all kinds of resources that could enhance combat power were gradually rising.

Ji An stroked his chin in thought, and then nodded.

"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee that I can harvest ten pieces of top-grade Azure Dragon Wood."

The main area of Spirit Field at Red Flame Peak had been cultivated to Tier Three. From seeds, it only took over twenty years to grow Tier Two Top-grade Azure Dragon Wood, and now the planting scale had been expanded to twenty acres, with ten trees per acre.

This density was much lower than before because there would gradually be Tier Three spirit woods born, so space had to be reserved.

It was quite simple to supply ten pieces.

Profound Wood Daoist Master took out the spirit stones and handed them over, smiling:

"No matter how many you can complete, these two spirit stones are a token of gratitude."

With an attitude of not wanting to miss out on a free opportunity, Ji An took the spirit stones and naturally stored them in the Grotto Void Stone.

Profound Wood Daoist Master was in a great mood. Although the other party did not explicitly agree to a long-term collaboration, as long as they accepted the spirit stones, it was considered half a success.

The two had a cordial conversation for a while, and Ji An asked:

"Fellow Daoist, do you know where companion minerals can be purchased?"

He once browsed through the merchant flying ship but had no impression of any shop specifically selling companion minerals.

Three types of talismans can use cinnabar as a substitute for demon beast essence blood; these cinnabars are formulated from various companion minerals.

However, Ji An only has the cinnabar formula for the Spirit Stabilizing Talisman; to draw other Tier Three talismans, he needs to figure out the formulas for cinnabar.

"May I ask what the fellow Daoist intends to use them for? Because companion minerals have various applications, I cannot give a precise answer without knowing your purpose."

"For grinding cinnabar."

"Oh, I see. It seems like you're aiming for Tier Three cinnabar.

In the northwest corner of the flying ship, there is a Chen's Grocery Store you can visit. Just say Xuanqing Daoist Master from the Golden Puppet Pavilion referred you; I have some influence there."

Ji An cupped his hands and sincerely said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for the guidance."

He sighed inwardly; it seemed substituting demon beast essence blood with cinnabar wasn't a big secret in the Central Continent, or else even a puppeteer cultivator wouldn't know.

Gleaning a glimpse of the whole from a part, he was now even more eager for his journey to the Central Continent.

Once he obtained some treasure plant seeds, he would choose to leave; these high-tier spiritual plant seeds would be hard to find even in the Central Continent.

Their conversation became much more cordial; before they knew it, the moon was setting in the west, and the sound of the Jade Chime came from outside the window.

Xuanqing Daoist Master looked out the window and said:

"Talking with you, fellow Daoist, is truly enjoyable. The flying ship is about to close; why don't we talk by candlelight for a while longer, wouldn't that be delightful?"

Inevitably, they shared experiences from their cultivation journeys, and he could feel that the other's understanding of cultivation techniques surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

In such a remote place as the Western Continent, encountering a cultivator with such insight was truly admirable.

Ji An could discern what was mere politeness and politely declined the invitation, then took his leave and returned to the sect's base in the Immortal City.

...

The next day, at Chen's Grocery Store.

There was a small counter at the entrance; currently, there were no other customers in the store, which was filled with shelves laden with miscellaneous items.

Ji An glanced around, then looked away; all these things on display were basically trash. The real good items wouldn't be placed in plain view by the shopkeeper.

He coughed lightly and said solemnly, "Is the shopkeeper here? A customer has arrived."

From behind the shelves, a short, elderly man emerged, with hair and beard all white, wearing a profound black daoist robe, his small eyes glinting with shrewdness.

"This guest, buying or selling?"

Ji An straightforwardly stated his purpose, "I am Xuanqing Daoist Master; Profound Wood Daoist Master from the Golden Puppet Pavilion referred me here, looking to purchase some companion minerals for grinding into cinnabar."

As he spoke, he handed over a paper filled with writing.

"So you're here through Profound Wood, I see. Well met, fellow Daoist, just call me Old Chen."

In just a few words, it was clear that Old Chen was quite a character; generally, Golden Core cultivators use their Daoist titles.

Old Chen addressed Ji An as 'fellow Daoist,' indicating he was a Golden Core cultivator himself, yet he referred to himself as Old Chen, for reasons unknown.

Old Chen quickly scanned through the paper and said:

"I have all the materials here, based on the quantities you marked, it totals ninety-six top-grade spirit stones, no credit, no bargaining."

Ji An mustered a smile; with the other having said this, he was left with little to say.

He had prepared enough for making over a hundred talismans, yet he hadn't expected the cinnabar to be so expensive.

"Alright, fellow Daoist, please go ahead and pack the goods."

"You're generous, fellow Daoist. If you hadn't mentioned that Profound Wood referred you, I would've charged you a hundred top-grade spirit stones."

Old Chen came to the counter, occasionally taking out companion minerals from a Grotto Void Stone, naming what they were before beginning to weigh them.

"Washing Spirit Sand, fifty pounds."

After Old Chen spoke, he took out a very sturdy cloth bag, scooping out the spirit sand with a large spoon and placing it on the scale.

Ji An's gaze sharpened, "Hold on."

This so-called Washing Spirit Sand looked very familiar; the yellowish crystal sand had a warm jade-like feel. He pinched it with his fingers to assess its texture.

"Is there a problem?" Old Chen asked slowly, somewhat impatiently.

"This Washing Spirit Sand isn't a companion mineral, is it?"

"Of course not, but it's required in your formula."

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstood. I'm not questioning you; I just didn't expect Washing Spirit Sand to be ground from the jade cocoon left behind by a Spirit Devouring Insect's transformation.

I actually have a batch of jade cocoons right now, enough to use up."

Ji An explained that the quality of these Washing Spirit Sands was much better than those from Red Flame Peak, but not as good as what could be obtained from the Little World. He had no need to purchase more Washing Spirit Sand now.

"I see you know your things, but let me warn you, if the quality of the Washing Spirit Sand is insufficient, it will affect the cinnabar's quality.

The function of Washing Spirit Sand is to purify impurities from other minerals, and you know the consequences if its quality isn't strong.

Do you still want to use your stock?"

"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for the advice. I believe the quality of my stock is sufficient."

Old Chen squinted his eyes into a narrow slit. "If you have any surplus jade cocoons, fellow Daoist, perhaps you could sell some to me. I assure you the price will be satisfactory, provided the quality meets expectations."