Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 553 Outer Sea Maps
"A bottle of third-grade superior-level Taiqing Mirage Qi can transform spiritual plants into servants; it is also an excellent material for refining wood-type magic treasures."

"A third-grade low-level Xuanzhen Water Essence, one of the six main ingredients of a third-grade high-level Ancient Ice Pill, and can also be used to cultivate aquatic spiritual plants."

"The Chang Sword, a mid-grade third-tier magic weapon, was crafted by Hong Yi, a weapon master of the Lu Gong School. It is valued at 7,600 mid-grade spirit stones and can also be exchanged for Gengjin treasures."

Master Kang sat below the stage for a long time, listening to the explanations from the stage, and felt quite moved. He thought to himself that regardless of the skills of these cultivators from the capital, their wealth was indeed immense.

He has recently removed so many heads of cultivators and opened so many storage bags of Golden Core cultivators. Among them, the only items that can truly be compared with the treasures displayed by the people on the stage are the few magic treasures he obtained from Master Peng.

Sometimes, Kang Dabao would privately lament that the most important skill for all sects in the world to teach in the world of cultivation was how to be reborn into the right family.

Those young talents who took to the stage one after another were certainly highly qualified, but if they had different circumstances and were the same age as their peers from the three southwestern regions, they might not have achieved such success.

However, Master Kang knew that such envy was unreasonable. After all, even after becoming a master, he was still reluctant to let his children and disciples risk their lives for a future like those lowly people.

The principle of "spoiling a child is like killing a child" is very simple, but even the most accomplished cultivators in the world are probably few who can truly understand it.

It's unclear how wealthy these people are, but many rare treasures that even Sect Leader Kang considers hard to come by were pulled out one after another, and judging from their expressions, they didn't seem to feel the slightest bit of pain.

These items were quite valuable, and many of the higher-ups had done their homework and gathered information before their arrival. Therefore, Kang Dabao did not rush to make a move until he found something that appealed to him, lest he offend people for something unnecessary.

He no longer focused intently on the high platform, but glanced again at a scruffy little monkey with vines growing around its ears beside Jiang Qing. Strangely enough, he felt a sense of kinship with it.

This scruffy little monkey is only about the size of a palm, and looks like it was just born. It is covered in downy hair and doesn't look very good.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that this little monkey was called the Tongming Sword Ape, a unique demonic beast found only in the Cold Crow Mountain area, and quite popular among sword cultivators.

Generally speaking, it may take two or three cycles of sixty years for them to grow up, but once they have grown up, the probability of them being promoted to second-tier monsters is quite high, so they can barely be considered worth cultivating.

However, the reason why this group is so popular among sword cultivators is due to a rumor that spread from an unknown source in the early years. It is said that if a cultivator can drink 120 bowls of the heart's blood of a second-tier Transcendent Sword Ape, he can suddenly comprehend the Dao of Sword Essence.

Because of this rumor, these kinds of demonic beasts nearly disappeared, and no one was heard of consuming their heart's blood or achieving enlightenment in sword essence. It's unclear whether someone was quietly making a fortune or if the news was simply untrue.

However, just like the mountain barbarian cultivators who have been killed to the point of being rare, the price of this demonic beast has never fallen since it rose.

Kang Dabao had also taken advantage of the fact that the cultivator who had just set up the stall was blind, and that's how he managed to get the latter to buy it at such a low price, thinking it was just an ordinary monkey.

After all, Master Kang has always been fair in business, so why would he care about seniority?
Master Jiang was quite meticulous. He waited until he had used some tricks and concealed the matter a little before he could feel at ease to hold the toy in his palm and tease it.

After looking at it for a while, Master Kang had some mercenary thoughts: "This monkey isn't expensive. Once it's grown up, we might be able to put it in the animal park and let Anle manage its breeding."

Jiang Qing chuckled and didn't argue. Just then, the sound of selling pills that could enhance cultivation came from the stage, which pulled the Great Master Kang back to reality.

The Three Treasures Wonderful Gathering Pill obtained from the Fei family's treasury was indeed a superior elixir. Therefore, even though Master Kang had not been a Core Formation cultivator for long, after he refined and consumed all three bottles, his cultivation level had already increased dramatically.

In his view, he might not be much worse than Fei Nanying, who had already formed his core and had a better spiritual root.

However, the wonder of this elixir lies in its ability to both benefit and harm.

After all, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. After experiencing the lightning-fast cultivation speed of the past, it would be difficult for Kang Dabao to simply focus on cultivating Qi.

The woman selling the elixirs was a beautiful female Daoist, but since it involved cultivation, no one seemed to pay much attention to her stunning appearance.

However, the three bottles of low-grade, third-tier Harmony Pills in her possession were far more alluring than she herself. While these pills were far inferior to the Three Treasures Divine Gathering Pill, they were still among the most commonly used pills for advanced cultivators.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became lively, and even several high-ranking officials from the Duke's Mansion showed some interest in negotiating the price. Headmaster Kang asked Fei Nanying for his opinion and wrote "five hundred" on the negotiating silk, but he was quite nervous.

Fortunately, Fei Nanying was ruthless in assessing the situation in such a situation. Under his guidance, Kang Dabao bought two bottles of Hehe Dan, and only lost in the final round of negotiation.

However, these two bottles of pills can at least ensure that he will not lack resources for three to five years. As for when he will no longer be exploited and will be able to take a lot of pills, he will have to wait until the Chongming Sect produces a third-level alchemist before he can make the trip.

Sect Leader Kang would often think of the Six Harmonies Kanli Cauldron, a magnificent third-tier mid-grade magic treasure he had acquired at great expense, which was now sitting quietly in his storage bag gathering dust because no one in the sect could use it. It was a real pity.

He was still excited about getting the pills and muttered to himself for a while when Fei Nanying, who was standing in front of him, suddenly spoke up: "Shut up, let's see what the Xu family will come up with."

This barter fair had been going on for so long, and this was the first time Kang and Jiang had seen Fei Nanying show any seriousness. They immediately wiped the smiles off their faces and put on a solemn expression.

Xu Lingzhi came from a prestigious family of Nascent Soul cultivators, yet she was dressed simply, and there was no arrogance or haughtiness in her expression, which made the Grand Master Kang on the stage look at her with high regard.

This direct descendant of the Xu family from Dai County was quite different from the old friend of Master Kang. He was a straightforward person. After stepping forward and bowing to the audience, he said directly, "Fellow Daoists, time is precious. I will not go into details here. Please come and see for yourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, a jade bottle fell from his hand onto the table. The water-colored bottle cap was pulled off, and a fragrance suddenly filled the entire quiet room.

At this moment, besides the Golden Core cultivators, the only people present were their close relatives. As for the Pill Masters and True Cultivators who had set up stalls earlier, they were naturally not qualified to participate in this barter fair.

Therefore, everyone present was quite knowledgeable. Before Kang and Fei could react, Jiang Qing exclaimed softly, "Golden Core Formation?"

Kang Dabao noticed that Xu Lingzhi on the stage seemed to glance at Jiang Qing's side intentionally or unintentionally, and then asked, "Boyue, what is the grade of this Golden Core?"

Fei Nanying summoned a wisp of elixir fragrance into his hand, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He then chuckled and picked up where Kang Dabao left off: "What good stuff could be brought to a place like this? The fragrance is too light and will drift away with the wind. It's just a low-grade product."

After he finished speaking, he sneered inwardly, "The Xu family of Dai County can be considered a prominent family in the capital region, but they seem to have lost some of their former glory." Seeing that Master Kang seemed to be moved, Fei Nanying ignored the exclamations around him and pondered for a while before saying, "Young friend Jiang, it's not the crucial moment yet. If there's no rush, perhaps we can wait a little longer."

Jiang Qing didn't react much, only turning her head to look at Kang Dabao without saying a word. The latter didn't try to hide anything, simply raising an eyebrow: "Boyue, are you intentionally..."

Fei Nanying readily agreed and continued, "Indeed, Luan Gongfeng has been working diligently lately, providing the Eastern Ancient Clan Elder with a considerable amount of high-quality elixirs. Even the Heavenly Diligence Ancestor has repeatedly praised him, so perhaps this can be used as a reward."

Upon hearing this, Kang Dabao abandoned his desire to compete for the Golden Core. After all, as a third-tier low-grade alchemist, Luan Gongfeng was indeed one of the most important retainers in Sheshan Hall.

If he can achieve advanced cultivation with this elixir, then in the next two or three hundred years, if any disciples of Sheshan Hall need some troublesome elixirs, they will certainly have someone to rely on.

Or, to be even bolder, if the Fei family were to be generous enough to entrust Luan Gongfeng with the secret formulas for the Golden Elixir, which are never revealed to others, then one day in the future, the Fei family of Yingzhou might be able to refine the Golden Elixir on their own, just like in their heyday.

Therefore, Kang Dabao naturally knew how important someone like Luan Gongfeng was in Sheshan Hall. After all, no matter which household you looked at the latter, they would all try to win him over and cultivate him carefully.

After the plan was approved, Headmaster Kang remained silent, showing no sign of embarrassment or anger. He simply watched as Fei Nanying slowly wrote numbers on the spiritual scroll.

The latter made no attempt to conceal his movements, and Kang Dabao, looking up at the side, could see it clearly. He found the number astonishing, perhaps enough to cover the surplus of his own Chongming Sect for one or two decades of good weather and abundant harvests.

Even so, Fei Nanying's offer was still outbid by others.

The sand dune at the Burial Mound seemed rather pleased with itself for obtaining the spiritual object, even giving Fei Nanying a defiant look. The latter merely chuckled, but Kang Dabao spoke up, asking, "Boyue, what's that fellow doing?"

"It's nothing. Three hundred years ago, when Zang Chunzhong and the Blood Sword Sect rose up in Lianghedao, Ancestor Tianqin accompanied the Southern King on the expedition to quell the rebellion. Not only did he kill a senior cultivator from the Blood Sword Sect, but many Golden Core cultivators from Zang Chunzhong also suffered greatly at the hands of the Ancestor. I heard that more than one of them had their cultivation completely destroyed. It's nothing, just a little resentment. I, Fei Nanying, will accept it."

Perhaps because his family had benefited in the past, Fei Nanying appeared very generous at this moment. However, the headmaster Kang spoke up at the right time: "Don't worry, Boyue. If this guy surnamed Sha dares to act recklessly in the future, I will teach him a lesson."

"Heh," Fei Nanying was clearly pleased with these words, a smile spreading across his face. After all, this sand mountain had only recently achieved the Golden Core stage and was still young. If a conflict were to arise in the future, Fei Nanying might be seen as bullying the younger one.

However, it would be different if Headmaster Kang were to make a move, because if he were placed among the talents present today, he would be considered young, yet his skills are quite formidable.

If Shanshan really does something foolish in the future, then it would be an excellent choice for Fei Nanying to recruit Kang Dabao as an accomplice.

However, he then warned, "Don't be reckless. That Sha Shan is a descendant of Nascent Soul cultivators. How can we offend him for no reason? Otherwise, it will be difficult to clean up the mess later."

Kang Dabao feigned fear and soon saw Xu Lingzhi step down from the platform, and then the host, Master Sanyan, slowly moved up to the high platform.

"Oh, what good stuff does this old man have to sell?"

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he heard the Venerable Sanyan on the stage say slowly, "I am truly honored to have such a distinguished guest here today. It is an honor for this old man from the countryside to see so many rare treasures!"

After exchanging pleasantries, the old cultivator didn't say much more. He first took out a high-quality, mid-grade golden sword magic weapon and quoted a price.

Master Kang originally didn't have much expertise in magical artifacts, but as he took more and more lives, he could no longer easily deceive himself about whether a magical artifact was useful for attacking.

Therefore, in his view, this golden sword magic weapon was indeed significantly inferior to his newly nurtured Jade Palace Destroyer Halberd. So he had no interest in it, but unexpectedly, Xu Lingzhi, who had just acquired a large sum of spirit stones, bought it back at a high price.

However, after the Venerable Sanyan finished the business with a smile, he took out a bunch of jade bottles.

But then the old cultivator pointed at the jade bottles and said in a detailed manner, "A fellow Daoist asked me to recommend a Foundation Establishment spiritual item to all of you today. This pill, if taken raw, can increase the chance of Foundation Establishment by half a percent; if a Foundation Establishment cultivator has the courage to combine it with secret techniques, then the probability of these juniors achieving Foundation Establishment can be increased to at least thirty and a half percent."

"Thirty-five percent?! A secret technique?!" Upon hearing this, Master Kang immediately had some bad thoughts.

He glanced at the Tongming Sword Yuan beside Jiang Qing, and heard the whispers around him, stirred up by the Three Words Master, gradually becoming annoyingly noisy. Finally, Fei Nanying became interested and asked:
"Please, Venerable Master, lend me your opinion."

"The Marquis of Gucheng requests permission."

Fei Nanying examined it carefully, verifying that the elixir's power was indeed genuine, and finding nothing amiss, his eyes lit up. He then asked, "How much does this elixir cost, sir?"

"One hundred mid-grade spirit stones per stone, and I only have ten on hand right now. If any of you fellow Daoists are interested, please each take one, and it will be on my tab. If you need anything in the future, just let me know."

"The Venerable Master is still as good at business as ever." Fei Nanying nodded and accepted the pill. After saying goodbye to Venerable Master Sanyan, he led Kang and Jiang out the door.

He wasn't so sure. At this moment, a hint of suspicion flashed in Kang Dabao's eyes: "That pill seems to have a similar aura to the Blood Foundation Pill?"

—Fengmingzhou, Fei Family

Sect Leader Kang sat alone in the quiet room, not feeling at ease even after fully opening the restrictions, and still kept the third-order array plate, which he had taken out of some storage bag, beside him.

After doing all this, he took out the tattered silk he had bought from the stall owner and put it together with the one he had obtained in the Guanshan Cave.

Before he could even make a move, he saw the two tattered pieces of cloth attract each other and piece them together, eventually revealing a dazzling glimmer of light.

"A perfect match, seamless."

Kang Dabao showed no excitement. After praising it, he began to examine it carefully. He frowned as he looked at the cloud-shaped characters above and murmured, "Outer Sea. Jade Pavilion."

(End of this chapter)