Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 325 Parting on Unhappily [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Wulong Island Market, restaurants.

"A nine-hundred-year-old Xuan Yin Fruit!?"

Inside the private room, Hu Jin's eyes widened upon hearing about the spiritual fruit Lin Chang'an had asked him to inquire about, and he said irritably:
"I knew it. Old Lin, you never come to the temple without a reason. Whenever you have time, you're either cultivating or reading those ancient books. Why would you invite me for spiritual wine out of the blue?"

In response to Hu Jin's teasing, Lin Chang'an also retorted:

"Back in Tianxuan City, you would seize any opportunity to come to my cave and freeload off the spirit wine. How can I ask you to come here out of the blue?"

After teasing each other, the two soon broke into smiles.

Now that both of them have reached the Golden Core Realm, they each have their own things to do, unlike when they used to stick together for warmth in Tianxuan City and often gathered together.

But that time was also a rare memory for the two of them.

"Alright, alright, when the merchant ships return to Haiyuan City next month, I'll ask someone to inquire for you."

"Remember to state my identity."

"Alright, alright, I know. Everyone knows that you, Lin Zhenshi, are now favored by the Sixth Elder..."

Hu Jin's playful teasing made Lin Chang'an shake his head repeatedly.

It's perfectly normal for a Golden Core cultivator to need a special spiritual fruit to refine pills, or to cultivate a spiritual pet.

Therefore, Lin Chang'an's search for the Xuan Yin Fruit, a relatively rare type of spiritual fruit, would not attract much attention.

It's not like it's a spirit object that has formed an infant.

"But Lao Lin, I don't know anything about the Xuan Yin Fruit, but how about the Shen Yuan Fruit, which has similar medicinal properties?"

"Divine Yuan Fruit!?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.

Since Lao Hu brought it up, it naturally means that someone owns the market.

The medicinal properties of the Xuan Yin Fruit and the Shen Yuan Fruit are extremely similar.

If it is used for alchemy, alchemists can improve or replace many of the medicinal herbs in the recipes based on their experience.

Just like the ancient alchemical formulas, countless kinds of spiritual herbs have become extinct. Many of the alchemical formulas in the cultivation world today are improved by generations of alchemists.

Even for some special cultivation techniques, the spiritual objects needed can be replaced by objects with similar spiritual properties.

Only in certain special circumstances will a specific spiritual object be chosen, and it cannot be replaced.

“The Divine Essence Fruit is not irreplaceable.”

As a mid-grade third-tier alchemist, Lin Chang'an quickly realized whether this spiritual fruit could serve as a substitute after a moment's thought.

[Tier 3 Mid-Grade Alchemist (Proficiency 594/1000)]

It's not difficult; just a slight adjustment will have almost no impact on refining the Qingling Pill.

"That's perfect. Half a year ago, the couple from the Crimson Fire Sect obtained a Divine Essence Fruit that was less than nine hundred years old in the Sky-Reaching Mist Sea. They were planning to trade it for the items they needed at the next Core Formation cultivator trade fair."

At this moment, King Hu, with a smile on his face, began to explain.

The Crimson Fire Sect is also a Nascent Soul cultivator sect. Although it is not one of the Sixteen Sects of Zhenhai, its methods are more like those of the Demonic Sect.

"This old monster, Crimson Flame, is in the early Nascent Soul stage. His style is extremely domineering, which has led to some of his disciples being arrogant and overbearing. These two are not bad in terms of cultivation, both being in the mid-Core Formation stage..."

Listening to Hu Jin's description, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but nod.

Besides the Azure Sea Palace and the Sixteen Sects of Zhenhai, the Demon Beast Abyss also contains many independent sects, powerful clans, and independent cultivators.

Just like the Crimson Fire Sect, it was originally a small family, but more than two hundred years ago, the Crimson Fire Old Monster, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was born.

As a result, he rose to prominence, relied on his formidable strength, occupied a spirit island, established a sect, and became one of the most renowned Nascent Soul forces in the outer seas.

Such situations are not uncommon. There are also some powerful Nascent Soul cultivators who live alone in the outer sea and are unwilling to get involved in the struggles between these forces.

"But Old Lin, is the medicinal effect of this less than nine hundred years old enough?"

Seeing Lao Hu's kind reminder, Lin Chang'an nodded with a light laugh.

Although it's a little off, we can make some other adjustments, and it won't be a big problem.

Alchemists are inherently a flexible profession, since it's impossible for all medicinal materials to be exactly as described in the prescription, with identical efficacy and age.

"It won't have a big impact. I just hope that the items these two fellow Daoists need aren't too difficult to obtain. Otherwise, I'll have to make a trip to Haiyuan City in a while."

Lin Chang'an said with a smile, and then Hu Jin nodded and took out a communication talisman to contact the shopkeeper of the Bihai Palace shop in the market.

Contact these two Nascent Soul cultivators from elsewhere through this person. As for whether they are still on the island and when they will reply, that remains to be seen.

We can only wait.

However, he was lucky this time; the two of them were not only still on the island, but they were also not in seclusion.

However, after reading the communication talisman, Hu Jin's expression turned serious.

"Old Hu, is there a problem?"

Lin Chang'an looked puzzled upon seeing this, while Hu Jin shook his head and said:

"According to reports from below, these two people seem to have some connection with the Sihai Chamber of Commerce. You are now considered an elder of the Xuanyin Pavilion."

If these two raise the price too high, then ignore them.

At this point, Hu Jin revealed a hint of pride.

"As long as you're not in a hurry, let alone a 900-year-old Xuan Yin Fruit, even a 100-year-old Haiyuan City definitely has it. It's just that it will take some time to go back and forth."

That's true, and that's why Lin Chang'an had the means to ask around first.

Moreover, traveling to and from Haiyuan City involves some risks.

……

Half an hour later.

A middle-aged couple, a man and a woman, with an air of arrogance between their brows, entered the private room.

"I met two fellow Taoists."

When these two met Hu Jin, they seemed to be deliberately maintaining their arrogant demeanor.

Lin Chang'an understood this point. Although these Nascent Soul forces that were not strong were still people that no party wanted to offend easily.

After all, it is located overseas, not under the watchful eyes of various forces.

Moreover, no matter what, the other party also had a Nascent Soul cultivator, so when facing the cultivators of Bihai Palace, the two naturally did not want to appear weak.

Although Bihai Palace is powerful, it is a large and powerful organization. It cannot simply allow any Core Formation cultivator under its command to fawn over it.

"You two are too kind."

Hu Jin didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he laughed heartily and invited the two of them to sit down, while introducing Lin Chang'an to them.

"This is Fellow Daoist Lin. I heard that you two have a Divine Essence Fruit that is nearly nine hundred years old. That's why I'm here to help introduce it to you."

At Hu Jin's introduction, Lin Chang'an smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Greetings to both of you fellow Daoists."

The other party also responded, especially the middle-aged woman, who suddenly realized:
"So it's Master Lin. Although my wife and I haven't been here long, we've heard about Master Lin's transformation into a core and his subsequent cultivation. We truly admire him."

It's unclear what the couple whispered to each other, but after learning Lin Chang'an's true identity, the middle-aged man, who had initially been indifferent, actually revealed a hint of passion.

Hu Jin also noticed that the two of them were clearly being overly enthusiastic after learning that Lin Chang'an was a third-tier array master.

It seems there is something they want, which is actually a good thing for both parties in the transaction.

Hu Jin was naturally pleased to see this, after all, Lin Chang'an was his close friend.

At their level of cultivation and status, none of them were ordinary Core Formation cultivators, so most things were traded in the form of treasures.

Spirit stones are no longer enough to entice them, unless they are high-grade spirit stones.

However, high-grade spirit stones are quite precious, and for Core Formation cultivators, they are mainly used to restore mana at critical moments or for use in formations, and are generally not wasted easily.

"Come, fellow Daoists, let us first drink this cup to the brim."

Beneath Hu Jin's unrestrained smile, it must be said that his personality is very suitable for socializing.

Before arriving, he specially ordered the restaurant to serve a new set of spiritual dishes and wine.

The four of them toasted each other, and the atmosphere quickly became harmonious.

However, it was the middle-aged female cultivator from the Crimson Fire Sect who first lost her composure. After putting down her wine cup, she chuckled and cupped her hands in greeting:

"We heard that Master Lin needs this Divine Essence Fruit. This spiritual fruit was obtained by my husband and me with great difficulty in the Tongtian Mist Sea."

Hearing the other party's words, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but smile. It was normal for him to exaggerate the value of his treasures. "Spirit stones, demon cores, or formations—that's all I have to offer."

Lin Chang'an cupped his hands in greeting and, unusually, cracked a joke.

A Divine Essence Fruit that is less than nine hundred years old is not qualified to be exchanged for a set of third-order formations.

It's important to know that creating a complete third-tier formation from scratch takes a considerable amount of time.

"Actually, fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but my wife and I are over three hundred years old. We finally had a child, but when we were trying to form the Golden Core, we were ambushed by a villain and only managed to form a false Golden Core."

I've heard that Fellow Daoist Lin underwent a transformation and began cultivating again..."

Then, the middle-aged couple started talking back and forth, which made Lin Chang'an suddenly realize why the two of them had suddenly become so enthusiastic.

So it turns out they were after his secret technique for transforming pills.

"The secret technique of alchemy is easy to explain."

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please don't joke around. As for the secret technique of refining pills, our ancestor has more than one or two such secret techniques in our sect."

Seeing the two staring intently at each other, Lin Chang'an narrowed his eyes. Sure enough, although the Core Formation Technique was precious, it was nothing to Nascent Soul forces.

So what do these two want?
"Let's not beat around the bush. Since Fellow Daoist Lin has been able to transform his core and start cultivating again, he must have had some extraordinary opportunity. I hope you can understand my wife and me..."

The implication of these two people was practically a direct statement: they were eyeing the auspicious object that would appear during your elixir-forming process.

"A spiritual treasure for transforming pills!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chang'an smiled calmly. There really was such a thing. Back then, he had successfully formed a high-grade golden core by relying on pure demonic energy.

But let's not even talk about whether this thing can be exposed. Even if it can, the value of any Core Formation Spiritual Item far exceeds the Divine Essence Fruit in the other party's hands.

“Fellow Daoist, I did indeed obtain a Core Formation artifact by chance in the Tongtian Mist Sea, but how could such an artifact possibly still be left over…”

Lin Chang'an then cupped his hands in greeting, indicating that if such a spiritual object truly existed, he would have used it all up when he was refining his core, so how could there possibly be any left?

However, the other party became somewhat anxious upon hearing this, especially the middle-aged woman, whose brows furrowed with an impatient and menacing aura. She waved her hand and said directly:
"Master Lin, let's not beat around the bush. The Blood Fiend True Man, who was once as famous as our ancestor, also had to undergo a transformation and rebuild his cultivation. And you, fellow Daoist, who received the Blood Fiend True Man's inheritance, also had to undergo a transformation and rebuild his cultivation."

My wife and I are sincerely looking to make this transaction, and we hope you will not be stingy.

More than two hundred years ago, the Crimson Fire Old Monster and the Blood Fiend True Man were equally famous Core Formation cultivators in the outer sea. Later, they came out of the secret realm.

On the contrary, it was the Crimson Flame Old Monster, whose talent was slightly inferior, who formed a Nascent Soul. It has to be said that in the world of cultivation, sometimes opportunity is more important than anything else.

The two deduced from the fact that both Blood Fiend True Man and he had transformed into a Core Formation Realm that Blood Fiend True Man's inheritance must contain high-level Core Formation Realm spiritual objects.

Even if it's not a high-level alchemy item, it definitely possesses some kind of secret technique.

After all, the two of them were able to successfully transform into pills at the same time.

"Two fellow Taoists!"

Lin Chang'an frowned slightly, but before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged woman took out a jade box from her storage bag.

“Fellow Daoist, my wife and I actually obtained three Divine Essence Fruits in the Tongtian Mist Sea, one of which is a thousand years old. That should be worth more than enough.”

As the jade box was opened, three crystal-clear spiritual fruits appeared inside, one large and two small.

The larger one is indeed a thousand years old, while the other two smaller ones are eight or nine hundred years old.

Among spiritual herbs and fruits, those that are nine hundred years old and those that are a thousand years old differ by a hundred years, but their value is completely different.

The thousand-year-old spiritual fruit is extremely rare.

"millennium!"

Hu Jin, standing to the side, also frowned secretly. Thousand-year-old spiritual fruits were indeed rare, but they had explored the Blood Fiend True Person Secret Realm together back then.

How could he not know what was inside?

Lin Chang'an was also tempted, but he knew he couldn't reveal his pure demonic energy, so he was powerless to do so and could only sigh and offer his hands in resignation.

"Fellow Daoist, it's not that I'm reluctant to part with it, but I'm truly powerless to do so."

However, seeing that Lin Chang'an still said no, the middle-aged woman became visibly impatient and couldn't help but say impatiently:
"I'm afraid you don't know, but our sect's Ancestor Crimson Fire had a feud with Blood Fiend Old Ghost back then."

This threatening remark instantly changed the atmosphere. The apologetic smile on Lin Chang'an's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a sharp sword intent.

"Fellow Daoist, are you threatening me, Lin?!"

A cold glint flashed in Lin Chang'an's eyes. Using the Crimson Fire Sect to intimidate him, he was no longer the same person he used to be.

It's like everyone has a powerful backer.

The Sixth Elder of Bihai Palace behind him was no pushover either.

Even Hu Jin, who was standing to the side, changed his expression and immediately sneered, revealing a threatening intent.

"Back then, I explored the ruins of the Blood Fiend True Man's cave with Brother Lin. Now, this Fellow Daoist Lin is an array master appointed by the Sixth Elder."

I wonder if True Lord Crimson Fire will stand up for you once he finds out!

Aside from their personal relationship, Hu Jin was also a Golden Core cultivator in the Law Enforcement Hall of the Bihai Palace.

The transaction he was in charge of was being threatened; wasn't that a slap in the face to Bihai Palace?

The atmosphere shifted instantly. The middle-aged woman's face turned ugly, while the middle-aged male cultivator beside her immediately put on an apologetic smile, cupped his hands, and began to smooth things over.

"Misunderstanding! Fellow Daoists, you've misunderstood. It's just that my wife is worried about our beloved son, which is why she spoke without thinking."

Despite attempts to smooth things over, the atmosphere at the scene became somewhat distant and cold.

Moreover, Lin Chang'an's mind cooled down, and he said calmly:
"If you are willing, I can provide arrays, spirit stones, and demon cores, but I do not have any of these materials for transforming into cores."

The woman then silently put the jade box away and bowed to Lin Chang'an and Hu Jin in apology.

"I apologize, I acted impulsively."

The deal clearly fell through, and the two sides parted on bad terms.

Finally, in the private room of the restaurant, Hu Jin also looked very apologetic.

"Old Lin, this time it was our fault. Who knew these two would be so desperate?"

"It's alright. As parents, we can understand. Besides, there's no rush for the Xuan Yin Fruit. Bao Guang Pavilion will definitely have it."

The two then chatted and laughed, and the matter did not cause any rift between them.

After all, Lao Hu meant well, and Lin Chang'an is not that kind of person.

……

The Crimson Fire Sect couple, who left the restaurant, looked visibly grim.

“Madam, I know you are anxious, but this is not our Crimson Fire Sect’s territory in the outer sea. This person is backed by the Azure Sea Palace, and even our ancestor cannot afford to offend him.”

Don't be fooled by the fact that Old Monster Crimson Fire is also a Nascent Soul cultivator; he's only at the early stage of Nascent Soul. If he really provokes the Azure Sea Palace...

The Crimson Flame Old Monster would be the first to kill the two of them.

"And even if they are spirit items that have reached the Core Formation stage, are there any left?"

The middle-aged male cultivator spoke with a solemn expression, while the middle-aged female cultivator looked somewhat uneasy, perhaps because she didn't want to encounter this outcome.

"Husband, but our child can't wait any longer. Without the best spiritual materials for rebirth, the chance of rebirth is less than 20%..."

"Moreover, the alchemist Wen Dan from Crimson Fire Peak is said to have successfully transformed his pill without making a sound, and this person is also a close friend and neighbor of Lin Chang'an!"

The middle-aged female cultivator's eyes flashed with a cold light. Judging from this, there was at least a 30% to 50% chance that the other party still had spiritual items in their possession.

The middle-aged man had a worried look on his face.

They are already over four hundred years old, and their lifespan is only about a hundred years. They only have one son, so naturally they have to do their best.

The difference between fake pills and real pills is too great.

Even if it doesn't work out, this person is quite wealthy. Haven't we accomplished enough over the years? The more wealth we have, the greater our chances of success!

“Husband, we can’t afford to offend him here, but since this person is looking for this spiritual fruit, and it’s not available on Five Dragon Island, he’ll definitely have to go to Sea Abyss City. And on the way…”

A murderous glint flashed in the middle-aged woman's eyes, while her husband shook his head with a gloomy expression.

"Don't rush. Let's wait and see how the trade fair goes. If we don't find what we need, we should also let the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce know about it."

The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce probably hopes that the Xuan Yin Pavilion will have one less elder.

More importantly, by dragging the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce into this mess, it becomes an internal matter for your Azure Sea Palace, which also helps to conceal their activities.

　Fellow Daoists, it's the last day! The author is just 600 more monthly votes away from reaching the 5,000 mark.

　　I need to vote for them! I only need 600 more votes! Please, please, please…

　　
　
(End of this chapter)