Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

Jin Qing was taken aback at first, then frowned slightly and slowly said, "Although thousand-year-old spiritual materials are rare, ordinary spiritual bamboo is not difficult to find in the Tianxing City market. But if it is a rare spiritual material, then it will be a bit tricky."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu tapped the rim of his cup lightly with his fingertips, a slight smile curving his lips, and said slowly, "It's quite a coincidence. A few days ago, I heard some news about the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo from the Fengle Merchant Alliance."

"The Thunder Bamboo, hailed as one of the three sacred trees?!"

Jin Qing and Han Li both stood up abruptly at the same time, their pupils shrinking, their eyes fixed on Su Mu, their faces filled with disbelief, surprise and solemnity.

"Yes, this is it."

Su Mu nodded slightly. Seeing the two of them looking anxious, he stopped beating around the bush and directly explained the reason.

"This news came from Fellow Daoist Zhao of Fengle Auction House. That small section of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was originally the treasure of a small sect, but it ended up in the hands of Miaoyin Sect after some mishap. Miaoyin Sect originally intended to entrust it to auction, but unexpectedly, it was stolen by villains along with other goods."

Upon hearing this, Han Li's heart sank, and the elation that had just risen within him instantly faded.

He knew in his heart that using this bamboo to forge his natal magic weapon, the Green Bamboo Peak Cloud Sword, was a match made in heaven, but he never expected to encounter such a change.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, staring intently at Su Mu, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Brother Xiao, is this news true?"

Su Mu chuckled softly, his tone resolute.

"Absolutely true! I have a close relationship with the Fengle Merchant Alliance, which is why I was able to obtain such inside information. However, as for the mastermind behind Jiezhu and his exact whereabouts, I am unaware of the full details. If Fellow Daoist Han is truly interested, I'm afraid you will need to personally visit the Miaoyin Sect to investigate before you can find out what happens next."

Han Li could only suppress his thoughts for the time being and sit back down in his original seat.

However, he hadn't given up hope and had already decided to search carefully in the markets of Tianxing City. If he couldn't find a substitute spiritual material, then he would have no choice but to go to the Miaoyin Sect.

He forced a smile and solemnly clasped his hands in greeting to Su Mu, saying, "Thank you for your kind advice, Brother Xiao. I plan to search for other spiritual materials in the market first. If I encounter any difficulties, I'm afraid I will have to rely on your connections, Brother Xiao."

Su Mu readily agreed, but he knew in his heart that with Han Li's personality, there was no way he could resist the temptation of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. In the end, he would still have to get involved in the mess on Scorpion Island.

"Fellow Daoist Han, there's no need to be in such a hurry."

Su Mu changed the subject, his tone tinged with emotion.

"These rare spiritual materials, which are only found once in a thousand years, are not so easy to obtain. For example, I have been searching for a thousand-year-old spiritual plant for a long time, but I still have no clue about it."

Han Li's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm, feigning curiosity as he asked, "Oh? I wonder what kind of rare treasure Brother Xiao is seeking?"

"I finally caught you."

Su Mu was secretly delighted. He raised his hand and waved it, and two grayish fruits, about the size of walnuts, floated in his palm.

"This is the Yin Sha Fruit, and I am looking for a thousand-year-old Yin Sha Fruit tree."

These two fruits were harvested from his World Ring, and they weren't very old. Although the divine spring water could accelerate the ripening of spiritual plants and restore their original state, it couldn't increase the age of spiritual plants out of thin air.

"Yin Sha Fruit?"

Jin Qing leaned closer for a closer look. It was a dull gray color, with no unusual spiritual light on its surface. Curious, he asked, "What wonders this fruit has?"

Han Li felt a chill run down his spine. He felt that the name sounded very familiar, as if he had glimpsed it in some ancient book. His mind began to search rapidly.

Su Mu handed the two fruits to the two men respectively, his tone calm yet revealing a profound meaning.

"If consumed alone, this Yin Sha Fruit can indeed accelerate the cultivation of demonic arts and purify demonic energy. However, I sought it to refine another batch of even more precious pills."

"Accelerate the cultivation of demonic arts?!"

Han Li was secretly alarmed, instantly recalling the details of the Yin Sha Fruit. This item was an immense opportunity for cultivators practicing demonic arts, and he never expected to find it here.

The thought that he possessed the Xuan Yin Technique and that his clone, Qu Hun, was also cultivating a demonic art made him somewhat tempted.

In a flash, he had already made up his mind, but he remained expressionless on the surface, deliberately showing a hint of hesitation and difficulty.

As expected, Su Mu took all of this into account and immediately went along with it, probing:

"Fellow Daoist Han, given your expression, could it be... that this object looks familiar?"

Han Li feigned a moment of contemplation, then slowly nodded, his gaze falling on the Yin Sha Fruit. His tone was ambiguous: "I do find this object somewhat familiar, as if I've seen it somewhere before. However, it's been so long, and I only caught a fleeting glimpse of it back then. The details have long since faded, and I dare not confirm it rashly."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his expression extremely generous. With a wave of his hand, he directly gifted the two Yin Sha Fruits to them.

"In that case, I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Han to think it over carefully. These two Yin Sha Fruits are still quite young and not worth much, so I'll give them to you two. If you happen to come across similar spiritual plants elsewhere in the future, I hope you'll keep an eye out for them for me."

Seeing Han Li calmly put the Yin Sha Fruit into his storage bag, Su Mu's smile deepened. He immediately flicked his sleeve, took out a pot of fragrant Crimson Essence Fruit Wine, and invited Han Li and the other man to raise their glasses and drink together. Their conversation was very harmonious.

After Su Mu and Jin Qing left, Han Li went to the herb garden alone.

He stared at the Yin Sha Fruit in his hand for a moment, then released a little spiritual energy from his fingertips, splitting the fruit open and taking out the pit.

After planting the seed, he took out a small green bottle from his pocket and carefully dripped in a drop of undiluted spiritual liquid.

"It would be enough to ripen it for about a thousand years, which would be perfect for exchanging it for the pill formula. I just don't know if he'd be willing to part with the Crimson Essence Pill formula. Since he can refine this pill, he must have Crimson Essence Fruits on hand."

After a moment's thought, Han Li decided to advance the age of the Yin Sha Fruit Tree a little further, since it wouldn't take much longer.

"However, we can't hand it over to him too quickly. We need to find an excuse to go out and avoid attracting attention."

Having made up his mind, he entrusted the newly planted Yin Sha Fruit Tree to Qu Hun for care, while he himself set off for the market to personally inquire about the Miao Yin Sect.

......

Six months later, inside Su Mu's cave.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Han, you've come at the perfect time! I've just brewed a pot of spirit wine; let's have a drink together!"

When Su Mu saw Han Li arrive, he quickly stepped forward to greet him warmly and pulled him to sit down.

Han Li waved his hand repeatedly, then took out a long jade box from his storage bag and handed it to Su Mu.

"Brother Xiao, I have not come here today for drinks, but to do business with you."

"Oh?"

Su Mu had already guessed most of what was going on, and calmly took the jade box and slowly opened it.

Inside the box lay a grayish-black spiritual plant, less than two feet tall, with a faint black light shimmering and its spiritual energy contained within. It was the Yin Sha Fruit Tree!