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The short, stout monk's small eyes, peeking out from behind his leather mask, slowly scanned the crowd with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

But as time passed, no one responded.

Although the Azure Spirit Ginseng is excellent, exchanging it for a Foundation Establishment Pill is, for the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators present, tantamount to putting the cart before the horse.

For potential Foundation Establishment cultivators, a two-hundred-year-old Azure Spirit Ginseng is indeed quite good, but it's not yet at the point where they would use their own reserves or the Foundation Establishment Pills of their disciples to exchange for it.

"It seems we can't exchange it."

The short, stout cultivator sighed softly, unable to hide his disappointment. Just as he was about to put away the jade box, a calm voice transmission suddenly rang in his ears.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

The short, stout cultivator paused, following his divine sense, and saw a figure in the crowd wearing an iron black mask, whose aura was indistinct, nodding slightly.

It was Li Shen!

"Fellow Daoist...do you have any Foundation Establishment Pills?!"

The short, stout monk's voice trembled with excitement as he replied.

Li Shen did not answer immediately, but instead asked in return:

"A two-hundred-year-old Azure Spirit Ginseng is certainly precious, but it's not enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

The short, stout monk remained silent for a moment, then sighed:

"To be honest, I have been stuck at the ninth level of Qi Refining for several years, and I am nearing the critical age of sixty. If I cannot break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, my Qi and blood will gradually decline, and I fear my path in this life will come to an end. These three Azure Spirit Ginsengs were obtained by me and a few fellow cultivators through a perilous journey, but... time waits for no one. Fellow cultivator, please speak frankly about your intentions."

His words revealed a deep sense of helplessness and a resolute determination to gamble everything.

Li Shen listened with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings) upon hearing this.

Time is equally precious to cultivators.

For him, with his pseudo-spiritual root talent, he faced bottlenecks at every step. If he couldn't raise his cultivation to the tenth level of Qi Refining, and if his resources couldn't be converted into strength in time, then even holding onto the Foundation Establishment Pill would be pointless.

That being said, Li Shen had not yet reached the point of blindly exchanging Foundation Establishment Pills without considering their inherent value.

He would never have asked for this offer unless he had thought it through carefully and felt that even if he lost a Foundation Establishment Pill, there would still be several layers of protection for his future Foundation Establishment.

The Zhao family promised to provide Foundation Establishment Pills free of charge whenever there is a need for Foundation Establishment.

This is the first layer of protection.

The ancient alchemy secrets, the art of a thousand refinements and myriad transformations, once comprehended to the fourth level, allow one to deduce the formula from the pill's formation. In the future, as long as enough materials are gathered, the Foundation Establishment Pill can be refined.

This is the second layer of protection.

The Primordial Yin Foundation Building Technique is the third layer of protection.

After a moment's thought, Li Shen slowly transmitted his voice, expressing that he did indeed possess Foundation Establishment Pills, and also providing four or five sets of auxiliary materials for refining Qi Gathering Pills before agreeing to the exchange.

"no problem."

Hope ignited in the short, stout monk's eyes, and he agreed without hesitation.

For him, the additional conditions proposed by Li Shen were not harsh, as most of the auxiliary materials were readily available.

Li Shen was slightly taken aback, then smiled faintly and said in a steady voice:

"I understand your sincerity, fellow Daoist."

The two looked at Qi Wengxuan, who was presiding over the exchange meeting.

Qi Wengxuan had kept his eyes slightly closed, seemingly indifferent to the transactions below the stage, but at this moment he opened his eyes, looked at the two of them, and nodded slightly.

Immediately afterwards, he raised his hand and set up a barrier to allow the two to exchange items safely.

Li Shen took out a small jade bottle containing a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill from his bosom.

The other party then took out four or five wooden boxes, and slowly pushed open the lids, revealing the auxiliary materials that Li Shen had requested.

The short, stout monk pushed all the boxes toward Li Shen.

Li Shen also handed over the jade bottle at almost the same time.

After carefully checking and confirming that everything was correct, the two bowed to Qi Wengxuan in thanks.

"The deal is done, and both parties are at peace with each other."

Qi Wengxuan removed the restriction and said calmly, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, signaling for the exchange to continue.

The short, stout monk quickly retreated to a corner of the crowd, clearly not wanting to stay a moment longer.

He subconsciously gripped the small jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill, as if he were holding onto the hope for the rest of his life.

Li Shen quickly put the box into his storage bag, remaining outwardly calm but inwardly letting out a long sigh of relief.

The main ingredients are all ready; we just need to go back and start refining the pills.

Several more cultivators came forward to trade, but they could no longer find what Li Shen needed.

He was happy to have some peace and quiet, hiding among the crowd and observing silently, while also being wary of any unnecessary attention that might come from the transaction he had just made.

About half an hour later, no one else stepped forward.

Host Qi Wengxuan said in a loud voice:

"The time has come, and this exchange meeting is now concluded. Fellow Daoists, please leave in an orderly manner."

The heavy stone door slowly opened again, and the cultivators, in groups of three or five or alone, walked out of the stone chamber and the side door of Xiaoyue Tower, disappearing one after another into the intricate streets and alleys of Linlang City.

Li Shen mingled in the crowd, his steps light and nimble. He quietly activated a concealment talisman and headed straight for the east side of Xiaoyue Tower.

Soon, two slender figures appeared in the shadows at the alley entrance; they were Zhao Ying and Zhao Qian.

The two sisters had revealed their true identities and were breathing steadily, seemingly without encountering any trouble.

Li Shen felt a little relieved and quickened his pace to approach.

"Fellow Daoist Li."

Zhao Ying nodded slightly and asked calmly:

"Everything went smoothly? Did you manage to get the item you wanted?"

"Thanks to the fairy, everything went smoothly."

Li Shen gave a brief response, while noticing the joy on Zhao Qian's face, clearly indicating that they had also gained something from the exchange meeting.

"In that case, let's leave this place quickly."

Zhao Ying's voice was clear and cold, and her words were concise and to the point.

The three of them said no more, turned around in tacit understanding, and prepared to leave the alley and return to Yunlai Inn.

However, just as they were about to step out of the alley and into the main street, Li Shen suddenly frowned!

The divine sense that had already spread out in all directions instantly detected several unusual movements.

With a flick of his hand, several ice cone talismans were immediately caught.

In the blink of an eye, a sudden change occurred!

Several jet-black spiritual energy chains, carrying a strong stench of blood, shot out without warning from the rooftops and shadows on both sides, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, with cunning and ruthless angles, intending to block the three people's escape route!

Zhao Ying reacted the fastest, letting out a sharp cry as a streak of azure light shot out from her waist, transforming into a shimmering water shield that blocked the three of them.

"Pfft pfft pfft!"

Several black chains slammed into the water shield with a dull thud, causing the water shield to ripple violently and flash with blue light.

Li Shen and Zhao Qian made their moves almost simultaneously.

Without hesitation, he activated the mechanism, and the ice spikes collided with the chains, producing a crisp sound.

Immediately afterward, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he slapped three golden shield talismans onto his body to protect himself.

With a flick of her wrist, Zhao Qian unleashed a talisman shimmering with golden light. It expanded in the wind, transforming into a golden blade of light that slashed at the incoming chains.

With a few crisp clangs, sparks flew as several chains were temporarily forced back, but then more chains of spiritual energy wrapped around them.

"Who are you, you scoundrel, hiding your head and tail!"

Zhao Qian gripped her magic weapon tightly, swung her sword several times to sever the incoming chains of spiritual energy, and shouted sharply at the same time.

"Hehehe..."

After a brief silence, a chilling laugh that made your teeth ache came from all directions.

Five figures suddenly appeared at the alley entrance and on the rooftop.