A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

The old Taoist priest looked at Zhou Ping with a pained expression, his tone filled with helplessness.

"I know I have made a grave mistake, and I wish to make amends. I hope you can offer me some guidance."

Zhou Ping said with a bitter face, desperately wanting to find out information about the seedlings or seeds of the Golden Spirit Seed.

It took Master Mingxin quite a while to recover from his shock and disbelief.

He carefully examined the ordinary-looking boy in front of him, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Young friend, I've been in Guiyuan Pavilion for quite some time now, and this is truly the first time I've ever seen someone as reckless as you."

"You should have some understanding of the value of the Golden Spirit Stone, so why did you dare to do such a foolish thing?"

A hint of doubt flickered in the old Taoist's eyes. No normal person would do something so foolish; the boy's words made him feel uneasy.

"Senior, you may not know this, but since I am new to alchemy, my knowledge of some spiritual herbs is still quite superficial. So I mistook Golden Spirit Seed for Golden Marrow Grass, and that's why I made this mistake by accident."

Seeing that the other party had some doubts, Zhou Ping thought for a moment and then smoothed things over.

"Golden Marrow Grass? No wonder...no wonder!"

The old Taoist priest Mingxin kept shaking his head, muttering to himself.

"You youngster, you're not skilled enough yet you dare to be so reckless. This lesson has been quite severe. Let's see how your master will deal with you when he finds out."

Master Mingxin's research on the Four Arts was not just boasting; over the years, he had already shifted his focus of cultivation to these immortal cultivation techniques.

This was a last resort. After exhausting his potential, cultivators like him either had to go to dangerous places to compete for cultivation resources, or they had to acquire a skill to earn some spirit stones.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. The first one is undoubtedly more direct and can quickly obtain some cultivation resources, but at the same time, it comes with a very high risk of death. It is usually the choice of some powerful cultivators or desperate people.

People like Master Mingxin represent the vast majority. Although the speed of acquiring resources and spirit stones is relatively slow, the advantage lies in safety, allowing them to cultivate peacefully.

Zhou Ping's words immediately enlightened the other party. It turned out that the Golden Marrow Grass and the Golden Spirit Seed looked very similar, with both having light golden leaves. However, the Golden Marrow Grass's stems were slightly darker in luster compared to the Golden Spirit Seed, and the former did not have the unique "golden patterns" of the Golden Spirit Seed.

These two subtle differences can easily be confused by a layman, leading to misidentification.

Clearly, in the eyes of the old Taoist Mingxin, Zhou Ping had made this kind of basic mistake.

The value of this Golden Marrow Grass is less than one-hundredth of that of Golden Spirit Seed, so many newcomers to alchemy choose to use it for practice.

Zhou Ping's explanation completely dispelled the doubts in the mind of the old Taoist Mingxin.

"Does anyone know of any esteemed elder in Guiyuan Pavilion who possesses anything this junior may require?"

Seeing that the other party's suspicions had disappeared, Zhou Ping naturally took the opportunity to ask further questions.

"The mature form of the Golden Spirit Seed can only appear in the Guiyuan Auction House. It is impossible for it to appear in the stalls of these independent cultivators on the first floor."

"Even with seedlings, it depends on luck; the chances of encountering one are not many."

Upon hearing what the old Taoist Mingxin said, Zhou Ping's face showed a hint of disappointment. He hadn't expected that the Golden Spirit Seed was so rare. It seemed that he had underestimated its value and rarity.

Come to think of it, as the main ingredient in refining the Golden Marrow Pill, this kind of pill that can improve cultivation is a rare item no matter where it is, and no one would be willing to sell it easily.

"but......"

The old Taoist priest Mingxin changed the subject, a smug look appearing on his face.

"If it's just the seed of the Golden Spirit Seed, it's not as precious as a mature plant or seedling. I do have some information on that."

"Senior, do you really have news about the Golden Spirit Seed!?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping was overjoyed, and his face immediately lit up with a mixture of surprise and delight.

The old Taoist priest stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then sighed.

"Young friend, although this news is probably true, I would like to explain the difficulties and risks involved to you."

"Please speak, senior. I am all ears."

"I heard this news at the last Guiyuan Auction. A cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining planned to exchange several seeds of Golden Spirit Seeds for the main ingredient of the Qi Harmony Pill, the Qi Harmony Flower Seed."

"Although he intended to exchange several for one, the value difference was still too large, so his transaction request was not fulfilled."

"It's just unknown whether he still possesses the seed of the Golden Spirit."

The old Taoist priest Mingxin slowly recounted what he knew, and then added a sentence,

"This cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining has already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and is only one step away from the Great Perfection."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping's expression hardened. Based on the old Daoist Mingxin's speculation, this person must already possess the strength to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Senior, I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer in the face of such a person. I'd better think of another way."

A cultivator at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage is beyond his comprehension. If he were truly targeted by that person, he would be left helpless and desperate.

Therefore, Zhou Ping decisively abandoned the idea of ​​continuing to seek a deal, and out of courtesy, thanked the old Taoist Mingxin for his kindness once again.

"Young friend, this Golden Spirit Seed is a rare item, so it's normal that you can't find it for a while. Don't be discouraged. Do you know why there are so many people setting up stalls in Guiyuan Pavilion these days?"

The old Taoist priest smiled and comforted Zhou Ping before asking a question.

"I'm wondering why you and these seniors set up your stall here every day, since there aren't many cultivators coming and going in Guiyuan Pavilion. Is there some reason for this?"

Zhou Ping voiced his doubts and humbly sought guidance from Daoist Mingxin.

"It's nothing more than seizing an early advantage. The next Guiyuan Auction will be held in a little over a month, and there will be many more cultivators here then, which is quite a business opportunity."

The old Taoist priest Mingxin told Zhou Ping about the auction, then sat back down at his stall and calmly closed his eyes to rest.

Zhou Ping nodded thoughtfully, then gave him a respectful bow as a junior before taking his leave.

Not long after he left, the monk named Bond approached Master Mingxin again, and the two inevitably started arguing again. Their heated words caused the other stall owners around them to frown.

Zhou Ping naturally wouldn't pay attention to these things; the old Taoist Mingxin's words did indeed resolve his doubts.

No wonder there are many stalls in this square, but not much of value on display.

So it turns out they were just reserving a spot; the good stuff will only be brought out when the auction takes place.

After all, with more people, good products can fetch higher prices.