With the assistance of the intermediary Shan Shubao, Yu Gao obtained five bottles of supreme-grade Emperor Flowing Liquid and twenty high-grade spirit stones from Luo Chen.
Indeed, the final payment had been settled in high-grade spirit stones.
Luo Chen had originally intended to pay with low-grade spirit stones, but two hundred thousand was truly too immense a sum, far beyond the capacity of an ordinary storage bag.
Even if Golden Core Masters generally had the means to purchase larger storage bags, carrying around such an overwhelming quantity of low-grade spirit stones remained exceedingly cumbersome.
This realization showed Luo Chen that as one's realm grew higher, the currency used in transactions quietly changed alongside it.
Yu Gao was exceedingly satisfied with the trade.
To him, the crafting method for a defensive magic treasure—especially one that had not been developed internally by his sect—held little consequence.
Moreover, actually forging the defensive treasure described within was arduous.
He had previously entrusted elders of his sect to craft it, squandering vast quantities of materials, yet they had barely managed to succeed once.
Trading a relatively unimportant crafting diagram for Emperor Flowing Liquid, however, offered him immense practical benefit.
"My spirit beast possesses the bloodline of an ancient desolate beast, yet after all these years, it has never been able to unearth its ancestral inheritance.
"With the aid of this medicinal elixir, it might finally receive the push it needs!"
A desolate beast that reached the fifth rank was equivalent to a human Deity Transformation grand cultivator, having already comprehended a portion of the worldly laws.
Consequently, their descendants' bloodlines were more or less attuned to that specific aspect.
Should a divine ability arise from it, it would be etched within the bloodline to bless future generations.
However, ever since the ancient war between humans and demons, the demon race had turned toward the path of human transformation. While this accelerated their cultivation speed considerably, abandoning their original path caused complications in excavating their own bloodline inheritances.
It had become increasingly difficult!
Ordinary low-tier demon beasts could scarcely awaken the legacies hidden within their bloodlines through natural means.
Who knew which master alchemist had concocted this Emperor Flowing Liquid to yield such wondrous efficacy?
Just as Yu Gao was satisfied, Luo Chen was in an equally pleasant mood.
Taking the iron slip from Shan Shubao, he waved a hand to wipe away the simple imprint left by its former owner and probed inside with his divine sense.
Sure enough, it recorded a complete method for forging a set of protective armor.
With a brief glance over the contents, Luo Chen could tell this method was anything but ordinary.
Once successfully crafted, it offered two distinct layers of defense.
One was an inner qi armor to ward off energy attacks, while the other was a solid physical armor to withstand physical impacts.
Since this was hardly the venue for thorough study, Luo Chen put away the iron slip and turned his attention back to the gathering.
The first phase, bartering, proceeded rather slowly and tediously.
The value of scarce resources was difficult to standardize and varied widely from person to person.
As a result, reaching an agreement required substantial negotiation.
After securing the crafting method for the defensive treasure, Luo Chen refrained from making further bids.
Even so, cultivators occasionally approached him in private to ask if he possessed any additional bottles of supreme-grade Emperor Flowing Liquid.
Luo Chen deflected every inquiry, claiming he had only ever possessed those five bottles.
Following his interaction with True Person Fu, he had changed his plans.
He no longer intended to sell his crafted pills on a grand scale or flaunt his status as a master alchemist, lest he draw the scrutiny of Blood Nightmare Moluo.
Yet despite his discretion, suspicion lingered.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, might you be a master alchemist?"
Luo Chen felt a sudden jolt inside as he looked at the speaker, though his expression remained perfectly composed.
"Fellow Daoist Wu overpraises me. Like many others, I dabbled in the alchemical path after forming my core, hoping to become an esteemed alchemist. Alas, my talent is meager. Despite spending considerable effort, I can only craft a few low-grade pills."
After achieving the Golden Core realm, a cultivator's lifespan increased dramatically, allowing most to live for about five hundred years barring unforeseen disasters.
With such abundant time, nearly everyone sought to study an art or two alongside their cultivation.
Alchemy was often the first choice!
However, the vast majority failed to even cross the threshold. Even if one brute-forced their way in by burning through mountains of resources and managed to craft first-, second-, or even third-tier pills, it made little difference.
The crux was that being able to refine a pill was one thing, but maintaining a viable success rate and yield was another entirely.
Selling regular low-grade pills at any tier was typically a losing proposition that brought no profit whatsoever.
Only an exceptionally high success rate could recoup the cost of raw materials.
To turn a handsome profit, one had to produce medium-grade or high-grade pills!
This was precisely why the cultivation world held no shortage of high-tier cultivators, yet genuinely high-tier alchemists remained scarce.
Wu Qi wore a suspicious expression.
He had secretly observed this rogue cultivator named Luo Hai earlier, and the man indeed carried no thick residue of pill aura.
This did not align with Demonic Lord Qingyang.
Yet the sudden appearance of a pill he had never heard of made his thoughts stray in that direction.
With an apologetic tone, Luo Chen said, "If Fellow Daoist Wu is also seeking Emperor Flowing Liquid, I must apologize. I recovered those bottles from an ancient cultivator's ruins. The original quantity was limited to begin with, and after using some on my own spirit beast, only the few bottles traded to Fellow Daoist Yu Gao remained."
"A spirit beast?" Wu Qi's eyes lit up, and he asked instinctively, "Might I ask what kind of spirit beast you have?"
Luo Chen's face darkened.
Wu Qi caught himself at once. "My apologies, that was presumptuous of me."
A cultivator's spirit beast, much like their favored treasures and cultivation arts, was considered a trump card that could not be casually disclosed.
He had indeed overstepped.
As the two conversed, the first phase finally drew to a close.
Shan Shubao walked to the center of the hall and clapped his hands.
"Next, let us discuss the auction scheduled a few days from now!"
What was there to discuss about the auction?
Luo Chen was curious.
Noticing his confusion, Wu Qi quietly offered an explanation, perhaps seeking to make amends for his earlier blunder.
As it turned out, numerous factions, large and small, were involved in the upcoming auction.
The principal participants were True Person Feileng, the Tianyuan Business Alliance, the Moluo Stream, the Penglai Immortal Sect, and the Canghai Alliance.
Most of the resources slated for auction were provided by them.
One could easily imagine that even if these colossal factions had little use for the items they put forward, the quality would never be lacking. Once placed on the auction block, fierce competition would inevitably drive prices sky-high.
Shan Shubao was currently acting as an intermediary, gathering a portion of the attendees beforehand to sketch out a rough agreement regarding the distribution of certain lots, thereby preventing their own people from driving up prices against one another and souring relations.
With Shan Shubao setting the tone, several cultivators spoke up in turn.
"Chu is determined to obtain that piece of Lingting stone offered by True Person Feileng. I hope everyone here will grant me this face when the time comes."
"Pardon me, but I am currently planning to forge a sea-calming plate, and that Lingting stone is also of great use to me."
The sea-calming plate was a common magical artifact in the Northern Sea.
Cultivators without a water attribute often suffered a severe geographic disadvantage when fighting water-attuned cultivators across the open ocean.
A sea-calming plate, however, could calm tempests and hold back moisture, neutralizing the disparity in terrain.
Moreover, if such a treasure was placed upon an island and paired with appropriate formations, it could foster a small, peaceful microclimate with mild winds and gentle rains.
For a clan or sect, it could serve as the foundation for an ideal settlement.
Whether for cultivating or farming marine resources, its benefits were tremendous.
While sea-calming plates were common, high-quality ones were exceedingly rare.
Inferior versions were merely magical artifacts, but superior ones could reach the level of true magic treasures.
The speaker was clearly a fire-attributed Golden Core cultivator like Luo Chen. Fighting at sea put him at a disadvantage, which made a magic treasure-grade sea-calming plate an urgent necessity.
Watching the two debate, Luo Chen felt a stir of reflection.
At lower realms, the mutual restraint among the five elements did not dramatically dictate the outcome of battles, as low-realm cultivators relied heavily on external tools.
Yet at higher realms, such as Deity Transformation or Nascent Soul, combatants could command worldly momentum and even the power of the laws.
Though Golden Core cultivators like them had not attained such heights, they could still exploit geographic advantages in battle.
Consequently, the principles of elemental generation and restraint exerted an ever-growing influence over their combat and cultivation.
*Should I find time to obtain a sea-calming plate as well?*
After a moment's thought, Luo Chen quietly dismissed the notion.
His fire-attribute dharmic power had been cultivated and refined through the *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*, possessing an overbearing, peerless quality.
Ordinary terrain and minor elemental friction between water and fire could not impede him in the slightest.
Rather than squandering spirit stones on such measures, he would be better served studying other methods.
Under Shan Shubao's mediation, the dispute between the two cultivators gradually subsided.
The Golden Core cultivator named Chu ultimately persuaded his counterpart.
The Lingting stone was vital to his cultivation and an absolute necessity.
A sea-calming plate did not strictly require Lingting stone, and after Cultivator Chu promised to provide an alternative material in exchange, both sides reached an understanding, with the latter agreeing not to bid against him at the auction.
Naturally, if members of other factions contested the bid aggressively during the auction, Cultivator Chu would have to fend for himself.
With that, the dispute over the Lingting stone was resolved.
Afterward, several others called out the resources they desired to avoid clashes among those present.
"I must secure the meridian-unblocking grass. A direct descendant of mine was born with clogged meridians and requires it for medicinal refinement. Though it is a third-tier material, it holds little value to fellow Golden Core Daoists, so I trust no one here will contest me!"
"That piece of Nine Yang Gengjin is already in my bag. I hope no one meddles when the time comes."
"Fellow Daoist's words are misguided. Nine Yang Gengjin is the finest among gengjin ores; adding even a sliver to a metal- or fire-attributed flying sword grants peerless sharpness. I, too, am determined to have it!"
"Heh, you truly intend to contend with this old man?"
"May the better man prevail!"
"Is anyone present interested in that Coral Glaze Parasol?"
"Does Fellow Daoist Yue Luo desire it?"
"It is not for myself. That Coral Glaze Parasol is a relic of an old friend who was murdered for his treasures years ago. Now that it has surfaced at this auction after changing many hands, I wish to purchase it and return it to his family."
"Since Fellow Daoist Yue Luo wishes to recover it, this Xu will not compete with you. After all, it is merely a low-grade magic treasure."
"My thanks!"
...
Observing this unfold and recalling Wu Qi's explanation, Luo Chen understood the purpose of this phase.
It was nothing more than backroom coordination to prevent reckless bidding that would sour relations.
From the looks of it, the alliance between the Moluo Stream and the Penglai Immortal Sect was practically set in stone, with both sides taking pains to avoid friction down to the smallest detail.
Another question piqued his curiosity. "Some of these resources originated from our three parties in the first place. Why not distribute them internally instead of putting them up for auction?"
To this, Wu Qi replied via divine sense transmission: "This grand event was orchestrated entirely through True Person Feileng's efforts. If the items were handled internally, who would make up for her share of the profits?"
True Person Feileng had organized the Feileng City auction?
Luo Chen's eyebrows twitched.
Considering Feileng City's long-standing neutral standing, things suddenly made sense.
Yet inwardly, he found it amusing.
They sought to guarantee True Person Feileng her cut of the profits, yet they coordinated behind closed doors to suppress auction prices—which in turn diminished her earnings.
Such a contradiction was truly comical.
However, when the third phase of the gathering began, Luo Chen came to understand the root of that contradiction.
The third phase was a standard exchange among cultivators.
Some raised difficulties encountered in their cultivation to seek advice, while others shared recent news and observations.
The rise and fall of various factions across the Northern Sea's immortal islands, the emergence of formidable figures, the destruction of ancient lineages, and even movements among the demon tribes across the Demon Sea—all were recounted by these knowledgeable Golden Core cultivators.
During this exchange, casual remarks from Yu Gao allowed Luo Chen to glean some background on True Person Feileng.
As it turned out, the woman had originally hailed from the Penglai Immortal Sect!
For reasons unknown, she had defected from the sect and become entangled in an ambiguous relationship with a Nascent Soul elder from the Yuan Demon Sect.
Relying on that Yuan Demon Sect elder, she had acquired the cultivation haven of Feileng City.
This Feileng City auction had come together with her acting as guarantor, bolstered by the Tianyuan Business Alliance operating from the shadows.
The Penglai Immortal Sect, the Yuan Demon Sect, the Moluo Stream...
Luo Chen understood the origin of the contradiction.
In this collaborative alliance between the two giants, the Tianyuan Business Alliance was not the sole intermediary; True Person Feileng served as another.
Thus, her share of the spoils could not be withheld.
Yet compared to those two behemoths, Feileng remained insignificant despite her esteemed status as a Nascent Soul True Person.
Throwing her a modest benefit sufficed; there was no need to be overly generous.
Upon realizing this, Luo Chen shook his head inwardly.
The affairs of the world were full of twists and turns; even a Nascent Soul True Person could not escape being swept along by the currents!
As for deeper secrets, Luo Chen could learn no more.
The gathering of Golden Core cultivators had reached its end.
Once the meeting dispersed, Luo Chen did not linger for private drinks like the others.
He had few acquaintances here, and it was not in his nature to speak deeply with casual acquaintances, so he departed early.
Before a window on the sixth floor of Tianyuan Tower.
Wu Qi watched Luo Chen's receding figure until the lingering sense of oddity in his chest finally faded.
Beside him, an old man with a hooked nose asked, "You've been watching him closely. Do you know him?"
"At first, I took him for an old acquaintance, but observing his flying cloud and light escape, they are entirely different. I must have been mistaken." Wu Qi shook his head, then smiled. "Besides, even if we were strangers before, aren't we acquainted now?"
The Eagle Demon curled his lip. "Instead of focusing on your cultivation, you indulge in socializing. What good does that do for the Great Dao?"
Wu Qi replied with effortless composure, "Making an extra friend opens another path. You know as well as I do that while Master Blood Nightmare commands numerous experts, most are remnants of the old Yuan Demon Sect and fundamentally walk a different path from mine. Moreover, since joining the Moluo Stream, they've all retreated into seclusion to cultivate. Whenever something arises, I either have to handle it myself or turn to you all for help. If this continues, I'll run into trouble sooner or later."
Hearing this, the Eagle Demon also showed a hint of doubt.
"I cannot fathom it either. Aren't orthodox demon sect disciples usually flamboyant and arrogant? How is it that beneath Master Blood Nightmare, every one of them has become so fond of bitter seclusion, never showing their faces outside?
"Also, didn't a survivor of the Yuan Demon Lineage come seeking refuge with Master Blood Nightmare recently? What was his name again?"
Wu Qi lowered his voice. "He Yuan. Fourth layer of the Golden Core realm, quite formidable in strength."
"Right, He Yuan," the Eagle Demon nodded firmly. "That fellow was wildly arrogant when he first appeared, yet he hasn't been seen lately either. Could it be that on Master Blood Nightmare's side..."
"Eagle Demon, you're overthinking it."
Wu Qi smiled, though the smile looked strained no matter how one viewed it.
He cast another glance in the direction Luo Chen had departed, then took a deep breath.
"Let's go. Yu Gao is still waiting for us. Who knows how many Golden Core cultivators the Penglai Immortal Sect brought this time, or which reclusive old monster is leading them."
...
Upon returning to the valley,
Luo Chen immediately retrieved the forging method and studied it intently.
Han Zhan manifested his spirit form, swept the slip with his divine sense, and asked, "A defensive magic treasure?"
"Yes," Luo Chen replied, his eyes never leaving the text.
Han Zhan was puzzled. "Why examine it so thoroughly? When the time comes, you can simply pay a handsome fee to hire a renowned forging master to craft it for you."
Luo Chen looked up, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Senior, after what happened with the Hunyuan Cauldron, do you truly believe I could rest easy entrusting a treasure tied directly to my life into another's hands?"
Han Zhan froze, then let out a helpless chuckle.
Once bitten, twice shy!
He teased, "Crafting a physical defensive treasure is second in difficulty only to soul-defending treasures. Compared to standard offensive treasures, formation plates, or puppets, it is vastly more demanding. Even renowned forging masters dare not guarantee success. If you insist on going it alone, I fear failure will be your only reward."
"Failure? I'm used to it."
Luo Chen offered a faint smile, then lowered his head to resume studying the iron slip.
Han Zhan was momentarily taken aback. Recalling Luo Chen's calm, nonchalant demeanor whenever an alchemy batch failed in the past, he found himself utterly unable to refute the young man.
Being used to failure did not mean accepting defeat.
Failing time and again merely proved he was continuing to try; so long as conditions allowed, success would arrive one day.
Yet Han Zhan remained somewhat bewildered.
Luo Chen possessed extraordinary gifts in alchemy, formation arts, and spellcraft.
Surely he couldn't possess a talent for forging as well?
Chapter 576