A faint glow lit up the darkness. Outside, bamboo pavilions faintly came into view, half-hidden in the gloom. In the very center stood a high platform, upon which Venerable Chongtai stood.
After delivering his customary opening remarks, he briskly declared the trade fair open.
Qin Sang sat up slightly straighter.
The treasures listed on the earlier roster would be presented first.
*I wonder what the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal wants in exchange? I inquired with Daoist Yinquan earlier, and at least in the Crescent Moon Realm, there are no renowned body cultivators. Since there is virtually no market for it despite its nominal worth, they shouldn't dare set demands too high...*
Qin Sang weighed his options while mentally reviewing his needs and the items he could offer in trade.
First was the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal.
Next was the final spiritual material needed to temper the Jinchen Sword, which had a high probability of being available at the trade fair.
Then there were the three main spiritual substances required for the Spirit Ascension Rite.
Primordial Yin Water.
The fruit of the Seven-Colored Lingzhi.
Dark Nether Earth.
The items required for the Spirit Ascension Rite were quite eccentric, ranging from spiritual water to spirit medicines. In particular, the third item, Dark Nether Earth, was something Qin Sang had never even heard of.
Would four stalks of spirit herbs be enough?
Qin Sang pondered silently. He possessed plenty of precious treasures, but truly very few that he could part with in trade, having lacked the time to prepare beforehand.
Just then, one of the bamboo pavilions was shifted into the very center beside Venerable Chongtai. Shrouded in darkness, no silhouette could be seen within.
Then, a sphere of white light flared inside the pavilion, accompanied by a mechanical voice devoid of any inflection: "Three star feathers of a Star-Guiding Bird. True blood of the Star-Guiding Bird remains at the quills..."
Even as the voice delivered its description, three feathers emerged within the white light.
From his seat in the room, Qin Sang could see them clearly: the three feathers radiated a faint blue fluorescence, their forms shimmering like illusory stars in perpetual motion.
At the base of the three feathers, inside the transparent quills, was a drop of blue blood that appeared not yet dried.
At this stage, others could extend a strand of spiritual sense into the white light to inspect the treasure.
Qin Sang had just sent a wisp inside when he felt another presence sweep over the three feathers with unmasked imperiousness, causing the other probing senses to hesitate.
*Great Sage Tianpeng?*
The thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind as his spiritual sense swept across the feathers.
The star feathers were damaged and their spirituality degraded, making them difficult to refine into magic treasures. They were obviously intended to lure members of the demon race to attend.
Nevertheless, Qin Sang probed several times and found nothing unusual about the purported true blood.
"The three star feathers must be traded together for a wood-attribute magic treasure of at least top quality, which must possess healing properties. If its healing effects are exceptional, the grade requirement can be lowered."
Before the voice finished, a call came from one of the dark bamboo pavilions: "I'll take the star feathers. Here is a top-quality wooden flute refined from the taproot of a Drunken Cloud Tree."
At the same time, white light shone from that pavilion, revealing a mottled wooden flute. Aside from the owner of the star feathers, no one else could inspect it.
"Are there any other fellow Daoists who wish to make an offer?"
After a brief silence, the owner of the star feathers asked once. Seeing that no one responded, the owner said, "Agreed!"
Enveloped in two spheres of white light, each treasure flew into the other party's bamboo pavilion.
Trades did not have to be settled immediately. If unsatisfied, a seller could leave their treasure displayed outside to await later offers, perhaps finding a better opportunity.
Once the trade fair ended, the commission cuts would be handed over to the Myriad Demons Assembly in a lump sum.
Throughout this, Venerable Chongtai had remained silent. Seeing the first exchange proceed so smoothly, a smile appeared on his face. His ear twitched slightly, and he announced, "Next, if you please!"
That bamboo pavilion withdrew into the shadows, and another was shifted forward.
"Celestial Meteoric Iron, can be used to refine cold-attribute magic treasures..."
"Cold Bone Demon Hand, an ancient demonic implement of the Cold Bone Path, top quality. When driven with essence blood, it wields peak-grade might..."
...
Rarities seldom seen in ordinary times took the stage one after another.
Some found buyers immediately, while others were left suspended outside the pavilions, awaiting bids.
"Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal, a Buddhist body-cultivation martial art..."
At last, the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal that Qin Sang had been anticipating made its appearance. Gripping his jade plaque, he saw a jade slip floating before the central bamboo pavilion.
A body-cultivation martial art of the Nascent Soul level was a rarity even across past sessions of the Myriad Demons Assembly. Qin Sang keenly noticed ripples of spiritual sense stirring from many pavilions; clearly, quite a few were curious about this divine ability.
*I hope Great Sage Tianpeng doesn't bid.*
Taking inventory of his assets, Qin Sang had no confidence in competing against a demon race Great Sage.
Just then, after a brief introduction, the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal hesitated for a moment before stating, "I wish to exchange this for a top-tier earth-attribute escape technique."
This declaration caused a stir.
"Are you joking, fellow Daoist? A body-cultivation ability in exchange for a top-tier escape technique?"
Someone could not help speaking out. Though the synthesized voice had no intonation, the skeptical tone still came through.
If the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal had not exaggerated just now, the values could indeed be comparable.
In reality, however, body cultivators were practically nonexistent.
At this moment, a voice spoke once more from the pavilion that had just purchased the star feathers: "Fellow Daoist, why not open your spiritual restrictions and allow us to inspect part of the contents? Only then can we judge its value; we cannot simply take your word for it."
Qin Sang felt a jolt of tension.
*The demon race is interested after all!*
The owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal made no reply to the skepticism, merely uttering, "Very well!"
Immediately afterward, strands of spiritual sense swept into the jade slip one by one, all deeply curious about this body-cultivation technique.
The jade slip revealed only a portion of the general outline.
Qin Sang quickly scanned through everything available.
The Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal was in fact seven distinct Buddhist hand seals. According to the outline, every single seal was supremely unyielding and fierce, possessing extraordinary might.
Likewise, executing this divine ability placed an immense strain on the practitioner's physical body, which only a pure body cultivator could withstand.
A body cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage could barely execute the first seal, while the early Nascent Soul stage permitted only the first four.
From this alone, one could see the extraordinary nature of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal.
Even as these thoughts crossed his mind, Qin Sang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
For according to the outline's description, this ability had been created specifically tailored to human physiology. Even if a demon forcefully cast it, the power of the Buddhist seals would clash with their bloodline, harming themselves before their foe and drastically reducing its power.
Great Sage Tianpeng would likely not contest it fiercely.
Otherwise, the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal would not have hesitated so much when stating the condition.
The problem now was that Qin Sang did not possess a top-tier earth-attribute escape technique. What could he offer to persuade the seller?
Silence hung over Lake Center Island.
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "I heard that an ancient Buddhist ruin was unearthed two years ago. Fellow Daoist must have obtained the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal from there, am I correct?"
After a pause, seeing that the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal did not respond, the person pressed on: "Might I ask if you have any other Buddhist cultivation methods or divine abilities in hand? Other than those related to body cultivation, that is."
*Someone from a Buddhist sect came?*
Everyone looked toward the voice, only to be met with total darkness.
No one had heard of any Buddhist sect producing a Nascent Soul eminent monk, so it was likely that one had entrusted a Nascent Soul cultivator to make inquiries on their behalf.
Chapter 1443