A Complex Trade

Qin Sang glanced outside and retracted his gaze. Earth escape was the rarest among the Five Elements escape arts. Most earth escape techniques were meant for borrowing the earth to flee or concealing one's presence and breath, whereas this person was demanding a high-speed flight escape art akin to Thunder Escape or Wind Escape. Qin Sang recalled the secret arts and cultivation methods he had collected in the past, but none fit that description. He did know Sword Escape and Thunder Escape, but those were derived from his bitter cultivation of the sword path and the divine ability granted by the Azure Luan's true blood; they could not be taught to others. Otherwise, the seller would surely have leaped at the chance. He could either wait and see if someone traded an earth escape technique later, or find another way. Qin Sang extended his divine sense into his mustard seed bag, scanning past four stalks of spirit herbs before finally settling on a vine that was entirely pitch-black and only as thick as a thumb. The vine's surface was rough, swollen with nodular lumps that seemed to contain a black fluid churning within, on the verge of bursting forth. This item was called the Nether Fiend Thorn. As far as Qin Sang knew, there was a spirit elixir called the Xuanhun Pill, one of whose main ingredients was the Nether Fiend Thorn. If a cultivator practicing earth-attribute cultivation methods consumed this elixir, their true essence would become condensed and noticeably denser, conferring immense benefits for future cultivation and breakthroughs. Unfortunately, Qin Sang had only learned of the Xuanhun Pill from ancient texts; its pill recipe was likely even harder to find than the Nether Fiend Thorn itself. Before his departure, the ancient recipes Qin Sang had traded for were all ones potentially useful to himself. He had not obtained the recipe for the Xuanhun Pill, nor did he know if the Taiyi Dan Sect possessed a copy in its collection. Danding Mountain most likely did not have it. Just as Qin Sang took out the Nether Fiend Thorn, quite a few people had already spoken up, attempting to bargain with the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal. Body cultivators were rare in the world, and Nascent Soul-tier body cultivation divine abilities were just as scarce. If it could be acquired at little cost, many would be more than willing. However, according to the rules of the trade fair, each cultivation method or secret art could only be traded once during a single assembly, so the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal stubbornly refused to budge. Seeing that he had no intention of lowering his price, the crowd's interest waned sharply. Only a sparse few persisted, trying to persuade him with words to relax his conditions. "An intact Nether Fiend Thorn!" Holding the jade plaque, Qin Sang spoke in a low voice, briefly explaining the effects of the Xuanhun Pill before adding, "Fellow Daoist may also refine the Nether Fiend Thorn directly. Your true essence will absorb the Nether Fiend yin qi, yielding an unexpected edge when confronting enemies." Refining it this way was actually somewhat wasteful. "Does the Xuanhun Pill truly possess such miraculous effects?" "Does Fellow Daoist know how to concoct the Xuanhun Pill?" "If that's true, I can offer you something even better..." ... Before Qin Sang could even finish speaking, before the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal could react, the other cultivators who practiced earth-attribute methods could no longer sit still. They broke into an urgent clamor of questions. Venerable Chongtai cleared his throat lightly, quelling the commotion. "Perhaps some Fellow Daoists have forgotten the rules... It is currently this Fellow Daoist's turn. Please exercise patience, everyone; you may interact freely at the end!" Quiet returned to Lake Center Island. Only then did the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal speak up hesitantly. "Do you have the pill recipe for the Xuanhun Pill?" "I do not." Qin Sang sighed inwardly; this was the crux of the matter. Pausing for a beat, he added, "If Fellow Daoist does not mind, after the trade fair concludes, I can introduce you to an Alchemy Grandmaster. Alternatively, give me some time, and I will make inquiries with some friends, though I cannot guarantee finding it." Qin Sang was considering heading back to the Beichen Realm to ask around; having already crossed the storm belt once, he would not be in such dire straits as before. However, this meant they would need to establish private contact. Qin Sang did not mind; aside from Old Man Hunmo, few people could threaten him. The key lay with the other party. Sure enough, the owner of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal replied, "I would like to wait a bit longer." Hearing Qin Sang's words, the enthusiasm of the others also plummeted. They thought to themselves that it made sense—who would trade such a precious spirit herb for a body cultivation technique? Seeing that there were no formidable competitors, Qin Sang was in no hurry to raise his bid, nor did he press the issue. He casually left the Nether Fiend Thorn on display outside. With this transaction failing to reach an immediate conclusion, Venerable Chongtai called for the next participant, shifting another bamboo pavilion forward. The trade continued. Following that, one bamboo pavilion after another was brought forward in turn. To Qin Sang's delight, before the trade fair had even reached its halfway point, he spotted three kinds of spiritual materials suitable for reforging the Jinchen Sword: a piece of blue-dot gold, a cluster of flocculent cloud crystal, and two drops of Tianmian heavy liquid—not counting those that had already been traded away. Acquiring one or two of these, along with the Fallen Phoenix Jade, would allow Qin Sang, with his attainments in artifact refinement, to barely upgrade the Jinchen Sword to the rank of a top-grade magic treasure. Different materials would grant the Jinchen Sword different attributes. However, Qin Sang only wanted to elevate the Jinchen Sword's grade as soon as possible and was not overly picky; any spiritual materials with similar properties would suffice. The Jinchen Sword was merely a substitute for the Yunyou Sword, primarily used to execute Sword Escape and the Seven Po Killing Array. Only with a high enough grade could it unleash the sword array's full power. This was why all these materials were suitable; otherwise, he would have had to search painstakingly for a long time. Yet Qin Sang was in no rush to trade. He watched the rare and wondrous treasures appear one after another with keen interest, feeling that his horizons had truly broadened today and that the trip was well worth it. A few items even tempted him greatly. Unfortunately, compared to other Nascent Soul cultivators, Qin Sang had cultivated for too short a time and lacked accumulation. The rare treasures he had acquired through his fortunes could not be put up for trade, so he could only prioritize his most urgent needs. Just as Qin Sang was calculating his assets, he suddenly heard the occupant of the central bamboo pavilion announce: "Seeking a cultivation method or secret art that enhances divine sense. In exchange, I can offer two orthodox Daoist cultivation methods of metal and wood attributes. If you have other conditions, they can also be negotiated." Hearing this, Qin Sang felt a stir in his heart. Wasn't a divine ability that cultivated divine sense precisely the Fire Seed Golden Lotus? There was no need to provide the complete secret art; offering just the first layer would be enough to draw eager suitors. In this era, having an incomplete version of such a secret art was only normal. Qin Sang had no need to worry about the person threatening him after succeeding in cultivating it. As for whether the circulation of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus would cause Old Man Hunmo to connect it to the Nine Nether Demonic Fire used when fighting over treasures in the Buddhist hall, Qin Sang was not afraid. The treasures this person had traded earlier showed that he was an orthodox Daoist cultivator. Once the Myriad Demons Assembly concluded and he left Hunmo Island, even if Old Man Hunmo noticed something, there would be nothing to fear. The problem lay in the two major restrictions of this secret art. First, one had to find a powerful spiritual fire. Second, cultivation required the accompaniment of the transparent lotus seed—unless the other party also possessed a treasure capable of averting danger like the jade Buddha. After condensing fire seeds several times, Qin Sang had ultimately not used the transparent lotus seed and had stored it away in the Qianjun Ring. Yet Qin Sang would not sell the transparent lotus seed to anyone else. He had only recently broken through to the second layer of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, and his understanding of this divine ability was still shallow. If the transparent lotus seed possessed functions beyond assisting in condensing fire seeds, it would be too late for regrets. Without the transparent lotus seed, the value of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus would be greatly diminished.