The Trade

"Fellow Daoist, take a look!" Manager Bao plopped down opposite Qin Sang, produced a jade box from who knew where, and slapped it onto the table before Qin Sang. The jade box opened. A surge of intensely potent demon qi erupted skyward. Resting inside the jade box was a demon core! The oppressive aura inherent to a great demon of the Demon Core stage still lingered upon the core. Being so close, both Qin Sang and Manager Bao were unavoidably affected, their breathing growing slightly heavy. The demon core was the size of a baby's fist, firmly capturing Qin Sang's gaze. He leaned forward slightly, widening his eyes to inspect it. Although a dazzling brilliance flowed across the core, its luster seemed somewhat dull—clearly, its vitality had already dissipated, and there was no telling how many years ago it had been harvested. If it were a freshly harvested demon core, Manager Bao likely would not have been willing to part with it in a trade, would he? Because the box was sealed with restrictive formations, it was difficult to see with complete clarity. Qin Sang extended his right hand, intending to pick up the demon core, but Manager Bao suddenly reached out to block him. "Hold on!" Manager Bao rested a hand lightly over the jade box, raised his brows, and glanced at the restrictions within the quiet chamber, reminding Qin Sang not to act rashly. "Fellow Daoist, I have already shown my sincerity. Isn't it time for you to..." Qin Sang withdrew his hand and gave a slight nod, his voice deep and solemn. "Pardon my poor manners. Manager Bao, feast your eyes." The corpse puppet pouch opened. The living corpse refined from the gold-armored cultivator flew out from within. Once a living corpse was refined, it could retain a single incantation mastered in life. The gold-armored cultivator had retained a combat movement technique, which was well-suited for a refined corpse that possessed limited intellect. What Yu Hua had retained was a fairly good sword art, which was comparatively less practical than the gold-armored cultivator's technique. Even so, Qin Sang had still decided to keep Yu Hua. Yu Hua's identity was tied to both the Kuiyin Sect and the Yuanzhao Sect; leaving him in outside hands might invite trouble. The gold-armored cultivator hailed from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance and carried no such hidden worries. The moment the gold-armored cultivator appeared, Manager Bao stared transfixed. His corpulent body moved with extraordinary agility as he threw himself before the gold-armored cultivator. Like a man gazing upon a lover, his eyes were brimming with tenderness as he inspected it inch by inch from head to toe, not overlooking a single spot. "A living corpse! It truly is a living corpse! Teeming with spirituality! You didn't deceive me! What an exquisite corpse refining art!" Manager Bao exclaimed repeatedly. Finally, his spiritual sense focused on the gold-armored cultivator's sea of qi, and after a moment, he let out his loudest cry of astonishment: "The False Core stage! It truly is at the False Core stage!" Manager Bao snapped his head around to stare at Qin Sang, who was cloaked beneath his black robe. Deep in the manager's eyes lay profound wariness, along with a trace of awe. Qin Sang calmly bore Manager Bao's gaze. Once the man finished his inspection, Qin Sang immediately said, "This person does not hail from the Lesser Cold Domain. Manager Bao, you need not worry that his identity will bring you trouble. Now that you have inspected him yourself, can we continue our discussion?" Qin Sang had underestimated him. The moment business was brought up, the feverish excitement on Manager Bao's face receded like the tide. He instantly regained his composure and sat back down. "My cultivation may be modest, but I am not afraid of trouble. It's just that... if I am not mistaken, this kind of living corpse can no longer advance, can it? There is no hope of it transforming into a Flying Yaksha." Qin Sang scoffed derisively. "Manager Bao, are you joking? If it could transform into a Flying Yaksha, wouldn't I keep it by my side? Why would I bring it out now to trade for a mere demon core? "Even if there truly exist those legendary baleful corpses that cultivate on their own to the False Core stage, gestating until they transform into a Flying Yaksha still requires an astounding amount of time. "Besides, would you have the strength to subdue one? "We are talking business here. If you use baseless excuses to disparage the living corpse I painstakingly refined, I certainly will not agree!" Qin Sang slammed his hand on the table in indignation. Manager Bao was unruffled and shook his head. "You cannot deny that what I said is true. If we go by your words, compared to a baleful corpse naturally gestated to the False Core stage, your living corpse seems somewhat lacking in strength." A naturally gestated, top-tier baleful corpse had its physical body tempered by yin qi until it was harder than refined iron, possessed astonishing speed, and stood only a step away from becoming a Flying Yaksha. Its might was terrifying, making it an entity that even False Core stage cultivators dared not provoke lightly. The living corpse was indeed somewhat inferior in that regard. "Look at this, Fellow Daoist. Do you still think so?" Qin Sang did not bother arguing. He directly commanded the gold-armored cultivator to execute his movement technique, as well as an armor incantation Qin Sang had infused into it. "A demon core is merely a dead object. A living corpse boasts strength second only to False Core stage experts. Such a tremendous aid—whether used for your own protection or passed down to your descendants—is something others can only dream of acquiring. Is it still not worth a single demon core?" "Incantations!" Manager Bao was clearly shocked once again, but he soon caught on. "Neither of them is a top-tier incantation, so their power is limited. They can only serve as a surprise tactic, better than nothing at all." Qin Sang was nearly provoked to laughter by this fellow. Manager Bao looked at Qin Sang with earnest sincerity, advising him with deep conviction. "Fellow Daoist, what you want to trade for is a demon core! You have no idea how heavy a price I paid to get my hands on it! It nearly bankrupted me! Setting aside those senior figures in the Core Formation stage, even if I took it to the Taiyi Dan Sect, the spirit pills I could exchange for it would certainly be worth no less than a refined corpse. Of course, if you are willing to offer your corpse refining art in exchange, I will agree immediately..." Seeing that Manager Bao was completely impervious to persuasion and clearly banking on Qin Sang's desperate need for the demon core, Qin Sang did not wish to drag things out any further. He summoned a baleful corpse at the late Foundation Establishment stage. "I'll add another baleful corpse." Manager Bao said decisively, "Two!" Qin Sang pondered for a moment, took out a jade slip, and wrote down a list of spiritual materials. "You must throw these in as well." Manager Bao examined it, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Deal!" ... Yuncang Great Marsh. Once the trade was concluded, Qin Sang departed from the True Water Thousand Phantasms Formation without pausing for breath, returning toward Dichen Cave. Arriving in an uninhabited area, Qin Sang opened the jade box and carefully inspected the newly acquired demon core. A False Core stage living corpse plus two baleful corpses, all traded for a single demon core. Whether it was a profit or a loss was hard to define. Most transactions in the cultivation world were like this; treasures had no fixed value. To Qin Sang, the demon core was an urgent necessity, something he had to obtain at any cost. *I went through so much trouble to buy this demon core. It must not fail.* Qin Sang let out a long breath and sped back toward Dichen Cave like a flash of lightning. Yu Hua's skin was pale as he stood before Qin Sang with his hands held respectfully at his sides. Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground, his hand pressed against Yu Hua's dantian, his eyes tightly shut. He had remained motionless for three consecutive days, meticulously recalling the secret art for advancing to a Flying Yaksha. The secret art was too complex, and there was only a single chance. He had to be cautious in the extreme, which was why Qin Sang had delayed making his move. In his mind, he had run through the secret art from beginning to end countless times and simulated it repeatedly based on Yu Hua's condition. Every time he discovered a problem, he spent vast amounts of time and energy devising a solution to prepare for every contingency. At dusk on the fourth day, Qin Sang opened his eyes. Though he had done nothing physically, his face was filled with exhaustion. After meditating quietly through the night, Qin Sang finally opened the jade box and took out the demon core.