Fusion

"Fellow Daoist speaks the truth. Now that the Thousand Demons Sea has fallen into such turmoil, restoring it to its former calm will be difficult. Dangerous as it is, it holds many treasures found nowhere else. What a pity." A scholar in green robes chimed in, expressing deep regret. Qin Sang nodded slightly and looked around. "I have stated my conditions. Does any Fellow Daoist possess what I seek and wish to trade?" He met the eyes of the attendees one by one, but not a single person responded, leaving him utterly disappointed. Just then, an elderly man who appeared to represent one of the merchant associations whispered with the people beside him before speaking up: "Fellow Daoist, every item you seek is a rare treasure of this world. Even if this old man exerted his utmost efforts, I would have only slight confidence in obtaining one of them—namely, the soul-attracting grass. If Fellow Daoist is willing, I do not ask for these demon cores or magic treasures. I would like to propose a different trade with you." The mention of soul-attracting grass was an unexpected surprise. Piqued, Qin Sang asked, "What kind of trade do you wish to discuss, Fellow Daoist?" The old man paused thoughtfully, then said, "That Fellow Daoist can produce so many demon cores at once proves your strength is extraordinary. I would like to invite you to join us. Once you become one of our own, things will be much simpler. It would be no trouble for me to petition the Inner Sea to send over one or two stalks of soul-attracting grass, and even regarding the other spiritual materials, it is not entirely impossible." Having said that, the old man sent a voice transmission revealing his affiliation—a well-known, prominent merchant guild. Qin Sang found it amusing. He had not expected to be recruited again so soon after arriving at Huntian Island. Judging from the man's tone, the faction behind him was even larger than the Qiongyu Guild. Unfortunately, Qin Sang had no interest in living under someone else's roof, let alone tying himself down for the sake of soul-attracting grass. "Since the soul-attracting grass is in the Inner Sea, how long would it take for me to receive it?" A hint of embarrassment crossed the old man's face. "The sea routes are unsafe at present. It will likely have to wait until the conflict between our two races concludes... But worry not, Fellow Daoist. We can draw up a written agreement. Furthermore, joining our guild does not require you to shoulder heavy responsibilities; on the contrary, it comes with numerous benefits that others could only dream of..." No matter how the old man tried to entice him, Qin Sang remained unmoved. Seeing that even the old man failed to persuade Qin Sang, the others refrained from making futile attempts. For a moment, the hall fell into silence. Seeing there was truly no hope, Qin Sang sighed inwardly and said helplessly, "Fellow Daoists, if any of you possess spirit pills suitable for Core Formation stage cultivators, those can be traded as well." This drew a far larger response. Not only did Qin Sang obtain several healing pills of remarkable efficacy, but he also had the good fortune of acquiring a bottle of pills that assisted in cultivation, making the trip worthwhile. Once the exchange was complete, it was the next person's turn. Just as Qin Sang finished putting his items away, his right ear twitched slightly. Without revealing any reaction, he casually looked toward another corner of the hall. A short, plump cultivator was looking at him. When their eyes met, the man gave a slight nod, then calmly turned his gaze toward the treasure presented by the next person. Qin Sang frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and eventually turned his attention back to the continuing trade fair. Although everyone had waited so long, the transactions proceeded swiftly. Shortly after noon, the final trade was struck. The old man rose, offered a few polite closing remarks, and announced the end of the trade fair. Under the arrangements of the cultivation market, the crowd departed the island separately. Before leaving, the old man presented Qin Sang with a compass and invited him to attend the next trade fair. After departing the island, Qin Sang flew on his sword for some distance, vigilantly checked behind him, and landed on a deserted island. He retrieved his topographical map and located a place called Black Eagle Island, which was also within this sea area. Looking at the island marked on the map, Qin Sang fell into contemplation. At the trade fair earlier, Qin Sang had already abandoned hope, but unexpectedly, that short, plump cultivator had sent him a voice transmission, claiming he had a way to cross the Thousand Demons Sea. However, he did not want any of the treasures Qin Sang had brought out. Instead, he told Qin Sang that if he was interested, he could come to Black Eagle Island after leaving the market to discuss the matter in detail. After considering it for a while, Qin Sang decided to go take a look. Before that, however, there was still one thing he needed to do, and he could hardly wait any longer. Laying down isolating restrictions around the area, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground, untied the bone flute hanging from his neck, and retrieved the other bone flute fragment. Holding his breath, he examined the two bone flutes. Sure enough, they were completely identical; even holding them right before his eyes revealed not the slightest difference. He placed one in the palm of each hand. Though they had met, neither exhibited any unusual reaction. A flicker of suspicion crossed Qin Sang's eyes, and he finally brought the two bone flutes together on his own initiative. *Snap!* The instant they touched, a crisp sound rang out, and the two bone flutes merged together automatically. Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. He was almost ready to activate his array formations, fully prepared to flee far away if the disturbance grew large enough to draw the attention of nearby cultivators. To his surprise, after merging, the bone flute merely trembled slightly, light rippled across its surface, and no further anomaly occurred. The greatest change was that the astral energy of the heavenly circuit within the bone flute had become denser and far more pronounced. Qin Sang raised his hand and examined it closely. The two short sections had joined seamlessly into a single, slender bone flute, completely unified, without the slightest trace of a fracture. Once certain the bone flute had stabilized, Qin Sang tentatively sent out his spiritual sense to investigate. As before, it was like a stone sinking into the vast ocean, yielding no discovery whatsoever. "It seems there must be other fragments of this bone flute scattered elsewhere. Until all the pieces are gathered, it won't display any of its might..." Qin Sang murmured to himself with deep regret. To have obtained another fragment of the bone flute in a foreign land was already a stroke of luck. Who knew where the remaining pieces had ended up? If they, too, were scattered across different cultivation realms like these two, the chances of finding them would be exceedingly slim. In the end, unwilling to give up, he made numerous other attempts to no avail, and could only toss the bone flute into a corner of the Qianjun Ring. "It's about time to head over..." Qin Sang glanced up at the sky and flew toward Black Eagle Island on his sword. By dusk, Qin Sang spotted the dark silhouette of an island in the distance. The highest mountain on the island resembled a black eagle spreading its wings, which was how it had earned its name. Catching sight of Black Eagle Island from afar, Qin Sang lowered his flying light and hovered in midair. "Fellow Daoist Qin has arrived! Why not come onto the island?" The moment Qin Sang showed himself, a streak of rainbow light flew out from the island, revealing the figure of the plump cultivator, who called out loudly. Qin Sang's eyes flashed. Staring at the dim Black Eagle Island, he said coldly, "It seems there are other Daoists on the island, yet you never mentioned this beforehand, Fellow Daoist." The plump cultivator started, then offered an awkward laugh. "I never said I only invited Fellow Daoist Qin! Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin, this person is an acquaintance you just saw at the trade fair. There are still several others who have yet to arrive..." Before his voice had faded, another figure flew out from the island. Qin Sang looked closely—it was indeed the scholar in green robes he had seen earlier at the trade fair. Qin Sang had a deep impression of him; none of the treasures that man had presented were ordinary, and his strength was not to be underestimated.