Though this alchemist possessed a Core Formation stage cultivation base, his hair was stark white and his face aged.
He carried an extraordinary bearing that left a lasting impression at first sight.
Judging from the attendant's reverent manner, this alchemist clearly held a lofty status in the auction house.
“Senior, this is Alchemist Yi,” the attendant introduced respectfully before tactfully closing the door and withdrawing.
“Alchemist Yi...”
Qin Sang's heart stirred. With a look of surprise on his face, he immediately stood up to welcome him warmly. “I never expected to disturb Fellow Daoist Yi. I am truly flattered!”
According to what he had gathered earlier, Alchemist Yi was one of the renowned master alchemists of Xiang'an Auction House.
Upon seeing him, Qin Sang could not help wondering inwardly whether the spirit fruits were such rare treasures that they had drawn this man out, but he kept his expression perfectly calm.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two took their seats.
“Fellow Daoist Qin, may I take a look at the jade slip?” Alchemist Yi pointed at the jade slip. Upon receiving Qin Sang's permission, he focused his mind and examined it closely.
After a moment, Alchemist Yi opened his eyes. Catching Qin Sang's curious gaze, he gave a slight smile. “Just now, when the attendant went back and described the spirit fruit you were inquiring about, I found the characteristics peculiar. It happens to be a spirit fruit even I have never seen before, so I volunteered to come over and take a look myself.”
Qin Sang asked eagerly, “Does Fellow Daoist Yi have any leads?”
Alchemist Yi frowned and pondered for a while, then asked, “Fellow Daoist Qin only has these two illustrations? Truly no other information whatsoever?”
Qin Sang stood firm, refusing to give ground on that point.
“To be honest with you,” Alchemist Yi said, “the drawings looked somewhat familiar when I saw them, as though I had come across them somewhere before. But it was so long ago that I cannot recall it offhand. Furthermore, it is very likely something I saw in an ancient demon race text when I was studying alchemy in my early years. Why not come back in a while, Fellow Daoist? I will look into it thoroughly once I return.”
“The demon race?”
Qin Sang was taken aback.
If even a prestigious human master alchemist did not recognize it and had to search ancient demon records, could it be that this spirit fruit was meant solely for demon beasts?
If that were the case, he would have no choice but to feed it all to the two-headed hou, meaning all his efforts would have been for nothing.
“Then I must trouble Fellow Daoist Yi. A small token of my appreciation, modest though it may be.”
Qin Sang produced a small pouch of spirit stones as remuneration.
Alchemist Yi accepted it without ceremony.
Thereafter, the two chatted amiably. Qin Sang seized the opportunity to mention that he wished to learn the demon script, asking Alchemist Yi for guidance.
“I have gained a modest understanding of artifact crafting myself,” Qin Sang said. “I heard that here in Tianxing City, there are ancient demon texts scavenged from the Demon Sea containing artifact crafting methods that differ vastly from those of the human race yet possess remarkable merit. Unfortunately, my limited knowledge leaves me lost in the fog when it comes to the profound sections. I have been hoping to consult a master who could show me the way...”
Sensing from Alchemist Yi's words that the man was well versed in the demon script, Qin Sang had seized the chance to ask.
As a human cultivating a demon race technique, he dared not rashly attempt it before fully grasping *Heavenly Demon Form Refining*.
Hearing this and learning that Qin Sang was a rogue cultivator, Alchemist Yi looked at him with newfound respect. “At such a young age, not only do you possess such high cultivation, but you also study artifact crafting on the side. I am truly impressed! There is no need to speak of seeking a master—I love making friends above all else, and mere demon script is hardly some precious treasure. Take this jade slip. It contains not only my personal insights, but also the understanding of the demon script accumulated by our auction house's peers over the years. So long as you master it thoroughly, it will be enough to decipher ancient texts.”
Qin Sang was overjoyed and offered to pay, but Alchemist Yi declined.
“I do this simply to forge good karma and befriend a fellow cultivator of boundless potential like yourself. Truth be told, every one of our peers in the auction house has one of these jade slips; it is hardly any great secret.”
Hearing this, Qin Sang dispensed with polite pretenses and accepted the jade slip. To return the favor, however, he purchased a large quantity of spiritual materials and brought out several demon cores and other items to consign for auction.
These spiritual materials were mostly needed to construct the spirit array for refining the shafts of the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners.
The spirit array was intricate and required a vast assortment of spiritual materials.
Xiang'an Auction House was immensely wealthy. The attendant took the order and soon returned with a mustard seed bag containing seventy to eighty percent of what was needed, promising to help track down the rest over time.
Money makes the world go round.
With such lavish spending right off the bat, the auction house treated him with even greater warmth.
Next, Qin Sang inquired about purchasing top-grade spirit stones.
This put Alchemist Yi in a bit of a difficult spot. “Fellow Daoist, you must know that top-grade and supreme-grade spirit stones have special purposes. For instance, a major sect's mountain-protecting grand array requires top-grade spirit stones to activate; their value cannot be measured in ordinary spirit stone terms alone. In recent years, fewer and fewer top-grade spirit stones have been mined, and they are tightly controlled by the major factions, rarely falling into private hands. Furthermore, both races have only barely secured a foothold in the Demon Sea and lack the capacity to search for spirit stone mines on a grand scale. As a result, top-grade spirit stones have grown increasingly scarce, and their prices have surged accordingly. You will simply have to wait for an opportunity, Fellow Daoist. If someone is willing to sell, we will send someone to contact you.”
Qin Sang understood the logic. Top-grade spirit stones were treated as strategic resources by major factions, and Xiang'an Auction House, backed by the Three Great Merchant Alliances, was no exception.
The more turbulent the Canglang Sea became, the tighter the supply of top-grade spirit stones would be. Even so, he only needed a few, so it shouldn't prove impossible.
Close to midnight, Qin Sang finally emerged from the auction house. He had returned with a full haul, though the expense had been staggering as well.
After leaving the auction house, Qin Sang did not linger, eager to return and study the demon script.
Back in his cave dwelling, Qin Sang sealed the spirit array, took out the jade slip, and shut out all outside distractions.
The contents of the jade slip were far more detailed than what he had learned before, providing deep explanations of the demon script that had clearly been carefully researched by the auction house's experts. Comparing it against the jade slip, Qin Sang focused wholeheartedly on comprehending *Heavenly Demon Form Refining*.
Guided by the contents of the jade slip, he finally understood this cultivation technique in its entirety.
The first half of the technique was divided into four tiers, while the later portions remained hidden behind mist. Qin Sang was now certain that this was due to his insufficient cultivation base, which prevented him from seeing what lay beyond the fog.
He paid particular attention to the body refining section.
The manual claimed that one would ultimately forge the Heavenly Demon Body, making body refining the true core of the technique.
In the first four tiers, ordinary cultivation required only drawing upon the astral energy of the heavenly circuit to temper the physical body step by step. However, every breakthrough demanded an astral essence body infusion.
The astral essence body infusion required channeling an incomparably dense surge of astral energy from the heavenly circuit to instantly infuse through the crown of the head in order to achieve a breakthrough, which inevitably carried danger.
There was good reason *Heavenly Demon Form Refining* was called a top-tier cultivation technique.
In the first three tiers, once one's cultivation reached a certain level of attainment, one would gain a divine ability called the Heavenly Demon Transformation. Activating it would vastly enhance one's combat strength; the manual lacked a detailed description, meaning one would only know its true power after cultivating it.
And upon successfully breaking through the fourth tier, one could manifest the Heavenly Demon Dharma Idol. It was said that this marked the true threshold of mastery, for the Heavenly Demon Dharma Idol carried a portion of a Heavenly Demon's divine abilities!
One had to realize that, in legends, a Heavenly Demon was rival to a Mahayana cultivator, merely a single step away from ascension.
Even if it was only a fraction of a Heavenly Demon's divine abilities, it was terrifying enough. Qin Sang could not help but wonder whether the manual had exaggerated the effects of the Heavenly Demon Dharma Idol.
Chapter 803