Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-427

Lu Ping said, “Junior grand aunt, there are some items in your collection that I’m interested in. Can I trade with you?”

“Oh?” Tian-Xue laughed with intrigue. “What do you intend to trade for them? Enlighten me.”

Lu Ping immediately went through his interspatial ring and presented a chalcedony. The moment the chalcedony was revealed, the temperature in the palace dropped.

“Not bad!” Tian-Xue’s eyes lit up. “Judging from its form and energy, this mystic-class treasure must be at least a few thousand years old. Hmmm. A few early-Core Forging Realm cultivators practicing ice-elemental techniques in our sect recently ran into a cultivation bottleneck. This item will come in handy. All right. What do you want in return?”

Lu Ping had intentionally revealed the item because he knew Tian-Xue was a prominent ice-elemental technique cultivator in the sect.

Lu Ping calmly delivered the item to Tian-Xue, before he voiced his thoughts, “There’s a spinning ball of wind in your collection. I think it will be useful to me, so I’d like to trade for it.”

Before his voice faded, a spinning ball of wind emerged before him. The air around him distorted as the airball warped the air and reduced the temperature, freezing the surroundings.

“This airball is a wind-elemental peculiar item; it’s something I obtained in the Iceland. Affected by the howling gales of the Iceland, the airball unleashed bone-chilling freezing gales. The airball is pretty rare and precious, but it’s not as good as your Glacial Essence. As compensation, I’ll give you something else. What else do you have your eyes on?”

“I’m interested in a water jade.” Lu Ping smiled, anticipating the situation.

With a movement so quick that Lu Ping could barely see it, Tian-Xue retrieved a jade in her hand. “This is a water-elemental jade that has mutated twice. It’s extraordinary and is on par with the Grade 3 spirit materials. Together, the airball and this jade are equivalent to the value of your item.”

“Hey, little rascal, what else do you need? I have a couple of wonder items in my personal collection too. You can pick freely if you’re willing to exchange them for the Azure Spirit Fire.”

Tian-Hu knew Lu Ping was seeking various wonder items, especially after witnessing him exchanging the Eastern Violet Fire for the Spirit Fueled Mystical Heavenly Fire, and using a 3,000-year-old spirit herb to acquire a wonder item in the North Ocean Palace. Hence, Tian-Hu immediately tried to exchange goods with him.

The Azure Spirit Fire was a mystic-class spirit fire most suitable for pellet concoctions. With the help of a spiritual fire of the same tier, an early-Core Forging Realm cultivator could easily advance into the mid-Core Forging Realm. Additionally, their alchemy skills would also experience a tremendous boost, giving them a chance to achieve a sixth-grade Golden Core, allowing for an opportunity to enter the Law Avatar Realm.

After reflecting on it, Lu Ping turned down the offer, and replied, “Thank you, Great Ancestors, but I don’t think I have anything else that I need for now.”

Aside from his bloodline, the twelve nascent beads and the white lotus that hatched his Golden Core, the Seven Elemental Lightning Gourd could be considered one of his most important possessions. It was even far more important than the North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture that he cultivated. He did not want to risk exposing it just because of some wonder and peculiar items. After all, such an item was desired by many, especially when the item was a reputed one – a precious item in possession of the Prime Peng, the strongest among the Heaven Cleaving Seven Primes. The item was even crowned as the strongest in the cultivation world because of its previous owner’s title. However, no one was capable of unleashing its full potential ever since Prime Peng.

Tian-Hu nodded, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. On the other hand, Tian-Xue friendly protested, “What a cunning little fox you are!” Lu Ping excused himself and left the Frozen Mist Palace. After realizing that he hadn’t visited the island since his arrival, Lu Ping decided to visit the market now that he had the time.

Ever since becoming a master alchemist, especially after returning from the East Ocean, visiting the market to purchase necessary materials was no longer part of Lu Ping’s routine. Tasks like this were taken care of by disciples of the sect, and then the materials were all sent right to Lu Ping’s doorstep. This was the advantage of being supported by a powerful sect.

The enormous cultivation market took up three main streets and was crowded with a massive flow of cultivators. Lu Ping’s interest was piqued. He strolled along the streets and purchased various spirit materials, especially those used to make Blood Condensation Pellets. Rarer materials like 1,000-year-old spirit herbs were barely available despite being the region’s most famous and busy market. Lu Ping was not bothered and continued his shopping spree, purchasing as many rare materials as possible.

The shopping spree lasted for some time. Although rewarding, Lu Ping slowly lost interest. He had hoped he would stumble on precious items that no one had managed to identify, but it seemed like luck didn’t always favor a person.

Lu Ping thought of the common folks’ market, a market mixed with all sorts of things. While most of the items sold were fake and not authentic, there were still many surprises. Perhaps, a useless stone put up for sale that everyone thought was garbage would turn out to be precious and powerful. However, that was dependent on the knowledge that the cultivator possessed.

After walking around for some time, Lu Ping started heading north. The common market was not as organized and clean as the cultivator market. From vendors and thugs, to customers, the market was filled with all kinds of people. The stalls were set up in different areas in a very haphazard manner. People were conversing and shouting in various languages.

All this was no stranger to Lu Ping. He continued exploring the market while examining the goods in the stalls, looking around casually with a grin on his face.

When he walked past a narrow alley, Lu Ping darted into it in a blink of an eye. Seconds later, a young cultivator hurriedly arrived and entered the alley.

Just as the young man entered, he stopped, because he was welcomed by an empty alley.

“Looking for me?” A steady voice sounded out behind him. The chill coming from the voice caused the young cultivator’s heart to skip a beat.

The young cultivator hurriedly turned around. Lu Ping noticed a sense of familiarity from the young cultivator’s face. The young cultivator bowed and happily greeted, “Greetings, Master Lu. It’s me, Zeng Wu!”

“Zeng Wu? I don’t recall meeting you, so why the formalities?” Lu Ping asked with surprise.

Zeng Wu stood up straight, and with an excited expression, he explained, “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but we once met on the Qiu Yun Island. I was the young man you hired. I wanted to thank you for the pellet and spirit stone you rewarded me with back then. Thanks to you, I am who I am today!”

A moment of realization struck Lu Ping. When he was still a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator, after returning to Qiu Yun Island from the region controlled by the monsters, he hired a young man in the Blood Refining Realm as a tour guide. Afterwards, he gifted him with some spirit stones and pellets. He hadn’t expected the young man to eventually become the mid-Blood Condensation Realm cultivator standing before him.

Lu Ping waved his hand dismissively, and said, “Don’t mention it. Destiny brought us together. I merely gave you a little help.”

“What you did may have only been a small help from your point of view, but it mattered a lot to me, Master Lu. If it weren’t for your help, I would probably still be an insignificant Blood Refining Realm cultivator.”

Not willing to dwell on the matter, Lu Ping did not say anything else and started observing Zeng Wu after realizing that his foundation was surprisingly solid. His strength was not very pure, but its sharp presence suggested he was a frequent visitor of dangerous lands. “Which sect did you join, Zeng Wu?” Lu Ping asked.

“Master Lu, I didn’t join any sect. I’ve accustomed myself to a life free of bindings. That alone is enough to have the sects avoid recruiting me. I’ve been making a living by hunting monsters with my friends. In fact, we’re here to dispose of our trophies. Then, I saw you. I wanted to thank you for your help, but I ended up creating a misunderstanding instead.”

Lu Ping chuckled in response. He knew Zeng Wu was speaking the truth as he had captured no ill intentions from his soul. Lu Ping said, “Where are your friends? Are they in the market too? I’m planning on taking another look at the common folk market, so I might as well take a look at your trophies.”

“This way, please,” Zeng Wu hurriedly spoke with his lips curled up.

Zeng Wu led the way while Lu Ping chuckled indifferently as he eyed his departing silhouette.