Chapter 413

"How many immortal crystals per drop?" Ding Huan asked.

"I'll give you a hundred…" The clerk named a number he himself felt embarrassed about.

This spirit herb fluctuates wildly in price within the Immortal World.

To sell billion-year sea marrow must mean you're desperately poor and urgently need immortal crystals; otherwise, no one would part with something like this.

This is the perfect moment to lowball.

Ding Huan turned to look at Tao Xiaomei: "This is the 'respectable' merchant hall you mentioned? One drop of billion-year sea marrow for only a hundred immortal crystals?"

Even if Ding Huan didn't know the market, he knew something capable of healing a Jin Xian's grave injuries couldn't possibly be worth so little.

Ding Huan didn't let the clerk ramble further; he said calmly, "Two thousand immortal crystals per drop. I have two drops. Take it or I'll go elsewhere."

He didn't know the true price per drop of billion-year sea marrow, but he was certain it was far more than a hundred.

He'd originally planned to sell five drops; the stuff was useful to him too, and this price was utterly beneath his notice.

"A thousand. I'll give you a thousand per drop." The clerk, hearing Ding Huan's offer, realized Ding Huan had no idea of the market.

Ding Huan sighed—he knew he'd quoted too low.

Elsewhere, he'd have raised his bid to ten thousand without hesitation; here, raising it would invite trouble.

Ding Huan turned and walked away.

Sure enough, the clerk called out to him: "Fine. Two thousand it is."

Ding Huan said nothing, placing a jade vial on the counter.

The clerk reached out to grab it; Ding Huan snatched the vial back: "Use your spiritual sense to inspect it. Don't touch it with your hands."

Even without Ding Huan's warning, the clerk's spiritual sense had already scanned the vial and confirmed it contained two drops of billion-year sea marrow.

He pulled out four thousand immortal crystals and handed them to Ding Huan: "Here's four thousand. Take it."

Ding Huan snatched the crystals and turned to leave.

"I'm sorry, Brother Ding, that clerk just ripped you off. I didn't know how much billion-year sea marrow was worth." Tao Xiaomei, who had been watching, apologized—it was she who had brought him in.

There's no fixed price for this stuff, because anyone who possesses it would never sell it in the Immortal World.

Ding Huan smiled: "There's more than just one clerk inside. The ones you know might be decent—it's just this one who's terrible."

He then pulled out a ring filled with fifteen hundred immortal crystals and handed it to Tao Xiaomei:

"Let's exchange communication beads. I'm taking Sister Wen somewhere important—go rent a large shop first. We'll come find you in a few days."

"Yes, Brother Ding, rest assured—I'll find you a great shop!" Tao Xiaomei beamed, deeply grateful that Ding Huan trusted her.

After bidding farewell to Ding Huan and Wen Zhixi, Tao Xiaomei hurried toward Genggu Marketplace.

She knew well—even though Genggu Marketplace's shared cave dwellings were common, they'd soon be impossible to rent.

"Brother Ding, shall we head straight to Genggu Immortal Tower to find Chiyunu Sect?" Wen Zhixi asked after Tao Xiaomei left.

Ding Huan shook his head: "You can't go to Chiyunu Sect yet."

"Why?" Wen Zhixi didn't understand.

Ding Huan whispered: "You're an Immortal Spirit Body. The moment you step foot there, you'll be exposed. Once they know you're an Immortal Spirit Body, I doubt you'll stay safe—you might lose your life inside Chiyunu Sect."

Ding Huan knew well the tragic fate of Jia Baihe—he wouldn't let Wen Zhixi risk that.

Wen Zhixi recalled what Tao Xiaomei had said about Rong Rong Xiyu, the consort of the Thirteen Dao Sect's leader; Rong Rong Xiyu wasn't even an Immortal Spirit Body, yet she met a terrible end—what would happen to her?

"But if I join Chiyunu Sect, my Immortal Spirit Body will inevitably be revealed," Wen Zhixi couldn't help saying.

Ding Huan sighed inwardly—he didn't understand why Wen Zhixi wanted to join an immortal sect; in truth, her condition made her utterly unsuitable for such a path.

Except, of course, if her father had founded his own sect.

Suddenly, Wen Zhixi realized something, and her eyes welled with tears.

Her father had sent her to join Chiyunu Sect to save her mother.

She didn't believe her father hadn't foreseen the possible fate awaiting her—perhaps in his eyes, even if she died, her mother would be saved?

Her life in exchange for her mother's was acceptable.

She refused to dwell on these thoughts, forcing them from her mind.

Ding Huan smiled: "If you hadn't met me, that might be true—but now that you have, anything is possible. Come, we can't speak freely here—let's leave the city first."

…

At this moment, Wen Zhixi admired Ding Huan as deeply as Jia Baihe once had.

Previously, in her eyes, her father was the greatest; now, she increasingly felt Ding Huan surpassed him in every way.

Ding Huan took Wen Zhixi far from Genggu Immortal City, then set up a Hidden Spirit Immortal Array, followed by a Concealment Immortal Array, before implanting a low-grade Immortal Spirit Vein.

As for a Spirit Gathering Immortal Array, he dared not set one up.

"Zhixi, you know my cultivation art is extraordinary—I have a way to conceal your Immortal Spirit Body, but you must cooperate with me," Ding Huan said.

Some things he didn't say, but he felt it didn't matter.

After all, when Wen Zhixi was critically injured, he had already helped her strip away the muddled Dao rhythms from her body.

At least in his eyes, Wen Zhixi had no secrets to hide.

He was willing to help her because he admired her.

This woman had the most stable emotions he'd ever seen—never hysterical, always calm and rational.

Wen Zhixi immediately understood; without hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

If anyone else claimed they could conceal an Immortal Spirit Body, she'd dismiss it as nonsense and suspect them of trying to take advantage of her.

The Immortal Spirit Body is innate—present from birth—and impossible to conceal.

But Ding Huan wouldn't lie—he said he could do it, so he could. Besides, even if he couldn't, he wasn't the type to take advantage of her.

If Ding Huan wanted to take advantage of her, he'd have done so long ago.

Moreover, since that time he saved her life, she had unconditionally trusted him.

"Good. Now sit beside me. When I cultivate, I'll bring you into my great Dao technique's Zhou Tian.

Feel my great Dao technique, then memorize it. Pay special attention to the insights into the laws within—memorize them clearly."

As Ding Huan spoke, his finger had already touched the spot between Wen Zhixi's brows.

Once the Grand Cosmos Art's Zhou Tian was constructed, Wen Zhixi was shocked to discover that her understanding of the Heaven and Earth great Dao's rules had become so clear.

Last time when Ding Huan helped her, she was still unconscious and had no real concept of it.

This time she truly felt the might of Ding Huan's great Dao—no wonder Ding Huan was so formidable.

Beneath Ding Huan's great Dao Zhou Tian, she could feel the rules of Heaven and Earth and the laws of all things so clearly—wouldn't Ding Huan feel them even more clearly?

Wen Zhixi didn't know what the most powerful great Dao in this world was. Now she had an answer in her heart—Ding Huan's great Dao was the strongest great Dao in the cosmos.

Cultivating this kind of great Dao, there would absolutely be no bottlenecks.

Before, she had no intuitive concept of how Ding Huan could find the Immortal Spirit Spring Eyes. This time she had a direct feeling of it.

If she were to search for Immortal Spirit Spring Eyes in this state, she was certain she could find one before long.

If it weren't for needing to save her mother, she would absolutely be willing to follow Ding Huan and cultivate together, rather than choosing to join the Chiyunu Sect.

After ten Zhou Tian cycles, Wen Zhixi delightedly discovered she could conceal the existence of her Immortal Spirit Dao Body by altering her own technique.

To put it plainly, it was also very simple—just the application of Dao rhyme laws. The key was whether you could comprehend these laws.

This was simply as unbelievable as a dream.

Wen Zhixi was very clear—no matter how good her aptitude, she had no qualification to modify techniques.

Yet now her understanding of her own technique's operating rules and all Dao rhyme laws couldn't be any clearer.

At this moment, how could Wen Zhixi not know that Ding Huan wanted her to modify her own great Dao technique?

Wen Zhixi no longer hesitated, and even more decisively ran her own technique, simultaneously beginning to modify the technique's Zhou Tian.

She didn't know how long had passed. When Wen Zhixi awoke with a start, her cultivation had reached the peak Immortal Sovereign realm.

And the Grand Origin Mystic Dao she cultivated had long been modified beyond recognition—one could say that apart from the name, it bore no resemblance to the original technique.

Wen Zhixi understood in her heart that the Grand Origin Mystic Dao she now cultivated had been elevated by several grades compared to the previous Grand Origin Mystic Dao.

With a thought, the Immortal Spirit Dao Body was completely concealed.

Wen Zhixi excitedly opened her eyes and looked at Ding Huan: "Thank you, Brother Ding. Thank you for modifying my technique for me, and for concealing my Immortal Spirit Dao Body."

Wen Zhixi was very clear that Ding Huan could have also done these things for her directly.

Ding Huan did it to eliminate any future trouble, not hesitating to bring her to comprehend his own technique, and even teaching her hand-in-hand how to modify techniques.

Only a technique modified according to one's own great Dao technique's characteristics was the most suitable for oneself.

"We've gone through hardships together for so long, and you've saved me more than once. Saying thank you again would be treating me like an outsider." Ding Huan smiled brilliantly.

"Brother Ding, I believe that even if there are experts stronger than an Immortal King, they won't be able to detect my Immortal Spirit Dao Body." Wen Zhixi said confidently.

Ding Huan said: "Have confidence, but be even more cautious. When doing anything, give it your all and achieve absolute certainty."

"Mm, I understand." Wen Zhixi nodded.

Ding Huan said: "Concealing your Immortal Spirit Dao Body only keeps you safe; it won't give you more certainty in entering the Chiyunu Sect. I'll teach you array Dao as well."

"I'm already a third-rank Immortal Array Master." Wen Zhixi hurriedly said.

Ding Huan shook his head: "A third-rank Immortal Array Master is still considered top-tier in the Fourth Immortal Domain, but here, it can only be said to be decent. It's not enough to make the Chiyunu Sect look at you differently."

"But I know my own situation—within a short time I definitely won't be able to step into the fourth-rank Immortal Array Master ranks." Wen Zhixi knew her comprehension of array Dao couldn't compare to Ding Huan's.

"So I'm not asking you to step into the fourth-rank Immortal Array Master, but to have you learn Void Array Patterns. With this skill, I believe it should be about enough." Ding Huan said confidently.

(Fellow Daoists, good night. It's the last day of September—requesting monthly ticket support!)