Chapter 269: Feng You Gui Zao

This black fruit pit resembled a spirit jujube, radiating not only extreme yin energy but also astonishing spiritual energy.

Qin Ming carefully held it in his hand and examined it for a long time, when suddenly a name for a spiritual plant flashed through his mind.

"Feng You Gui Zao!"

"I never expected it to be this thing! Hahaha!"

Qin Ming's face broke into a look of pure delight.

"How's that, Master? Didn't I tell you right?"

"There really is something good inside, hehehe!"

"But what exactly is this Feng You Gui Zao?"

Shi Tian Shu had never seen Qin Ming this happy before and immediately rushed to claim credit, hoping that in his joy, Qin Ming might reward him with another Hua Ling Yao Guo.

If that happened,

it would bring him one step closer to restoring his full cultivation base.

"Feng You Gui Zao is a second-rank supreme-grade spiritual plant. For ghosts and ghost cultivators, it is an ultimate treasure—equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Pill for human cultivators," Qin Ming said slowly.

Shi Tian Shu had never imagined such a humble plant could have such a grand origin, capable of greatly boosting the cultivation of ghosts and ghost cultivators.

"Congratulations, Master, on acquiring this treasure. Er… but while it's excellent, doesn't it benefit cultivators far less than ghost cultivators?"

Qin Ming replied: "It may not be useful to others, but for me… hehe."

He did not elaborate further, leaving Shi Tian Shu utterly confused.

Qin Ming did not continue because it involved a secret technique from the "Yuan Sha Zhong Mo Zhen Jing," called the "Zhong Sha Jue."

This technique requires the spiritual corpse of a ghost as fertilizer; after planting the Feng You Gui Zao pit, it can condense and gather the yin-evil energy within, and once the fruit matures, it can Ningju into several drops of Xuan Sha Ling Ye within its core.

And this "Xuan Sha Ling Ye" is one of the rarest spiritual substances for a cultivator attempting Core Formation.

It increases the chance of Core Formation by one and a half percent.

Just thinking of this substance sent Qin Ming's spirit into a frenzy.

As for the spiritual corpse of a ghost, though hard to find, it should still be obtainable.

Qin Ming took out a wooden box and stored the Feng You Gui Zao pit inside.

Then he said to Shi Tian Shu: "You did well in this matter. I'll credit you for it."

"Thank you, Master's praise! Then this… Hua Ling Yao Guo?" Shi Tian Shu's tail nearly shot straight up in excitement.

Qin Ming knew exactly what it was thinking. He immediately changed the subject: "By the way, have you cracked the ancient magic treasure fragment?"

"Hehe! I was just about to tell you—after a full day and night of effort, I've removed all the seals within the fragment."

"But what's inside… surprised me."

Shi Tian Shu handed the bronze mirror back to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming took it and saw that, after the seals were removed, half a gauze-thin silk lay inside, inscribed with an extremely advanced method for refining a magic treasure embryo.

Too bad… the other half was missing.

It must be on the other half of the bronze mirror.

"Just finding half the mirror was already incredible luck—searching for the other half would be like looking for a needle in an ocean."

Qin Ming looked at this secret technique and could not pretend he wasn't tempted.

He had just unlocked the 【Spirit Plant Treasure】 term, and he could now use it to refine the already spirit-infused Void Bamboo into a magic treasure embryo and plant it into his life-root spiritual plant, Yin Yang Xuan Teng.

"That's a magic treasure…"

…

With the other half of the bronze mirror missing, Qin Ming could only search as best he could, without promising he'd ever find it—it would depend on luck.

The next day.

Qin Ming left the inn, found a secluded spot, and restored his true appearance. Then he headed toward the Dan Ding Pavilion in the core district.

Along the way, his ears were filled with talk of yesterday's shocking feat by "Long Dao Ren."

It made this legendary cultivator from the Wei Kingdom even more renowned.

From street stalls to teahouses and taverns, everyone was discussing it.

Even the Foundation Establishment ranking board at the entrance of Canghai Xiancheng had been updated with the Wei Kingdom's Foundation Establishment cultivator rankings.

Long Dao Ren's name now sat proudly at the top.

Qin Ming could only smile helplessly.

Half a cup of tea later.

He arrived at the Dan Ding Pavilion and stepped inside.

The moment he entered the hall, he encountered an old acquaintance.

"Oh! Comrade Qin! Long time no see!"

"Comrade Xue! It's been a while!"

The man greeting him was Xue Zhili, an elder of Canghai Xiancheng.

When Qin Ming had first broken through to Foundation Establishment, he had attended a gathering organized by Xue Zhili.

Later, when leaving the city, he had encountered Lin Zi Xiao lying in wait for Gu Huai and others—those memories still stirred his emotions.

"Comrade Qin has come! It's been so long—I've missed you dearly," Xu Jing said, having just been speaking with Xue Zhili. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she greeted him warmly.

"Hehe! What a coincidence today."

"I happen to have something I think you'll find interesting, Comrade Qin," Xue Zhili said with a smile.

Qin Ming replied in surprise: "Oh? Has Comrade Xue organized another exchange gathering?"

"Hehe, yes. This gathering will be larger than usual. Let's go upstairs and discuss it," Xue Zhili said.

Xu Jing then led Qin Ming and Xue Zhili up to a private room on the third floor.

"This time, the gathering is different from before," Xue Zhili said bluntly.

"It will be held at the Fangcun Mountain marketplace, conducted as a black-market trade."

"Comrade Qin, are you interested in attending?"

Qin Ming frowned: "Isn't Fangcun Mountain marketplace already occupied by demonic beasts?"

"The demonic beasts in that region were cleared out by the Xiancheng's cultivators two years ago, but the marketplace was destroyed, and Lei Yuanzong has no interest in managing it."

"Over time, all kinds of people gathered there, and now it's become a black market," Xue Zhili explained.

Qin Ming suddenly understood—he never imagined that once the Wei Kingdom's largest marketplace would sink into a black market.

Black markets are filled with all sorts of cultivators; you can buy not only common goods but also many illicit items.

Such as treasures stolen from murdered cultivators, or items of dubious origin.

Of course, precisely because of this, rare items rarely seen on the open market often appear there.

Qin Ming pondered for a moment—he felt black-market trading outside was too unstable.

Moreover, Xue Zhili's gatherings were always deadly; after the last exchange, three people died. So he told Xue Zhili: "Hehe! Comrade Xue, I have urgent matters to attend to—I'm afraid I can't join."

Moreover, the gatherings organized by Xue Zhili are always Shengsiju; after the exchange fair ended, three people died—so he said to Xue Zhili: "Heh! Brother Xue, I'm currently occupied with urgent matters and fear I cannot attend."

Xue Zhili was stunned—he hadn't expected Qin Ming to refuse.

"Comrade Qin, this black-market trade has many valuable items. All participants are top-tier Foundation Establishment cultivators. There's no need to worry about safety."

"Brother Qin, this black market trade has many fine items, and those joining us are all elite Foundation Establishment cultivators—the safety issue requires no concern."

(End of Chapter)