Chapter 306: Herbal King Cauldron, Taiyin Star!

Chen Mu descended and stepped into the hall.

The interior of the hall was extraordinarily spacious, its dome towering high, as if containing a miniature starry sky.

At this moment, the hall was utterly silent, empty of all people.

Only dozens of massive jade pillars, each requiring several men to encircle, stood like pillars holding up the heavens throughout the hall.

These jade pillars were called "Star Pillars," their surfaces shimmering with flowing light; some engraved details of items for trade, others posted requests for assistance.

These notices were not only illustrated with text and images, but even preserved brief dynamic video fragments—techniques of astonishing magic, far surpassing the outside world.

Chen Mu swiftly scanned several Star Pillars, then walked straight toward a testing platform on one side of the hall.

He took out his Star Token and pressed it against a sunken stone plate on the platform, perfectly shaped to match it, then infused it with true energy to activate the platform.

"Hum…"

The platform's surface shimmered with flowing light; after roughly three breaths, the Star Token was gently ejected by a soft force.

Chen Mu reached out and caught it, returning it to his robe.

Now he only needed to wait—the Star Palace would send someone to verify his destruction of the Money Gang.

The wait might be long, so Chen Mu began pacing slowly through the hall, his gaze fixed on the trade listings displayed on the Star Pillars.

As for accepting missions?

Chen Mu had no intention of doing so—for now.

Most existing Star Gods were at the Tiangong realm; if even they could not complete or needed help with a mission, for Chen Mu, a Foundation Altar cultivator, to intervene rashly would be no different from seeking death.

Of course, not all missions involved combat, but out of caution, Chen Mu decided to observe first.

As he examined each Star Pillar, the purchase requests varied wildly: rare refining materials, ancient pill formulas, specific beast core crystals.

Suddenly, Chen Mu's gaze locked onto one particular Star Pillar, unable to look away.

On this pillar, a Star God was seeking to purchase a cauldron.

The pillar clearly displayed an image of the cauldron: three-legged, ancient in design, its body engraved with intricate patterns and motifs, accompanied by detailed textual descriptions of its general features.

Chen Mu stared at the image, growing increasingly familiar with it.

The next instant, his mind stirred sharply—he sank his awareness into his palm space and retrieved a three-legged cauldron, placing it on the ground.

He compared the physical object to the image on the Star Pillar—

Indeed, identical! Not a single detail differed!

"So this cauldron is called the 'Herbal King Cauldron,'" Chen Mu realized inwardly, pondering the name carefully.

This three-legged cauldron had been acquired by him long ago in Nan Yun Prefecture, taken from the ruins of the Three Perfections Valley, which had been wiped out; it was the treasured artifact of the Three Perfections Valley.

Back then, he had sensed its uniqueness, but never imagined its origins were so grand—it could draw a public purchase request from a Tiangong realm Star God!

The "Herbal King Cauldron" had been in Chen Mu's possession for a considerable time, yet he had never uncovered its purpose, leaving it idle at his side.

Looking ahead, he likely would never pursue a path dedicated to pill refining; this object held little use for him.

Yet for the final stage of reaching peak spiritual power, Chen Mu refused to wait years—should he complete it at the fastest possible speed, he would welcome it gladly.

The "Herbal King Cauldron" could be traded for the very item he urgently needed: something to enhance his spiritual power!

A rare opportunity!

Chen Mu immediately ceased hesitation, manipulated his Star Token, pressed it against a dedicated recess beneath the Star Pillar meant for accepting trade tasks, and infused it once more with true energy.

"Hum~!"

The Star Pillar trembled slightly; beside the request for the "Herbal King Cauldron," a tiny star emblem quietly appeared, signifying the trade had been claimed.

Chen Mu retrieved his Star Token and waited patiently within the hall.

Indeed, less than three minutes passed—

A masked figure clad in a starry robe shot into the hall as if teleporting, moving at blinding speed.

His velocity was so great it produced a faint sonic boom, revealing his profound cultivation.

After entering the hall, his gaze immediately sharpened, sweeping across the space before locking precisely onto Chen Mu, who stood beside the Star Pillar.

No—more accurately, onto the "Herbal King Cauldron" before Chen Mu.

"Swoosh!"

A faint rush of wind sounded; the figure appeared like a phantom, instantly materializing before Chen Mu, stopping beside the "Herbal King Cauldron."

The newcomer's figure was shrouded in a wide starry robe, his face masked with a pure white mask identical to Chen Mu's; only through the subtle resonance of the Star Token could one discern his title—

Taiyin Star.

Taiyin Star did not immediately take the cauldron; instead, she slightly bent forward, her gaze piercing through the mask as she examined the "Herbal King Cauldron" with extreme care.

Her eyes traced the stable, three-legged form, swept over every cloud pattern and motif on the cauldron's body, and even extended fingers sheathed in thin gloves to lightly sense, from the air, the faint yet unmistakable essence of herbs and the aura of accumulated time emanating from the cauldron.

After a moment, a clear, cold voice—carrying an unmistakable trace of suppressed delight—emerged from behind the mask.

"The 'Herbal King Cauldron' is authentic, without doubt. May I ask, Star Lord Wu Qu, what item do you seek in exchange?"

"Soul Jade!"

Chen Mu had already decided on his demand; he spoke directly, his voice muffled and low through the mask, "Highest-grade purple Soul Jade."

Soul Jade was a rare treasure for nurturing and enhancing spiritual power—essential for Foundation Altar cultivators to condense the Three Flowers atop their heads, and for Tiangong cultivators to refine their spiritual awareness; it was the ultimate hard currency.

Upon hearing this, Taiyin Star showed no surprise, replying promptly, "Agreed. How many pieces of purple Soul Jade does Star Lord Wu Qu require?"

"This…"

Chen Mu hesitated for an instant.

He had no clear sense of the "Herbal King Cauldron"'s exact value, nor did he know how much purple Soul Jade Taiyin Star possessed.

Rather than risk appearing inexperienced or causing offense with a reckless offer, he chose honesty.

Calmly, he declared, "Whatever you deem appropriate."

Taiyin Star, upon hearing this, clearly froze for a moment.

Clearly, she hadn't expected this newly appointed Wu Quxing to be so "generous," or rather… so trusting of her?

Or perhaps she truly didn't know the market value?

After a brief moment of surprise, Tai Yin Xing let out a light laugh, her crisp voice softening slightly.

"If Wu Quxing is so generous, Tai Yin cannot be stingy."

She paused briefly, then continued, "Five pieces. I currently have only five purple Soul Jade fragments. I'll trade you these five purple Soul Jade fragments, plus one opportunity for my assistance, for your 'Yaowang Ding.' What do you say, Wu Quxing?"

Five purple Soul Jade fragments!

This already exceeded Chen Mu's expectations.

Moreover, it came with the promise of one intervention from a Star Deity of the Heavenly Palace Realm!

This was undoubtedly a generous gift, demonstrating Tai Yin Xing's sincerity in acquiring the "Yaowang Ding."

Chen Mu didn't hesitate—he immediately nodded and replied cleanly and decisively.

"Deal!"