Chapter 73: Didn't Check the Almanac

Very quickly, the group arrived at the open ground outside the house, following local customs by sitting on the ground.

Aside from the group of cultivators, whether known or unknown, dozens of worldly martial arts experts with thick auras also excitedly crowded around to watch the spectacle.

Song Qingshi first took out a Yujia and smiled, "As the host, I shall cast a brick to attract jade. This is a second-tier demon bone that a Daoist Friend from the Five Thunder Sect entrusted me to help sell a month ago. Everyone, please take a look."

As he spoke, Song Qingshi flicked his hand lightly, the spirit box popped open, and a spindle-shaped red demon bone the size of a palm appeared before everyone.

Feeling the intense aura radiating from the demon bone, the onlookers let out a gasp of admiration.

Xu Chen used his Divine Sense to examine it carefully, then nodded and said, "It is indeed a fine demon bone, but I wonder how Valley Master Song intends to sell it? Also, I would like to ask Valley Master Song: since we last parted, how are Daoist Friends Zhou Ding and Sikong Qing of the Five Thunder Sect doing now?"

Song Qingshi's expression immediately turned sorrowful as he said, "This demon bone is here for that very reason. Daoist Friend Zhou is fine, just suffering from flesh wounds which have already healed, but Fairy Sikong suffered severe bodily damage, and her meridians were also heavily injured and have yet to recover. The Five Thunder Sect brought out this demon bone hoping to exchange it for some spirit pills or spirit medicines to repair her meridians. But as Daoist Friend Xu knows, not many cultivators come to our Wild Wolf Valley for trade, and the immortal treasures traded are of low quality. Spirit pills and medicines of this level are rare, so it has remained unsold. Today, having the good fortune to meet you two and the three Daoist Friends from the Taihua Sect, I brought it out specifically to see if any of you have suitable spirit pills or medicines on hand."

Xu Chen could not help but glance at Zhao Xuan, noticing that her expression was also slightly dejected, so he shook his head and said, "I am truly sorry. If the meridian damage is severe, ordinary spirit pills and medicines will be of no use. Although the Taiyuan Sect has some such pills, I cannot guarantee they would be effective. Therefore, it seems we are not fated to have this demon bone."

The three cultivators from the Taihua Sect also nodded along, and Ma Xiuping said, "Indeed, if the meridians are severely damaged, they are the most troublesome to repair. We do not have any effective spirit pills or medicines either."

Song Qingshi sighed with a bitter smile and shook his head, "Very well, I was only helping out. Since that is the case, I have some other ordinary spirit materials and medicines here. If you find anything you like, just give me some Spirit Stones or pills!"

As he spoke, Song Qingshi had someone bring several wooden boxes from the wooden house and opened them one by one. Indeed, they contained common, ordinary spirit medicines and some first-tier spirit materials. The fluctuations of Spirit Qi were weak or strong, but overall, they were of little value.

However, among them were several types of medicinal ingredients for refining Small Yuan Pills and Great Origin Pills, which were worth acquiring.

Therefore, Xu Chen said, "It just so happens that I came to Wild Wolf Valley this time to collect more low-tier spirit medicines for alchemy. These of Valley Master Song's are just right."

Song Qingshi was surprised and said, "So Daoist Friend Xu is also proficient in alchemy?"

Xu Chen shook his head and smiled, "Not proficient, just a hobby. I have only just begun to learn, and at present, I can only refine Small Yuan Pills and ordinary first-grade spirit pills."

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with respect and began to offer compliments.

Alchemy and artifact refining are the two most popular professions in the Immortal World, but there are not many people who have the talent or the willingness to learn, because both are extremely time-consuming and energy-draining.

For cultivators of the same aptitude, refining pills once takes half a day or a full day, but others can use this time to focus on cultivation. In the short term, the difference might not be great, but over a long period of accumulation, a large gap in cultivation progress will emerge.

And the higher the cultivation level, the wider this gap will become.

Therefore, in the Immortal World, many only treat alchemy and artifact refining as hobbies, and they learn them mainly for their own use. They rarely treat them as a profession, unless it is someone like the Third Elder, who clearly has no hope of advancing further and is willing to sacrifice for others, focusing on seeking benefits for the sect's disciples.

As for a cultivator like Xu Chen who has a sect heritage, even if alchemy is just a hobby, he is absolutely worth befriending; perhaps one day they might need to beg him for help.

Song Qingshi quickly picked out all the spirit medicines and spirit grasses that could be used for alchemy, placed them in a wooden box, and said, "Since Daoist Friend Xu needs them, I dare not call this a trade. I will gift them to you as a congratulatory present."

Xu Chen hurriedly waved his hands and said, "How could I accept that? Although these spirit medicines are common, they are not easy to collect. I will purchase them at market price. I wonder if Valley Master Song wants pills or Spirit Stones?"

After Song Qingshi refused repeatedly, insisting on gifting them, Xu Chen was unwilling to take them for nothing. Finally, Zhao Xuan spoke up, "Valley Master Song, there is no need for this. Wild Wolf Valley and the Taiyuan Sect are neighbors, and there will be many opportunities for interaction in the future. Fair trade is the most reasonable approach, so as to avoid difficulties in future dealings."

Song Qingshi could no longer insist, so he calculated the price at three Spirit Stones and, looking quite embarrassed, expressed that it would be best to settle it in pills.

Xu Chen took out a bottle of Small Yuan Pills and handed it to him, saying, "This is perfect. These are Small Yuan Pills I refined a few days ago. Although the quality is not high, they are still passable. Let us exchange with these!"

Song Qingshi took the medicine bottle, opened it, and took a look. He was overjoyed and said, "These pills are full of Spirit Qi. In this way, I have taken a great advantage."

A group of cultivators could not help but step forward to watch, and some even took a pill to sniff and taste it, discovering that the quality was indeed superior. One by one, they were all surprised and excited. Even Ma Xiuping could not help but say, "I wonder if Daoist Friend Xu has any more Small Yuan Pills on hand? We would also like to trade for some."

Xu Chen smiled and took out four more jade bottles from his Storage Bag, saying, "I only have three bottles of Small Yuan Pills at the moment, and I also have one bottle of Great Origin Pills. As long as you Daoist Friends can produce spirit medicines or spirit grasses suitable for refining Great Origin Pills and Small Yuan Pills, feel free to trade."

Thereupon, the three cultivators from the Taihua Sect hurriedly opened their personal parcels and soon took out dozens of various medicinal ingredients. Indeed, most were common ingredients for refining these two types of pills. After another round of discussion and pricing, the three traded for two bottles of Small Yuan Pills. Additionally, Ma Xiuping took out five Spirit Stones and some more medicinal ingredients to trade for half a bottle of Great Origin Pills.

The remaining few loose cultivators who often wandered in Wild Wolf Valley also took out their own reserves and pooled them together to trade for one bottle of Small Yuan Pills.

Finally, Song Qingshi could not resist the temptation of the Great Origin Pills and took out the eight Spirit Stones he had painstakingly saved to trade for the remaining half bottle of Great Origin Pills Xu Chen had.

This practice of trading for ordinary Qi Replenishing Pills in small, scattered amounts might look ridiculous to large and medium-sized immortal sects, but for small sects and loose cultivators, it is the most normal thing.

Xu Chen understood this practice very well; after all, people from the Taiyuan Sect often did this too, and it was not shameful at all.

After the lively trading concluded, Xu Chen had harvested a large pile of spirit medicines and spirit grasses. With a wave of his hand, he stored them all into his Storage Bag. Such an act left the group filled with envy.

Although the Storage Bag is the most common Magic Treasure in the Immortal World, its price is not cheap. One costs at least a hundred Spirit Stones, which is considered an extremely luxurious item for the disciples of the Taiyuan Sect. Most of those in the Immortal World who can afford one are cultivators above the Zhenyuan Realm. For this group of loose cultivators who are only in the Kaiyuan Realm, they can only look on with envy and jealousy, as they simply cannot afford one.

"Look, more Daoist Friends have arrived!"

Just as the group finished trading and Xu Chen and Zhao Xuan were preparing to return to the mountain, two streaks of Escape Light suddenly whistled in from the northwest and quickly landed in the valley. As they landed, the two sword lights retracted into the Sword Boxes on their backs.

However, upon seeing the newcomers, both Xu Chen and Zhao Xuan had strange expressions.

The arrivals were a man and a woman.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with a slender figure, delicate features, a black dress, and long hair. Her temperament was cold and peerless.

The man appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a green robe. He was handsome and dashing, with a slightly aloof expression.

"Where is the Wild Wolf Valley Master?" the man asked in a flat voice as the two landed.

But the woman in the black dress had her gaze fixed on Xu Chen and Zhao Xuan. Instantly, a murderous aura soared into the sky, and her vital energy rolled toward the crowd like a surging tide.

"Would the two Daoist Friends please hold off?"

Song Qingshi was so scared his face turned pale. He hurriedly released his vital energy to resist the incoming aura and called out loudly.

"Hmph, the two from the Taiyuan Sect stay, everyone else get lost!"

The woman in black, her face like frost, strode forward. Her thick aura billowed out, instantly pushing Song Qingshi, Ma Xiuping, and the others back several yards. Two loose cultivators who had just entered the Kaiyuan Realm were even knocked to the ground, scrambling up in a disheveled and panicked retreat.

"Zhenyuan Realm?" Song Qingshi was shocked, and the remaining cultivators also showed expressions of fear.

Ma Xiuping and the other two seemed to recognize the identities of the newcomers through their clothing. Their expressions changed drastically, and before the woman could even get close, they hurriedly retreated another few yards, watching with suspicion and uncertainty.

Xu Chen stood in front of Zhao Xuan, his protective vital energy rolling out, barely managing to stand firm. At the same time, he felt a powerful Divine Sense rush directly into his Sea of Consciousness, but it was completely blocked and bounced off upon encountering the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, having no effect on his Soul.

Fortunately, the woman in black seemed to be targeting him alone; Zhao Xuan did not suffer a Divine Sense attack. Therefore, Xu Chen breathed a sigh of relief, his face twitching as he said coldly, "I wondered who it was; so it is two Daoist Friends from Yuqing Hall. I do not know what business you have coming to my Taiyuan Sect to act wildly. Do you wish to incite a war between immortal sects?"

The woman's expression was icy. She gritted her teeth and said word by word, "You are the Xu Chen who injured my Master and killed my Senior Brother Liang Feng. Today is your death day!"

Xu Chen sighed, thinking he hadn't checked the almanac before coming down the mountain today, but he stood his ground without fear and said, "This is not Yuqing Hall, nor is it Jingshi. Today I stand here waiting for you to kill me. If you dare not, then get lost early. Our Taiyuan Sect does not welcome you!"

"You..." The woman in black was furious. Her Sword Box emitted a clear chime, and a Flying Sword soared into the air, turning into a streak of light that headed straight for Xu Chen's neck.

"That crazy woman is actually doing it for real!"

Xu Chen was panicked inside, but he was certain she would not dare to kill him, so he bit the bullet and did not move.

Besides, even if he wanted to control his sword to counterattack, it was already too late.

Not to mention that his strength did not allow for it.

However, waiting for death was never his creed, so his Divine Sense began to frantically communicate with the Blue Jade Bead.

Zhao Xuan stood to the side without making the slightest move, appearing instead calm and composed.

This woman in black was far too arrogant.

But since even Qingyunzi, who was at the middle stage of the Danyuan Realm, had been knocked unconscious by Xu Chen using a wondrous Soul Magic Spell, the little junior brother naturally had ten thousand ways to capture a mere early-stage Zhenyuan Realm cultivator with ease.

A woman like this would be best beaten into an idiot in one go.

For some reason, a look of anticipation appeared on Zhao Xuan's face.

(End of this chapter)