Chapter 393: Ink Sea in the Inkstone Becomes a Dragon Carp, Supreme Wisdom Summons the Past

Wang Longxiang swept his eyes across the room, taking in most of the treasures on the stone platforms. Seeing nothing that interested him, he turned his head quite naturally and shook it slightly at Qian Chen beside him. "This treasure gathering is just a monthly routine meeting, not the annual Chaotian Palace temple fair, nor the decennial Grand Treasure Gathering. These items aren't worth looking at... Only that gourd of Qi-spirit pills is somewhat interesting; it should be a rare item from the Supreme Dao. It's a pity one can tell it's a playful work by the alchemist, not a true supreme-grade spirit pill."

Qian Chen chuckled. With his current alchemy skills, if he were to refine a masterpiece with care, it should head straight for the level of Nine-Return Golden Pills and Nine-Turn Golden Pills.

Even though the Chaotian Palace market was dozens of times deeper than the Wuling market, it still couldn't hide such a large Kun.

Once a Nine-Turn Golden Pill appeared in the world, other Daoist sects might only mention it in passing, but the Doushuai Palace would definitely attach great importance to it.

The Supreme Alchemy Scripture was their lifeline! Even the Sect Master could not receive the true transmission; one had to attain the Nascent Soul realm to catch a glimpse of the original copy recorded on the Supreme Yin-Yang Fan.

If someone touched their lifeline, could they not jump up?

Qian Chen swept his spiritual sense across and indeed discovered that the hairpins, rings, beads, fans, and various weapons displayed on those stone platforms were mostly left-path artifacts at the level of the Dragon-Snake Yin-Sha Sword once refined by Daoist Zhen. Their quality could only be considered mediocre; most had only been refined with a dozen layers of seals.

For ordinary rogue cultivators, these were naturally precious artifacts cherished like their own lives, but for Qian Chen... Heaven have mercy, he had searched for a long time among the list of his many great enemies before digging Daoist Zhen out from a dark corner.

Since he began his journey, he had always been dealing with treasure-delivery boys at the level of Miaokong; slightly inferior artifacts were simply not presentable to Qian Chen.

"Cultivators nowadays are extremely restless; they are no longer willing to refine a single supernatural power or spell that can study the Great Dao. They only obsess over certain methods of refining artifacts, trying to refine a powerful artifact, then relying on it for self-protection, and even passing it down through generations, thinking it a supreme treasure. An artifact takes the painstaking work of several generations to refine, and it is most compatible with one's own cultivation technique; in the hands of one's own lineage, its power is several times greater!"

"As such, with most of one's combat power resting on the artifact in hand, how could one bear to sell it? Even if the essence of the artifact can no longer keep up with one's cultivation, it should be properly kept and passed on to a disciple."

Qian Chen nodded slightly, no longer surprised why there were only left-path artifacts with crude refining methods here. True masterpiece artifacts, which one was not related to one's own cultivation method? Taking the previous life as an example, the method commonly used in the Central Lands to refine artifacts was not equipment, but pets. Equipment would naturally be replaced, but there was no such thing as replacing a growing pet.

People like Daoist Zhen might still be able to trade for one or two useful artifacts here, but Qian Chen, who could pick and choose at any time in the Samsara Lord's trading ground—the top of all cosmic realms—did not think much of these.

The Land of Samsara had everything; except for being too expensive, it had no other flaws.

Qian Chen had originally held the idea of picking up a bargain. After all, the Central Lands were one of the cosmic realms, a dignified Earth Immortal Realm that had produced countless great beings. He had thought there might be two spirit treasures left behind by the Nine Heavens. Now, having seen the quality of the treasures here, he sighed slightly and stopped holding any hope.

Someone nearby heard Wang Longxiang's words. Because they also had an artifact on the stone platform, they felt dissatisfied. When they turned their head slightly to see who had such a big mouth,

seeing Wang Longxiang's crane-among-chickens demeanor and his "aloof" air, their heart skipped a beat—wasn't this Wang Longxiang of the twenty-eight characters of Shenzhou?

Excuse me, excuse me! You, the direct descendant of the Wang family, are right about everything!

And Qian Chen's slight nod in agreement drew contemptuous glances from some. Wang Longxiang could say that because the Wang family owned half the world, and the treasures in their home were countless. They had dozens of shops in this Chaotian Palace, and their daily turnover could buy half the artifacts here.

You, a character whose entire worth was no more than a hundred strings of cash and who carried a broken iron sword, what right do you have to agree?

"Brother Wang's vision is still too high!"

Qian Chen pointed to several stone platforms and said, "That, that... that, there are still a few things worth looking at. This Spring Water Orchid Basin should contain Essence of Kwei Water. With such a quantity, it must have been painstakingly collected for sixty years by a Core Formation True Person practicing water-element techniques before it could be refined into a porcelain basin. It is enough to refine a top-notch artifact! It must have been refining material the treasure owner originally prepared for their own artifact, and only because they were short of funds for a moment did they painfully part with it..."

A thin, tall cultivator nearby heard this, a flash of light in his eyes, and he smiled faintly, stroking his long beard with restraint.

But his hand stroking the beard was exerting slight force, tugging at the whiskers, and there was a faint, indescribable subtlety in his heart. He thought to himself, "This person has some insight! But this basin of Kwei Water Essence is something I spent over eighty years refining. How did he reduce it by twenty years the moment he opened his mouth?"

"And that water-blue treasure bead, it should be the inner core of a water-element monster beast from overseas. After a long time, the outer layer of the malevolent qi pill shell has turned into jade, which is how it looks now. I don't know who refined it into a Water-Gathering Bead, which can increase the power of water-element spells..." Qian Chen joked, "It's just that the power of this Water-Gathering Bead is mediocre; refining it is better than nothing. It would be better to use the steaming method to force out the pill essence and use it as an external pill for Core Formation. Although Core Formation this way only yields a lower-three-grade pill, it is still a stroke of fortune!"

Hearing this, the expressions of several senior cultivators nearby changed. But before they could bid, they saw a cultivator dressed as a wealthy squire hurriedly walk onto the stone platform and bow to the Core Formation elder presiding over the treasure gathering, saying, "I'm sorry, senior. I'm not selling this Water-Gathering Bead anymore!"

Someone below said anxiously, "This is unreasonable! Once something is brought to the platform, how can it be taken back?"

The elder frowned slightly, looked at him, and nodded, "The treasure gathering is a place for everyone to communicate. Even if you go back on your word, it does not violate the principles of this market. If you want to take back your treasure, this market has no reason to stop you!"

Having said that, he reached out and pointed, closing the seal on that stone platform.

The fat cultivator took back his treasure bead and heard the elder instruct, "Take his invitation... Since there is no treasure, there is no need to stay long!"

The rogue cultivator's face turned bitter, but looking at the treasure bead in his arms, he beamed with joy again. He immediately bowed to all sides, apologized, and was invited out. Everyone who saw this scene understood in their hearts that this was the organizer of the treasure gathering showing their attitude—due to the rules, it was not impossible for a treasure owner to withdraw a treasure, but since they had shown such disrespect to the treasure gathering, they shouldn't expect to be welcomed by the treasure gathering again.

Everyone looked at Qian Chen eagerly again, waiting for him to leak a few more bargains. But they were worried about being heard by others and losing the chance to pick up a bargain, feeling both happy and worried, wishing only that what Qian Chen said could be heard by them alone.

The next few items Qian Chen commented on were either materials needed by Core Formation cultivators to refine supreme-grade artifacts—at this level, it was too difficult to buy a satisfactory artifact, so the material trading market was quite prosperous. The same Essence of Kwei Water could be used in your hands to refine a Ten Thousand Water Entangling Silk Kerchief to trap the enemy, facilitating the preparation of that powerful but slow-to-activate spell. In my hands, it could also be refined into Cold Ice True Essence Liquid to amplify my ice-element spells.

Or they were curios for cultivators—the literary playthings of the cultivation world.

"This ink-washing ink carp is raised extremely well. Although its previous owner had weak cultivation, their literary talent and morality were both excellent, and they have already raised a sense of literary fortune! If it hadn't exhausted its origin to nourish the owner's lifespan, it should have already shown its horns and revealed strange signs, with the potential to become a dragon."

Qian Chen pointed to an inconspicuous inkstone, in which a carp with long, thin whiskers and a visibly aged appearance was weakly blowing bubbles.

This treasure couldn't even get on the stone platform and was just placed casually on a table, yet it was pointed out by Qian Chen.

Behind the table, the owner of the ink treasure was slightly ashamed. He was also dressed as a scholar, and his cultivation was just at the Aperture Opening stage, counting as the lowest among those present.

On the stone platform above, the elder presiding over the treasure gathering sighed slightly and said, "Master Hanhai's learning is indeed excellent. I often recite the poems he wrote for me... Sigh! Wenyuan, although your aptitude is good, you lack your father's character!"

The scholar lowered his head in shame, not daring to answer.

He grabbed the inkstone on the table and was about to run away. Wang Longxiang saw his hurried demeanor, which caused some ink in the inkstone to splash out, and couldn't help but frown slightly. He stepped forward to stop him and said, "My uncle loves calligraphy very much. Would you be willing to part with this ink treasure?"

The scholar stammered, "This treasure is cherished by my father... I cannot sell it cheaply!"

His ears were red, and he couldn't lift his head, but he still said firmly.

Wang Longxiang pulled a stack of Three Mountains talismans from his sleeve, about fifty in total. He glanced at the ink carp in the pool; the aged carp watched this scene calmly, and a sense of insight actually appeared in its dim, yellow eyes. Wang Longxiang sighed, stopped counting, and handed them all to the man.

The scholar took the many talismans and looked up in surprise. Wang Longxiang turned his head and said faintly, "It is worth that much!"

The scholar hurriedly took the talismans and stuffed the inkstone to Wang Longxiang.

Someone nearby whispered, "Even if it's an ink treasure that has already become a dragon, it's not worth that much. Wang Longxiang must have taken a fancy to Master Hanhai's morality and articles, which is why he bought this ink treasure at a high price... What a pity, a tiger father and a dog son!"

The middle-aged scholar had already run out of the stone room, but hearing this, he couldn't help but look back and say, "Morality and articles, no matter how well they are done? Can they grant longevity? My father's character was praised by everyone all his life, but wasn't he still unable to become an official? The salary of a daily clerk wasn't even enough to support himself, let alone support my cultivation!"

"In the temples, the high families eat the salary. Between the court and the wild, the cultivators are respected!"

He was so excited that his face turned red, and he said, "What is the use of such precious character? It is better to cultivate... Today everyone looks down on me. I will just wait for you all at the Core Formation stage!"

Everyone who heard this was both angry and amused, but they still cast their eyes toward Wang Longxiang. Other things could be jokes, but those words attacking the powerful families and mocking the noble clans, falling into the ears of the current greatest noble clan, the Langya Wang family, what would be the consequences?

As long as Wang Longxiang frowned, someone would secretly follow him and take his life to please the Wang family. But Wang Longxiang was just calm, even deliberately showing the demeanor of a high family.

Qian Chen could feel that Wang Longxiang was not pretending, but only by doing so, letting people think he valued face, would no one be smart enough to kill someone to please the Wang family.

Likewise, everyone said that Wang Longxiang valued the learning and character of the inkstone's former owner, Master Hanhai, but Qian Chen had a feeling that the reason Wang Longxiang bought the inkstone was not because of Master Hanhai, but because he heard that the ink carp had spared no origin in the late years of Hanhai to extend his lifespan.

What moved him was the calm and composed gaze of the old carp!

Wang Longxiang held the inkstone, not putting it into his universe bag, but found a meditation cushion to sit down and placed the inkstone in his hand on the table.

He took an ink stick from his sleeve and began to grind it carefully in the inkstone.

A small inkstone, ground by Wang Longxiang, was like an ink-colored ocean, setting off boundless wind and rain. His true energy merged into the ink, nourishing the ink treasure. The old carp raised its head slightly, still calm and composed, slowly swimming through the stormy waves of the ink sea, just like an old master who follows his heart without overstepping the rules.

"Your heart is not quiet enough!" Qian Chen said.

Wang Longxiang looked up in surprise. Qian Chen was also a bit unexpected. How many great calligraphers had the Wang family produced? But now it seemed that Wang Longxiang knew nothing about this.

The way he ground the ink was focused, and his wrist exerted force as if holding a sword. Was this grinding ink or sharpening a sword?

Qian Chen took the ink stick, sat upright before the table, pressed his fingers on the ink stick, pressed heavily and pushed lightly, moving far and folding near, guarding his spirit inside and containing the ink qi outside.

Dots of literary ink permeated, evolving into a calm ink sea, on which lotus flowers bloomed, carrying a glowing light.

"The ink sea gives birth to fragrance, the literary qi is like a lotus! Summoning the light of wisdom!" The presiding elder on the platform's eyes lit up, and he was secretly shocked.

Sima Yue, sitting in a pavilion not far away, also stared at this scene and sneered in his heart: "A rogue cultivator? If this is a rogue cultivator, I'll swallow the ink sea! This level of literary attainment cannot be achieved by anyone but a descendant of a noble family..."

"However, which noble family does this person come from? Are there any outstanding figures in the Great Jin that I don't know about? Could it be from the north..."

After this farce, gradually, on the river outside the stone cave, the moon had reached the center of the sky! The moonlight fell, and the world was silver-white. At this time, a group of silver fish chased the moonlight and came, circling on the river outside the stone cave. Wherever they went, the river flow was gentle, like a mirror.

The elder struck the jade chime in front of him and said, "The moon is in the center of the sky, and the silver fish appear. It is time for the treasure gathering to officially begin. Everyone, please look at this first treasure!"

The elder clapped his hands lightly, and a bead appeared on the stone platform in front of him.

A faint Zen sound echoed from the black wooden bead, carrying an indescribable wonderful fragrance. This fragrance was not smelled by the sense of smell, but born from the heart, mysterious and inexplicable, making the mind clear and releasing all troubles and doubts. Everyone was shocked, knowing that this was a heavy treasure, only Qian Chen was between laughing and crying...

"This treasure bead was originally a wisdom seed borne by the spirit-root Bodhi tree planted in the White Horse Temple in the north. After being nourished by the magic power of a high monk, it became a supreme Buddhist treasure that achieved a round light—called the Mani Bead! Also known as the Great Wisdom Bead, the Supreme Wisdom Bead. It can release understanding and inspire wisdom."

"In the past, the Supreme Dao Ancestor twisted the beads to indicate, and the Buddha praised the Supreme Dao Ancestor's supreme wisdom, like the Mani Bead, which became this supreme treasure cherished by the Buddhist path!" the elder presiding over the treasure gathering introduced. ===== CHAPTER 394 =====