Chapter 509

So Yan Buji changed his appearance, once again reverting to his true aged look, put on a Daoist robe, exuding the aura of Golden Core Stage, and went searching the nearby sea areas.

Arriving at a market on a sea island, after paying the entrance fee he went inside to look for the spiritual materials he needed.

"Esteemed Daoist, is this your first time coming to Golden Bull Island market? Would you like a guide? I am Ma Xu, I can serve you." A Foundation Establishment cultivator approached and said respectfully.

Yan Buji smiled: "I am Daoist Yuejin, having lived overseas for a long time and secluded myself for over a hundred years, I never expected the Boundless Sea to become so lively."

"Yes, Daoist Yuejin, the Riptide Sea has new news every day, it's really chaotic, so everyone has come here to make a living." Ma Xu said with a wry smile.

"You also came from the Riptide Sea?"

"That's right, I, along with my family of three, have come from afar and barely managed to establish a foothold on Golden Bull Island."

Yan Buji nodded and threw over a bag of spiritual stones.

Ma Xu's eyes widened; upon weighing it, he found there were a full fifty spiritual stones!

Although for a Foundation Establishment cultivator these spiritual stones aren't many, having been reduced to working as a guide, what savings could he have?

"Daoist, this..."

"Take it, I have been in seclusion for many years and am not well informed about the outside world; please tell me in detail."

"Yes!" Ma Xu accepted the spiritual stones and began speaking.

"Initially after the beast tide destroyed the Twenty-Eight Asterism Island, a hundred years later a demon emperor arose and nearly breached Seven Stars Island; although the cultivators of the Sun Moon Palace fought desperately and managed to defend, have you heard of the incident a hundred years ago when the Sun Moon Palace deceptively killed a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

Yan Buji, being a participant, naturally knew of it, yet he raised his eyebrows in surprise and said: "There's such a thing?"

"It seems you've been in seclusion for too long; this story is still widely talked about even today. Originally, the Sun Moon Palace and various powers agreed that whoever could bring out the Ascending Bright Sect's Sect Master's Seal from the Sun Moon Palace's anomalous zone would become the next leader of the Dongxing Sea Region. However, it is said that the Sun Moon Palace discovered the team that brought out the Sect Master's Seal was not theirs, and in anger they killed them!"

"If that's the case, the Sun Moon Palace should have covered its tracks perfectly; how could it become common knowledge?" Yan Buji asked lightly.

"Actually, everyone has their suspicions; perhaps the one who deceptively killed the Nascent Soul cultivator was not the Sun Moon Palace, but those vying for power and profit with it, especially the Liu Clan, who rely on a Great Vehicle Stage elder.... cough, that's all I'll say; you just need to know, Daoist." Ma Xu naturally didn't dare say more.

Yan Buji chuckled: "Alright, talking about this further is useless; it doesn't concern us much."

"That's true, though the Boundless Sea here is also a bit chaotic. Long ago it was rumored that True Yellow Island and the Sinking Dragon Association would go to war, but after a hundred years they still haven't formally fought, only constant minor skirmishes."

Yan Buji frowned: "What's going on? Are True Yellow Island and the Sinking Dragon Association about to fight again?"

"I don't know; they've said they'd fight since a hundred years ago, but to this day there's been no real action, probably they're just keeping each other in check." Yan Buji frowned.

The Dongxing Sea Region is becoming more and more chaotic.

The situation in the Riptide Sea involves too many factors, with various powers having strong figures holding down their positions, so he dares not easily get involved.

Who would have thought that even running to the Boundless Sea is like this; what on earth is going on?

Yan Buji looked around and asked: "Where is the largest spiritual materials shop nearby?"

"Right over there! Daoist, please follow me." Ma Xu led Yan Buji forward, and soon they arrived at the large store on Golden Bull Island.

"Daoist, please go ahead; I'll wait here for you. If you have any requests, just let me know."

Yan Buji nodded and entered.

Guides like Ma Xu who receive visiting cultivators surely have cooperation with nearby merchants.

If Ma Xu followed him inside, Yan Buji would inevitably think Ma Xu might be planning to collude with the shop owner to swindle him.

But since he didn't do that, it shows he still has professional integrity.

This Daoist priest seems quite unfamiliar; is this your first time coming to Golden Bull Island? I am Zheng Xing, Hall Master of the General Goods Hall. The shopkeeper stepped out, also a Golden Core cultivator, smiling and cupping his fists.

Yan Buji made a salute, saying: "I am Yue Jin, here to look for some Spiritual Material."

"No problem, no problem, Daoist Yue Jin, what Spiritual Material do you need? Although our Golden Bull Island isn't as big a market as True Yellow Island, we still have channels for some rare items." Zheng Xing laughed.

Yan Buji nodded and took out a list.

Zheng Xing took a look, his expression changing instantly: "Daoist, you... I only have two or three kinds here."

"Is that so? Take them out for me to have a look." Yan Buji said lightly.

Zheng Xing nodded, went to the back hall, took out some treasure boxes, and placed them in front of Yan Buji.

Yan Buji opened them; the quality was good, just meeting his requirements: "Fine, how many Spiritual Stones?"

"All are Fivefold Transformation Spiritual Materials; the quality should be apparent to you, Daoist. Moreover, these three Spiritual Materials are scarce, their price has risen by ten percent, making a total of two hundred thousand Spiritual Stones—what do you think?"

For an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, two hundred thousand is almost more than half of their net worth.

Yan Buji feigned a frown: "That expensive? Ordinary Fivefold Transformation Spiritual Materials cost only a few tens of thousands of Spiritual Stones; you want two hundred thousand for just these three?"

"It's not a coincidence that you need these, Daoist; they're all scarce." Zheng Xing smiled.

Anyway, that's the price—take it or leave it.

Still a bargain.

Yan Buji came from the Nan Ting Mountain Region, and he was very familiar with the prices there. If he were to purchase Fivefold Transformation Spiritual Materials in the Nan Ting Mountain Region, a single stalk would likely cost over one hundred thousand low-grade Spiritual Stones.

"I don't currently have that many Spiritual Stones on me, Daoist Zheng; would you be willing to accept Spiritual Pills instead?" Yan Buji said.

He wasn't lacking Spiritual Stones; rather, producing that many at once would inevitably draw attention. For now he didn't want to cause trouble while still needing to search for Spiritual Materials, so revealing his identity as an Alchemist might actually earn him respect.

Moreover, the benefit is that if he gains a reputation, many people will likely come to him for pill refinement; that way he could earn some Spiritual Stones, and also have others help him find the Spiritual Materials he needs—he currently doesn't want to run around everywhere.

"Spiritual Pills?" Zheng Xing gave Yan Buji a strange look and asked, "What kind of Spiritual Pills do you have, Daoist?"

"This bottle contains a Fourfold Transformation Ancient Spirit-Increasing Pill, refined by me; Fellow Daoist, please examine it." Yan Buji took out the pill bottle and placed it on the table.

Zheng Xing's face filled with surprise; he picked up the pill bottle on the table, opened it, smelled it, then poured out a pill for careful observation.

"The pill has reached Fourfold Transformation, with patterns appearing! Top-notch—I didn't expect Daoist Yue Jin to also be an Alchemist!" Zheng Xing exclaimed happily.

"How is it?"

"Of course it's acceptable; this Fourfold Transformation pill is worth about thirty to forty thousand Spiritual Stones. A bottle works out to that, so I'll still need to give you some change." Zheng Xing laughed, and as he spoke he gathered the pills, intending to make up the difference for Yan Buji.

Yan Buji reached out, gathered the Spiritual Materials on the table: "No need, Daoist Zheng, you could do me a favor—I'll be staying here for a while. If any fellow Daoist has the Spiritual Materials I need, just introduce them to me, and I'll trade with them then. If you could help me actively seek some, I'd also be happy to continue trading with you."

Zheng Xing thought for a moment: "Alright, I'll help you inquire about this. Do you need me to spread the word?"

"Sure, that's fine. This is my transmission feather; when you have news, Daoist Zheng, just contact me."

Okay

Seeing Yan Buji leave, Zheng Xing picked up that message feather and couldn't help but laugh.

"This Daoist priest has some background, and the spiritual materials he wants are not simple materials; they are needed for refining an Accumulation Device? Using Fivefold Transformation materials to refine an Accumulation Device.... Could he also be a formidable artifact refiner?"