Chapter 598: Treasure Matters

Just like that, Yan Buji spent a period doing good deeds and accumulating virtue in Long Qi Cheng, and he ended up meeting quite a few people.

Afterwards, Yan Buji deliberately revealed his identity as an Alchemist, and consequently more cultivators came to ask him to refine pills.

If it wasn't too troublesome, Yan Buji would readily agree, thereby earning a good reputation.

That day.

Yan Buji was invited and came to a small courtyard.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, you've come."

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Xu, who are these?" Yan Buji looked at them with curiosity.

"These are all stewards of the Like Dragon Merchant Association."

Those Golden Core cultivators stood up and introduced themselves: "I am Wang Lan."

"I am Qin Yue."

"I am Dongfang Mingbo."

Yan Buji clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoists. I don't know what business brings me here."

"Please have a seat." Zhang Xu pulled Yan Buji to sit at the stone table and poured him a cup of tea.

"Actually, it's like this." Zhang Xu looked at Yan Buji and smiled, saying, "Recently, many disciples of the Paolong Sacred Land have suffered qi deviation; Fellow Daoist Yan, are you aware of this?"

"Huh?"

Yan Buji looked puzzled: "Really?"

Recently Yan Buji had been busy doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, and hadn't yet inquired about matters at the Paolong Sacred Land.

Even if he wanted to inquire, the news from the Paolong Sacred Land is so numerous and mixed that Yan Buji lacks the time and energy to sort through it all, so he simply didn't give it much thought.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Yan, whether this matter is big or small, it seems you haven't shown much interest in the Paolong Sacred Land."

Yan Buji gave a wry smile: "Even if I were interested, I couldn't get in, so why bother asking about so much?"

Yan Buji feigned retreat to see what they wanted to say.

Zhang Xu nodded: "That's unavoidable; the recruitment standards of the Four Great Sacred Lands are inherently high, and Paolong Sacred Land is relatively lenient."

"Brother Zhang," Wang Lan beside him suddenly interjected, looking at Yan Buji and saying, "Today we invited Fellow Daoist Yan here mainly for one matter."

"What matter?"

"Fellow Daoist Yan, you're an Alchemist, right? Earlier you sold a batch of Hundred Tribulations Demon‑Passing Pills in the city."

Yan Buji doubted: "Yes, is there a problem?"

"No problem; I just wanted to ask Fellow Daoist if you still have any Hundred Tribulations Demon‑Passing Pills."

"Well… I haven't refined any lately. Moreover, I've run out of the main ingredient, Heart‑melting Grass, so I haven't fired up the furnace." Yan Buji shook his head.

"In that case, we'll handle the spiritual materials; Fellow Daoist, could you help the Like Dragon Merchant Association refine pills?"

Yan Buji hesitated a bit; his words sounded as if he'd have to join them, which Yan Buji had no intention of doing.

Dongfang Mingbo chuckled: "Fellow Daoist, don't misunderstand; we simply want you to refine pills for us. Upon completion, we'll reward you according to the pills' quality and quantity. Of course, if you desire anything else, just speak up."

Yan Buji narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said: "It's not impossible, but I need some rare spiritual materials; I wonder if your association can provide them?"

"Which ones?"

Yan Buji listed the spiritual materials he needed; after hearing them, the few people frowned and said, "These materials are too obscure; we'll have to check our inventory to know."

"If not, we can also pay in Spiritual Stones."

"Alright, then we'll entrust this to Fellow Daoist Yan."

"No problem. Mainly, how much do you need?"

The three exchanged glances, then all looked at Yan Buji and said, "The more, the better."

"Huh?"

"What's wrong with the disciples of the Paolong Sacred Land?"

"Are they all suffering qi deviation?"

After those three left, Yan Buji turned to Zhang Xu and asked, "What's happened at the Paolong Sacred Land? Why do they need so many items to suppress qi deviation?"

Zhang Xu glanced around, then lowered his voice: "Fellow Daoist Yan, don't spread this around; I heard the Paolong Sacred Land recently received a very strange treasure."

"A treasure?"

"Well, I've heard this treasure is quite bizarre, excavated from the Odd Region. They say it has two traits: one, it can accelerate cultivation speed by up to a hundredfold!"

"Ah?"

Yan Buji froze, then came to his senses and asked, "When they say it accelerates cultivation, do they mean it increases the speed of spiritual energy absorption, or the speed of mana conversion?"

"Both, and it can even help refine one's mana."

"That's heaven‑defying?"

"Of course the drawbacks are obvious; anyone who uses this treasure risks qi deviation at any moment, essentially gambling with their life." Zhang Xu chuckled.

"Indeed."

Yan Buji nodded: "But given the treasure's great danger, why bother using it? Cultivating slowly is safer; the Paolong Sacred Land surely doesn't need a bunch of disciples just to prop up its facade, does it?"

"Eh, that's not quite right; the Once‑a‑century Hundred Sects Grand Assembly is coming up soon, and those major sects and powers will surely try every means to make their disciples shine."

"I see."

Yan Buji nodded, but thinking about it, the Paolong Sacred Land is huge and prosperous; are they really so lacking confidence in their own disciples that they'd have them cultivate with a treasure whose harms outweigh its benefits?

In Yan Buji's view, to sustain a sect's development, at the very least the survival of its lower‑level cultivators must be guaranteed; only when those basics grow will they become the sect's backbone.

But using a treasure that damages one's foundation for cultivation is a loss no matter how you look at it. Qi deviation isn't like other situations—while losing mana can be tolerated, any cultivator who suffers qi deviation lightly shakes their origin, and severely may lose body and dao; even if they survive by luck, returning to cultivation is extremely difficult.

Nevertheless, it's no wonder they stocked up on so many qi‑deviation suppressants; having heard the rumor, they bought them in bulk, hoping to sell them at a good price.

"If that's the case, my Hundred Tribulations Demon‑Passing Pills would likely end up in the Paolong Sacred Land, which would at least create a slight connection with them."

Yan Buji thought it over.

The opportunity is right before him, Yan Buji has no reason not to do it.

Yan Buji soon received the Spiritual Material from the Long Dragon Merchant Association, and he immediately threw himself into refining medicinal pills.

Some time passed.

Yan Buji traded money and goods with them hand over hand, also making up for some Spiritual Stones.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Buji began preparing for cultivation.

Now he is at late Golden Core, unable to advance further; unless he gains an entry-level understanding of the Law of the Way of the Universe, it will be hard to suit the Heaven Gate Law.

Of course, there is also an extreme method: that is to discard all the techniques he has learned, and solely cultivate the Heaven Gate Law relying on the Universe Way to ascend to Nascent Soul.

"But if I do that, I will lose many Magical Cultivation methods; even if I can retain the two great Heavenly Fires, it will be meaningless."

The Heaven Gate Law possesses no offensive means; it merely allows one to shuttle through spatial nodes, but if anyone sets up a great prohibition formation, the Heaven Gate Law becomes useless.

So Yan Buji still plans to, after entering the Paolong Sacred Land, patiently ask for advice from the cultivation seniors within the Paolong Sacred Land, to see if they have any solution.