Chapter 399: Dust Settles

Seeing that the final spiritual items like the Foundation Establishment Pill had finally appeared, all the cultivators who came to participate in the trading society began to boil. Whether it was cultivators like Song Qingming who brought many spirit stones and were aiming for the Foundation Establishment Pill, or those rogue cultivators who were penniless, they all quickly focused their attention on the third-floor platform.

The rules of the Mount Tuoyun Trading Society were somewhat similar to when Song Qingming participated in the Tiandan Alliance auction and obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill years ago. It also required the cultivators themselves to first take out the treasures they wanted to exchange and write them into a note to hand over to Chen Laozu. Only after getting the ancestor's nod of approval could they continue with the subsequent transactions.

The reason for this kind of barter was precisely because high-tier spiritual items were relatively rare in the Song Guo cultivation world. These spiritual items placed on the third-floor platform in front of them were almost things that you couldn't buy in the market at all. The rarer the spiritual item, the harder it was to exchange directly with spirit stones.

The best spiritual item Song Qingming could take out now was the Longevity Fruit he obtained from the magic cultivator's storage magic tool. This item could increase the lifespan of cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage by ten years, which could also be considered a very rare spiritual item. Although its value was far from that of the Foundation Establishment Pill, Song Qingming also had more than ten thousand spirit stones on him. As long as he could be selected, it would be no problem to make up the difference.

Watching the note he handed in being passed up, Song Qingming returned to his seat with a calm face, but his heart was still somewhat nervous. Huang Shengxin, who was sitting beside him, had also gone up to hand in a note as expected.

Seeing this, Song Qingming was not surprised. The Huang family was originally a veteran Foundation Establishment family with strong strength. It was not strange that they could obtain one or two rare spiritual items with higher value. It was just that no matter what was written on the note Huang Shengxin handed in, whether he could smoothly exchange for the things he wanted in the end was something that could not be determined now.

Both Huang Shengxin and Song Qingming handed in the notes they wrote, and both sides were very tacit and did not ask about each other's secrets, sitting below together with some nervousness, waiting for the results to come out.

After a stick of incense, people began to be invited to the third-floor stone platform. Soon, Huang Shengxin received an invitation from the Mount Tuoyun cultivator and went to a small room protected by restrictions beside the third-floor stone platform. Before long, he returned to his seat with a calm face.

Looking at Huang Shengxin's appearance, Song Qingming could also guess that he should have successfully exchanged for some spiritual item. As for whether it was a Foundation Establishment Pill, that was hard to say. After all, this thing was not something that could be exchanged for ordinary spiritual items.

Seeing that twenty or thirty cultivators had been invited to the third floor, but he had never seen anyone take a step toward where he was sitting, Song Qingming gradually understood in his heart that his request to exchange the Longevity Fruit for a Foundation Establishment Pill should have been rejected by the other party.

The Longevity Fruit was definitely a very precious spiritual item in the eyes of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. After all, as long as a cultivator took this item directly, he could increase his lifespan by ten years. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this might mean one more opportunity to form a core.

But the Longevity Fruit could not be taken casually. A cultivator could take at most one in his life. Taking a second one would be like other second-tier spiritual fruits, only increasing some magic power for himself, and would have no effect of prolonging life.

Chen Laozu was a Jin Dan cultivator who had been cultivating for hundreds of years. Although this Longevity Fruit could be considered a rare spiritual item for Foundation Establishment cultivators, it might not be so in the eyes of Jin Dan cultivators. When Song Qingming took out the Longevity Fruit, he also understood in his heart that this Jin Dan ancestor who had lived for hundreds of years might have taken spiritual items like the Longevity Fruit before.

No matter what the result was, for the sake of the opportunity to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill in front of him, Song Qingming still gambled today to see if this item had a chance to move Chen Laozu. Perhaps one of his disciples needed this item, who knows.

When Song Qingming put the note with the Longevity Fruit on it in front of Chen Jinliang, this Jin Dan ancestor just glanced at it lightly, then shook his head and put it aside, showing no interest in this spiritual item at all.

Not only had Chen Jinliang himself taken the Longevity Fruit, but as an alchemist, he had also used this item as the main ingredient to refine some second-tier top-grade Longevity Pills. Although the effect of refining the Longevity Fruit into pills was not as good as taking it directly, only increasing the lifespan by half, about five years or so, almost all of Chen Laozu's disciples had received this favor and taken the Longevity Pill. Taking the Longevity Fruit again would be of no use.

Seeing that his plan to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill this time failed, Song Qingming could only shake his head helplessly. This time coming to Mount Tuoyun to participate in the trading society, Song Qingming received the news relatively suddenly and was somewhat rushed in his preparation. This result was actually not particularly unexpected for him.

This time, over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators alone came to Mount Tuoyun to participate in the trading society. Almost all the more powerful cultivation families in the north of Song Guo sent people over. Plus, there were countless Qi Refining cultivators. Song Qingming wanted to snatch a Foundation Establishment Pill from these people with a Longevity Fruit. The hope of success for this kind of thing was indeed not very great.

Soon, as the last spiritual item on the third-floor platform disappeared before everyone's eyes, all the high-tier spiritual items brought out by this Mount Tuoyun Trading Society had also settled down and found their owners.

Although the entire trading society would not officially end until tomorrow, the cultivators who had already obtained the spiritual items they wanted had already begun to walk down from the trading society scene on the mountaintop, preparing to leave Mount Tuoyun. Seeing that the two members of the Huang family were also in a hurry to return to Qinghe County, Song Qingming, who still wanted to stay for a few more days, could only send them off for a distance together.

"Fellow Daoist Song, we are in a hurry to rush back to Taiyuan Mountain, so we won't stay to accompany you. Having the opportunity to listen to Chen Laozu preach is a rare opportunity for you, Fellow Daoist. After I go back, I will immediately send someone to send a letter to Funiu Mountain. Fellow Daoist Song, you can rest assured and stay on Mount Tuoyun first!"

Song Qingming bowed with a smile and said, "That will trouble Fellow Daoist Huang. If I can really gain something this time, after I go back, I will definitely take time to go to Taiyuan Mountain and have a good exchange with the few fellow Daoists. If it weren't for the two fellow Daoists bringing me to Mount Tuoyun together, I wouldn't have this opportunity to hear a Jin Dan ancestor preach."

"Our two families have been supporting each other for so many years. Why should a small favor be so worrying? Fellow Daoist Song, don't be so polite. Having this opportunity is all fought for by Fellow Daoist with your strength in these few days. How can the credit be counted on us?

Moreover, after going back this time, I also plan to go into seclusion immediately. I estimate that there will be no opportunity to come out to receive Fellow Daoist. If Fellow Daoist Song is really interested, just take care of my Huang family more in the future."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 400 =====