Chapter 259: Encounter with an Old Friend

"Xu Dao You …… your Holy Wood Shield, can it be bought with spirit stones?"

Ling Zhiwang's face was filled with longing.

He Pingsheng held the Holy Wood Shield, glanced at it, then tossed it toward Ling Zhiwang. "Take this shield and use it for now!"

"I'll trade you only one piece of information!"

Ling Zhiwang's face lit up instantly. "What information does Xu Dao You want?"

He Pingsheng said: "To be honest with you, Dao You, though I'm only at Foundation Establishment Level Ten, I've already hit a cultivation bottleneck."

"I need a heavenly treasure to break through this barrier!"

"Here's the deal—if later, your merchant association acquires such a treasure capable of breaking a bottleneck, or even hears news of one—"

"Notify me immediately!"

"The moment you have news, the Holy Wood Shield is yours!"

He Pingsheng stood up.

He didn't make any firm promises.

He didn't give the Holy Wood Shield to Ling Zhiwang outright—just let him use it for now.

"Good… good…" Ling Zhiwang said. "Xu Dao You, rest assured—I'll inform you the instant I hear word of it!"

"Alright then!"

"Dao You all!" He Pingsheng said. "If none of you have anything else to trade, I'll be leaving now!"

The others had nothing valuable to offer; He Pingsheng left directly.

After leaving, he returned to his small courtyard first.

Qiao Huizhu hadn't returned yet.

No matter—between him and Qiao Huizhu, there were many Heartbond Talismans; they regularly exchanged messages and locations.

For the time being, there was little to do.

After all, his cultivation had hit a bottleneck.

Forcing it wouldn't work.

"Let's refine elixirs!"

First step: place the medicinal herbs bought from the association into the elixir furnace, strengthen them—turn one portion into two.

Second step: refine the elixirs!

Third step: strengthen the finished elixirs again.

Thus, one batch of materials yields four batches of elixirs.

In addition, He Pingsheng strengthened the 【Eternal Youth Elixir】 again.

One bottle of low-grade Eternal Youth Elixir became two bottles of supreme-grade Eternal Youth Elixir.

The Eternal Youth Elixir's effect improves with higher grade.

Supreme-grade Eternal Youth Elixir isn't just about preserving youthful beauty—it makes one even more beautiful.

Correct: on the basis of one's original appearance, it enhances beauty to better align with the Dao.

Both volumes of the 【Manual of Array Treasures】 were thrown into the Treasure Basin for strengthening.

After one night, two volumes emerged.

The first: 【Heavenly Moon Divine Array】, the second: 【Great Sun Divine Array】.

He Pingsheng examined them—both were still fifth-grade, but their quality had been upgraded to supreme.

The content differed, yet their profundity was nearly identical.

Studying just one of them would suffice.

He Pingsheng chose the 【Heavenly Moon Divine Array】 to study.

But not now!

With only Foundation Establishment cultivation, even if he understood this fourth-grade array, he couldn't activate it!

Because his spiritual sense was insufficient!

Keep refining elixirs!

In his small courtyard, He Pingsheng worked furiously, refining and strengthening elixirs nonstop for two full months.

He amassed a vast quantity of 【Qi Gathering Elixir】, 【Spirit Gathering Elixir】, 【Primordial Gathering Elixir】, and Foundation Establishment Elixir!

Most were mid-grade—seven tenths—while high-grade made up the remaining three tenths.

Some elixirs were supreme-grade.

Such as 【Golden Bone Elixir】 and 【Spirit Healing Elixir】!

But they were extremely rare.

Having few supreme-grade elixirs was fine—but as a shopkeeper, you can't have none at all!

Carrying a vast stock of elixirs, He Pingsheng arrived at his shop.

The shop's sign had been replaced.

White background, bold red characters: Qiao Xiaoqiao's Elixir Shop.

The six characters stood out sharply.

After opening the shop, He Pingsheng cleaned it thoroughly, then began setting up arrays.

A third-grade defensive array rose over the shop, covering not only the storefront but also the courtyard behind it.

Additionally, in the courtyard behind, he set up a third-grade Spirit-Sealing Array and an Alert Array.

These two arrays covered only the courtyard, not the front shop.

Now he could run the shop in front and cultivate in back.

After arranging all the elixirs neatly, he opened the shop's door.

Whether anyone bought anything didn't matter.

After all, the shop's purpose wasn't to make money—it was to find his sister.

For the past two days, only He Pingsheng had been inside the elixir shop.

No customers at all.

On the third day, a customer finally entered.

A middle-aged man, seemingly forty or fifty, his cultivation level was Qi Refining Level Eleven, as He Pingsheng's spiritual sense detected.

"Hello!" He Pingsheng asked. "What elixir are you looking for?"

Looking at the male cultivator, He Pingsheng had a strange feeling—he'd seen this man somewhere before.

But when he thought hard, he couldn't recall where.

Was it just an ordinary face?

Or had he glimpsed him briefly once?

It didn't matter—important people were always remembered clearly.

He Pingsheng instantly discarded the distraction.

The man said: "Young sir, do you have any heavenly treasures that can break a bottleneck?"

The male cultivator stared intently at He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng understood.

Qi Refining Level Eleven—right at a bottleneck.

When he himself broke through Qi Refining, he'd consumed one 【Water Spirit Apricot】 and one 【Crimson Essence Ginseng】.

"No," He Pingsheng shook his head. "Such things are rare—encountering them is a matter of luck."

"But I do have Foundation Establishment Elixir—would you like one?"

"Sigh…" the man shook his head. "Foundation Elixir won't help—I can't even reach Foundation Establishment. I just want to break through this bottleneck!"

"Then I won't trouble you further."

With that, the middle-aged man turned to leave.

He Pingsheng paid it no mind.

But after a little more than half a stick of incense, the man returned and asked: "Young sir, do you know where I can buy a heavenly treasure to break a bottleneck?"

"I… don't know," He Pingsheng truly didn't.

Heavenly treasures to break Qi Refining bottlenecks were precious.

But they weren't impossible to find—otherwise, how did countless Qi Refining cultivators reach Foundation Establishment?

They could still be found.

It just depended on opportunity.

And sufficient wealth.

The association sometimes auctioned them off; He Pingsheng believed someone must be cultivating them in large quantities.

"Forget it, forget it…" the man waved his hand. "My cultivation is a gift—I should've died long ago!"

"Not breaking through doesn't matter."

"As long as my granddaughter can break through—that's enough!"

As the cultivator spoke, he turned to leave.

Hearing his voice and seeing his face, He Pingsheng suddenly froze. "Old man, wait a moment…"

He recognized who this elder was.