Chapter 632: The Solitary Pine Master

"I didn't expect you to be a fellow Daoist... oh no no no... Senior!"

"I didn't expect Senior to have such a stroke of fortune?"

The Elder sighed: This fellow arrived later than others—how did he land such a great fortune?

Without such a great fortune, how could he have broken through to the sixth layer of Soul Transformation in less than a century?

Impressive!

"Hehehe..." He Pingsheng smiled but said nothing.

The Elder said: "I wonder what you need this time?"

He Pingsheng said: "I wish to purchase some materials—of course, the higher the rank, the better!"

"Here is my material list!"

He Pingsheng handed the old man a jade slip.

The old man pressed it to his forehead, glanced at it, and hurriedly said: "Please wait a moment—some of these items are beyond my authority. Kindly follow me to sit down; I'll immediately arrange for a higher-ranking Elder to meet you!"

He Pingsheng said: "Very well!"

The Jiaoyisuo, especially a major one like the Holy Fire Jiaoyisuo, carries many items.

Ninety percent are materials used by Jin Dan and Foundation Establishment cultivators, but high-grade materials aren't absent—they're hidden deep within the Jiaoyisuo, inaccessible to ordinary customers.

Unless one's cultivation base is high enough.

The value of these items is always fluctuating, and all transactions are conducted via barter—no spirit stones accepted.

Thus, ordinary Jiaoyisuo Elders cannot handle them; only Elders with sufficient strength can.

Because they need the power, insight, and experience to negotiate.

Soon, a middle-aged cultivator entered the room where He Pingsheng was resting.

The middle-aged cultivator's cultivation base was even higher than He Pingsheng's—he had reached Soul Transformation ninth layer.

"Fellow Daoist... hehehe... sorry for keeping you waiting!" The middle-aged cultivator sat down with a smile: "I am the Third Elder of the Holy Fire Jiaoyisuo, responsible for your purchase today!"

"Here are the items you requested—please inspect them!"

A storage pouch was placed before He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng glanced at it, then said: "It seems one item is missing."

"Hehehe..." The Third Elder smiled: "Correct—indeed, one item is missing. We don't have the 【Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone】 you requested."

"All the others are here."

He Pingsheng frowned.

He had come specifically to procure materials for crafting the 【Substitute Death Puppet】.

He already had the Dragon Scale Imperishable Wood, but the remaining auxiliary materials were still needed.

To avoid revealing details, he deliberately mixed in other materials and split the sixteen required components into three batches, buying only a few at each Jiaoyisuo.

That way, no one would suspect anything.

The Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone was a crucial, irreplaceable component of the Substitute Death Puppet.

It wasn't particularly valuable, but it was extremely rare.

"Fine..." He Pingsheng said: "Thank you!"

"No problem!" The Third Elder waved his hand: "Though our Jiaoyisuo doesn't have it, I know where it might appear. First, visit the other major Jiaoyisuo in this Imperial City—if you find it, buy it; if not, come back to me—I'll give you a lead."

"Alright!" He Pingsheng nodded, then made a deal with the Third Elder.

He left the Holy Fire Jiaoyisuo and headed to the others.

The Imperial City didn't have just the Holy Fire Jiaoyisuo—it had over a dozen.

He Pingsheng strolled leisurely from one to the next, buying a portion of materials at each. After seven Jiaoyisuo, he had gathered them all.

Hmm... except for the Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone.

He visited over a dozen Jiaoyisuo, touring every one in the Imperial City, yet still didn't acquire the Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone.

That was troublesome.

The Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone was critical—it couldn't be replaced by any other material.

"Well, fine..." He Pingsheng hadn't wanted to return to the Holy Fire Jiaoyisuo, but after circling the city without success, he had no choice.

As for whether the Third Elder had ulterior motives—he didn't care for now.

He'd see what the man had to say first.

"Hehehe... Fellow Daoist, please sit!" The Third Elder greeted him warmly, leading him into a new elegant chamber and serving spiritual tea: "Your pills are excellent—I've already reported them upward, and we've decided to auction them at our next sale!"

The pills he referred to were the two Grade Five Zhi Dao Pills He Pingsheng had given him earlier—top-grade quality.

"Did you get the Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone?"

"No," He Pingsheng shook his head. "I'd like to ask your advice, Third Elder."

"Hmm!" The Third Elder nodded: "I mentioned a possible source because I received word—the 【Solitary Pine Master】 on Solitary Pine Mountain will host a small-scale exchange gathering focused on alchemy materials."

"The Fire Glowing Tiger Blood Stone is one such material—visit the gathering; you might find it there."

Hearing this, He Pingsheng understood.

"Then..." he asked the Third Elder: "May I ask, what kind of person is the Solitary Pine Master? What is his cultivation base?"

"Cultivation?" The Third Elder thought a moment: "Soul Transformation peak—eleventh or twelfth layer. He's likely stuck at that bottleneck now."

Hearing this, He Pingsheng exhaled in relief: As long as he wasn't Void Refinement, it was fine.

If he were truly Void Refinement, He Pingsheng would have abandoned the idea outright.

"As for his character?" The Third Elder shook his head: "The Solitary Pine Master's alchemy skill is peerless—he's a true master capable of forging low-grade 【Ancient Treasures】. Perhaps because of his true ability, he's extremely arrogant. He possesses many magic treasures and is exceptionally formidable in battle. So generally... how to put it?"

"You can't reason with him—he's tyrannical."

"I won't lie to you, Fellow Daoist—I'm just being honest. Whether you go or not, it's your decision."

The Third Elder finished speaking, sipped his spiritual tea, and left the choice to He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng wasn't afraid of tyrants—he smiled: "Then... how do I gain entry to this gathering?"

"Simple!" The Third Elder said: "A while back, the Solitary Pine Master sent us a token."

"We didn't want to participate, but we have commercial ties with him—we couldn't refuse outright. If you're willing, represent our Jiaoyisuo there."

He Pingsheng asked: "May I ask, will any Void Refinement Seniors attend this gathering?"

"No," the Third Elder shook his head: "The Solitary Pine Master is far too tyrannical to invite Void Refinement cultivators who might overshadow him. Rest assured."