Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit

The next day, Lu Ping and Tian-Hu sat quietly in the North Ocean Palace. A master alchemist stood at the center of the stage, holding something in his hands, introducing it to everyone in the hall.

Lu Ping’s interest was piqued, but Tian-Hu barely showed any interest in the items.

The alchemist on stage was showing off a piece of Stygian Metal. It was no ordinary spirit material; Stygian Metal was a type of spirit material used to make top-tier cauldrons. The Stygian Metal’s appearance at the alchemy conference was not uncommon.

A new master alchemist purchased the metal with some spirit herbs. Judging by his expression, Lu Ping could tell he didn’t have a top-tier cauldron.

After that, a couple of other master alchemists got up on stage and showcased their items along with what they wanted in exchange. These demands ranged from spirit herbs to materials needed to make a top-tier cauldron. The many peculiar items, various precious materials and alchemy techniques widened Lu Ping’s horizon.

Just as Lu Ping was thinking of what he could trade with his items, a cultivator in his sixties casually strolled up to the stage and unveiled a head-sized sludge.

The cultivator said, “This is an earth-element mystic-class wonder item called Obsidian Jade. In return, I hope to obtain a pellet to help me advance to the Law Avatar Realm.”

After a long day, a wonder item finally appeared for the first time. Furthermore, It wasn’t an ordinary wonder item, but rather a rare earth-type mystic-class wonder item that could help a mid-Core Forging Realm cultivator advance to the next level.

Lu Ping noticed that the elderly alchemist was a late-Core Forging Realm cultivator, and from the pellet he wanted, he had achieved sixth-grade Golden Core at the very least.

Although a mystic-class wonder item was not something they needed, the cultivators in the room all belonged to factions with many juniors. For this reason, the wonder item attracted the attention of many alchemists. Some of them were muttering quietly as they transmitted their conditions to the elderly cultivator. Ultimately, he turned down all the offers, as their offers did not meet his requirements.

Suddenly, Lu Ping’s expression twisted. He patted his chest carefully, and like the rest of the master grandmasters, he covered the Obsidian Jade with his divine revelation. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

“Junior grand uncle, do we have a pellet that meets his requirements?” Lu Ping asked.

“Why? You’re interested in this jade?” Tian-Hu glanced at Lu Ping with surprise.

Lu Ping nodded. “Yes. I have a pet monster. It’s not at a high level right now, but an earth-type wonder item is very rare in the North Ocean. I'm just thinking of getting things ready early, just in case.”

Tian-Hu sneered, and mocked, “There are countless cultivators in the region that find themselves reaching a dead end because of the lack of wonder items. Yet here you are, preparing things for your pet monster, just in case. Look at the troubles that bird has given you!”

Lu Ping could only laugh bitterly while Tian-Hu continued, “That bird is not as simple as it looks. It’s most likely related to the East Ocean’s Fiery Luan. You better watch out.”

Lu Ping’s heart tightened, and he immediately realized something. It would be abnormal if the Zhen Ling Sect did not thoroughly check Lu Qin’er’s background when Jiang Xuan-Xuan took her around Tian Ling Mountain. With Lu Qin’er’s abilities, she couldn’t hide from the examination performed by Law Avatar Realm cultivators.

When he raised his head, he noticed a hint of happiness flashing across the elderly cultivator’s eyes. The elderly cultivator humbly walked over to Tian-Hu while the other sects’ elders watched on in surprise. He politely delivered the Obsidian Jade to Tian-Hu, who passed him a jade bottle, and said, “It’s all up to your efforts now.”

The elderly cultivator nodded humbly, and after seeing Tian-Hu’s dismissive hand, he hurriedly excused himself and left.

When Tian-Hu threw the Obsidian Jade to Lu Ping, the other elders retracted their surprised gazes. Tian-Hu’s voice sounded, “Little rascal, here’s what you wanted, but it’s not free. Prepare ten Wonder Water Spirit Nurturing Pellets, ten batches of Blood Condensation Pellets, and some other useful pellets as soon as possible. Also, stop wasting your time at the other branches and start training the newbies.”

Lu Ping nodded and bitterly thought, “The price I have to pay is a little costly. I’ll be awfully busy once we return to the island. Bah, there’s no point in thinking about it now. It’s my turn to get on the stage.”

There were plenty of things Lu Ping wanted, but he didn’t have many items he could trade. While he did have some wonder items with him, those items were not what he wanted to use.

After careful consideration, Lu Ping decided it was best for him to keep a low profile, especially after being under the spotlights during the entry test. There was no need for him to attract any more attention.

He put eighteen 3,000-year-old spirit herbs on display. In return, he asked for a wood, fire, or wind-type peculiar item. The lowest he would accept was top-tier spirit stones.

Little did he know these spirit herbs would cause an uproar. Every alchemist swarmed around him. Some of them were willing to pay him the spirit stones he wanted, causing the price to double.

After the mining operation of the large-sized spirit vein in Ice Frost Island started, the tight supply of spirit stones eased slightly, allowing alchemists the luxury of a higher income for the time being.

Lu Ping did not expect his spirit herbs to be in such high demand, but he quickly came to a realization. Unlike the other materials that had to be differentiated by quality and element, all alchemists could easily use spirit herbs. Of course, a 3,000-year-old spirit herb was something that alchemists desired.

The spirit herbs were sold to an elder from the Ocenia Blaze Sect for an item that looked like gale cotton and eighteen top-tier spirit stones. Just as Lu Ping happily returned to his seat, Tian-Hu scoffed. “If you need a peculiar item, you could always trade with your fellow sect mates. There’s no need to trade with outsiders.”

Lu Ping merely shrugged and said nothing.

After acquiring the Seven Elemental Lightning Gourd, Lu Ping’s demand for peculiar items skyrocketed. Right now, he had Yin lightnings of gold, water, earth, and ice-element at the level of mini divine abilities as well as two types of wood-elemental peculiar items. The fire and wind-elemental peculiar items were still the same. With the addition of the gale cotton, the gourd was closer to achieving the next level.

The only cultivators yet to go up on stage were the Law Avatar Realm grandmaster alchemists, who served as the event's finale. After all, no collections were greater than the Law Avatar Realm cultivators, especially when the Law Avatar Realm cultivators also symbolized the wealth of the sect they represented.

Tian-Hu took the initiative first.

He slapped a jade box onto the table, and sneered, “This is a Wonder Water Spirit Nurturing Pellet. I suppose there’s no need for me to explain what it can do. I’m sure you must have heard what happened to Xuan-Sen. My price for this pellet is a wonder item, a recipe for a Longevity Pill, top-notch spirit stones, or at least fifty 3,000-year-old spirit herbs. I can do eight hundred 1,000-year-old spirit herbs as well, but only if they’re rare spirit herbs. Don’t even think of fooling me with some supportive spirit herbs.”

The exorbitant price Tian-Hu had asked for was beyond Lu Ping’s expectations. From his point of view, no one would be willing to spend a massive fortune for a pellet like the Wonder Water Spirit Nurturing Pill. He was also aware that Tian-Hu’s price was at least fifteen times more valuable than the pellet itself.

Yet, things progressed beyond his expectations. Before Tian-Hu’s voice faded into thin air, a master alchemist whipped out his inter-spacial pouch and offered eight hundred 1,000-year-old spirit herbs for the pellet. The Great Ancestor of the Oceania Blaze Sect also unveiled a mystic-class wonder item. In the end, the pellet was acquired by the Water Mist Sect’s Shui Yan-Ge for three jade-like rocks. Lu Ping managed to identify the rocks. They were all top-notch spirit stones; Lu Ping had one in his possession.

Suddenly, Lu Ping felt someone staring at him. When he turned around, his eyes met the grateful gazes of Liao Run-Jia and Ai Zhong. They nodded at him thankfully, and Lu Ping replied with the same gesture, but he was heartbroken. He had now understood that he was literally gifting them the pellets at the price they had offered him.

Plenty of cultivators shifted their skeptical gazes to Lu Ping, trying to figure out if he had made these pellets. After all, Lu Ping had demonstrated the Wonder Water Concoction Technique publicly.

However, the majority of them believed that Tian-Hu was the one that concocted the pellet. After all, the concoction technique was very difficult to master, and the pellet itself was equivalent to a late-Core Forging Realm pellet. The alchemists didn’t believe that Lu Ping had achieved such a high mastery in alchemy. Furthermore, if Lu Ping was the one that concocted the pellet, he was the one that should be on the stage, not Tian-Hu.

After completing the deal with Shui Yan-Ge, Tian-Hu remained on the stage and slapped another jade box onto the table. “Here’s another one. My price is still the same, but the recipe for a Longevity Pill is preferred.”

The alchemists were stunned by his actions. Tian-Hu was breaking the rules, but no one batted an eye because the rules were set by the Law Avatar Realm cultivators. No one was stupid enough to offend the Law Avatar Realm cultivators for such a small matter. Additionally, the pellet he was selling was the only way to recover from the mysterious technique from the monsters. Over the years, many cultivators from different sects had lost all of their strength to these mysterious techniques.

A grandmaster purchased the second pellet with two mystic-class wonder items. A cultivator in his sect had fallen victim to the mysterious technique, and this cultivator was on the brink of advancing to the late-Core Forging Realm. As a result, the sect was willing to spend a fortune to cure him.

Just as they thought that Tian-Hu was finished, he remained on stage and smirked while looking toward the Xuan Ling Sect.