A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 242 Five Spirit Bracelets

"Oh dear, Fellow Daoist Luo, you have really given me a big problem! Gengjing is a top-grade spiritual material for refining metal-attribute magic treasures and even higher-level treasures. Its texture is indestructible and it contains a trace of the original energy of sharp metal, making it extremely rare in the world."

"Let alone our shop, even the Grand Alliance's secret vault might not always have such items in stock. Such precious items, once they appear, are usually immediately traded within the small circle of Nascent Soul stage seniors, or collected as strategic assets within the alliance; they never actually reach the market. If you, fellow Daoist, are seeking to purchase this item, I'm afraid… I'm afraid you'll leave disappointed."

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming remained calm, showing little disappointment. This outcome was entirely within his expectations. He had even inquired with the Fengle Merchant Alliance, known as the number one merchant alliance in the Chaotic Star Sea, but to no avail. It seemed that such top-tier spiritual materials were indeed monopolized by high-level cultivators, and could only be obtained through fortuitous encounters or special channels.

"Since there's no Geng Essence, then forget it." Luo Ming changed the subject and raised another request, "I need one more thing. I see that your alliance's magical artifacts are exquisite. I wonder if you have any large spatial magical treasures, preferably capable of accommodating multiple spirit beasts of different attributes at the same time, and ensuring that they can cultivate peacefully inside without interfering with each other?"

"A large spatial magic treasure that can accommodate multi-attribute spirit beasts?" Deacon Qian stroked his round chin, blinked his small eyes, and showed a thoughtful expression. Although this request was not as outrageous as Geng Jing, it was not an ordinary treasure either.

Ordinary spirit beast pouches have limited space and a monotonous environment, making it difficult to meet the needs of raising multiple spirit beasts at the same time, especially those with conflicting attributes or requiring special environments.

After a moment, his eyes lit up slightly, as if he had remembered something, but then he hesitated and said carefully, "Now that Fellow Daoist Luo has said that... there is indeed a treasure on the third floor of our alliance that might match your description. However..."

"But so what?" Luo Ming asked, his expression unchanged.

"However, that treasure does not belong to our alliance. It was consigned here by a mysterious guest. Moreover, the other party made it clear beforehand that this item would not be sold for spirit stones, nor would it be exchanged for ordinary treasures. He only required that one condition be met before he could take the treasure away."

Deacon Qian lowered his voice, his expression somewhat subtle. "To be honest, that treasure called the 'Five Spirit Bracelet' has been on consignment here for over a decade. During that time, many Core Formation stage cultivators skilled in beast taming have seen it and are quite interested in it, but without exception, none of them have succeeded. This is all because the conditions... are said to be extremely special, which is why the treasure has remained unsold until now."

Luo Ming's eyes flashed. "The Five Elemental Bracelet?" He tapped his finger lightly on the table. "Could Deacon Qian explain the bracelet in detail, and... what those so-called conditions are?"

Seeing that Luo Ming seemed genuinely interested, Steward Qian perked up slightly, but still reminded him, "Fellow Daoist Luo, I don't know the conditions either. You and that mysterious cultivator will need to ask him in person. As for the treasure, it's in the secret room next door. You can take a look for yourself."

Luo Ming stood up and followed Deacon Qian out of the meditation room to a more secluded room next door, whose walls were covered with reinforced and isolated arrays. In the center of the room were several white jade stone platforms, each covered by a hemispherical transparent light shield. Inside one of the light shields, an ancient bracelet lay quietly.

The bracelet was neither gold nor jade, but a dark cyan color with natural wood-grain-like patterns on its surface. Within these patterns, faint five-colored light flowed very slowly, exuding an ancient and restrained spiritual charm. At first glance, it was unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, one could perceive that it seemed to contain five stable and independent spaces within it, each with a distinct aura, yet all balanced and unified by a strange force field within the bracelet.

"Fellow Daoist, please look, this is the 'Five Spirit Bracelet'." Deacon Qian pointed to the bracelet on the jade platform and introduced it, "According to the consignor, this bracelet contains five small universes, and the spiritual energy environment inside can be adjusted as needed."

Not to mention accommodating several spirit beasts of different attributes, even placing spirit herbs and insects requiring special cultivation environments within it would allow them to thrive without interfering with each other, creating a vibrant spiritual atmosphere. Furthermore, its internal space is far more expansive than ordinary spirit beast pouches, allowing spirit beasts to move and cultivate freely within, making it a truly remarkable object. Its quality undoubtedly reaches the level of a top-tier magic treasure, and in some aspects, it even surpasses it.

Luo Ming's gaze fell upon the Five Elements Bracelet. He cautiously probed it through the light barrier with his divine sense and indeed sensed the exquisite and stable complex spatial structure within. A thought struck him. This was exactly what he needed!

"It truly is a rare treasure."

Luo Ming withdrew his gaze from the Five Spirit Bracelet and looked at Deacon Qian, calmly asking, "In that case, where is the fellow Daoist who consigned this treasure? I am quite interested in the exchange terms; may we discuss them in person?"

Deacon Qian's smile widened, hoping to close the deal this time. He quickly said, "Of course! That fellow Daoist left his contact information, saying that if any fellow Daoist is interested in this bracelet, they can contact him at any time. Fellow Daoist Luo, please wait a moment, I will send the message right away."

After saying that, Steward Qian took out a specially made silver communication talisman from his pocket, whispered a few words to the talisman, and then pointed a finger at it. The communication talisman turned into a silver ray, passed through the window, and disappeared into the sky in an instant.

"That fellow Daoist's cave dwelling is within the city; we'll be there shortly. Fellow Daoist Luo, please return to your quiet room for tea and wait a moment." Steward Qian solicitously led Luo Ming back to his original quiet room.

About half an hour later, light footsteps were heard outside the quiet room, and Deacon Qian's voice rang out: "Fellow Daoist Luo, Fellow Daoist Yan has arrived."

The newcomer entered the room. He was thin and of medium height, wearing an inconspicuous gray Taoist robe. His face was ordinary, the kind that would be easily lost in a crowd. His cultivation was at the late stage of Core Formation, his aura was deep and serene, and his gaze was calm and unwavering.

Deacon Qian's voice came from outside the door again: "Fellow Daoists, you may move to the 'Mysterious Room' next door for a detailed discussion. The restrictions there are stronger, and it is absolutely safe." Clearly, the Treasure Artifact Alliance had long made well-prepared arrangements for meetings involving private transactions and confidential conditions.

The two had no objections and, guided by Steward Qian, arrived at a more secluded secret room next door. The room was small, and its walls shimmered with complex runes and spiritual light, clearly equipped with a powerful array to isolate divine sense and sound, ensuring that the content of their conversation would never be leaked.

The two sat facing each other at a spirit table. Deacon Qian quietly withdrew, leaving only Luo Ming and the cultivator surnamed Yan in the secret room. Then, the cultivator surnamed Yan summoned a cyan treasure mirror and erected a light barrier around the two of them.

Luo Ming didn't rush to speak, but calmly observed the other party. The cultivator surnamed Yan also looked up at Luo Ming, his gaze lingering for a moment on the several bulging spirit beast pouches hanging from Luo Ming's waist, a barely perceptible fluctuation flashing in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Yan," Luo Ming spoke first, breaking the silence and getting straight to the point, "I have seen that Five Elemental Bracelet, and it is indeed a rare spatial treasure, quite suitable for my needs. I wonder what conditions Fellow Daoist Yan would require to part with it?"

The cultivator surnamed Yan did not answer immediately, but instead took out an object and gently placed it on the table between the two of them.

It was a black bead the size of a pigeon's egg, neither gold nor stone, with a dull and lusterless surface, devoid of any spiritual energy fluctuations. It looked just like an ordinary black stone, completely unremarkable.

The cultivator surnamed Yan pointed to the black bead, then looked up at the spirit beast pouch at Luo Ming's waist. His voice remained calm, but carried a hint of barely perceptible expectation: "Fellow Daoist Luo seems to have quite a few spirit beasts, and of excellent quality. My condition is related to this bead."

Luo Ming frowned almost imperceptibly, waiting for the next part to continue.

"Fellow Daoist, you only need to take a drop of the essence blood of your raised spirit beast and drip it onto this bead," the cultivator surnamed Yan said slowly, his eyes fixed on Luo Ming. "As long as this bead can produce a special reaction, I, Yan, will offer up the Five Spirit Bracelet without taking a single penny."

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming's pupils contracted slightly. The condition sounded excessively simple, yet it was utterly bizarre. In the cultivation world, essence blood was linked to the soul and origin; how could it be given away so easily? Especially not the blood of a spirit beast one had carefully nurtured. If the other party used it to cast some strange spell—a curse, tracking, or even a way to suppress the spirit beast—the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Heh," Luo Ming chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His tone was clearly skeptical and cold. "Fellow Daoist Yan, this is no joke. How can one take the essence blood of a spirit beast so casually? Moreover, your condition is far too frivolous. If you only need essence blood, there are countless kinds of demonic beasts in the world. You can simply go to the market to buy them. Why use this rare treasure as bait to wait for me? You'd better make your point clear. Although I want the Five Spirit Bracelet, I'm not so foolish as to put myself in danger."

Faced with Luo Ming's questioning and the subtle wariness emanating from him, the cultivator surnamed Yan did not become angry, but rather seemed to have expected it. He shook his head and explained, "I understand Fellow Daoist Luo's caution. However, rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I am by no means the kind of petty person who would resort to curses and underhanded tactics. This bead..." He pointed to the black round bead, "has a single function; it can only test the reaction of specific bloodline power. It does not harm the essence blood itself, nor will it trace its origin or damage the spirit beast's soul. As for why I don't acquire the essence blood of demonic beasts..."

He paused, a complex look flashing in his eyes, and continued, "To be honest, what I need is not the essence blood of ordinary demonic beasts, but the blood of a spirit beast that is related to the bloodline of some ancient beast, or whose attributes are extremely special and whose potential is enormous. Only then can this pearl be activated. Most of what is sold in the market has mottled bloodlines or is of low grade and is useless. And the cultivators who possess such spirit beasts are either keeping it a secret or have powerful backgrounds, making them difficult to contact. Using this treasure as bait and spreading the word is a last resort, just to filter out those who meet the requirements. To be honest, I have also placed several treasures related to beast taming in other merchant alliances. The aura in your spirit beast pouch is subtle yet pure, which gave me a glimmer of hope."