txolops Chapter 120 Fire Ring Talisman
Chapter 120 Fire Ring Talisman
In the Xiancheng Market.
A burly man walked out of Lingbao Pavilion, muttering to himself as he went, "Strange, why has the steward been replaced?"
This burly man was none other than Li Ping in disguise. During this time, he had refined a considerable number of second-grade low-level Qi-cultivating pills, and had already exhausted all the spiritual herbs he had previously acquired.
Therefore, he came to the market today to sell some second-tier pills in exchange for spirit stones, and also to buy some spirit herbs that are over a hundred years old to refine pills back home.
Because of habit, his first choice was still Lingbao Pavilion.
To his surprise, the familiar shopkeeper was gone, replaced by a skinny old man.
He was quite disappointed that he couldn't see Miao Rou this time.
Although the transaction was completed smoothly, Li Ping felt a deep sense of unease. He shook his head and said, "I won't come again next time."
After leaving Lingbao Pavilion, Li Ping headed towards several other shops, including Wanfa Pavilion.
He produced quite a lot of Qi-Nourishing Pills, and selling them to only one store would be too conspicuous, so he had to distribute them in a more dispersed manner.
In any case, the quantity of elixirs he needs to purchase cannot be provided by a single shop.
……
Jade Cliff Palace.
Li Ping briefly revealed the aura of the Foundation Establishment stage, and was soon led by a servant to a private room on the second floor.
A moment later, a stout Foundation Establishment cultivator walked into the private room with a smile, and Li Ping glanced at him.
This person is also an acquaintance of Li Ping.
It was from him that Li Ping originally purchased the "Bloodwing Escape Technique".
However, back then Li Ping wore a mask and a bamboo hat to conceal his figure, unlike now when he is open and aboveboard.
The stout cultivator smiled and said to Li Ping, "My name is Zhuang Yu. May I ask how this fellow Daoist is addressed?"
Li Ping nodded indifferently: "My surname is Li."
"So it's Fellow Daoist Li." Zhuang Yu was unfazed by Li Ping's cold attitude and instead said with a smile, "I wonder what Fellow Daoist Li needs? I will do my best to meet your needs."
Li Ping knew that many of these shops in the market were opened by Core Formation level forces from the surrounding countries of the Immortal City.
Just like the shops in Jixia Immortal City, while earning spirit stones, they are also responsible for collecting rare resources for Core Formation cultivators.
For example, Lingbao Pavilion belongs to the Sword Washing Pool of the Chi Kingdom, while Yuya Palace belongs to Ziyun Valley of the Yue Kingdom.
According to Li Ping's understanding, Ziyun Valley is the most powerful sect in the Western Wilderness and Western Regions.
The late-stage Core Formation cultivator, Senior Huang, who previously killed the third-tier Fierce Arrow Eagle and relieved the siege of the Immortal City from the beast tide, is the Grand Elder of Purple Cloud Valley.
He guessed that the relationship between Immortal City and Purple Cloud Valley must be quite good, otherwise Senior Huang wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to Immortal City to help resist the beast tide.
Li Ping coldly stated, "I want to sell five bottles of pills and also acquire a batch of spiritual herbs. Here is the list."
After saying that, he placed five bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills and a piece of paper with the corresponding medicinal herbs written on it on the table.
Zhuang Yu smiled and nodded, then checked the quality of the pills on the table. After confirming that everything was correct, his gaze fell on the list of spiritual herbs.
After reviewing the list, his smile grew even more enthusiastic: "The spiritual herbs you require, fellow Daoist, are still in considerable stock in our shop. Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist, and I will have them fetch them for you immediately."
It would be a lie to say that a hundred-year-old medicinal herb is not precious, after all, its age speaks for itself.
However, it's not that rare; most long-established cultivation families can produce some.
The century-old spiritual herbs in Jade Cliff Palace were actually acquired from surrounding cultivation families and rogue cultivators adventuring in the Cloud Mist Mountains.
While waiting for the servant to bring up the elixir, Zhuang Yu kept talking to Li Ping, trying to find out what was going on with him.
An alchemist who can refine second-tier pills has a status that ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot match.
Li Ping, however, did not engage in a deep discussion with him, but merely responded in a perfunctory manner.
Little did Zhuang Yu know that his attitude only made Zhuang Yu more certain that he was a second-tier alchemist.
After all, a second-tier alchemist, standing at the top of the hierarchy of cultivation arts, is qualified to look down on others, even Foundation Establishment cultivators.
……
After a while, the transaction was completed.
Li Ping put the spiritual medicine and spirit stones he had exchanged for five bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills into his storage bag and got up to leave.
But Zhuang Yu suddenly called out to him, "Fellow Daoist Li, our shop recently received a treasure. Would you be interested in taking a look?"
"Oh? A treasure?" Li Ping stopped in his tracks and said with interest, "Fellow Daoist Zhuang, please take it out and let me see it. If it is truly a treasure, the price is no problem."
As a third-tier alchemist and a second-tier mid-grade talisman maker, he had a surplus of spirit stones and naturally wouldn't let any treasures slip by.
In reality, many treasures in the cultivation world cannot be bought with spirit stones.
Just like the auction he attended in Jixia, most of the transactions were barter, and very few involved buying and selling spirit stones.
If even Foundation Establishment cultivators are like this, he estimated that Core Formation cultivators would never use spirit stones for trading.
Of course, high-grade spirit stones are an exception.
High-grade spirit stones have many special uses and have transcended the category of spirit stones, thus falling into the category of treasures.
"Fellow Daoist Li, you won't be disappointed," Zhuang Yu said with a smile.
After a while.
A low-ranking steward from Jade Cliff Palace entered carrying a tray with a jade box on it.
Seeing such a solemn expression, Li Ping couldn't help but feel curious. However, the jade box had the effect of blocking divine sense, so even if he was curious, he couldn't tell what was inside.
At Zhuang Yu's signal, the lower-ranking steward placed the tray on the table and then respectfully withdrew.
Li Ping sat calmly, waiting for Zhuang Yu to introduce the treasure.
Zhuang Yu smiled, then lifted the lid of the jade box and pushed it in front of Li Ping, saying with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Li, this is the treasure I told you about. Take a look."
After saying that, he looked at Li Ping smugly and remained silent.
Li Ping glanced calmly into the box and saw a spirit talisman with its spiritual pressure contained. On the talisman was a lifelike, crimson-red ring encircling a burning flame.
The moment Li Ping saw the talisman, he immediately thought of the golden sword-shaped talisman that Xiao Yunzhi had brought out at the Jixia City exchange meeting.
He was also very envious of Xiao Yunzhi's talisman treasure at the time, but in the end, he had to give it up with regret for the sake of the thousand-year-old spiritual herb.
I never expected that now that I'm back in the Immortal City, I would see something similar again.
If the jade box in front of you truly contains a talisman, then it certainly deserves to be called a treasure.
After all, as a 'pseudo-magic weapon' that can only be crafted by a Core Formation cultivator by permanently diverting the power of their natal magic weapon, the talisman treasure possesses one-tenth the power of a magic weapon.
If controlled by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, although it cannot possess the power to shake mountains like a true magic weapon, it is still enough to crush any second-tier magic artifact.
In the battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators, possessing a talisman treasure is enough to make one stand out from the crowd.
Of course, although the talisman is incredibly powerful, it is ultimately without a source. Using it will continuously consume its power, and once the power is exhausted, the talisman will become completely useless.
Thinking of this, Li Ping looked at Zhuang Yu: "If I'm not mistaken, the treasure that Fellow Daoist Zhuang has brought out should be a talisman treasure. I am indeed very interested in this treasure. Fellow Daoist Zhuang, please name your price."
Upon hearing Li Ping finish speaking, a look of astonishment flashed across Zhuang Yu's eyes, before he smiled and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Li recognizes this treasure, it saves Zhuang Yu the trouble of explaining."
Zhuang Yu glanced at Li Ping again before smiling and saying, "This Blazing Fire Ring talisman has only been used once or twice, and most of its power remains. For just two thousand spirit stones, you can take it, fellow Daoist!"
A second-tier high-grade magic weapon costs around 1,500 spirit stones.
Although talismans are more powerful than high-grade magic artifacts, they are limited in the number of times they can be used. Moreover, this Fire Ring talisman has already been used, so its price, which is much higher than that of a high-grade magic artifact, is actually quite expensive.
However, treasures like talismans are inherently rare and expensive, so it's normal for them to be pricey.
Having considered this, Li Ping no longer hesitated.
After checking the talisman and confirming that it still had most of its power remaining, he took out two thousand spirit stones of different colors from his storage bag and placed them on the small table. The pile of spirit stones almost formed a small mountain.
He looked at Zhuang Yu and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Zhuang can check the numbers to see if they are correct."
Zhuang Yu nodded: "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
After saying that, he enveloped the pile of spirit stones with his divine sense and began to examine them carefully.
After a moment, having checked and found nothing wrong, he smiled and said, "The number of spirit stones is correct, and the Fire Ring Talisman is now yours, Fellow Daoist Li."
Li Ping nodded, put the jade box into his storage bag, and then took his leave.
Watching Li Ping's departing figure, Zhuang Yu's eyes were filled with envy: "A second-tier alchemist, indeed wealthy, taking out two thousand spirit stones so easily."
Every Foundation Establishment cultivator, including him, wants a talisman treasure.
If he had enough spirit stones, he would have taken advantage of his proximity to the treasure and decisively acquired it.
"However, I can also get a lot of commission from selling this talisman, and I've also made good friends with a second-tier alchemist, which is not bad." Zhuang Yu pondered, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Strange, his surname is Li. When did such a second-tier alchemist appear in the Immortal City? Could he be a newcomer?"
……
He visited two more places, selling all the pills he had and also buying enough century-old spiritual herbs to last for several years.
Li Ping found a secluded spot, twisted his body, and returned to his original form before leisurely returning to Immortal Peach Mountain.
As he walked around, he also pondered the gains and losses of this trip.
After selling the pills, his storage bag became quite full.
Moreover, he was extremely lucky this time and bought a "Fire Ring" talisman at Jade Cliff Palace, adding another trump card to his collection.
Buying the talisman made Li Ping realize that there were still quite a few good things in the Immortal City.
However, all those good things eventually ended up in the hands of Core Formation cultivators.
The talisman treasures are only revealed because Core Formation cultivators don't need them.
"Perhaps I should open a shop to acquire all sorts of rare and precious treasures." Li Ping quickly shook his head again: "My strength is too low. If I dare to snatch things from a Core Formation cultivator, it might cause trouble."
"There's no need to do all this now. We should focus on cultivation and wait until we reach the Core Formation stage."
Follow the strokes of a pen that are hard to come by when you have a good name, and embark on an adventure together in "Immortality Begins with Inheriting the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation".