txolops Chapter 21 The Fragmented Jade Tablet!
Chapter 21 The Fragmented Jade Tablet!
Chapter 21 The Fragmented Jade Tablet!
Lin Chuan felt a chill run down his spine, but quickly regained his composure.
Yes.
Judging by the time, it has been more than a year since Han Li joined Huangfeng Valley through the Ascension Token, so it is normal for his cultivation to have reached the tenth level of Qi Refining.
However, he had been either in seclusion at Xuankun Mountain or in the market town and had never encountered them before.
"Does my senior brother know me?"
Han Li keenly noticed the slight change in Lin Chuan's demeanor just now, a barely perceptible hint of wariness flashing in his eyes, but his tone remained humble.
Lin Chuan's mind raced, and a smile of realization mixed with apology appeared on his face as he explained, "A year ago, I heard that a lucky person named Han Li had entered the sect with an Ascension Token. Just now, when Junior Brother Han introduced himself, I remembered this matter. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that it was Junior Brother Han in person."
This explanation is reasonable.
Ascension tokens are extremely rare, and the fact that the holder can enter the sect is not a secret among the inner disciples of Huangfeng Valley, but there are not many people who pay attention to it.
Upon hearing this, Han Li's wariness eased slightly, revealing a hint of bitter helplessness: "I see. This matter... I've made you laugh, Senior Brother."
He entered the cultivation world through the Ascension Token, but his aptitude was poor. In the cultivation world, which values aptitude, this was indeed a topic of gossip among others.
Lin Chuan waved his hand and said sincerely, "Junior Brother Han, please don't think like that. The path to immortality is ethereal, and everyone has their own opportunities. Being able to enter my Yellow Maple Valley is already a matter of kinship, so there's no question of you making fun of me."
He paused, then introduced himself: "My surname is Lin, and my given name is Chuan. I am temporarily residing here at Xuankun Mountain to cultivate. Since this is Junior Brother Han's first time at the Xuankun Mountain Exchange Meeting, and you are not very familiar with the paths and fellow disciples, why don't we travel together? I can also introduce you to a few people."
Han Li hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Lin Chuan's attitude was gentle and not insincere, he cupped his hands and said, "Then I will trouble Senior Brother Lin."
The two then walked side by side toward the mountaintop.
Before leaving, Lin Chuan had already activated the "Hidden Spirit Technique" to steadily maintain his aura at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, an improvement of one level compared to the cultivation level he displayed at the last exchange meeting.
They traveled in silence and soon arrived at Tingsong Pavilion.
More than ten people had gathered in the pavilion, most of them familiar faces from Xuankun Mountain, chatting in twos and threes.
Chen Qiaotian's imposing figure was particularly eye-catching. He was talking to two disciples when he saw Lin Chuan arrive. His gaze swept over Lin Chuan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he strode forward to greet him.
"Junior Brother Lin, it's been many days! Your cultivation has actually broken through to the eleventh level of Qi Refining." Chen Qiaotian laughed heartily, his gaze slightly narrowing on Lin Chuan. "Congratulations!"
"Senior Brother Chen has such discerning eyes. I am merely following the proper steps and dare not slack off. I cannot compare to Senior Brother's profound cultivation." Lin Chuan returned the greeting with a smile, his attitude humble.
He then stepped aside and introduced, "This is Junior Brother Han Li from Hundred Herbs Garden. He heard that there is an exchange meeting at Xuankun Mountain, so he came to see it for himself."
"Oh? Junior Brother Han from the Hundred Herbs Garden?"
Chen Qiaotian turned his gaze to Han Li, his smile still warm, but with a hint of scrutiny: "Welcome. Junior Brother Han is on duty at the Hundred Herbs Garden, so you must have a lot of experience in identifying spiritual herbs and harmonizing their medicinal properties. If you have any related questions in the future, you may need to consult with me."
Han Li quickly bowed and said, "Senior Brother Chen, you flatter me. I only do some basic cleaning and tidying work, how could I dare to ask for your guidance? It is you senior brothers and sisters who should give me more pointers."
He handled the situation appropriately, while also maintaining an extremely humble attitude.
Chen Qiaotian exchanged a few more polite words with the two men, then left because other fellow disciples were calling him.
Han Li was new to the place and knew no one except Lin Chuan. Seeing that the people in the pavilion were either highly skilled or had extraordinary bearing, he silently walked to a quiet stone bench in a corner of the pavilion and sat down. He calmly observed his surroundings without taking the initiative to talk to anyone.
Lin Chuan also exchanged a few brief pleasantries with several familiar fellow disciples.
About half an hour later, more than twenty people had gathered in the Listening Pine Pavilion. Their auras varied in strength, but they were all disciples at least at the tenth level of Qi Refining.
It seemed that Senior Brother Gu, who was supposed to host the exchange meeting, was absent. As one of the disciples with the highest cultivation level and the best interpersonal relationships present, Chen Qiaotian naturally took the lead and stood in the center of the pavilion.
He cleared his throat, his voice booming throughout the pavilion: "Fellow disciples, since Senior Brother Gu is unable to attend today, I, Chen, will temporarily preside over the meeting. The rules remain the same: everyone should share what they have and engage in fair trade to benefit your cultivation. If you have any insights into cultivation, please feel free to share them. If there are no objections, let the exchange begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere inside the pavilion became even more lively.
Soon, someone took out their items.
"I have a mid-grade magic weapon here called the 'Green Vine Whip,' crafted primarily from century-old green vines. It's incredibly flexible and difficult to break, and carries a mild wood poison, making it remarkably effective against enemies. I'd like to exchange it for a similarly graded earth-attribute defensive magic weapon..."
"I have three 'Mistheart Grass' plants that are eighty years old, with their medicinal properties perfectly preserved. I can exchange them for pills that can improve one's cultivation in the late stage of Qi Refining, or their equivalent value in spirit stones..."
The sounds of trading rose and fell, though not as bustling as the marketplace, but with a greater sense of trust and directness among fellow practitioners.
At this moment, Han Li, who was sitting in the corner, also stood up, walked to the empty space in the pavilion, and took out two small jade bottles from his storage bag.
He spoke calmly, "I have two bottles of pills, one called 'Yellow Dragon Pill' and the other 'Golden Marrow Pill,' both excellent pills for advancing cultivation in the Qi Refining stage, with mild medicinal effects. I wish to exchange these two bottles of pills for a...ancient pill formula. It doesn't matter what kind of pill the formula describes, as long as it is confirmed to be from ancient times and rarely seen today."
Upon hearing this, the pavilion fell into a slight silence.
Huanglong Dan and Jinsui Wan are indeed good among the pills for the Qi Refining stage, especially suitable for the middle and late stages of Qi Refining, and they are quite expensive.
But exchanging it for the ancient elixir formula... that's a rather special request.
Most ancient elixirs are incomplete, or the required medicinal materials have long been extinct, or the refining methods have been lost. Their practical value is often low, and they are more often used for collection or research.
Disciples who can produce such items are extremely rare.
Sure enough, a female disciple at the eleventh level of Qi Refining spoke up and asked, "Junior Brother Han, ancient pill formulas are rare, and many are impractical. I have a decent defensive talisman here, or perhaps some spirit stones, could you exchange it for your pills?"
Han Li shook his head, his tone gentle yet firm: "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister, but I am only interested in ancient pill formulas."
Seeing this, the female disciple stopped trying to persuade her.
The others looked at each other, but no one responded.
Han Li waited for a moment, and seeing that no one was willing to trade, he silently put away the pills and returned to his original position. There was not much disappointment on his face, as if he had expected it.
Lin Chuan witnessed this scene and knew that Han Li was searching for ancient pill formulas most likely to refine pills that could enhance his cultivation.
He possessed the Heavenly Bottle, which contained many aged medicinal herbs. Although the conditions for refining ancient pill formulas were difficult, they were no challenge for him.
After several more rounds of transactions, Zhao Yong, whom Lin Chuan had been keeping an eye on, finally stood up hesitantly.
He walked into the pavilion and carefully took something out of his pocket.
It was a pale white jade piece, about half the size of a palm, with an irregular shape.
The jade is warm and lustrous, but it is not intact. There are obvious cracks on the edges, and some extremely simple and blurry cloud patterns are engraved on the surface. The whole piece exudes a sense of vicissitude.
"This item... was something that I, Zhao, acquired by chance many years ago."
Zhao Yong's voice was a little hoarse, as if he was not used to speaking in front of a crowd. "According to the rogue cultivator who sold this item, it is a rare treasure... uh, or rather, a fragment of a magic weapon."
"Fragments of a magical artifact?"
These four words immediately attracted everyone's attention. Even Han Li, who was sitting in the corner, raised his head, his eyes flashing with curiosity.
Seeing everyone's attention, Zhao Yong perked up slightly and continued to explain, "That rogue cultivator said that this jade tablet fragment itself has the miraculous ability to conceal spiritual energy fluctuations and avoid divine sense detection. However... he didn't quite understand how to use it, only saying that carrying it on one's person might be effective."
Can it conceal one's aura and evade divine sense?
This is a great item for saving your life and stealth!
Many disciples showed interest in the idea.
Chen Qiaotian also became interested and asked, "Junior Brother Zhao, may I take a look?"
"Of course, please take a look, Senior Brother Chen." Zhao Yong handed over the fragment of the jade tablet.
Chen Qiaotian took it; it felt slightly cool to the touch. He first slowly infused it with his own spiritual power, but the jade tablet showed no reaction, neither absorbing the spiritual power nor emitting any spiritual light.
Then, he released his divine sense to carefully examine the jade tablet itself.
After a moment, Chen Qiaotian frowned slightly, shook his head, returned the jade tablet to Zhao Yong, and said to everyone, "The material of this jade is indeed special. When I scanned it with my divine sense, I felt it was somewhat sluggish and blurry. The spiritual energy fluctuations of the jade tablet itself were also extremely subtle, almost non-existent. What Junior Brother Zhao said is true. This fragment of the jade tablet does indeed have a certain concealing effect."
He then changed the subject, a hint of regret in his voice: "However, when I tried to touch it with my own aura, or bring it close to my body, I didn't feel any blessing or concealment. In other words, this item can only conceal 'itself,' but cannot extend its effects to the wearer or holder. This…"
Chen Qiaotian didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already quite clear.
Upon hearing this, most of the interest that had just arisen among the crowd vanished.
"It can only conceal itself? What's the use of that? Is it supposed to be thrown out during a magical battle to attract the opponent's attention?"
"It's useless... If it were a complete magic weapon, it might have other mysteries, but this is just a fragment, so it's understandable that its effects are incomplete."
"What a pity, I thought I'd struck gold."
"Senior brother is joking. Even if we had the complete magic weapon, we wouldn't be able to use it."
Whispers arose inside the pavilion, mostly tinged with disappointment.
A fragment that can only be hidden from view has very little practical value for a Qi Refining stage cultivator.
Instead of using those spirit stones or resources, it would be better to exchange them for something that can actually improve combat power or cultivation.
Zhao Yong looked somewhat embarrassed, holding the jade pendant fragment, unsure of what to do.
At this moment, Lin Chuan stepped forward.
Although he firmly remembered the divination's indication that this item would be of great use when combined with the Void Stone, he did not have the Void Stone on him at the moment, nor could he discern any special characteristics of this fragment other than those described by Chen Qiaotian.
However, since it is a "very auspicious" hexagram, it's always better to get it first.
"Junior Brother Zhao, may I take another look at this?" Lin Chuan asked in a calm tone, as if he were merely curious.
Zhao Yong was feeling awkward, but seeing that Lin Chuan was interested, he quickly handed it over: "Senior Brother Lin, please take a look."
Lin Chuan took the jade pendant fragment; it felt cool to the touch and hard in texture.
He imitated Chen Qiaotian, infusing a wisp of spiritual energy, but there was no reaction.
He then released his divine sense to investigate and indeed felt a slight stagnation when his divine sense swept over the jade tablet. The jade tablet itself had almost no aura, but that was all.
He did not feel any special fluctuations or resonance.
After examining it for a moment, Lin Chuan looked up at Zhao Yong and said, "The patterns on this jade are ancient and simple, and it does look like a fragment of an ancient artifact. Although it doesn't seem to be of much use in cultivation or combat at the moment, it is quite unique as an interesting antique collectible."
He looked at Zhao Yong and asked directly, "I wonder what Senior Brother Zhao wishes to exchange this for?"
Seeing that there was indeed a chance, Zhao Yong hurriedly said, "To be honest, Junior Brother Lin, I am cultivating a wood-attribute technique, which requires several wood-attribute auxiliary herbs that are over fifty years old. If you have any..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chuan took out two jade boxes from his storage bag and opened them. Inside each box was a vibrant, verdant herb: "One is a 'Five-Leaf Azure Mist Grass,' fifty-five years old; the other is a 'Wood Spirit Ginseng,' about sixty years old. Both are neutral and balanced herbs of the wood element. Is this enough, Senior Brother Zhao?"
Although these two medicinal herbs are not rare varieties, their age of fifty or sixty years is still quite good. Their combined market value is around one hundred and fifty spirit stones, which is a rather reasonable price for Zhao Yong's obviously useless jade tablet fragment.
Zhao Yong's eyes lit up with joy, and almost without hesitation, he nodded quickly: "That's enough! Junior Brother Lin is so generous, this fragment is yours!"
The two made the transaction on the spot, and the fragment of the jade pendant fell into Lin Chuan's storage bag.
Lin Chuan made a mental note of it, thinking that he could explore its mysteries later when he found the "Void Stone".
This little incident quickly passed, the exchange continued, and several more people completed their transactions.
About an hour later, the exchange meeting came to a close.
Everyone had gained something, and they all got up to leave.
Han Li also stood up with the crowd. He had gained nothing today except observation. Although his face was expressionless, there seemed to be a trace of disappointment deep in his eyes.
He silently walked down the path.
"Junior Brother Han, please wait." Lin Chuan's voice came from behind.
Han Li paused, turned around, and his face had returned to calm: "Senior Brother Lin, is there anything else you need?"
Lin Chuan stepped forward, smiled slightly, and lowered his voice, saying, "Just now I heard that Junior Brother wanted to purchase an ancient pill formula. Coincidentally, I happen to have an ancient pill formula that I obtained by chance, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet. Today, seeing that Junior Brother is interested in this, I wonder if you could come to my residence and discuss it with me? Perhaps Junior Brother can gain something from it, which would also relieve me of a worry."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light finally flashed in Han Li's calm eyes.
He looked at Lin Chuan and saw that the other party's expression was sincere and not fake. After a moment's thought, he cupped his hands and said, "I am honored that Senior Brother Lin thinks so highly of me. Then I will trouble you."