Chapter 103: Remnant Roots of Spirit Wood, The Yellow Bud Pill Formula

Lin You gazed at the various offerings laid out on the pieces of cloth, pondering for a moment. He currently had one hundred and fifty spirit pills on hand, but he could not afford to spend them recklessly. His internal valuation was about six spirit pills for a cultivation technique and around fifteen for a spiritual treasure. After some deliberation, he made his decision.

He accepted all four spiritual treasures. As for the cultivation techniques, he selected only eight, all priced at six spirit pills or less. With his choices made, the nine-tailed swimming fish wiggled its body and returned the way it came, conveying the results of the transaction to the nine individuals in the arena.

Those whose trades were accepted were naturally overjoyed, while the rogue cultivators who had set their prices too high and missed their chance looked as if they had lost a parent, secretly regretting their own greed. Soon, several spirit fish swam back and forth between the two sides, carrying the traded items and completing the exchange.

Once he had the items in hand, Tiger Lord opened them to find five jade bottles containing a total of sixty-four Essence-Nurturing Spirit Pills. He was greatly surprised and could not help but look toward Lin You at the head of the table.

Lin You smiled lightly and said, "The trade is concluded, the payment and goods are settled. Please, fellow Daoists, feel free to count them."

The individuals who had received the spirit pills stood up, cupped their hands, and said, "Daoist, you are truly a gentleman! We are in awe!" Clearly, the outcome of the trade had exceeded their expectations as well.

Tiger Lord felt immense admiration at that moment. He had only asked for twenty spirit pills, yet the other party had generously topped it up to sixty-four. How could one not respect such character? It seemed that if he were to explore that ancient ruin in the future, this Daoist Yuchen would certainly be an ideal partner.

The first round of trading concluded with both host and guests satisfied. Next, it was the turn of Qing Su, who sat beside Lin You. He produced three talismans and said, "I have three talismans here, each containing the Daoist art 'Soul-Slaying Spike.' Possessing one allows a cultivator to contend with those below the seventh level of True Qi! This item is for trade only for spiritual treasures."

With that, he used his mana to send one of the talismans to Lin You for inspection. As soon as the talisman was in his hand, a strange look flashed in Lin You's eyes. He saw traces of the "True Explanation of the Void Talismans of Qingwei Heaven" within these three talismans.

Moreover, the True Qi infused within them was exceptionally pure, clearly the result of consuming many high-quality spirit pills, which set him apart from ordinary rogue cultivators. It seemed his background was quite intriguing.

After a brief assessment, Lin You nodded and said, "This fellow Daoist speaks the truth. This talisman indeed contains a Daoist art."

At these words, everyone present turned to look. Anyone capable of producing such talismans surely possessed a cultivation level that was by no means low. Many felt a surge of desire, but as no one had any spiritual treasures to offer beyond their own life-bound items, they had to give up. A few tried to trade other items, but Qing Su refused them. Ultimately, the three talismans remained untraded.

Qing Su’s expression did not change; he had anticipated this result. He knew too well the allure of spirit pills to cultivators; unless they were facing an imminent battle, ordinary talismans could not compare to them—unless these were true talismans crafted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was not surprised to have failed to trade for a spiritual treasure; he would be in this realm for another year or two, and he was confident he would eventually obtain a few treasures.

Next in line was an elderly man with a youthful face and white hair, whose cultivation was only at the second level of True Qi—hardly an expert. He cautiously took out a blackened object that looked like the charred root of a lightning-struck tree and placed it on the table. He said to the crowd, "I have a spiritual material here, suspected to be the root of some spiritual tree. It can be used for alchemy or medicine. If any fellow Daoists are interested, feel free to make an offer."

The cultivators looked it over, but none showed interest in the blackened lump. Although it retained some spiritual energy, it was inferior to an ordinary spiritual herb, and since they were not alchemists, it was useless to them.

Lin You, however, felt a spark of interest and asked, "Does the Daoist know what kind of spiritual tree this is?"

The old man shook his head but hesitated before saying, "I obtained this from Rotten Peach Mountain in Qian Province. I imagine it might have been a peach tree that gained sentience, only to be struck by lightning and fire." He had obtained it from a farmer; had he not intervened, it would have been burned as firewood in a stove. He had later gone to Rotten Peach Mountain to search, but half the hillside had been incinerated by a wildfire, leaving no treasures behind. Even the charred remains of the tree had been scavenged by villagers for fuel.

After hearing this, Lin You grew more intrigued. He already knew that when spiritual trees faced calamities—whether heavenly or human—they usually left behind a glimmer of life. If this root still held a spark of vitality, it was not impossible to save it. Since no one else was competing for it, Lin You offered one spirit pill and took the blackened root.

Once the old man's trade was complete, others brought their items to the table. They wanted to trade for all sorts of things, though spirit pills and herbs remained the most sought-after. Lin You had little interest in these and did not intervene again.

Only when Tiger Lord brought out a five-hundred-year-old Yin-Ganoderma Horse did Lin You show interest. Just as he was about to make an offer, he heard a voice transmission in his ear: "Senior Yuchen! I am Qing Su. I wonder if you would be willing to yield this item to me? I am willing to offer other compensation!"

Lin You’s heart stirred, and he replied via transmission: "Does the Daoist want this as well?"

"Indeed. This item is vital to my Dao path. If you are willing to yield, I would be eternally grateful!" Qing Su transmitted back.

The Yin-Ganoderma Horse was the most crucial ingredient for the Yellow Sprout Pill. If he could obtain it, the other herbs would not be a problem. This five-hundred-year-old herb was something he was determined to secure today. However, the only person he felt pressure from was the mysterious Daoist Yuchen, who he suspected was a true disciple of the Dan Sect at the Foundation Establishment stage. If this person did not intervene, he had a ninety percent chance of succeeding.

Gritting his teeth, Qing Su transmitted again: "I suspect you have little interest in my other possessions, but I am willing to offer a Foundation Establishment-level pill recipe!"

To impress a cultivator suspected of being at the Foundation Establishment stage, ordinary items were useless. As a wealthy alchemist, only the Yellow Sprout Pill recipe would catch his eye. Though he was reluctant, he could not miss out on this Yin-Ganoderma Horse if he hoped to reach Foundation Establishment. He had to make the trade.

Lin You heard this and glanced over, nodding slightly. "In that case, I shall yield it to you."

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Qing Su was overjoyed. He quickly placed the pill recipe into the mouth of the swimming fish, which delivered it to Lin You, and then he confidently began to bid against the others.