Chapter 73: Flying Fish Robe (Congratulations to Elvin2016 on becoming a Silver Alliance Leader! )
Chapter 73: Flying Fish Robe (Congratulations to Elvin2016 on becoming a Silver Alliance Leader! )
Dragon Gate Pavilion.
The pavilion was octagonal, with entrances facing every direction.
Carved onto its eaves were 'Chiwen' – mythical beasts with dragon heads and fish bodies.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
Just as Fang Xi entered the pavilion with Mo Qingyu, a young man at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement came forward to greet them.
He wore a profound black cultivation robe, adorned with an embroidered flying fish insignia. This flying fish looked exceptionally majestic, even sporting two dragon whiskers.
"A Flying Fish Robe?"
Having listened to Mo Qingyu chatter all the way here, Fang Xi naturally knew this was the standard attire for a Zhong Clan disciple. His expression grew a little more solemn. "Might you be a Zhong Clan disciple?"
Zhong Wan Gu eagerly said, "These spirit fish are wonderfully delicious! Paired with our local specialty, 'Ren Water Spirit Rice,' they are truly a culinary marvel!"
"Eating rice and fish soup is indeed one of life's great joys. " Fang Xi smiled. "However, I wish to first purchase a body cultivation art, one that's at the fourth level or higher!"
"Foundation Establishment cultivation art? Is fellow Daoist actually a body cultivator? " Zhong Wan Gu was slightly startled. "My apologies, my apologies. . ."
"Besides body cultivation arts, if your esteemed pavilion has inheritances for puppet arts or beast taming arts, I'd like to see those as well. " Fang Xi was now comparable to a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. As long as a great Foundation Establishment cultivator didn't emerge, he had far fewer concerns.
Hearing this request, Zhong Wan Gu could only offer a bitter smile. "Such inheritances, even at the first tier, are extremely rare. We don't have them. . . However, our establishment does have first-tier talisman making, artifact refining, and spirit plant cultivation inheritances. Might fellow Daoist be interested?"
The four cultivation arts – formation arrays, alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman making – are the primary focus. Basically, most cultivators practice these.
Skills like puppet arts and beast taming arts are rather obscure and rare.
To find them just by casually strolling into a shop indeed requires good luck.
"Then bring them all for me to see."
Fang Xi waved his hand with an air of extravagance.
After Zhong Wan Gu disappeared behind the counter, it wasn't long before Fang Xi felt a prickling sensation, as if under scrutiny.
Evidently, the expert presiding over the pavilion had already focused their attention on him.
"Please take a look, fellow Daoist!"
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Zhong Wan Gu returned, holding a wooden tray. On the tray were several jade slips, each affixed with a sealing talisman.
He first picked up a blue jade slip and began, ""The Heavenly Thunder Tempering Gold Body" – an incomplete cultivation art, but it still has four levels. It draws upon the power of the Nine Heavens' Violet Lightning to temper the body, granting formidable combat strength, especially effective against demons and malevolent beings! Three hundred and fifty spirit stones. . ."
Seeing Fang Xi's expressionless face, he swapped to a blood-red jade slip: ""The Myriad Beast Body" – its cultivation requires refining the essence blood of demon beasts. It includes the 'Beast Transformation Secret Art,' allowing one to temporarily transform into a demon beast, greatly boosting combat power. . . Four hundred spirit stones! Those with weak willpower are prone to cultivation deviation when practicing this art, and reaching the fourth level is extremely difficult, requiring the essence blood of a second-tier demon beast as a guide."
'Even so, it's more expensive than "The Heavenly Thunder Tempering Gold Body. " Clearly, the flaws in that first art must be even more severe than the second. . . Drawing upon the Nine Heavens' lightning to temper the body? You'd probably just get zapped to death. . . '
Fang Xi muttered inwardly. Seeing Zhong Wan Gu remain silent, he knew the man was assessing his financial capabilities.
He smiled and handed over a storage bag.
Zhong Wan Gu took it. Noticing that the other party had already withdrawn their magical power imprint, he couldn't help but probe it with his spiritual sense, immediately drawing a sharp breath. "This fellow Daoist. . . are you looking to sell demon beast materials?"
"Mm, just process them all."
Fang Xi's expression remained calm.
That storage bag was the smallest one he possessed, and it contained not the materials from the snake-dragon, but rather some treasures he'd found in the Demon Hunting Society's storeroom.
The snake-dragon possessed a trace of Flood Dragon bloodline and was a first-tier superior-grade demon beast, making it truly too precious.
What's more, the Dragon Fish Zhong Clan could cultivate 'Little Green Dragons' that awakened their dragon bloodline. They might have a deep understanding of Flood Dragon bloodlines and specific needs. Rashly taking out snake-dragon materials might just bring trouble upon himself.
Thus, Fang Xi presented a storage bag filled with ordinary first-tier low-grade and first-tier mid-grade demon beast materials.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. . ."
Zhong Wan Gu immediately called over another Zhong Clan member, instructing him to openly tally the items nearby, while he himself began introducing the other jade slips:
...
""The Myriad Swords Canon" – a Qi Refinement cultivation art, also encompasses body cultivation. Four hundred and fifty spirit stones."
"First-tier superior-grade artifact refining inheritance – "Qing Xi Rogue Immortal's Notes on Forging Artifacts," priced at three hundred spirit stones."
"First-tier superior-grade talisman making inheritance, two hundred and fifty spirit stones."
"This last one is a spirit plant cultivator inheritance, obtained from an old farmer named 'Jia Feicai'! " Zhong Wan Gu touched the last jade slip, a hint of emotion in his expression. "This person was a cultivator from this very island. Although he possessed spiritual roots, they were of the lowest grade. He spent his entire life as a spirit farmer, his cultivation remaining at the second level of Qi Refinement. It wasn't until after his death that his family sold off his belongings and discovered a spirit plant cultivator inheritance among them. . . It's a comprehensive summary of his life's work, primarily focused on caring for spirit rice, but also containing much experience in cultivating spirit herbs. It only costs twenty spirit stones."
As Zhong Wan Gu spoke, his expression was also a little downcast; perhaps his own talent wasn't particularly good either.
In the cultivation world, cultivators like him and Jia Feicai were the mainstream.
They would spend their entire lives stagnating in the Qi Refinement stage, silently contributing to their families and descendants, eventually dying without a sound.
Upon hearing the price, Fang Xi's mouth twitched.
A spirit plant cultivator was essentially an upgraded version of a spirit farmer, considered the lowest-ranked of the hundred cultivation arts. Even its price was so cheap!
However, for him, who was about to plant a tree, this spirit plant cultivator inheritance was still extremely useful. So he said, "I'll take it. . ."
"Alright."
Zhong Wan Gu revealed a trace of a smile, then conferred with the clan disciple beside him: "The demon beast materials sold by fellow Daoist include one piece of first-tier mid-grade mutated demon beast hide, a pair of fangs from an unknown demon beast, one piece of first-tier low-grade rat skin, and one portion of rat bones. . . totaling one hundred and seventy-two spirit stones!"
"Agreed. Let's proceed with the transaction."
Fang Xi nodded.
Then, under Zhong Wan Gu's disappointed gaze, he only purchased the spirit plant cultivator inheritance, taking back the storage bag containing one hundred and fifty-two low-grade spirit stones of various colors.
"Let's go!"
Fang Xi put away the storage bag and said to Mo Qingyu beside him.
Even if he was somewhat tempted, he wouldn't immediately purchase a Foundation Establishment-level body cultivation art; it was simply too expensive. . .
To purchase the complete art, he would likely have to produce the snake-dragon materials as well, which would undoubtedly lead to additional risks.
After stepping out of the Dragon Gate Pavilion, Mo Qingyu seemed to finally recover from his previous shock, a hint of regret in his voice: "Immortal Master, if you wanted to sell demon beast materials, I know of better channels here. You could get at least an extra five percent on the price. . ."
"No need. I dislike trouble."
Fang Xi shook his head. While the rogue cultivator stall owners might offer a slightly higher acquisition price, the endless nitpicking and haggling were truly exhausting. It was better to deal with things cleanly and directly. "Now. . . let's go find Daoist Miao, the one who raises spirit pets!"
"Yes, fellow Daoist, this way!"
Mo Qingyu led the way, relaying information as he walked: "This senior, Daoist Miao Dong, is a master at the sixth level of Qi Refinement. Furthermore, he raises three spirit pets, one of which is a 'Water Crow,' which can occasionally catch spirit fish, making us common folk incredibly envious. . ."
The Treasure Ship Market also had cave dwellings available for rent. Miao Dong's cave dwelling was located at the edge, offering good scenery and even featuring a small courtyard.
Mo Qingyu stepped forward and knocked on the door, but for a long time, there was no answer.
Fang Xi thought for a moment, then flicked out a 'transmission talisman. ' The talisman transformed into a streak of fire and flew into the courtyard.
Not long after, the courtyard gate opened, revealing an elder dressed in a brightly colored robe, with an antique appearance and three fleshy growths on his forehead.
Miao Dong directly ignored Mo Qingyu and looked at Fang Xi. "Fellow Daoist, what brings you to this old man?"
His gaze held a wary alertness, a common trait among all rogue cultivators.
Fang Xi cupped his hands. "I've heard that Daoist Miao excels at controlling demon beasts. I've come to inquire whether it's possible to purchase a beast taming inheritance?"
"Hmph! My bread and butter, how could I possibly sell it? " Miao Dong glared at Mo Qingyu. "I know you. Dare to bring someone here again, and I'll feed you to my precious!"
As Mo Qingyu's face turned pale, Miao Dong was about to close the gate.
Hiss, hiss!
Suddenly, a hissing sound emerged from his sleeve.
Miao Dong's expression shifted. He looked at Fang Xi, and then a smile unexpectedly appeared on his face. "This fellow Daoist, may I know your esteemed name?"
"My name is Fang Leng! " Fang Xi, as usual, gave a false name.
"Since that is the case. . . please, come inside, and we can discuss further. " Miao Dong turned sideways, opening the gate wider.
'This person has a strange temper; he's not easy to deal with. '
Fang Xi inwardly complained, then walked directly into the courtyard.
Mo Qingyu, however, gave a bitter smile, indicating that he would just wait outside the gate.
He was merely a mortal, and having offended a cultivator, his heart was already filled with trepidation. How could he possibly dare to enter?
Miao Dong's courtyard wasn't large, but it featured a pond that occupied nearly half its area. At the pond's edge, a Water Crow rested, preening its feathers with its long beak. Its glossy black eyes held an abundance of spiritual intelligence.
Inside the pond, there was also a mass of dark shadow, lurking within the muddy depths, indistinct and unclear.
"Please, fellow Daoist, have a seat. . ."
Miao Dong invited Fang Xi to sit on a meditation cushion, his expression turning solemn. "Daoist Fang, you seek a beast tamer inheritance. May I ask why?"
"I encountered a demon beast that I found quite appealing, and I wish to tame it as a spirit pet!"
In truth, he was more interested in researching puppet arts, as a complement for when he would be unable to stray too far in the future while cultivating his tree.
But wasn't it difficult to find an inheritance for puppet arts?
Considering the abundant demon beast resources in the Da Liang world, perhaps he could make do with this for now.
"That's simple. . ."
Hearing this, a look of delight immediately appeared on Miao Dong's face. "Actually, for us cultivators, there are many ways to form a contract with a demon beast. You don't necessarily need to delve into beast taming arts, unless you wish to control multiple demon beasts and form a battle array. . . Does fellow Daoist know of the 'Blood Contract Document'?"
"I'd be pleased to hear the details? " Fang Xi, always ready to adapt, showed a look of interest.
"As is well known, to form a contract with a demon beast, it's best to project one's Divine Consciousness into its sea of consciousness. This way, one can control the demon beast's life and death with a single thought. Unfortunately, Divine Consciousness is only something great Foundation Establishment cultivators possess. . ."
Miao Dong swayed his head as he explained, "Besides that, there's also the method of blood contracts: setting up a formation, consuming the cultivator's essence blood, and forming a brand. After such a contract, if the demon beast dies, the cultivator is unharmed. But if the cultivator dies, the demon beast will inevitably explode and perish. . . This 'Blood Contract Document' is merely a convenient method created by cultivators proficient in beast taming arts. As long as the spirit pet's cultivation does not exceed yours by a major realm, you can command it without issue after the contract is formed."
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