Chapter 98: Third-rank Spiritual Liquid
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
The one descending from the third floor was unexpectedly Su Miaoyin in a Taoist nun’s attire. Her voice was soft and ethereal, and each time she spoke, it carried a celestial aura.
"So it’s Fellow Daoist Su. I am surnamed Hu."
Lin Changan, disguised as a cultivator from the Kingdom of Wind, cupped his fists heartily, immediately leaving a good impression.
Su Miaoyin responded with a gentle smile and a graceful nod. Her movements were elegant and light as she slowly approached the table.
The elder surnamed Feng stood respectfully by the side, while Su Miaoyin picked up the formation plate and examined it closely, nodding slightly.
"Not bad. It’s a third-rank formation plate, and the material is excellent. Pity it’s incomplete."
Shaking her head in her beautiful Taoist nun guise, Su Miaoyin was met with Lin Changan’s hearty laughter.
"I was just lucky. Found it outside a ruined cave abode. Thought I might trade it for some spirit stones."
However, upon hearing his laughter, Su Miaoyin looked at him deeply with her clear eyes.
Yet she didn’t realize that her naturally alluring gaze could not be concealed no matter how she dressed.
Fortunately, Lin Changan’s thoughts were all focused on the spirit stones at this moment.
"I wonder what Fellow Daoist wants in exchange? Spirit stones, pills, magical artifacts, or treasures beneficial to cultivation?"
Su Miaoyin was straightforward, and after hearing her words, Lin Changan couldn’t help but smile.
The debt for the Beast Spirit Pill was finally repaid.
"Fellow Daoist, would it be possible to trade for this high-grade spiritual liquid?"
Thinking about how the Spirit Eye had once again proven its worth, and that his life-bound spirit plant also needed spiritual liquid, Lin Changan was moved and asked the question directly.
The essence extracted from a spiritual vein’s spring was known as spiritual liquid.
Most of what was sold outside was spiritual liquid fused with spiritual spring, greatly reducing its value.
However, spiritual liquid held great value. Besides being used externally to aid cultivation and temporarily enhance cultivation speed—effectively enhancing one's spirit root for a short time—it had many other marvelous uses.
But high-grade spiritual liquid, or rather spiritual liquid of second rank and above, only circulated within the three great sects. Since Tianxuan City was built upon a spiritual vein, such treasures undoubtedly existed here.
"Third-rank spiritual liquid, huh."
Without much hesitation, Su Miaoyin lightly nodded and said, "These three formation plates could be exchanged for two bottles of third-rank spiritual liquid. But if Fellow Daoist could share some additional information, I’m willing to add a few more bottles."
Su Miaoyin extended five jade-like fingers, causing Lin Changan’s heart to skip a beat.
However, her calm gaze made it seem like nothing more than a simple transaction.
Lin Changan grinned broadly, masking a hint of nervousness in his heart.
These eyes, at most, carried a hint of natural allure. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator himself, he still had some confidence in his Breath Concealment Technique.
"Fair and straightforward, Fairy Miaoyin. Old Hu here is the same. This formation plate wasn’t actually found in a ruin. Last night, while strolling around, I noticed someone acting sneaky.
They were secretly burying something near the spiritual vein surrounding Tianxuan City. I later went over and dug it up, and that’s how I came by these treasures."
Under Lin Changan’s hearty laughter, he put on a rough and straightforward demeanor.
Hearing this, Su Miaoyin raised her hand slightly, covering the smile at the corner of her lips, and nodded, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Hu."
Without hesitation, Su Miaoyin raised her hand and retrieved five exquisite jade bottles from her storage pouch.
The aura from these five bottles of high-grade spiritual liquid clearly showed they had reached third-rank quality.
"Magnificent!"
Lin Changan, disguised as a boorish man, respectfully cupped his fists. After receiving the five bottles of third-rank spiritual liquid, he took his leave.
Yet he felt as though a pair of eyes were still watching him from behind, as if they could see through him.
Only after exiting the Fengle Auction House and repeatedly changing disguises in the marketplace trade area—going so far as to replace the original jade bottles that contained the spiritual liquid—did he feel at ease.
"This should be fine now."
As he wandered through the bustling marketplace trade area, Lin Changan couldn’t help but feel a chill when he thought of Su Miaoyin’s eyes.
But after careful thought, what he did was essentially just reporting.
Even if he had been seen through, it was entirely reasonable and justified, simply a precaution to avoid trouble.
Besides, they were still on the same side.
"Now that Master Lu and this Fairy Miaoyin are more focused on the two great sects, I suppose this doesn’t count for much."
After thinking it through, Lin Changan wore a relaxed smile as he mingled within the marketplace.
……
Fengle Auction House.
"Miss, is there something wrong with this formation?"
The elder surnamed Feng looked puzzled, while Su Miaoyin, seated at the table, played with the formation plate in her hand with interest and chuckled lightly:
"This is a formation plate from the Blood Spirit Grand Formation of the Mystic Yin Sect."
"Mystic Yin Sect!" The elder surnamed Feng turned pale with shock and blurted out in surprise.
In the Sea Abyss of Beasts, who didn’t know the infamous reputation of the Mystic Yin Sect, especially that Old Devil Xuan Yin, whose name struck fear in others.
"Why would the Mystic Yin Sect come to the Yue Kingdom?"
As the elder surnamed Feng exclaimed, Su Miaoyin merely shook her head with a smile.
"Uncle Feng, have you forgotten the origin of the three great sects?"
Divine Sword Sect, Palace of Blazing Fire, Pavilion of Mystic Sound—these three great sects of the Yue Kingdom had all originated from the Mystic Yin Sect.
"Miss, you mean to say!"
The elder surnamed Feng seemed to realize something, and his face instantly filled with anger.
"This is outrageous! The Master had just gone to visit those two great sects, and behind the scenes they’re already plotting so maliciously."
In the face of the elder’s fury, Su Miaoyin looked out the window with a calm expression.
"This is the way of the world of cultivation. After all, the Yue Kingdom only has so many resources. No one wants to see a prosperous Tianxuan City."
"But this grand play has only just begun. The one who laughs last will be the true winner."
In her beautiful Taoist nun attire, Su Miaoyin wore a faint smile as her gaze turned toward the mountain of the Pavilion of Mystic Sound, her expression filled with composed confidence.
At this moment, she was merely speculating.
Even she didn’t know what her own master was truly scheming behind the scenes.
The title of the number one rogue cultivator was not just a symbol of strength.
……
Inside the cave abode.
"After so many rounds of caution today, there shouldn’t be any more issues now."
Having returned, Lin Changan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Ever cautious, he had not only changed disguises and identities multiple times, but even left the city several times—something rare for him—only to return again after changing identities once more.
"It was tiring, sure, but these five bottles of third-rank spiritual liquid were definitely worth it."
Sitting cross-legged before the jade stone, Lin Changan looked at the five jade bottles in front of him with a satisfied smile.
Fairy Miaoyin was indeed straightforward. These jade bottles were not ordinary containers.
And this third-rank spiritual liquid was not something one could easily buy with spirit stones.
"The uses for spiritual liquid are endless. Whether it’s assisting cultivation, the Spirit Eye, or nurturing the life-bound spirit plant, there’s just so much to do."
Having just obtained the five bottles of third-rank spiritual liquid, Lin Changan counted all the tasks he needed to accomplish and couldn’t help but shake his head with a sigh.
He truly envied someone like Su Miaoyin—those second-generation immortals.
She could just casually retrieve third-rank spiritual liquid from her storage pouch. One could imagine she usually used such high-grade spiritual liquid for cultivation.
"No wonder with her mid-grade spirit root, her cultivation speed is so fast."
Lin Changan couldn’t help feeling a bit envious. So this is the kind of privilege granted by having Yue Kingdom’s number one rogue cultivator and Golden Core stage master as a father.
"Leave one bottle for the Spirit Eye. Though my alchemy technique will surely break through eventually, the path of cultivation allows no slack. One bottle for assisting cultivation, and the remaining three for nurturing and nourishing the life-bound spirit plant."
Having made his decision, Lin Changan no longer hesitated and began refining his life-bound spirit plant, rooted in his dantian.
This was his usual major consumer of spirit stones.