CHAPTER 606: CHAPTER 591: RENOWNED IN JINGHUA

Jade Capital City is an immortal city directly governed by the Yuqing Daoist Sect, equivalent in status to Immortal Sun City directly governed by the Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

In terms of prosperity, Jade Capital City is slightly inferior to Immortal Sun City and also appears somewhat quieter.

However, this immortal city has its unique features, as the entire city is completely situated atop a lofty mountain shrouded in mist, with not a single mortal or mortal beast within the city.

Compared to other so-called immortal cities, this kind of city that only consists of cultivators is truly a city of cultivation in every sense.

Currently, due to the grand auction event and high-level cultivator exchange meeting being held, Jade Capital City, which usually sees sparse traffic, has become somewhat more bustling, with various high-level cultivators, who are seldom seen normally, occasionally appearing.

Zhouyang arrived riding the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, and before entering the city, he had already attracted the attention of countless cultivators.

Many cultivators, who recognized his identity through the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, whispered his tales to their friends, mainly about his feats of killing a Golden Core Stage cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect while he was still at the Purple Mansion Stage, and in the recent war, slaying ten Golden Core cultivators from the Six Paths Alliance.

Zhouyang didn’t expect that he had already become such a "household name" celebrity in the cultivation realm, even though his fame had already spread for a while due to being wanted by the Beast Taming Sect and appearing on the Demon Slaying List.

To be honest, this feeling of being the subject of everyone’s gaze and discussion did not make him feel particularly comfortable; he wasn’t the type who enjoyed being pointed at and talked about, even if the discussions were not malicious.

The Golden-winged Thunder Eagle seemed to sense its master’s thoughts and suddenly let out a piercing cry, causing many of the middle-to-low tier cultivators, who were chatting, to stop speaking and use their magical power to resist the sonic attack of the eagle’s cry.

When the cry ceased and those cultivators looked up again, they could no longer see the silhouette of the giant golden eagle.

Of course, Jade Capital City has an anti-sky array, but it only targets cultivators below the Golden Core Stage. The Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, being a Tier Five demon beast, was naturally unrestricted, descending directly into the immortal city from the clouds.

As a "Honored Guest Elder" of the Yuqing Daoist Sect, Zhouyang possesses an identity spiritual artifact similar to the Profound Sun Order. Upon entering a place like Jade Capital City, he could use this identity artifact to stay for free at the Immortal Inn operated by the Yuqing Daoist Sect within the city.

This Immortal Inn is different from ordinary inns; it only accommodates disciples of the Yuqing Daoist Sect, as well as cultivators like Zhouyang who have a deep relationship with the sect, and arranges cave mansions of different grades according to the cultivation and identity of the visitors.

Being a Golden Core Stage cultivator and also a "Honored Guest Elder" of the Yuqing Daoist Sect, he was naturally arranged a Tier Five cave mansion.

He could stay in this cave mansion for free for a year; if he stayed beyond that, he would need to pay half the normal rental fee for the cave mansion.

Perhaps the spectacle of riding the eagle into the city was a bit grand, as not long after he settled into the cave mansion at the Immortal Inn, he received several visiting cards from some Golden Core cultivators of the same tier who were curious about him.

Since Zhouyang didn’t know these cultivators who sent the visiting cards, he hadn’t yet decided whether or not to see them.

While he was hesitating about this, two familiar faces had already come to visit him.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, Fairy Lin, have you two come here also for this grand event?"

In the cave mansion, Zhouyang led the visiting Suyun Sect Golden Core cultivators, Liu Yunxiang and Lin Yuxian, into the mansion, somewhat surprised to see the two women here.

Hearing his words, before Liu Yunxiang could speak, Lin Yuxian had already smiled gently and said first, "This grand auction event in Jade Capital City even attracted Fellow Daoist Zhou, how could Senior Sister Liu and I miss out on such a sight?"

Liu Yunxiang glanced at her junior sister but said, "The last great war caused considerable losses to our sect, so my junior sister and I took this opportunity to sell some of the sect’s unused treasures and purchase some treasures suitable for our disciples’ cultivation."

"What a coincidence! Zhou also obtained a large number of high-tier spiritual artifacts from the last great war and wants to seize this opportunity to dispose of them. But this is Zhou’s first time in Jade Capital City, Fellow Daoist Liu, do you have any good recommendations or introductions?"

Zhouyang’s expression changed slightly as he gave a faint smile, directly seeking advice from Liu Yunxiang without any reservation.

The number of artifacts he possessed was immense; even if he put them all up for sale at the grand auction, they might not all get sold.

After all, at such grand auctions, ordinary Tier Five artifacts aren’t particularly rare; only Tier Five high-grade artifacts can provoke competition among the attending Golden Core stage cultivators.

Moreover, auctions usually have an unspoken rule to prevent treasures from failing to sell by setting starting prices thirty to fifty percent below normal value.

Zhouyang certainly didn’t want his Tier Five lower-grade artifacts to be sold off cheaply like that.

It is important to know that high-tier cultivators attending auctions are often after certain specific treasures. Thus, before the appearance of the treasure they seek, they usually keep their spirit stones in hand and won’t recklessly spend them on buying artifacts that have little use to them, even if the price is below the standard.

Therefore, if Zhouyang were to sell all the artifacts in his possession at the auction, they might end up being bought at a low price by opportunistic cultivators. Not only would he be selling his treasures cheaply, but he would also have to pay a hefty commission to the auction house.

"If Fellow Daoist Zhou wishes to dispose of the artifacts in his possession, it is best to participate in various exchange meetings. As long as you don’t use these artifacts to exchange for certain rare spiritual objects, some Purple Mansion stage juniors might still be willing to spend significantly to buy a Tier Five artifact for self-defense."

"As for those insignificantly useful Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts in your possession, the best way to handle them is to extract their artifact origin and forge talisman treasures for sale, although doing so is somewhat wasteful of heavenly materials."

Indeed, when faced with the request of a benefactor like Zhouyang, Liu Yunxiang didn’t hesitate at all and quickly gave him two practical suggestions.

After listening to her words, Zhouyang first nodded, then shook his head, revealing a wry smile as he said, "Of course, I wish to attend as many exchange meetings as possible, but unfortunately, I’m not familiar with Jade Capital City. Apart from a few fellow Daoists I met at your sect last time, I don’t know many other fellow Daoists of the same tier. Even with such intentions, I can’t find a way in!"

His words were clear, hinting that he wished Liu Yunxiang and her companion to introduce him into their social circle.

Compared to an outsider like him, Liu Yunxiang, a high-tier cultivator who has formed her core hundreds of years ago and is in charge of a middle-level sect, has a networking circle far beyond his reach.

It seemed Liu Yunxiang had anticipated his statement. Upon hearing it, she immediately smiled and said, "This is easy to handle. During the last war, Fellow Daoist Zhou displayed great might. Countless fellow daoists want to make a good connection upon hearing your deeds. If I spread the word that you’re willing to attend exchange meetings, many will undoubtedly invite you."

"Then, many thanks to Fellow Daoist Liu."

With Liu Yunxiang paving the way, Zhouyang was much more composed while dealing with the invitations.

He directly left a message for the Yuqing Daoist Sect disciples at the Immortal Inn, stating that if anyone sends another invitation, he would uniformly reply that he would host a banquet at the city’s finest restaurant, White Jade Tower, a month later to meet with fellow daoists.

This approach allowed him to avoid wasting much time chatting casually with these individuals, without offending anyone, and not needing to wonder about the intentions behind those visiting him.

Liu Yunxiang’s efficiency was indeed high. Less than three days after leaving Zhouyang, she had scheduled seven high-tier cultivators’ exchange meetings for him. Moreover, after hearing of Zhouyang’s reputation, other cultivators hosting exchange meetings proactively sent him invitations. In less than three days since arriving in Jade Capital City, he had received over ten exchange meeting invitations.

Thus, over the next month, Zhouyang began frequently attending various high-tier cultivators’ exchange meetings in Jade Capital City, selling off treasures he couldn’t use, while purchasing those appealing to him.

After several exchange meetings, he had indeed sold three Tier Five Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts and seven or eight kinds of useless spiritual materials, while he had also procured several Tier Five Spirit Elixirs and artifact refining materials.

On this day, Zhouyang attended another exchange meeting introduced by Liu Yunxiang.

Compared to the exchange meetings he attended previously, the quality of this meeting was much higher. The minimum cultivation level required for participation was the Golden Core Stage, and it was rumored that Nascent Soul Stage cultivators might also attend.

When he arrived at a manor in Jade Capital City along with Liu Yunxiang and Lin Yuxian, and ascended to the third floor of a three-story pavilion within the manor, he saw a middle-aged man in a white magical robe sitting at the upper position in the pavilion.

That person sat there without revealing a trace of aura, but a strange power emanated from him, drawing the attention of every cultivator stepping into the pavilion.

Having dealt with several Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, Zhouyang immediately recognized the middle-aged man in white as another Nascent Soul Stage Great Divine Power cultivator.

As his gaze landed on the middle-aged man in white, Liu Yunxiang’s voice suddenly sounded by his ear.

"That is Master Bai Lu, who formed his Nascent Soul over two hundred years ago. I was wondering which senior would attend this exchange meeting. Now that it’s him, it’s no surprise. After all, the Lu Ming Valley he hails from was originally just a middle-level sect, barely reaching the ranks of major sects due to his successful pill refining and Nascent Soul formation. Compared to other seniors from major sects, he indeed finds it easier to attend meetings of our level."

Master Cyan Yang formed his Nascent Soul over three hundred years ago, yet Master Bai Lu’s Nascent Soul formation was even more recent. Without Liu Yunxiang’s introduction, Zhouyang would not have recognized him.

At that moment, seeing Zhouyang, Liu Yunxiang, and Lin Yuxian enter, Master Bai Lu merely cast them a glance and indifferently lowered his gaze, showing no intention of greeting them.

Seeing this, Zhouyang and the other two merely cupped their hands in a respectful salute, then engaged in conversation with the actual initiator of this exchange meeting.

The initiator of this exchange meeting was Ye Moxuan, the head of an affiliated cultivation clan under the Yuqing Daoist Sect, possessing a Seventh-Layer Golden Core cultivation. The Ye Family, where he hailed from, was also a Golden Core Family with a history spanning several thousand years, deeply linked to the Yuqing Daoist Sect.

Ye Moxuan had vast connections; this time, not only did he invite a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like Master Bai Lu, but he also invited as many as thirty-four Golden Core cultivators, eight of whom were late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Judging from the cultivators’ cultivation levels present, the quality of this exchange meeting was undoubtedly high.

And indeed, it was so.

When the exchange meeting began, each treasure brought out by the cultivators was a grade higher than those Zhouyang had witnessed in exchange meetings a few days ago, with quite a few making his heart skip a beat.

"One piece of [Glazed Fire Crystal Stone] in exchange for a Tier Five Wind Attribute Demon Pill, preferably from a Tier Five Middle-Grade Demon Beast. If there’s a Tier Five High-Grade Demon Beast Demon Pill, I can offer an additional price!"

In the pavilion, a handsome middle-aged cultivator in blue waved his hand, placing his exchange item on the stone table in front of him, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

It was a fist-sized, fiery red crystal stone exuding a rich Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi.

[Glazed Fire Crystal Stone] is a top-tier Tier Five Fire Spiritual Object, born in the abyss of underground fire and only surfacing through volcanic eruptions. It’s an excellent material for refining Fire Attribute Spiritual Artifacts.

When Master Cyan Yang handed the Tier Five High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact, [Flaming Dragon Shield], to Zhouyang, he mentioned that if Zhouyang could find a piece of [Glazed Fire Crystal Stone] to embed into the artifact, he could use the power of this Spiritual Object to activate the artifact’s accompanying divine technique "Flame Dragon Guardian," reducing the consumption of his magical power.

Currently, with his Fifth-Layer Golden Core cultivation, activating the "Flame Dragon Guardian" divine technique on his own would consume at least fifteen percent of his magical power.

Therefore, upon hearing the words of this cultivator surnamed Fang, Zhouyang immediately responded: "I have a Tier Five Middle-Grade Wind Demonic Beast [Cyan-faced Owl] Demon Pill. Fellow Daoist Fang, see if it suits your interest."

This [Cyan-faced Owl] Demon Pill was obtained over a hundred years ago in the Kunxu Realm and has been kept unused ever since.

Upon hearing these words, the cultivator surnamed Fang’s face lit up with joy, saying: "It’s said that the [Cyan-faced Owl] possesses the bloodline of the True Spirit [Wind Roc]. If the demon pill in Fellow Daoist Zhou’s possession truly comes from such a demon beast, it would be quite a gain for me. Might I inquire if you’d allow me to inspect it first?"

"Feel free to take it for a look, Fellow Daoist Fang."

With a calm smile, Zhouyang waved his hand, and the jade box containing the demon pill flew over to the other party.

It’s unclear how precisely the cultivator surnamed Fang confirmed that the demon pill inside the jade box was indeed the [Cyan-faced Owl] Demon Pill, but after a brief inspection, his face beamed with delight as he tossed the [Glazed Fire Crystal Stone] to Zhouyang, joyfully stowing away the demon pill.

Seeing this, Zhouyang was also content as he stored the item in his storage ring, planning to embed it into the [Flaming Dragon Shield] upon returning.

Later in the exchange meeting, Zhouyang made two more exchanges, using several Tier Five Spirit Talismans to acquire two Tier Five Spirit Elixirs.

When it was his turn, he once again brought out several Tier Five Spiritual Artifacts and some unused Spiritual Objects as fillers.

He was purely intending to dispose of these items; anyone who could offer Spirit Elixirs, Spirit Gold and Spirit Ore, or Demon Beast Materials that interested him, or even sufficient Spirit Stones, could take them in exchange.

However, evidently, even if Spirit Stones could be used to purchase these things, few Golden Core Stage cultivators would willingly buy what they don’t need.

During this time, Master Bai Lu remained relatively inactive, seemingly uninterested in the possessions of these Golden Core Stage cultivators.

Finally, after all the Golden Core Stage cultivators had had their turn, it was time for the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator to step forward.

With a wave of the hand, five jade boxes suddenly appeared on the stone table before him.

"I have five Spiritual Objects here," he declared, "the [Qilin Vermilion Fruit], [Nine-leaf Golden Reishi], one jin and seven liang of [Geng Metal], [Earth Element Stone], and seven drops of [Cold Jade Essence]. If anyone can present a Tier Six Spiritual Artifact, all of these will belong to that person. Alternatively, if anyone knows where to find an unowned Tier Six Spiritual Artifact, you may select one item from these as a reward for the information!"

The covers of the five jade boxes remained closed, yet the words spoken by Master Bai Lu made the hearts of everyone present in the pavilion skip a beat.

The five Spiritual Objects mentioned by Master Bai Lu were all within the Tier Five category, but their rarity has already surpassed eighty percent of Tier Five Spiritual Objects.

Among them, the [Qilin Vermilion Fruit] is a rare Spirit Fruit for enhancing cultivation, able to increase the cultivation of a Mid-Stage Golden Core cultivator by fifty years, or a Late-Stage Golden Core cultivator by thirty years.

The [Nine-leaf Golden Reishi] is a Tier Five High-Grade Spirit Elixir, capable of being refined into various Tier Five Top-Grade Spirit Pills for cultivation advancements.

[Geng Metal] needs no further explanation; it is both a top-tier Gold Attribute Spiritual Object for refining Flying Swords and an essential auxiliary Spiritual Object for practicing certain divine sword techniques.

The [Earth Element Stone] is also a top-grade Earth Attribute Spiritual Object, usable for artifact refining and also for supporting the cultivation of certain Earth Element Divine Techniques.

The function of [Cold Jade Essence] is equally self-evident; there isn’t an Ice Element Cultivator who could resist its allure.

These five kinds of Spiritual Objects, even with Zhouyang’s considerable wealth, made his heart throb upon hearing of them, with a yearning to gather them all into his possession.

But unfortunately, what Master Bai Lu wanted in exchange for these five types of Spiritual Objects was something equally precious that left everyone clueless.

A Tier Six Spiritual Artifact is something many Nascent Soul Cultivators could only own two or three pieces in their lifetime, including their Lifebound Spiritual Artifact cultivated with their own life.

In the Cultivation Realm, there are indeed cultivators who, before reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, by chance from the legacy of a senior cultivator, acquire such treasures, but such cultivators are scarcely seen even in a thousand years.

The cultivators in this pavilion today, apart from Zhouyang, clearly did not have such luck.

Master Bai Lu’s idea to uncover such a treasure from the Golden Core Stage cultivators was not wrong, but what he offered was obviously not enough to impress Zhouyang, prompting him to hand over a treasure like the [Heaven-Suppressing Azure Dragon Cauldron].

After waiting for a while, no one transmitted any message about the Tier Six Spiritual Artifact to him, so he could only sigh helplessly and leave the place, putting away his treasure.

For a Nascent Soul Cultivator like him without a major sect backing and no inherited legacy from a predecessor’s Nascent Soul Cultivator, obtaining a Tier Six Spiritual Artifact indeed heavily relies on fortune.

Many Nascent Soul Stage loose cultivators, or those who, like him, advanced from small sect Golden Core Stage cultivators, only have a Tier Six Spiritual Artifact associated with their growth in cultivation throughout their lives, which is their Lifebound Spiritual Artifact.

It can’t be helped; Tier Six Spiritual Artifacts require incredibly rare Artifact Refining Materials, and once found, one must hire a Tier Six Artifact Refining Grandmaster to refine it. However, even with the effort of a Tier Six Artifact Refining Grandmaster, refining Tier Six Spiritual Artifacts bears a significant chance of failure.

According to Zhouyang’s knowledge, throughout the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, there are fewer than five Tier Six Artifact Refining Grandmasters known to refine Tier Six Spiritual Artifacts. Among them, the [Liuyun Commerce Alliance] has two, the [Profound Purity Dao Alliance] and [Six Paths Alliance] each have one, and the last one is the Supreme Elder of the Divine Fire Palace of Nanman Country.

The [Flaming Dragon Shield] in his hands was crafted by a Tier Six Artifact Refining Grandmaster from the Yuqing Daoist Sect.

Even for a cultivator like Master Cyan Yang, who has excellent relations with the Yuqing Daoist Sect, it requires offering a treasure of the caliber of the [Demon Blood Ancient Lotus] Lotus Seed to request help in refining an artifact, which demonstrates the high cost of requesting these Tier Six Artifact Refining Grandmasters.

With Master Bai Lu’s departure, the exchange meeting officially ended. After leaving with Liu Yunxiang and Lin Yuxian, Zhouyang eagerly returned to his Immortal Inn Cave Mansion, took out the [Flaming Dragon Shield] Magical Artifact, and embedded the [Glazed Fire Crystal Stone] into it.

Just as Master Cyan Yang had mentioned, after embedding the [Glazed Fire Crystal Stone], the "Flame Dragon Guardian" Divine Technique attached to the [Flaming Dragon Shield] could be activated directly through the stone’s power. The power of this activation was even stronger than before.

Once the "Flame Dragon Guardian" Divine Technique was triggered through the [Glazed Fire Crystal Stone], it required only removal and placement in a place rich in Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi for half a month to a few months to restore its power for reuse.

Afterward, Zhouyang attended two more exchange meetings before it was time to host a banquet at the [White Jade Tower] to socialize with other Golden Core Cultivators.

During these days, he’d participated in many exchange meetings and had already met most of the Golden Core Stage cultivators in Jade Capital City, satiating the curiosity of many who wanted to meet him.

Thus, on the actual day, few cultivators attended the banquet.

However, once those who didn’t attend the banquet heard that the [White Jade Tower] dinner included Tier Six Flood Dragon Spiritual Flesh as food, they bitterly regretted their decision.

Especially when those who attended the banquet vividly described the taste of the Tier Six Flood Dragon Meat, they felt even more chagrined.

Once, they too had a chance to taste the delicacy of Tier Six Flood Dragon Meat, but they lost that opportunity through their own doing.

On another note, that Zhouyang, a Golden Core Stage cultivator, could provide Tier Six Flood Dragon Meat for hospitality was astonishing to those who received the news.

When inquiries revealed that the Tier Six Flood Dragon Meat was a gift from Lu Xuanji, a "Half-Step True Immortal" Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator, the regard for Zhouyang noticeably increased among the cultivators.

The fact that Lu Xuanji, a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator, valued Zhouyang and gifted him such a precious item as Tier Six Flood Dragon Meat, was a testament to Zhouyang’s potential.

With such impressive potential, a cultivator like Zhouyang generally found favor with others, who, assuming they were on amicable terms, were inclined to form alliances rather than become adversaries, aside from a few driven by envy.

Subsequently, as Zhouyang continued to attend exchange meetings, the items he held became highly sought-after, with many purchasing his Spiritual Objects as an investment in goodwill.

What more could he say to that?

Naturally, he quietly prospered from it.

After all, when everything is a transaction, if someone is willing to pay for solitude, why wouldn’t he take the money?