Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 49: Chapter 48 Golden Core

At last, Ning Daoran decided to participate in this transaction meeting.

Although he knew the truth that “one should avoid meddling in battles above their level,” this place was, after all, Yellow Dragon Square.

Not to mention that two sect Foundation Establishment experts were stationed here, beneath Yellow Dragon Square lay a large Second-tier Array, controlled by those very Foundation Establishment experts from the sect.

Once activated, even the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Ancestor from White Mist Mountain would be captured without a fight.

As for the First-class Pavilion, which boasted the highest standards within Yellow Dragon Square’s Spirit Tea House, it was located right at the center of the square, less than ten zhang from Wind Stopping Tower, where Martial Uncle Huang was seated, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

Therefore, risk assessment: moderate to low!

Although there were risks to going out, it was impractical to keep hiding in the sect tending to the fields, and many essential materials and opportunities wouldn’t just fall from the sky if he stayed within the sect.

And if he really could obtain a Second-stage Fire Attribute Demon Core, he could start preparing to refine the Five Elements Wander Array.

Moreover, he now had two high-level Breaking Ban Talismans, three high-level Rock Shield Talismans, and he mastered the Return to Nature level Wind Riding Leisurely Technique, so if he couldn’t defeat them, he could still escape.

However, for safety’s sake, he still needed to plan carefully for the day of the transaction meeting!

…

Three days later.

Ning Daoran descended the mountain, with Big Stupid Deer on standby inside the Spirit Beast Bag, and even Little Blackie, a First-tier Middle Stage Spirit Beast, was brought along in another Spirit Beast Bag.

Nurture troops for a thousand days, use them for one moment, bring all the strength possible.

As for Chen Weimo, she naturally stayed on Qiongbi Peak.

“Ao ao~~~”

“Zhi zhi~~~”

“Ao ao ao!”

“Zhi zhi zhi!”

Big Stupid Deer and Little Blackie seemed to be having a good conversation.

Yellow Dragon Square.

Ning Daoran first made a trip to Wind Stopping Tower, taking out fifty catties of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice from his Storage Bag as a gift.

“Ah, Master Ning!”

Foundation Establishment Expert Huang Chengyan’s face was flush with difficulty refusing the offer, he said, “The last time you gifted Martial Uncle with Spirit Rice was just a month ago, why have you brought another batch? You see, you’re not having an easy time either…”

“Where is Martial Uncle coming from with this?”

Ning Daoran smiled and said, “Martial Uncle is highly respected in the sect, with many direct disciples and registered disciples to take care of, of course your needs for Second-tier Spirit Rice are great, I understand…”

“Look at you,”

Huang Chengyan said with a big smile, “Since that’s the case, Martial Uncle will accept it, okay?”

“Yes.”

Ning Daoran said, “Has Martial Uncle ever heard of the Old Ancestor from White Mist Mountain?”

“Luo Sanhai?”

Huang Chengyan paused for a moment, then laughed, “What, has Master Ning also met that old fellow?”

“Yes.”

Ning Daoran said, “Lately I’ve been exploring the Array Path, and I need a Second-stage Fire Attribute Demon Core. Senior Luo mentioned that today there’s a transaction meeting in the First-class Pavilion. One of the seniors there has a Second-tier Fire Attribute Demon Core, so I’m planning to try my luck.”

“I see,”

Huang Chengyan said, “The transaction meetings in Yellow Dragon Square are mostly organized privately by family cultivators and Loose Cultivators, we of the Chaotic Sect don’t usually get involved in these affairs. Since the trading is taking place in the First-class Pavilion, which is just a stone’s throw away from Martial Uncle, Master Ning can rest assured, could Martial Uncle really let you be bullied on his own turf?”

“Yes, thank you, Martial Uncle Huang!”

Ning Daoran gave a wide smile, “I was just worried that the standards of this transaction meeting were too high, with the participation of mid-stage Foundation Establishment practitioners like Senior Luo, in case of any mishap, our Chaotic Sect should also plan ahead.”

“In that case…”

Huang Chengyan said, “I will send out a Sound Transmission Talisman right now to call over a couple more Foundation Establishment Junior Brothers to stand guard. With the control of the Square’s large Array in our hands, I believe even if a few more mid-stage Foundation Establishment experts come, we can ensure safety.”

“That would be excellent!”

Ning Daoran bowed respectfully, “Then I shall head to the transaction meeting.”

“Go ahead.”

Huang Chengyan looked at his retreating figure and couldn’t help but chuckle, “This cheeky kid.”

After pondering for a while, he still shot out a Sound Transmission Talisman which turned into a golden light and sped towards the Chaotic Sect.

…

First Grade Building.

“May I ask if Fellow Daoist has a reserved seat?”

A manager dressed in green robes, emanating Late-stage Qi Refining aura, approached.

Worthy of being the First-class Pavilion, the number one teahouse in Yellow Dragon Square, even the manager was a Late-stage Qi Refining expert!@@novelbin@@

“Old Master Luo of White Mist Mountain’s private room.”

“Oh, it’s someone personally invited by Old Master Luo.”

The manager smiled slightly, “Fellow Daoist, please follow me.”

Ning Daoran followed the manager up the stairs, rounding a corner and saw several ordinary maids sneaking glances at him, giggling among themselves.

“Does Fellow Daoist have a preference?”

The manager couldn’t help but smile, “If you have someone in mind, you can have them serve tea at your side. Each only requires five silver taels, and if Fellow Daoist is fond of any, you can even buy out their contracts for twenty Spirit Stones.”

“No need.”

Ning Daoran felt a trace of emotion, these beauties were just ordinary people without Spirit Roots, each one possessing grace and beauty.

In the mundane world, they had ample opportunities to marry well through their looks, at the very least becoming a concubine to a wealthy man.

Unfortunately, this was a Cultivation World, and although these maids trained by the First Grade Building were talented and beautiful, they were only worth twenty Spirit Stones.

Actually, most cultivators took a lukewarm approach to romance and love.

No matter how beautiful these mortal women were, their prime was but a fleeting moment, fleeting beauty with a short bloom, rendering them much less valuable in the eyes of cultivators.

…

The transaction meeting took place in the A1 Private Room.

When Ning Daoran entered, he found that this private room even had an Isolation Prohibition in place, making it impossible for the outside world to detect conversations and transactions happening inside.

“Young Friend Ning has arrived.”

Old Ancestor Luo from White Mist Mountain smiled slightly, “Young friend, please take a seat directly opposite me,”

“Yes, Senior.”

Ning Daoran sat down respectfully.

Besides himself and the Ancestor of White Mist Mountain, there was also a white-haired elder whose entire head was hidden under the hood of his cloak, indistinct.

Moreover, it seemed that he had used some high-level Concealing Breath Technique, as Ning Daoran didn’t feel the slightest mana fluctuation from this elder.

He wouldn’t be foolish enough to probe the other with Divine Sense, as that would carry a very high risk of death.

After all, as long as he traded for the Second-stage Fire Attribute Demon Core today and left, he didn’t need to meddle in other matters.

“There are also two Perfect Qi Refining Fellow Daoists.”

Ancestor White Mist Mountain smiled slightly, “Once they arrive, we can begin the trade.”

Ning Daoran nodded.

He didn’t have any say in the matter anyway.

Before long, the prohibition of the private room was lifted again, and two Qi Refining Stage Practitioners walked in, both strong men, one of whom even seemed possible of Body Refinement, with extremely vigorous Blood Qi.

“Desert North Eagles, greetings to the Fellow Daoists!”

One of the bald strong men glanced at Ning Daoran and couldn’t help but chuckle, “Fellow Daoist is at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement?”

“Indeed.”

Ning Daoran nodded.

The bald strong man immediately laughed: “Today’s exchange meeting is quite interesting–Senior Luo is at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and this Daoist is at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement. What a broad range, hahahaha~~~”

“Cough cough!”

The other strong man with green eyebrows coughed, “Second brother, do not be presumptuous in front of the senior!”

“Yes!”

The bald strong man restrained his smile and sat up straight.

“Shall we begin?”

Ancestor White Mist Mountain said with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Long and I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

So, the elder whose cultivation couldn’t be seen turned out to have the surname Long, which was quite rare.

Ning Daoran remained calm and just quietly sat there.

“I’ll go first.”

The strong man with green eyebrows took out a stalk of Spiritual Medicine from his Storage Bag, and the fragrance of grass and wood immediately filled the room: “This is an eight-hundred-year-old Spirit Rhinoceros Flower, found deep in the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range. Does anyone need it?”

“I do.”

Ancestor White Mist Mountain narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Fellow Daoist, what do you want in exchange? Tell me.”

“What I want the most, of course, are the three main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill: Purple Blood Ginseng, Earth Lingzhi, Heart-Focusing Grass. If Senior Luo has these three types of herbs, nearly a hundred years old, they can be exchanged.”

“Humph!”

Ancestor White Mist Mountain smiled faintly, “The three main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill are all rare items, I don’t have them here, but if the Fellow Daoist needs it, I do have one Protecting Vein Pill.”

He produced a Jade Bottle.

The Jade Bottle was filled with Dan Fragrance, indeed containing a Protecting Vein Pill.

The Protecting Vein Pill wasn’t too rare, but it was something many Perfect Qi Refining Practitioners sought after.

Failure at Foundation Establishment meant life or death; if the attempt failed, one’s meridians might be damaged, and they might never be able to attempt Foundation Establishment again.

The Foundation Establishment Pill had a dual effect–one was to increase the chance of successful Foundation Establishment, and the other was to protect the meridians so that even if Foundation Establishment failed, one would not perish.

The Protecting Vein Pill was, in a way, a backup for the Foundation Establishment Pill; it could only protect the meridians, but couldn’t increase the chances of Foundation Establishment success.

Even so, such Elixir Pills were still highly sought after.

“Fine, it’s a deal!”

The strong man with green eyebrows handed over the Spirit Rhinoceros Flower and put the Protecting Vein Pill into his Storage Bag.

His actions were skilled, clearly not his first time attending such an exchange meeting.

“Is it my turn now?”

Ancestor White Mist Mountain took out a Red Jade Butterfly from his Storage Bag, “Fire Butterfly Pendant, a Second-tier Low Grade Spirit Artifact. When imbued with Fire Attribute Magical Power, it can summon fire butterflies to slay enemies. Although it has some flaws, it is useful for Perfect Qi Refining Practitioners fighting for their lives.”

The bald strong man’s eyes lit up: “I’ll take it.”

“What can the Fellow Daoist offer me?”

The bald strong man slapped his Storage Bag and took out a Jade Bottle, “I obtained these three True Essence Pills which can enhance the cultivation of Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Practitioners. Surely Senior Luo would appreciate them, right?”

“Hmm.”

Ancestor White Mist Mountain revealed satisfied expression, smiling, “Three True Essence Pills for a Second-tier Lower Grade Spirit Artefact with minor flaws is fair. Let’s exchange them.”

The two of them got what they needed.

Ning Daoran watched and thought to himself that the Cultivation World was such a small circle. After attending a few more exchange meetings like this, one might come to know all local cultivators of a similar realm.

And in fact, this was indeed the case. The Cultivation World was essentially a circle.

But it was always the Qi Refiners playing with Qi Refiners, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators with their own kind. The kind of mixed Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment trading happening before him was a minority.

And the reason why the Desert North Eagles dared to participate in this setup was actually the same as Ning Daoran’s thinking.

Yellow Dragon Square was controlled by Chaotic Sect, and here, under the bright sun of day, even Ancestor White Mist Mountain at the Foundation Establishment Stage would not dare to act rashly.

However, at that moment, Ning Daoran suddenly felt some inexplicable unease.

…

“Young Friend has been watching me; do you find me strange?”

The elder surnamed Long suddenly smiled, “Is it my turn now? Since we all just want to take what we need, I will direct take. Please don’t be stingy, Fellow Daoists.”

Saying this, he suddenly spread his left hand, instantly fixing the Desert North Eagles brothers in place, their flesh and blood being refined and extracted, their skin instantly dried up, and even before they had a chance to cry for help.

“Activate the array!”

Elder Long suddenly slapped his Storage Bag, and numerous array flags and array boxes flew out. A powerful array sprung up on the spot, enveloping the entire First Grade Building!

Within the array, the atmosphere was filled with chilling Yin Qi, as if one was in the Nine Netherworld Underground!

“Young Friend Ning.”

Elder Long lifted his hood, revealing a face that was gradually becoming plumper, and smiled, “Now that the Blood Qi and Divine Soul are sufficient, please hand over your body to me?”

The terrifying Spiritual Pressure overwhelmed the surroundings; this man was actually at the Gold Core stage, and moreover at Gold Core Late Stage!

Ning Daoran’s eyes coldly stared at the other party, with a Third-tier Lower Grade Prohibition Breaking Talisman followed by a Second-tier High Grade Prohibition Breaking Talisman in his hand, activated in succession!

…

Wind Stopping Tower.

“Boom——”

A chilling large array rose from next door and enveloped the entire First-class Pavilion!

“Not good!”

Huang Chengyan stood up in alarm, “Nine Yin Soul Gathering Array, a Third-tier Array? Is there… Gold Core mana within this First-class Pavilion!?”