Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Elder Miao, clutching the booklet, rushed to the stone table. "Young friend! Do you have any other records about those outsiders? Or any tokens or objects, anything even remotely related!"

Ma Liang tapped the table casually. "That's it. The rest of the stuff didn't seem very useful, so I just threw it into the sea a long time ago."

"They're just a bunch of outsiders. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?" Elder Miao stamped his foot anxiously, and Elder Gu quickly followed. "Young friend, you don't know! Our Chaotic Star Sea is a world unto itself, isolated from the outside world for who knows how long! The idea that there are humans in the outside world has long been a vague legend; no one has ever actually seen one!"

"If we can find out how they crossed over from here, perhaps the cultivators of the Chaotic Star Sea can also step out of this sea and go to other cultivation realms!"

"Other areas?"

Ma Liang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and said, "I don't think they're much better. There isn't a single Foundation Establishment cultivator among that group; the highest is only at the peak of Qi Refining. In my opinion, their territory is probably much more barren than our Chaotic Star Sea."

Elder Miao felt a tightness in his chest from those words. He pointed at Ma Liang, his fingers trembling, and his disappointment in Ma Liang was almost overflowing.

"You! You brat! What do you even know about 'using stones from other mountains to polish jade'?"

"So what if their land is barren? Those spiritual herbs and medicines that are insignificant there, if given a different environment, might be able to be refined into pills we wouldn't even dare to dream of, or forged into magical artifacts unlike anything we've ever seen before! Can you really dismiss this with just a word like 'barren'?"

Ma Liang grew impatient and waved his hand, interrupting him directly, "Alright, alright, you two seniors, don't get agitated."

"Let's get down to business. How many spirit stones can you offer for these items? What is their total value?"

Distracted by Ma Liang, Elder Miao could only sigh helplessly and suppress the turmoil in his heart.

He carefully kept the booklet close to his body, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation.

This is a secret about the outside world; I must study it carefully when I get back. Maybe I can find an opportunity to cross boundaries from it.

He gestured towards the two jade bottles on the stone table.

The jade bottle containing the Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water was then brought to Ma Liangmian.

"Young friend, this batch of spiritual items is diverse yet precious. High-grade and top-grade magic artifacts make up thirty percent of it, not to mention rare spiritual herbs. I won't beat around the bush; aside from these two items, I'll give you an additional fifty-three thousand spirit stones. What do you say?"

When Ma Liang heard the number 53,000, his heart skipped a beat.

He originally thought that this windfall he picked up from the Blood Forbidden Land would be worth at most 30,000 to 40,000 spirit stones, but he never expected it to be worth so much!

He showed no sign of it on his face, feigning some hesitation and weighing of options, before finally saying, "That's fine then, let's give it to the two seniors."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and the two jade bottles containing Heavenly Fire Liquid and Snow Spirit Water fell into his storage bag.

Elder Miao didn't hesitate and took out a storage bag with a flick of his wrist.

After scanning the bag with his divine sense and confirming that the number was correct, he threw it to Ma Liang.

Ma Liang caught it, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he found exactly 53,000 spirit stones.

He was overjoyed, but remained calm on the surface, casually tucking the storage bag into his waistband.

"By the way, do you two seniors have any spiritual herbs or pills suitable for Core Formation stage cultivators to take, which can increase their cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Gu's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately extended his divine sense to scan Ma Liang.

"Young friend, you are clearly only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. What use do you have for this Core Formation stage-enhancing pill?"

Ma Liangmian showed a hint of helplessness and shrugged.

"Senior, you may not know this, but although my master taught me some life-saving skills, he was very stingy with cultivation resources. We had to find all kinds of spiritual herbs and pills ourselves."

With a flick of his wrist, a spirit beast pouch flashed with spiritual light, and a sharp-armored dragon leaped out, its body shimmering with spiritual light, obediently swimming behind him.

Miao and Gu's expressions changed slightly. They secretly channeled their spiritual energy, watching the armored dragon warily. Elder Miao said in a deep voice, "Young friend, what is the meaning of this?"

Ma Liang, however, paid no attention. From the other spirit beast pouch, a second sharp-armored dragon emerged, hovering alongside the first one, its aura of a level-five demon beast spreading out.

Gu and Miao's pupils shrank suddenly, and they involuntarily took half a step back, their hearts filled with shock.

This kid is only in the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet he managed to subdue two level-five demonic beasts!

At this moment, Ma Liang suddenly stood up and lifted the robe at his waist.

Five spirit beast pouches were hanging from his waist.

Miao and Gu's pupils constricted sharply, and they involuntarily took two steps back, so shocked that they could barely speak: "You...you...you wouldn't..."

Ma Liang chuckled lightly and casually flicked the hem of his robe.

"As you two seniors have probably noticed, what I cultivate is the Way of Beast Taming."

"My master is very strict. Before I left, he only said one thing: if I want resources, he won't give me a single spirit stone. If I want spirit beasts, he'll give me as many as I can afford to raise."

At this point, he glanced at the two armored dragons hovering peacefully behind him, "These spirit beasts of mine have an astonishing appetite; ordinary spirit herbs are no longer of interest to them. I have taken the liberty of asking you two seniors for some Core Formation stage spirit items, simply to feed these spirit beasts."

Ma Liang took in the changes in their expressions and chuckled to himself.

This was exactly the effect he wanted. The several spirit beast pouches at his waist looked bulging, but they actually contained only some level four demon beasts. Only the two armored dragons behind him were his true strength.

The atmosphere in the courtyard froze for a moment, and Miao and Gu quickly communicated telepathically.

"Just how many demonic beasts are hidden in that spirit beast pouch hanging from this kid's waist?"

"Who knows? This kid is unfathomable. It was already incredible that he could summon a level-five spirit beast before, and now he's come up with this kind of beast-taming technique..."

"I can now be certain that his master is absolutely real! Think about it, if he found his fortune in some ruins, he might get some magical treasures or cultivation techniques at most, not demonic beasts! Let alone two level-five armored dragons!"

"That makes sense. With his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, killing a level-five demonic beast might be somewhat possible, but taming it? Absolutely impossible!"

Miao and Gu had already shown signs of becoming friends, and their tone had become much warmer.

Elder Miao quickly waved his hand, "Young friend, please put these two spirit beasts away! If you continue to let them release their pressure like this, it may alert the other guests in the manor and cause unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing this, Ma Liang raised his hand and beckoned, and the two armored dragons disappeared into the spirit beast pouch.

As the oppressive aura of the level-five demonic beast dissipated in the courtyard, Elder Miao breathed a sigh of relief, but a hint of difficulty appeared on his face.

"We are aware of your difficulties, young friend. However, the Core Formation stage spiritual items you requested are not something we intentionally withheld. Such items are inherently scarce, and our Six-Linked Palace currently has no stock left, so we simply cannot offer them to you in exchange."

As expected, he guessed that the Six Linked Palaces might not have any spiritual objects at the Core Formation stage.

If Elder Gu were present, he might not have secretly communicated with the Extreme Yin Island.

He remained expressionless. "If not, then forget it."

"I have resolved all my matters. Do you two seniors have any other urgent matters to attend to? If not, I will take my leave now."