Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

The three of them went up the stairs to the spacious and bright second-floor room. There was a long ebony table in the center and more than ten pearwood chairs scattered around it. Seven people had already arrived in the room.

When Gao Xu pushed open the door and entered, everyone's eyes turned to him, lingering briefly on Wu Fan, but without asking any further questions.

Gao Xu led Wu Fan and the other man forward, first pointing to a pair of cultivators standing side by side:

"These two are Fellow Daoist Wang and Fellow Daoist Tang, a Daoist couple."

The male cultivator, dressed in a blue Daoist robe, had a gentle face and was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He bowed slightly to Wu Fan.

"My name is Wang Cheng. I have met Fellow Daoist Liu."

The female cultivator beside him wore a light pink dress, with gentle features. Her cultivation level was slightly lower, at the fifth level of Qi Refining. She also smiled and bowed in greeting.

"Tang Xin greets Fellow Daoist Liu."

Wu Fan calmly returned the greeting with a cupped hand:

"Liu Xi greets you two fellow Daoists."

Gao Xu then pointed to a gaunt old man sitting to the side. The old man was wearing a gray Taoist robe, his eyes closed as he meditated, but his fingertips were constantly twirling a string of wooden beads. His spiritual energy was contained within him, making it difficult to discern his cultivation level.

"This is Master Zhou, who specializes in alchemy. He often keeps a lot of his own low-grade pills. If you need any pills, you can discuss it with Master Zhou privately."

Old Zhou slowly opened his eyes, his somewhat cloudy eyes revealing a sharp glint in them. He glanced at Wu Fan and then looked away, nodding slightly as a greeting.

Seeing this, Wu Fan didn't say much, but nodded slightly in acknowledgment, knowing that some alchemists had eccentricities and there was no need to deliberately strike up a conversation.

Immediately afterwards, Gao Xu pointed to a slender girl carrying a heavy sword. The girl looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features and a somewhat naive and cute appearance, but her eyes were exceptionally bright, and her cultivation level was at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"This is Junior Sister Lin Shu. Her swordsmanship is quite excellent. This is her first time participating in the Star Ascension Tournament."

Lin Shu immediately stood up, playfully cupped her hands in a greeting to Wu Fan, her voice clear and melodious:

"Greetings, Senior Brother Liu! I finally managed to find Brother Gao and the others after a long and difficult journey. At least I'm not all alone anymore."

Wu Fan nodded gently:

"Junior Sister Lin, you're too kind."

Gao Xu then introduced the remaining four people one by one.

There is Zhao Xuan, a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator who is skilled in crafting talismans; Sun Leiluo, a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator; and another Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator named Ding Cheng, who has a rather honest appearance and personality.

After everyone had exchanged greetings, Gao Xu walked to the center of the elegant room, raised his hand to signal, and said loudly:

"Now that everyone is here, the exchange will officially begin. The rules are simple: barter, fair and voluntary, price negotiation is allowed, but no forcible taking is permitted. In case of any disputes, everyone will judge fairly. If you have any items you wish to exchange, please bring them out and discuss them in detail."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xuan stood up first, took out a stack of yellow talismans from his storage bag, and spread them on the table:

"I have five Fiery Talismans and three Wind-Riding Talismans here, all of them mid-grade first rank. The Fiery Talismans can be used instantly to injure enemies, and the Wind-Riding Talismans can speed up travel. They are both practical items for self-defense and travel. I would like to exchange them for some pills that can aid in cultivation."

All eyes were on the talisman; a mid-grade first-level talisman was already considered a high-quality item among Qi Refining cultivators.

Lin Shu's eyes lit up, and she quickly got up, took out a jade bottle, and handed it over:

"Senior Brother Zhao, I have two Qi Gathering Pills and two Spirit Cleansing Pills here. How about I exchange them for three Blazing Fire Talismans and two Wind Control Talismans?"

Zhao Xuan took the jade bottle, uncorked it, and smelled it. The elixir had a pure and pleasant fragrance, and he immediately nodded.

"That works! Junior Sister Lin is so agreeable."

The two exchanged items on the spot, each putting away their belongings, both looking pleased.

Wu Fan sat in the corner, his gaze sweeping over the items that everyone took out one after another.

There were low-level magical artifacts, fragments of cultivation techniques, and various medicinal herbs, but none of them could produce a spiritual material that would make the Five Elements Beads react.

He frowned slightly, feeling somewhat disappointed.

At this moment, Master Zhou, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke slowly:

"I have two bottles of Qi-union pills, plus a few bottles of auxiliary pills. I want to exchange them for a high-grade magic weapon."

The Qi-Gathering Pill is a commonly used pill for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. Its speed of gathering spiritual energy far exceeds that of the Qi Gathering Pill. However, its medicinal power is too strong, and it needs to be taken with a meridian-protecting pill in order to take more.

Wu Fan secretly grumbled to himself, "A high-grade magic weapon is already a treasure for a rogue cultivator. If an ordinary rogue cultivator has one or two of them, he is considered to be rich. Why would he easily give them up for exchange?"

Moreover, as a master alchemist, Master Zhou should not lack such items.

As he was pondering, Zhao Xuan spoke again:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have a high-grade short sword, but its spiritual essence is slightly damaged. I wonder if I could exchange it for your pills?"

After saying that, he took out a bronze short sword from his storage bag. The blade was sharp but had a tiny nick. Its spiritual energy fluctuations were weaker than those of a perfectly intact high-grade magic weapon, and its power was reduced by about 30%.

Master Zhou looked up at Zhao Xuan, a glimmer of light appearing in his cloudy eyes. He took the short sword and stroked it repeatedly for a moment before finally sighing.

"make a deal."

Zhao Xuan took the medicine bottle, checked it and found it to be correct. He happily put it away. Everyone was secretly amazed when they saw this. They never expected that Zhao Xuan could actually use a high-grade magic weapon for a transaction.

Wu Fan sighed inwardly. Although the art of talismans ranked last among the hundred arts, it was the easiest to learn and the easiest to accumulate wealth in the early stages. No wonder Zhao Xuan was so well-off.

Such blatant display of wealth is too conspicuous, resembling a child carrying gold in the marketplace.

Just as the transaction between the two came to an end, Fu Qianyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly patted his storage bag, took out a piece of refined copper the size of a human head, its color dark but gleaming with a metallic sheen, and smiled:

"I have a piece of black iron copper here, which I found in a mine many years ago. It's very hard and makes excellent material for forging magical artifacts. I'd like to exchange it for some healing pills. Do any of you fellow cultivators have any spares?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xin looked at Wang Cheng and whispered a few words to him before standing up and saying:

"Fellow Daoist Fu, I have four healing pills here. Can I exchange them for your Xuan Tie copper? We are planning to forge a protective magic weapon for Brother Cheng."

Fu Qianyu examined the jade bottle and nodded, saying:

"feasible."

The two successfully completed their transaction, and the exchange became increasingly lively. Everyone got what they needed, exchanging pills or spiritual materials in a harmonious atmosphere.

Wu Fan remained seated, and seeing that there were no spiritual materials that matched the Five Elements Beads, he took out a few unused first-tier spiritual herbs from his storage bag and exchanged them for a few attack and defense talismans, which was better than nothing.

During the exchange, he discreetly observed the crowd and found that most of these rogue cultivators were straightforward and honest, without much scheming, at least on the surface. They were easier to get along with than those scions of noble families.

As he was pondering to himself, he suddenly felt a subtle gaze fall upon him. Turning his head, he saw Sun Leiluo looking at him with a seemingly casual expression, his eyes flickering as if something was amiss.

Wu Fan's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at Sun Leiluo with a calm gaze. Sun Leiluo quickly looked away and pretended to chat with the cultivator next to him, but his expression was somewhat unnatural.

Wu Fan became secretly wary. Sun Leiluo's cultivation was not bad, and he was deliberately scrutinizing him. He wondered what his purpose was.

Half an hour later, the exchange meeting came to an end. After chatting for a while, Gao Xu stood up and announced loudly:

"Today's exchange meeting has come to a successful conclusion. Thank you all for your support. Now, everyone is free to share their cultivation experiences. Those who are tired may leave to rest. However, I would like to remind you that the Star Ascension Conference will be held in less than six months, and the exclusive trading conference for independent cultivators is only three months away. It would be better to travel together during this time. I have heard that in previous Star Ascension Conferences, independent cultivators often mysteriously disappear before the eve of the conference, mostly because they were ambushed by enemies or kidnapped by evil cultivators. Traveling together will provide an extra layer of protection."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. As a rogue cultivator, one without a sect or faction, traveling alone is inherently dangerous, and the eve of the Star Ascension Conference is even more turbulent. No one is willing to risk their life.

"Brother Gao is right, we brothers agree to go together!"

The two honest and simple-minded fellow disciples were the first to respond, and Zhao Xuan echoed them:

"I agree, it's safer with more people around."

Wang Cheng and his wife, Fu Qianyu, and Tang Xin all nodded in agreement, while Wu Fan and Lin Shu remained silent.