Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

Spiritual stones and spiritual veins have been inseparable since ancient times.

The former, which only became widely known in the Middle Ages and gradually became a currency used and traded by cultivators, is actually a byproduct of spiritual veins.

Unlike normal spiritual veins, the veins that produce spirit stones are often quite special. They not only do not emit spiritual energy to the outside world, but also fix it in a special kind of associated mineral, which cultivators can excavate and shape.

The more spiritual veins a piece of land has, the more special spiritual veins that can produce spirit stones.

The more special spiritual veins there are, the more spirit stones will be produced, and the supply will be very stable.

Even if a spiritual vein in one place dries up, as long as the celestial fortune and earth energy of that region do not dry up, another spiritual vein will slowly emerge in another place.

It is precisely because of this amazing stability and versatility that spirit stones have gradually become the general equivalent in the cultivation world, and a fixed source of wealth for major cultivation forces.

As for the spiritual veins used for cultivation... According to ancient records, only after a cultivator reaches the realm of "the primordial spirit reflecting back into the void" can they gradually break free from the shackles of spiritual energy.

Possessing the ability to draw power from nothingness, it initially forms the profound scene of "only through the mutual transformation of metal nature can the true nature be reflected; true nature is self-sufficient and need not be sought externally."

Before this, just as fish and crabs need to live in water and plants need to receive sunlight, cultivators cannot live without the nourishment of spiritual veins and cannot stay in places devoid of spiritual energy for many years.

"The teachings of our predecessors are indeed true."

"However, once you've established your foundation, it's best not to stay in the market town for too long."

With a slight sigh, Wang Xuan stepped out of the temporary cave.

As for the problems with the Han family, he had gained some understanding from the subsequent messages.

If nothing unexpected happens, the trouble he might face is actually quite simple and common in the cultivation world.

That is, given the uncertainty of whether Xiaozeshan would be attacked, Wang Xuan could very well be used by the Han family as a decoy to mislead the enemy.

To put it more bluntly, when a family senses impending disaster, in order to prevent hyenas from taking advantage of the situation after the crisis, they will often arrange for some people to move things that might attract attention to other places in advance.

Whether this "transfer" is partly real, partly fake, or entirely fake is a matter of opinion.

In any case, Wang Xuan was certain that no matter how many deceptions the Han family had created, he was definitely the fake one, since he had never received any so-called mission.

"However, nobody really cared how many bowls of noodles Liu Zi ate."

"Even if he cut open his stomach and showed it to others, it would only leave behind a few jokes."

"Fortunately, I've already stepped outside the game, so I can move forward or backward as I please."

"Moreover, looking at this small example, it's clear that the Han family is really in a hurry right now."

It was unclear how far the Han family's intelligence had progressed, or whether they knew anything about the "Four Fiends of Hengyang."

However, Wang Xuan could also see some clues from the fact that the other party was trying to use him as a "smokescreen".

Over the past few years, Han Changde has never given up on recruiting him into the family, so there has been very little direct action.

But right now he clearly can't care about those things, because the Han family's foundation is too shallow, so much so that they can't even find trustworthy people to handle this kind of matter.

"It's a considerable problem, but not a major one; it's generally within my capabilities to handle."

"It would be too unfair of me to be unfairly blamed..."

With a casual laugh, Wang Xuan mounted his weapon and flew towards a valley dozens of miles to the northwest.

It wasn't about the Han family's affairs, because before the dust settled on the sudden attack on Xiaoze Mountain, apart from Wang Xuan and the Lu family (whose importance was unclear), only the instigator knew that there would be a Foundation Establishment attack on Xiaoze Mountain.

Before this, few people in the Han family paid attention to him, let alone an unknown person like him.

Wang Xuan's journey north was solely for the purpose of disposing of stolen goods.

Unfortunately, with Xiaoqing's successful promotion, his purse was also completely empty.

The profits from alchemy in previous years had already been completely spent on auxiliary materials for Beast Spirit Pills, renting out cave dwellings, several second-tier talismans, and body-refining resources.

After counting his belongings, Wang Xuan only had a few dozen spirit stones left.

Fortunately, with Qingniao advancing to the second tier and gaining Foundation Establishment combat power, he was finally able to monetize the jade slips that had been sealed away for so long.

Even without the certification of a major power, these replica jade slips, whose authenticity cannot be verified, will generally not fetch a high price.

But Wang Xuan didn't have the idea that selling cheaply was a loss.

Any first-order knowledge that can be copied, no matter how much it can be sold, is still profitable.

The only concern is not to attract the attention of "peers" and thus seek out this "unruly" seller.

……

brush--

Not too far away, Wang Xuan's destination on this trip north was a small family exchange meeting that Ye Yan had mentioned.

Of course, the "small families" here are truly small families, most of them being Qi Refining forces that haven't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

As for why they chose this remote place instead of trading in the market... Ye Yan didn't say, and Wang Xuan didn't ask either.

Snakes have their paths, and rats have their burrows.

He doesn't need to know the reason, he just needs to know that this place exists.

After flying for only a few dozen miles, Wang Xuan landed beside a low hill covered with green bamboo.

Almost immediately, a wary-looking elderly man with brown hair emerged from the bamboo grove to greet them.

"May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

"My name is Han Feiyu. I came here specifically because I heard about you, after being introduced by a friend."

Wang Xuan casually gave a fake name, and after a simple disguise, handed over the jade talisman he had obtained from Ye Yan, releasing an aura of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Han."

Taking the jade talisman, the old man sized up the sharp-looking young man before him and tentatively asked:

"The token is correct, but what about your relationship with the Han family of Xiaozeshan..."

"Is there a problem with me working under the Second Elder?"

Wang Xuan spoke softly, seemingly dissatisfied:

"I recall that the Bamboo Mountain Gathering doesn't seem to restrict the identity of attendees. What do you mean by this, fellow Daoist?"

"This... please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

The old man bowed and apologized, though he seemed somewhat helpless.

"In the past year, many outside cultivators have come to the Baihe region, and many fellow cultivators have already suffered terrible fates."

"Comparatively speaking, the local monks are more trustworthy."

Wang Xuan remained noncommittal, because he knew that this so-called Bamboo Mountain Gathering was actually a shady exchange event.

Various cultivators regularly come here to trade some rather illegitimate items. The organizers are not responsible for the safety of the participants, and it cannot be ruled out that they may even be tempted by the money themselves.

If the participants weren't mostly of low skill level, Wang Xuan wouldn't have chosen this place to pass on his skills.

"Let's leave it at that... So may I go in now?"

"Of course, fellow Daoist, please come in."

The old man nodded without further objection.

"There is still an hour before the trade fair. Please come inside and wait a moment, fellow Daoist."