I am in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have a demonic beast clone!

Chapter Thirteen: Exchange Meeting! First Encounter with Han Li!

Three days later.

Inside the courtyard of Xuankun Mountain, Zhou Ding stood shirtless, revealing a lean, smooth, and powerful physique.

He took a deep breath and gripped a dark wooden stake about eight feet long and the thickness of a bowl with both hands.

This wooden stake is no ordinary wood, but is made from the trunk of a spiritual wood called "Ironheart Wood". It is extremely hard and heavy, and even a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator would find it difficult to leave a deep mark when chopping it with all his might.

The wooden stake is also engraved with simple "gravity array patterns". The weight can be adjusted by embedding spirit stones. It was originally a tool used by body cultivators to hone their strength and temper their bodies. Zhou Ding specially bought it from the market to test his own strength growth.

With a slight thought, he activated the array and adjusted the weight to the highest level.

He then engaged his core muscles, his arm muscles bulged, and he uttered a low shout: "Rise!"

He steadily lifted the iron-core wooden stake, weighing nearly 800 pounds, over his head!

His arm was as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

He didn't rely solely on brute force; rather, he mobilized the coordinated power of all his muscles and tendons, resulting in fluid and natural movements.

He then swung the wooden stake, chopping, sweeping, and thrusting, creating a whooshing sound. Although the moves were simple, they contained a chilling sense of power.

After a short rehearsal, he gently lowered the wooden stake, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"About 800 jin of pure physical strength..." Zhou Ding felt the surging blood and qi within his body, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

This is not his limit. If he combines his power-generating techniques with instantaneous magical boosts during battle, the destructive power he unleashes will be even more terrifying.

Imagine that when you fight a cultivator of the same level to the point of exhaustion, when your magic power is depleted and your protective magic artifacts are dim, your opponent is most likely already at their last gasp.

Yet he could still close the distance with his brute strength, each punch and kick possessing the power to shatter stone and split rocks, deciding victory or defeat, life or death, in an instant.

Just as he was about to test his speed and reaction again, the familiar fluctuations came from the early warning array outside the courtyard once more.

Zhou Ding quickly concealed his aura, put on his outer robe, and walked out of the courtyard.

Standing outside the door was Lin Hai, with a kind and honest smile.

"Brother Zhou, I hope I didn't disturb your cultivation?" Lin Hai asked with a cupped hand and a smile.

"It's alright, Brother Lin, what brings you here?" Zhou Ding asked.

"Tomorrow, Uncle Li from the Enforcement Hall will be hosting a small exchange meeting at Qiyun Peak, inviting many fellow disciples above the tenth level of Qi Refining. I thought Brother Zhou might be interested, so I've come to invite you. I wonder if Brother Zhou would be willing to come?"

"An exchange meeting? Uncle Li?" Zhou Ding raised an eyebrow slightly.

Li Yun, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Law Enforcement Hall, is quite well-known within Yellow Maple Valley.

Lin Hai explained, "It's called an exchange meeting, but it's actually more like an internal trading fair organized by Uncle Li. Uncle Li will bring out some cultivation resources that he doesn't need and exchange them with his fellow disciples. At that time, many fellow disciples will also bring out their collections to trade. It is said that in previous years, you can occasionally find some good items. Moreover, the participants are all at least at the tenth level of Qi Refining, so their level is not low."

"That sounds interesting," Zhou Ding thought to himself.

He has now prepared all his trump cards, including offensive and defensive magical artifacts, Heavenly Thunder Tokens, and talismans, but naturally, the more talismans and pills he has, the better, such as those for quickly restoring mana, healing wounds, and even some special-purpose ones.

Such high-level internal trade fairs may yield some results.

"Alright, then I'll trouble Brother Lin to lead the way tomorrow."

……

The next day, Qi Yunfeng.

Although this peak is not one of the seven main peaks of Yellow Maple Valley, it is still beautiful and majestic, and cultivators from within the sect often gather here to discuss the Dao.

The meeting was held on a flat, open meadow halfway up the mountain, which had already been simply decorated and protected from the wind.

When Zhou Ding and Lin Hai arrived, there were already thirty or forty cultivators on the meadow. They found futons to sit down, some talking in hushed tones, others closing their eyes to rest.

Those present were indeed all powerful, at least at the tenth level of Qi Refining, with many at the eleventh or twelfth level. Some even possessed deep and restrained auras. Zhou Ding, with his divine sense comparable to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, quickly scanned them and knew they were experts at the peak of Qi Refining.

"Junior Brother Zhou, Junior Brother Lin, you've arrived too." A familiar voice came from inside; it was Chen Qiaotian.

Today he was wearing a more formal robe, accompanied by Chen Qiaoqian and Lu Mingyuan.

Chen Qiaoqian remained gentle and beautiful, while Lu Mingyuan had a cold and arrogant expression. When his gaze swept over Zhou Ding, he still carried that condescending and aloof feeling.

Zhou Ding and Lin Hai returned the greeting with clasped hands and exchanged a few simple pleasantries.

Seeing Lu Mingyuan and Chen Qiaoqian standing side by side, Zhou Ding's heart stirred.

The original plot clearly surfaced in my mind. This Lu Mingyuan, it seems, shortly before the opening of the Blood Forbidden Land, ruthlessly tried to kill Chen Qiaoqian in order to seize her Foundation Establishment Pill...

"Judging by the timeline, if things proceed as originally described, this matter will probably be resolved within the next month or two." Zhou Ding's eyes flickered slightly, his mind racing.

These two each possess a Foundation Establishment Pill!

If... he could manage things properly, perhaps he wouldn't need to personally risk his life to enter that blood-red forbidden land where survival was a matter of life and death?

The thought made his heart race slightly, but he remained outwardly calm. After exchanging pleasantries with Chen Qiaotian and the others, he and Lin Hai found a spot to sit on the side and quietly observed the people in the room.

As time went by, another twenty or thirty cultivators arrived one after another, and the meadow gradually filled with about sixty or seventy people.

Although everyone belongs to Yellow Maple Valley, they usually have their own circles, and the atmosphere is rather subtle when they gather together now.

Another incense stick's time passed, and a gentle yet undeniable spiritual pressure suddenly descended.

Everyone quickly stood up and saw a middle-aged cultivator wearing a blue Taoist robe, with a clear face and a long, flowing beard, who had appeared on a blue stone in front of the meadow at some unknown time.

It was none other than Uncle Li from the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Disciple greets Martial Uncle Li!" Everyone bowed in unison.

Li Yun smiled and raised his hands in a gesture of respect: "My fellow disciples, there's no need for such formalities. Today's gathering is simply to exchange information and promote communication. Please make yourselves at home."

His voice was calm, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

After a few brief opening remarks, Li Yun announced the official start of the exchange meeting.

He took out several items from his storage bag and placed them on the jade table in front of him.

"I need to refine a batch of 'Nourishing Essence Pills' soon, but I'm still missing a few main ingredients that are around 300 years old. Therefore, the items I'm offering today can only be exchanged for spiritual herbs of sufficient age, the older the better."

The items he displayed immediately elicited a murmur of surprise: three jade bottles labeled "Condensing Essence Pills" (ten pills per bottle), five high-level beginner talismans brimming with spiritual energy (Fire Serpent Talisman, Ice Cone Talisman, etc.), a low-level intermediate talisman "Golden Armor Talisman" shimmering with pale golden light and intricate patterns, and a top-tier offensive magic weapon "Water Splitting Thorn" with a chilling gleam and unique design.

These items are all highly sought after by cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, especially the Golden Armor Talisman and the top-tier magic weapon, the Water-Splitting Dagger, which are powerful tools for both survival and offense.

Clearly, Uncle Li was aware that many people present were preparing to go to the Crimson Forbidden Land and had brought out extremely useful hard currency.

However, the condition of "a three-hundred-year-old elixir" made most people hesitate.

Spiritual herbs are rare, and the older they are, the rarer they become. For a Qi Refining disciple, it is already quite good to have a hundred-year-old spiritual herb. A three-hundred-year-old one is either a family treasure or obtained by chance. Who would be willing to give it up for exchange so easily?

Several people stepped forward, offering some rare herbs that were about a hundred years old to test them, but Uncle Li just smiled and shook his head, clearly not interested.

Zhou Ding's gaze was fixed firmly on the golden armor talisman.

This intermediate-level defensive talisman, once activated, forms a sturdy golden armor on the body's surface, providing extremely strong defense for a short period of time, making it an excellent life-saving item.

Although he was wearing the Ink Scale Armor, the extra layer of talisman protection might give him a better chance of survival in a critical moment.

Just as he was calculating the value of the few spiritual herbs in his storage bag that were nearly three hundred years old and had come from the depths of the Taiyue Mountains, and was preparing to make an offer, a figure stepped out from the crowd and calmly approached Uncle Li.

This person had an ordinary appearance, slightly dark skin, and wore ordinary Yellow Maple Valley disciple clothing. He was about twenty years old, with a calm gaze and a restrained aura. At first glance, he was unremarkable.

He didn't say much, but simply took out a jade box from his storage bag and presented it with both hands.

Uncle Li opened the jade box, and a rich medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air. Inside the box lay a spiritual herb with intact roots, leaves like jade, and a small vermilion fruit at its tip. Its spiritual energy far surpassed that of the hundred-year-old spiritual herbs that everyone had brought out before.

"A 300-year-old 'Vermilion Fruit Grass'? Its condition is so well-preserved, truly rare." Uncle Li's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he stroked his beard and nodded. "What would you like to exchange it for?"

The ordinary-looking young man respectfully said, "This disciple would like to exchange this Golden Armor Talisman, as well as those three bottles of Qi Condensation Pills, and... those five high-level talismans."

This request was quite demanding, as it took away almost most of the items that Uncle Li had brought out.

A collective gasp filled the air, and many eyes fell on the young man, filled with surprise, scrutiny, and even a hint of jealousy.

Uncle Li pondered for a moment, looked at the vibrant Vermilion Fruit Grass in his hand, then at the young man's calm and composed face, and finally laughed heartily: "Very well! It's rare to see a spiritual herb of such good age and preservation. I'll do as you say!"

The transaction was completed, and the young man carefully put away the items he had received.

In a good mood, Uncle Li casually asked, "What's your name? Which peak do you cultivate on?"

The young man bowed and replied, "I am Han Li, and I am currently on duty at the Hundred Herbs Garden."