132: Tianque Fortress Market! Ancient Cultivator Legacy!

Half a day later, outside the Tianque Fortress Market Town.

Lu Qiu, accompanied by the long-awaiting Zhao Wen and his Black Fiend Incarnation, appeared on the road leading to the market town.

He had already restored his original appearance and aura.

Among the Seven Great Sects of the State of Yue, Tianque Fortress's strength was considered lower-middle tier, lacking the deep foundations of the Yanyue Sect or Spirit Beast Mountain. However, being ranked among the Seven Sects naturally meant it had its own unique strengths.

Its mountain gate was situated on a vast plain, guarding a strategic pass, and the market town was built adjacent to the gate, boasting a significant scale.

A flash of anticipation crossed Lu Qiu's eyes.

As another of the Seven Sects of the State of Yue, Tianque Fortress's sphere of influence differed from that of the Yanyue Sect.

Here, by relying on the daily refreshed Opportunity information, he might once again obtain new and valuable silver or even gold opportunities.

The three of them paid the Spirit Stones and entered the market town.

The style of the Tianque Fortress Market Town was different from the charming magnificence of the Yan Yue Sect Market or the solemnity of the Yuanwu Kingdom's Tianxing Sect Market Town; it appeared more rugged and pragmatic.

Most buildings were constructed from sturdy, grayish-white giant stones, the streets were wide, and shop signs were striking and direct, lacking many flowery decorations.

The passing Cultivators mostly had steady auras and walked in a hurry. They discussed practical topics such as Artifact Refining Materials, hunting Yao Beasts, and Ore vein exploration, and the air was filled with a faint scent of metal and Ore.

As before, Lu Qiu had Zhao Wen find and rent a quiet, independent courtyard with a protective Formation in the market town to serve as a temporary base.

Once the courtyard was rented, Lu Qiu tossed a Storage Pouch to Zhao Wen and instructed, "Go and gather detailed information about the Tianque Fortress Market Town, including the backgrounds of the major shops and any recent special trading activities. Also, try to obtain a relatively detailed map of the Tianque Fortress's sphere of influence. Additionally, buy a few first-grade high-rank Yao Beasts with vigorous blood vitality while you're at it."

"Yes! Master!" Zhao Wen took the command and quickly departed.

Lu Qiu walked into the main Quiet Room and set up a Restriction.

He first took out the two crystal-clear, transparent Blood Jade Spider eggs.

The eggshells were warm and smooth, and the outlines of the tiny spiders inside were clear and full of vitality.

Lu Qiu drew a small Spirit-Controlling Formation on the ground, then bit his fingertip to force out two drops of Essence Blood containing his own aura and Divine Soul mark, dripping them into the core of the Formation.

The Formation glowed faintly, and the Essence Blood was slowly refined, turning into two wisps of pale red blood mist. As if possessed of intelligence, they floated toward the two spider eggs and slowly permeated into them.

Once the spider eggs had completely absorbed the Essence Blood, Lu Qiu could feel a faint connection established with them, similar to a spirit pet contract.

He nodded in satisfaction and then carefully placed the two spider eggs next to the spirit eye spring inside the gray spatial bead.

The pure Spiritual Qi and abundant vitality emitted by the spirit eye spring were of great benefit to the hatching and early growth of Spirit Beast eggs.

"In the original story, seizing the void heaven cauldron required the silk of Blood Jade Spiders. That adult Blood Jade Spider's potential is exhausted, making it difficult to continue growing. And it seems Blood Jade Spiders can only successfully grow to higher ranks in pairs..." Lu Qiu thought to himself, "It's perfect to nurture these two little guys. If I can raise them in the future, the three Blood Jade Spiders working together to pull the void heaven cauldron will surely increase the chances of success!"

After dealing with the spider eggs, Lu Qiu thought of the experiment with the blood devouring pearl.

With a thought, he took out the Fire Spitting Rabbit that had been in the gray spatial bead, lively for many days after consuming the blood bead.

The rabbit looked even sturdier than before, its fur was glossy, its eyes were agile, and its aura was steadily rising without any signs of lethargy, frenzy, or dependency.

After observing for a moment, a look of decisiveness flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes.

He flicked his finger, and a burst of Qi instantly ended the Fire Spitting Rabbit. He then took its still-warm blood and poured it into a jade bowl.

Next, he took out that eerie 'blood devouring pearl' and placed it into the bowl.

The blood devouring pearl once again displayed its miraculous nature. A faint blood light flashed on its surface, and it quickly devoured all the blood in the bowl.

A moment later, the bead's surface exuded another drop, condensing into a dark red blood bead that was slightly larger and deeper in color than the previous one.

Lu Qiu picked up this newly condensed blood bead and then summoned the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis.

The dark-gold, ferocious figure appeared in the Quiet Room, its cold compound eyes rotating. When it saw the blood bead in Lu Qiu's hand, a clear look of longing immediately appeared in its eyes, and its forelimbs rubbed together, making a slight 'click' sound.

"It seems the attraction of this blood bead to Spirit Beasts is universal." Lu Qiu felt slightly more certain as he flicked the blood bead toward the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis caught it in one bite and swallowed it.

Suddenly, a layer of faint blood mist drifted from the gaps in its carapace, and its surrounding aura fluctuated slightly before quickly calming down. Sensing carefully, the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's aura seemed to have solidified slightly, but there was no sign of a significant Breakthrough like the Fire Spitting Rabbit; however, the luster of its carapace was somewhat deeper.

"It seems that blood beads condensed from the blood of first-grade Yao Beasts have a negligible effect on a Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis that has already reached the Peak of the fourth grade; it can only provide slight nourishment." Lu Qiu understood, "I'm afraid I need the blood of higher-grade Yao Beasts to condense blood beads that will have a significant effect on it, perhaps even helping it strike at the fifth-grade Bottleneck."

This discovery raised Lu Qiu's assessment of the blood devouring pearl's value by another level.

It not only had miraculous effects on the growth of low-grade spirit pets but could also play a key role in the Breakthroughs of high-grade spirit pets!

Of course, this required higher-grade 'fuel'.

He recalled the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis and began his daily routine of Cultivation and breath adjustment, waiting for tomorrow's information refresh... Time passed quickly, and it was soon the next morning.

The first ray of dawn spilled into the Quiet Room through the window lattice. Lu Qiu finished his morning lesson and sank his mind into his consciousness.

The refreshed Opportunity information for today appeared as scheduled:

[white information]: In the 'Old Wang's Sundries' Loose Cultivator stall in the East District of the market town, a 'Qi Condensation Pill' mixed among the waste pills is actually a high-quality genuine product. The stall owner, Old Wang, failed to identify it due to his dim eyesight.

[silver information]: In the 'Bailian Baogong Shop' on the South Street of the market town, an 'Chi Xiao Sword'—a high-rank Magical Artifact displayed on the third row of the second-floor artifact shelf—contains an ancient secret technique Legacy sealed within its hilt core using a special secret method. It can be obtained by purchasing the sword and activating it with a specific technique.

[gold intelligence]: Hu Yong, a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator of Tianque Fortress, accidentally obtained an 'Ancient Cultivator Legacy Jade Slip' three months ago from an ancient Cultivator Immortal Cave ruin on the edge of the Moonlight Mountain Range. It records several types of ancient secret techniques and clues to a hidden Immortal Cave. He is currently hiding in the 'Jinmu Courtyard' rented in the West District of the market town, attempting to digest the Legacy and Breakthrough his Bottleneck.

A sharp light suddenly flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes.

As expected, upon moving to a new area, high-value opportunities appeared again!

Furthermore, one silver and one gold!

The silver Opportunity pointed to an ancient sword secret technique sealed within a Magical Artifact, which sounded extraordinary.

And the gold Opportunity directly pointed to an 'Ancient Cultivator Legacy Jade Slip'!

Its value might not be inferior to the related gains he had obtained from the ancient Cultivator Immortal Cave in Lanzhou Province!

"It seems there will be another great harvest." The corners of Lu Qiu's mouth curled up slightly as he slowly stood up, his gaze seemingly penetrating the walls of the Quiet Room to look toward the West District of the market town.

Whether it was the Chi Xiao Sword in the 'Bailian Baogong Shop' or the 'Jinmu Courtyard' where Hu Yong was located, he would have to pay them a visit.