192: Chapter 192 Ancient Cultivator's Jade Box! Han Li Emerges from Seclusion! Senior Brother Lu Has Already Reached Core Formation! ?

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Two: Ancient Cultivator's Jade Casket! Han Li Emerges from Seclusion! Senior Brother Lu is Already a Core Formation True Person!?

After Wood Dragon appeared, the atmosphere of the entire venue immediately became solemn.

All the Cultivators present stood up one after another, bowing toward the master of Kuixing Island and shouting in unison, "Greetings, Island Master!"

Wood Dragon nodded slightly, his gaze peacefully sweeping across the venue before he stepped toward the location where Lu Qiu, True Person Yuan Jun, and True Person Kan Qin were situated.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, Fellow Daoist Yuan Jun, Fellow Daoist Kan Qin, sorry to keep you waiting," Wood Dragon said with a cupped-fist salute and a smile, his attitude easygoing.

The three returned the salute and exchanged simple pleasantries.

Wood Dragon's gaze swept around, and he suddenly asked, "Why has Fellow Daoist Hei Sha not come today?"

Lu Qiu was well-prepared and said calmly, "Junior Martial Uncle is currently in seclusion, comprehending a secret technique, and cannot pull himself away. He specifically asked This Lu to apologize to the Island Master on his behalf."

Wood Dragon nodded, not minding it: "No matter, Cultivation is what's important. I am very gratified that Fellow Daoist Hei Sha has such dedication."

He turned to face all the Cultivators and said loudly:

"Fellow Daoists, today's Qingyun Mountain Exchange Meeting is intended for exchanging Cultivation insights and sharing resources. Everyone should speak freely and not be constrained. If there are difficulties in Cultivation, you may also ask questions on the spot. If I and the other True Persons can answer, we will certainly provide guidance."

The Cultivators in the venue agreed in unison.

Afterward, Wood Dragon took the lead by taking several items out of his Storage Pouch and placing them on the stone table in front of him.

One talisman treasure—its power far exceeded ordinary talisman treasures, making it a treasure that Foundation Establishment Cultivators dream of.

Two bottles of Core Formation spiritual items—snow spirit water and heavenly fire liquid, which were essential items for Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators to charge toward Core Formation.

Three pieces of top-tier peak-grade Magical Artifacts—a Flying Sword, a shield, and a jade hairpin, all of which were top-tier items with both offensive and defensive capabilities.

As soon as these treasures appeared, a wave of exclamations immediately erupted throughout the venue.

For the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, these were all high-demand items!

A talisman treasure could serve as a life-saving trump card, Core Formation spiritual items concerned one's path of the Dao, and top-tier Magical Artifacts were even rarer finds!

Bidding began immediately, and the scene was exceptionally heated.

Lu Qiu, True Person Yuan Jun, True Person Kan Qin, and several experts at the False Core Realm sat still, their expressions indifferent.

Although these things were precious, they were no longer of much use to them.

A moment later, the treasures brought out by Wood Dragon were taken by several wealthy Foundation Establishment Cultivators at high prices.

Next, it was the turn of the other Core Formation True Persons to act.

Lu Qiu did not hesitate, standing up and coming to the center of the field.

He took out several Magical Artifacts from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the stone table.

The first item—the qing ning mirror!

This mirror could immobilize the Magical Artifacts of Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, offering infinite uses when facing enemies. It had once been a capable treasure in his hands, but now after Core Formation, he could no longer use it.

The second item—ink scale armor! Refined from the hide of a Second-Grade Demonic Beast, the Ink Scale Crocodile, its defensive power was extremely strong; the attacks of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators simply could not break its defense.

The third item—sky burning gilded plumes! This set of top-tier peak-grade Magical Artifacts had once been his most effective offensive method, but now it had also been retired to the second line.

In addition to these three, he also brought out several top-tier Magical Artifacts of good quality, all of which were spoils of war accumulated over the years.

The eyes of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present went wide!

So many top-tier peak-grade Magical Artifacts; usually even one was hard to find, and now seven or eight had appeared all at once!

"Fellow Daoists," Lu Qiu spoke calmly, "For these Magical Artifacts, This Lu does not want Spirit Stones and only accepts bartering."

He took out a Jade Slip and activated it with his magic power; the content recorded in the Jade Slip transformed into a light screen, hovering in mid-air.

On the light screen, dozens of Materials were densely listed—some needed for refining Gu, some for Talisman making, and various spiritual Materials and spirit pets needed for refining Puppets.

"If you can provide the Materials on the list, you can exchange them for the Magical Artifacts in my hand. First come, first served, until everything is exchanged."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present became restless.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Qingyun Mountain Range mostly came from elsewhere, settling here for secluded cultivation; many were hidden experts possessing treasures.

Seeing Lu Qiu offer such generous conditions, how could they hold back?

Immediately, someone stepped forward, took a fist-sized piece of Void Gazer Marrow from their Storage Pouch, and exchanged it for a piece of ink scale armor.

Another person took out a bottle of Dry Spirit Water and took away the qing ning mirror.

Someone else brought out Snow Mist Spider Silk they had cherished for many years to exchange for the sky burning gilded plumes.

In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than half of the seven or eight Magical Artifacts Lu Qiu had brought out were exchanged.

And he had also collected more than a dozen of the Materials on the list.

Wood Dragon watched with amazement, stroking his beard and laughing: "Fellow Daoist Lu is quite wealthy; I'm afraid even I would have been a bit envious of these top-tier Magical Artifacts back in the day."

Lu Qiu smiled faintly: "The Island Master overpraises me; they are just some minor toys that aren't worth mentioning."

Wood Dragon laughed heartily and said no more.

...

The Magical Artifact transactions came to an end, and next was the real highlight—transactions between Core Formation Cultivators.

Lu Qiu, Wood Dragon, True Person Yuan Jun, True Person Kan Qin, and several experts at the False Core Realm moved to a pavilion on one side of the venue.

A soundproofing Restriction was set up here to prevent outsiders from spying.

This was the true focus of this exchange meeting.

After all, the treasures that Foundation Establishment Cultivators could produce were truly limited.

The truly good things had to circulate among people like them.

"I'll go first," Wood Dragon spoke first.

He took out two items from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the stone table in the pavilion.

The first item was a Flying Sword, entirely deep blue and emitting a faint chill—a Magic Treasure! And it was a Magic Treasure of quite good quality!

The second item was a palm-sized jade casket, entirely black, with its surface covered in profound runes.

On the jade casket, a faint, flickering light flowed, clearly protected by a powerful Restriction.

Lu Qiu and the other two were all startled.

Island Master Mu Long had actually brought out even a Magic Treasure!

It seemed he was seeking something significant!

Wood Dragon pointed at the Flying Sword and introduced it: "This sword is named 'Frost'; it was refined using thousand-year cold iron as the primary material, infused with three drops of ice-attribute Level Six Yao Beast Essence Blood. Its power is impressive, it is skilled in ice-system Divine Abilities, and it can freeze the enemy's magic power."

He then pointed to the jade casket and said: "This item was obtained by me in my early years from an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave. There is a powerful ancient Restriction on the jade casket; I have studied it for many years but have never been able to open it, and I do not know what is actually hidden inside."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, and said slowly: "For these two items, I will only trade for two things—thousand-year spirit herbs, or an ancient Pill Formula that can increase Core Formation Stage cultivation."

Lu Qiu's heart stirred.

Wood Dragon was going all out, preparing to charge toward the Late Core Formation Stage!

thousand-year spirit herbs and ancient Pill Formulas were both scarce resources for assisting cultivation.

It seemed he had been stuck in the Middle Core Formation Stage for many years and was eager to seek a Breakthrough.

Lu Qiu had no interest in that Frost Sword.

He had many Magic Treasures on him and did not lack this one.

However, his gaze fell upon that jade casket.

The ancient Restriction on the surface of the jade casket—he had just briefly probed it with his Divine Sense and was actually unable to see through it!

With his current Formation attainments, he actually couldn't see the flaws in that Restriction!

"This ancient Restriction... is somewhat interesting," Lu Qiu thought to himself.

He pondered for a moment and spoke up: "Island Master, This Lu has some interest in this jade casket. I wonder how many thousand-year spirit herbs the Island Master wishes to exchange it for?"

Wood Dragon glanced at him and smiled: "Fellow Daoist Lu is proficient in Formations; presumably you have the confidence to open this ancient Restriction? Very well, I'll speak plainly—for this jade casket, I want to exchange it for seven thousand-year spirit herbs."

Seven!

This number made Lu Qiu's brow twitch slightly.

How precious were thousand-year spirit herbs?

Even with his accumulation over the years, he only had about twenty or so on him.

"Island Master, seven is too many," Lu Qiu shook his head, "This Lu only has three on him. For the rest... can I make up the difference with an ancient Pill Formula?"

A sharp glint flashed in Wood Dragon's eyes: "An ancient Pill Formula? What ancient Pill Formula?"

Lu Qiu took a Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch and handed it over.

"This is the 'Azure Crystal Pill' formula. The Azure Crystal Pill can increase the cultivation of Middle Core Formation Stage Cultivators and also has an auxiliary effect for charging toward the Late Core Formation Stage."

Wood Dragon took the Jade Slip and extended his Divine Sense into it, reviewing it carefully.

A moment later, the light in his eyes flared, and his face was full of surprise and joy!

"A good Pill Formula! A good Pill Formula!"

He praised repeatedly, and his gaze toward Lu Qiu held a bit more gratitude. "Fellow Daoist Lu, I accept this Pill Formula! I will no longer insist on the seven thousand-year spirit herbs. Three spirit herbs plus this Pill Formula—it's a deal!"

Lu Qiu smiled slightly and took out three jade boxes with Spirit Sealing Talismans attached from his Storage Pouch, handing them over to Wood Dragon along with the Jade Slip.

Wood Dragon took it, examined it carefully, and after confirming there were no issues, pushed the jade box in front of Lu Qiu.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, this item belongs to you now.”

Lu Qiu took the jade box; it felt slightly heavy in his hand, and a hint of anticipation rose in his heart.

That Frost Sword was ultimately claimed by True Person Yuan Jun and True Person Kan Qin working together.

The two of them completed the trade with Wood Dragon using four thousand-year spirit herbs plus some other rare spirit Materials.

Next, it was True Person Yuan Jun and True Person Kan Qin's turn to present their treasures.

The two of them brought out a bottle of “Thousand-Year Illusion Spirit Marrow” and several rare spirit Materials.

Thousand-Year Illusion Spirit Marrow was a supreme treasure for illusion-type Yao Beasts!

This item could significantly increase the cultivation and Divine Abilities of illusion-type spirit pets; for the Illusion Spirit Butterflies under Lu Qiu's command, it was simply a dream-come-true supplement!

Lu Qiu immediately brought out a set of Formation tools for the “Inverting Five Elements Array” and completed the trade with the two of them.

This Formation was no longer of much use to Lu Qiu after his cultivation reached the Middle Core Formation Stage.

Furthermore, with Xin Ruyin's current Formation expertise, refining the tools for an Inverting Five Elements Array was not difficult.

Two bottles of Thousand-Year Illusion Spirit Marrow, obtained!

Finally, it was Lu Qiu's turn.

He once again took out that list and displayed it to the three Island Masters.

“Fellow Daoists, This Lu still has some rare spirit Materials here that I have no use for, and I wish to exchange them for these items on the list.”

He took out over ten items from his Storage Pouch, all of which were precious things that a Core Formation Cultivator could use.

Wood Dragon and the other two looked at the list, a flicker of interest crossing their eyes.

Immediately, the four of them began a new round of trading.

Wood Dragon brought out a piece of thousand-year profound iron and exchanged it for a Magic Treasure.

True Person Yuan Jun took out three five-hundred-year-old Ghost Soul Grasses and exchanged them for two bottles of Medicinal Pills.

True Person Kan Qin brought out a Level Five Yao Beast's inner core and exchanged it for a Jade Slip.

...

Half an hour later, the trading concluded.

Lu Qiu took stock of his gains, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

More than ten essential spirit Materials, all obtained!

Many of them were rare items needed for refining Gu insects, Talismans, and Puppets, which were difficult to buy even with money on ordinary days.

Wood Dragon and the other two also harvested plenty, each with a smile on their face.

With this, the Qingyun Mountain Exchange Meeting came to a perfect conclusion.

Everyone stood up, bid each other farewell, and returned to their respective Immortal Caves.

...

Returning to Tianmen Peak, Lu Qiu went straight to the main hall.

Xin Ruyin was in the hall studying Formation Dao scriptures; seeing him return, she looked up and asked, “How was the exchange meeting?”

Lu Qiu smiled slightly, took out that pitch-black jade box from his Storage Pouch, and placed it on the table.

“A bountiful harvest. Especially this.”

Xin Ruyin leaned in curiously, sizing up the jade box.

A moment later, her elegant brows furrowed slightly as she reached out to gently stroke the runes on the surface of the jade box.

“Such an ancient Restriction...” she murmured, “This seems to be a type of Ancient Five Elements Restriction, and an extremely complex one at that; with my current Formation expertise, I cannot yet undo it.”

Lu Qiu nodded, not surprised. He had already probed it with his Divine Sense; this ancient Restriction was indeed exquisite and not something an ordinary person could break.

He looked at the floating phantom of True Person Ling Yun beside him and asked, “Senior? Do you have confidence?”

True Person Ling Yun's remnant soul drifted to the front of the jade box, scrutinized it for a long time, and only then slowly spoke:

“This Restriction is named the ‘Five Elements Essence-Locking Restriction,’ an obscure Restriction passed down from ancient times. It requires the principles of the Five Elements' mutual generation and overcoming to be gradually cracked. With my current strength, I cannot break it by force. But if I am given three years to carefully deduce its patterns, I might find a way to break it.”

Three years!

Lu Qiu's heart settled.

Three years' time, for a Core Formation Cultivator, was but a snap of the fingers.

If this jade box could be opened and the items inside obtained, whatever they were, it would be worth it.

“Then I'll leave it to Old Ling,” Lu Qiu said solemnly.

True Person Ling Yun smiled slightly: “Rest assured, I will certainly do my best.”

...

Small Green Island.

Deep in the mist-shrouded mountain range, the long-sealed gate of an Immortal Cave slowly opened.

A figure in green robes stepped out from the cave; it was Han Li, who had been away from the outside world for twenty years.

He stood before the cave entrance, took a deep breath of the long-missed fresh air, and a hint of emotion flashed in his eyes.

“This closed-door cultivation actually took a full twenty years,” he murmured to himself.

After twenty years of bitter cultivation, he had finally completed the first revolution of the ‘Three-Turn Heavy Essence Art,’ and his cultivation had steadily stepped into the Late Stage Foundation Establishment.

Thinking of Lu Qiu and the others who had been transported from the State of Yue to the Chaotic Star Sea together back then, Han Li couldn't help but feel a touch of complexity in his heart.

He wondered how they were doing now?

Were they still well?

He shook his head, thinking no more, turned into a streak of light, and flew towards the direction of Kuixing City.

...

Kuixing City, Tiandu Street.

Han Li walked alone on the bustling street, his eyes full of wonder.

This was his first time coming to Tiandu Street; he saw shops lining both sides of the street, people flowing like a tide, and all sorts of immortal cultivation items displayed in abundance.

Magic Treasures, Medicinal Pills, Talismans, Formations, Spirit Pets... everything was available, far more prosperous than he had imagined while in seclusion on Small Green Island.

His goal for this trip was very clear—to purchase Core Formation spiritual items.

After a turn around, he selected the White Water Tower of the Liulian Hall and stepped inside.

A moment later, Han Li walked out of the White Water Tower with a satisfied smile on his face.

snow spirit water, heavenly fire liquid—two essential spiritual items for Core Formation, obtained.

Although it had cost him quite a bit of his savings, for the sake of Core Formation, what did this small price matter?

He was just about to leave Tiandu Street when he suddenly remembered something.

He wondered where Senior Brother Lu and the others were now?

How were they doing?

He thought about it and found a 'Wind Hyacinth' on the street who specialized in gathering information for people, handed over a few Spirit Stones, and asked:

“Pardon me, I'd like to inquire about two people—one named Lu Qiu, and one named Hei Sha. Have you heard of them?”

The Wind Hyacinth was a middle-aged Cultivator at Qi Condensation Perfection; hearing this, he was first stunned, then looked at Han Li with a strange expression:

“Lu Qiu? Hei Sha? Is Fellow Daoist referring to True Person Lu Qiu and True Person Hei Sha?”

Han Li was startled: “True Person?”

Seeing his expression, the Wind Hyacinth was even more surprised: “Could it be that Senior has just come out from some remote small island? True Person Lu Qiu and True Person Hei Sha are famous figures on our Kuixing Island!”

Hearing this, Han Li was immediately stunned.

True Person—this was the title for a Core Formation Cultivator!

“You... tell me in detail!” he hurriedly followed up, stuffing two more Spirit Stones over.

Seeing his generosity, the Wind Hyacinth didn't hide anything and spoke incessantly:

“Speaking of which, that was all over ten years ago. First, True Person Hei Sha went into seclusion at the ‘Listening Bamboo Pavilion’ outside Tiandu Street; when he formed his core, the phenomena pierced the sky, and the entire Kuixing City was alarmed! Even Island Master Wood Dragon personally arrived on the scene, and later invited True Person Hei Sha to serve as the Vice Island Master and take charge of Tianmen Peak!”

“Then a few years later, another Core Formation phenomenon came from Tianmen Peak! This time it was True Person Lu Qiu! It's said he is True Person Hei Sha's martial nephew and is also a heavenly genius, successfully forming his core at a young age! Now True Person Lu Qiu is an Elder of our Liulian Hall, and his status on Kuixing Island is second only to Island Master Mu Long!”

Han Li stood in place as if struck by lightning, motionless.

Senior Brother Lu... formed his core?

Hei Sha... also formed his core?

A wave of indescribable complex emotions welled up in his heart—there was shock, disbelief, and even more so, a hint of bitterness and loss.

When they were transported from Tiannan together back then, the cultivation gap between him and Senior Brother Lu wasn't very large; at least they were both Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

But now, coming out of seclusion.

Senior Brother Lu was actually already a Core Formation True Person!

While he had only just begun preparing for Core Formation!

The status of the two was already worlds apart.

“Thank you.”

He took a deep breath, suppressed the churning emotions in his heart, handed a few more Spirit Stones to the Wind Hyacinth, and turned to leave.

Walking on Tiandu Street, Han Li's mood could not be calmed for a long time.

Senior Brother Lu... how exactly did he do it?

A moment later, he stopped his pace and looked back toward the distant, mist-shrouded Qingyun Mountain Range.

Tianmen Peak was in that direction.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head and turned to leave.

Now Senior Brother Lu was a Core Formation True Person with a respected status.

While he was just a Loose Cultivator at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment.

Visiting rashly might not be a good thing.

Moreover, he had major secrets on him and didn't want to get too close to Lu Qiu.

Better to pay a visit after he himself had formed his core.

He took a deep breath, fighting spirit reigniting in his eyes.

What Senior Brother Lu could do, he, Han Li, might not be unable to do!