Mossy Ancient Wood

"Lin Dong, Lin Hong said you'd reached Body Tempering Stage 7. Is that true?"

Watching Lin Hong and the other leave, Lin Xia could only turn her gaze to Lin Dong, who remained where he was.

"Lin Xia, don't listen to that guy Lin Hong's nonsense. I'm not at Body Tempering Stage 7."

Lin Dong smiled slightly. After saying that, he took Qing Tan's little hand and left.

"Phew... That's what I thought. I'm only at Body Tempering Stage 6 myself. How long have you even been cultivating, Lin Dong? How could your cultivation be higher than mine?"

After receiving Lin Dong's confirmation, Lin Xia secretly let out a breath of relief. Then she casually pulled over a Lin Family disciple. "Tell me the entire story of what happened today. I want all the details..."

On the way home.

"Brother Lin Dong, you won't blame me for causing trouble, will you?"

Qing Tan looked worriedly at Lin Dong walking ahead of her. She both loved and feared this brother of hers.

"Why would I? The more trouble like this we cause, the more people will know that our family isn't so easy to bully."

Lin Dong gently reassured her before saying, "All right, you go back first. I need to go out and take care of something important."

After parting with Qing Tan, Lin Dong headed straight for the Trading Fair in the northern part of Qingyang Town. He was determined to obtain the Seal Condensing Method for the Ancient Swirl Talisman Seal.

Besides, his Mental Energy cultivation had already reached a bottleneck. If he did not open an aperture in his Niwan Palace and condense his Life Talisman Seal soon, his Mental Energy cultivation would stagnate from then on.

Upon arriving at the Trading Fair, Lin Dong did not linger. Familiar with the route, he turned through several streets and entered a concealed Underground Exchange.

That was right, an Underground Exchange. Although the goods traded there were often more illicit, their quality was consequently higher as well. Those with connections or knowledge generally chose to browse there.

Before entering, most people chose to wear cloaks or other coverings to conceal their true faces. Lin Dong, as a Peak Sky Origin Stage expert, was bold enough to rely on his skill. He did not even wear a mask as he openly walked inside.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing..."

Walking down the somewhat dim corridor, Lin Dong's gaze swept over stall after stall as if skimming flowers from horseback.

In truth, Lin Dong had kept his Mental Energy released the entire time.

Any item containing a Seal Condensing Method would certainly stir Lin Dong's Mental Energy, so there was no need to inspect every item too closely. His Mental Energy would naturally filter out unusual objects like a radar.

"Nothing... Huh, over there!"

As Lin Dong passed another stall, the Mental Energy in his Niwan Palace suddenly jolted at a piece of ancient wood covered in moss.

Lin Dong examined the Mossy Ancient Wood. It was precisely the piece of ancient wood that contained the Seal Condensing Method for the Ancient Swirl Talisman Seal. His expression brightened, but he immediately suppressed all emotion, crouched down, and picked up a green root stem that resembled withered wood from the stall.

A fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine, the Green Wood Spirit Stem. It had little effect on Lin Dong, a Sky Origin Stage expert, but it would be quite useful to Qing Tan, who was at the Earth Origin Stage. More importantly, it could serve to conceal his true target.

"Fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine, Green Wood Spirit Stem. One hundred Yuan Yang Stones."

The moment Lin Dong picked up the Green Wood Spirit Stem, the stall owner wrapped in a black cloak spoke.

"One hundred Yuan Yang Stones? A little expensive. What about this?"

Lin Dong muttered without changing expression, then casually picked up the Mossy Ancient Wood.

"A mysterious item. Fifty Yang Yuan Stones."

After a brief silence, the stall owner spoke again.

"Fine. I'll take both."

Lin Dong made his decision instantly. He immediately counted out fifteen Yang Yuan Pills from the Cosmic Bag he carried, grabbed the Green Wood Spirit Stem and the Mossy Ancient Wood, then turned and left. His movements were smooth and decisive.

Lin Dong had bought the low-grade Cosmic Bag after secretly going to Yan City to sell diluted Ancestral Stone Spiritual Liquid, using the Yang Yuan Stones he earned from the sale.

Yes, Yang Yuan Stones. Lin Dong specifically demanded Yang Yuan Stones rather than Yang Yuan Pills.

Yang Yuan Pills were medicinal pellets refined from Yang Yuan Stones, containing a trace amount of Yang Gang Qi. They could be used both for cultivation and as currency.

However, this refining method was generally controlled by major factions, and the usual conversion ratio between Yang Yuan Stones and Yang Yuan Pills was ten to one.

Yet the Ancestral Stone Lin Dong possessed could refine Yang Yuan Stones into Yang Yuan Pills at a ratio of three to one. Given Yang Yuan Stones and Yang Yuan Pills of equal value, if Lin Dong chose Yang Yuan Stones and refined them himself, he could instantly increase their value by more than threefold.

That was why Lin Dong always accepted only Yang Yuan Stones rather than Yang Yuan Pills whenever he went to Yan City to sell Ancestral Stone Spiritual Liquid. Although shop clerks found such an odd request strange, they were still happy to oblige.

The Yang Yuan Pills Lin Dong currently used had all been refined by himself from Yang Yuan Stones using the Ancestral Stone. Just think about it: he earned Yang Yuan Stones, yet spent Yang Yuan Pills. The enormous price difference and profit involved...

Ahem. It was all business, all business.

"..."

The stall owner looked at the rapidly vanishing Lin Dong, then at the fifteen Yang Yuan Stones in his hand. His lips moved slightly for a moment, but in the end, he said nothing.

He did not know what the Mossy Ancient Wood actually was. He had merely noticed the talisman master's unique runes on it and assumed it was an item related to talisman masters.

Since it was related to talisman masters, it had to be expensive. That was why he had priced it at fifty Yuan Yang Stones, hoping to fool a few ignorant suckers.

But who could have expected that kid to pay up and leave immediately after asking the price? He had not even been given a chance to regret it. It was as though the kid had found a huge fish.

"Damn it, I think I just took a huge loss..."

After a long while, the stall owner finally muttered softly, reluctantly putting the fifteen Yang Yuan Pills in his hand into his Cosmic Bag.

After purchasing the Green Wood Spirit Stem and the Mossy Ancient Wood, Lin Dong did not linger in the slightest and headed straight for the Lin Family. Once he returned to his room, he immediately shut the door, forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart, and took the Mossy Ancient Wood from his Cosmic Bag.

"The Seal Condensing Method... I finally got it."

Lin Dong studied the Mossy Ancient Wood in his hand, his heart filled with countless emotions.

Only by cultivating a Seal Condensing Method could one open an aperture in the Niwan Palace and condense a Life Talisman Seal, thereby entering the realm of a One Seal Talisman Master. Only after reaching the realm of a One Seal Talisman Master could one be considered to have truly entered the cultivation system of talisman masters.

At that time, not only would a talisman master's use and control of their own Mental Energy reach an entirely new level, but they would also be able to inscribe runes onto all kinds of objects, especially to enhance the attack power of weapons. Its applications were extremely broad.

The Life Talisman Seal that could be cultivated through the Seal Condensing Method hidden within this Mossy Ancient Wood was a Life Spirit Talisman-grade Life Talisman Seal.

Generally speaking, Life Talisman Seals in the talisman master world were divided into three levels: Life Talisman Seals, Life Spirit Talismans, and Life Heaven Talismans.