How to Break the Deadlock?

If he could sabotage the Demon Cultivators' scheme this time, would the tragedy in Zhenjiang Prefecture City no longer come to pass?

Lu Qingshan was not sure.

But he wanted to try.

The tragedy of Zhenjiang Prefecture was also a tragedy for the entire human race.

"Qi Yuan!"

Using wine, Lu Qingshan wrote one final name on the table.

Qi Yuan, the Zhenjiang Prefecture Overseer who controlled the Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment!

Tap—

Tap—

Tap—

Lu Qingshan's fingers kept tapping lightly against the table, his brows drawn tight.

It was now the thirteenth day of the seventh month.

There were still two days before Qi Yuan lost the Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment.

Time was pressing.

He needed to find a way to break the deadlock as soon as possible!

For him, there were three key problems to solve.

First, he had to figure out how these Demon Cultivators had seized the Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment from Qi Yuan.

Only by knowing how they took the mirror could he respond to every move in kind.

Second, he had to find a way to meet Qi Yuan.

But Qi Yuan was a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, the overseer of an entire prefecture. How could a minor cultivator at the Qi Refining Second Layer meet him just because he wished to?

Third, after meeting Qi Yuan, he still needed a way to earn his trust.

Time trickled away, drop by drop.

Lu Qingshan suddenly recalled something.

In his previous life, Tian Lingzi, a professional player ranked seventh on the player Spirit Cultivator leaderboard, had been accepted as a disciple by Heavenly Mystery Temple after completing a hidden quest.

After a bout of frenzied grinding, Tian Lingzi quickly accumulated enough sect contribution points. Once he had earned Heavenly Mystery Temple's recognition, the temple bestowed a Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment upon him.

Tian Lingzi had once shared a screenshot of the Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment's attributes on the player forums, creating quite a stir for himself.

Heavenly Mystery Mirror · Fragment

Grade: Dao Artifact (Pseudo)

Description: Heavenly secrets must not be divulged.

Spirit Artifact Effect: Divination +4

Divine Ability: Observe Heaven

Passive: If a great calamity occurs within the current area, the Spirit Artifact's owner will faintly sense it.

Active: Sacrifice lifespan to observe heavenly secrets. Cooldown: 15 days.

The Heavenly Mystery Mirror was a special Spirit Artifact that offered no enhancement whatsoever to one's combat ability. Yet no matter what, its grade was listed as a Dao Artifact.

It was the first Dao Artifact possessed by players, even if it had the word "Pseudo" after it.

So although a long time had passed, Lu Qingshan still remembered its attributes with crystal clarity.

Lu Qingshan's gaze sharpened.

An idea surfaced.

Could it be?

Lu Qingshan glanced at Great King West Rat, who was sitting on the table, taking small sips of wine and huge bites of meat in utter contentment. He suddenly asked, "Do you remember exactly how long ago you saw that blood pool?"

Great King West Rat, engrossed in human delicacies, raised his head in confusion.

After thinking for a while, he counted on his fingers, then shook his head. In the end, he simply plopped down on the table and began fiddling with his toes.

"About thirteen days ago, I think." At last, Great King West Rat worked it out and gave his answer.

Thirteen days ago.

That meant that on the first day of the seventh month, the Demon Cultivators had already revealed the blood pool, drawing Qi Yuan's attention.

Yet Qi Yuan did not lose the Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment in Yuanshan City until the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

There was a full fifteen-day gap between the two.

Lu Qingshan pondered this.

Judging by the style of Heavenly Mystery Temple disciples, upon discovering the blood pool, Qi Yuan would certainly have rushed to Yuanshan City that very day.

The Demon Cultivators clearly could have acted then, and there had been so many days in between. Why had they dragged things out for a full half-month, only making their move on the fifteenth day of the seventh month?

Unless, for their plan, the fifteenth day of the seventh month was the only time to act.

Then what sort of plan would impose such stringent demands upon timing?

Recalling the Heavenly Mystery Mirror Fragment's attributes once more—

The answer was already on the tip of his tongue.

Lu Qingshan rose to his feet.

Next, he had to find a way to meet Qi Yuan.

He had no idea how to go about it yet.

But sitting here in a daze would not produce any solution. He might as well take a stroll around the city. Perhaps something would spark an idea.

He could also deal with his gains while he was at it, then see whether he could purchase one or two suitable Sword Skills.

Lu Qingshan raised his head and looked at the enormous pavilion before him. On its massive plaque, four gilded characters had been carved in sweeping, dragon-like strokes: Great Xia Trading Company.

Great Xia Trading Company was not only the largest trading company in Yuanshan City, but also the largest trading company among the entire human race.

It was spread throughout every human city. With its long history, it had amassed an unknown amount of wealth over countless years.

In a world of immortal cultivation, such a wealthy trading company could not possibly have endured peacefully for so many years without a sufficiently powerful backer.

Naturally, Great Xia Trading Company had someone behind it—and it was the tallest mountain in all humanity.

The Great Xia Imperial Family!

That was right. Great Xia Trading Company belonged to the Great Xia Imperial Family.

The Great Xia Imperial Family ruled the realm, maintained the spirit arrays of human cities and cultivator armies, and bore the responsibility of protecting and strengthening humanity. Even the ranks of cultivation sects were evaluated by the Great Xia Imperial Family. Its power and status needed no explanation.

As a trading company under the Great Xia Imperial Family, it was only natural for Great Xia Trading Company to become humanity's largest trading company.

"Behave yourself once we're inside," Lu Qingshan instructed Great King West Rat on his shoulder.

Great King West Rat nodded his little head vigorously.

As such an important place, its defenses were exceptionally tight. If Lu Qingshan remembered correctly, prefectural-capital-level Great Xia Trading Companies not only had high-grade formations arranged within them, but also had Golden Core cultivators stationed in the building year-round.

Making trouble in Great Xia Trading Company was simply courting death.

The entire Great Xia Trading Company had three floors. The first floor served Qi Refining cultivators, the second served Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the third served True Persons of the Golden Core realm.

With Lu Qingshan's current cultivation, he could naturally only wander about on the first floor.

Lu Qingshan stepped through the doors of Great Xia Trading Company.

A hall spacious enough to hold dozens, counters crafted from precious rosewood, and several attendants dressed in uniform green robes—everything spoke of Great Xia Trading Company's grandeur.

Several customers came and went through the hall as well. With a single glance, Lu Qingshan saw that they were all cultivators at the third layer of Qi Refining or above.

Several green-robed attendants were explaining something to a few cultivators.

At that moment, a young green-robed attendant approached with a smile plastered across his face. "Esteemed guest, are you here to sell items, or to purchase them?"

"I wish to sell a few things, and also see whether there are any suitable Sword Skills," Lu Qingshan said.

Upon hearing this, the young attendant's smile did not change. He respectfully said, "If you wish to sell some items, esteemed guest, please follow me this way. This humble one cannot decide the appraisal price for cultivators' goods. We must ask a True Person from our trading company to assess them."

Lu Qingshan nodded. "Naturally."

The young attendant led Lu Qingshan to a counter off to one side.

An elderly man with white hair and beard sat beside the counter. He appeared to possess no small measure of bearing.

"Qin Lao, this guest wishes to sell some items," the young attendant introduced.

The old man nodded to show that he understood. He glanced at Lu Qingshan and said mildly, "I am the manager of the first floor of Great Xia Trading Company. May I ask what you wish to sell? I will certainly offer you the fairest price."

Lu Qingshan took out several cultivation method Jade Slips and spell Jade Slips that he had seized from his Storage Bag. After giving it some thought, he also removed the Earth Spirit Pendant hanging at his waist and placed it on the counter.

Qin Lao took the Jade Slips and released his spiritual sense to inspect their contents. He quickly set them down again, then picked up the Earth Spirit Pendant and examined it in his hand for a moment.

"The cultivation method Jade Slips and spell Jade Slips you wish to sell are all the most ordinary sort. Great Xia Trading Company will still purchase them, but the price will not be high. I can offer you twenty First-grade Spirit Stones for these Jade Slips. As for this jade pendant Spirit Artifact—"

Qin Lao paused before continuing, "The spell it carries is merely the very low-grade First-grade Stone Skin Technique, nothing remarkable. However, the pendant's raw material is Coldgrass Jade, which is somewhat precious. Although Great Xia Trading Company generally offers no more than twenty First-grade Spirit Stones for low-grade Mortal Artifacts, I can make the decision to offer you twenty-five First-grade Spirit Stones. What do you think, sir?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan nodded slightly.

As the largest trading company of the human race, it was indeed generous, and the price offered was extremely fair.

Lu Qingshan himself had estimated the price at only forty First-grade Spirit Stones. He had not expected Qin Lao to offer five more, so naturally he had no reason to be dissatisfied.