"I'd like one mid-grade Blood Origin Pill, fellow Daoist. One mid-grade Blood Origin Pill."
"Low-grade Blood Origin Pills, low-grade Blood Origin Pills! Don't push! It should be my turn."
"Fellow Daoist, fellow Daoist, mind your manners. It should be my turn first."
Outside the Three Purities Dao Palace, a group of cultivators had formed a long line before Yan Kuan. Every one of them eagerly brought out Daoist texts and other resources to exchange for Blood Origin Pills.
Pills had always been in demand yet priceless. Once the Blood Origin Pills had proven effective, everyone naturally rushed to get them, afraid of missing this opportunity.
Most cultivators did not lack cultivation methods. Those able to browse stalls outside the Three Purities Dao Palace had some degree of strength, and when faced with precious resources like pills, naturally few were willing to let them pass by.
Yan Kuan sat as steady as a fisherman, utterly unflustered, calmly selecting the various Daoist texts and treasures he needed. In truth, aside from the Daoist texts, which had yielded a great haul, he had not obtained many other valuable items.
Everyone needed medicinal herbs, while divine abilities and Secret Arts were far more precious than ordinary Wheel Sea Realm techniques. However, he had made some unexpected gains in ancient objects. At the very least, fragments of Ancient Artifacts over a century old had generally been refined by cultivators of the Dao Palace Realm or above.
If the circumstances had been different, Yan Kuan might have considered activating Empyrean Flame's Reincarnation Ability to reap a harvest.
The lively scene outside the Three Purities Dao Palace quickly drew the attention of genuine big shots. Before long, the middle-aged Daoist who had first traded with Yan Kuan returned with an elderly Daoist of remarkable bearing.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist. This old man is Zhang Lingyun of Tianshi Manor."
The elderly Daoist courteously gave Yan Kuan a Daoist salute. Yan Kuan immediately recognized him as one of those seated at the very front of the Three Purities Dao Palace earlier—a Four Extremities Realm elder of Tianshi Manor, a true powerhouse of the modern cultivation world. Naturally, Yan Kuan did not dare slight him.
"Greetings, Senior Lingyun."
After rising to return a slight salute, Yan Kuan sat cross-legged again and pointed at the three bottles of high-grade Blood Origin Pills that had yet to be traded away. "Senior, have you come for these pills?"
Though Yan Kuan phrased it as a question, his tone was certain. Zhang Lingyun had been brought here by that middle-aged Daoist, so anyone's first assumption would be that he had come for the pills.
"That is correct. I heard from my disciple Qingyun that your Divine Pills are extraordinarily effective. Might I examine one? Please appraise this Daoist text."
Zhang Lingyun nodded and placed a Daoist text before Yan Kuan. Yan Kuan raised a hand, drawing it into his palm, and carefully leafed through it.
"I'll take this Daoist text, Senior."
Yan Kuan did not remain silent for long. After the surrounding crowd had held its breath and waited for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, he slowly nodded and pushed a porcelain bottle containing a high-grade Blood Origin Pill toward Zhang Lingyun.
"Many thanks."
After taking the porcelain bottle, Zhang Lingyun removed its stopper and carefully took out a round, lustrous Spirit Pill. The medicinal fragrance of a third-grade pill was rich, and its effects were extraordinary. Pills of this grade could benefit even Four Extremities Realm experts. As an elder of Tianshi Manor, Zhang Lingyun naturally knew quality when he saw it.
"Your Divine Pill, fellow Daoist, follows a unique refining method. It seems this old man was shortsighted."
After scraping off a tiny amount of pill powder and flicking it into his mouth to savor carefully for a moment, Zhang Lingyun's spirits lifted. He then handed Yan Kuan a jade box. "This old man learned from Qingyun that he acted rashly before. These two Purple Spirit Mushrooms shall serve as both trade and apology."
Yan Kuan opened the jade box and saw two purple mushrooms inside, one large and one small. The moment the box opened, medicinal fragrance rushed forth. Without much discernment, one could tell that these were rare spiritual medicines in the cultivation world of the Ancestral Star.
Spiritual medicines differed from ordinary medicinal herbs, as their growth required nourishment from spiritual energy. In eras or regions with relatively abundant spiritual energy, such as the Big Dipper cultivation world or within the Kunlun forbidden zone, spiritual medicines were not uncommon.
But on the present-day Ancestral Star, spiritual energy had dried up across the greater environment. Most old herbs in the outside world that had aged for many years had degraded from spiritual medicines and precious herbs into ordinary aged herbs. Though their medicinal effects remained, without that trace of spiritual energy, it was difficult for cultivators to absorb their properties.
The spiritual medicines that could now appear in the outside world were basically prized specimens cultivated in the spiritual lands of major sects and factions. Only core disciples and important figures of those sects had quotas to use them. As an elder of Tianshi Manor, Zhang Lingyun naturally qualified.
"Thank you, Senior."
Yan Kuan did not put on airs or decline politely. He decisively accepted the two Purple Spirit Mushrooms. Zhang Lingyun gave another Daoist salute, smiling as he put away the porcelain bottle. Though the two had not exchanged many words, a bond of goodwill had been formed.
"Hehe! Old Zhang, you really are a sly one. You got something good and didn't even call us over."
An aged voice tinged with laughter came from the Three Purities Dao Palace. Two elderly men in different Daoist robes appeared behind Zhang Lingyun, and the instant they arrived, their gazes locked onto the porcelain bottle in his hand.
"You two came quickly enough. There are still two Spirit Pills left. I shouldn't need to explain the rules, should I..."
After nodding to Yan Kuan, Zhang Lingyun greeted the other two. From their conversation, Yan Kuan learned that they were elders of the Lingbao Sect and the Shangqing Sect, both cultivators of the Four Extremities Realm.
"Greetings, Seniors."
Yan Kuan slightly bowed to the people before him. The two elderly Daoists who had arrived later returned the salute and followed the exchange rules Yan Kuan had set with great propriety. Moments later, he had gained another two Daoist texts and spiritual medicines.
"Fellow Daoist, you should still have more of those high-grade Blood Origin Pills, shouldn't you? This old woman wishes to exchange for one."
At that moment, another aged voice rang out. The expressions of the three elderly Daoists shifted slightly, and the crowd immediately opened a path.
Yan Kuan's eyes moved. Entering his view were an elderly man and woman. The man supported the old woman, who leaned on a cane and walked with considerable difficulty. The sight seemed somewhat awkward, yet the surrounding cultivators did not dare speak loudly.
"Senior of the Dragon Finch Clan, my three high-grade Blood Origin Pills have already been traded away. I truly have none left on me. If you are interested, though, these others can still be exchanged."
Yan Kuan recognized the origins of the two elders at a glance. They looked like an old married couple supporting one another, but they were actually an elder and junior. The old woman was older than everyone present and a Four Extremities Realm cultivator, while the elderly man was in the Dao Palace Realm.
Most importantly, they came from the Dragon Finch Clan. Yan Kuan had memorized this clan's aura back in Jiujiang, allowing him to recognize them immediately.
"Forget it, forget it. It seems this old woman's fate is poor. This Vermillion Phoenix Blood cannot be traded away after all."
The trembling old woman suddenly took out a Jade Vial. The blazing red light and intense energy fluctuations made everyone's hearts tremble, while Yan Kuan's gaze sharpened.
Before you continue