"This inheritance is incomplete. It's missing some relatively important parts, and without them, breaking through bottlenecks is usually very difficult. So at most, it can only be considered an inheritance for reaching peak Qi Refining."
Liu Yuanping patiently explained, "If that weren't the case, I would've taken it out to cultivate with as soon as I got it."
The inheritance they'd stumbled upon back then had already been incomplete. Though powerful, it was missing those important parts, making it all but impossible to break through bottlenecks and reach the Foundation Establishment Realm later on.
That was precisely why the Sword Dao inheritance could only be sold off cheaply within the Greenwood Sect.
After all, anyone in the Greenwood Sect with enough Spirit Stones to spend, or with the strength and ambition to pursue a higher realm, was basically aiming to break through to Foundation Establishment.
With such a glaring flaw, who in the Greenwood Sect would spend over a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones to buy it?
The only ones willing to spend that many Spirit Stones were probably the Rogue Cultivators outside the Greenwood Sect, who had neither backing nor an inheritance of their own.
After hearing Liu Yuanping's explanation, Zhao Huaian suddenly understood.
No wonder Liu Yuanping and Liu Bohu had insisted on selling it at an auction for Rogue Cultivators. Now he knew why.
But with a bottleneck that was extremely difficult to break through...
Zhao Huaian immediately thought of the Attribute Heavenly Book in his mind.
Under the Attribute Heavenly Book's influence, any Cultivation Art he practiced would be converted into proficiency.
Neither his cultivation nor the Cultivation Arts he practiced had any bottlenecks. Once he accumulated enough proficiency, he could break through on his own.
For a moment, Zhao Huaian felt tempted.
He looked at Liu Yuanping, hesitated for a while, then slowly asked, "Could I take a look at the Sword Dao inheritance you got, Senior Brother Liu?"
"Of course. It's no trouble to let you see it. I was going to have Bohu take it out for sale later anyway."
Liu Yuanping nodded and took a Jade Slip from his Storage Bag.
"Junior Brother Zhao, the Sword Dao inheritance of that Foundation Establishment Cultivator is all in here. There's a brief introduction at the beginning. Once you break the seal, the inheritance will immediately crumble, so be careful."
Liu Yuanping reminded him, still concerned.
He had no suspicions about Zhao Huaian wanting to look at the inheritance.
He simply thought the boy was curious.
Zhao Huaian nodded and sent a wisp of Spiritual Energy into the Jade Slip, carefully studying the brief introduction in the portion that wasn't sealed.
Only after quite some time did he release the Jade Slip, his heart filled with delight.
This Sword Dao inheritance left by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was indeed a treasure. If he absorbed it and cultivated it, he could reach peak Qi Refining, and the Spiritual Energy and Sword Qi it produced would be exceptionally powerful.
Of course, the only regret was that it was missing the most important part: the instructions for breaking through bottlenecks. That meant he would have to figure things out on his own later, making it extremely difficult to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
But as long as the other parts of the Cultivation Art were intact, the missing information on breaking through bottlenecks wouldn't matter to Zhao Huaian.
That was because he had the Attribute Heavenly Book.
Thinking of the power contained in this Sword Dao inheritance, and of the Attribute Heavenly Book, Zhao Huaian gritted his teeth and decided to get his hands on it.
After hesitating for a while, Zhao Huaian asked tentatively, "Senior Brother Liu, how much did they offer you for this Sword Dao inheritance last time?"
"I asked at Myriad Treasure Pavilion in Greenwood Market. They were willing to pay at most a little over six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones for it," Liu Yuanping answered honestly.
Then he shook his head regretfully. "The news of my injury has probably already spread. If I take this there now, they'll definitely drive the price way down. At this point, getting five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones would be the best I could hope for."
"I have a friend!"
Zhao Huaian thought for a moment, then said, "When I was carrying out a mission, I made friends with a Rogue Cultivator outside the sect. He's a Sword Cultivator. He may not have much money, but if he's interested in an inheritance like this, he can still come up with six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."
Zhao Huaian had conjured up a friend out of thin air.
Liu Yuanping didn't suspect a thing. Instead, he looked at Zhao Huaian in delighted surprise. "Really? If so, then we won't have to sell it to Myriad Treasure Pavilion."
"Of course. He once saved my life, and I've helped him out using my status in the Greenwood Sect. We're very close, so I'm telling the truth."
Zhao Huaian nodded without batting an eye. He could make up a story as easily as drawing water from a well.
"That's great. How about this: I'll have Bohu go with you, and then we can sell him the Sword Dao inheritance," Liu Yuanping said happily.
Naturally, recovering a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones would be a very good thing.
"That won't be necessary. I can go find him first."
"After all, quite a few Outer Sect cultivators know that Brother Liu is your clan brother. If he suddenly goes out, someone with bad intentions might set their sights on him."
"So the safest plan is for me to find him first, then have him come to a place near the Greenwood Sect's Outer Sect to make the exchange."
"That way, Brother Liu will be safer, and the transaction will be more secure."
Zhao Huaian shook his head, speaking as though he had Liu Bohu's best interests at heart.
Hearing Zhao Huaian's words, Liu Yuanping, lying on the bed, nodded in agreement.
He had been in the Greenwood Sect for over ten years, after all. Naturally, he knew that some Outer Sect cultivators were exceptionally malicious, specializing in targeting disciples who were alone and carrying plenty of Spirit Stones.
As soon as disciples carrying a lot of Spirit Stones left the Outer Sect alone, these people would follow them like mad dogs. Once they reached somewhere deserted, they would kill and rob them.
Drawing a long breath, Liu Yuanping said with relief, "Junior Brother Zhao, you really have thought this through. Then I'll have to trouble you."
"It's no trouble. Brother Liu has helped me out plenty of times before."
Zhao Huaian smiled, secretly breathing a long sigh of relief.
As long as no one followed him, everything would be easy to arrange.
"How about this? I'll need about three days. First, I'll use my method to stabilize the poison in Senior Brother Liu's body. Once we get a Detoxification Pill, we'll be able to eliminate it completely."
Taking out a Silver Needle, Zhao Huaian infused it with Spiritual Energy, then quickly pricked Liu Yuanping with one ordinary needle after another.
With Zhao Huaian's swift, precise technique, dozens of acupuncture points across Liu Yuanping's body were soon covered in a dense array of Silver Needles.
When he was done, Zhao Huaian stood up and reminded Liu Bohu beside him, "Remember, don't touch these needles. Wait for me to come back first, or the poison in his body will be difficult to suppress."
"Yes, Brother Zhao!"
Liu Bohu nodded firmly and gave Zhao Huaian a grateful look.
After carefully checking everything, Zhao Huaian left Liu Bohu's room and headed toward the Outer Sect.
The next morning, at dawn.
A scar-faced, black-robed man strolled into the Greenwood Sect. With practiced ease, he made his way to Greenwood Market and set up a stall to sell his goods.
That man was Zhao Huaian.
The previous night, to be safe and keep Liu Bohu and Liu Yuanping from becoming suspicious, he had indeed left the Greenwood Sect.
After leaving, he found a secluded spot and spent the entire night drawing Water Arrow Talismans.
Only when the rooster crowed and the sky began to brighten did he change his appearance, return to the Greenwood Sect, and set up his stall in Greenwood Market.
He had already made up his mind: over the next three days, he would earn six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, then disguise himself as a Rogue Cultivator and buy the Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Sword Dao inheritance from Liu Bohu.
The fastest way to earn Spirit Stones right now was naturally to set up a stall and sell things.
As for Cheng Daqi...
Zhao Huaian wasn't counting on much for now. After all, Cheng Daqi had only just bought three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Talismans from him yesterday.
Before you continue