Trading Meet

Having reached the entry level of the Crocodile Demon's 108 Forms Body Refining Technique, Su Yu felt his body undergo a qualitative transformation. A vast, surging force welled up from its depths, and his bones, flesh, and skin all changed beyond measure.

A layer of blood-colored markings, like the scales of a crocodile demon, emerged across the surface of his skin. The instant his blood qi flowed into those markings—

Su Yu felt an incomparably violent power, as if he had transformed into a Giant Crocodile Great Demon.

"This Body Refining Technique really isn't simple!"

"This is only the first layer's entry level, yet the transformation in my physical strength is already far greater than the mana I had at Qi Refining Stage One!"

Su Yu could not help but feel shaken. He felt that if his own mana faced off against his Body Refining Technique, the latter's power might be enough to blow apart his former self with a single punch.

It perfectly illustrated what violence was.

From a glimpse of one spot, one could see the whole leopard; the body-refining divine path of the Ancient Era was absolutely not weak!

At the very least, it was no worse than the path of immortal cultivators!

Reaching the entry level had taken ten days. After his body transformed, Su Yu's appetite greatly increased. Every meal had to include meat, preferably monster beast meat.

Correspondingly, the Body Refining Technique's proficiency rose rapidly. Compared with the Wutong Greenwood Art's sluggishly increasing proficiency, the Body Refining Technique improved several times faster.

After eating and drinking his fill before cultivating the Body Refining Technique for a day, he could increase its proficiency by at least 1%.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

This was the day to collect the new month's allowance, and the young immortal cultivators of the Su Family held an internal trading meet.

"Brother Yu, hurry up! The trading meet is about to start!" Su Qingyi shouted from outside Su Yu's courtyard.

The trading meet was held in the rear courtyard of the Su Family residence, where over a dozen stalls had been set up.

Su Yu and Su Qingyi strolled along, stopping now and then as they looked over the wares.

Most of the items being traded at these stalls were quite ordinary. There were even pills and medicinal herbs meant for mortal martial artists.

However, as they passed one stall, Su Yu spotted something he wanted.

A drop of mid-stage First Order Monster Beast Essence Blood, priced at half a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

After considering it, Su Yu bought it.

Su Qingyi followed beside him, puzzled. "What are you buying Monster Beast Essence Blood for? Apart from alchemy and making Talismans, you shouldn't have any use for it, right?"

Half a Low-grade Spirit Stone was not something the two of them, who had only just stepped onto the Dao Path of immortal cultivation, could afford to waste.

Su Yu smiled and put away the Jade Bottle containing the Monster Beast Essence Blood. "I have a use for it."

Su Qingyi's gaze flickered at those words, and he did not try to persuade him further.

A use for it?

Could it be that he wanted to learn alchemy or talisman crafting?

But even if he wanted to learn alchemy or talisman crafting, he should start from the beginning—find someone in the clan to take as a master and become an apprentice.

At the last stall, Su Yu and Su Qingyi saw a row of ancient Jade Caskets.

These were a type of strange treasure in the cultivation world, passed down from ancient times and known as Sealed Jade Boxes.

Most came from ancient ruins and Secret Realms. Because restrictions had been laid upon them, these ancient Jade Caskets retained a special aura after enduring countless years.

Once the restrictions were opened, that aura would dissipate.

Thus, Sealed Jade Boxes produced by ancient Secret Realms could not be forged.

The Sealed Jade Boxes contained hidden spaces, large or small. Perhaps they held relics from ancient times, or perhaps there was nothing inside at all.

Some people had once uncovered world-shaking inheritances from these Ancient Jade Boxes.

But far more people had lost everything, right down to the shirt on their backs, on these Ancient Jade Boxes.

The odds of obtaining an Ancient Opportunity from one of these things were even more fantastical than winning the lottery.

The stall owner was actually Fifth Elder Su Bin. Upon seeing Su Yu and Su Qingyi, Su Bin immediately smiled. "Little Yu, Qingyi, want an Ancient Jade Box? There might be an Ancient Opportunity hidden inside."

"When True Lord Moon Worship of Moon Worship Immortal City was young, he obtained an Ancient Opportunity from an Ancient Jade Box. That was how he rose to prominence and founded Moon Worship Immortal City."

"Opportunity does not wait for the latecomer. One Ancient Opportunity costs only one Low-grade Spirit Stone. This is good stuff."

Su Yu looked speechlessly at the Fifth Elder, who had turned into a street-stall peddler. The two of them only received one Low-grade Spirit Stone as their monthly allowance.

Yet this man was still coaxing them into buying Ancient Jade Boxes.

Pah. He really had the nerve.

Su Qingyi had been reluctant as well, but after hearing True Lord Moon Worship's example, his gaze sharpened, and he stared fixedly at the Ancient Jade Boxes laid out on the stall.

These Ancient Jade Boxes came in all kinds of shapes and bore ancient lingering restrictions. They simply could not see what was inside—or whether there was anything inside at all.

Just as Su Yu was about to offer Su Qingyi a word of advice, he had already taken out a Low-grade Spirit Stone. After choosing an Ancient Jade Box from the stall, he gritted his teeth and said, "I want this one."

"Hehe, good, good, good. No take-backs once it's bought—ah, no, it should be: once a sale is made, no returns."

Su Bin accepted the Low-grade Spirit Stone, then turned his smiling gaze toward Su Yu. It made Su Yu's scalp tingle.

Su Yu hurriedly said, "I just bought something. I don't have any Spirit Stones left."

Su Bin immediately looked regretful. "No Spirit Stones left? Why are you two little fellows so thin on resources?"

"That won't do. When you have the chance, go ask the eldest whether there's any work suited to you. Earn a few more Spirit Stones."

"Then, when next month's trading meet opens, you'll have Spirit Stones to obtain an Ancient Opportunity."

Obtain my ass.

If there really were Ancient Opportunities, it would not be their turn anyway.

Su Yu did not even glance at those Ancient Jade Boxes. The games he had played in his previous life had similar things—essentially a pay-to-win mechanic, a trick only the rich could afford to play.

But even the rich would have their hearts ache from playing with this thing. Fewer than one in ten thousand could make a profit.

It would not matter if he had spare money to play around with it.

But right now, every scrap of cultivation resources was precious to him. He could not waste any.

After leaving the trading meet, Su Qingyi hugged the Ancient Jade Box and sneaked back to his own courtyard. Su Yu watched his retreating figure and gently shook his head before returning to his own courtyard as well.

After cultivating quietly for several days, Su Yu took out that drop of mid-stage First Order Monster Beast Essence Blood, equivalent to the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm.

He divided it into three portions, swallowing and refining them one after another as he cultivated the Body Refining Technique.

Another half month passed like this.

Buzz!

That day, Su Yu's blood qi surged explosively. The blood-colored markings once again appeared across his skin, and his towering blood qi transformed into a Giant Crocodile Great Demon that roared at heaven and earth.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Su Yu's flesh, bones, and skin underwent another transformation.

With the aid of that drop of mid-stage First Order Monster Beast Essence Blood, his proficiency in this Body Refining Technique had soared after a month of cultivation, and he had already broken through to the second layer.

Cultivation technique: Wutong Greenwood Art (first layer, 19.2%), Crocodile Demon's 108 Forms Body Refining Technique (second layer, 0.3%).

After the transformation was complete, Su Yu stared intently at those words, deep in thought.

"The Wutong Greenwood Art is limited by my spiritual root talent, so its proficiency grows somewhat slowly. But this Body Refining Technique is unaffected by spiritual root talent. Its proficiency growth rate is simply incomparable to that of the Wutong Greenwood Art."

After sensing the Body Refining Technique's power again, Su Yu sighed inwardly. He felt that even against an immortal cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining, he would have the strength to fight.

Still, it was a pity. In his heart, immortal cultivation remained the Righteous Path. Though the Wutong Greenwood Art's proficiency rose slowly, it was still acceptable.

Reaching the second layer within a year would not be difficult.

If he cultivated like this for a thousand years, ten thousand years, he refused to believe he could not become an immortal and a patriarch.