Talisman Treasure!

Li Qingshan sneered inwardly. So Zhang Ming wanted to intercept this favor and use it to curry favor with Zhang Hongxiu.

Yet his face showed overwhelming gratitude. "So that's how it is! Many thanks for Senior Brother Zhang's guidance, and many thanks for saving me! If I can find it, this old man will definitely hand it over to Senior Brother first!"

Zhang Ming nodded in satisfaction, thinking this old junior brother was quite sensible.

He patted Li Qingshan on the shoulder and, feigning generosity, took out two low-grade Spirit Stones and a small jade bottle. "I see you're having a hard time. Here are two Spirit Stones and a bottle of Qi-Gathering Pills. Take them, recover properly, and find that jade pendant as soon as possible. Remember, notify me the moment you find it!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Certainly, certainly! Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang! Take care, Senior Brother Zhang!"

Li Qingshan accepted the items with profuse thanks and respectfully saw Zhang Ming off.

Watching Zhang Ming's receding figure vanish, the humble gratitude on Li Qingshan's face instantly disappeared, replaced by cold indifference.

He returned to his stone hut and looked at the two low-grade Spirit Stones in his hand, their spiritual energy scant, along with the bottle of Qi-Gathering Pills that were, at best, first-tier low-grade. A mocking curl touched his lips.

"Everyone wants to use this old man as a stepping stone? Heh heh..."

Without hesitation, he tossed both low-grade Spirit Stones and the bottle of Qi-Gathering Pills into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

One night later.

What poured from the gourd were two middle-grade Spirit Stones, wreathed in spiritual energy and gleaming with lustrous radiance, along with three top-grade Qi-Gathering Pills the size of longans, their pill patterns distinct and their medicinal fragrance striking the nose!

"Just as I thought!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Li Qingshan's eyes.

The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd could enhance even pills and magical artifacts. Naturally, Spirit Stones were no exception!

One middle-grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.

For a low-grade stone to become middle-grade—the gap in value was as vast as heaven and earth!

The problem of resources had been eased for now, but the greatest trouble was still that jade pendant.

He took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, and slowly extended the power of his fourth-layer Qi Refinement spiritual sense outward.

Everything within a radius of ten zhang immediately appeared clearly in his mind, down to the finest detail.

He controlled his spiritual sense as though weaving an invisible net, meticulously sweeping through every corner of the hall, especially the newly delivered pile of discarded items.

The veins in the dust, the rust on metal, the grain of wood... nothing could hide from it.

This sensation of extending his spiritual sense to investigate was profoundly mysterious, but it also consumed his mental energy greatly.

Before long, sweat once again seeped from his forehead.

Heaven never failed those who worked hard.

Just as he began to feel somewhat exhausted, his spiritual sense finally touched a hard object deep within the pile of discarded items, covered in mud and faintly emitting a weak yet distinctive fluctuation of spiritual power.

With a thought, he carefully wrapped the object in his spiritual sense, drew it from the clutter, and sent it flying before him.

After washing away the grime with clean water, a palm-sized jade pendant, warm and smooth to the touch, appeared in his hand.

The pendant was crimson, carved into the shape of a sparrow spreading its wings to take flight. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, and a tiny gemstone seemed to be embedded in its eye, glimmering with faint light.

However, when Li Qingshan tried to inject a thread of Longevity Mana into it, a sudden change occurred!

The Vermilion Sparrow design on the pendant abruptly lit up, and a heart-palpitating pressure far beyond the scope of a magical artifact flashed past!

Though it was exceedingly faint, Li Qingshan was certain that it was not an aura a Qi Refinement artifact could possess!

Several intricate and abstruse runes surfaced on the pendant's surface. The phantom image of a massive crimson bird faintly appeared, then vanished again in an instant.

"This is... a Talisman Treasure?!"

Li Qingshan's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart gave a violent thump!

He had once read records concerning Talisman Treasures in the cultivation knowledge included with the Evergreen Technique.

They were one-use consumable treasures that only Golden Core Realm cultivators could create. They could seal a portion of the power of their own magic treasures within specially made talismans or vessels, then grant them to their juniors for protection.

Their power far surpassed that of top-grade magical artifacts, enough to threaten or even kill Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators!

This was no ordinary ornamental jade pendant at all. It was an incomparably precious trump card for preserving one's life!

No wonder Zhang Hongxiu had been so anxious and aggressive!

Li Qingshan gripped the warm Vermilion Sparrow Jade Pendant, feeling the terrifying power concealed within it. Thinking of Zhang Hongxiu's overbearing threats and Zhang Ming's schemes, his gaze deepened.

A fierce desire for possession surged within him.

To hand over such a priceless treasure would simply be throwing pearls before swine!

But if he did not hand it over, how would he deal with them three days later?

Just as Zhang Ming had said, if he directly gave such a treasure to Zhang Hongxiu, she might very well kill him to silence him.

After all, Li Qingshan was merely an outer sect disciple guarding the Waste Pill Hall. He had only the title of an outer sect disciple, while his status was no different from that of a menial disciple, and he did not even receive cultivation resources.

He looked at the jade pendant in his hand, then at the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd at his waist. Thoughts raced through his mind as the outline of a bold plan gradually emerged.

"Perhaps... I don't necessarily have to hand it over to Zhang Hongxiu!"

He muttered to himself, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

With the warm yet terrifyingly powerful Vermilion Sparrow Talisman Treasure in hand, the sharpness in Li Qingshan's eyes gradually settled into deep contemplation.

Zhang Hongxiu's tyranny and Zhang Ming's calculations were like walls closing in from both sides, trapping him in the middle.

Handing this Talisman Treasure to either side would be no different from seeking a tiger's skin, and might even bring about the disaster of death.

But concealing the Talisman Treasure was unsafe as well. It could easily invite calamity and make him a target of their wrath.

"I must step off their chessboard..."

Li Qingshan muttered.

The thought in his heart grew ever clearer: he needed to find a more reliable patron and turn this hot potato into a protective talisman.

Ye Lingshuang's figure surfaced in his mind.

She appeared aloof and cool, yet she handled matters with considerable order. Back then, she had brought him into the sect, gifted him pills and taught him cultivation methods. Though she had not held any expectations for him, neither had she looked down on him. They could be said to share a measure of goodwill.

More importantly, despite her young age, she was already in the late stage of Qi Refinement. Zhou Changhai, the former outer sect elder, and Zhang Ming had both been exceedingly polite toward her. There might truly be something extraordinary behind her.

But whether she could withstand Zhang Hongxiu was something he still needed to investigate carefully.

With his decision made, Li Qingshan no longer hesitated.

He carefully wrapped the Vermilion Sparrow Talisman Treasure in a clean piece of coarse cloth and hid it close against his body in the most concealed spot within his inner garments.

Afterward, he circulated the Turtle Breath Technique and firmly suppressed his cultivation at the peak of the first layer of Qi Refinement, slightly stronger than before. It was enough to fit the logic of making some progress, yet not enough to draw attention.

Then he left the Hall of Discarded Treasures and headed down the mountain.

This was the first time since arriving at the Spring Autumn Sect that he had actively left the boundaries of the Hall of Discarded Treasures.

As he followed the rugged, remote mountain path downward, the surrounding spiritual energy gradually grew somewhat denser, and more people began to appear.

From time to time, outer sect disciples flew past on magical artifacts or darted by with movement techniques. Seeing Li Qingshan, an old man dressed plainly and emanating only a weak aura, most merely cast indifferent or disdainful glances his way. No one paid him any heed.

After walking for roughly half an hour, he came upon a somewhat noisy area at the foot of the mountain. Houses stood close together, figures moved everywhere, and together they formed a small marketplace.