Intermediate Spirit Treasure

The tranquil night passed in the blink of an eye.

After resting for a night in Qingping City, Lin Yiqing awoke from his slumber. Following a night of relaxation and adjustment, he felt the Origin Qi within his body had become even more vibrant.

Cultivation was not merely about relentless, bitter toil; the human body and will were like a bowstring—if pulled too tight, they would eventually snap.

Therefore, only by balancing labor and rest could one travel further.

After a brief period of meditation, Lin Yiqing packed his belongings and headed to the place where the merchant guilds posted their missions.

Although he could set out on his own, these merchant caravans traveled back and forth year-round, and the shortcuts they had developed could save him a great deal of time.

Upon arriving at the mission release area of the guild, Lin Yiqing could not help but feel surprised. It was still early morning and the sky had yet to brighten, but the hall was already packed with people.

Suddenly, the corner of Lin Yiqing's eye caught a familiar, chubby figure. The man was sitting on a chair, feigning sleep with an air of profound composure.

This little fatty, to think he'd be here so early. Doesn't the Hundred Treasures Pavilion need to open for business?

Lin Yiqing muttered to himself. He still remembered how the man had tried to fleece him just yesterday.

As he looked back at the mission notices hanging nearby, the feigning-sleep fatty suddenly stood up and scanned the crowd.

"Yo, little brother, long time no see. What brings you here?"

The fatty's eyes lit up when he spotted Lin Yiqing in the crowd, and he trotted over with a beaming smile.

Lin Yiqing's pupils constricted. He couldn't be bothered to entertain the man, but he remained inwardly vigilant. The fellow was a total swindler; nothing good could come from him seeking him out.

"Heh heh, so you're looking for a mission. I see you have decent strength, little brother. I have a mission posted myself; I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Seeing that Lin Yiqing ignored him, the fatty didn't get angry. He simply followed the other's gaze, realized he was looking for work, and spoke with a chuckle.

"I am indeed looking for a mission, but I'm afraid the commission you've posted isn't suitable for me."

Seeing the man's persistent friendliness, Lin Yiqing softened his stance, turned to look at him, and said sincerely.

"The mission I'm looking for requires traveling all the way to Ye City. I won't consider anything else."

Regardless of why the man kept following him, Lin Yiqing felt that one should not strike a smiling face, so he patiently clarified his intentions.

"Don't be like that. I really think you're the most suitable person for this matter, little brother. Don't you want to hear the reward before deciding?"

The fatty remained relentless, staring at Lin Yiqing with a beaming smile. However, with his phoenix eyes narrowed into mere slits, his supposedly kind expression appeared somewhat comical.

Lin Yiqing waved his hand and turned to leave. No matter what, he did not want to get involved in the man's affairs.

"This matter isn't difficult, but I need to borrow your Spirit Treasure, little brother. There will be a generous reward afterward!"

Just then, a secret transmission entered Lin Yiqing's ears, instantly causing his pupils to shrink and a surge of killing intent to rise in his heart.

At the mention of a Spirit Treasure, Lin Yiqing immediately thought of murder for the sake of plunder. He hadn't expected that others would know about it even though he hadn't even revealed it.

For those in the Origin Pellet Realm, Spirit Treasures were only heard of in legends; even experts in the Form-Shaping Realm would be tempted.

He turned and gave the man a deep look, then said with a smile, "Fine, let's find a place to talk."

Hearing Lin Yiqing relent, the fatty's face lit up with joy. Thinking he had persuaded the other, he hurriedly led Lin Yiqing outside.

Little did he know, Origin Qi was already surging violently within Lin Yiqing's body. With every rotation of his Supreme Origin Pellet, the power gathering in his palm grew stronger.

It was only due to Lin Yiqing's precise control over his Origin Qi that the aura remained tightly suppressed, not leaking a single trace.

After turning a corner, the fatty smiled and turned around, just about to speak, when the Origin Qi in Lin Yiqing's hand erupted. A thick, pure Origin Gang Qi transformed into an incomparably tyrannical fist seal, striking toward him with the force of ten thousand tons.

"Thick Earth Thousand Mountain Shield!"

The fatty was horrified. He hurriedly summoned an earthy-yellow shield from his Universe Bag to defend himself, but he was still sent flying by the punch and slammed heavily into the ground.

"Boom!"

A few yards away, a large crater was instantly formed by the falling fatty. The bluestone-paved ground shattered, and dust billowed into the air.

"Pfft!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the fatty felt as if his entire body were falling apart. He couldn't help but look terrified, his heart filled with dread.

He hadn't expected that Lin Yiqing's agreement to talk was merely a ploy to kill him with a single blow.

What shocked him even more was that despite his own strength at the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm, he felt like paper before the other man.

If not for his Spirit Treasure blocking that near-fatal strike, he would likely be dead by now.

That kind of power was simply unheard of!

"An intermediate-grade Spirit Treasure!"

Looking at the shield radiating earthy-yellow light, Lin Yiqing frowned. He had intended to kill the man with one punch, but he hadn't expected him to have such a trump card.

However, that was all it was.

He gripped his palm, and the Qingli Ancient Sword flashed into existence. Sharp, piercing energy radiated outward, threatening to shred the man to pieces.

"Cough, cough... wait... wait a moment. Listen to me first. I have no designs on you; I truly wanted to ask for your help. If my words just now caused a misunderstanding, I hope you can forgive me, little brother."

Before he could even finish coughing up the blood, the fatty hurriedly waved his hands to stop Lin Yiqing's attack, fearing that if he were a second too late, he would be decapitated.

"Speak clearly."

From the moment he had struck, Lin Yiqing had activated his Origin Qi Vision. Seeing that the man truly showed no signs of further resistance, he pressed his sword against the man's brow and demanded.

He had suspected as much back when he first saw the fellow in the mission hall; the little fatty had been waiting there specifically for him.

Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence?

By the time the other party struck up a conversation, he was essentially certain that he was the target, and that whispered mention of a spiritual treasure was what sealed his intent to kill.

However, he was still puzzled as to what had made the other party target him, and since no one else had ever seen the Qingli Ancient Sword besides himself, he wondered how the man could have known about it.

"I possess a natural talent that allows me to sense and locate items of immense value, which is why I opened this Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

As the little fatty spoke, he coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, finally catching his breath before continuing: "When I saw you yesterday, young brother, I sensed an aura of sharpness emanating from your Universe Bag, which is how I concluded you possessed an offensive spiritual treasure.

I previously discovered an ancient dwelling deep within the Tianyan Mountain Range that requires an offensive spiritual treasure to enter, which is why I sought you out—this is also the content of my mission commission."

Listening to the other party, Lin Yiqing secretly analyzed the veracity of his words; he was no longer a novice to the cultivation world and could distinguish truth from falsehood.

No wonder the man had asked him out of the blue yesterday if he was out for training; it was because he had sensed the Qingli Ancient Sword inside the Universe Bag, prompting the question.

After all, those at this age who possessed spiritual treasures were typically disciples of powerful sects or scions of great families; only a very small number of rogue cultivators could ever hope to own one.

"A dwelling?"

Lin Yiqing's heart stirred. The Tianyan Mountain Range spanned across several prefectures, so it was not unusual for ancient dwellings to exist, but how could he be sure the other party wasn't plotting against him?

Greed knows no bounds, and he generally didn't believe in free lunches falling from the sky.

"No need, I'm not interested."

After a moment of deliberation, Lin Yiqing decided to stick to his original plan and head toward Ye City. The journey from Tiandu Prefecture to the Great Wilderness Prefecture was extremely long, and he could not afford any unnecessary delays.