The Value of a Fourth-Grade Cultivation Art

Three days later,

Wind Spirit led He Sheng out of Primordial Mist Immortal City and headed east.

The Southern Mountain Society's gathering this time was being held at Cold Years Mountain, eight hundred li east of Primordial Mist Immortal City. After learning the location from Wind Spirit, He Sheng had discreetly made some inquiries.

It turned out that Cold Years Mountain had once enjoyed quite a reputation, thanks to the second-grade spirit vein located there.

More than a hundred years ago, four cultivators had jointly occupied the place, calling themselves the "Four Friends of Cold Years."

These four were no weaklings. The eldest was even a False Core cultivator, and for a time, they had counted as a considerable force within a thousand li.

Unfortunately, good times did not last. For some unknown reason, the Four Friends of Cold Years later provoked a disciple from a major immortal sect.

Though that person had only been at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he stormed Cold Years Mountain and slaughtered all four in a single night.

Afterward, he not only stripped the mountain bare but also ruthlessly extracted and refined the entire second-grade spirit vein, leaving behind nothing but a dead mountain drained of spiritual energy.

The two entered the territory of Cold Years Mountain. Its peaks were steep and perilous, its strange rocks jagged, and its spiritual energy truly sparse.

Wind Spirit led He Sheng winding through the mountains for a while. Only when they entered what appeared to be a dead-end mountain hollow did He Sheng discover the exquisite concealment formation set there.

"Fellow Daoist Xiang, take out the token I gave you before," Wind Spirit reminded him quietly.

He Sheng did as instructed, taking out the token and pouring his mana into it.

In an instant, the jagged rocks before them seemed to melt apart like flowing water, revealing a hidden gateway.

Once the concealment formation vanished, an entirely different world lay within the mountain hollow.

Inside was an enormous underground lotus pond. The water was crystal clear, and giant lotus platforms floated upon its surface.

Some of these lotus platforms were already occupied, while others remained empty. Interwoven spiritual light gave the place a faint air of an immortal abode.

"Let's go."

Wind Spirit led He Sheng inside.

"The third brother has arrived."

The moment Wind Spirit entered, the person seated cross-legged upon the largest lotus platform in the center of the pond called out in greeting.

He Sheng looked over and saw a gaunt-faced man wearing half a bronze mask. Only half of his shriveled lips and chin were exposed, while his voice was hoarse and unpleasant.

Wind Spirit transmitted his voice to He Sheng in introduction:

"Fellow Daoist Xiang, this is the head of our Southern Mountain Society, known as the Heavenly Talisman Elder."

After saying that, Wind Spirit led He Sheng forward to offer greetings.

Once He Sheng had been introduced to the Heavenly Talisman Elder, the man nodded. After pondering briefly, he said:

"The third brother has brought another Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator into our Southern Mountain Society. This old man sees that Fellow Daoist Xiang is whole in spirit and full in qi, with deep and robust mana. His strength must be extraordinary.

Though he has only just joined, he is qualified to take the sixth seat. What do you all think?"

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

He Sheng was not surprised by the Heavenly Talisman Elder's arrangement.

Wind Spirit might have boasted extravagantly, but Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators were not cabbages, especially not among Rogue Cultivators.

After arriving, he had discovered that there were only four Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators present. Including himself and Wind Spirit, that made six in total.

The seating order was ranked according to strength, and since He Sheng had just joined, placing him in the sixth seat was perfectly appropriate.

The remaining people present were all Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivators.

There were eleven people in total, which did not seem like many.

But in truth, this was already a formidable force—enough to turn the Silver Sand River upside down.

Under Wind Spirit's guidance, He Sheng took his seat upon the lotus platform representing the sixth seat.

The gathering did not begin immediately. It seemed they were still waiting for someone.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xiang. I am Liu Xuanyi."

A voice suddenly came from the adjacent lotus platform on his left.

He Sheng turned and saw a plump, potbellied cultivator with a rather festive-looking face seated on the lotus platform to his left.

This man was Liu Xuanyi, who occupied the fifth seat and was likewise at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

After He Sheng exchanged greetings with him, Liu Xuanyi began talking without pause.

He first said that he was a contracted alchemist for the Four Directions Commerce Association. Not only could he refine several common second-grade pills on the market, but he also knew several exclusive pill formulas, such as the "Many Children, Many Blessings Pill," which he vigorously promoted to He Sheng.

"Fellow Daoist Xiang is clearly a dragon and phoenix among men, but one cannot remain alone and without family in the cultivation world. One must always leave oneself a fallback, no?

"This Many Children, Many Blessings Pill is a fine thing indeed. It specifically treats the stubborn ailment of cultivators struggling to produce descendants..."

According to the common understanding of the cultivation world, the higher a cultivator's realm, the harder it became for them to have descendants.

He Sheng thanked him for his goodwill and said that he was currently alone, so he had no need for such a thing for the time being.

Liu Xuanyi did not press the matter, but he immediately began peddling other goods instead. He even asked what He Sheng specialized in and whether he had any materials to sell, saying that if He Sheng wanted a good price, he could come to him.

The man was truly talkative, chattering endlessly until He Sheng's head buzzed. Yet as he had only just arrived, He Sheng could not very well turn cold-faced and drive him away.

Fortunately, Wind Spirit was fairly reliable. Seeing this, he transmitted his voice:

"Don't listen to Fatty Liu's nonsense. He's merely a first-grade high-rank alchemist. He can't even refine mana-enhancing pills for Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators, and can only scrape by under the title of contracted alchemist.

"This fellow has connections everywhere and dares trade in any kind of material. Everyone privately suspects that he has ties to several large Rogue Cultivator groups between Xia and Jing Provinces."

Originally, He Sheng had only felt that Liu Xuanyi was too noisy and did not seem particularly reliable. Yet upon hearing Wind Spirit's introduction, his heart stirred.

Connections everywhere were good. If his connections were not wild enough, He Sheng would not dare seek him out.

He Sheng responded to Wind Spirit with a few words of thanks. After that, he exchanged a few pleasantries with Liu Xuanyi. Naturally, they did not discuss anything in depth, but He Sheng noted the location of the man's cave abode.

He planned to find a suitable opportunity later to test Fatty Liu and see whether he had the capacity to take in the Lower River Branch's goods.

As noon approached, one more person finally arrived late.

A figure flashed at the entrance, and someone strolled in. He was a young cultivator sharp as a drawn blade, his aura brimming with fierce edge. His name was Li Lin.

The moment he entered, someone among the members who had been waiting for so long immediately said with dissatisfaction:

"Fellow Daoist Li truly is a busy man. Every gathering, you arrive exactly at the last possible moment."

Upon hearing this, Li Lin immediately snorted coldly, meeting steel with steel. He was just about to snap back when the Heavenly Talisman Elder spoke.

In his hoarse voice, the old man directly announced that Li Lin had been demoted to the seventh seat. The reason left Li Lin unable to argue: Wind Spirit had brought another Foundation Establishment Late Stage Rogue Cultivator into the society.

"Where did this Foundation Establishment Late Stage wild cultivator come from?"

Li Lin glanced at He Sheng, a trace of scrutiny flashing through his eyes. Yet he said nothing and directly settled onto the lotus platform representing the seventh seat.

With Li Lin's arrival, everyone participating in this Southern Mountain Society gathering was finally present.

The Heavenly Talisman Elder did not bother with any ceremony. With a flick of his hand, more than a dozen jade slips flew out, shooting toward the cultivators on each lotus platform.

He Sheng caught one and swept it with his divine sense, finding that it recorded a list of items.

At a glance, he spotted the Golden Core Formation Pill, as well as a Core Formation spiritual item called the Golden Resonance Jade Branch. He immediately realized that these were the precious lots for next year's Primordial Mist Auction Conference.

Yet what surprised him was that among this list of valuable auction items, the one ranked first was neither the Golden Core Formation Pill nor a Core Formation spiritual item, but a fourth-grade cultivation art named the Flame-Slaying Origin Traversal Art, marked with the words "incomplete."

"Just an incomplete fourth-grade cultivation art is worth more than a Core Formation spiritual item and a Golden Core Formation Pill?!"