Exchange

"So that's how it is. Thank you both for explaining."

Wang Yu was alarmed to hear this. Only now did he realize he should never have used Spirit Stones to aid his cultivation. Fortunately, he had only used a dozen or so, so he imagined it would not be a serious problem.

At the same time, Yu Bintian turned his gaze toward Madam Yin, but the old woman said, "I have no medicines that improve cultivation, though I do have two protective Talismans I acquired by chance. If you would be willing to exchange..."

"Protective Talismans are rather rare, but I would still prefer pills that improve cultivation." The old man looked somewhat tempted, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head.

"Then there's nothing to be done. If you ever change your mind, Fellow Daoist Yu, you can come to me to exchange at any time. Spirit Stones alone would be fine, too," Madam Yin replied with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, I have two Middle Grade Concentrating Spirit Pills bestowed by my clan some years ago that I can offer in exchange. They have been stored for rather a long time, however, so I cannot guarantee their medicinal potency remains unchanged. You would also need to add some Spirit Stones." After discussing it with the young married woman beside him, the young man from the Huang Household suddenly spoke up.

"Concentrating Spirit Pills? I have heard of them. They are compounded from several kinds of spirit herbs and have remarkable effects in aiding cultivation. May I inspect them first? Of course, you and your wife may inspect these packets of Dust-Cleansing Powder as well." Delighted, Yu Bintian promptly motioned for the gaunt man behind him to deliver the wooden box on the table.

The man from the Huang Household took a small white porcelain bottle from his wife and likewise handed it to Gao Qi as he approached.

Neither side found any problems after inspecting the goods. The old man immediately paid several additional Spirit Stones, and the exchange was smoothly completed.

"I recently acquired a piece of soul-nourishing wood. If someone fashions it into a Magical Artifact and carries it year-round, it has a modest but wondrous effect in calming the mind and nourishing the soul. I wish to exchange it for something that can treat an exhausted soul." Madam Yin spoke next, taking a long, narrow object wrapped in red cloth from her sleeve. When she unwrapped it, it proved to be a jet-black twig as thick as a finger.

"Soul-nourishing wood is only a spirit material. Hiring an artifact refiner would probably cost more than buying the wood itself. I have no medicine, but I do have a Spring-Returning Talisman..."

A short while later, Madam Yin traded the soul-nourishing wood for the ascetic monk's Spring-Returning Talisman and a dozen or so Spirit Stones.

Next, the young man from the Huang Household brought out a piece of cold ice jade, which Madam Yin acquired with two Talismans. He then spent twenty Spirit Stones to buy the ascetic monk's three bottles of low-grade Spirit-Gathering Liquid outright.

Watching these exchanges from the side, Wang Yu was filled with envy. Unfortunately, he had practically no Spirit Stones on him. The only thing he could offer was probably the Four Beast Diagram cultivation art.

"Brother Wang, have you decided? Will you offer that Body Tempering cultivation art for exchange?" After everyone else had finished trading, Yu Bintian saw that Wang Yu still had not spoken and finally asked him with a smile.

"I can offer the Body Tempering cultivation art, but could I exchange it for your Qi-Observing Technique, Senior?" After weighing it in his mind, Wang Yu asked cautiously.

"Of course. It's just that this Qi-Observing Technique of mine is rather like chicken ribs-little meat to eat, yet a shame to discard-and very difficult to comprehend. If you cannot learn it, you mustn't blame me." Yu Bintian was somewhat surprised, but answered without hesitation.

"If I cannot learn it, that will be my own concern. I will need some time to prepare the diagrams for the Body Tempering cultivation art. Could we make the exchange tomorrow night?"

"Haha, certainly. Come here again tomorrow night, Brother Wang, and I will exchange my Qi-Observing Technique with you." Yu Bintian readily agreed.

"Brother Wang, Fellow Daoist Huang and I are also very interested in your Body Tempering cultivation art. Could you trade with us as well?" Seeing this, the ascetic monk rubbed the iron band around his head and also requested an exchange.

Selling to one person is still selling; selling to two is no different.

Naturally, Wang Yu did not refuse. After discussing it with them, he reached separate verbal agreements to exchange it for one Concentrating Spirit Pill and one Golden Light Talisman from the young man of the Huang Household, and three bottles of low-grade Spirit-Gathering Liquid and five Spirit Stones from the ascetic monk.

Although Wang Yu could not tell from their expressions whether he had gained or lost on these trades, everything he received was something he could use right now, so he was fairly satisfied.

Afterward, everyone drank another cup of tea served by the attendants, then took their leave.

On his way back, Wang Yu spent a little loose silver to find a crewman and have him deliver a stack of white paper, a brush, and ink to his quarters. Then he began drawing the little figures from the Wolf-Running Diagram from memory in his room.

Although he had no real foundation in drawing, once he activated Overclocking mode, capturing the essence of the Four Wolf-Running Forms on paper was not much of a problem.

He had never intended to offer all sixteen forms of the Four Beast Diagram. He imagined Yu Bintian had probably held something back in his Qi Observation Method as well. That was also why he had not asked the ascetic monk or the young man from the Huang Household to exchange spell cultivation arts.

The following evening, Wang Yu left his room with a stack of drawings. When he returned to his quarters, he laid the several new items he had acquired on the table one by one.

There was a thin, pale-yellow booklet, four small bottles-three white and one green-a Talisman, and five sparkling, snowy-white Spirit Stones.

After Yu Bintian and the others briefly tested the effects of the Wolf-Running Diagram's four forms, the exchanges had gone smoothly.

The Talisman was the Golden Light Talisman that the lord of Yellowstone City had used, while the booklet contained the Qi-Viewing Method he had obtained from Yu Bintian.

The four porcelain bottles contained Spirit-Gathering Liquid and a Concentrating Spirit Pill, respectively.

Following the ascetic monk's instructions, he first poured out one drop of Spirit-Gathering Liquid from a white porcelain bottle and smeared it directly between his brows. Then he sat cross-legged, released his divine sense, and began his breathing exercises.

After a short while, he opened his eyes, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

The enhancement provided by this low-grade Spirit-Gathering Liquid was somewhat similar to that of Yin Spirit Liquid, roughly doubling the efficiency with which he absorbed spiritual qi through his breathing exercises.

But according to the ascetic monk, Spirit-Gathering Liquid could be used every day, and each bottle would last more than a month. It was enough to meet his cultivation needs in the short term.

With that thought, Wang Yu picked up the green porcelain bottle and poured out a pink pill. Holding it between his fingers, he sniffed it beneath his nose, and a fragrant aroma greeted him.

It was the Middle Grade Concentrating Spirit Pill!

He swallowed the pill in one gulp and continued meditating and performing his breathing exercises.

Once the pill took effect, Wang Yu felt the range of his divine sense expand considerably. The moment he circulated the Yin Water Art, all the spiritual qi he sensed across a broad area nearby was drawn by the cultivation art, surging wildly into his body. For the first time, the meridians throughout his body felt swollen, as though they had eaten their fill, forcing him to circulate the art even faster.

It truly lives up to its name as a Middle Grade spirit medicine!

Overjoyed, Wang Yu cast everything else from his mind and greedily continued his breathing exercises. He could clearly sense his Dharma Power increasing a little with every breath.

Time slipped by, and before he knew it, more than an incense stick's worth of time had passed. He still felt no mental fatigue, but he could not spare the attention to ponder it, remaining absorbed in this cultivation that sent his Dharma Power soaring.

Several days later.

Wang Yu sat with his eyes half-closed, forming a seal with one hand and quietly reciting an incantation. The yellow booklet lay open before him.

In his Divine Sense Sea, a Spell Mark pattern composed of four pale-yellow spirit inscription symbols floated quietly.

Wang Yu suddenly opened his eyes, and the same Spell Inscription Mark pattern flashed in the depths of his pupils before vanishing.

Qi-Observing Technique!

Now, everything around him bore a faint yellow halo. Even the air was shrouded in yellow light. But when he raised an arm and looked at it, his heart tightened.

His arm within the yellow light was actually radiating a faint bloody glow two inches high, curling and shifting unpredictably. It looked exceptionally striking against the yellow light.

He lowered his head and discovered that not just his arm, but his entire body was enveloped in this bloody glow.

So this is blood qi?

Wang Yu clicked his tongue in wonder. Sensing his Dharma Power steadily draining, he immediately formed another seal. The Spell Mark in his Divine Sense Sea silently dispersed, and everything in his sight returned to normal.

Interesting!

I wonder whether it works well at night. If it does, wouldn't it be like wearing an infrared night-vision device?

According to the booklet, however, this Qi-Observing Spell could not only reveal a person's blood qi but also see through some simple concealment spells. If the person being examined had a much higher cultivation level or knew a corresponding aura-concealment technique, though, the Qi-Observing Technique would most likely be useless.

Something occurred to Wang Yu. He picked up the yellow booklet before him and quickly turned to a particular page.

Printed on the page was a spirit inscription diagram composed of four yellow spirit inscription symbols.

Wang Yu stared at the spirit inscription diagram, sinking into thought.

Although Yu Bintian had said this spell was extremely difficult to comprehend, unlike the Firefly Spell on the beast hide, its Spell Spirit Markings could be comprehended under normal circumstances. After activating Overclocked Synchronization Mode, he had even managed to comprehend them completely in just half a day.

Forming the corresponding Spell Mark had also felt exceptionally smooth. After only a dozen or so attempts, he had successfully condensed it in his Divine Sense Sea.

It seems the reason I couldn't comprehend the Firefly Spell normally back then really was that it was a Primordial Spell. My comprehension isn't actually that bad.

If I studied the Firefly Spell through an ordinary spell manual, it should be much easier.

But the Primordial Spell Firefly I learned is also far more powerful than the description in Introduction to Spells. Could that be because it's a Primordial Spell, too?

While Wang Yu was puzzling over this, the entire room suddenly began shaking violently. At the same time, a jumble of footsteps sounded in the corridor outside, as though people were moving rapidly.

He froze for a moment, then hurriedly gathered the things on the table and stowed them on his person. Just as he was about to open the door and see what was happening, an old man's grim voice suddenly rang out from above the tower ship:

"All ordinary people are to remain in their rooms and stay put. Everyone with Dharma Power must assemble on deck. This ship has encountered the Yin Qi Tide that appears on the Redwater River once every ten years. We need everyone aboard to weather this crisis together. If any Immortal Cultivator dares hide instead of coming out, I will personally expel them from the Iron Arrow and leave them to fend for themselves."

The voice belonged to Elder Feng of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. His tone was forceful, allowing no refusal whatsoever.

Wang Yu was startled by what he heard. If even this Late Qi Refining cultivator was acting as though a formidable enemy stood before him, the danger they had encountered had to be severe.

What is a Yin Qi Tide? Could it have something to do with Yin Spirits?

Thoughts raced through his mind as he quickly checked his condition. Then he seized the iron essence saber beside his bed, pulled open the door, and rushed out.