As soon as Lin He returned to Yellow Maple Valley Market, he summoned two people. After receiving his instructions, one of them immediately arranged accommodations for Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei.
Dong Xuan'er studied Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei curiously, wondering what their relationship with Lin He was. But although Xin Ruoyin had an exceptional bearing, her looks were ordinary, so Dong Xuan'er paid her no further attention.
The other person took the list of materials Hongfu had provided and went off to help collect them. Soon, only Lin He, Dong Xuan'er, and Hongfu remained.
Hongfu casually cast a Soundproofing Barrier before saying, "All right, there's no one else here now. Take it out."
Naturally, Lin He did not hesitate. He took out two five-hundred-year-old jade spirit flowers. After refining Foundation Establishment Pills and Youth-Preserving Pills, he had very few spirit herbs left. Apart from the Millennium Ice Spirit Flower he had set aside, only these two five-hundred-year-old spirit herbs remained. Now, to obtain a cultivation art, he brought them both out.
"Two jade spirit flowers!"
Hongfu's expression was usually icy, but at the sight of the two five-hundred-year-old spirit herbs, she could not help showing her delight. She currently needed two seven- or eight-hundred-year-old spirit herbs to refine pills. Despite searching painstakingly for a long time, she had found nothing. Although these were only five hundred years old and their medicinal potency was somewhat weaker, they would just barely suffice.
"To tell you the truth, Martial Aunt, these two spirit herbs nearly cost me my life. I almost didn't make it back. Buying them took more than half the spirit stones I had."
Seeing Lin He play up his misery, Hongfu understood his meaning perfectly. She promptly said, "I happen to need these two spirit herbs. Whatever you want, just ask."
"I've been searching for a cultivation art for a long time without any success, so..."
"What spiritual roots do you have?"
"Dual spiritual roots, metal and fire."
"I see. Wait a moment." Hongfu showed no surprise at the mention of a cultivation art. She swept her hand over the table, and five or six jade slips appeared. "Choose for yourself. Once you find one you like, we can discuss the trade."
Lin He grew excited at the sight, and this was no act. The Golden Light Art he currently cultivated was simply too mediocre. He had wanted to switch cultivation arts for a long time.
"Flowing Gold Art? Great Sun Art?"
Lin He looked through several jade slips without finding anything particularly satisfactory. It was not that these cultivation arts were poor, but they either excelled in combat while progressing slowly, or allowed rapid cultivation but lacked powerful spells. In short, none offered both.
Lin He browsed for quite a while without choosing anything. By the time he reached the fifth jade slip, he had already given up hope. If nothing suited him, he would simply pick one to cultivate as a stopgap. Yet when he saw the contents of this jade slip, his heart jolted, and wild joy surged within him. His face, however, took on an exceptionally troubled expression.
"Martial Aunt, isn't the cultivation art recorded in this jade slip far too difficult to practice?"
Hongfu noticed the jade slip as well. She sighed and said, "This cultivation art actually enjoyed a formidable reputation several hundred years ago. Have you ever heard of the Golden Origin Wanderer?"
"The Golden Origin Wanderer?" Lin He's heart stirred at the name, but he shook his head.
"The Golden Origin Wanderer was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator who appeared out of nowhere. It was said that he didn't seem to be a cultivator from our Heavenly South continent, either. The reason he became so famous was his extraordinary youth. Apparently, he successfully formed his Nascent Soul at two hundred years old. Such talent was truly a rarity in this world. The cultivation art he practiced was this very Star Refining Golden Origin Art!"
"He formed his Nascent Soul at two hundred?" Dong Xuan'er looked stunned, clearly astonished.
At this point, an odd expression appeared on Hongfu's face. "He was said to be very handsome, but exceptionally lustful. That was also why he vanished without a trace. Apparently, even after forming his Nascent Soul, he still tried to seek out female Nascent Soul cultivators. As a result, he angered several major sects. They jointly dispatched seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators and severely wounded him. After that, he disappeared without a sound. He has probably long since passed away."
After hearing the story, Dong Xuan'er blushed slightly. She had never imagined that even lofty Nascent Soul cultivators could be so consumed by lust.
Lin He, however, read a different meaning into the story and thought to himself,
It seems the Golden Origin Wanderer must have known a secret dual cultivation technique. He hoped to use dual cultivation to break through his bottleneck and reach late Nascent Soul, only for it to backfire and bring disaster down on him instead.
At this thought, Lin He unconsciously touched his Storage Bag. Inside it was a Token that supposedly entitled him to additional treasures once he entered the Golden Origin Wanderer's hidden treasury.
Lin He suddenly said, "I understand the Golden Origin Wanderer's story now, but isn't this Star Refining Golden Origin Art far too difficult to cultivate?"
The jade slip contained an incomplete cultivation art. It only went up to the seventh level, corresponding to early Core Formation.
That alone would not have been much of a problem. The key was that, apart from the first three levels, which were easy to cultivate, the fourth required drawing down stellar power to temper the body. Not only that, it also required a corresponding body-tempering spirit liquid to aid cultivation-and the main ingredient of this liquid was actually a level five demon core.
Hongfu nodded as well. "This cultivation art not only excels at killing, but supposedly also allows its practitioners to refine their spiritual power, cleanse their bodies, and strengthen their flesh. However, when drawing down stellar power from the heavens to cultivate, you cannot set up any formations or restrictions, because they would obstruct the stellar power from tempering your body. That makes you a sitting target. If someone with malicious intentions happened upon you, you could be in serious trouble."
"Then how did the Golden Origin Wanderer cultivate it?" Dong Xuan'er seized upon the crucial point, leaving Hongfu to explain,
"The Golden Origin Wanderer had another fortuitous encounter. Apparently, he obtained a Star Chart in his early years, so he didn't need to draw on stellar power from the heavens to cultivate. As long as he carried the Star Chart, he could cultivate even inside his cave abode."
"So that's how it was."
Dong Xuan'er felt a surge of envy. A treasure like the Star Chart sounded extraordinary just from its name.
Lin He grew excited as he listened. Although he did not have a Star Chart, his Portable Space was filled with starlight. Moreover, it was safe there, so he would not have to worry about sneak attacks while cultivating.
As for the level five demon core, it was exceedingly rare to others, especially cultivators from Heavenly South, but that was no problem for Lin He.
This cultivation art could practically be said to have been tailor-made for him. It suited him better than any other. Moreover, it was a metal-attribute art, and metal energy governed slaughter, lending it even greater power.
Lin He was already thinking of a way to get his hands on the cultivation art. Meanwhile, Hongfu was trying to persuade him to give it up. But how could he possibly listen? He shook his head and said,
"Thank you for the warning, Martial Aunt, but I'm rather interested in this body-tempering cultivation art. Even if I can't cultivate it, I can still use it as a reference. That makes it valuable to me."
Seeing Lin He insist, Hongfu said no more. This cultivation art had been in her
possession for a long time, and she had never managed to trade it away. Now that Lin He wanted it, she naturally would not refuse.
However, this incomplete cultivation art was certainly not worth two spirit herbs. After some thought, Hongfu took out another seven or eight items. "This cultivation art really isn't worth that many spirit stones. I won't let you lose out. You may choose any three of these items as well."
Although Martial Aunt Hongfu's temper was not particularly good, she was not as stingy as Li Huayuan. Lin He silently nodded in approval and began examining the items. One of them actually recorded all sorts of unusual Spirit Beast Formations. Then, as Lin He examined two more items, surprise crossed his face.
"Are these... pill recipes? Foundation Establishment pill recipes, at that?"