Chapter 5: Trading the Jade Slip

Lin He knew he was helping the girl off the hook, fearing that he would pick more faults. As long as he was in this shop, as long as he took out something appropriate, he would be treated like a VIP. Not to mention that what Lin He took out was a Foundation Establishment Pill, which even spirit stones could not buy.

The Foundation Establishment Pill could be said to be a necessity for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. However, using the Foundation Establishment Pill did not guarantee success, and there were many failures. If the jade slips needed by cultivators were just relatively precious items, then the Foundation Establishment Pill was an invaluable treasure for every cultivator still in the Qi Condensation stage.

For Lin He, the Foundation Establishment Pill was merely a product of an experiment. By chance, Lin He obtained the method to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill from a jade slip in the black market. Based on his own experience, Lin He modified some of the procedures he deemed unnecessary, added a bit of white stone powder as an additive, and as a result, what many high-level alchemists found difficult to refine, Lin He managed to refine in ten days with careful material selection and precise control of the fire.

Lin He did not dare to tell anyone that he could refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, otherwise, his life would either be short or he would live a life of confinement, without seeing the light of day. Lin He was also puzzled by his talent in miscellaneous studies, as it seemed he had a surprising talent in these areas. Unfortunately, it would have been better if this talent were applied to cultivation.

When Lin He took the tray, he felt its weight, realizing it was not ordinary. It was made of agarwood, and the fine texture on the tray suggested it was quite old. Lin He did not rush to look at the jade slip but habitually examined the tray first, collecting as much information as possible. Unbeknownst to him, the masked woman was also secretly observing his every move.

The black market was called such because during the day, the shops were open for business, but at night, it was unknown whether the shopkeepers would engage in other activities. In other words, the black market had rules during the day, which were maintained by the combined power of the top ten cultivation sects. However, at night, the rules were unreliable. Whether Lin He, who came to trade with a Foundation Establishment Pill, could leave the black market unscathed depended on luck. The risk was high at night, but so were the rewards. In the past, Lin He always came at night because the Yuan Gathering Pills he offered were not extraordinary and did not attract much attention.

There were two jade slips on the tray. One was inscribed with a general description of spirit beasts, and the other with the art of taming them. In other words, a Foundation Establishment Pill, which was worth two jade slips in the shop during the day, was still just some miscellaneous jade slips. If it were a cultivation jade slip, the shopkeeper would probably only offer one. How black! Truly too black! The Foundation Establishment Pill, with a success rate of less than one percent, was something rare and hard to come by in the black market, yet this shop gave it away for just two jade slips.

Lin He was very angry but knew he had no right to be. This was the way of the world. He silently took the two jade slips, put on a smile, and said, "Yes, these are the jade slips I wanted. The Foundation Establishment Pill is yours now, and I should be going." He put away the jade slips, stood up, and bowed to take his leave, without any hesitation.

The masked woman watched as the shopkeeper led Lin He out, her eyes sparkling. When the shopkeeper returned, she said, "This young man is not simple. He traded a Foundation Establishment Pill for two miscellaneous jade slips and left without hesitation."

The shopkeeper replied, "There are only two possibilities: either he doesn't understand the value of the Foundation Establishment Pill, or he doesn't care about its value. I think it's the latter."

"No, there's a third possibility. He's a smart person who knows he has no room to resist here. But I don't think he's the third type. He was too calm, showing no greed at all." She pointed to the wooden tray and said, "You used this thousand-year-old agarwood tray to serve the jade slips, to test the young man's mindset, right? I saw him carefully examine it, with a completely studious attitude. After looking at it, he didn't think it was particularly valuable and left with the jade slips. For a young man to have such composure, he must be the disciple of some high-ranking figure, who, unable to cultivate, turned to miscellaneous studies. Trading a Foundation Establishment Pill, which is a matter of luck to produce even one, for two jade slips, only someone with such a background could do that."

The shopkeeper was in awe of this analysis and said, "Brilliant! I can look forward to his next visit and make a big profit."

Leaving Blackwater Town, Lin He didn't even bother to fly a kite. He directly pasted two divine speed talismans on his feet and shot out, covering several dozen meters in a flash. After running at a hundred meters per second for an hour, he finally saw the path leading to the misty mountains and relaxed, slowing down and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Today's actions were too rash, foolishly taking out a Foundation Establishment Pill to trade for jade slips. His hot-headed and combative nature was truly a problem. Being enraged by that palace maid, he acted out of spite, which was incredibly stupid. This was the black market; how could he dare to take out a Foundation Establishment Pill? In fact, he still had many other items in his spatial bag, such as the All-Purpose Detox Pill, which could cure a hundred poisons and was a must-have for travel and daily life in the cultivation world. Thinking about his talent, Lin He felt that the heavens were playing with him. When he was born, the heavens must have sneezed and assigned his skill points incorrectly. After ten years of persistent Qi Condensation, he was still at the first level. Qi Condensation, arrays, and other things, he could understand at a glance, but why did it have to be like this? Having a smart brain but not a suitable body for cultivation was a great sorrow in the cultivation world!

Returning to Wanxiu Sect first, Yun Xiangyi found everything peaceful, as if nothing had happened. Lin He's judgment was correct; Si Zilong had issued a gag order. He was indeed a selfish and self-serving person, running away when trouble came and not even reporting to his master upon returning to the sect.

At this moment, Yun Xiangyi had no doubt about Lin He's words, especially when the two disciples who were at the scene turned pale and ran away upon seeing her return safely. This confirmed Lin He's correctness even more.

"It seems I need to think carefully about how to face the future," Yun Xiangyi said to herself, returning to her small courtyard for cultivation. As the second senior sister, Yun Xiangyi had a relatively independent space, and no one except her seniors could enter within five hundred meters of the courtyard. Otherwise, they would be struck by the restrictions she had set up.

Sitting quietly on a mat, Yun Xiangyi closed her eyes and thought deeply. The face of Lin He, with his ordinary appearance, appeared in her mind, and the feeling of something hard pressing against her thighs under the cloak came to mind. What was that strange feeling? Yun Xiangyi knew very well that breaking her body before breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage would make it difficult to reach the Golden Core stage, but this did not prevent a cultivator from understanding the most basic human knowledge. Thinking about the warm fluid that had seeped out from the gap, Yun Xiangyi's fair face turned red, and she quickly opened her eyes and exhaled to calm herself down.

At this moment, Si Zilong's voice came from outside: "Sister, I'm here. It's great that you're safe. Can I come in to talk?"

Yun Xiangyi looked at the voice transmission box hanging on the wall, a gift from Si Zilong for her eighteenth birthday, beautifully inlaid with white jade, which had always been one of her favorite gifts. Now, looking at the voice transmission box made her feel nauseous. She waved her hand, and a palm wind flew out, turning the voice transmission box into a pile of powder. The annoying voice disappeared.

Sitting quietly for an hour, Yun Xiangyi had no good ideas and thought it best to ask Lin He. Remembering that Lin He had said not to mention today's events, Yun Xiangyi knew that Lin He did not want others to know about their connection. After thinking of an excuse, Yun Xiangyi left the courtyard and indeed saw Si Zilong, who looked anxious, at the end of the path.

"Big Brother, I'm sorry, the voice transmission box is broken, so I didn't hear your message. By the way, I'm going to find Lin He to refine a batch of Yuan Gathering Pills for my family. We can talk when I come back," Yun Xiangyi said, cutting off Si Zilong's words and leaving gracefully.

Si Zilong's face changed, unable to understand what this woman was thinking. Both being the most favored disciples of their master, they both had a good chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. However, the resources of Wanxiu Sect were limited, especially the Foundation Establishment Pill. Now both were at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and once they reached the ninth level, they would face the problem of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. At that time, they would be competitors, and whoever broke through first would become the leader of the Northern Sect of the new generation of Wanxiu Sect.

Before today's incident, Si Zilong had no such worries. He had been deceived by her, and his heart ached. Now, that heart was definitely broken. Expecting things to be like before was out of the question.

"Hmph! We'll see!" Thinking about how he had only held her hand to deceive her and did not go further, Si Zilong felt a bit regretful. This woman had a great figure, and he would eventually have his way with her. If she was sensible, he would keep her for himself, but if not, he would share her with other junior brothers to win their favor.

Arriving at the valley where Lin He lived, seeing the small thatched cottage hidden in the quiet forest, Yun Xiangyi's mood immediately calmed down.

Walking slowly along the pebble path, she found no restrictions outside the fence. Thinking about Lin He being only at the first level of Qi Condensation, Yun Xiangyi felt a sharp pain in her heart, feeling a bit sorry for him. Despite the pain, she remembered the words this boy had said to the old monster of Wanxiu, and felt a bit annoyed. In a fit of anger, she kicked the fence door down.