Chapter 60: Spirit Water and Soul Wood

Time slowly ticked by.

The seats in the grand hall were already mostly filled. Dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in one place, presenting a truly spectacular scene. Everyone's eyes constantly swept over others, some communicating through secret transmissions, others sizing each other up without revealing a thing.

Compared to the Nascent Soul gathering on Endless Island before, these old monsters' eyes held far less killing intent.

Whether it was because everyone was part of the Demonic Path Alliance, sticking together like branches of the same tree, or because they were pressured by the raging Beast Tide and the three great grandmasters, the tense hostility had somehow been replaced by a strange mutual understanding.

Between everyone, a false veneer of warmth prevailed.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to this trading conference hosted by yours truly, Mo."

A booming voice rang out from the entrance of the grand hall.

As the words fell, a flash of grayish-white light zipped to the stone platform at the hall's center, instantly halting. The light converged, revealing the figure of a middle-aged man in a gray robe.

It was none other than the city lord himself, Mo Tiancheng.

A faint, elusive smile hung on the man's face. His eyes were sharp and spirited as he slowly swept his gaze across the assembled crowd.

His eyes paused on Jiuyou's face for a single moment, then quickly retracted, turning to look at others. After all, Jiuyou was the only cultivator in the Demonic Path Alliance over the past century to have broken through to the Mid-Nascent Soul stage, naturally drawing attention.

"Since most people are here, I'll skip the pleasantries."

Mo Tiancheng stood with his hands behind his back, his tone calm. Spiritual energy flowed through every subtle gesture he made.

"If no one has any objections, let the trading conference begin."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cultivator in white robes on the right stood up, clearly an impatient sort.

He flicked his sleeve, and a small white bottle, palm-sized, flew out from within, slowly suspending itself in midair. The bottle's mouth cracked open slightly, and a chilling aura seeped out, causing the surrounding air to congeal slightly.

"Good. Since Fellow Daoist Mo has opened the floor, I'll make the first move."

The white-robed cultivator announced in a clear voice.

"I have here a bottle of thousand-year Frost Spirit Water. I'm looking to trade it for an auxiliary cultivation spirit herb of equal value."

Jiuyou mused inwardly upon hearing this:

'Thousand-year Frost Spirit Water is also of a cold attribute. At this age, it's quite rare to find in the Tianyuan Sea. Back in the day, when I was on Coldwind Island, I tried every trick in the book, even capturing a Cold Wind Turtle to intensify the island's cold air, but I still couldn't cultivate even a single drop of this water. Although it's not some supreme treasure, it's still fairly hard to come by.'

Just as Jiuyou was pondering, someone else couldn't hold back and spoke up.

Near the white-robed cultivator, a cultivator in green robes spoke slowly.

"Frost Spirit Water is rare, let alone thousand-year grade. I don't have an auxiliary cultivation spirit herb of equal value. How about two hundred thousand Spirit Stones?"

The white-robed cultivator shook his head, his tone firm.

"I want only a cultivation spirit herb of equal value."

The green-robed cultivator said nothing further.

After all, in this chaotic age, everyone wanted more means or greater cultivation to ensure their survival. Spirit Stones were fine, but they had to be alive to use them.

Jiuyou took it all in. He reached out and pressed his Storage Pouch. Earlier, to aid his cultivation, he had used the Little Green Bottle to accelerate the growth of quite a few spirit herbs, including several thousand-year high-grade ones, which were no less valuable than the other man's Frost Spirit Water.

He muttered silently and sent a secret transmission directly to the other party.

A moment later, a glimmer of light flashed in the white-robed cultivator's eyes. He immediately suppressed his excitement and gave a slight nod.

A flash of spiritual light came from Jiuyou's Storage Pouch, and a Jade Box containing a thousand-year spirit herb floated slowly toward the other man. The white-robed cultivator probed it with his Divine Sense, confirmed it was correct, and accepted it with satisfaction.

Jiuyou, in turn, received the jade bottle containing the thousand-year Frost Spirit Water. He scanned it with his Divine Sense, found no issues, and then tucked it away.

With this kickoff, the other Nascent Soul cultivators could no longer hold back and began their own trades. Some exchanged secret transmissions, others directly called out prices. In a flash, all sorts of spiritual materials, precious herbs, and magical artifacts were flying through the air, with interweaving beams of spiritual light creating a dazzling spectacle.

Jiuyou also made a few moves during this time, swapping for a couple of spirit herbs he didn't have, planning to cultivate them later if needed.

Sitting beside him, Blood Sea True Person used an eighth-level beast pill to trade for a two-thousand-year-old fire lotus, a look of satisfaction on his face.

The trading conference gradually entered its mid-phase.

Jiuyou appeared to be meditating with his eyes closed, but his Divine Sense was constantly weaving through the crowd, keeping an eye on every treasure that appeared.

His primary goal this trip was to find a soul-attributed spiritual material for his Soul-Eating Insects. After all, everyone present was a demonic path cultivator, practicing demonic arts, so finding a single soul-attributed spirit herb shouldn't be too difficult.

Just as he was lost in thought, a hoarse voice sounded from a corner of the hall.

"Old Man here has a section of Soul Nurturing Wood, five hundred years old. I want to trade it for three seventh-level beast pills, or treasures of equal value."

Jiuyou's eyes snapped open.

'Soul Nurturing Wood!'

This wood naturally contained soul-nurturing power and was a great tonic for soul-type spirit insects. Five hundred years wasn't much, but if he could get his hands on it, he could just ripen it with the Little Green Bottle.

He followed the sound to see an emaciated old man in a black robe holding a jet-black piece of wood in his hand. It was about as thick as an arm, its entire surface shimmering with a dark luster, faintly emitting a soul-soothing fragrance.

Jiuyou didn't hesitate for a second and sent a secret transmission directly.

A moment later, the black-robed old man gave a slight nod. Jiuyou took three seventh-level beast pills from his Storage Pouch and, using his magical power to lift them, slowly sent them over. The black-robed old man received the beast pills, examined them carefully, and then handed over the Soul Nurturing Wood.

Jiuyou caught the section of Soul Nurturing Wood. It felt warm and smooth in his hand. When he probed it with his Divine Sense, a cool, refreshing sensation rushed straight to his crown, making him feel much more energized.

He put it away in his Storage Pouch with satisfaction, already making plans in his mind:

'Five hundred years isn't much. Once I get back, I'll ripen it with the Little Green Bottle. A thousand years, two thousand years—none of that is a problem. Then the Soul-Eating Insects' nurturing will have a reliable source.'

The trading conference was gradually drawing to a close.

Most of the cultivators present had gotten something. Many showed satisfied expressions, while a few came up empty-handed but maintained calm faces, showing no signs of disappointment.

Just then, Mo Tiancheng suddenly stood up from his host seat.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the hall, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Fellow Daoists, I am deeply gratified that this trading conference was held so smoothly. Buyers and sellers each got what they needed, and everyone is happy—this is a good thing."

He paused, his tone shifting.

"Before the conference concludes, I, Mo, also have an ancient relic I'd like to trade away."

The moment these words were spoken, the hall fell silent. Everyone's eyes focused on Mo Tiancheng.

Mo Tiancheng leisurely took out an item from his Storage Pouch.

It was a cyan jade hairpin. Entirely emerald green, the head was carved into the shape of a budding lotus flower, exquisite and delicate, with a faint glow of rosy light flowing across it. At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than a refined ornament, but everyone present was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and none would mistake it for an ordinary piece of jewelry.

Mo Tiancheng held the jade hairpin in his palm, his gaze deep, but he did not explain its origin or function.

He simply smiled faintly, suspended the jade hairpin in front of him, and let the cyan light slowly radiate through the hall.

Everyone's eyes fell on the jade hairpin, their expressions varied.

Some frowned in thought, others flashed a hint of surprise in their eyes, and still others remained expressionless.

Jiuyou's gaze was also firmly locked onto that cyan jade hairpin.

He stealthily extended his Divine Sense, only to find that the surface of the hairpin seemed to be covered by an invisible barrier, making it impossible to probe its depth.

...