He looked up and saw a familiar face—it was Wei Xuyuan, the patriarch of the Wei Clan in Boyang County.
Standing among several other Foundation Establishment cultivators, Wei Xuyuan excused himself and walked over to greet Elian with a cupped-hand salute.
"Brother Elian, it has been over ten years since we last met. I never imagined that in such a short time, you would break through two levels of cultivation. Your progress truly puts me to shame."
"Brother Wei, you flatter me. My modest cultivation is nowhere near as profound as yours," Elian replied with a slight smile, returning the compliment.
"I hear your own cultivation has reached unfathomable depths, and you are but a step away from the Purple Mansion realm."
Wei Xuyuan shook his head with a bitter smile.
"To tell you the truth, I exhausted my clan's spirit stone reserves a few years ago to purchase a Wood Crystal from Yan Kingdom, but I still failed to ascend to the Purple Mansion."
"You shouldn't lose heart," Elian said, consoling him.
"Even with the help of a Wood Crystal, the chance of breaking through to the Purple Mansion is only about 30%. Unless one is an exceptional genius, it is exceedingly rare to succeed on the first attempt."
"You still have a good deal of longevity left. In another twenty or thirty years, once your meridians recover, you'll have another chance. Who's to say you won't succeed then?"
"I hope so," Wei Xuyuan nodded, feeling slightly better.
At 160 years old, his failure to ascend had still allowed him to open a significant portion of the "Purple Mansion Dao Veins." This increased his spiritual energy by 30%, which would boost his chances of success by another 10-20% on his next attempt.
However, purchasing the Wood Crystal at a steep premium of 100,000 spirit stones had drained the Wei Clan's reserves built over a century. Although the clan possessed six second-tier spiritual veins, it had to sustain eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a thousand Qi Refinement disciples. Their yearly savings were not significantly greater than those of the Chen family.
Attempting to purchase another Wood Crystal would likely require the clan to incur heavy internal and external debts. If successful, the Wei Clan could elevate to the status of a Purple Mansion family, securing greater resources and gradually paying off the debts.
However, another failure would leave the clan in dire straits, similar to the Chen Clan 90 years ago, when they depleted their reserves purchasing a Purple Sun Jade (previously named Ziyang Jade, but I didn't like the name, so i changed it).
If Wei Xuyuan failed again and neared the end of his lifespan, the Wei Clan's cultivators would grow increasingly uneasy, and predatory neighboring families would seize the opportunity to strike. Even Purple Mansion families might swoop in, leaving the Wei Clan struggling to retain half of its current spiritual veins.
Not wanting to dwell on such heavy matters, Wei Xuyuan changed the subject.
"So, what brings you to the Yang Region Barter Fair this time? Are you here to purchase something specific?"
Elian hesitated briefly before answering honestly, "I've come to procure either a Green Yuan Ganoderma or a Green Yuan Pill."
"I suspected as much," Wei Xuyuan said, shaking his head.
"With the Beast Tide less than a decade away, many are looking to buy Green Yuan Pills. I fear you may not succeed."
Elian felt somewhat confident despite the warning. He carried over 10,000 spirit stones, and while Green Yuan Pills were expensive, their usual price was around 3,000 spirit stones, with Green Yuan Ganoderma priced at roughly 5,000 spirit stones.
A Green Yuan Pill only increased the chance of breaking through to late Foundation Establishment by 30%. Some unlucky cultivators might fail even after consuming three or four pills, so these pills rarely sold at exorbitant premiums.
Even with inflated prices due to the approaching Beast Tide, Elian doubted that 10,000 spirit stones wouldn't suffice.
As they chatted, the barter fair finally began.
The host was a female cultivator from the Qingyang Sect. She was tall, appeared to be around 28 years old, and had reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. Her youthful appearance was clearly due to the art of maintaining one's vitality.
"Ladies and gentlemen, greetings. I am Su Ling," she said with a graceful bow before presenting three treasures.
As Elian saw the three items, his pupils contracted slightly, and a spark of excitement flashed in his heart.
The first treasure was a Crystal of Blazing Flame. Elian's natal sword was forged with this material, so he knew its immense value.
The second treasure was "Earthfire Profound Gold," a third-tier, fire-attribute material for forging magical treasures. It could be used to create Purple Mansion-level artifacts and could only be found in fourth-tier subterranean fire veins. Even in the Qingyang Sect's lower-tier fourth-grade fire vein, only one or two pieces could be produced every ten years, making it priceless.
The third treasure was a pill with a cloudy pattern and faint, glowing spiritual light, exuding a hint of transformative power.
"A Creation Cloud Pill," Elian thought, recognizing it instantly due to his advanced knowledge of alchemy.
The Creation Cloud Pill was a lower-grade third-tier treasure pill. It was said to require the combination of the third-tier spiritual herbs "Cloud Mist Fruit" and "Crystal of Blazing Flame" to refine. The pill contained an invaluable transformative essence.
Consuming this pill provided a 30% chance for a third-level Purple Mansion cultivator to break through to the mid-stage, saving decades of painstaking cultivation.
The Cloud Mist Fruit was typically valued at 50,000 spirit stones, while a Crystal of Blazing Flame ranged from 50,000 to 80,000 spirit stones. Without connections, obtaining these items often required paying a steep premium.
Even with Ancestor Liu of the Qingyang Sect, a mid-tier third-level alchemist, only three pills could be produced per batch, underscoring its rarity.
"Who is Su Ling, to have access to such priceless treasures?" Elian wondered, transmitting his question to Wei Xuyuan.
Wei Xuyuan, seeing his curiosity, replied discreetly, "She's said to be a disciple of Elder Xu of the Qingyang Sect, but everyone in the two prefectures knows she's actually his concubine."
Elian frowned slightly and dropped the topic.
After introducing the treasures, Su Ling smiled and said, "You all understand the value of these items, so I won't elaborate. I wish to exchange them for Wood Crystals or wood-attribute third-tier magical treasures. Alternatively, if you have sufficient spirit stones, a high enough offer will be considered."
As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd erupted in chatter.
After a brief pause, someone called out, "I offer a Wood Crystal in exchange for a Creation Cloud Pill!"
...
Guys help me! A lot of readers are not even trying to read this novel because of the sypnosis! I don't know why!
Please recommend this novel online (use apps or websites like reddit, discord servers etc.. to recommend this novel) and help the novel attract attention please! Thanks!
46+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D