"Brother Meng, this..."
Qi Ping looked at the hammer Meng Yan took out. It had clear marks of being tempered a thousand times, and these marks had not been repaired.
Most astonishing was the Essence of Fire lingering around it.
This kind of True Meaning Concept is not easily preserved; it can only be born from prolonged nurturing combined with the instantaneous comprehension of a Law's True Meaning, resulting in a special item.
Therefore, items containing the Concept of a Law's True Meaning are rare.
Such special items generally record the entire process of the user comprehending the True Meaning. Using them to comprehend a Law's True Meaning is even more useful than the Law's True Meaning being demonstrated by its comprehender.
Furthermore, this Concept will gradually be consumed and disappear with others' comprehension, which also leads to the extremely high price of such items.
In some cases, it might even be impossible to acquire such an item, even at a high price.
In certain situations, it can even be called an alternative to a foundation establishment pill, because once a Law's True Meaning is comprehended, the Foundation Establishment Stage becomes as easy as walking on flat ground, and the Immortal Dao Foundation laid will be more solid and powerful than one built with a foundation establishment pill.
This item held immense significance for Qi Ping; with it, his comprehension of the Essence of Fire was virtually guaranteed.
However, facing such an item, Qi Ping was momentarily at a loss for words.
Before this, Meng Yan's help and gifts to him were still within a normal range.
For example, Flame Burst Spells and Pill Formulas could be replicated. While precious to Qi Ping, for Meng Yan, they were merely a small effort with not much loss.
As for Spirit Medicine, if the quantity wasn't large, Qi Ping was confident he could repay Meng Yan with Spirit Stones after the essence nurturing honey was cultivated in large quantities.
Or, to put it another way, he could save Meng Yan's life if he encountered danger.
These investments were all within a relatively normal range.
But when the hammer imbued with the Essence of Fire was handed to Qi Ping, he fell silent.
In the Cultivation World, where life-and-death battles are as common as eating and drinking, this made Qi Ping feel a sense of unreality.
"Brother Meng, this is too precious. You should keep it for yourself. I cannot accept something for which I have done nothing. I truly feel unworthy of this gift."
After a moment of hesitation, Qi Ping still refused. He already owed Meng Yan too much kindness.
Moreover, as long as he obtained a suitable Divine Soul Comprehension Talent, he was quite confident in comprehending the Essence of Fire and didn't necessarily need to accept this favor.
However, facing Qi Ping's refusal, Meng Yan said with a hearty laugh:
"Brother Qi, just take it and use it! It's just a small item, nothing to mention. I've been in Qingtian Domain for so long, and there aren't many people I, Meng, recognize. You are one of them!"
"Especially since the Dao Heart Realm you comprehended has a similar approach to mine. Having another trustworthy Fellow Daoist on the path of cultivation is far more important than these trinkets!"
"Besides, everyone encounters trouble sometimes. Having more friends is always more important than a few more Spirit Stones. In Qingyuan Sect, I also know some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who I think you'll get along with. I'll introduce you to them later!"
As Meng Yan spoke, his gaze and the increasingly strong Dao Heart Realm showed no fluctuations.
Qi Ping could also tell that these words came entirely from his heart.
Qi Ping truly couldn't imagine meeting such a pure person in the Cultivation World.
Indeed, one's Dao Heart Realm can reveal their character.
Indeed, such a seeker of the Dao is more likely to comprehend and enlighten their Dao Heart and comprehend Concepts.
Since Meng Yan had already said so much, Qi Ping decided not to refuse any longer.
He also agreed with Meng Yan's statement: sometimes, having a trustworthy friend is far more important than some Spirit Stones.
For example, Boss Gao, whose current strength is far inferior to Qi Ping's, has provided Qi Ping with great convenience at times and is now even helping Qi Ping secure the distribution channels for essence nurturing honey.
However, since Meng Yan had gone to such lengths, Qi Ping naturally couldn't offer nothing in return.
It's just that there weren't many things on him that would be valuable to Meng Yan, and his various honeys were far inferior to the Spirit Pills and miraculous medicines obtained within a Sect.
After thinking for a moment, Qi Ping realized there was truly nothing in his Storage Pouch that Meng Yan would find appealing.
After much thought, Qi Ping remembered the strange jade pendant he obtained when he killed the Black-Robed Robber who controlled insects, and from the mysterious altar that nurtured the Magic Insect King.
However, the Magic Insect King was related to a Nascent Soul Venerable, and Qi Ping would absolutely not reveal it before he had sufficient strength.
On the other hand, the Black-Robed Robber that Lin Qingshu was investigating posed a controllable risk for Qi Ping.
He might as well hand over the secrets and merits related to him to Meng Yan, as a form of repayment.
Secondly, he could also use Meng Yan's channel to understand the hidden secrets, otherwise, being constantly investigated by Lin Qingshu, he would have no idea what was going on.
Knowing the Karma and the risks involved would allow him to respond promptly.
So, Qi Ping took the initiative to speak:
"Then I thank Brother Meng. However, before that, I'd like to ask Brother Meng a few questions."
"Please speak, Brother Qi!"
"Does Brother Meng know Lin Qingshu?"
"We've had some interactions, but we're not very close. However, she is one of the prominent figures in Qingyuan Sect. Recently, she seems to have turned misfortune into a blessing and comprehended Sword Intent. Her Talent and aptitude are even above mine. Does Brother Qi also know her?"
"I've only met her, can't say I know her. She seemed to be tracking a Black-Robed Robber a while ago, and then that Black-Robed Robber was killed by me through a fortunate coincidence."
Qi Ping's words made Meng Yan's face show a wry smile.
"Then Brother Qi, you must keep it a secret, otherwise she will definitely come to settle scores with you. She deliberately kept that person alive, planning to use that Black-Robed Robber to uncover a great secret, but she didn't expect him to be killed by you midway..."
"So that's how it is!"
Qi Ping's face also showed a similar wry smile. He had always thought there was something particularly important on that Black-Robed Robber.
However, through Meng Yan's words, Qi Ping also roughly understood the hidden secret.
That Black-Robed insect-controlling Cultivator was the only one who controlled Demon Insect Cultivators to search for the Magic Insect King's location. Lin Qingshu probably had this goal in mind.
If he hadn't interfered, Lin Qingshu might have truly succeeded in her investigation using that method, so Qi Ping would never reveal this matter to Lin Qingshu.
"Besides that, I also found a bronze token in the Black-Robed Robber's possession. It looks roughly like this..."
"Alliance of Evil Affinities Silver Token?"
Hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared on Meng Yan's face. It seemed that Black-Robed Robber had some background, to actually possess a silver token.
"The character 'Jian' (concern) is indeed engraved on it. What is the purpose of this token? Will there be any risks if I killed this person?"
This was what Qi Ping cared about most. Since he finally had someone he could ask, he naturally wouldn't let go of this Opportunity.
"As long as you don't actively reveal it, there's basically nothing to worry about. However, that token is made of special Materials. The Materials themselves might be worth around a thousand Spirit Stones, and Qingyuan Sect is also recovering these items, with an overprice of two to three thousand Spirit Stones, so it has some value..."
Hearing this, Qi Ping breathed a sigh of relief. He finally had some understanding of the matters concerning the Black-Robed Robber.
"Then I understand. Thank you, Brother Meng, for informing me. As for that token, I'll bring it to Brother Meng next time. Consider it a small token of my appreciation..."
After a brief conversation, the two then took their respective items and left.
Meng Yan completed the task assigned by the Sect smoothly and without incident, and also obtained an ancient stone talisman that the Sect required him to search for.
As for Qi Ping, there was even less to say. With such abundant gains, he now only wanted to return to seclusion as quickly as possible to cultivate Spirit Medicine and his cultivation.
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