Chapter 260: A Strange Deal

Chapter 260: A Strange Deal

"There exists a kind of talisman heritage within my sect, which was unfortunately lost due to unforeseen circumstances. This particular talisman is of great importance to our sect. From what I can discern, Fellow Daoist's collection of talismans seems to originate from thousands of years ago, and there are a few that bear some resemblance to the ones I possess. Thus, I must boldly request to examine your techniques in crafting a few types of talismans. I wish to combine them with the ones my sect currently has to see if we can rediscover the method of creating these lost talismans."

Speaking up to this point, the elderly Liao seemed to feel that his request was rather abrupt, and he quickly added, "I am aware that my request is presumptuous. However, please rest assured, Fellow Daoist. In addition to these immortal dew grasses, I can offer other treasures in exchange. I also have two drops of millennium spirit milk that I can give to you. Moreover, I am willing to swear upon my Dao heart that only I know of these talisman-crafting techniques, and they will only be used for the purpose I mentioned."

Hearing Elder Liao's words, Chu Ning was surprised. He hadn't expected that this elderly man with the surname Liao would possess both the immortal dew grass and the millennium spirit milk—two items that would be of great benefit to him. Moreover, the other party's request was indeed unexpected.

Without directly agreeing, Chu Ning transmitted his voice and asked, "May I ask which sect you are from, Fellow Daoist Liao? While it is true that there are some similarities in our talisman techniques, it will not be easy to research and recreate the talisman-crafting techniques, especially for high-grade superior talismans."

Hearing Chu Ning's words, the elderly Liao, Master Liao, sighed slightly and said, "My name is Liao Chuanhai, and I am from the Changming Zong of the Spirit Cang Alliance. Alas, I am well aware that the chances of success are slim, but I still want to give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's thoughts took a slight turn, and he came up with an idea. Once again, he spoke out loud to Liao Chuanhai, "Fellow Daoist Liao, I believe you mentioned that you also have some of these talismans. May I take a look at them? These talismans that I have are actually being kept for a friend of mine. He has a particular interest in collecting various talisman-crafting techniques, especially the ones that are rare and unusual. Due to certain circumstances, the talisman-crafting techniques he collected are now mostly in my possession. If you have any talismans, perhaps I can check if the collection of techniques includes the one you seek."

Liao Chuanhai pondered for a moment after hearing Chu Ning's suggestion; he seemed to think that the chances were slim. However, he eventually reached into his storage bag and took out a talisman, which he handed to Chu Ning. "We do have some talismans, but after years of use within my sect, there aren't many of these particular talismans left."

Chu Ning took the talisman, his face reflecting a thoughtful expression. At the same time, he had already activated the innate ability of his Talisman Source Spirit.

Analyze Talisman Source!

For Chu Ning, as his talisman-crafting skills improved and he made more use of the Analyze Talisman Source ability, deciphering high-grade superior talismans had become much easier. In fact, if it weren't for the many preparations he had to make recently, Chu Ning would have already started deciphering the top-tier Ice Shadow Sword Talisman.

At this moment, analyzing a high-grade superior talisman didn't take him long. Moreover, he only needed to perform the divine sense scan once and didn't have to keep holding onto the talisman.

Chu Ning held the talisman for a short while before completing the divine sense scan. Then, he returned the talisman to Liao Chuanhai and transmitted his voice, "Fellow Daoist Liao, I do have some recollection of the crafting technique for this talisman. However, since this talisman technique isn't something I compiled myself, I'm not very familiar with it. I may need a little more time to search for it. How about we discuss it further after I'm done trading with the other Daoists? We can talk in private later if you'd like."

Upon hearing Chu Ning's words, Liao Chuanhai's face lit up with delight. "Are you serious, Fellow Daoist Chu? That's wonderful! In that case, please accept these immortal dew grasses. If you can indeed find the talisman-crafting technique, I will also give you the two drops of millennium spirit milk." As he spoke, Liao Chuanhai took out a jade box from his storage bag and handed it to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning opened the box and saw that it contained more than ten immortal dew grasses, which pleased him greatly. "Deal!" Chu Ning replied with a smile as he closed the jade box and kept it.

Elder Liao immediately returned to his original spot. The others witnessed the exchange between the two and couldn't help but feel curious. They wondered why Elder Liao had only shown Chu Ning a single talisman before giving away all those immortal dew grasses. However, they also understood that the two must have reached some sort of agreement. As it involved the secrets between cultivators, they naturally didn't pry further.

After putting away the immortal dew grasses into his storage bag, Chu Ning felt relieved. With the immortal dew grasses in hand, he had achieved his goal for this trip. Moreover, he had also gained a few drops of millennium spirit milk and the Ghost Shadow Sword as unexpected bonuses.

While Chu Ning was satisfied, the other cultivators weren't ready to call it a day just yet. When Elder Liao and Chu Ning were talking earlier, the other Golden Core cultivators had been observing them. Now that their discussion seemed to be over, several of them approached Chu Ning to trade for items.

Among the items Chu Ning had to offer, the most popular were the high-grade intermediate spirit-enhancing pills that he had refined.

At the Golden Core cultivator level, improving one's spiritual sense by even a tiny bit was extremely challenging. Moreover, pills that enhanced the spiritual sense were difficult to refine. Firstly, there weren't many pill formulas for such pills to begin with, and modifying ancient pill formulas to make them usable in the present day was a difficult task. Secondly, refining such pills required a high level of skill. Although there were many Golden Core mid-stage pill refiners present, very few could refine high-grade intermediate spiritual sense pills.

The second most sought-after item was the complete set of demonic beast materials that Chu Ning had obtained from the demonic beasts he had slain. The materials he had were too comprehensive—the beasts' bodies, magical items, and demonic cores were all intact.

Nevertheless, the items Chu Ning offered were quickly snapped up in exchange for various items.

Most of the spirit herbs and pills he received in return were of higher quality than those he had obtained from the Ji Hua Sect's Pill Refining Pavilion.

There were even a few materials that were exactly what Chu Ning needed for refining the Five Elements Sword Formation.

The quality of these materials was slightly better than what he had received from the Ji Hua Sect, which delighted him.

Although the quantity of high-quality materials was limited, it meant that Chu Ning would be able to shorten the tempering process and conserve his pill energy. This was undoubtedly excellent news for Chu Ning, who was already concerned about excessive pill energy consumption during pill refinement.

A cultivator offered a substantial number of spirit stones in exchange for the talismans, which Chu Ning readily accepted.

It took quite some time for Chu Ning to conclude his trades. During this period, he also used his multitasking ability to spare a strand of his spiritual sense to analyze the talisman that Liao Chuanhai needed. He had already made some progress in deciphering it.

When Chu Ning finally sat down after completing his trades, Ling Cang, who was sitting beside him, gave him a complicated look.

Earlier, Ling Cang had refrained from taking out any items for trading, mainly because he was worried that he wouldn't have anything valuable enough to offer if Chu Ning needed the immortal dew grass.

Now, he was thinking that if Chu Ning didn't have it, he could contribute some of his own items to help with the trade.

But to his surprise, Chu Ning had taken out a trove of treasures and ended up with the most successful transactions of the night.

Ling Cang's mind was buzzing with questions:

"Where did Junior Brother Chu find so many fifth-grade demonic beasts in the Ji Hua Mountains? Did he sweep through the entire mountain range?"

Sensing Ling Cang's gaze, Chu Ning turned and smiled at him.

"Senior Brother, you didn't mention anything you wanted to trade earlier. I've acquired quite a few items, so if there's anything you need, feel free to let me know.

If not, you can tell me what you're looking for, and we can ask the other fellow cultivators."

Ling Cang quickly shook his head and smiled at Chu Ning's offer.

"No need, I didn't come here with many requirements.

I noticed that you traded for several impressive spirit herbs earlier, and there are a few that I need.

Just exchange a few of those herbs with me when we return."

Chu Ning readily agreed.

Meanwhile, the trading continued inside the building.

Having obtained what he wanted, Chu Ning paid less attention to the proceedings and focused more on analyzing the talisman he had obtained from Liao Chuanhai.

"This talisman seems to be a type of sealing talisman. I wonder if the Changming Zong sealed something away and needs this particular talisman to do so. That must be why Liao Chuanhai approached me so boldly."

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Chu Ning shook his head slightly, feeling that it wasn't his concern.

His task was to analyze the talisman's source and obtain the two drops of millennium spirit milk in exchange.

Such a precious item would undoubtedly be of great use.

At the level of Golden Core cultivators, their battles might not be settled with a single strike. Moreover, the amount of spiritual power required to activate magical treasures was enormous. If one could use the millennium spirit milk to quickly restore their spiritual power during a battle, it would undoubtedly increase their chances of survival.

At that moment, it was the turn of the female cultivator from the Gui Yuan Sect, the one dressed in a palace-style robe with the surname Jia.

She took out only two items, but they immediately caught Chu Ning's attention.

"I have here an item called the Ice Soul Pearl. It's a disposable offensive magical treasure.

Of course, if you don't use its full power, you can use it up to three times."

"A disposable offensive magical treasure!"

Chu Ning's eyes lit up at her words.

He was very familiar with such items, having obtained two Thunder Pearls from the Lei Huo Sect.

Back at the Thousand Lakes and Islands, when he was being pursued by the elder of the Yin Demon Sect along with a sixth-grade demonic beast, it was the Thunder Pearls that had severely injured his pursuers, saving his life.

Although they were consumables, their power far exceeded that of ordinary magical treasures.

In fact, not only Chu Ning but also the other cultivators were drawn to the female cultivator's words.

They all waited eagerly to hear what she wanted in exchange, while the other item she had taken out, the bottle of dragon whiskers essence, seemed to have been forgotten.

"I want quite a few things, so let's see what each of you can offer.

If anyone has a complete, high-grade water-attribute demonic beast demon core and materials, especially an intact demonic beast corpse, along with some other treasures, you can exchange them for this item first."

Hearing the female cultivator's conditions, Chu Ning immediately asked, "Are you referring to a fifth-grade water-attribute demonic beast corpse, Fellow Cultivator Jia?"

"My apologies, I should have been clearer," the female cultivator named Jia said, shaking her head.

"A fifth-grade demonic beast doesn't meet my requirements.

If you had what I needed, Fellow Cultivator Chu, I would have already traded with you when you took out those fifth-grade demonic beast materials and demon cores earlier."

"How about a sixth-grade demonic beast, then?" Chu Ning asked with a smile.

"Sixth-grade?" The female cultivator's eyes lit up at Chu Ning's words.

"Do you happen to have the materials and inner core of a sixth-grade water-attribute demonic beast, Fellow Cultivator Chu? Even if it's not a complete corpse, as long as there's a substantial amount, I'm willing to consider it."

Chu Ning smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I do have a complete sixth-grade demonic beast corpse here."

As he spoke, he took out a storage bag and tossed it to the female cultivator.

Hearing Chu Ning's words, the crowd couldn't help but show their astonishment.

Possessing the demon core, materials, and even a sixth-grade demonic beast corpse were entirely different concepts.

"Of course, it's a win-win situation," Chu Ning replied with a smile.

The exchange caught the attention of the other cultivators, who glanced curiously at both Chu Ning and Ling Cang. They couldn't help but marvel at the transaction.

"Ling Cang must hold his junior brother, Chu Ning, in high regard. He specifically helped him kill a sixth-grade demonic beast for this trading session. What a coincidence that it's exactly what Jia needed," they mused.

Little did they know that Ling Cang was just as surprised as they were, if not more. He, too, had inferred from their reactions that they found Chu Ning's offering impressive. However, only Ling Cang knew that neither he nor any other Golden Core cultivators from their sect had lent a hand in slaying the beast.

"This newly-formed Core cultivator, who hasn't even crafted his signature magic treasure yet, managed to kill a sixth-grade demonic beast comparable to a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Junior Brother Chu's abilities are truly astonishing!" Ling Cang's mind raced with these thoughts, but he refrained from offering any further explanation.

As for Chu Ning, he had no intention of divulging anything either. In fact, after successfully acquiring the Ice Soul Pearl, his attention turned to the bottle of dragon whisker essence that the female cultivator had brought. When he expressed his interest in a trade, she readily agreed, much to his surprise. Even more unexpected was her request for high-grade superior talismans instead of spirit herbs or pills.

Chu Ning, of course, had some in his possession, so he traded a few for the dragon whisker essence. This concluded his business for the night, and he paid little attention to the subsequent exchanges among the other cultivators.

Once the small trading session ended, Chu Ning decided against participating in any further deals.

At that moment, Xue Shoujing stood up and addressed the group. "Fellow cultivators, feel free to mingle and catch up. There are many private rooms available in this building for your convenience."

Ling Cang turned to Chu Ning and asked, "Junior Brother, would you like to join me in catching up with some old friends?"

Chu Ning shook his head. "Go ahead, Senior Brother. I think Fellow Daoist Liao might still need me for something."

As expected, the elderly Liao, Master Liao, was already making his way towards them. Though Ling Cang was slightly taken aback, he didn't pry further and simply nodded before leaving.

Master Liao, or Liao Chuanhai, approached Chu Ning and transmitted his voice. "Fellow Daoist Chu, have you found the talisman-crafting technique?"

Chu Ning was close to deciphering the talisman's source and replied, "I'm almost there. I just need to double-check. It's a bit difficult to focus with so many people around. How about we find a private room so I can search carefully and recreate the technique for you?"

"That sounds like a splendid idea!" Liao Chuanhai readily agreed.

The two men promptly found a quiet room.

"Fellow Daoist Liao, I'm not an expert in talisman-crafting; I've only dabbled in it. So, I need to take my time to figure it out," Chu Ning explained as he took out a jade slip and pretended to study it.

In reality, he was in the final stages of analyzing the talisman's source.

After a short while, just as Liao Chuanhai was starting to wonder why it was taking Chu Ning so long, the latter smiled and announced, "I've found it! This should be it!"

Chu Ning then took out a blank jade slip and imprinted the talisman-crafting technique he had deciphered directly onto it. He handed the jade slip to Liao Chuanhai, saying, "Take a look, Fellow Daoist. Is this the one?"

Liao Chuanhai, who was well-versed in talismans, examined the jade slip. A moment later, his eyes lit up with delight. "Indeed! This is the talisman-crafting technique for the...for this particular sealing talisman." He caught himself before revealing the talisman's name.

Chu Ning wasn't bothered by the partial disclosure. Based on the talisman's principles, he had already deduced that it was a type of sealing talisman. The exact name wasn't important.

Liao Chuanhai then took out two small jade bottles and handed them to Chu Ning. "Fellow Daoist Chu, here are the two drops of millennium spirit milk that I promised. I'd appreciate it if you kept this matter between us."

Chu Ning nodded in agreement.

Liao Chuanhai didn't linger further, merely inviting Chu Ning to visit the Changming Sect sometime before leaving the room.

Chu Ning exited the room and scanned the area but didn't spot Ling Cang. As he wasn't particularly close to the other cultivators, he had no intention of seeking anyone out for conversation. After a moment's thought, he decided to head downstairs.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end