https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-321-Flowing-Shadow-Stone-Trading-Techniques/12550011/
Chapter 320: Bargaining with Me? Do You Think You're Worthy?
Chapter 320: Bargaining with Me? Do You Think You're Worthy?
"Xian seed?" Chu Ning's voice held a hint of surprise as this was the first time he had heard of such a term.
Considering the other party was referring to events from tens of thousands of years ago, Chu Ning cautiously probed, "Could you be referring to the Ling seed that gives birth to a Spirit Realm?"
"I'm talking about the Xian seed! The Ling seed is only of great use to Jin Dan cultivators who are trying to break through to the Yuan Ying stage. For Yuan Ying cultivators, it might only help them slightly in their cultivation progress. But the Xian seed, now that's something that can aid cultivators in breaking through from the later stages of Yuan Ying all the way to the Huashen stage and ascension! Ling seeds may appear from time to time, but there's only one Xian seed in this entire world!" The little white shadow's voice was filled with longing and desire.
"Back then, when we sensed the appearance of the Xian seed, almost all late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators took action. Yet, in the end, not a single one of them managed to obtain it. Hahaha, Huashen stage...that's nothing but a dream!" The little white shadow seemed to be recalling events from tens of thousands of years ago, and his laughter held a hint of madness.
Although Chu Ning was astonished by these revelations, he remained calm. He looked at the little white shadow with confusion and asked, "You said that refining the Xian seed could aid a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator in breaking through to the Huashen stage, but that doesn't add up. In ancient times, weren't there cultivators who entered the Huashen stage and ascended?"
"You're right, there were indeed such cases in ancient times. However, at some point, fewer and fewer cultivators were able to ascend. Then, twenty thousand years ago, we stopped hearing about any cultivators ascending at all. For a full ten thousand years, all cultivators have been searching for a way to break through the late Yuan Ying stage and ascend, but to no avail...until..." The little white shadow paused, choosing not to continue. Instead, he looked at Chu Ning with a smug smile.
"Go on," Chu Ning said calmly, seeing the other party's attempt at keeping him in suspense.
The little white shadow chuckled. "Go on? If I tell you everything, you'll probably destroy me right away. How about this—you find a heavenly treasure that can nurture my remnant soul, allowing me to gradually regain my strength, and I'll tell you everything I know. I know a lot of secrets from ten thousand years ago, and I know quite a few secret techniques too. Didn't you notice that the guy from the Holy Yang Sect was completely dead, yet I, just a wisp of a Yuan Ying remnant soul, have managed to survive until now? If you help me, I can teach you these secret techniques as well." As he spoke, the little white shadow lifted his head to look at Chu Ning.
In truth, this was the real reason he wanted to tell these secrets only to Chu Ning. After all, if too many people knew, it wouldn't be a secret anymore and wouldn't hold as much allure.
Chu Ning looked at the little white shadow, his tone indifferent as he said, "You're bargaining with me? Do you really think you're worthy?"
As he spoke, Chu Ning tightened his grip, and the little white shadow began to tremble violently.
"Wait, I'll tell you more!" the little white shadow cried out.
"It's too late now," Chu Ning said without hesitation, and with his right fist, he crushed the little white shadow, obliterating it.
"Don't you want to hear more about the Xian seed?" the little white shadow screamed as it was destroyed, turning into nothingness.
Chu Ning's expression remained calm. He was naturally interested in the secrets of breaking through from the Yuan Ying stage to the Huashen stage, including the mystery of the Xian seed. However, he was only at the mid-Jin Dan stage at the moment, still far from that level.
This person was from the Magic Path of the Tianmu Continent, and he seemed extremely cunning and treacherous. If he really found a heavenly treasure to help the other party nurture his soul, it would be like nurturing a tiger that would create more harm in the future. Moreover, the information he got from the other party might not even be true. It was better to just destroy it and be done with it.
These so-called secrets would naturally come to light when his cultivation reached that stage. It was laughable that this old demon, a mere wisp of a remnant soul, thought he could manipulate him by revealing some secrets.
Chu Ning obliterated the old demon's remnant soul, but he didn't get up right away. Instead, he continued to wait in the same spot for a while.
Soon, a flash of white light darted into his barrier formation and then into his sleeve. It was Bai Ling.
"Bai Ling, what did you find?" Chu Ning asked as soon as he saw that Bai Ling had returned.
In fact, as soon as they had entered the cave, Bai Ling had communicated with him through divine sense, telling him that she had sensed something good. However, Chu Ning hadn't had a chance to let her out until he had sent Feng Yanzhang to retrieve the robe and storage bag from the withered bone.
Chu Ning had quietly released Bai Ling, and she had hidden in a corner until he and Feng Yanzhang left.
Hearing Chu Ning's question, Bai Ling's cheerful voice echoed in response.
"I found a Han Sui Pearl!
If I hadn't had a special affinity for this thing, I wouldn't have been able to discover it two thousand zhang underground."
Chu Ning was delighted to hear that Bai Ling had actually found the Han Sui Pearl.
At this moment, Bai Ling's voice, filled with laughter, sounded out once more.
"Young Master, there's also Ice Condensing Jade in that place, and I've taken the liberty of collecting some for you."
That should be enough for you to craft a considerable number of talismans."
"Well done!" Chu Ning praised Bai Ling.
However, instead of asking her to retrieve the items immediately, he dispersed the barrier, stood up, and bid farewell to Feng Yanzhang.
Upon hearing this, Feng Yanzhang also ended his meditation and rose to his feet.
He didn't ask a single question about the white-shadowed old demon's remnant soul, displaying his astuteness.
Chu Ning couldn't help but marvel at Feng Yanzhang's discernment; his wise expression was not just for show.
The two of them flew for several more days before returning to Han Yan City.
For the following days, Chu Ning stayed at Feng Yanzhang's residence.
Every day, he used the Earth Vein Spirit Fire to help Zeng Jingwen expel and refine a strand of the Earth Fire Poison from her body.
He could have expelled the poison in a day or two, but he didn't want to expose his strength too much.
As Chu Ning helped Zeng Jingwen purge the fire poison, her physical condition and complexion visibly improved.
This delighted the couple immensely.
Ten days later, in Han Yan City, Feng Yanzhang and his wife saw Chu Ning off from their courtyard.
Once again, they bowed deeply to him.
"Thank you, Senior, for your miraculous healing. We are forever grateful, and we would like to offer you a token of our appreciation. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask, and we will do our best to assist you." Feng Yanzhang spoke politely.
Beside him, Zeng Jingwen also bowed slightly, her eyes fixed on Chu Ning.
Her face was now radiant and full of life, her black hair shimmering, a stark contrast to her previous self, ravaged by the fire poison.
Chu Ning waved his hand dismissively.
"It's nothing. I happened to come across you by chance, and I was moved by your deep love for each other. And you also led me to some treasures, so I gave it a try.
Speaking of which, it was a mutually beneficial exchange."
After saying goodbye, Chu Ning flew away from the city, disappearing from sight after a few blinks.
One was not allowed to fly within Han Yan City.
It was only after Chu Ning had flown far away that Feng Yanzhang revealed a hint of regret.
Seeing this, Zeng Jingwen asked curiously, "Husband, you seem to hold that Senior in high regard?"
Feng Yanzhang nodded and, taking Zeng Jingwen's hand, led her back into the courtyard before speaking.
"That Senior's cultivation and background are shrouded in mystery, and his abilities are profound and unfathomable.
I wanted to see if we could form a connection, but it seems like he's not interested."
"Husband, there's no need for that," Zeng Jingwen smiled and said, "You are exceptionally talented, and it's only because of me that you've been held back these past few decades.
Now that the Earth Fire Poison in my body has been cured, you can focus on your cultivation without distractions. Advancing to the Yuan Ying stage is not out of reach for you."
At these words, Feng Yanzhang laughed heartily.
Then, his expression turned serious as he said, "However, Jingwen, we must not tell anyone about Li Xian treating your injuries.
He intentionally concealed his identity, and if others were to find out through us, he might become annoyed..."
In fact, Feng Yanzhang's concerns were entirely unnecessary.
Chu Ning, who had left Han Yan City, found an uninhabited mountain peak and landed, changing his appearance back to his original form.
No one would associate him with the "Yuan Ying cultivator" Li Qun.
Only then did Chu Ning summon Bai Ling.
She emerged from his sleeve, and with a puff of breath, several items appeared before Chu Ning.
They were several pieces of sizable Ice Condensing Jade, known as Bing Ning Yu, and a bluish-white pearl emitting a chilling aura.
Then, Bai Ling transformed into a charming young girl.
"Is this the Han Sui Pearl? It seems a little different from the one I gave you before."
Chu Ning held the pearl in his hand and spoke softly.
Bai Ling smiled and said, "Yes, Young Master, the Han Sui Pearl I gave you before was probably newly formed.
While it did contain a lot of icy aura, it pales in comparison to this one."
"Okay!" Bai Ling eagerly took the pearl and popped it into her mouth. Excitement shone on her face, and she looked ready to give it a try.
It was clear that she found this endeavor extremely intriguing.
Chu Ning then picked up the several pieces of Ice Condensing Jade.
"These pieces of Ice Condensing Jade should be enough to craft hundreds of jade talismans."
Satisfied, Chu Ning stored them away in his storage bag.
The success rate of his Ice Shadow Sword Talismans hadn't improved largely due to the lack of suitable materials.
Now that he had acquired a substantial amount, he could practice extensively once he returned to the island.
Next, Chu Ning picked up a few more items—the white robe, high-grade spirit stones, and refining materials he had obtained from the desiccated bone in Binguan Mountain.
"High-grade spirit stones will definitely come in handy when using superior-grade formations. These refining materials are of a higher grade than the ones I bought in Han Yan City, and they seem to be compatible with my needs. It's probably because I'm using the inherited formation techniques from Tianmu Continent."
Chu Ning nodded in satisfaction. Then, he turned his attention to the white robe, examining it closely.
At first glance, he didn't notice anything unusual.
However, having crafted the blue robe himself, he knew that the intricate patterns on the robe indicated that it likely possessed various functions.
"From the look of these patterns, this robe seems to have decent defensive capabilities?"
Chu Ning muttered to himself, then tossed the robe onto the ground.
He summoned the Golden Spirit Sword with a wave of his hand and infused it with Metal-based Qi, slashing at the robe.
To his surprise, the incredibly sharp sword failed to leave any marks on the white robe.
Intrigued, Chu Ning summoned a few more flying swords.
Combining the power of four swords into one strike, he slashed at the robe again, but still, there was no damage.
"This robe has excellent defensive properties!"
Chu Ning's eyes lit up.
The blue robe he wore was crafted by him in Jiuhua Sect, but its defensive capabilities were undoubtedly inferior to this white robe.
After some thought, Chu Ning decided to test it further and summoned an Ice Shadow Sword Talisman.
With his current state of being an Undying Vajra Body, ordinary defensive enhancements weren't particularly necessary.
But if this robe could withstand the power of the Ice Shadow Sword Talisman, comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator's attack, then it would be truly impressive.
"Swish!"
"Oh no!"
As soon as the sword aura of the talisman touched the robe, Chu Ning exclaimed in dismay.
It was too late for him to retract the attack.
He could only watch helplessly as the sword aura penetrated the robe.
Chu Ning sighed inwardly, feeling a bit regretful.
However, something unexpected happened at that moment.
The hole that had been torn in the robe by the sword aura suddenly healed, and the robe returned to its pristine state as if nothing had happened.
"Huh?"
Chu Ning was taken aback by this turn of events.
He picked up the white robe, inspected it closely, but found no signs of damage.
Chu Ning's eyes narrowed, and he put on the robe, infusing it with his spiritual power.
Immediately, the robe shimmered with flowing light, and a defensive shield appeared around his body.
"As expected, this robe is a defensive spiritual treasure."
Chu Ning summoned another Ice Shadow Sword Talisman and directed it toward himself.
This time, the sword aura failed to penetrate the shield.
"What a formidable defense!"
Chu Ning was delighted. He examined the robe further and found that while it didn't enhance his Wind Escape technique as effectively as the blue robe, the overall spiritual power consumption was lower.
"This is probably because the formation array on this robe is more advanced. If I can add some wind-based patterns to it, it'll be even more practical than the blue robe I crafted."
Chu Ning stored the white robe away, intending to research it further when he returned to the island.
Then, he stood up, called out to Bai Ling, and they flew toward Shenyin Valley.
(End of Chapter)
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