Chapter 205 - 203: Obtain Seed l
Like a floating light, Lu Xuan drifted in front of a massive stone mountain.
He looked down at the invitation in his hand covered in numerous symbols, all brightly lit, with the greatest luminosity near the center of the stone mountain.
Additionally, an arrow pointed to the mountain, indicating the final venue of the exchange gathering.
The surface of the stone mountain was desolate, yet a probe with his spiritual sense revealed a cryptic secret within.
Lu Xuan looked around and slowly walked towards the stone mountain.
His current appearance was significantly different from usual. On his face, he wore a bronze mask he bought from a loose cultivator’s stall, capable of disguising his features and preventing a certain degree of spiritual sense spying.
In front of a vertical stone wall on the side of the mountain, there was a large stone door guarded by two Qi Cultivation Perfection cultivators. They greeted the cultivators participating in the treasure exchange with warm smiles.
After observing in secret, Lu Xuan approached them. The two men confirmed the authenticity of the invitation and Lu Xuan’s cultivation level before respectfully leading him through the stone door.
A moment later, he arrived at the bottom of the mountain.
Inside was a spacious hall hidden deep in the mountain belly, secured by a powerful formation.
At this time, over a hundred cultivators were already gathered inside, Lu Xuan glanced over them.
Among them, most were high-grade Qi practitioners or at the perfection stage of Qi practice. There were around thirty at the Foundation Establishment First- term Stage and about ten at the Foundation Establishment Mid-term stage.
Among these ten, two had profound spiritual power hinting at a possible Foundation Establishment Late-term cultivation.
Of course, it was also possible that some cultivators deliberately concealed their cultivation levels, much like Lu Xuan, who possessed a Rank Three Concealed Spirit Wear that could hide his figure and spiritual power.
However, since he planned to obtain the Five-grade saint baby fruit spirit, he did not hide his cultivation level.
After all, if a visibly Qi Training Realm cultivator obtained a Fifth-order spiritual species, it might invite trouble and unnecessary problems.
Lu Xuan found a stone chair, sat down, closed his eyes, and waited for the exchange gathering to begin.
Along the way, he used his newly upgraded Inner door disciple identity plate to sense around and sensed a familiar aura from five other cultivators present. This put the slightly alert Lu Xuan at ease.
“The updated identity plate is really special. It can detect the traces of fellow sect members nearby. Although it cannot pinpoint their exact location, it’s quite nice to know that so many fellow disciples are here.”
“If there’s any trouble, I can call for their help and team up with these five fellow disciples. Then we’ll see who dares to harbor ill intentions against us.” Lu Xuan once again experienced the strength of the sect and silently marveled in his heart.
After waiting for about half an hour, all the cultivators arrived.
A plump cultivator stepped onto the stage in the hall.
He coughed lightly and the crowd quickly quieted down.
“Welcome, fellow Daoists, from far and wide, who have come to participate in this treasure exchange gathering that I have organized.”
“Let me quickly introduce the rules to you all to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding.”
“Each cultivator can go on stage, display the treasure you have, and specify the rank and type of treasure you require, and exchange with the Daoists in the audience.”
“After a round of display, we’ll enter the free exchange phase, where you can privately communicate. You can even invite a third cultivator to join in and mutually exchange the desired treasures.”
“Of course, the most important rule is that there should be no coercion. Both parties should be willingly participating.”
“If anyone forces another to exchange their treasures, they are disrespecting the face of our Wanbao Building and should not blame us for our discourtesy.”
“There is a powerful formation in the hall and the aid of my foundation establishment friend. Before causing trouble, please consider whether you’re capable.”
The plump cultivator finished introducing the rules, flew off the stone stage, and handed over the floor to the cultivators below.
Quickly, someone rushed onto the stone stage, initiating the treasure exchange gathering.
Lu Xuan sat in a corner, silently observing the audience and the stage.
As more cultivators appeared on the stage, a variety of treasures were presented, many of which were third and fourth-grade items which Lu Xuan found incredibly tempting.
The treasures predominantly consisted of Magic Artifacts, Elixirs, and Charms. There were also a significant number of spiritual plant and demon beast materials alongside many other strange and unique items.
As for what Lu Xuan was most interested in – Spiritual Seeds, Spiritual Plant Seedlings, Demon Beast Embryos and Young Beast – they were occasionally presented but none satisfied him.
Although third-grade Spiritual Seeds appeared twice, they were just regular seeds commonly found in the Cultivation World. Lu Xuan recalled seeing these seeds recorded in the Jade Book of the Agricultural Department Hall and knew they could be procured for a few Spirit Stones.
Demon Beast Embryos and Young Beasts were even more impossible to come by. Only one Qi Cultivation Perfection cultivator displayed a Tier-2 Demon Beast cub. However, several complete third-tier demon beast bodies sparked some interest in him.
Soon enough, only some Foundation Establishment cultivators remained who had not yet presented on the stage.
A thin-looking cultivator flew up to the stage and took out a strange Spiritual Seed from his storage bag.
The Spiritual Seed looked like an embryo with what appeared to be an infant coiled inside. The child, ashy grey and skinny, stayed still within the seed.
A closer look revealed the child’s body gradually becoming blurry, as if the scenes just seen were merely illusions.
“This is a Holy Baby Fruit spirit seed, a fifth-grade spiritual plant. The rumored spirit fruit, shaped like a baby, can be used as top-quality material for creating external avatars.”
“Because the value of Spirit Seeds is the lowest among treasures of the same grade, it can be exchanged for a fourth-grade treasure or a rarely seen third- grade treasure.”
As soon as the thin cultivator finished speaking, the majority of Qi Cultivating cultivators in the audience were buzzing. For them, who were still in the Qi Training Realm, the Holy Baby Fruit seed’s value soared since fifth-grade corresponds to the almost unreachable Nascent Soul Stage.
Sadly, they encountered their most desired treasure at their most powerless age and were left only with regretful sighs.
“Sir, you’re being rather dishonest.”
“Yes, it’s true the Holy Baby Fruit is a fifth-grade spiritual seed, but you hid the fact about the bizarre nature of this spiritual plant. If a cultivator unaware of this receives it, they’re bound to suffer a huge loss.”
A light voice echoed from the crowd.
“Who is it?”
The face of the thin cultivator rapidly transformed as he hurriedly scanned the audience with his Spiritual Sense.
But the person who had spoken was not weaker than him and would not be so easily found so he gave up.
“I must admit I didn’t fully disclose the details. According to rumors,this Holy Baby Fruit has an evil nature. Many cultivators who’ve planted it ended up missing or fatally wounded. Of course, these are just idle talks from folks so, the credibility is low.”
The thin cultivator, who was exposed, found it hard to stay on stage. He took a deep breath and tried to defend himself.
He quietly waited on the stage. Few cultivators in the audience cultivated Spiritual Plants. Most cultivators focused on Alchemy and Tool refining.
The few interested Foundation Establishment cultivators had no confidence in cultivating it. Given the rumors about the Holy Baby Fruit’s evil nature and even with the temptation of a fifth-grade Spiritual Seed in front of them, there were not many cultivators bidding.
Merely a handful of people bid, the highest of which was a Foundation Establishment Mid-term cultivator who offered a complete Fourth Grade Demon Beast Skeleton in exchange.
The thin cultivator hesitated then a voice reached his ear.
“Fellow cultivator, I have a long, high-quality third-grade Flood Dragon Vine, and a rarely seen third-grade Spirit Cleansing Talisman which can purify Demon Envoys. How about trading it for your Holy Baby Fruit spiritual seed?” “Trading a fifth-grade spiritual seed for two third-grade treasures, I’m at a loss.”
The thin elder made a comparison and promptly rejected.
“You’re well aware of the value of the Holy Baby Fruit spiritual seed. The items I’m giving in exchange are already quite good.”
“Let me try this. I’ll add another Purifying Spirit Talisman. If we still don’t agree, then let’s just forget about this.”
Lu Xuan transmitted his words with a smile from below the stage.
“Alright, deal.”
Upon hearing the thin cultivator’s response, he revealed a satisfied expression.