Chapter 184: Secret Talk

Qin Sang's face darkened, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He didn't hide his displeasure; he made it clear to the Le sisters, as the asking price was indeed a bit high.

Among rogue cultivators, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would be delighted to find a spirit vein rich in spiritual energy. Whether there's a spirit eye depends entirely on luck, and a spirit spring is an even rarer, highly sought-after treasure.

Only powerful sects like Shaohua Mountain, which occupy the largest spirit veins, have the capability to provide most of their Foundation Establishment disciples with cultivation caves comparable to spirit eyes.

The reason Qin Sang was able to purchase a spirit eye cave dwelling with those few magical artifacts was that the white cat was eager to seek enlightenment at the Heavenly Demon Mound. It distrusted humans, had no other channels, and also possessed a secret technique called "Spirit Evasion Art" that could help it survive.

It had to be said, the Le sisters' desire to exchange a mere withered spirit spring relic for a spirit eye cave dwelling was somewhat wishful thinking.

However, Qin Sang was determined to acquire the spirit spring relic, so after the Le sisters presented their terms, he secretly began to ponder.

He actually knew of two locations with genuine spirit eye cave dwellings.

One was the cave dwelling on the island where the spirit stone mine was located, which was a spirit eye dwelling. The original person in charge of the spirit stone mine was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but it was now occupied by Shen Youdao.

As the spirit stones were gradually mined out, the accompanying spirit vein and spirit eye would slowly deplete, but this process wouldn't be rapid, taking at least over a hundred years.

However, that spirit vein was almost destroyed by Shen Youdao and others, and such damage would undoubtedly significantly accelerate the depletion of the spirit eye.

Furthermore, even a nearly depleted spirit stone mine was beyond his means to purchase. The numerous large and small branch veins extending deep underground, if slowly excavated, would still yield an astonishing quantity. He couldn't possibly become a miner, and mining spirit stones was difficult and involved many intricacies, not something achievable simply by having a high cultivation level.

He could apply to become the person in charge, but the sect would certainly not approve of him unilaterally transferring the cave dwelling to an outsider.

The second location was the Heavenly Corpse Sect's sub-altar within the underground cavern.

But Qin Sang knew without thinking that it was impossible. If it were merely an ordinary spirit eye cave dwelling, that would be one thing. However, three naturally formed spirit eyes were clustered together there, though not comparable to a true spirit spring, they were certainly enough to arouse envy.

After he and Senior Brother Yu reported the news to the sect, word of the underground cavern must have already spread.

Although the distance was a bit far, the allure of a 'spirit spring cave dwelling' could make people completely disregard that distance. Once it had been revealed, there was no getting it back.

Therefore, when leaving the Sect Master Peak, Qin Sang didn't ask, and Senior Brother Chu didn't mention it either.

However, since it was a transaction, presenting conditions was simply a way to haggle.

The Le sisters' cultivation was only at the eleventh level of the Qi Condensation stage. A spirit vein rich in spiritual energy would be enough to support their cultivation, so their bottom line should be around that.

He wondered what Baiyun Island, belonging to the Hermit of White Cloud, was like. If this person didn't have very powerful friends, he might be able to forcibly take it.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang spoke, "Fellow Daoist Le, I haven't yet seen the spirit spring relic you possess. Would it be possible for me to have a look first?"

Le Xing nodded, "Of course."

As she spoke, she gently swept her hand across her mustard seed pouch, and then a section of withered tree root appeared in her palm, which she generously offered for Qin Sang to examine.

The tree root was about the size of two human heads, with gnarled roots and a strange luster, resembling ore, caused by being washed by a spirit spring. It was consistent with the descriptions of spirit spring relics in ancient texts.

Qin Sang handed the root back, thought for a moment, and then said, "A withered spirit spring relic is rare but not a supreme treasure. Fellow Daoist Le's asking price is far too high. I daresay even if you asked everyone in the four major markets, not a single person would agree to this price. How about this: Shaohua Mountain nurtures spirit beasts capable of finding spirit veins. I'll pay the spirit stones to lend two to you for a year. The Cloud-Vast Marsh is boundless, with spirit veins crisscrossing it. You might actually find a spirit eye there."

The Le sisters didn't immediately agree or refuse. They exchanged glances and said, "Senior, may my sister and I discuss this for a moment?"

Qin Sang gestured for them to do so.

Old Woman Jing pointed towards the main hall ahead and said indifferently, "The main hall has a sound-insulating barrier. You can go there."

"Thank you, Seniors, for your understanding..."

Le Xing pulled Le Rou and quickly walked to the front. After setting up another sound-insulating barrier, Le Rou complained indignantly, "The Cloud-Vast Marsh not only has countless demonic beasts but also many villains waiting to kill people for their treasures. If we parade around with spirit beasts, we won't even know how we died! I don't think he has any sincerity at all!"

"Alright."

Le Xing tugged at her. "The spirit beasts nurtured by Shaohua Mountain shouldn't be bad. The price for hiring them for a year certainly won't be low, so Senior Qin's sincerity isn't small."

Le Rou's eyes widened. "Sister, you're not actually thinking of selling the root just like that, are you?"

Le Xing's face showed contemplation. "We definitely have to sell it! The root has been passed down through our ancestors for hundreds of years, yet it hasn't produced a single drop of spring water, which proves the legend is true: a spirit spring cannot recover once it dries up. But we certainly can't sell it this cheaply. I want to proceed as we discussed before coming here."

Le Rou's delicate brows furrowed tightly. "But we still don't know what kind of person he is. What if it really is a spirit eye cave dwelling inside? Old Woman Jing might not be able to keep him in check. Will he..."

"Probably not," Le Xing mused. "Senior Qin is right; a spirit spring relic is indeed rare but not a supreme treasure. Our parents tried to sell it before, but the price was too high, and no one wanted it. I deliberately mentioned a spirit eye cave dwelling, and he didn't fly into a rage and rebuke us; instead, he seemed to be considering it carefully. This shows, firstly, that he is genuinely interested in buying it, and secondly, that a spirit eye cave dwelling isn't an unachievable treasure for him. I heard that in Shaohua Mountain, every Foundation Establishment cultivator is assigned a spirit eye. That's the confidence of a major sect..."

Le Xing sighed enviously. "It's rare that the root can fetch such a good price. With Old Woman Jing mediating, Senior Qin is arguably the best candidate. My sister and I can barely sustain our cultivation. Even if we had extra wealth to invite other Foundation Establishment cultivators, they might not be reliable. As long as we can acquire an excellent cave dwelling, we'll have hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. If we can't reach Foundation Establishment, merely seeing it but not being able to enter, what's the point of keeping it?"

Le Rou thought for a while, then reluctantly said, "Alright..."

Seeing the Le sisters return, Qin Sang straightened up.

He then heard Le Xing softly say, "Senior Qin, we can forgo the spirit eye cave dwelling and even give the root to you. We only ask for one favor in return..."

Qin Sang frowned, remaining silent, and watched Le Xing's eyes, quietly awaiting her next words.

Le Xing gave an awkward smile, glanced at Old Woman Jing, and said, "We've discovered an ownerless cave dwelling. Its owner has died, but there are dangerous restrictions outside the dwelling, and we dare not trespass. If Senior Qin can help us break these restrictions, then regardless of whether the cave dwelling inside is good or bad, my sister and I will accept it and will definitely give the root to Senior Qin."