Chapter 1941: Want to Vent?

This was the second time he had heard of such a thing since arriving in the Firmament. Since this could be used to purchase pills of sufficient grade, he had to find it first to heal his injuries. Once his injuries stabilized, he could absorb the free spiritual energy in the air, transform it into Heaven's Path zhenqi, resolve the hidden danger in Shan Xiaotian, guide his sword art, and break the current deadlock.

"Mystic River City is too small to establish a Hall of Deities, so there's nowhere to sell it... Therefore, it's impossible to buy!" Shan Xiaotian said.

Zhang Xuan froze.

If it couldn't be bought, what was the point?

"Are there other ways to get it?"

"There are... but it's too difficult!" Shan Xiaotian said. "When the Swan Goose Commerce Guild was first established, to attract business, it left ten challenging problems, drawing countless people. The rewards varied, but the most difficult one offered a Deific Jade Token! The first nine have already been solved, but the last one... because it's too difficult, many people have tried over the years but couldn't solve it!"

"Take me to see it!" Zhang Xuan said.

To be honest, even if there really was a Deific Jade Token and he needed to buy it, he was penniless and couldn't afford it. Solving a problem to obtain it would be the most economical method for him.

Knowing there was no other way, Shan Xiaotian could only nod in agreement.

Currently, Zhang Xuan's injuries were too severe for him to walk, so he had to travel by carriage. After about an hour's journey, a tall commerce building appeared before them. They got off the carriage, and with Shan Xiaotian's support, quickly arrived at the Swan Goose Commerce Guild's problem-solving area.

Indeed, many people were gathered there. Being able to obtain a Deific Jade Token for free was a huge temptation for many.

"Oh, wrong again..."

"You've been here over ten times in two months, without a single success. Don't come here to embarrass yourself again..."

"Am I embarrassing your family? How dare you lecture me? Haven't you been here more times than me?"

"If this problem were so easy to solve, it wouldn't have remained here for so many years, unresolved..."

Soon, many people shook their heads, each filled with disappointment. This place was somewhat similar to the Wall of Quandaries from before; correct answers would be judged by a corresponding standard to confirm their accuracy. This was why many people were attracted to come and try their luck.

Along the way, through conversations with Shan Xiaotian, he also learned about the preciousness of the Deific Jade Token. Each one was extremely expensive, and even Ancient Sages would find it difficult to purchase one. According to Shan Xiaotian's description, the price was so high that even if he brought his previous spatial ring and sold everything inside, he might not be able to afford a single one.

Of course, through these conversations, he also gained a deeper understanding of the Firmament. Beings in the Firmament, exposed to mercury-like spiritual energy from birth, each possessed a stronger physique, far surpassing normal humans in the Master Teacher Continent, and even exceeding the Spirit race experts. Like the body he now inhabited, they were born with Saint realm strength and generally reached Saint 9-dan upon reaching adulthood. Someone like Shan Xiaotian, who was about to reach adulthood yet only at Saint 6-dan, could be said to have almost no future prospects.

Xue Qin, who had come to cause trouble earlier, was about the same age as him but had already reached Great Sage 3-dan Consummation and was one of the most prominent young people in Mystic River City. Mystic River City was just a small city under the jurisdiction of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, where Ancient Sages were considered absolute powerhouses. The City Lord, Xue Yao, who was Xue Qin's father and known as the foremost expert, had only just reached Ancient Sage 4-dan, Void Shattering realm initial stage, just like Zhang Xuan.

Therefore, once Zhang Xuan recovered his strength, no one in the city would be able to resist him.

"Let's see what kind of problem has stumped so many people..."

Shaking his head and casting these thoughts aside, Zhang Xuan looked up at the wall not far away.

"When refining the Yang-Nourishing Pill, even if it's of perfect grade, consuming it will cause a violent, uncontrollable surge of yang energy..."

He quickly finished reading. The problem was simple: an issue in the refining process of a special pill called the Yang-Nourishing Pill. The Yang-Nourishing Pill was an essential medicine for cultivators practicing yang-attribute cultivation arts, capable of filling one with vitality and immense strength. While the medicine was excellent, its side effects were also obvious: even at the perfect grade, consuming it would cause a buildup of yang energy that couldn't be released, requiring one to seek a woman to vent it, but doing so would result in significant depletion. Precisely because of this, this pill presented a problem that countless alchemists found difficult to solve, and it had remained unresolved for an unknown number of years, with no one succeeding.

"Yang-Nourishing Pill?"

After reading the content, Zhang Xuan also frowned. In the Master Teacher Continent, he had seen countless types of pills but had never heard of this particular medicine. The other party seemed to understand that many people wouldn't be familiar with this medicine, so they had left the specific pill formula and refining methods. He quickly cataloged these into his Library of Heaven's Path, and a book appeared.

"So that's how it is..."

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Although many medicines in the Firmament differed from those in the Master Teacher Continent, and their refining methods were incomparable, the Library of Heaven's Path was equally powerful, allowing him to easily identify the flaws and errors in the presented medicinal ingredients and steps with a single glance.

"Teacher... do you know how to solve this problem?"

Seeing his smiling face, Shan Xiaotian was curious. He had studied it for an unknown period with no results; could it be that his teacher had the answer after just one glance?

"I guess so..." Zhang Xuan confirmed his thought.

"Then... how do you solve it?" In shock, Shan Xiaotian couldn't help but ask.

"Actually, it's not as complicated as you might think. In the refining of the Yang-Nourishing Pill, there's an ingredient called Fiery Root Grass. Just replace this ingredient with Spirit Mother Grass!" Zhang Xuan explained in a low voice.

"Spirit Mother Grass... that's a pure yin-attribute medicine. If you put it here, can it be refined into a pure yang-attribute Yang-Nourishing Pill?" Shan Xiaotian was stunned. Because he was often ill, he had a deep understanding of pills and medicines. Fiery Root Grass, while inconspicuous among the many ingredients present, was an indispensable component for refining this pill. Replacing it with pure yin-attribute Spirit Mother Grass would not only prevent the pill from forming but might also burn away the yang fire, rendering the medicine ineffective.

"Solitary yin cannot be born, and solitary yang cannot grow! Although Spirit Mother Grass is pure yin-attribute, it can neutralize and temper the medicinal properties of the primary ingredient, Fire Red Petals. This way, the feeling of overflowing vitality will be resolved without depleting the medicinal power!" Zhang Xuan said.

Yin-yang harmonization was something even some skilled alchemists in the Master Teacher Continent could achieve. It was surprising that no one in Mystic River City had discovered this. It seemed that while cultivation levels were higher here, the proliferation of other professions was not as developed as in the Master Teacher Continent. It was like his previous life, where individual martial prowess was negligible. Yet here, merely teaching a chicken a casual lesson could enable it to directly crush a world champion. Yet in such an environment, the widespread availability of mobile phones and telephones made information exchange alone infinitely more convenient than in the Master Teacher Continent. Each profession had its specialization. In the Master Teacher Continent, Master Kong had opened up countless professions, which had developed for tens of thousands of years and already reached maturity. Evidently, the Firmament was far inferior in this regard.

"This..."

Shan Xiaotian was still full of confusion and was about to ask when he heard bustling sounds behind him, followed by a group of people entering from outside.

"Who's that, so arrogant?" A middle-aged man who had been standing nearby frowned.

"Shh... keep your voice down. That's the expert from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion who's here to recruit miscellaneous disciples this time. It's said he has deep knowledge of alchemy..." A well-informed person quickly lowered his voice.

"An expert from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion?" The middle-aged man who had spoken immediately turned pale, swayed, and quickly walked away, making way. The Lingyun Sword Pavilion held extremely high prestige in Mystic River City, and no one dared to challenge its authority.

Zhang Xuan turned his head to look. It was a cold-faced young man, dressed in gray, appearing to be twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a long sword fastened at his waist. A glint of cold light in his shifting eyes gave him an aura of decisive killing intent. Although he was not old, his cultivation was extremely profound. Just like Zhang Xuan at his peak, he had also reached Ancient Sage 4-dan, Void Shattering realm. In the entire Master Teacher Continent, there hadn't been a single expert of this level before, yet here, he saw one so casually. The Firmament was indeed formidable.

"She..."

As he was musing, he saw Shan Xiaotian on the side clench his fists again, his eyes reddening. Following Shan Xiaotian's gaze, Zhang Xuan then noticed Xue Qin, who had come to break off the engagement earlier, standing prominently among the crowd, closely following the gray-clad young man. Her graceful figure was tightly wrapped in a light purple long dress, her swan-like white neck exposed, and her head slightly raised, subtly conveying pride and arrogance. Being able to follow behind an expert from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion indicated that her status had been confirmed, and she had truly made a name for herself in Mystic River City.

"Such a simple problem stumped you for so long?" Stopping his steps, the gray-clad young man glanced at the wall and snorted, "Go write the answer. Just replace the Fiery Root Grass with Spirit Mother Grass!"

"Alright!" Another young man behind him immediately stepped forward and hurried towards the wall.

He hadn't expected this person to also spot the problem immediately, and it was exactly what his teacher had said. Shan Xiaotian no longer cared about being angry, his face filled with anxiety: "We found the answer first..." Just moments ago, he was still doubting if his teacher was correct, but now that the person from Lingyun Sword Pavilion said the same, there was definitely no issue. However, once the other party wrote down the answer, this Deific Jade Token would fall into their hands, and they would no longer be able to obtain it.

"Too late..."

Just as he was about to rush forward, he felt his wrist tighten as his teacher held him back. Shan Xiaotian looked up, only to realize that the young man had already finished writing the answer and pressed his palm lightly against the wall. A red light shone brightly.

"Correct?"

"As expected of an expert from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, he spotted the problem at first glance!"

"I'd long heard that the Sword Pavilion experts were figures standing on the clouds. Seeing it with my own eyes, it truly lives up to its reputation..."

"The Sword Pavilion recruits very few people each time. I wonder how many will pass from Mystic River City this time! Only by becoming a miscellaneous disciple does one have a chance to become an outer disciple, then an inner disciple, then a direct disciple..."

"It shouldn't be more than three, right? It's always been like this..."

Everyone gasped in unison. The problem that had stumped Mystic River City for over a decade was thus easily solved by the other party. As expected of an expert from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, truly extraordinary.

"Congratulations, distinguished sir, for solving the Swan Goose Commerce Guild's last remaining problem. Here is your reward..." Soon, from inside the guild, a slightly plump middle-aged man walked out smiling, holding a wooden box in both hands, on which lay a palm-sized jade token. Various talismans encircled it, emitting strong spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Is this the Deific Jade Token?"

"Just one of these costs hundreds of thousands of Deific Coins?"

"I probably can't afford this in my lifetime..."

Although they were native cultivators of the Firmament, this item only circulated among powerhouses. There were only a few in the entire Mystic River City, and many had never seen one.

The gray-clad young man's face was expressionless. He picked up the jade token with two fingers, circulated his zhenqi at his fingertips, and brushed it, confirming it was authentic. He then nodded with satisfaction. With a flick of his finger, it landed in Xue Qin's palm behind him: "It's for you..."

Her face flushed, Xue Qin's breathing immediately became rapid. The gift from the other party was not only precious, but more importantly, it represented status and identity. Being able to pass the assessment and become a miscellaneous disciple was already enough to bring glory to her ancestors, and to be given an item as well... this honor would certainly make countless people envious.

Clenching the Deific Jade Token, Xue Qin immediately bowed: "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

After thanking him, she was about to say a few more words when she suddenly saw Shan Xiaotian standing in the crowd. Her beautiful eyes flashed, and she took a few steps closer, her eyes showing a mocking smile as she lowered her voice: "What, you want this Deific Jade Token too? Too bad... it's already mine! People should know their place. Don't wish for things you don't deserve; it will only make you more disappointed!"

Before, she might have worried that breaking off the engagement would harm her reputation, but now that the Senior Brother from Lingyun Sword Pavilion was showing such favor, she had clearly reached another level. This guy in front of her could never catch up, no matter how hard he tried! They were people from two different worlds now; what was there to be concerned about? Of course, almost everyone here was from the City Lord's Mansion, and no one would dare to spread the news. As for the rogue cultivators who had come to try their luck, a couple of warnings would ensure they kept their mouths shut and dared not say more. Moreover, her voice was low, so even if seen, no one would know what was said.

"You..."

Shan Xiaotian's body stiffened. He was humiliated again.

"Who is he?" The gray-clad young man's voice sounded.

"Just an ordinary friend from before..." Xue Qin retreated and bowed deeply, her attitude completely different from how she treated Shan Xiaotian.

"Let's go!" Snorting, the gray-clad young man turned and walked out, with Xue Qin closely following.

"Teacher, I'm sorry..." His body trembling, Shan Xiaotian turned around after a moment, looking at his teacher with an apologetic expression. His teacher had already stated the correct method; if it weren't for answering his curiosity, the jade token would surely have been theirs.

"Casually giving away such a precious item and making her obediently listen... your fiancée, the so-called miscellaneous disciple, seems to have obtained her position in a not-so-honorable way..." As if understanding something, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and looked at his student: "Do you want to get some payback?"

"Payback?" Shan Xiaotian was startled. The other party had already curried favor with this expert; how could they get payback with just themselves?