Chapter 109: Zhao Ningxiang's Mystery of Foundation Establishment

"Plum Spirit Wine!"Wang Changsheng was somewhat tempted, but compared to Heaven and Earth Spirit Water, Plum Spirit Wine was still far inferior.The three items Nangong Chen offered were all good and were quickly exchanged, setting a positive tone for the event.

Next, the Foundation Establishment cultivators present successively stepped forward, taking out items for exchange. Most were alchemy and artifact refining materials, and there were also a few second-tier spirit talismans. Most of these transactions were successful.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wang Ruyan approached the empty central table and took out three items: a black turtle shell the size of a millstone, about a zhang in length and width; a yellow ore the size of a watermelon; and a light blue gourd.

"This is the shell of a low-grade second-tier Blackwater Turtle beast, an excellent material for refining shield artifacts. This is a second-tier Golden Sun Stone. And this gourd contains fifty catties of diluted Profound Yin Spirit Water. I am looking to exchange these for silk spun by spirit silkworms of the second tier or higher, or items of equivalent value." Wang Ruyan's gaze swept over the cultivators present as she slowly spoke.

"Silk spun by second-tier spirit silkworms? I have a bundle of silk from low-grade second-tier Azure Light Silkworms. I'd like to exchange it for that Golden Sun Stone." Du Yue took out a bundle of azure silk and handed it to Wang Ruyan.

Wang Ruyan took the azure silk, examined it carefully, and nodded.

"I have a mid-grade second-tier fire-attribute beast core. I'd like to exchange it for the Profound Yin Spirit Water. What do you think, Fairy Wang?" The yellow-robed man from the Azure Sun Sect took out a palm-sized wooden box and handed it to Wang Ruyan.

Wang Ruyan opened the wooden box and saw an egg-sized red spherical object inside. Heaven and Earth Spirit Water was extremely rare to come by; even diluted Heaven and Earth spiritual items were excellent materials for refining artifacts and concocting elixirs. Wang Ruyan was somewhat tempted; a mid-grade second-tier fire-attribute beast core was worth over a thousand spirit stones.

"I have a bundle of silk spun by mid-grade second-tier Jade-Eyed Ice Silkworms. I'd like to exchange it for the Profound Yin Spirit Water." Wang Changsheng stood up, walked towards Wang Ruyan, and handed her a bundle of white silk.

Wang Ruyan examined it carefully, hesitated for a moment, then said, "The quality of this silk bundle is good. However, Profound Yin Spirit Water is a naturally occurring spiritual item, and even in its diluted form, its value far surpasses this bundle of silk. If you wish to exchange for the Profound Yin Spirit Water, you'll need to offer more items."

"Of course. What about adding a two-hundred-year-old Houttuynia cordata plant? Would that be enough?" Wang Changsheng took out a wooden box and handed it to Wang Ruyan.

Wang Ruyan opened the wooden box, hesitated briefly, and then nodded in agreement.

Wang Changsheng picked up the blue gourd and eagerly pulled out the stopper. A wave of cold air emanated from it. He poured some light blue liquid into his palm; it was incredibly cold, as if he were holding a piece of ice.

The yellow-robed man was somewhat disappointed and tried to retrieve his beast core, but Wang Ruyan stopped him.

His expression immediately turned cold. With a gloomy face, he said, "Fairy Wang, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to force me to trade?"

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you've misunderstood. I never said there were only fifty catties of diluted Profound Yin Spirit Water." Wang Ruyan smiled faintly, and with a flick of her delicate hand, an identical blue gourd appeared in her grasp.

The yellow-robed man snatched the blue gourd. After confirming its contents, he was overjoyed and excitedly said, "Fairy Wang, do you have any more diluted Profound Yin Spirit Water on you? I can exchange it for second-tier beast cores!"

Wang Changsheng was astonished. The Wang family truly lived up to its reputation as the foremost cultivation family in the Song Kingdom; Wang Ruyan actually possessed so much diluted Profound Yin Spirit Water.

"No, that's all, just one hundred catties. This second-tier turtle shell is an excellent material for refining defensive artifacts." The yellow-robed man was somewhat disappointed and shook his head, saying, "If it were a mid-grade second-tier demonic turtle shell, I might be interested, but a low-grade second-tier one isn't worth it."

Zhao Yutang took out a two-foot-long second-tier spirit wood and exchanged it for the turtle shell.

Zhao Yutang offered two materials for exchange: a low-grade second-tier spirit fish and a low-grade second-tier beast core. From Du Yue, he exchanged them for three bottles of second-tier Jade Spring Pills. Jade Spring Pills contained a large amount of wood-attribute spiritual energy, making them particularly suitable for cultivators practicing wood-attribute cultivation techniques.

There was a wide variety of elixirs. Cultivators practicing different techniques required different elixirs, but some were suitable for most cultivators.

After a while, it was Wang Changsheng's turn. He took out a Houttuynia cordata plant and a Soil Essence Stone, saying, "I'd like to exchange this two-hundred-year-old Houttuynia cordata and this Soil Essence Stone for Heaven and Earth Spirit Water or water-attribute artifact refining materials."

"Fellow Daoist Wang, how about exchanging this Profound Water Jade for your Houttuynia cordata and Soil Essence Stone?" Nangong Chen took out a watermelon-sized blue crystal and asked with a smile.

Wang Changsheng took the blue crystal, examined it carefully, and was somewhat tempted.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, this is the hide of a high-grade second-tier Jade-Eyed Toad." Wang Ruyan pondered for a moment, then took out a blue hide, a zhang in length and width.

Wang Changsheng considered it thoroughly and decided to exchange with Wang Ruyan. He had originally intended to refine a command flag artifact, and this high-grade second-tier demonic beast hide was an excellent material. It should be possible to refine a mid-grade artifact with it, and with a bit of luck, even a high-grade artifact was a possibility.

Subsequently, several Foundation Establishment cultivators successively approached the empty table and displayed their items, but not many successful exchanges occurred.

Zhao Ningxiang exchanged several types of spirit insect eggs for two pieces of earth-attribute ore.

Fifteen minutes later, the exchange concluded, and the cultivators began to depart.

"Fifth Uncle, Cousin Changsheng, it's been a long time since I've seen you! Come on, let's go to Jade Field Pavilion for a good meal!" Zhao Ningxiang suggested excitedly.

Wang Changsheng had no objections. Zhao Yutang hesitated briefly, glanced at Nangong Chen and the other two, then agreed.

Shortly after, the six of them—Wang Changsheng and his companions—were seated in a private room at Jade Field Pavilion, where four dishes and one soup were served.

After a few cups of wine, the six began to chat freely.

Wang Changsheng hesitated repeatedly before asking Zhao Ningxiang, "Cousin Ningxiang, a year ago you were still at the ninth level of Qi Refining. How did you reach Foundation Establishment so quickly?" Even with the abundant cultivation resources of Medicine King Valley, Wang Changsheng couldn't understand how Zhao Ningxiang had achieved Foundation Establishment in just over a year.

Zhao Ningxiang smiled sweetly and glanced at Nangong Chen beside her. She said, "Actually, it's largely thanks to Senior Brother Nangong's help. The four major sects jointly control a Yellow-grade secret realm called the Heaven Moon Secret Realm. Each time it opens, the four sects dispatch Qi Refining disciples to enter and collect spirit herbs. Our Medicine King Valley had thirty slots, and we held an inner sect competition to select the top thirty to enter. I was fortunate enough to rank twenty-ninth. Senior Brother Nangong's elders had entered the Heaven Moon Secret Realm before, so he gave me a detailed map and lent me three second-tier spirit talismans. After I found two Heaven Moon Grasses, I found a place to hide. When the secret realm closed, I was automatically teleported out. Heaven Moon Grass is a primary ingredient for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. With two Heaven Moon Grasses, I exchanged them for one Foundation Establishment Pill, and Senior Brother Nangong also gave me a bottle of Violet Jade Spirit Water. That's how I was able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment." As she finished speaking, a hint of tenderness flashed in Zhao Ningxiang's eyes as she looked at Nangong Chen.

"A secret realm!" Wang Changsheng suddenly understood. Based on the cultivation restrictions for entrants, secret realms were categorized into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Yellow-grade secret realms only allowed Qi Refining cultivators to enter, Profound-grade secret realms allowed Foundation Establishment cultivators, Golden Core stage True Lords could enter Earth-grade secret realms, and Nascent Soul cultivators could enter Heaven-grade secret realms.