Chapter 152: Chapter 151: The Sealed Spiritual Artifact

’I never thought I’d find my first hidden treasure in a place like this...’

Bai Zichen caressed the Brass Ring. It was indeed made of the most common Tier One Materials.

No wonder no one had discovered the secret of the Brass Ring. Only a Cultivator who was exceptionally skilled in Swordsmanship and happened to examine this Magical Artifact with great care would have found it.

Otherwise, even if an ordinary Cultivator noticed the dancing light from the two colliding Sword Shadows, they would just assume it was a Rune carved into the Magical Artifact.

’How skilled in Swordsmanship? He figured they’d need at least half of his own Sword Dao Cultivation.’

This Brass Ring wasn’t an offensive Magical Artifact at all, but an inheritance artifact.

Those two Sword Shadows contained an Exquisite Swordsmanship. If it were transcribed and sold at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, it would be worth at least five hundred Spirit Stones.

Even from Bai Zichen’s perspective, he found it had some merit.

Of course, seeing it once was enough. There was no need to learn it.

Any random swordsmanship from the True Enlightenment Sword Technique was far more profound, and he hadn’t even learned a tenth of it yet.

"Little girl, I suggest you change the price to five hundred Spirit Stones. You can’t sell it for one hundred twenty Spirit Stones anyway. But if you run into someone who recognizes its true value—someone who sees the Exquisite Swordsmanship and wants to keep the Brass Ring to study day and night—they’ll definitely be willing to pay five hundred."

Bai Zichen tossed the Brass Ring back to the inexperienced young girl, feeling it was a bit of a shame. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

’My first successful find, all based on my own judgment, and it wasn’t even in the Market.’

’As the esteemed First Sword Cultivator of the Qingfeng Sect, how could I have the gall to take advantage of a junior from my own Sect, a naive little girl at that?’

The inexperienced young girl stood there blankly, watching this Senior Brother whose Cultivation didn’t seem much higher than her own walk away, completely baffled by what he had said.

’Sell it for five hundred Spirit Stones... even a Top-Grade Magical Artifact doesn’t fetch that price. That Senior Brother must have been spouting nonsense to make fun of me.’

The young girl was about to dismiss his words completely, but then she recalled how he had crouched down to study the Brass Ring. His focused, serious expression didn’t look like he was joking.

’Could it be that the Brass Ring my grandfather left me really has some other purpose?’

Bai Zichen quickly made a round of all the stalls. He didn’t find any other items like the Brass Ring, where the actual value was vastly different from the listed price.

Finding hidden treasures was a rare occurrence, after all; it wasn’t something one could stumble upon often.

"Junior Brothers, as you all know, I became an Inner Sect Disciple last month. But remembering our past camaraderie, I’ve come back specially to hold this trade meet. We can all trade for what we need and strengthen our bonds. I believe that in the coming years, more Inner Sect Disciple positions will be filled by those of you present here today!"

Tian Kang stood up and raised his cup as he spoke.

"I am also honored to have invited a senior, Senior Brother Gan Guangde of the Talisman Hall. Senior Brother Gan was also an Inner Sect Disciple a few years ago and now serves as a Steward in the Talisman Department. Later, he will join me in appraising the treasures being traded and providing a reference price for everyone."

Tian Kang came from a poor background, and more importantly, he was over the age limit. So even though he placed first in the small competition, becoming a True Disciple was out of the question for him.

So his main goal during his five years as an Inner Sect Disciple was to befriend as many seniors as possible.

This kind of trade meet was divided into two parts.

In the first half, everyone set up stalls to buy and sell, each getting what they needed.

In the second half, a few Outer Sect Disciples with truly valuable items would take turns presenting what they wanted to sell. The disciples below the stage with the highest bid would win.

It was already somewhat similar to an auction.

"Junior Sister Jiangg, if you see anything you like later, just let me know. I’ll buy it for you."

After sitting down, Tian Kang said to the beautiful woman beside him, his tone gentle and eager to please.

"There’s no need. If I see something I like, I’ll buy it myself."

Jiangg Shu’s brow furrowed slightly, and she imperceptibly shifted a short distance away from him.

Among all the Outer Sect Disciples, her beauty stood out like a crane among chickens, stunning and ethereal.

As soon as she joined the Sect, she attracted the attention of countless fellow disciples and amassed a large group of pursuers.

This Tian Kang was one of the most persistent among them.

Tian Kang wanted to say more, but the first disciple had already walked onto the platform to present their item, so he had to drop the matter for now.

"A piece of Tier Two Yellow Jade. Its texture is soft and can be molded into different shapes, making it the best tool for an Artifact Refiner to practice their craft... I’ll trade for one Barrier-Breaking Pill or three bottles of Purple Ginseng Pills. If paying with Spirit Stones, the price is ten percent higher."

The first Outer Sect Disciple to step forward was no longer young. His face was sallow, with heavy bags under his eyes, giving him a very weary look.

"Interesting. I didn’t expect that after being away for so many years, some good things still show up at every trade meet."

Gan Guangde leisurely drank a cup of Spirit Wine, clicking his tongue in amazement at the fist-sized piece of yellow jade.

Tier Two Yellow Jade was a mineral with an extremely soft texture that could easily be molded into various shapes.

When quenched with fire, it would return to its original lump form.

Although Magical Artifacts Refined from it had serious flaws, it was a favorite practice tool for Low-Tier Refiners, who could use it to attempt Refining various types of Magical Artifacts.

Regardless of success or failure, as long as they used fire to return the yellow jade to its original state, it could be used again.

For disciples who couldn’t afford expensive Artifact Refining Materials, having a piece of Tier Two Yellow Jade on hand could solve most of their practice-related problems.

After all, Artifact Refining, just like Alchemy, was heavily dependent on proficiency.

This person only asked for Elixirs, with Spirit Stones as a secondary option. It was clear he was in a hurry to break through to the next Cultivation level.

"I don’t have a Barrier-Breaking Pill, but I do have three bottles of Purple Ginseng Pills. How about I add some Spirit Stones to make up the difference, Junior Brother?"

After a long wait, only one disciple spoke up to trade with the sallow-faced Outer Sect Disciple.

The sallow-faced disciple thought for a long time before finally agreeing.

Both were popular Elixirs, while Tier Two Yellow Jade was only popular among Low-Tier Refiners. The target audiences were worlds apart.

"A Top-Grade Magical Artifact, the Hundred-Legged Whip..."

"A Tier Two Spirit Grass, Phosphorus Flame Grass. It’s still growing. I can bring it here, and if it can’t be transplanted, the full deposit will be refunded."

"A pair of Unity Golden Bells. If a pair of Dao Companions each wears one, they can sense each other’s location within a hundred-mile radius... I want to trade for a Yin Yang Dual Cultivation Secret Technique."

The treasures brought out by the following Outer Sect Disciples were quite varied and strange.

Some were traded away, while others received no interest, or the offers didn’t meet the seller’s expectations and weren’t sold.

"Everyone, this bronze mirror was a gift from my big brother, which he found during the reclamation war... I’ve had an Artifact Refiner look at it. It’s a sealed Spiritual Artifact. A Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator would only need to spend a year constantly refining it to break the seal."

This Outer Sect Disciple was short and stout. His Daoist Robe had clearly been altered, but it was still ill-fitting, loose and baggy.

"According to that Artifact Refiner, this bronze mirror was most likely originally a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact. Unfortunately, it’s missing a component, so it can only be considered Low Grade."

"But no matter what, it’s still a Spiritual Artifact... I want to trade it for a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object!"

The crowd below erupted in an uproar, both because of the sealed Spiritual Artifact and because of the words "Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object" that had just been spoken.

"Zhen the Second, have you lost your mind? Do you know how valuable a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object is? You want to trade a broken mirror for one? Besides, who here would even have a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object on hand? If your big brother wants to attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, he’d have a better chance begging an Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall."

The effeminate disciple who had presented the Unity Golden Bells earlier seemed to know the short young man and offered his advice kindly.

As the many Outer Sect Disciples chattered amongst themselves, a complete story quickly came together.

The two Zhen brothers’ parents were both Low-Tier Loose Cultivators who were extremely lucky to have given birth to two descendants with Spiritual Roots.

The eldest Zhen brother was a full thirty years older than the second. He was already a Steward in the Law Enforcement Hall and had earned great merit in the last reclamation war, risking his life to send a warning signal that protected a logistics team.

With the rewards from the reclamation war and his years of accumulation, he had enough to exchange for a serving of Pure Yang Gang Sha.

For the Zhen brothers, a single Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object was already a rare find.

A treasure like the Foundation Establishment Pill was something they could never even dream of obtaining.

Even Officers had to wait in line for ten or twenty years, let alone a minor Steward like him.

It was better to take a gamble with a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object while his qi and blood were still abundant. He might just create a miracle.

But unexpectedly, after he returned to the Mountain Gate and gathered the last hundred or so Sect Contribution points he needed, the newly condensed Pure Yang Gang Sha from the Earth Evil Yin Vein was exchanged by someone else.

The eldest Zhen brother had already overdrawn his Primordial Qi during the reclamation war. The sudden, overwhelming anger caused him to faint on the spot.

He had been bedridden for a long time and had only recently recovered.

"Senior Brother Gan, I want to trade this sealed component of a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact for the Pure Yang Gang Sha in your possession... I wonder, are you willing or not?"

The short disciple turned and stared directly at Gan Guangde, who was seated at the wine table.

"The Nine Talisman Gan Family... truly worthy of being a Cultivation Family with two Foundation Establishment members. You so easily gathered enough Sect Contribution through resource exchanges to get a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object. But you’re only at the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining. What use do you have for that Pure Yang Gang Sha?"

"Give it back to my big brother!"

Zhen the Second’s voice was filled with anguish as he stepped forward, trying to force an answer out of Gan Guangde.

"My exchange for the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object complied with the Sect’s rules. I didn’t steal it or rob anyone. What is there to ’give back’?"

Gan Guangde’s expression shifted, but he ultimately stood up to respond.

He was now a Steward in the Talisman Hall. If his reputation among the lower-ranking disciples was ruined, it would be very difficult for him to carry out his duties.

No matter how one looked at it, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

He had simply learned that a newly condensed Pure Yang Gang Sha had been temporarily made available for exchange among the reclamation war rewards, and he had immediately reported it to his family.

The two Foundation Establishment Ancestors of the Nine Talisman Gan Family immediately mobilized their people to help him complete a large number of Sect missions that required submitting Cultivation Resources, gathering the fifteen hundred contribution points needed to exchange for the Pure Yang Gang Sha.

Gan Guangde’s reasoning was simple. Stored in a special Jade Bottle, the Pure Yang Gang Sha wouldn’t lose its efficacy for forty or fifty years.

’Since it was available now, of course I had to get my hands on it immediately.’

’If I waited until I reached the Qi Refining Great Perfection stage only to find I’d have to wait several years for another Pure Yang Gang Sha to condense, wouldn’t that be a waste of precious time?’

The only thing he hadn’t anticipated was that the eldest Zhen brother considered that Pure Yang Gang Sha a must-have item.

Failing to exchange for it, he was so overwhelmed by anger upon his return that he fell unconscious.

’Fortunately, his life wasn’t in danger, or my own reputation would have been utterly ruined.’