Song Yun and the other Qingyuan Clan disciples quickly stood to greet him, "Greetings, Senior Brother Sun!"
"Greetings, Daoist Sun," the others also rose to pay their respects.
"I'm Sun Zhixuan, greetings to all fellow daoists!" Sun Zhixuan returned the greeting politely. His tone was gentle, unlike many who looked down on others due to their status, which gave Wang Hao a good impression of him.
After Sun Zhixuan sat down, everyone gathered around him. Cultivators usually exchanged cultivation experiences, and Sun Zhixuan clearly knew more than the others. Combined with his status, it was no surprise that he was so popular!
However, Sun Zhixuan excluded no one and spoke at a moderate pace so that everyone could hear clearly. In particular, regarding methods to overcome bottlenecks, Wang Hao compared them to his own past experiences and gained some insights!
Besides cultivation, everyone also discussed various cultivation arts. Among them, the most discussed were alchemy, weapon forging, and talisman crafting. An enthusiastic talisman craftsman even publicly demonstrated a technique. Wang Hao observed the entire process and learned a lot. He had already dabbled in this field a few years ago, but now, with guidance and diligent practice, he felt that advancing to a mid-level talisman craftsman would not be difficult. Therefore, he also shared some of his alchemy experiences. When they realized he was a high-quality first-grade alchemist, everyone became much more enthusiastic about him!
After a while, once the last talisman craftsman finished speaking, Sun Zhixuan suggested:
— "Today, so many talents have gathered here, especially in alchemy, talismans, and weapon forging. Why don't we hold a small exchange fair? What do you all think?"
"I agree with Senior Brother Sun!"
"I agree as well!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Sun Zhixuan smiled with satisfaction:
— "Since everyone agrees, let's begin. As for the rules, we can trade items or buy with spirit stones, depending on the seller's wishes. That's all."
With a wave of his hand, he took out four items: a low-grade second-tier spiritual talisman, the Golden Sword Talisman, a jade box, a longsword, and a large black stone.
— "Golden Sword Talisman of second tier, high-quality first-tier magical weapon Clear Wind Sword, the black stone is a high-grade forging material, Black Iron Stone, and the jade box contains an eighty-year-old Soul Nurturing Herb! I only want to exchange for materials for crafting second-tier talismans: feathers, blood ink, talisman paper, all acceptable!"
Soul Nurturing Herb. Wang Hao's eyes fixed on the faint blue grass. Upon hearing Sun Zhixuan's introduction, he knew this plant had a nourishing effect on the soul. Just smelling its aroma for a long time could already enhance spiritual perception. It was a pity he didn't have any second-tier talisman materials. The animal hides he and Eighth Uncle had hunted last time had already been sold! He was about to ask if he could exchange it for spirit stones or pills when he heard Sun Zhixuan speak again:
— "Sorry, but I've already traded this Soul Nurturing Herb with Junior Sister Chen. Please don't send me voice transmissions anymore, let's look at the other items!"
As he spoke, he saw Chen Qing happily accepting the jade box. What she had exchanged was a jade vial, emitting a strong bloody smell, as if it were the blood of a second-tier demon beast!
Wang Hao was relieved it was in Chen Qing's hands. Considering her gratitude for the Three-Leaf Concentration Herb, she wouldn't refuse to lend him the Soul Nurturing Herb to take a look, right?
After that, a wandering cultivator exchanged animal hide for the talisman, the flying sword was traded to an external disciple of the Qingyuan Clan, and the Black Iron Stone was taken back by Sun Zhixuan since no one wanted it!
Song Yun stepped forward:
— "I'm also a talisman craftsman, but I can't compare to Senior Brother Sun. I only have high-grade talismans: Fire Rain Talisman, Water Dragon Talisman, and Strength Talisman. They can be exchanged for equivalent value items or purchased with spirit stones."
Wang Hao stepped forward and spent two hundred spirit stones to buy ten talismans. He wanted to buy more but was wary of drawing attention and becoming a target of greed!
Other cultivators also took turns buying or trading. Soon, the approximately fifty talismans in Song Yun's hands were all exchanged!
Next, others also began to bring out their items for trade. Wang Hao exchanged two bottles of Yellow Bud Pills for a mid-grade first-tier feather. Since he planned to improve his talisman crafting skills, he needed to prepare the necessary materials!
— "Two high-grade first-tier demon wolf fangs, one high-grade first-tier Black Water Turtle shell, both excellent forging materials, and ten Illusory Moon Butterfly eggs. The Illusory Moon Butterfly ranks seventy-eighth on the list of spiritual insects in the world. When it reaches second tier, it can emit a magical power that makes people fall into illusions. I only want to trade for pills that increase cultivation, preferably Yellow Dragon Pills!" — said another Qingyuan Clan disciple, displaying a pile of items!
Upon hearing about the Illusory Moon Butterfly, Wang Hao became interested. He had already raised two spirit beasts, spending thousands of spirit stones with little return, but he knew that when Ya Ya and Xiao Bai advanced to second tier, it would be time to reap the rewards. Thus, he also wanted to trade for two insect eggs.
— "Illusory Moon Butterfly? Are you kidding? How could something like that appear so easily?" — Sun Zhixuan asked curiously.
The man quickly explained:
— "Senior Brother Sun, how would I dare deceive you? But these eggs were obtained by me while exploring a cave. However, because they were stored for a long time, they lost part of their vitality, and it will be a bit difficult to hatch them!"
— "May I take a look?"
— "Of course!" — he said, opening a jade box. — "Senior Brother Sun, please!"
— "Why this color?" — Sun Zhixuan held a colorful insect egg the size of a chicken egg and said in surprise: — "Shouldn't the Illusory Moon Butterfly have white eggs? Why are there colored stripes?"
— "That... I don't know either. They were already like this when I got them. According to the description left in the cave, I discovered they were Illusory Moon Butterfly eggs!"
— "Ah, what a pity. Less than 20% vitality remains. These eggs are difficult to hatch!" — Sun Zhixuan observed for a long time with a look of regret. — "But if they hatch, you wouldn't even think of selling them. After they hatch, they could be sold for ten times the price!"
The man scratched his head awkwardly but didn't argue!
In the end, he traded for five Illusory Moon Butterfly eggs.
Wang Hao didn't want to delay, fearing others would snatch them first. He stepped forward and took out a bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills:
— "Daoist friend, how about I trade this bottle of pills for the remaining five eggs?"
— "Hmm..." — the man hesitated for a moment. — "If Daoist adds half a bottle, I'll trade!"
— "Deal," — Wang Hao agreed, took out another half bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills, and stored the eggs in his pouch! The man also gave him a jade with information and methods for raising the Illusory Moon Butterfly, all obtained from the cave!
Wang Hao returned to his seat and sat down to read. The information stated that Illusory Moon Butterfly eggs could normally be hatched if placed in areas rich in spiritual energy, but with only 20% vitality remaining, that might not be enough! Their magical power is truly strong: when they reach second tier, they emit their own glow, and Qi Refinement cultivators fall into illusions with just a glance. Even high-level cultivators can be caught if they don't avoid the illusory light emitted!
After another half an hour, no one else stepped forward to trade. At this point, Chu He said:
— "Brother Wang, haven't you shown anything to trade?"
Wang Hao stood up, bowed to everyone with an apologetic expression:
— "Sorry, I just recently advanced to a high-quality first-grade alchemist, and I don't have many pills with me. I've already exchanged them for the items of fellow daoists, and I have nothing more to offer!"
— "In that case, let's conclude for today!" — Sun Zhixuan said, announcing the end of the gathering.