Chapter 1364
Exchanging Spiritual Items, Breaking Through the Bottleneck
Seeing Song Qingming's determined look at the "Dragon Jade Spirit Water," Ao Xing suddenly mentioned the "Sacred Star Disc," which made Song Qingming sigh with relief.
Hundreds of years ago, Ao Xing had his eye on this treasure on his person, and for it he pursued Song Qingming several times, almost driving him to the brink of despair.
Now that Song Qingming has taken the initiative to propose a deal, it is not surprising that the other party would make this request.
“Fellow Daoist Ao, the Sacred Star Disc has already given birth to its own artifact spirit, and it will not easily recognize a master.”
Even if I wanted to give this item to you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to refine it. Why cling to it so persistently?
"What did you say? The Sacred Star Disc has already given birth to an autonomous artifact spirit?"
Seeing Ao Xing looking at him with a puzzled expression, Song Qingming immediately raised his hand and took out a spiritual treasure. Soon after, a white fox in the form of a spirit emerged from it.
It was Qu Bai who had been hiding in the "Sacred Star Disc" for many years.
Seeing that Ao Xing was also present, Qu Bai immediately looked at Song Qingming with a hint of doubt.
"Hey! What brings you out here if you're alright?"
"Brother Qu, this Fellow Daoist Ao wants to ask if you'd be willing to change masters!"
"That won't do. A loyal minister doesn't serve two masters. I don't want to entrust my life and fortune to anyone other than you, my brother!"
"If you truly intend to sell the Sacred Star Disc, this treasure will never have another owner."
Once a spirit weapon spontaneously develops its own spirit, it will generally recognize its master for life and will not be easily refined by others.
Seeing the unwavering loyalty displayed by "Qu Bai," Ao Xing's face flashed with displeasure, but he also knew that he could no longer control the magical treasure before him at will.
Even if you forcibly obtain the "Sacred Star Disc," if the other party resists to the death and refuses to acknowledge it as their master, the final result will be nothing more than obtaining a useless item.
After pondering for a moment, Ao Xing sighed helplessly and decided to give up the idea of obtaining the item.
"If that's the case, then forget about the Sacred Star Chart."
"However, if you want the Dragon Jade Spirit Water, you can't just take it empty-handed. You must offer me a spiritual item that is useful to me."
"There should be a fair exchange between you and me."
"I still have two high-grade spiritual herbs and one Spirit Tempering Pill. Exchanging them for your Dragon Jade Spirit Water shouldn't be considered taking advantage of you, right?"
"Spirit Tempering Pill? What are you talking about?!"
Upon hearing the words "Spirit Tempering Pill," Ao Xing's eyes lit up slightly. She then saw Song Qingming raise his hand and take one out of his pocket, placing it in front of her.
The "Spirit Tempering Pill" in Song Qingming's hand was a high-level spirit pill that "Fire Phoenix" entrusted him to search for decades ago.
This pill can enhance the spiritual sense of human cultivators, and it also helps demon cultivators improve their bloodline after consuming and refining it.
When Song Qingming was searching for elixirs for "Fire Phoenix", he spent a lot of effort to obtain three "Spirit Tempering Pills", two of which he gave to "Fire Phoenix".
He originally planned to use the remaining one to help "Little Gold" improve its bloodline when it broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
In order to exchange "Dragon Jade Spirit Water" from Ao Xing, Song Qingming disregarded his spirit pet and took out the item directly.
Since this item is very useful to "Fire Phoenix," a Nascent Soul cultivator, Ao Xing, who is also a Nascent Soul cultivator of the demon race, must also find it appealing.
Sure enough, after Song Qingming took out the "Spirit Tempering Pill", Ao Xing's eyes were quickly drawn to it. He placed the pill directly in front of him and examined it carefully.
Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately introduced him:
"This pill can help improve the bloodline of demons."
A few years ago, I went to Zhongyuan Immortal Continent to participate in a trade fair and met a fellow alchemist. I was fortunate enough to obtain one from him.
"If Fellow Daoist Ao finds this item acceptable, exchanging it for Dragon Jade Spirit Water would be appropriate."
"This elixir seems to be made from the Immortal Flower, and it is indeed somewhat useful to me. However, this level of elixir is quite different from the Dragon Jade Spirit Water."
"Exchanging this pill for a bottle of Dragon Jade Spirit Water seems a bit insufficient; fellow Daoist, you must add some more."
Faced with Song Qingming's suggestion, Ao Xing nodded slightly, but his tone remained somewhat unmoved.
As a Nascent Soul demon cultivator, even though Ao Xing didn't particularly enjoy interacting with human cultivators, she could still discern a clue about the basic elixir grades.
The "Spirit Tempering Pill" that Song Qingming took out was only of the fourth-grade superior quality, which was quite different from the quality of the Dragon Jade Spirit Water.
Just as Song Qingming was about to reply, Bai Yuxian suddenly spoke up:
"Senior Ao, do you know that the success rate of refining high-grade spiritual pills is extremely low? In order to refine this Spirit Tempering Pill, in addition to the main ingredient, you will need hundreds of auxiliary ingredients, as well as a high-level alchemist to refine it."
This process requires considerable trial and error before one can successfully refine even one or two elixirs by chance; it is far more complex than the predecessors perceived on the surface.
In our human market, the value of a finished elixir is not the same as that of a medicinal herb of the same rank.
If you make such a comparison, senior, then this deal is far too unfair to us.
"Oh! In your opinion, how can we achieve fair trade?"
Could this elixir be even more valuable than level-five spiritual water?
"If we're talking about the preciousness of spiritual items, then the fifth-grade spiritual water is undoubtedly the best choice. However, the Spirit Tempering Pill is also an extremely rare item, and the cost of refining one is not low either."
While exchanging one Spirit Tempering Pill for Spirit Water is still somewhat insufficient, the difference isn't significant. We can compensate our senior with some other spiritual items, and that should be about right.
I happen to have a rare elixir on hand, which would also be useful to you, senior.
Having said that, Bai Yuxian took out a jade box from her person and presented it to Ao Xing.
"It's just an ordinary level four spirit pill, what use is it to me?"
"Senior, you may not know this, but this beauty pill has quite a history. When we human cultivators reach the Nascent Soul stage, we usually take one or two of these pills."
. "
Despite Ao Xing's disdainful tone, Bai Yuxian calmly began to explain the effects of the pill.
As a demon cultivator, Ao Xing didn't know much about the various kinds of pills used by humans. He had only taken some things that were beneficial to his cultivation.
Upon hearing Bai Yuxian introduce this pill, which could help cultivators maintain their beauty and health, he couldn't help but feel a little interested.
Ultimately, with Bai Yuxian's help, the two sides successfully reached an agreement to exchange spiritual items.
Ao Xing used three bottles of "Dragon Jade Spirit Water" to exchange with Song Qingming for two level-five spiritual herbs and a "Spirit Tempering Pill," as well as many ordinary-grade pills and spiritual items from Bai Yuxian.
The two made a new agreement: once they had successfully advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, they would discuss entering the spatial node together to smuggle themselves to the upper realm.
Both Song Qingming and Ao Xing were quite satisfied with the result.
".
After bidding farewell to Ao Xing, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian quickly returned to the "Huayang Realm".
As soon as the two arrived outside "Qingyun Mountain", a figure appeared before them. It was Li Xuanyi, who had been traveling for many years.
Decades ago, Li Xuanyi and Song Qingyu went on a journey, and occasionally they would send messages back to let everyone know that they were safe.
Seeing Li Xuanyi return safely, Bai Yuxian and Song Qingming both showed a hint of joy on their faces and stepped forward to ask:
"Junior Sister Li, when did you return? Where is Qingyu?"
"After Qingyu and I left Zhongyuan Immortal Continent, we went to Ziyang Heavenly Palace to see Senior Xia. Qingyu is still in seclusion there and asked me to come back first to let you know that we are safe."
After Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi left, they first went to "Xihua Immortal Continent" and stayed there for more than ten years to ask Ling Zhentian for advice on cultivation techniques.
The two then traveled to Beiming Prefecture and arrived at Zhongyuan Immortal Continent, where they spent some time traveling. They followed the same route that Song Qingming and his companions had taken to Leiyuan Sea.
At Song Qingyu's suggestion, the two of them teleported together to the "Ziyang Heavenly Palace" in the outer sea, where they met Xia Mo, who was cultivating there.
After discussing and seeking guidance from Xia Mo, Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi seemed to have gained some insights, and the two then stayed behind to cultivate in seclusion.
It wasn't until two years ago, when Li Xuanyi had successfully comprehended the primordial energy of heaven and earth, that she returned from beyond the heavens.
Song Qingyu did not travel with Li Xuanyi; instead, she remained in seclusion outside the heavens to complete her "Qi tempering."
"It's rare that Fellow Daoist Xia is willing to guide you. With her looking after you, Qingyu should have no problems during this seclusion."
We'll visit her in the heavens when we have time in the future!
Upon learning that Song Qingyu was with Xia Mo, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian quickly suppressed their worries and nodded gently to Li Xuanyi.
"Yes! Husband, don't just focus on Qingyu. I was able to successfully comprehend the primordial energy of heaven and earth this time, thanks in large part to Senior Xia."
"If it weren't for her help, I'm afraid it would have taken me much longer!"
"Haha, don't worry, I will thank Fellow Daoist Xia next time I meet her!"
"Junior Sister Li's successful comprehension of the primordial energy of heaven and earth is a great joy for the sect, and we should celebrate it properly."
".
After returning from her trip, Li Xuanyi successfully comprehended the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Having gained something from her experience, she couldn't help but reveal the changes in herself to Song Qingming.
Seeing this, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian immediately stepped forward and offered their congratulations.
After the three of them agreed, they also invited Huang Siyuan, who was in seclusion, to "Huixian Pavilion" to prepare a feast to celebrate Li Xuanyi's success.
During the meal, Li Xuanyi first told everyone about her and Song Qingyu's experiences over the years.
Then the topic was changed, and the question was asked about Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian's trip.
Facing the Daoist partners before him, Song Qingming did not hide much this time, revealing that he and Ao Xing had set up a large array in the outer heavens to stabilize the spatial nodes.
He directly informed the people in front of him of his plan to use this opportunity to smuggle himself to the upper realm.
Upon hearing that Song Qingming was preparing to smuggle himself across the spatial node to the upper realm, both Li Xuanyi and Huang Siyuan were surprised, and the entire hall quickly fell silent.
"My lord, you still have plenty of lifespan left, why are you in such a hurry to leave Huayang Realm?"
"Yes! With my husband's talent, he may be able to cultivate to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and ascend to the upper realm normally in the future. Why should he risk sneaking through the space node?"
"Don't you miss us at all, since you're in such a hurry to leave?"
Faced with the confusion expressed by Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi, Song Qingming pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "Now that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in Huayang Realm is insufficient, even Master and Senior Chen are unable to ascend to the upper realm normally. How can I avoid this hurdle?"
Over the years, in order not to worry you, I have never mentioned anything about ascension.
However, now that your cultivation levels are approaching the Nascent Soul realm, it's time to tell you these things, lest you be misled on your path in the future.
".
After advancing his cultivation to the Nascent Soul realm, Song Qingming had basically formed his own judgment regarding the matter of ascending to the upper realm.
Over the years, he has been unable to break through his cultivation level even while in seclusion, which shows that the spiritual energy of the "Huayang Realm" has long been unable to support the normal cultivation of cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage.
Even a Nascent Soul cultivator like Song Qingming, who is in the early stages of cultivation, can only make progress by searching for rare spiritual objects and relying on external assistance to aid his cultivation.
However, high-level spiritual objects are extremely difficult to find in the "Huayang Realm".
Over the years, the spiritual objects that Song Qingming has been able to find to improve his cultivation level are basically all at the lower level of the fifth grade.
Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator like him, it could still offer some help.
Once one's cultivation breaks through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, it becomes extremely difficult to advance further, let alone break through to the late-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Otherwise, in the past tens of thousands of years, no one in the Huayang Realm would have been able to ascend normally.
Leaving aside those cultivators who were too far away, Song Qingming had personally seen people like "Ling Xuzi", Chen Qingxuan, and "Master Lü Yang".
Each of them possesses unparalleled talent, surpassing even Song Qingming.
Even these truly peerless geniuses in the cultivation world had no way to break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and ascend normally, so Song Qingming had no confidence at all.
A Nascent Soul cultivator's lifespan is four thousand years, which means Song Qingming has less than three thousand years left.
For a Nascent Soul ancestor like him who often goes into seclusion for decades or even centuries, time may seem like a long time, but in reality, there isn't much he can do.
It should be noted that "Granny Jin Yue" and "Master Lü Yang," who recently smuggled themselves to the upper realm, spent nearly eight hundred years just searching for a suitable spatial node.
For Song Qingming, missing this opportunity to smuggle himself to the upper realm would be disastrous.
Finding a suitable spatial node in the future will not be easy, which is why he took the risk of cooperating with Ao Xing.
Secondly, Song Qingming wanted to sneak across the spatial node ahead of time for another reason, which was also for the sake of Huang Siyuan and the others in front of him.
Song Qingming already had a plan in mind: he wanted to use the "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda" in his possession to take them all to the Upper Realm.
Although his several Daoist partners had already reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, they were not far from the Divine Transformation stage.
However, both Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi have lived to be over a thousand years old.
If the two of them cannot break through their cultivation levels within the next few hundred years, considering that a Nascent Soul cultivator has a lifespan of 1,500 years, their remaining lifespan is actually quite short.
Bai Yuxian, who has already stepped into the half-step Nascent Soul realm, will have a relatively longer lifespan.
However, reaching the Nascent Soul realm is not something that can be done overnight.
Even for a genius like Bai Yuxian, who also possesses a Heavenly Spiritual Root, it's still difficult to predict whether he will be able to successfully transform into a deity if he doesn't receive some heaven-defying opportunity.
It should be noted that, apart from Song Qingming himself, in the past two thousand years, only Xia Mo, who was acquainted with him, had successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul realm in the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.
The reason Xia Mo was able to successfully transform into a deity was largely because she inherited the legacy of the powerful being from the upper realm, "Tongtian Sanren".
Even if Song Qingming can provide full support, he cannot guarantee that they will all successfully become gods in the future.
If they could be taken to the upper realm together, with the more abundant spiritual energy there, Huang Siyuan and the others would surely have a greater chance of becoming gods in the future.
They learned that Song Qingming wanted to use the "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda" to take them all to the Upper Realm.
Li Xuanyi and Bai Yuxian, along with the others, also showed some surprise on their faces.
"Husband, so you want to take us all to the Upper Realm? Isn't there some risk involved in doing so?"
"There will indeed be some risks. If a cultivator brings one more person with them when smuggling into a space node, the pressure they face on the interface will increase considerably."
Although I have no way to take everyone around me to the upper realm.
But if it's just the few of you, I think it's still worth a try.
However, these are just my ideas, and whether they can be implemented is still unknown.
"If you all successfully advance to the Nascent Soul realm, you can then plan your own escape to the upper realm, and I won't need these ideas of mine."
Song Qingming had already discussed this matter with Qu Bai and received some guidance from him.
Although bringing along another person increases the risk of successfully crossing over to the upper realm.
However, Song Qingming possesses the "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda," a spatial treasure that can isolate a certain amount of cultivator's aura, reducing the interface pressure he faces when sneaking across spatial nodes.
Before sneaking into the spatial node, prepare several defensive magical treasures.
For Song Qingming, the chances of successfully helping Huang Siyuan, Li Xuanyi, and the others reach the Upper Realm were quite high.
However, these are currently just plans in Song Qingming's mind, and whether they can be implemented is still unknown.
If Huang Siyuan and the others can successfully advance to the Nascent Soul realm within the next few hundred years, they will have enough lifespan to plan their smuggling to the upper realm.
There's no need to choose to take the risk with Song Qingming.
"If that's what you say, then we must work hard to cultivate. If we can both successfully advance to the Nascent Soul realm in the future, then you won't need to cooperate with those demons."
"When the time comes, we can plan our own ascension."
"If that's the best outcome, then so be it."
".
While the group chatted, Song Qingming continued to ponder and began planning his next period of seclusion for cultivation.
After all, he only had a few hundred years left to make his promise to Ao Xing.
If he cannot raise his cultivation to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm during this period, his chances of successfully smuggling a spatial node will not be very high.
Even if Huang Siyuan and the others were willing to take this risk with him, Song Qingming would not dare to enter easily.
After chatting with his fellow Daoists for a while, Song Qingming quickly returned to his secluded cultivation cave.
After taking out the "Sacred Star Disc" from his body, "Qu Bai" quickly emerged from it.
"Brother Song, are you really planning to sneak into the spatial node? Aren't you afraid of the dangers inside?"
"Brother Qu said before that the spatial node is usable, so why are you worried about my safety now?"
"If Brother Qu is too afraid to take this risk with me, I'll find a way to extract your spirit from the magic weapon and find you another place to settle down."
"Hehe! After spending so many years in the lower realm, I finally have the chance to go back, and I don't want to give it up so easily."
Since you have the guts, I might as well take a gamble with you!
However, I still think it would be safer for you to choose to cooperate with Fellow Daoist Xia, even if it takes more time.
"Brother Song, could it be that your decision to cooperate with that true dragon is because you're after the Dragon Jade Spirit Water she possesses?"
"It's true that nothing can be hidden from Brother Qu. You're right, that was part of the reason I chose to cooperate with her outside the heavens."
Over the years, Brother Qu has also come to know that finding a high-level spiritual item to enhance one's cultivation is truly not easy.
If I don't agree to cooperate with her, how can I get what I want from her?
However, if I can truly advance to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm within a few hundred years, cooperating with her to smuggle across spatial nodes is not an impossible thing.
My most pressing task is to improve my cultivation level as soon as possible; everything else can only be dealt with one step at a time.
Although he had agreed to cooperate with Ao Xing, Song Qingming never placed all his hopes on one person.
Seeing this, Qu Bai nodded.
"Since you've already made up your mind, I don't need to say anything more."
However, if we want to sneak into the upper realm, we'd better prepare some protective items, which will increase our chances of success.
As for your fellow Daoists, it's perfectly acceptable if you insist on bringing them along.
Smuggling across space nodes is already a high-risk endeavor, so what's a little more risk?
"Go into seclusion without worry! I'll take care of everything else in the cave for you, and I'll keep you informed if anything happens."
"Then, I'll leave it to you, Brother Qu!"
".
After giving his instructions to "Qu Bai", Song Qingming quickly entered his secluded cave.
After sitting cross-legged, he raised his hand and waved it, and three identical jade bottles floated in front of him.
These were the "Dragon Jade Spirit Water" that he had recently exchanged with Ao Xing.
Previously, Song Qingming's cultivation level was already close to the peak of the second level of the Nascent Soul stage. Now, having obtained three bottles of "Dragon Jade Spirit Water," he was confident that he could break through the bottleneck.
Once I refine all these bottles of spiritual water, I should be able to break through to the third level of the Nascent Soul realm.
Taking out a "Mind-Cleansing Talisman" that he had made himself and sticking it to his chest, Song Qingming quickly adjusted himself into a meditative state.
He poured the first bottle of "Dragon Jade Spirit Water" in front of him directly into his mouth.
A surge of rich spiritual energy flowed into Song Qingming's body, instantly making him feel a sense of comfort.
".
While Song Qingming was in seclusion cultivating, in a special space located outside the Nine Heavens, the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) rapidly surged into it, forming a special vortex.
Located at the center of the vortex.
Song Qingyu, who is currently in seclusion and focusing all her efforts on breaking through to a higher realm, has also reached his most crucial moment. (End of Chapter)