Chapter 154: Hall of Myriad Treasures
Ever since he seized the miraculous magical artifact known as the Myriad Medicine Gourd from the infamous tyrant Cheng, Daoist Yunxiong had spent a full month in seclusion. With the profound and boundless cultivation of a Dao Body Grandmaster, he had refined a massive quantity of wondrous elixirs.
"Xiu'er, today Master will take you to a truly magnificent place."
A new and lucrative financial stream had opened up for Yun'ti Peak, and Daoist Yunxiong's complexion was noticeably much more ruddy than before. After all, maintaining an entire mountain peak required vast resources: the daily food, clothing, and living expenses of his disciples, the thousands of spiritual sprites and laborers kept in captivity, the operation of the peak-protecting grand array, the spirit-gathering array, the mind-calming array, alongside countless other miscellaneous expenditures.
Every single day consumed a terrifying sum of Dao Coins.
Depending solely on the Yun'ti spiritual fruits was barely enough to keep ends meet.
There was never even a single scrap of surplus silver left in their hands.
Even so, Daoist Yunxiong would occasionally have to go out and pick up odd jobs to earn some extra cash to subsidize household expenses—which was precisely why Qi Xiu and the others always felt that their master was perpetually busy.
Looking across the entire cultivation world,
he was likely the only Dao Body Grandmaster of the Divine Firmament Sect to live in such a wretchedly impoverished state.
"Where are we going? It surely isn't..."
Seeing Daoist Yunxiong beaming with a glowing face, Qi Xiu wore a strange expression. "Master, you really are full of vigor in your old age."
"Get lost, what kind of nonsense are you imagining?"
With a flick of his hand, a streak of lightning sent Qi Xiu's orifices smoking with black smoke. Daoist Yunxiong scolded with feigned annoyance:
"Your master is taking you to the Myriad Treasures Hall of our Divine Firmament Sect.
That is an exceptionally wonderful place.
It will be of immense benefit to your cultivation.
You'll understand once we get there."
"Oh."
Qi Xiu shook his head, spitting out a puff of black smoke from his mouth. Following that, master and disciple conjured their thunder escape techniques and departed from Yun'ti Peak.
The interior of the Divine Firmament Sect was unimaginably vast and boundless.
This colossal immortal realm was situated above a mysterious sea of clouds.
The outermost perimeter was a ring of continents, filled with a forest of towering mountains, wreathed in mists and clouds, where palaces and pavilions were arranged in an orderly fashion, resembling a three-dimensional ink-wash painting.
This was the Outer Gate.
All the outer disciples cultivated and lived in this region.
To the inner side of the Outer Gate lay one hundred and eight floating islands. These floating islands were interconnected by gigantic chains, forming a unique geographical landscape.
Some of these floating islands were as crystal-clear as emerald jade, others resembled giant seashells blanketing the sea surface, some looked like divine trees descending from the heavens, while yet another took the form of a crystal lake radiating colorful, warm, and gentle light.
These one hundred and eight floating islands constituted the Inner Gate.
Simultaneously, these one hundred and eight floating islands, together with the seventy-two heavenly peaks, formed the grand protective array of the entire Divine Firmament Sect!
The Grand Array of the Descent of the True Lord of Thunder and Universal Transformation of the Nine Heavens!
As for the core region of the Divine Firmament Sect,
there rested a gigantic jade disk.
This jade disk was immensely wide and expansive, resembling an ethereal cosmic galaxy.
It was even more colossal than the seventy-two heavenly peaks, the one hundred and eight floating islands, and the Outer Gate continent combined.
Upon the jade disk stood palaces and halls of various architectural styles—some soared into the clouds with majestic grandeur, while others wound through secluded paths carrying a distinct charm. Inlaid upon the jade disk, they reflected and shimmered against the surrounding immortal lights and colorful mists, composing a breathtakingly gorgeous panorama.
Within the jade disk, a winding and twisting jade belt meandered through, looking like a beautiful ribbon that connected every corner of the disk, allowing free passage across its expanse.
And right at the dead center of this colossal jade disk, which resembled an ornament of heaven and earth,
stood a gigantic city. It appeared to be the absolute center of the jade disk, governing over everything.
This entity was none other than the greatest foundation and supreme divine artifact of the Divine Firmament Sect, capable of suppressing all things.
The Nine Heavens Thunder City!
Under the guidance of Daoist Yunxiong, Qi Xiu gazed upon the full panorama of the Divine Firmament Sect for the very first time. Previously, as a personal disciple, the only places he was permitted to visit were the Outer Gate and the Inner Gate.
Without a cultivation level above the Blood-Stained Realm, or being led by an elder, unauthorized entry into the Divine Firmament Jade Disk was strictly forbidden.
Witnessing the towering and magnificent sights of the Divine Firmament Jade Disk,
Qi Xiu could not help but sigh in admiration inwardly.
As expected of a great sect passed down since the middle antiquity era, even if it was slightly inferior to its prime in those ancient days,
its profound heritage remained rare in the contemporary world.
Passing through the immortal-light-like jade belt surrounding the perimeter of the jade disk, Qi Xiu felt for a split second as though thousands of gazes were sweeping across his body.
"This is your first time here; that is the Dao spirit of the sect-protecting array examining your identity. Since you are a disciple of our Divine Firmament Sect, nothing will happen," Daoist Yunxiong explained casually.
"What if it were an outsider?" Qi Xiu asked out of curiosity.
"They would gently take a little hit. The power is probably roughly equivalent to a casual strike from a Primordial Spirit overlord," Daoist Yunxiong said with casual indifference.
A casual strike from a Primordial Spirit overlord?!
Under that, even one's ashes would have been completely ground to nothingness.
Arriving atop the Divine Firmament Jade Disk, Daoist Yunxiong led Qi Xiu to a structure that resembled a gigantic bronze basin.
In front of them, countless flashes of golden light swept past.
A spacious and profound grand hall, resembling a chessboard with its floor paved entirely with golden meditation mats, revealed itself before Qi Xiu.
"This is the Myriad Treasures Hall, the internal trading exchange of our Divine Firmament Sect.
From Primordial Spirit overlords down to minor Dao-entering cultivators like you, practitioners of the entire sect conduct buying and selling transactions here.
However, for transactions conducted here, the Myriad Treasures Hall takes a ten percent tax. It's utterly cutthroat."
Muttering a complaint, Daoist Yunxiong even glanced around furtively as he spoke.
The Myriad Treasures Hall's taxation rule had long been a target of complaints among the disciples, especially those from impoverished peaks like Yun'ti Peak that always lived on a tight budget.
Yet, as the sole designated trading platform of the entire sect,
with its exceptional trading system and after-sales service, the disciples both loved and hated it, ultimately having to grit their teeth and accept the ten percent tax.
"Come on, sit down and experience it."
Crossing his legs on a golden meditation mat, the moment Qi Xiu settled down, a faint, ethereal connection immediately surged over through the mat.
This is...
The instant he touched this connection, Qi Xiu's consciousness rapidly sank downward, as if entering a vast and boundless realm.
The next moment.
A sky full of golden light shimmered before his eyes, and a gigantic, peerless scroll slowly unfurled.
[Yunzen Peak is selling three thousand catties of fire-thunder vines.]
[Personal Disciple 135 is selling Xuanqing grass, intention-pill flowers, long-horned gourds...]
[Personal Disciple 159 is selling five subterranean volcanoes.]
[The Penal Hall is selling seven hundred barrels of accumulated thunder liquid.]
Dense and countless texts continuously floated within this scroll, and when Qi Xiu focused his gaze upon one of them,
the previously concise text immediately expanded, transforming into a vivid visual scene.
It clearly displayed the appearance of the item for sale as well as its asking price.
One could even leave messages to place bids.
Beneath the listing where Yunzen Peak was selling three thousand catties of fire-thunder vines, for instance, there were already over a dozen people leaving messages to bid.
"So advanced."
Exiting the world of the golden scroll, Qi Xiu wore a look of astonishment.
Perhaps due to his background in a technological society in his previous life, his preconceived mindset had led him to assume that a cultivation world operating on an ancient social system would, aside from individual might, fall completely short of modern technological society in terms of infrastructure and convenience.
Yet the scene in the Myriad Treasures Hall today shattered his inherent preconceptions.
This method of nearly online trading was in no way inferior to the online marketplaces of his past life.
"Apart from not being able to connect to this trading system in real-time everywhere, it's practically flawless. If only there were a portable personal terminal that allowed for real-time trading on the go," Qi Xiu sighed with a playful expression, expressing a gentle sentiment.
"Are you talking about this?"
A strange magical artifact shaped like a golden ingot was handed over before Qi Xiu. Daoist Yunxiong said calmly:
"The Palm-Sized Myriad Treasures Hall. You can apply for one once you step into the Dao Body Realm."
Qi Xiu: "..."
Flexing!
Unadulterated flexing!
Re-entering the trading realm of the Myriad Treasures Hall, Qi Xiu was browsing through the floating trading listings with great interest when
a pure golden, exceptionally eye-catching trade listing stood out brilliantly among the rest of the text.
[Dao Body Elder 27 is selling five thousand portions of divine soul elixirs.]
The moment this listing appeared, Qi Xiu instantly sensed countless gazes converging upon it, among which were even quite a few majestic and profound glances that were almost tangible in their intensity.
Turning his head to look at his master, Qi Xiu opened his mouth to speak.
As if sensing his disciple's gaze, Daoist Yunxiong raised his brow slightly, revealing a trace of faint pride:
"A pure gold trading display that costs one hundred thousand Dao Coins to unlock. Not bad, right?"
Qi Xiu: "..."
The sudden appearance of the divine soul elixirs stirred quite a ripple within the Myriad Treasures Hall.
Medications capable of healing divine soul injuries had always been rare commodities, in high demand and short supply.
After all, anything involving the divine soul—whether magical artifacts or medicines—required Primordial Spirit-grade overlords to manufacture.
Perhaps a small fraction of Dao Body Grandmasters who specialized deeply in the Dao of the Divine Soul could also accomplish it, but they were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Meanwhile, Blood-Stained Realm cultivators still had a massive demand for such medicines.
Thus, the abrupt appearance of divine soul elixirs in this trading realm naturally drew countless people inquiring out of interest.
It seemed he was about to make a massive fortune this time.
Glancing sideways at the corners of Daoist Yunxiong's mouth, which were curling upward despite his attempts to suppress them, Qi Xiu smiled faintly and began searching through the trading realm to see if there was anything he desired himself.
I currently lack neither my natal grand tome nor cultivation techniques, so I don't need to buy any for now.
The same goes for magical artifacts; my sole defense against inner demons is already covered by the mind-calming luminous bamboo gifted by Senior Brother Ge.
His gaze swept one by one across the floating trade listings on the gigantic scroll.
Suddenly, a passing listing caught Qi Xiu's attention.
[Personal Disciple 102 is selling "Comprehensive Explanations of True Elixirs" (Upper and Lower Volumes).]
"Alchemy texts?"
His gaze stirred, and Qi Xiu's interest was piqued.
Among the miraculous skills he had mastered, the alchemy skill was considered one of the fastest-growing.
Because aside from practical pill-refining, the alchemy skill's proficiency could also be increased by studying alchemy texts, alchemy formulas, and reverse-engineering elixirs.
Among these methods, studying alchemy texts and practicing pill-refining yielded the highest increases in proficiency.
If he could obtain a sufficient quantity and quality of alchemy texts, his alchemy skill might rapidly accumulate levels.
"My current progress with the 'Mysteries of the Primordial Chaos Dragon-Tiger True Scripture' has entered a sluggish phase. Lacking sufficient spiritual power replenishment, I can only rely on the grinding effort of time.
If my alchemy skill can be elevated, it can also assist the cultivation of my natal grand tome to a certain degree."
Nodding, Qi Xiu immediately clicked on this trade listing and began browsing its specific contents.