Chapter 36: The Spirit Fish Enters the Dream (6)
Bai Chunsheng was momentarily stunned. Yan Yi noticed his lips move slightly, but no sound came out.
Curious, Yan Yi leaned in and asked, “What did you say?”
Bai Chunsheng pushed him away in annoyance and retorted, “Stop trying to sweet-talk me with this nonsense. I’m not falling for it. If you care, then stop spouting such crazy talk!”
It sounded pleasant enough—he used to charm many pretty girls after all. No wonder he’s the little celestial master of the Yan family.
Hmph, Bai Chunsheng wouldn’t fall for Yan Jingqiu’s tricks.
The two bickered as they made their way to the cave dwelling assigned by Yusheng Sect. Using a token, they deactivated the restrictions, revealing a rather basic setup.
The dwelling was perched on a cliff. Inside, it was barren, with nothing furnished. It was clear they had to arrange everything themselves.
The cave had four pillars, each mounted with a few spiritual lamps, all of which were currently unlit. To light them, lower-grade spirit stones were needed, but the lowest-grade stones in Bai Chunsheng’s storage pouch were mid-grade, leftover change from purchasing Yun Guang fruit in the Ancient Forest Spirit Realm.
With no other option, Bai Chunsheng took out a refractive fan and infused it with spiritual energy. This artifact emitted a soft glow when used, serving as a temporary light source.
The dark cave was immediately illuminated with a warm light, akin to the morning sun.
The only thing Bai Chunsheng found somewhat satisfactory was a natural spiritual spring at the back of the cave. Above it, a narrow fissure in the rock allowed a beam of light to shine directly onto the spring.
Clapping his hands, Bai Chunsheng declared, “Looks like we need to make another trip to Tian Nan City today.”
He counted the items needed: two beds, a few cabinets, a dining table, and meditation cushions. Reflecting on their situation, Bai Chunsheng added, “We should also exchange some spirit stones for lower-grade ones if there’s a place to do so.”
It wasn’t surprising that they only now remembered the need for lower-grade spirit stones. Ever since Hong Chunfeng’s death, their first meal in the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm was essentially a dine-and-dash, and they had been freeloading in the Fuyu Mountain mansion ever since. If not for the cave’s lamps requiring low-grade spirit stones, they probably wouldn’t have realized this need even today.
They weren’t the only ones in this area.
Their cave dwelling, perched at the very top of the cliff, seemed to have a couple of other occupied dwellings below.
After resting briefly on a protruding rock in the cave, Bai Chunsheng decided to head back to Tian Nan City. Tired of the repeated back-and-forth trips, he resolved not to be petty this time and planned to travel on a cloud.
Just as the two were about to head out again, a silver light flashed across the token of the cave dwelling. Bai Chunsheng activated it, discovering it was a voice transmission from a Daoist cultivator residing below their cave.
The man’s name was Cheng Yue. The message began with congratulations on their move-in and followed with an invitation to attend a small cultivator gathering nearby.
At the end, Cheng Yue specifically noted, “This is a small gathering for Foundation Establishment cultivators. There might even be a trade for Ascension Pills.”
Ascension Pills are a rare and valuable type of elixir used by Foundation Establishment cultivators with inadequate talent to break through bottlenecks and overcome the limitations of their stage. For many cultivators stuck in the Foundation Establishment phase, these pills are highly sought after. However, such pills are typically controlled by major sects and rarely available to independent cultivators.
Although the external disciples of Yusheng Sect were no longer independent cultivators, their chances of accessing precious elixirs like Ascension Pills remained slim, making their prospects for advancement nearly as limited as those of independent cultivators.
Bai Chunsheng raised his head and exchanged a glance with Yan Yi. Bai Chunsheng’s clear black-and-white eyes reflected his evident curiosity and desire.
“…”
Yan Yi understood immediately. “I’d like to check it out.”
“You’re such a hassle,” Bai Chunsheng muttered.
Despite his words, he quickly sent a reply to Cheng Yue, indicating their intention to attend.
Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi exited the cave dwelling. Cheng Yue, who was sitting under the green pines on the cliffside, received Bai Chunsheng’s transmission just as he looked up to see them approaching.
Yan Yi had been wearing a mask since leaving Fuyu Mountain. In a new location, naturally, no one remembered his original appearance. Taking advantage of the change in scenery, Yan Yi used transformation magic to adopt a new face. Not wanting to be outdone, Bai Chunsheng also attempted to change his appearance, but unfortunately, Han Congzhou had seen him before, so he couldn’t change too much.
Cheng Yue’s eyes lit up upon seeing Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi, and he complimented them, “Both of you are distinguished in appearance, truly remarkable.”
Yan Yi nodded slightly.
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
Cheng Yue, like Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi, was an external disciple of Yusheng Sect. However, unlike them, Cheng Yue had once been an inner disciple. Despite his poor aptitude, he had struggled greatly to climb from the external to the inner sect, only to return to the external sect decades later.
In his youth, Cheng Yue had achieved a decent result in a major competition, earning a Youth Preserving Pill that maintained his youthful appearance of a teenager or young adult. Even now, he retained the same look. With thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, while not conventionally handsome, he was often complimented for his pleasant and agreeable features.
Cheng Yue inquired, “Daoist Bai and Daoist Yan, where were you cultivating in seclusion before? By rights, I should know all the Foundation Establishment independent cultivators around here.”
Cheng Yue had been stuck at the late Foundation Establishment stage for nearly a decade. Realizing that his cultivation might never progress further, he had devoted much of his time to forming connections and making friends.
Bai Chunsheng knew that probing questions to uncover their background were inevitable. Without lying, he simply replied, “We come from Fuyu Mountain. Both of us are not the type to seek attention, so it’s normal that you haven’t seen us before.”
“Fuyu Mountain?” Cheng Yue remarked, “I know a cultivator named Wang Yu who works at the Fuyu Market. Do you know him?”
Of course, they knew him. Their entry into Yusheng Sect was partly thanks to Wang Yu.
Just as Bai Chunsheng was about to speak, Yan Yi cut in, “Yes, we know him.”
Cheng Yue, receiving such a succinct response, hesitated on how to proceed. After a brief pause, he said, “I’ve heard that something major happened recently at Fuyu Mountain. The fact that you two managed to avoid trouble and come here is fortunate….”
With that, Cheng Yue transitioned to the main topic. “Since you’re from Fuyu Mountain, where there are many markets but mostly for Qi Refinement cultivators, you probably haven’t experienced many of the larger-scale gatherings typically hosted by Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
Bai Chunsheng thought for a moment. That was true—he hadn’t participated in many such gatherings.
Cheng Yue continued, “Since we live so close, it seems we’re fated to meet. Normally, new members are required to pay a deposit of spirit stones and undergo a probation period before directly participating. However—” Here, he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud, his words tinged with a hint of boasting, “However, since I’m vouching for the two of you, that won’t be necessary.”
Cheng Yue explained, “The gatherings involve each cultivator presenting items they’ve obtained but find personally useless, trading them with other cultivators who want those items.”
Yan Yi, unusually talkative, remarked, “It’s somewhat like an auction.”
“Exactly,” Cheng Yue said with a smile. “But the trades at these gatherings are at the cultivators’ own risk. Securing the desired items is often difficult. There are demonic cultivators who blend in and, if they don’t get what they want, they might resort to killing after the gathering ends to seize the items. Such incidents happen all the time.”
“That’s why these gatherings require trustworthy cultivators as guarantors for participation,” Cheng Yue emphasized again, clearly proud of his role.
Then he asked, “Do you have anything you’d like to trade? I might have it, and we could make a private deal, saving you the organizer’s fee.”
This was a bit tricky. In the mortal realm, the most widely circulated currency was low-grade spirit stones.
Bai Chunsheng thought for a moment and said, “We plan to trade for some spirit stones.”
Cheng Yue chuckled and asked, “Are you planning to set up a spirit-gathering array?” Only mid-grade spirit stones could sustain the immense energy consumption of a good-quality spirit-gathering array. Although the spiritual energy contained in a thousand low-grade spirit stones could match that of one mid-grade spirit stone, the purity and precision couldn’t be compensated by sheer quantity.
On the market, a single mid-grade spirit stone could sometimes be traded for as much as three thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Because of this, even the core disciples of the major sects’ Nascent Soul elders would only use spirit-gathering arrays during crucial breakthrough moments.
It seemed these two brothers were quite wealthy.
Cheng Yue’s eyes darted around, and before Bai Chunsheng could respond, he continued, “I know Xu Gong, who is in charge of mining spirit stones for the sect. Apart from the mandatory annual quota submitted to the sect, he might have some extra stock.”
“What do you plan to trade for mid-grade spirit stones? If you can’t get them at the trade fair, maybe I can help connect you.”
“Mining spirit stones?” Bai Chunsheng repeated, pondering the term. What came to his mind was the supreme fire spirit stone, which could repair his damaged bloodline.
Yan Yi had taken excellent care of him. The wounds he had sustained in past battles had mostly healed, thanks to his extraordinary self-healing abilities. The only lingering damage was to his bloodline, which had been burned when he broke free from a barrier.
If he could repair it, he would immediately return to his previous cultivation level. That would finally give him some self-protection capability, so he wouldn’t have to rely on Yan Yi for everything.
However, he knew that supreme fire spirit stones were extremely rare and difficult to obtain.
For now, it was better to play it safe and trade for some low-grade spirit stones to furnish their living quarters.
Bai Chunsheng said, “No, we plan to trade mid-grade spirit stones for some low-grade ones.”
“What?!” Cheng Yue exclaimed in shock. “You want to exchange mid-grade spirit stones for low-grade ones?”
Wasn’t that putting the cart before the horse?!
However, a fool would pass up such an opportunity.
Cheng Yue decided to pocket the difference. He feigned sincerity and said, “If you’re going to trade, why not trade with me? Newcomers at the trade fair often get low offers. It’s better to deal with me directly. Coincidentally, I need some mid-grade spirit stones for an array.”
He already had a plan: as soon as he got the stones, he would contact the Treasure Gathering Pavilion in Tian Nan City to auction them off.
“Really?” Yan Yi raised an eyebrow.
Cheng Yue asked, “How many do you have?”
Yan Yi didn’t have any mid-grade spirit stones on him, so he turned to Bai Chunsheng.
Bai Chunsheng remained expressionless: “…”
The mention of the fire spirit stones stirred his longing for cultivation.
He was daydreaming.
In Bai Chunsheng’s daydream, he was using the fire spirit stones to repair his bloodline and regain his peak strength. Then, he would return to the Wutong Tree Sea, inherit the precious legacy of his ancestors, and break through to the Dao Stage, eventually becoming a powerful Transcendence cultivator.
He imagined punching Yan Jingqiu, kicking Bo Yan.
Every demon would line up outside his Starview Pavilion, respectfully praising him as the mightiest bird of the White Phoenix clan.
Yan Jingqiu would serve him tea, and Bo Yan would massage his feet.
He would order Yan Jingqiu to peel grapes but not oranges, and Bo Yan to slice watermelon but not winter melon.
Cheng Yue: “…”
Seeing Bai Chunsheng still not speaking, Cheng Yue asked again, “How many?”
Still lost in his dream, Bai Chunsheng answered, “Two.”
Two foot servants.
“Two?” Cheng Yue marveled, “You two must be quite wealthy.”
Author’s note: Chicken speaking with duck.
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
