Immortal Path Space

Chapter 107: Turtle Concealment

Having seen off Little Peng, he could finally do as he pleased.

First, he visited the market below the Heavenly Authority Peak because the secret realm had just ended, making the market exceptionally lively.

Wang Hong noticed many disciples who had just come out of the secret realm setting up stalls. Although they weren't familiar with each other, the shared journey created some impressions.

While Spiritual Herbs needed to be handed in, one could keep ten percent for themselves. Moreover, the gains from the secret realm were not limited to Spiritual Herbs; there were also Magical Weapons, Jade Scrolls, and more. Anything found in the Storage Bags of other cultivators could become your spoils.

Wang Hong strolled through the market area, and most of the disciples returning from the secret realm were selling Magical Weapons, Jade Scrolls, and some Ores. There were very few selling Spiritual Herbs.

"Senior Brother, how much for your Jade Scrolls here?" Wang Hong stopped at a stall, picked up a Jade Scroll, and found it to be a Cultivation Technique.

"Oh, it's Senior Brother Wang. One Jade Scroll for a hundred Spirit Stones, take your pick."

The stall owner, a somewhat plump and shrewd-looking cultivator, recognized Wang Hong because he had submitted the highest-value Spiritual Herbs and later became Elder Gu's Named Disciple.

Wang Hong bought a Jade Scroll from this stall. Although Sect Scripture Tower had many Jade Scrolls, they were not allowed to be shared.

He wanted to collect some Jade Scrolls to bring back to Azure Void City. His own Library was still lacking, and most of the books were common. The Jade Scrolls sold here were mostly carried by elite disciples of various sects and were naturally of higher quality.

He walked to a deserted place, used the Misty Illusion Mask to change his appearance, and returned to the market.

"Junior Brother, how much for these Jade Scrolls?" Wang Hong walked back to the previous stall.

"A hundred Spirit Stones each, take your pick."

"Too expensive. For this level of Jade Scrolls, I can replicate one at Sect Scripture Tower for only twenty or thirty Spirit Stones. How about I buy all of them for fifty each?"

"Senior Brother, Sect Scripture Tower's Jade Scrolls can only be viewed by the owner and cannot be lent or sold. These Jade Scrolls, once bought, are truly yours. You can dispose of them as you wish. After reading, you can sell them again. Isn't it more cost-effective than Sect Jade Scrolls?."

Wang Hong found it reasonable, making him momentarily unsure how to refute. Nevertheless, he persisted, "Fifty Spirit Stones."

"At least eighty. You know, these Jade Scrolls are hard-earned, obtained at the risk of our lives. Look at the wounds on my body; they haven't healed yet."

"Fifty."

Wang Hong remained unmoved.

"Senior Brother, add a bit more, and I'll throw in a Healing Pill's Spirit Stone for each Jade Scroll," the stall owner continued to plead.

In the end, Wang Hong bought all the Jade Scrolls on this stall at the price of sixty-five Spirit Stones each.

He then moved on to the next stall...

That day, a rumor spread in the market that a mysterious cultivator had swept away all the Jade Scrolls in the market, spending at least twenty to thirty thousand Spirit Stones. Nobody recognized this wealthy fellow disciple, and his sect affiliation was unknown.

When many disciples rushed to the market with their genuine or fake Jade Scrolls, hoping to make the acquaintance of this wealthy senior, they couldn't find his trace.

It was as if this fellow disciple had appeared out of thin air and disappeared just as mysteriously.

Wang Hong collected hundreds of Jade Scrolls, reverted to his original appearance, contentedly headed towards the shop area, humming a tune.

Spotting a small store named "Spirit Spring Shop," he casually walked in. Inside, an old man stood up to greet him.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in purchasing Spirit Spring? Our shop has various kinds."

"Yes, I want to buy some Spirit Spring Water. Could you tell me the types available and their prices?"

He knew there were many varieties of Spirit Spring Water, differing in quality and price. Some premium ones could be quite expensive.

"We have Spirit Rock Spring, priced at ten pounds per Spirit Stone; Bamboo Root Spirit Spring, five pounds per Spirit Stone; Forest Concealment Spring, two pounds per Spirit Stone; Tiger Hill Spring, one pound per Spirit Stone... and Dragon Saliva Spring, twenty Spirit Stones per pound."

The shopkeeper listed all the Spirit Springs from low to high.

"I'll take some Spirit Rock Spring." Since his space needed to absorb Spirit Qi for transformation, there was no need to buy anything too expensive.

"How much?" The shopkeeper wondered why Wang Hong didn't just say he wanted the cheapest one, making him recite all the Spirit Springs.

"Sixty thousand pounds."

"How much?" The shopkeeper couldn't believe his ears. People usually bought a few pounds or dozens of pounds of Spirit Spring. This was the first time someone wanted so much, and it wasn't for fish farming.

"Sixty thousand pounds. Don't you have that much?"

"We do! We do!" The shopkeeper nodded quickly, fearing he might lose this substantial deal.

"Wait here; I'll be right back." The old man went into the backyard and returned shortly with three Storage Bags in hand.

Storage Bags varied in size, with some small ones being only about a foot long but having an internal space reaching ten yards in radius, already considered top-notch among Storage Bags.

Wang Hong took the three Storage Bags handed to him by the old man. These bags seemed small, each containing two hundred wooden barrels.

Taking out one barrel and weighing it in his hand, it was approximately a hundred pounds. Opening the lid, he checked the Spirit Spring Water inside and found no issues.

Wang Hong paid with Spirit Stones and took out each barrel from the three Storage Bags, storing them in his own Storage Bag.

After leaving the market, instead of immediately returning to Kaiyang Peak, he decided to make a detour to the Scripture Tower since he was already at the foot of the Heavenly Authority Peak.

The Scripture Tower was as bustling as ever when Wang Hong entered. This time, he didn't linger on the first or second floors, heading directly upstairs.

The first and second floors primarily focused on various cultivation arts, but this time, he was looking for books on cultivation techniques.

On the third floor, what caught his eye were various travelogues, strange tales, and even many mundane books, including literature and paintings.

It turned out that the third floor was designated for miscellaneous items, hosting all kinds of books.

Starting from the fourth floor, all the books were related to cultivation techniques.

The books on the fourth floor mainly consisted of Magical Arts. The main cultivation techniques were likely on the higher floors. The books here were also meticulously categorized.

Looking around, he saw conspicuous signs, each stating "Thunder Element Magical Arts," "Wood Element Magical Arts," "Fire Element Magical Arts," "Ice Element Magical Arts," and so on. Every type of Magical Art was available.

Magical Arts that were highly sought after by loose cultivators outside were piled up here, creating a dazzling scene.

Wang Hong randomly pulled out a Jade Scroll labeled "Control Thunder Technique" to inspect. In the outside world, cultivation techniques and Magical Arts for the rare Ice, Wind, and Thunder spiritual roots were the most scarce.

However, he was startled by the price listed on the Jade Scroll. Borrowing it for five hundred contribution points and duplicating it for a thousand contribution points.

Previously, most of the Jade Scrolls related to Spiritual Herbs cost him just a dozen or so contribution points, and the most expensive one was fifty contribution points.

It seemed that rare items within the sect were not cheap either; one needed to make a significant contribution to have a chance of obtaining them.

Wang Hong walked between the rows of bookshelves, wondering which category included Magical Arts that concealed one's cultivation level.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he saw a sign ahead that read "Concealment Arts."

Hurrying over, he carefully examined the various concealment techniques. After searching for a while, he finally found a cultivation technique called "Turtle Concealment."

This technique, when cultivated to the highest level, could hide all of one's Spiritual Energy within the body, making the external appearance seem ordinary. Even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn't notice anything if they didn't carefully inspect with Divine Sense.

Wang Hong felt that this technique was much better than the "Spirit Concealment Art" he obtained from the two assailants.

He decided to cultivate this Turtle Concealment technique, although the price was quite high. It required twenty thousand contribution points to duplicate.

If he hadn't just received nine hundred thousand contribution points, he might have had trouble affording it in the short term.

If other disciples had twenty thousand contribution points, they probably wouldn't be willing to spend them on such a technique. After all, the resources needed for cultivation might not be sufficient.

After some hesitation, he decided to duplicate it anyway. After all, he still had nine hundred thousand contribution points.

As the Foundation Establishment Pills had not yet been refined in the sect, many held onto their contribution points and were reluctant to spend them.

He copied this technique on the first floor, then left without lingering. Controlling his Flying Boat, he flew directly back to Kaiyang Peak.

Returning to his small courtyard, he activated a simple isolation formation and immediately entered his space.

In the space, he first poured the purchased Spirit Spring Water into the newly constructed pool, which was still a foot short of being filled.

Then he took out all the Spirit Stones he had left, a little over twenty thousand, and scattered them all in the space.

After a while, the Spirit Qi in the pool of Spirit Spring Water slowly rose. When the Spirit Qi reached its peak, the water level began to rise.

When the water was six inches from being full, the rise stopped. It seemed that the Spirit Qi from the over twenty thousand Spirit Stones had been exhausted.

Now, the water was finally drinkable. He filled some water and caught some transparent small fish, preparing to make a pot of fish soup.

The steaming fish soup was ready, and the taste was definitely several times better than any soup he had made before.

However, he found it tasteless now. When he used to eat, there was always a little fellow trying to please and act cute. Now, facing a big pot of fish soup alone, he felt that something was missing.

When the little thing was around, he always found it annoying, wishing to send it away or throw it far away.

Now that it was gone, he felt the absence of this little creature, and the entire courtyard seemed too quiet.

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