The woman smiled faintly and teased, "This self-made Foundation Establishment prodigy might one day earn the title of senior from me. How could I take advantage of him?"
The group couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Simply achieving Foundation Establishment wasn't extraordinary, but the fact that Elian had done so at such a young age made all the difference. Barring accidents, he would likely have two additional opportunities to attempt breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage compared to the average Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Each attempt to break through to Purple Mansion, even if it failed, would accumulate experience, help refine the meridians further, and increase the odds of success in subsequent attempts.
In the eyes of those present, Elian had at least a 50-60% chance of reaching the Purple Mansion stage before his lifespan ran out.
Meng Xinghe laughed heartily and introduced the Foundation Establishment cultivators present.
These were long-time friends of Meng Xinghe. The woman was Yu Lingyan, the Grand Elder of the Yu Immortal Clan, a Foundation Establishment family from Ling County. The other two included a rogue cultivator from Feng County and the patriarch of the Jiang Immortal Clan, another Foundation Establishment family in Feng County. Both were mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.
With Meng Xinghe's introduction, Elian became acquainted with several Foundation Establishment cultivators present. This marked his entry into the circle of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The resources one could access were often determined by their network. Most second-tier treasures were held by Foundation Establishment cultivators, and while such treasures were elusive to Qi Refinement cultivators, Foundation Establishment cultivators often had a few.
Although these initial introductions were brief, they created connections that would allow for future exchanges or purchases of needed treasures.
Half an hour later, a man walked onto the central platform of Dingxuan Pavilion. This was Xu Mingyan, a late-Foundation Establishment elder of the Xu Clan.
Looking at the crowd, Xu Mingyan smiled and said, "Fellow Daoists, I am Xu Mingyan, honored to host this Barter Conference."
"I won't waste time with words. Let me start things off with three items from my Xu Clan."
With that, he presented three treasure boxes and opened them in succession.
Elian looked up to see the first box contained an ancient dark green stone bell, the second a high-quality sample of Azure Void Earth, and the third a jade slip.
Xu Mingyan picked up the first box and smiled.
"These three items are treasures from my Xu Clan for this exchange."
"This stone bell is a second-tier high-grade defensive artifact made of Deep Azure Gemstone. Its value should be clear to all. Feel free to make offers in spirit stones or other suitable treasures."
Elian glanced at the stone bell and felt a twinge of interest.
Deep Azure Gemstone, an earth-attribute treasure, crafted into an artifact by a skilled refiner, gave the bell exceptional defensive capabilities. Its power was likely comparable to the elder patriarch's ancient bronze tower.
However, Elian wasn't the only one interested. A cultivator quickly offered 4,000 spirit stones.
Ordinary second-tier high-grade artifacts typically cost about 4,000 spirit stones, but defensive artifacts were rarer and often sold at a premium.
Before long, the bell was purchased by a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yang Clan of Ling County, a Purple Mansion family, for 5,200 spirit stones.
The second treasure, the Azure Void Earth, was a top-grade material for forging natal artifacts, comparable to the thousand-year Crimson Iron Elian once used. It was eventually exchanged for a bottle of second-tier high-grade pills by the Mu Clan of Yu County.
After the transaction, Xu Mingyan revealed the final item—the jade slip—and said expectantly, "This is the Earthly Divine Thunder, a divine ability treasured by my Xu Clan. I am seeking to exchange it for the Blazing Fire Divine Thunder. Do any Daoists here have it to trade?"
The crowd fell silent.
Elian's eyes flickered, and he quickly grasped the Xu Clan's intent.
Divine abilities were the foundations of a family's heritage. In Yu County, only the Chen and Lin families had such abilities. The Lin Clan's Earthly Divine Thunder had been purchased at a high price from Qingyang Sect through Lin Mohe's connections.
These cornerstone techniques were tightly guarded secrets, rarely shared outside the family unless absolutely necessary.
The Xu Clan's two Purple Mansion cultivators included one who ascended forty years ago and was known to possess earth and fire spirit roots. This ancestor was exceptionally talented and powerful, already proficient in Earthly Divine Thunder. If they also learned Blazing Fire Divine Thunder, their strength would increase significantly.
The intent to exchange for the Blazing Fire Divine Thunder likely originated from this Purple Mansion cultivator.
In Bianzhou, only the Yang Clan possessed the Blazing Fire Divine Thunder, making the Xu Clan's target clear.
All eyes turned toward the Yang Clan's cultivators, but they remained calm and unresponsive, showing no intention to trade.
"It seems the Yang Clan and Xu Clan don't have a good relationship," Elian thought.
"That makes sense. The two Purple Mansion families in Bianzhou are both allies and competitors."
Neither family could secure sole control over the Spirit Stone Mine; they had to collaborate to keep it out of Qingyang Sect's grasp. However, they also competed fiercely for other resources in Bianzhou, complicating their relationship.
The Yang Clan clearly didn't want the Xu Clan growing stronger. They were willing to forgo acquiring the Earthly Divine Thunder rather than bolster the Xu Clan's power.
Without the Blazing Fire Divine Thunder to trade for, the Earthly Divine Thunder wasn't exchanged and remained with the Xu Clan.
After the Xu Clan stepped down, a Yang Clan Foundation Establishment cultivator ascended the platform. He, too, was in the late Foundation Establishment stage and presented three items.
Elian saw that the three treasures included a second-tier high-grade fire-attribute flying sword, a piece of thousand-year Crimson Iron, and a jade slip.
These items didn't surprise Elian. The Yang Clan controlled a third-tier lower-grade fire vein, which produced a Crystal of Blazing Flame every hundred years and occasionally yielded other fire-attribute celestial materials like thousand-year Crimson Iron.
The flying sword and the Crimson Iron, both rare treasures, were quickly traded. The Yang Clan cultivator then held up the jade slip and said, "This jade slip contains a Purple Mansion stage cultivation method called the Evergreen Azurewood Manual. While it doesn't enhance combat abilities much, it can extend a Purple Mansion cultivator's lifespan by sixty years."
"If anyone has a Purple Mansion metal-attribute cultivation method, feel free to trade with me."
Elian's breath quickened slightly.
Purple Mansion stage cultivation methods were undeniably valuable, and one that could extend a cultivator's lifespan by sixty years was even more extraordinary.
A Purple Mansion cultivator typically lived for 400 years. With this method, combined with longevity-enhancing pills, they could potentially extend their life to over 500 years.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D