Chapter 76 Barter Convention, Old Foe Reappears

This was well within Eldrin’s expectations. The Xu Immortal Clan presided over a third-tier underground earth vein, which frequently gave rise to second-tier, earth-attributed natural treasures. It was only natural that such treasures were not in short supply for them.

Unfortunately, among these treasures, none were Eldrin's target. He closed the catalog and asked, "Might Fengyang Pavilion have any Essence of Kui Water for sale?"

Xu Mingyang’s eyes flickered faintly upon hearing this, and he replied, “I presume you seek the Aqua Essence to forge the Mingyuan Ethereal Spirit Sword.”

"Unfortunately, among the 3 provinces under the Azure Sun Sect's jurisdiction, there isn't a single third-order water vein. The Essence of Mystic Water is already exceptionally rare, and I don't possess any of it here."

Xu Mingyang could only shake his head helplessly. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the Exchange Convention begins, fellow daoist, and see if you can purchase it then."

"However, this item is considered extremely rare in Border Province, so the price likely won't be low. Fellow Daoist, you should mentally prepare yourself."

Eldrin (Person Name) listened, then nodded helplessly.

The 5 Elements Earth Veins require at least Tier 3 to take form. The Chu Kingdom (Location), vast in territory and rich in resources, lacks neither Fire Veins, Earth Veins, nor Metal Veins.

Only the water veins that gathered aqueous elemental power and the wood veins were exceptionally scarce. Particularly within the 3 prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Qingyang Sect, not a single third-order water vein had been discovered, resulting in an extreme scarcity of water-attribute resources throughout the Chu Kingdom.

The Aqua Essence Crystal was even more exceedingly rare. As a result, across the vast expanse of the Chu Kingdom's 9 provinces and 30 prefectures, where the total number of Eldrin Palace cultivators amounted to nearly a 100, fewer than 3 actually cultivated a Water Spirit Root as their primary affinity.

Logically speaking, the Eastern Barren Domain was no Western Desert—it shouldn't lack water cycle elements, so water veins couldn't possibly be this scarce.

Yet after years of searching, the cultivators of Chu Kingdom had only managed to locate a single third-order water vein.

Later, some high-level cultivators speculated that the Chu Kingdom (Location), bordering the Vast Marsh, might have had its water elemental power drained away by the marsh, leading to the depletion of its water veins.

Of course, there were also those who held differing views. They believed the scarcity of water veins in Chu Kingdom (Location) was merely due to the relatively short period of development and the failure to locate the hidden water veins thus far.

Because within the Celestial Python Lake (Location) bordering the Chu Kingdom (Location), there flowed a fourth-order water vein. 1 could not bypass the Celestial Python Lake (Location) to draw upon the water elemental forces of the Chu Kingdom (Location) across the vast marshlands.

"The Aqua Essence is scarce. I don't know if we'll be able to acquire it in this trade deal. It seems we can only do our utmost and leave the rest to fate."

With that thought, Eldrin rose to his feet and bid farewell to Xu Mingyang: "In that case, I shall take my leave."

"Though the deal didn't materialize, Xu Mingyang still courteously said, 'Then I beg your pardon for not seeing you out.'"

After bidding farewell to Xu Mingyang, Eldrin (Person Name) stepped out of Fengyang Pavilion, only to coincidentally spot 2 figures approaching the moment he crossed the threshold.

"It's him."

Eldrin's eyes narrowed, a flicker of icy coldness passing through his pupils.

The newcomers turned out to be the 2 Foundation Establishment experts from the Lin Family—1 was Lin Baixi, whose arm he had severed, while the other was Lin Moqin of the Lin Family's Mo generation. Both were Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivators, their status within the Lin Family second only to the clan leader, Lin Mocheng.

The moment he saw the 2 figures, their eyes met simultaneously. When Lin Baixi (Person Name) locked gazes with him, a murderous intent erupted in his eyes, his fingers twitching as if he might strike at any instant.

"Don't be rash." Seeing the situation turning sour, Lin Moqin grabbed Lin Baixi's arm and urgently advised, "The Fengyang Trading Post (Location) is under the Xu Clan's territory. If you start a fight here, not even the family would be able to protect you."

Seeing that he made no move, Eldrin cast an impassive glance at the pair. With a sweep of his sleeve, he bid Xu Mingyang farewell before turning to depart.

Watching him vanish into the distance, the 2 finally revealed their killing intent.

Lin Baixi’s face was twisted with venomous resentment. Gnashing his teeth, he suppressed the urge to strike. “The grievance of blocking 1’s path to immortality is irreconcilable. If I do not seek vengeance, this burning hatred in my heart will never be quelled.”

Lin Moqin was already over 1 100 and 50 years old, his temperament far more composed compared to Lin Baixi, who had not yet reached a century in age.

He glanced at Lin Baixi, understanding that after his path to immortality had been severed, hatred had clouded his vision, blinding him to the vast disparity in their strength.

Worried that Lin Baixi might do something foolish, he had no choice but to advise,

"This Eldrin possesses an exceptionally profound foundation, and with his Lifebound Immortal Sword and Violet Light Mirror at his disposal, he proves to be a rather formidable adversary."

"To deal with this man, you must either strike with lethal precision, leaving no trace of your involvement, or refrain from acting rashly. Should he manage to escape, it would likely give the Chen Family a pretext to declare war."

"By then, if the other 4 great families stand by and do nothing, I fear we may not be a match for the Chen Family."

As Lin Moqin finished speaking, the venom in Lin Baixi’s eyes remained undiminished—it was unclear whether he had truly taken the words to heart.

“…”

A dozen or so days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 1 The day of the trading convention arrived. Eldrin came to the Dingxuan Pavilion early in the morning.

Dingxuan Pavilion was an enterprise of the Xu Family, where the trade fair held once every 10 years typically took place.

Eldrin stepped into the Pavilion of Cauldrons and found approximately 50-some participants at this trade conference. Most were Foundation Establishment cultivators from local Border Province clans or wandering practitioners, while a dozen or so had journeyed from Celestial Ruins Mountain and the Sunfire Province.

In the novels of his past life, it was often said that at cultivation exchange gatherings, everyone wore black robes and covered their faces, each concealing their aura, terrified of being recognized and falling victim to robbery and murder.

In truth, what Eldrin witnessed was entirely different. At this moment, over 50 people were gathered in small clusters of 2 or 3, exchanging greetings. Many were longtime friends reunited after years apart, while others glared at each other with evident hostility, clearly bearing old grudges.

Upon careful reflection, this was only natural. The Borderlands had barely over a 100 Foundation Establishment cultivators in total. After decades or even a century of cultivation, they had essentially all crossed paths at some point.

A cultivator's memory far surpasses that of mortals. Even if they haven't personally encountered something, they've likely heard of it. What renowned magical instruments 1 possesses, what signature supernatural abilities 1 has mastered—these are essentially common knowledge among peers. With just a glance, they can deduce 70 or 80 percent of your identity.

Whether they were unfamiliar cultivators could be determined at a glance, for aside from those few strangers, nearly everyone present had crossed paths before.

In such circumstances, concealing 1's identity would be as foolish as burying 1's head in the sand—it would only reveal their guilty conscience.

"Nephew, come quickly."

As soon as Eldrin (Person Name) entered, he heard a familiar voice.

He looked up and saw Meng Xinghe standing with several Foundation Establishment cultivators, a warm smile on his face as he beckoned him over.

After all, this was the old clan leader’s cousin, and the 2 families were quite close. He hurried over and said with a smile, "Your grand-nephew pays his respects to Grand-Uncle."

"Excellent, excellent." Meng Xinghe laughed heartily, praising with satisfaction, "Throughout Yu County, you are hailed as a peerless genius with astonishing aptitude."

"Today I finally understand the truth of those words. Your cultivation truly advances with astonishing speed—indeed worthy of being called the foremost among the younger generation of Yu County."

The nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators’ eyes lit up faintly. A woman at the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage widened her eyes and asked, “Could this be…?”

Meng Xinghe nodded, pulling Eldrin forward as he introduced, "This is Eldrin from the Chen Family of Verdant Chariot Mountain. Though I’m presuming on my relationship with my cousin Changxuan to claim seniority over him, you must not look down on him for it."