Chapter 77. Verdant Wood Longevity Art

The woman smiled faintly and remarked playfully, "This prodigy who achieved Foundation Establishment through his own means may 1 day have me addressing him as 'senior.' How could I possibly take advantage of him?"

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Achieving Foundation Establishment on his own was 1 thing, but the real shock lay in Eldrin’s age—he was far too young. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he would have 2 more opportunities to break through to the Purple Mansion than an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

When a Foundation Establishment cultivator attempts a breakthrough to the Purple Mansion, even if they fail, they accumulate valuable experience. At the very least, they can unblock more meridians, thereby increasing their chances of success in the next attempt.

In the eyes of all, Eldrin had at least a 50 to 60 percent chance of reaching the Purple Mansion Realm before his lifespan was exhausted.

Meng Xinghe let out a hearty laugh and continued introducing these Foundation Establishment cultivators to Eldrin (Person Name).

These individuals were all Meng Xinghe's longtime friends. The woman was named Yu Lingyan (Person Name), the Grand Elder of the Yu Clan—a Foundation Establishment immortal family from Ling Prefecture.

The other 2 individuals were a rogue cultivator from Fengjun and the clan leader of the Jiang Family, a Foundation Establishment clan in the region. Both were Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivators.

Upon Meng Xinghe's introduction, Eldrin became acquainted with many Foundation Establishment cultivators present, thus making his debut among them and integrating into this circle.

Your circle determines the resources you can access. Most second-tier treasures are in the hands of Foundation Establishment cultivators. While Qi Refining cultivators struggle to find such treasures, Foundation Establishment cultivators often possess quite a few.

Though it was merely a chance encounter, becoming acquainted meant they could at least exchange information and resources. Should they require any rare treasures in the future, it would be easier to visit for trade or purchase.

Half an hour later, a man ascended the central platform of the Dingxuan Pavilion. This man was named Xu Mingyan (Person Name), whose cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). He was an elder of the Xu Family.

Xu Mingyan swept his gaze over the assembly and smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoists, this humble 1 is Xu Mingyan. It is my honor to preside over this Treasure Exchange Conference."

"I shall not speak more. This time, I shall begin modestly to spark greater insights—let the Xu Family commence the trading."

He spoke as he produced 3 treasure boxes, then opened them 1 by 1.

Eldrin (Person Name) raised his eyes and saw that within the first treasure box lay an ancient, unadorned stone bell of muted cyan hue. The second box contained a clump of pristine Azure Void Earth, while the final chest held a jade slip.

Xu Mingyan produced the first treasure box and smiled faintly. "These 3 artifacts represent my Xu family's offerings for this transaction."

"This stone bell is a top-grade, rank-2 defensive artifact forged from cyan gemstone. Its value, I trust, is clear to all present. You may freely name your price—transactions are accepted in spirit stones or suitable treasures."

Eldrin glanced over it and couldn't help but feel somewhat tempted.

The Cyan Gemstone was an earth-attribute treasure. After being refined into a magical artifact by a master artificer, the bell's defensive capabilities had become remarkably formidable, its power likely no less than the old patriarch's Ancient Bronze Pagoda.

However, it was clear that he was not the only 1 coveting this item. Soon, a cultivator offered 4,000 spirit stones.

An ordinary top-grade second-tier magical tool is typically worth around 4,000 spirit stones, but defensive artifacts command a significant premium due to their rarity.

Before long, it was purchased at a premium price of 5,200 spirit stones by a Foundation Establishment, Late Stage cultivator from the Yang Clan of the Eldrin County's Violet Manor Immortal Family.

The second treasure was a portion of Green Void Earth of superior quality. This particular Green Void Earth was in no way inferior to the Millennial Crimson Iron once possessed by Eldrin (Person Name), making it premium material for forging a Life-Bound Magical Treasure. In the end, it was acquired by the Mu Family of Yu County in exchange for a bottle of second-grade, superior-quality pills.

After the transaction for the Azure Void Soil was completed, Xu Mingyan (Person Name) produced the final jade slip, his face etched with hopeful anticipation as he spoke.

"This is my Xu family's treasured divine ability, the Wutu Divine Thunder, and I wish to exchange it for a copy of the Binghuo Divine Thunder divine ability. I wonder if any fellow Daoists present would be willing to make the trade?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell into a profound silence.

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly as he grasped the underlying intention of the Xu family.

Divine abilities served as the foundational strength of every major clan. In Yu County, only the Chen and Lin families possessed such arts. The Lin family’s Eldritch Earth Thunder had been acquired at a steep price from the Qingyang Sect, thanks entirely to Mordecai’s (Person Name) connections.

Such foundational trump cards, as a rule, are kept tightly concealed and would never be divulged unless absolutely necessary.

Among the 2 Zi Fu Realm cultivators of the Xu family, 1 had broken through to the Zi Fu Realm 40 years ago. It was said this individual was a practitioner with dual spiritual roots of fire and earth.

That Purple Mansion Elder possessed truly extraordinary talent and combat prowess, having already cultivated the Wù Earth Divine Thunder. If he could also master the Bǐng Fire Divine Thunder, his battle strength would likely increase by another 30 percent.

It was likely the intention of that Zifu cultivator to exchange for the Bing Fire Divine Thunder this time.

The only clan in Bianzhou possessing the Divine Fire Thunder ability was the Yang Clan, a Purple Mansion immortal family from Ling County. This made the Xu Family's target abundantly clear.

At this moment, everyone's gaze fell upon the cultivators from the Yang Clan. Yet the Yang Clan members remained utterly unperturbed, maintaining their serene composure without uttering a single word, showing not the slightest intention to exchange for the Divine Thunder.

"It seems the relationship between the Yang Clan and the Xu Clan is likely far from amicable."

"Indeed, at its core, the relationship between the 2 Zifu masters of Bianzhou is 1 of both cooperation and competition."

Eldrin thought to himself, roughly deducing the relationship between the 2 great Violet Mansion immortal clans.

Neither of the 2 immortal clans could single-handedly secure the Border Mountain Spirit Stone Vein. They had to join forces to seize this coveted prize right under Qingyang Sect's watchful gaze.

Yet among themselves, they also competed for the various resources of Border Province, making their relationships quite intricate.

The Yang Clan would rather relinquish foundational assets like the Eldritch Earth Divine Thunder than allow the Xu Family to grow stronger, so determined are they to prevent the Xus from gaining power.

Unable to obtain the Blazing Fire Divine Thunder, the Xu Clan naturally refused to part with the Primordial Earth Divine Thunder, causing this third treasure to go unsold.

The Xu clansman descended from the high platform, and the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yang family promptly ascended. This individual was also a Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) practitioner. He, too, produced 3 treasures.

Eldrin glanced over and saw 3 treasures: a second-tier, superior-grade Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure), a chunk of millennium-old crimson iron, and a jade slip scroll.

Eldrin was not surprised by these treasures. The Xu Clan controlled a low-grade, third-tier fire vein, which produced 1 Li Fire Crystal every 100 years. Occasionally, even rare fire-attribute treasures like 1000-Year Crimson Iron could emerge.

The second-tier superior flying sword and the millennium red iron were both rare treasures, and they were quickly traded away. In the end, the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yang Clan held the jade slip and said.

This jade slip contained a recorded Purple Mansion realm cultivation method known as the Verdant Wood Eternal Life Art. Though this technique offered limited combat prowess, it could grant Purple Mansion cultivators an additional 60-year life cycle.

"If you possess a metal-attributed cultivation method of the Violet Mansion Realm, you are welcome to seek this old man for an exchange."

Eldrin glanced at that cultivation technique and couldn't help but feel his breathing grow rapid.

There is no doubt about the preciousness of cultivation techniques for the Violet Mansion Realm, especially when this method could grant a cultivator an additional 60 years of longevity.

A Zifu cultivator has a lifespan of 4 100 years. If 1 could cultivate this technique and acquire some life-extending elixirs, wouldn't they be able to live beyond 5 100 years?