Chapter 318: The Exchange Meeting

"Brother Li, that man is a fairly famous elder of our sect, at the mid-stage True Immortal realm, skilled in illusion techniques, named Shu Tiansheng. He's not a bad person, just fond of playing around, often using his proud illusions to joke with people, without malicious intent." Qi Liang's voice sounded in Han Li's mind.

After hearing this, Han Li recalled the illusion just now, which indeed had no offensive intent, so he withdrew his gaze and ignored the man.

Seeing this, Shu Tiansheng's expression relaxed, and he behaved himself, though he still occasionally cast curious glances at Han Li.

Time passed little by little, and soon half an hour had gone by, during which two more True Immortal cultivators arrived.

After about another incense stick's time, no one else appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Changhe, it's about time. I have important matters to attend to. Can we start the exchange meeting?" the white-robed old man said coldly, opening his eyes.

Changhe the old Daoist hesitated slightly. Although the agreed start time was still a bit off, given the situation, it seemed no one else would come.

"It's about time. Let's begin. This exchange meeting has nineteen fellow Daoists participating. Thank you all for your presence. On behalf of my sect, I express my gratitude." Changhe the old Daoist nodded, stood up, and clasped his fists as he looked around.

"Fellow Daoist Changhe, spare us the pleasantries. Let's start directly," said another Candle Dragon Sect elder with a broad face and large ears, speaking indifferently.

"Hehe, since everyone is eager, let's begin. The rules of this exchange meeting are the same as before: each of you will take turns presenting the treasures you've brought, give a brief introduction, and state what you wish to exchange or the price. If both parties agree, the deal is done. Additionally, our Scorpion Sect only provides the venue here and charges no fees. Therefore, if any disputes arise after the transaction, please resolve them yourselves; our sect bears no responsibility." Changhe the old Daoist chuckled, showing no offense, and spoke clearly.

"In that case, let me start." As soon as Changhe the old Daoist finished speaking, a bald outsider sitting beside him stood up.

He patted the storage pouch at his waist, and with a flash of light, a blue jade box appeared in his hand.

The jade box was entirely azure, surrounded by a faint blue mist, from which a piercing chill emanated.

Everyone present was experienced and knowledgeable. Seeing this, they knew the contents of the box were extraordinary, and their gazes were immediately drawn to it.

The bald man, seeing the expressions of the crowd, showed a hint of pride on his face. He slowly opened the jade box, revealing a fist-sized blue crystal, completely transparent, surrounded by liquid-like blue light.

A bone-chilling cold, mixed with traces of law power, radiated from the crystal. The temperature in the hall plummeted, and the moisture in the air condensed into ice flowers, creating a beautiful scene.

"A piece of Blue Pattern Cold Crystal Jade, produced from ten-thousand-year-old cold crystals. Its texture is indestructible, and it contains extremely strong cold energy. It is an excellent material for refining cold-attribute immortal artifacts," the bald man said proudly as he sat down.

At these words, everyone present was moved, and many showed interest in their eyes.

Han Li glanced at the blue crystal and then looked away.

Such materials containing law power might be precious to ordinary True Immortal cultivators, but to him, they meant nothing. He already had several pieces on him.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Xin to possess such a treasure. But you haven't said what you want in exchange?" Changhe the old Daoist spoke.

"I want to exchange it for a metal-type spiritual material of the same level, or a metal-type True Immortal demon core," the bald man said, looking around at the people at the round table.

Everyone remained silent; no one spoke.

Those who had wanted the item earlier also showed wry smiles and shook their heads helplessly. Clearly, although the Blue Pattern Cold Crystal Jade was good, what the other party sought was equally hard to come by.

Seeing this, the bald man frowned.

"Fellow Daoist, I don't have either of the two items you mentioned. Would you be willing to exchange for immortal essence stones?" asked an old man wearing a round hat.

"I'm not short of immortal essence stones. Since no one has the materials I need, let's drop it," the bald man said, putting away the jade box and closing his eyes.

The round-hatted old man wanted to say something more, but seeing the bald man's expression, he had no choice but to regretfully keep quiet.

"What I've brought are these True Immortal beast materials. I want to exchange them for some pills that enhance cultivation," said a veiled young woman beside the bald man, standing up. With a wave of her jade hand, four or five green bones appeared on the table, emitting a faint green light.

The beast materials were not particularly valuable. Most of the people present glanced at them and then looked away, showing little interest.

However, since they were True Immortal beast bones, some still wanted them. In the end, a Candle Dragon Sect elder exchanged two bottles of pills for them.

The person after the young woman was Shu Tiansheng.

"Fellow Daoists, what I've brought this time is this set of forty-nine Mother-Child Soul-Falling Banners. Each banner is at the spiritual treasure level, and the three main banners are even top-grade spiritual treasures. When all forty-nine Soul-Falling Banners are used together, their power is comparable to ordinary immortal artifacts. I want to exchange them for one piece each of Demon Mystery Gold Essence and Heavenly Water Soft Crystal," Shu Tiansheng said with a light cough, waving his hand.

Before him, black lights flashed repeatedly, and dozens of palm-sized black banners appeared, forty-nine in total, with three of them noticeably larger than the others.

Shu Tiansheng formed hand seals and pointed. A thick, ink-black cloud burst forth from the black banners, instantly filling the entire hall. A mournful wailing sound emerged from the cloud, causing the void to tremble.

Seeing this, the people present were all amazed.

Han Li also took a second look. This set of Mother-Child Soul-Falling Banners was the most valuable item so far.

Although this set of treasures was quite powerful, he had no intention of acquiring them.

Han Li was not tempted, but others were extremely eager. After a round of intense bidding, the item was finally taken by an outsider cultivator in exchange for a piece of Demon Mystery Gold Essence, two thousand top-grade spirit stones, and several other treasures.

Shu Tiansheng brought the exchange meeting to a peak. The treasures brought by the next few people were also extraordinary, all rare items greatly beneficial to True Immortal cultivators. The atmosphere of the exchange meeting gradually heated up.

The most precious among them were three purple exotic flowers brought by another True Immortal mid-stage cultivator in a Confucian robe, called Purple Stamen Mandala Flowers. They contained poison potent enough to kill a True Immortal, but they were also spiritual materials for refining poison-attribute immortal artifacts, exceptionally rare.

This person wanted to exchange them for the demon core of a True Immortal beast called the Red-Crowned Fire Crane. Unfortunately, no one present could provide it.

As time passed, the atmosphere of the exchange meeting gradually reached its climax.

Qi Liang was in front of Han Li. He was lucky and exchanged two decent spiritual treasures for a ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb, though it was unclear what he intended to do with it.

After a while, it was finally Han Li's turn. He swept his hand across the table, and with a flash of light, two items appeared on it.

One was a black sphere, and the other was a head-sized crimson crystal.

The black sphere was the demon core of the black crane Chongluan, while the crimson crystal was the crystal containing fire law power obtained from the thin old man.

Han Li had investigated this item later and learned that it was a material called Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal. Although it contained fire-attribute law power, it was naturally unable to hold a large amount of fire spiritual power, so it could not be used to refine magical treasures or immortal artifacts.

However, it had another wonderful use: it could tame fire spiritual power.

Fire spiritual power is generally extremely violent, but no matter how explosive the fire spiritual power, after being conducted through Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal, it becomes very docile, losing all its fierceness.

Because of this property, Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal is one of the best materials for refining alchemy furnaces or artifact refining furnaces. Adding a small amount of Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal to an ordinary alchemy furnace immediately greatly increases its stability. This piece of Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal is so large that it could refine an exceptional alchemy furnace. Taken to some sects skilled in alchemy or artifact refining, it would definitely fetch a sky-high price.

Compared to the Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal, the black demon core, though also very precious, was far less valuable.

Changhe the old Daoist was first stunned, then his breathing became heavy. He stared fixedly at the crimson crystal, not blinking, his cheeks flushing red with excitement.

Although the others did not recognize the Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal, seeing the expressions of Changhe and the others, they guessed it was a rare treasure and began inquiring through voice transmissions.

"One True Immortal beast demon core, one piece of Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal. For the demon core, I want to exchange for two materials: Ten Thousand Round Fruit and Blood Crystal Lotus Root, each with an age of over fifty thousand years. For the Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal, I want to exchange for nine materials: Floating Life Fruit, Heaven-Made Ginseng, Dew Condensing Grass... and Heaven-Cold Gum. As for the specific exchange method, we can discuss further," Han Li said leisurely.

Upon hearing Han Li's words, the excitement of the crowd faded, and they showed strange expressions. No one spoke for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist, I have a Ten Thousand Round Fruit in hand, but no Blood Crystal Lotus Root. Can I replace it with something else?" At that moment, a voice sounded. It was the mid-stage True Immortal white-robed old man, looking at the black demon core.

"Oh, let me see your Ten Thousand Round Fruit first," Han Li said indifferently.

The white-robed old man took out a green wooden box but did not immediately throw it over. Looking at the black demon core, he said, "Can I also examine your demon core?"

"Of course," Han Li said with a faint smile. He waved his hand, sending a burst of green light to lift the demon core and fly it to the white-robed old man.

Seeing this, the old man also tossed the wooden box over.

A talisman was affixed to the wooden box. Han Li waved his hand lightly, and a flash of green spiritual light passed by. The talisman on the box immediately fell off, and the lid opened automatically.

Inside lay a pale golden spiritual fruit the size of a fist. The surface of the fruit had ring-like patterns. Although it had no peculiar fragrance, an unusual vitality rushed forth.

Han Li gently picked up the fruit, examined it briefly, and nodded.

This item was indeed a Ten Thousand Round Fruit, at least sixty to seventy thousand years old, sufficient for alchemy. The core inside was also intact, suitable for separate cultivation.

The white-robed old man examined the black demon core, also showing a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. He waved his hand, and four or five jade boxes of various colors appeared before him.

"I don't have Blood Crystal Lotus Root, but these items are no less valuable," the white-robed old man said, waving his hand again. With a faint white light, the jade boxes opened automatically, revealing their contents.

"Gold Essence Silk, Tiger Eye Jade, Green Luo Fruit... Fellow Daoist, although these items are of good quality, I don't need them. Let's just convert them into immortal essence stones," Han Li said, glancing over them and speaking directly.

As soon as the two finished exchanging, Changhe the old Daoist's voice also sounded:

"Fellow Daoist Li, Heaven-Made Ginseng, Heaven-Cold Gum, and the like are too rare. It seems no one has them. Can this Crimson Cloud Fire Crystal also be exchanged for spirit stones?"