Selling one is selling; selling two is also selling. There's hardly any difference from picking it up for free.

"No problem."

Jia Ren waited on the spot for a moment before a person emerged from behind Xue Feng'e, holding out the Rhinoceros Horn to Jia Ren.

It was indeed the Rhinoceros Horn. Given the other party's status and position, there was no need to deceive him with a fake.

He recorded the Bait Tempting Technique formula, successfully completing the second transaction.

Having received the benefits, Jia Ren decisively slipped away. He didn't take the opportunity to strike up a conversation, hoping to marry a rich and beautiful wife and reach the pinnacle of life.

He was no longer a youth. Having experienced the warmth and coldness of the world, he understood the clear divide in strength and status among cultivators. The gap between people was greater than that between humans and dogs.

Perhaps in her eyes, I wasn't even regarded as a creature of the same species...

Xue Feng'e didn't bother looking at the Bait Tempting Technique ingredients handed to her by her subordinate; she was interested in the bait itself and its potential value.

"Create the bait as quickly as possible and test its effects. I hope not to be disappointed," she said.

After all was done, she no longer paid attention to the matter. The loose cultivator who sold the bait was never truly in her mind from beginning to end.

As Jia Ren guessed, why would the noble daughter of the Five Elements Sect Master care about a common loose cultivator?

Only after confirming that he wasn't being followed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Returning to his stone abode, he quietly awaited results.

Has Yang Bingzhi not left safely yet?

He didn't participate in the auction for the Foundation Establishment Pill, did he?

The temptation of the Foundation Establishment Pill was not small, and with Yang Bingzhi having recently mined a large number of Spirit Stones, he had the financial resources to bid for it. This would be the test of his rationality and whether he could restrain his greed.

A Sound Transmission Talisman flew to him from afar. Only after Jia Ren received it did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He quickly left the Great Wilderness Market and headed straight for Grand Wilderness Mountain.

It was the same old place, with the same people as before.

Yang Bingzhi's eyebrows were raised in a proud and spirited manner as he pushed a cup of Spiritual Tea toward him.

The tea was emerald green, emanating potent Spiritual Energy.

Jia Ren picked it up and took a light sip, unable to help but exclaim, "Excellent tea."

Compared to Yang Bingzhi's willingness to spend Spirit Stones to indulge his tastes, his own lifestyle was a pitiful tale of a pauper's hardship.

"Daoist Jia, these are the Spirit Stones mined this time," Yang Bingzhi said. "Anxious to attend the auction, I took some Spirit Stones without asking. This is the fifty percent share that belongs to Daoist Jia."

A Ten Directions Storage Bag was pushed over, filled with irregularly shaped Spirit Stone Ores of various sizes.

There were quite a few Medium-grade Spirit Stones among them, potentially amounting to thirty thousand Spirit Stones, far more than the profits Yang Shengwu had ever given him.

"I have not forgotten my promise to Daoist Jia. I was lucky enough to see the True Water Refinement Technique from the Shenbing Sect at the auction and acquired it immediately."

"The inheritance of the Shenbing Sect is not bad; a pity, however, that their artifact refining heritage is incomplete."

The second item handed over was a Jade Slip. An artifact refining heritage?

Yang Bingzhi did not disappoint; he had indeed bought one of the Four Arts of Cultivation heritages.

Unlike the alchemy recipe exchanged from Luo Yuzhu, this artifact refining heritage was relatively complete. Moreover, it was from a sect renowned for artifact refining, making it invaluable.

His Spiritual Consciousness delved into it, and the words "True Water Refinement Technique" appeared in his mind.

The Jade Slip detailed the True Water artifact refining method through comprehensive records that formed a complete system. The Water Refinement Method ranged from beginner to advanced, capable of refining up to High-Grade Magical Artifacts.

And there it abruptly ended.

The True Water Refinement Technique had been deliberately truncated, revealing only this much.

It recorded the refining methods for dozens of magic artifacts, primarily Low-Quality Magical Artifacts and Medium-grade Magic Tools; High-Grade Magical Artifacts were few and far between.

The Water Refinement Method was slower than the Forge method; however, it was not without its advantages. It was less prone to failure during artifact production and was more adept at refining complex Defense Artifacts and special Magic Artifacts.

The True Water Refinement Technique was indeed an excellent artifact refining heritage, one that could be passed down through generations within his family.

Jia Ren possessed the True Water Refinement Technique, the Mysterious Water Pill Recipe, and the Evil Warding Charm Art, which was at the forefront of the five types of Talisman Crafting Techniques he knew. With these, he was well-equipped to establish his own family and secure its long-term stability.

"This is just the beginning. Since you like to collect the Four Arts of Cultivation, I'll continue to search for them within the sect for you in the future," Yang Bingzhi offered.

"Thank you for your trouble, Yang Daoyou," Jia Ren said without any pretense, reaching out to take it.

"Yang Daoyou, did you encounter any accidents while mining the Spirit Stone Vein?" Jia Ren couldn't help but recall Yang Shengwu mentioning the fleeing loose cultivator. Had this person not appeared? Could he have perished at Yang Bingzhi's hand?

"I haven't seen any fleeing cultivators; the mining went quite smoothly," replied Yang Bingzhi. "I used the Ore-Prospecting Mystique to conduct a search and confirmed something: the scale of the Spirit Stone Vein far exceeds imagination. This is a Large Spirit Stone Vein."

"If we fully excavate the Spirit Stone Vein, we won't need to worry about Spirit Stones in the future," he expressed passionately, needing to get it off his chest.

Apart from Jia Ren, he dared not reveal this to anyone else.

The discovery of the Spirit Stone Vein dispelled all the gloom in his heart. Such a huge vein of Spirit Stones, an unimaginable fortune, was something one would only dare dream of.

Before the news of the Spirit Stone Vein leaked, Jia Ren might have been happy. But now, a larger Spirit Stone Vein represented more risk and uncertainty. No one knew what sort of dangers a Spirit Stone Vein might attract. Any slight change could lead to a catastrophe they could not bear.

"Be careful, Yang Daoyou. While the Spirit Stone Vein is important, safety is paramount," Jia Ren warned. "With the current portion of Spirit Stones, cultivating to the Foundation Establishment Stage is not difficult."

The only difficulty lay in successfully establishing a foundation. Even with Spirit Stones, acquiring Foundation Establishment Pills wasn't easy. However, cultivating to the peak of Qi Refinement wasn't difficult, and his probability of successfully establishing a foundation was far higher than that of other cultivators.

I must prioritize enhancing my strength, so I can deal with any trouble that arises.

Yang Bingzhi did not agree, shaking his head. "Daoist Jia, you are the one I admire the most. If I were in your shoes, I would never be willing to share a Spirit Stone Vein with others."

"You have one major issue—you act with too much... hesitation."

"When an opportunity arises, one must strive for it!"

"If you don't compete for the moment, how can you compete for a lifetime! Not to mention the Great Dao!"

"I will never forget your kindness. There's a share for me in the Spirit Stone Vein, and you will undoubtedly get your portion."

Yang Shengwu, with Yun Niang and his unborn child as his weaknesses, had lost his drive. Believing he had enough Spirit Stones, along with the threat from the Great Wilderness Market's wanted announcement, he had chosen to leave.

Yang Bingzhi's ambition was far greater than Yang Shengwu's.

Probably, even if I urged Yang Bingzhi to stop, he would not give up.

Jia Ren did not continue to persuade him, respecting others' choices and destinies. The rest was up to fate.

If successful, Yang Bingzhi and I would have a smooth path ahead.

Jia Ren could only change the subject to talk about cultivation.

"I almost forgot, this is the Spiritual Medicine needed for the Dark Gold Body technique."

The Dark Gold Body technique required longer medicinal baths and more Spiritual Medicines. This process refined medicinal strength into the bone marrow, making the body nearly perfect. At this point, the Mixed Refining Vajra Body would be complete, his body flawless and capable of resisting High-Grade Magical Artifacts.

Jia Ren did not stand on ceremony and accepted the Spiritual Medicine.

"There's no need for Spirit Stones; it's just a small amount of money."

"In a few days, I will go to the Spirit Stone Vein again. We'll meet here in half a month," Yang Bingzhi said.

Jia Ren tried to give him Spirit Stones several times, but Yang Bingzhi refused them. With a readily available Spirit Stone Vein, such a small amount of Spirit Stones held no appeal for him.

"Yang Daoyou, be careful in all matters."

The two sat until dusk before they reluctantly parted.

I hope the excavation of the Spirit Stone Vein goes smoothly, without any problems.

Jia Ren was not in a rush to leave. He chose to proceed with caution, first breaking up the raw Spirit Stone Ores in his possession.

The quantity of raw Spirit Stone Ores was not large, but their quality was high.

There were a total of three hundred twelve Medium-grade Spirit Stones, as well as cut-off scraps of Mid-grade Broken Spirit.

Eight hundred seventy-nine Spirit Stones and three Fragmented Spirits. Added haphazardly, this amounted to at least thirty-two thousand Spirit Stones.

This was definitely the largest batch of Spirit Stones Jia Ren had ever obtained. Including the part he hadn't spent, it amounted to well over forty thousand.

Forty thousand Spirit Stones could buy nearly four Foundation Establishment Pills, according to the auction price for the pill revealed by Yang Bingzhi.

Jia Ren's wealth now exceeded that of many families, including those with Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Spirit Stones are indeed good things!

Jia Ren glanced at the Storage Bag specially used for holding Spirit Stones. Two Ten Directions Storage Bags were full; carrying them around was indeed a considerable risk.

After returning to the Market, the first thing was to ensure the Inner City was safe.

Those who dared to snatch the Foundation Establishment Pills, as well as those who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rob, were all suppressed by the Five Elements Sect. A good number were executed publicly.

The bloodstains on the ground had been cleaned, but the air still carried the lingering, pervasive stench of blood.

The whereabouts of the Foundation Establishment Pill were unclear; whether a family that had auctioned for the pill had safely taken it away or it had returned to the hands of the Five Elements Sect was unknown.

I need to prepare several Formations to ensure safety.

Since he had enough Spirit Stones, relying solely on the Solid as Golden Soup Formation was no longer enough; he needed to add more protection.

First, he placed the extra Storage Bags in the hidden passage beneath his residence. With the Exotic Black Mosquitoes guarding and the Solid as Golden Soup Formation activated, he confirmed there were no problems before leaving.

Jia Ren did not go to the Formation Instrument Shop he had visited once, but to the Tianbao Pavilion.

"What would you like to buy, Daoist friend?" A maid greeted him warmly.

"Formation Array Plates."

Upon hearing the words "Array Plates," the maid's eyes lit up, and her smile became even more radiant.

She led Jia Ren directly to the third floor.

It was Jia Ren's first time on the third floor of Tianbao Pavilion. Compared to the first and second floors, there were fewer items on display, but what was for sale were mostly High-Grade Magical Artifacts, Formation Array Plates, and high-quality Talismans.

"There are different types of Formations. Maze Formations include the Primordial Maze Formation and the Yun Luo Illusion Array..."

"Defense Formations include the Solid as Golden Soup Formation and the Unmoving Like a Mountain Formation..."

"Attack Formations are the Jade Light of Clear Water Formation and the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array, respectively..."

"Each type corresponds to different grades and prices. What kind of Formation Array Plate would you like? Tianbao Pavilion can dispatch an Array Master to set up the Formation for you."

The Formation Array Plates in Tianbao Pavilion were far more comprehensive than those in the Formation Instrument Shop, superior in quality, but also more expensive.

You get what you pay for, and Jia Ren would rather spend a large sum of money to buy a fine Array Plate.

Buying too many Formations all at once would definitely bring trouble. Setting up a Formation yourself would also expose you, far less convenient than carrying an Array Plate.

The weakness of an Array Plate was obvious. Its effects were diminished compared to a true Formation, possessing roughly ten to fifty percent of the original Formation's power, and its deployment range was also limited. Even so, the Array Plate remained a good means for Cultivators to defend against enemies.

"How much for the Yun Luo Illusion Array?"

This was quite a potent Enchanting Illusion Formation. Those who stepped into it would be ensnared by illusions; without countermeasures, they would remain trapped within.

"The Yun Luo Illusion Array is a master's work, of excellent quality, and has fifty percent of a complete Formation's effectiveness. The price is not cheap: two thousand Spirit Stones."

Such a price was beyond the reach of ordinary Loose Cultivators; it was far too expensive.

Jia Ren did not hesitate and decisively paid the Spirit Stones, purchasing the Yun Luo Illusion Array.

He did not continue to buy other Formations and left in a hurry.

Tianbao Pavilion had a good reputation, and no one pursued him after he left, which gave him some peace of mind.

Jia Ren changed his appearance and returned. This time, he bought the offensive Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array Plate. It was made by a master and, at full power, was difficult for even a Ninth Level of Qi Refinement Cultivator to withstand.

The price was much higher than the previous Yun Luo Illusion Array, reaching five thousand Spirit Stones.

The price was quite terrifying. Without any hesitation, Jia Ren bought the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array Plate and left in a rush.

With the Mysterious Water Pill Recipe, the Rhinoceros Horn, the True Water Refinement Technique, more than thirty thousand Spirit Stones, the Yun Luo Illusion Array, and the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array, it was indeed a great harvest.

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