"I did not expect to encounter a guest today who could recognize Fiery Sun Tea; it truly delights me," a crisp voice came, like the tinkling of spring water, pleasant to the ears.

"Where, I only know a little about the way of tea, which makes Fellow Daoist laugh..." Gu Yue rose to look at the door, his voice suddenly choked off, his expression as if he had swallowed an egg.

A woman in yellow clothes walked in. She appeared to be only in her thirties, her eyes still flirtatious, and her skin was very fair. Unfortunately, her cheeks were swollen, layers of fat folded under her chin, her waist as wide as a barrel, and her limbs round and plump. Her large feet made a "pat pat" sound as they hit the floor.

"Unaware of the distinguished guest's arrival, I failed to meet you from afar. I am Zhuo Lingling, serving as a steward at Longevity Immortal Tower. May I know how to address the guest?" the woman in yellow chuckled, speaking in standard Central Plains dialect, discreetly sizing up Yuan Ming.

Before Yuan Ming could speak, Gu Yue had already risen and introduced in a somewhat stiff Central Plains dialect, "This is Young Master Yuan from Central Plains Da Jin, who happened to come here wanting to buy some items, knowing our Longevity Immortal Tower is also from Da Jin, he specifically came to visit."

Yuan Ming did not mind Gu Yue speaking for him; instead, he was quite pleased with his ability to discern situations and adapt spontaneously, knowing what to say and when, which could save him a lot of trouble.

He did not speak but nodded slightly to Zhuo Lingling as a gesture.

This woman was quite stout but had a high level of cultivation, having reached the Qi Refining Peak, which indicated the non-ordinary strength of Chang Chun Temple, the power behind Longevity Immortal Tower.

"Hehe, Young Master Yuan making a special visit is an honor for our tower. Meeting in this foreign land is also a kind of fate. Our tower has been in Black Rock City for many years, renowned for its high-quality and fair-priced wares. If the young master wishes to buy anything, this is indeed the right place," Zhuo Lingling's smile deepened as she sat down in the chair opposite Yuan Ming.

The chair made a creaking sound, seemingly struggling under the woman's weight.

"Indeed, your tower has a variety of items, but what I need is somewhat mixed, and it will take some effort to find them all. If Steward Zhuo could assist me, that would be most appreciated," Yuan Ming finally began to speak, naturally in fluent Central Plains dialect.

"This servant will certainly do her utmost to ensure that the young master won't be disappointed. I heard the young master mentioned wanting to buy some spiritual materials and Elixir and Talisman; is that correct?" Zhuo Lingling asked.

"Frost Attribute Spiritual Materials, mid-grade or higher, and also Black Stiff Silkworm Silk, Jade Skin Powder, and Xuduan Flower, these three materials. As for Elixir and Talismans, if there is a catalogue, please show it to me," Yuan Ming pondered before saying.

"Although the three items like Black Stiff Silkworm Silk are rare, our storeroom happens to have them. I will send someone to fetch them right away. As for the Frost Attribute Spiritual Materials of mid-grade or higher, although rare, our store does have a few. Does Fellow Daoist have any specific requirements?" Zhuo Lingling barely took a moment to think before she asked.

"I can't specify exactly, but if it's convenient, could you bring them all for me to take a look?" Yuan Ming was secretly delighted but kept his expression neutral as he asked.

In the Da Jin Cultivation World, truly, small sects like Biluo Cave could not compare. If he could gather everything at once, it would save a lot of trouble; he didn't have much time.

"Very well, then please wait here for a moment, Young Master Yuan. Meanwhile, feel free to enjoy some Jade Dew Tea imported from overseas," Zhuo Lingling got up and signaled a maid to bring new tea sets for Yuan Ming and his companion before giving a hommage and heading downstairs.

No sooner had the woman left than Gu Yue came over, laughing, "Brother Yuan, today is truly an eye-opener. Normally, those at Longevity Immortal Tower who turn their noses up are inviting you into a private room today, saving us a lot of effort! You play the part of a noble young master so convincingly that even the steward did not notice anything amiss. But, the items here are not cheap, claiming quality and affordability is utter nonsense."

Gu Yue's words clearly had both sincerity and a hint of flattery.

"Sometimes, money can solve things that would otherwise take effort. Spirit Stones can be earned again, but time waits for no one!" Yuan Ming sipped the fragrant tea and said.

"So that's how it is," Gu Yue realized suddenly.

A moment later, the woman in yellow, Zhuo Lingling, returned.

"I apologize for keeping Young Master Yuan waiting; fortunately, I have brought the items. Fellow Daoist, please take your time to examine them," Zhuo Lingling smiled apologetically as her sleeves swept over the table in the private room, and seven boxes of varying sizes and materials appeared on the table.

Zhuo Lingling flicked her fingers, and the three wooden boxes on the left side opened automatically.

Yuan Ming scanned, and the three boxes contained the Black Stiff Silkworm Silk, Jade Skin Powder, and Xuduan Flower he needed.

These three spiritual materials were all of top quality and in substantial quantity, sufficient for refining the Thousand Mechanism Mask twice.

Yuan Ming looked towards the remaining four boxes, each containing a Frost Attribute Spiritual Material.

Inside a semi-transparent green stone box was a piece of jade, the very Ice Soul Stone he had seen earlier. The remaining three boxes contained a black round stone, a blue flower, and half a white Jade Ruyi respectively.

The Ice Soul Stone, black round stone, and the blue flower all emitted a staggering coldness, but the white Ruyi had no special aura, seeming like an ordinary object.

"Allow me to introduce these four Frost Attribute Spiritual Materials to Young Master Yuan. This white jade is called Ice Soul Stone, born at the bottom of an extremely cold ice pond. The black round stone is called Cold Iron Stone, not only containing intense coldness but also extremely hard, making it fine material for refining magic artifacts. The blue flower is called Nine Cold Flower, unsuitable for artifact refining, yet it is an exquisite material for refining cold attribute elixirs," Zhuo Lingling explained one by one.

"What about this half-piece of ruyi? It looks like a fragment of a magical tool." Yuan Ming nodded noncommittally, but his eyes were fixed on the last white ruyi.

"Young Master Yuan guessed correctly, this item is indeed a fragment of a magical tool, made from Yin Jade. However, you can rest assured, Master Yuan, the runes' aura inside this jade ruyi has completely dissipated, and there are no other materials mixed in. It can be used directly as a pure spiritual material," Zhuo Lingling hesitated for a moment before saying.

"What is Yin Jade?"

Yuan Ming seemed to have seen this material in the Record of Strange Stones; the Record of Strange Stones contained a vast amount of content, and he remembered only the names of many materials along with a general description of their properties, but not the details.

"Yin Jade is a special type of cold attribute spiritual material, not only containing intense coldness but also filled with potent Yin Qi. Although it is just a mid-grade spiritual material, the magical tools refined from it are no less than top-grade magical tools. Our store has applied a sealing spell on the ruyi to suppress the Yin Qi, preventing it from harming people," Zhuo Lingling explained.

"I see, may I pick it up to take a look?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Of course, you may. Just be careful, do not let the Yin Qi invade your body. Prolonged contact can easily harm your Divine Soul," Zhuo Lingling reminded.

Yuan Ming consented with a word and grasped the white ruyi.

An intensely cold and eerie aura emanated from the ruyi, numbing his fingers. He quickly mustered his mana to protect his fingers before he could pick up the ruyi.

Yuan Ming examined the item carefully, becoming more satisfied the more he looked at it.

This Yin Jade, compared to other frost attribute spiritual materials like the Ice Soul Stone, had an added aura of eerie and sinister energy, indeed capable of harming the Divine Soul of ordinary cultivators, but he was unconcerned, thanks to the Mysterious Incense Burner.

"It seems Young Master Yuan has made his decision, but as a prior caution, the Yin Qi within this Yin Jade is extremely dense, forming a poisonous energy, and the owner of the magical tool will also be eroded by it. If Master Yuan decides to buy this item, you will need to find a way to counter it. Once this item leaves this tower, there can be no returns or exchanges," Zhuo Lingling said with a somewhat serious tone.

"Thank you for the warning, Steward Zhuo. May I know how many spirit stones this Yin Jade Ruyi requires?" Yuan Ming touched his nose and asked.

"To be honest, this Yin Jade Ruyi was acquired by our store at a high price from elsewhere. Since it is Master Yuan's first visit, let's form a friendship, a cost price of one hundred spirit stones for Master Yuan. As for those three materials, a total of sixty spirit stones," Zhuo Lingling said with a smile returning to her face.

"Agreed." Yuan Ming did not bargain and consented at once.

The price for the materials required for refining the Thousand Mechanism Mask was still reasonable, while Yin Jade Ruyi was almost twice as expensive as other mid-grade spiritual materials, but considering the effectiveness of the item, it was worth it.

In the following time, Zhuo Lingling took out some elixirs and talismans from the Longevity Immortal Tower, and after Yuan Ming picked some, he felt a mix of joy and sorrow.

He was glad because the elixirs and talismans in Longevity Immortal Tower were indeed extraordinary, far beyond those available in Biluo Cave; however, he was also worried because the prices were much higher. He found himself wanting this and that, realizing that if he let himself choose freely, the six hundred plus spirit stones he had would hardly buy much.

After some consideration, under Gu Yue's envious gaze, Yuan Ming bought ten bottles of elixirs and more than thirty talismans in one go.

Among these, three bottles were healing pills, not inferior to Meat Bone Pills, which would significantly enhance his ability to continue fighting and surviving, especially if he were to join the meeting at White Deer Hill. Additionally, there were five bottles of Nourishing Origin Pills which could speed up the cultivation of Qi Refining Stage Cultivators and two bottles of Lianfu Powder to enhance his physical body.

As for the talismans, a large portion of them were offensive, with low-grade junior talismans like "Rocket Talisman" and "Wind Blade Talisman," and mid-level talismans like "Thunder Strike Talisman" and "Fire Snake Talisman"; the former ranged between two to three spirit stones each, while the latter suddenly jumped to eight to ten spirit stones each, costing Yuan Ming considerably.

That was manageable, but what really pained Yuan was the defensive and auxiliary talismans like "Green Light Shield," "Giant Power Talisman," "Vajra Talisman," which were even more expensive at the same grade.

However, Yuan Ming understood that these were worth it, as talismans allowed him to use spells that he did not master and could be activated rapidly and easily, almost without restraint from mana limitations, which was an excellent method to boost his strength in a short time.

Including the previously acquired spiritual materials, Yuan Ming ended up spending nearly five hundred spirit stones at once, and if he didn't want to keep any mid-grade spirit stones, he likely would have spent them all.

"Earning money is like digging a well, spending is like flowing water." Yuan Ming thought to himself.

The six hundred spirit stones he had just saved up were almost all spent in the blink of an eye, but thankfully, he had managed to buy everything he needed.

Having spirit stones felt good.

Spending spirit stones felt even better.

Now that his spirit stones were nearly spent, this journey to the workshop had come to an end.

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