Chapter 730: Ten Thousand-Year Warm Jade

Pure Nine-Lotus Lantern:

After converting the failed Azure Sun Spirit Tree into a seed, Chen Mobai nodded in satisfaction.

During the last war with Mount Tremor, he had used a Tier 2 tree seed, but it was clan property and had to be returned later. Although his combat style primarily relied on swordsmanship, he had also invested considerable effort into the Spirit Wood Sect's Longevity Scripture and had always wanted a Tier 2 tree seed of his own.

Now, he finally had one.

In the Spirit Wood Sect, Foundation Establishment cultivators could apply for Azure Sun tree seeds, but Chen Mobai felt it wasn't worth the sect contributions and spirit stones, so he had waited until now.

On the spot, he drew a Skywood Talisman and then activated the Longevity Scripture's signature domain expansion. The tree seed landed, and an Azure Sun Spirit Tree, significantly smaller than before its tribulation, quickly took root and sprouted, enveloping Chen Mobai under its lush canopy.

Chen Mobai performed techniques like Spirit Leaf Art and Skywood Aura Art. In the rich wood spiritual energy environment of the Divine Tree Secret Realm, he seemed like a tree deity controlling all plants, plucking leaves to fly like flowers, and sending forth azure light like swords. From a distance, half the sky was filled with verdant spiritual light.

After practicing all the spells from the Longevity Scripture, Chen Mobai contentedly retrieved the Tier 2 tree seed. As it was an Azure Sun Spirit Tree that had undergone spirit fire tribulation, the resulting tree seed was of exceptionally high grade. It would be very useful for clearing out lower-level cultivators on the battlefield in the future.

Chen Mobai also considered that if he formed his Golden Core in the future and his Longevity spiritual power was absorbed by the Pure Yang Scroll, this tree seed could be bestowed upon his eldest disciple, Liu Wenbai. After all, among his three disciples, only Liu Wenbai cultivated the Longevity Scripture.

At this thought, a message arrived from his Faceless Golem avatar stationed in Little South Mountain: Liu Wenbai had returned. Chen Mobai had originally planned to visit the Great Dao Tree but would have to postpone it. After all, Yan Bingxuan had told him that she would prepare for her first attempt at Foundation Establishment during the year-end holidays, and he felt obligated to repay her for helping him comprehend the Ice Breath in the past. Besides, the Great Dao Tree was right there; he could visit anytime.

With this in mind, Chen Mobai buried the Heaven's Calculus Pearl, which controlled his spider puppets, underground. He then instructed the remaining puppets to search for any spirit trees of Tier 2 or higher within a hundred-mile radius, centered around his current location. Over the past year, he had used the spider puppets to explore a 3,000-kilometer range within the Divine Tree Secret Realm, finding four Azure Sun Spirit Trees.

However, for him now, Tier 2 Azure Sun Spirit Trees were no longer particularly valuable. It would be best if he could find a Golden Sun Spirit Tree, as that would allow him to refine the Tier 3 sword talismans recorded in the Scarlet Flame Sword Art. In the Eastern Barrens, all Tier 3 talisman paper was made from rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, such as the leaves and bark of spirit trees or the hides of demonic beasts. In the immortal sect's factories, Chen Mobai could only produce Tier 2 Jasper Talisman Paper, and its quality was quite ordinary. Therefore, if he needed talisman paper here, he would certainly follow local custom and use spirit tree leaves.

Given that the Spirit Wood Sect intended to send him as a main commander for the war against Mount Tremor, Chen Mobai certainly intended to seize the opportunity to secure some strategic resources. Without him even needing to mention it, Chu Zuoshu hinted that soon, he would arrange for the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to stock three streams of Azure Wood Demonic Qi, allowing Chen Mobai to cultivate three more Sword Demonic Qi and enhance his combat prowess.

Although Xie Yuntian was somewhat reluctant, he understood the bigger picture. Especially since Chen Mobai had mastered the Azure Flame Sword Demonic Qi earlier than him, he was clearly more qualified to refine the Azure Wood Demonic Qi. According to the rules of the Eastern Barrens, where the capable are elevated, the sect could have even directly given the Azure Wood Demonic Qi to Chen Mobai. Chu Zuoshu's willingness to repeatedly consult with Xie Yuntian was already a significant show of respect to him as the head of the Sword Cultivation Department.

With Chen Mobai's current spiritual consciousness cultivation, controlling seven streams of Azure Flame Sword Demonic Qi was more than sufficient. However, in his battles, he usually decided victory within a few sword moves, making seven streams of Sword Demonic Qi somewhat excessive. Thus, he was considering whether to use one of them to refine an "Azure Flame Sword Talisman." After all, this was also a Tier 3 talisman, and if he could successfully refine it, it would signify that he was a Tier 3 Talisman Master in the Eastern Barrens.

Back in Little South Mountain, Liu Wenbai was already waiting outside the Cloud Mist Array. Chen Mobai put away his Faceless Golem and leisurely stepped out of the wooden house.

"Greetings, Master. Elder Lan Lingping of the Snowfall Palace is waiting for you in Baiyue Market."

"Oh, is she in such a hurry?" Chen Mobai couldn't help but feel slightly surprised after hearing Liu Wenbai's words. Logically, he should be the one in a hurry, as Snowfall Palace currently held a monopoly on Frigid Ice Condensate Crystals. But now it seemed Snowfall Palace valued this meeting with him more than he had anticipated. This was good news, however. It increased the chances of a successful negotiation.

With Chu Zuoshu's directive, Chen Mobai decided not to hide anything. He openly brought Liu Wenbai through the sect's teleportation array and grandly departed for Baiyue Market.

"Deputy Commander, long time no see." Bai Dingxian, the head of the Bai family, who had already received the news, was waiting outside the teleportation array. Chen Mobai, having conducted several transactions with him, considered him a friend and responded with a smile.

"Elder Lan is waiting for you at your Little South Mountain shop. I have some matters to attend to on my family's tea mountain, so I won't accompany you."

However, Bai Dingxian seemed hesitant to get involved in the affairs between the Spirit Wood Sect and Snowfall Palace. After a brief exchange with Chen Mobai and informing him of Lan Lingping's location, he quickly departed.

"Wenbai, you should learn from Elder Brother Bai's steady approach." Chen Mobai looked at Bai Dingxian's retreating back with approval. Only someone with such caution could thrive in an environment like the Eastern Barrens. It was no wonder that under his leadership, the Bai family was quietly becoming known as the founding dynasty's foremost aristocratic family. Baiyue Market was located on the northernmost side of the founding dynasty, beyond which lay the Snow Kingdom. The Bai family's business extended there, so Bai Dingxian had to greet Lan Lingping upon her arrival, as she was someone he could not afford to offend. However, after attending to both sides, he wisely withdrew, a move Chen Mobai greatly admired.

"Lan Lingping, Outer Sect Elder of Snowfall Palace, greets Elder Chen of the Spirit Wood Sect."

Behind her stood a female cultivator in a light blue dress, seemingly her disciple. A veil obscured her features, but her exquisite eyebrows, snow-white skin, and tall, graceful figure suggested she was an exceptional beauty.

"I've long heard of Elder Lan's esteemed reputation. Meeting you today, your graceful demeanor is truly unparalleled." Lan Lingping was also a renowned fairy in the Eastern Barrens during her youth. Though now a mature woman, she was even more strikingly beautiful. However, Chen Mobai had no interest in female beauty, so after a polite exchange, he led them to the reception room on the shop's upper floor.

As the Deputy Commander of the founding dynasty, the Little South Mountain shop in Baiyue Market was located in a prime area and was a three-story building. Of these, the third floor was a warehouse, the second was a reception room, and the first floor was the regular retail shop.

After Chen Mobai and Lan Lingping were seated, Liu Wenbai expertly began to brew tea. The veiled female cultivator knelt to the side, listening intently.

"I need Frigid Ice Condensate Crystals. Elder Lan, please name your price. What will it take for you to sell them?"

"Please forgive my directness, but these Frigid Ice Condensate Crystals are obtained by our academy from the cold pools of the snowy mountains. They have extraordinary effects on our Snowfall Palace cultivation, but they shouldn't be very useful to the Spirit Wood Sect. Elder Chen, as a sword cultivator, why are you so intent on acquiring this item?"

"Is this relevant to the transaction?" Chen Mobai asked, puzzled. Lan Lingping nodded gravely, her expression serious.

"To be frank, my cultivation of the Scarlet Flame Sword Art has reached an extremely high realm. My Scarlet Flame spiritual power has transformed, becoming immensely fervent. I need cold-attributed spiritual items to neutralize its intensity and remove its dryness before I can progress further. After making many inquiries, I learned that your esteemed sect possesses a wonder like the Frigid Ice Condensate Crystals, and I specifically sought them out."

Chen Mobai naturally wouldn't tell the truth. He recalled a TV series he watched in his youth about Patriarch Yuanyang. This Manifestation stage True Monarch's pure Yang spiritual power once encountered a major obstacle because it was too masculine and overbearing, preventing the integration of essence, qi, and spirit, thus hindering the breaking of the core and the emergence of the nascent soul. Later, he used a realm gate to travel to the Lunar Star, absorbing Lunar Profound Qi to neutralize his pure Yang spiritual power, which finally allowed him to achieve the Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Mobai slightly adapted this story and applied it to himself, initially thinking Snowfall Palace might not believe it. However, he found that Lan Lingping looked enlightened after hearing it.

"So that's it. I didn't expect Elder Chen to encounter such a problem as well."

"Huh?" Chen Mobai looked bewildered at these words. He had just made something up on the spur of the moment.

"It's like this: our Snowfall Palace cultivates the *Ice Purity Sky Heart Art*. While it allows one to cultivate ice spiritual power with a water spiritual root, if one doesn't possess a genuine ice spiritual root, the body will gradually stiffen as cultivation progresses." Lan Lingping explained with a smile. Her situation was the exact opposite of his, yet ironically similar. As she spoke, she gestured for the veiled female cultivator beside her to step forward and extend her hands, which had been hidden within her long sleeves.

Chen Mobai saw hands as pale and bloodless as ice and snow. The blood in her veins seemed to have lost its warmth, turning a faint blue.

"Xue Ting is an example. If she doesn't constantly absorb gentle fire spiritual energy, as her cultivation advances, her physical body will gradually become cold and lose sensation. This is also the transaction I wish to discuss with Elder Chen."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai shifted his gaze from Xue Ting's pale hands to Lan Lingping, vaguely understanding why she had sought him out.

"Elder Lan, please state your requirements without reservation!"

After hearing this, Lan Lingping nodded. She then took a handful from her storage pouch, and as her fingers opened, a handful of spirit rice fell onto the tea table. The spirit rice resembled crystalline jade, but shimmered with a faint reddish hue. Chen Mobai was very familiar with it; it was precisely their Fire Spirit Rice from Little South Mountain.

"Is this spirit rice useful to you?"

"After Qi Refining disciples circulate their cultivation, consuming a bowl makes their blood and qi flow smoothly throughout their bodies." As Lan Lingping spoke, she took out a small rice cooking vessel, placed the Fire Spirit Rice from the tea table into it, and added water. Soon, a faint rice fragrance emerged.

The female cultivator named Xue Ting, in front of Chen Mobai, lowered her head and brought the cooked Fire Spirit Rice under her veil to her cherry lips. In a moment, her previously pale hands became rosy, showing signs of human vitality.

"I see. Is it only useful for Qi Refining disciples?"

"That's already very good. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, they wear Thousand-Year Warm Jade to activate their blood and qi. Since there aren't many of them, every elder in our Snowfall Palace has one." As Lan Lingping spoke, she pulled a milky-white jade tablet from inside her collar. It was smooth and delicate, imbued with harmonious Yang qi.

Seeing this, Chen Mobai's eye twitched slightly. The immortal sect also possessed a piece of Warm Jade, which was True Monarch Taiyuan's Natal Dharma Treasure. Having accompanied this Manifestation stage True Monarch for a thousand years, it was already a Tier 5 low-grade spiritual treasure. Worn on the body, it prevented inner demons from arising and warded off outer devils, and it also served as a hereditary spiritual treasure for successive principals of Taiyuan Academy. Chen Mobai had absolutely no idea that every Foundation Establishment cultivator in Snowfall Palace possessed a piece of this Warm Jade.

"May I ask, how do Golden Core cultivators resolve the issue of physical stiffness?"

"Our Snowfall Palace also has two pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade." Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai forcefully suppressed the sudden urge that welled up in his heart, strategically picking up his teacup to curb his impulse to become a rogue cultivator. The Warm Jade of True Monarch Taiyuan was essentially Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade. In other words, Snowfall Palace possessed two precious materials that could be refined into Tier 5 low-grade Dharma Treasures. No wonder the Eastern Barrens were rife with rogue cultivators; who could resist such temptation!

"Every year, we spend a large sum of spirit stones to have Heaven's Return Valley help us refine Fire True Pills, but because the primary ingredient, the fire lotus, is scarce, we can at most ensure usage for our true disciples and a few outstanding ones."

"Therefore, our Snowfall Palace's lower-level Qi Refining disciples have always had a very difficult time. Many weak disciples never woke up after a night of meditation."

"This year, Elder Chen's Little South Mountain shop opened in our Snow Kingdom's market. A disciple purchased and consumed your Fire Spirit Rice and discovered its remarkable effects. Thus, I took the liberty of coming to discuss this business opportunity."

By this point, Chen Mobai had also suppressed his restless mood and regained his composure.

"This is indeed good news. However, the matter of spirit rice concerns cultivators' foundations. If it's a small quantity, I can decide on my own, but if it's to supply all your esteemed sect's disciples, I would need to report to the sect master."

Lan Lingping expressed her understanding. The Eastern Barrens still had basic strategic considerations, and large-scale spirit rice transactions between sects would certainly require agreements from both parties' higher echelons.

"This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Our Frigid Ice Condensate Crystals can also help cultivators of your esteemed sect who practice the Scarlet Flame Sword Art to neutralize their Yang qi. If Elder Chen is willing to supply Fire Spirit Rice to our Snowfall Palace, the benefits afterward will not be small."

Lan Lingping, however, did not know that Chen Mobai was the only one who needed the Frigid Ice Condensate Crystals. Nevertheless, Chen Mobai felt the timing was right and brought up the task assigned by Chu Zuoshu.

"If True Monarch Kong can guarantee to remain neutral, I can persuade our sect master, and even our two patriarchs, to supply all our future Fire Spirit Rice to your Snowfall Palace."

"This... I need to report this."

Chen Mobai made a gesturing motion. Lan Lingping requested a quiet room, and it was unknown by what method she contacted Kong Lingling. About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she returned with a solemn expression.

"Patriarch Kong said she could agree, but with one condition."

"Please tell me."

"Your esteemed sect needs to provide our Snowfall Palace with the rice seeds of the Fire Spirit Rice and the cultivation methods for spiritual plants."

Lan Lingping's face showed a hint of embarrassment as she spoke. Chen Mobai remained expressionless, but Liu Wenbai, standing to the side, had already frowned. He knew best the hardships and efforts his master and junior sister had put into this Fire Spirit Rice. Little South Mountain had only just planted three or four harvests, and now Snowfall Palace wanted to take it all! But as long as his master didn't speak, he, as a disciple, couldn't overstep his bounds.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Mobai already had his answer.