Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Chapter 174: Chapter 164: Unexpected Harvest, Encountering Possession

“That’s eight thousand Spirit Stones in total. Daoist Li, would you like them in Low Grade Spirit Stones, or shall I exchange them for eighty Middle Grade Spirit Stones?”

“Low Grade Spirit Stones, please.”

Li Chang’an replied without hesitation.

Cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages mostly use Low Grade Spirit Stones.

The Spiritual Power in these stones is quite sparse.

Middle Grade Spirit Stones, on the other hand, contain much richer Spiritual Power. A single one is comparable to over a hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones.

However, Middle Grade Spirit Stones were rare.

Many Spirit Stone Mines can’t produce stones with such dense Spiritual Power; they can only be mined from the core regions of a few specific mines.

It was rumored that Major Sects like the Cyan Cloud Sect had methods to forcibly extract the Spiritual Power from hundreds of Low Grade Spirit Stones and concentrate it into a single stone, creating a Middle Grade Spirit Stone.

But Li Chang’an had only heard rumors and had never seen it done.

“Daoist Li, here are your Spirit Stones. Please count them.”

Jin Yue put away all the treasures and handed over a Storage Pouch.

“Alright.”

Li Chang’an took the Storage Pouch and counted the contents, confirming there were eight thousand Spirit Stones.

As for the Storage Pouch holding the Spirit Stones, it was included for free.

“Manager Jin, I’d like to buy a few more treasures.”

“Name them, Daoist Li! As long as the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower has it, I will certainly bring it out for you!”

“That’s good to hear…”

Li Chang’an directly handed him a list.

On it were some of the treasures he needed to break through to Tier Two Body Refinement.

Jin Yue took the list and was startled by what he saw.

Most of the treasures on it were common, but a few were so precious they made his heart pound.

“Daoist Li, are you sure about these?”

Jin Yue swallowed, thinking Li Chang’an was joking with him.

What would a mere Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator do with so many treasures?

Li Chang’an sighed, a helpless look on his face. “I’m not buying them for myself. A friend of mine needs these treasures, but he’s reclusive and doesn’t like interacting with people, so he asked me to help.”

“I see.”

Jin Yue was immediately somewhat convinced.

After all, Li Chang’an himself couldn’t possibly have a use for so many treasures.

Jin Yue thought for a moment and figured that the “friend” Li Chang’an mentioned was most likely a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

“The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower has all of these treasures, but Daoist Li, you’d better have your Spirit Stones ready.”

“Don’t worry, Manager Jin. I have enough Spirit Stones!”

“Excellent. Please wait a moment, Daoist Li…”

Jin Yue got busy.

His figure flickered as he rushed back and forth between the floors.

He soon gathered all the treasures Li Chang’an required.

Seeing these treasures, Li Chang’an couldn’t help but reflect.

The resources in Qinghe Marketplace were truly barren. In the past, just to gather the treasures for Tier One Body Refinement, he had to go to great lengths to find people and trade for them one by one.

But now, he needed higher-tier treasures for Tier Two Body Refinement, and he could buy them directly from the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.

It saved him a lot of time and effort.

Jin Yue tallied up all the treasures, calculated the price, and finally gave a staggering number.

“Daoist Li, the total is fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. Are you sure you want to buy them?”

“I’m sure!”

Li Chang’an felt a slight pang in his heart, but he had expected as much.

The Path of Body Refinement was, by its very nature, extremely resource-intensive.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so few Body Cultivators.

’There’s no point in having too many Spirit Stones. I need to convert them into personal strength as soon as possible.’

Li Chang’an thought to himself.

He didn’t hand over the Spirit Stones directly. Instead, he haggled a bit and successfully knocked a few hundred Spirit Stones off the price.

After that, he asked about the Nether Soul Crystal.

Jin Yue looked troubled and explained that the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower didn’t currently have such a treasure, but he would ask around for Li Chang’an.

…

「For a period of time after that.」

Li Chang’an visited the Treasure Pavilion, the Mysterious Treasure Hall, and other establishments, and even made a few trips to the Black Market.

He sold off the things he didn’t need in batches.

And he continuously purchased the treasures required to break through to Tier Two Body Refinement.

In the end, Li Chang’an had gathered most of the treasures.

Only a few of the rarer items remained, such as the Essence Blood of a Tier Two Dragon-type Demon Beast, which he was still trying to acquire.

His net worth had also shrunk considerably, with less than twenty thousand Spirit Stones left in his Storage Pouch.

’The resources needed to break through to Tier Two Body Refinement are truly immense. It’s a massive amount. How many ordinary Loose Cultivators could ever gather so much?’

Li Chang’an reflected.

Forget about Qi Refining Loose Cultivators.

Even many Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators without sufficient savings couldn’t produce that many Spirit Stones to buy Body Refining resources.

Fortunately, Li Chang’an had already saved up a large sum of Spirit Stones back in Qinghe Marketplace.

After arriving in Yellow Crane Immortal City, he had killed Lu Yuanji, the Blood and Fire Three Brothers, the Poison Cultivator Song Xiao, and others in succession. He had grown by killing, and the path he walked was practically soaked in blood.

He was more of a Tribulation Cultivator than the Tribulation Cultivators themselves.

This was because nearly all the people he killed were Celestial Prides.

For this very reason, he was able to come up with so many Spirit Stones.

’If I had just honestly stuck to Talisman Painting, Puppetry, and Alchemy, who knows how long it would’ve taken to gather this many Spirit Stones. But it’s not like I went looking for trouble. All these guys brought it on themselves.’

Li Chang’an had a clear conscience; he had never laid a hand on an innocent person.

…

「That evening.」

Jin Yue came to him with a piece of news.

“Daoist Li, I have a lead on the Nether Soul Crystal you need.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Manager Jin. Where can I buy a Nether Soul Crystal?”

Li Chang’an asked, pouring him a cup of Spirit Tea.

Jin Yue replied, “Daoist Ji Mengyun has a Nether Soul Crystal and is willing to sell it.”

“Ji Mengyun?”

Hearing this, Li Chang’an felt a sense of relief.

He had heard of her; she was Pei Yingyao’s disciple.

With the connection to Pei Yingyao, buying the Nether Soul Crystal shouldn’t be difficult.

He immediately took out some Spirit Stones as a reward to thank Jin Yue.

“Manager Jin, please also keep an eye out for the Essence Blood of a Tier Two Dragon-type Demon Beast.”

“Rest assured, Daoist Li. Your business is my business!”

Jin Yue accepted the Spirit Stones with a broad smile.

He had other matters to attend to, so he didn’t stay long and quickly departed.

…

「That night.」

Li Chang’an was soaking in a medicinal bath, continuing to temper his physique.

He planned to find Ji Mengyun the next day to trade for the Nether Soul Crystal and upgrade his Venerable Soul Banner to Tier Two.

Just then, a golden light appeared.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Neutral]

[You visit Ji Mengyun and are unexpectedly targeted by an Evil Soul from her sword. It attempts to possess you but fails, forcing it to retreat. It then continues to corrupt Ji Mengyun, trying to possess her body instead.]

“An Evil Soul… possession?”

Li Chang’an was startled.

He had long heard of possession, but this was the first time he had ever encountered it.

According to legend, some extremely powerful Great Cultivators who suffered accidents that destroyed their bodies would possess a junior with a suitable Spiritual Root.

The juniors who were targeted for possession were almost always exceptionally talented.

They had to have a Top Grade Spirit Root at the very least.

For this very reason, Li Chang’an was a bit confused.

’Is my lowly Low Grade Spirit Root even worth possessing?’