Chapter 132: Core Formation (Part 3)

Before Wang Lin entered, he had already taken out a black robe from his Storage Pouch to cover his head and face. After entering, he scanned the first floor. The Magic Treasures there were mainly Flying Swords, most of which were not ordinary items. They were delicately placed in brocade boxes, with Seals affixed to both sides of each box to prevent Sword Qi from leaking out.

In addition, in the very center of the first floor, there was a cylindrical crystal wall, inside which three Flying Swords floated in a 'character' formation, with their tips pointing downwards.

These three Flying Swords flickered, sometimes shining with a bright luster.

Seeing Wang Lin staring at the crystal wall, an attendant walked over from the side. This attendant was about twenty years old, with a clever look on his face. As he walked, he had already sized up Wang Lin. Covering one's head and face was a common practice; often, some guests who disliked being seen would dress this way. He had a set of methods passed down from the Artifact Refining Sect to identify the other party's cultivation, but the more he looked, the stranger he felt. As he used a Secret Technique to observe, the other party's cultivation would sometimes appear to be Core Formation Stage, and sometimes Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

Although the attendant was surprised, he showed no abnormality on his face. He respectfully said, "Senior, are you interested in these Flying Swords?"

Wang Lin withdrew his gaze and looked at the attendant. With one glance, he saw that the attendant's cultivation was around the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation. He spoke calmly, "Does your esteemed establishment sell Pill Furnaces?"

The attendant smiled and nodded, saying, "Senior, looking across this Southern Dipper City, if you're talking about Pill Furnaces, I'm afraid only our Artifact Refining Sect sells them. Such items are not something ordinary people can afford. If Senior needs one, please follow me to the second floor."

Wang Lin's expression was composed as he stepped towards the stairs. The attendant quickened his pace, following behind to guide him. As he stepped onto the stairs, Wang Lin's gaze swept sideways, glancing at a Cultivator on the first floor who was currently haggling. After a brief contemplation, he ascended the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, the attendant went straight to a middle-aged man sitting in a rattan chair on the right side of the room. He whispered a few words to him, then turned and went downstairs.

The middle-aged man had a pale, beardless face, and sharp glints occasionally flashed in his eyes. He stood up, cupped his fists, and said, "Fellow Daoist, what quality of Pill Furnace are you looking for? Please be specific."

Wang Lin glanced at the other party. This middle-aged man's cultivation was the same as his own, both at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. He was slightly surprised inwardly, thinking that if the Artifact Refining Pavilion had three floors, with Qi Condensation on the first and Foundation Establishment on the second, then wouldn't the third floor above have Core Formation Stage Cultivators guarding it?

He spoke calmly and composedly, "Could you bring some out for me to see?"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily, pointing to the chairs and table nearby, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please take a seat first, I will fetch them for you now." After speaking, he personally brewed a cup of tea and placed it on the table, then turned and walked to a wall. With a pat, the entire wall immediately rippled with light, slowly becoming illusory.

Then, three exquisite maidens, dressed in palace gauze, gracefully emerged from within. Each held a white jade tray in both hands, on which were placed three two-foot-square redwood boxes.

These three wooden boxes were identical in size, but the patterns carved on them differed. In addition, varying numbers of Seals were affixed to the three wooden boxes.

The three maidens walked one by one to within half a zhang of Wang Lin, their eyes drifting towards him, continuously gazing at his black robe.

The middle-aged man took out a wooden box, placed it on the table, and said, "Fellow Daoist, this is the Azure Profound Pill Furnace, refined for forty-nine months by fusing Azure Gang Rock and Profound Mist Crystal from the depths of the Cultivation Devil Sea. Its quality is third-grade." After speaking, he patted the wooden box, and it immediately opened in the middle, revealing a delicate, fist-sized furnace inside.

Wang Lin's expression was calm. When Li Muwan had mentioned Pill Furnaces to him, she had said that her personal furnace was only second-grade, and only those above fourth-grade could ensure that the Heaven Departure Pill would not have major complications.

After a quick glance, Wang Lin said nothing, but shifted his gaze.

The middle-aged man chuckled, waving his right hand. The wooden box on the table immediately disappeared, returning to the white jade tray in the maiden's hand. He directly bypassed the second woman, reached out and picked up the jade box from the third woman's hand, gently placed it on the table, and smiled, "Fellow Daoist must be refining precious Medicinal Pills. This is the Hundred Beast Spirit Furnace, refined by fusing the Inner Cores of ninety-nine Low Grade Spirit Beasts from the Cultivation Devil Sea. Refining Medicinal Pills with it greatly increases the chance of absorbing Spirit Beast Qi, enhancing the quality of the Medicinal Pills." As he spoke, he patted the wooden box with his right hand. The wooden box quickly opened to both sides, revealing a blood-red Pill Furnace within. If one looked closely, they would discover that the outside of this Pill Furnace was imprinted with ninety-nine ferocious-looking Spirit Beasts.

These Spirit Beasts were lifelike, and faint ripples of spiritual energy emanated from them. This was the Spiritual Qi seeping out even in a Sealed state; if the Seal were opened, the Spiritual Qi would likely surge into the sky.

Even Wang Lin couldn't help but be moved by this Hundred Beast Spirit Furnace, but on the surface, his demeanor showed no change.

The middle-aged man stroked the wooden box and said, "Fellow Daoist should know that Low Grade Spirit Beasts are already equivalent to Core Formation Stage Cultivators. Our sect also expended great effort and several years to successfully refine this. This Hundred Beast Spirit Furnace has already reached fifth-grade quality."

Wang Lin withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment, and said, "What's the price?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "One hundred thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones. This is the standard price, or you can offer Magic Treasures of similar value."

Upon hearing this price, although Wang Lin was mentally prepared, his heart still sank. This Pill Furnace was extremely expensive; no wonder the Sect Master of the Devil Suppressing Sect had spent most of his sect's Spirit Stones to purchase one.

The middle-aged man's smile remained on his face as he unhurriedly poured himself a cup of tea. After taking a sip, he said, "Fellow Daoist, this Hundred Beast Spirit Furnace is indeed expensive. Perhaps you'd prefer another one. The previous Azure Profound Pill Furnace, although also priced at one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, those were Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to only ten thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones."

Wang Lin glanced at the other party, then patted his Storage Pouch. A piece of Flood Dragon skin immediately flew out and lay flat on the table.

"Flood Dragon Scale Armor?" The middle-aged man's tone held a hint of surprise. He picked it up and examined it carefully for a moment before placing it aside. After a brief contemplation, he looked up and said, "It's the scale armor of a Mid-Grade Spirit Beast Flood Dragon. How much of this do you have?"

Wang Lin's expression was calm; he didn't answer, but instead countered, "How much can exchange for the Hundred Beast Spirit Furnace?"

The middle-aged man calculated silently for a moment, then looked up at Wang Lin and said, "If it's a complete hide from a Flood Dragon over a thousand zhang long, then one whole hide can be exchanged."

Without another word, Wang Lin patted his Storage Pouch, and Flood Dragon skin immediately piled up like a mountain in front of the middle-aged man. Wang Lin didn't even glance at it, grabbing the redwood box containing the Hundred Beast Spirit Furnace and walking downstairs.

The middle-aged man's breathing became slightly ragged. He quickly glanced at the Flood Dragon skin, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he had already determined that even if it wasn't a complete hide, it was absolutely close.

A complete hide of a Mid-Grade Spirit Beast Flood Dragon—one must know that Mid-Grade Spirit Beasts are equivalent to Nascent Soul Stage Great Perfection Cultivators. Such powerful Spirit Beasts could be considered overlords even within the Cultivation Devil Sea. Although the middle-aged man was well-traveled, he had only seen some scattered Mid-Grade Spirit Beast scale armor at most. As for a complete hide, besides those of Low Grade Spirit Beasts, this was his first time seeing one from a Mid-Grade Spirit Beast.

By the time he looked up, Wang Lin had already put the wooden box into his Storage Pouch and quickly descended the stairs.

Wang Lin knew full well that one should not flaunt wealth, which was why he disguised himself, covering his head and face. But he was still uneasy. After all, although he didn't understand Flood Dragon skin as well as the other party, he knew it was a rare treasure. If the other party became greedy and thought of other treasures within the Flood Dragon, things would become complicated.

If it weren't absolutely necessary, Wang Lin wouldn't have traded with Flood Dragon skin. Firstly, the Pill Furnace was too expensive, and besides the spiritual liquid, he only had Flood Dragon skin in his Storage Pouch.

In comparison, if he were to take out the even more Heaven-Defying spiritual liquid, the repercussions would likely be deeper. So, after weighing his options, he decisively took out the Flood Dragon skin and left quickly after the exchange.

Exiting the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Wang Lin coldly looked across. When he had entered the second floor earlier, he had noticed someone peeking, so he left a trace of Divine Sense within that person. Now that he was out, he immediately detected that person was in the inn across the street.

There were many people in the inn, and beside the person where he left his Divine Sense, there were actually three Core Formation Stage Cultivators. Wang Lin pondered for a moment, decided not to detonate his Divine Sense, and instead, without stopping, turned a few corners. He then stomped his foot, activating the Earth Evasion Technique, but only a flash of white light appeared. Wang Lin did not sink into the ground; the entire Southern Dipper City was enveloped by a Restriction, affecting the execution of the Earth Evasion Technique.

Wang Lin frowned slightly, quickly flew up, and headed towards the city gate.

Not long after he flew out, a dark and thin Cultivator appeared at the spot where Wang Lin had just used Earth Evasion. He stared in the direction Wang Lin flew off, licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with greed. This Cultivator was one of the many hagglers Wang Lin saw when he first entered the first floor.

This person was named Wei San, a Disciple of the Devil Suppressing Sect who came to Southern Dipper City for procurement. When he saw Wang Lin enter the second floor, his heart immediately stirred. He pretended to casually glance a few times, and after leaving the pavilion, he kept a close watch from afar, and also sent a message to several fellow Disciples from his sect who were also in Southern Dipper City for procurement. After waiting for a long time, he finally saw Wang Lin come down. He calculated the time and concluded that the other party must have exchanged for some valuable Magic Treasures, which immediately sparked his ill intent.

However, he couldn't discern the other party's cultivation, estimating it to be a Core Formation Cultivator, which made him consider retreating. But when his fellow Disciples arrived, and he saw that three Elders from the sect had also come, he was overjoyed and quickly explained the situation in detail.

Around him, more than ten people successively appeared. Their cultivation varied, mostly at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but among them, three figures were enveloped in black mist.

These three were precisely the Core Formation Stage Cultivators that Wang Lin had been quite wary of earlier.

"Elder, I didn't expect the three of you to also be in Southern Dipper City. I can confirm that the other party definitely has a treasure on him," Wei San turned around and said obsequiously.

"Wei San, you're exaggerating. I really thought it was a Core Formation Stage Cultivator. Hmph, what kind of treasure could a mere False Core Cultivator have? Waiting this long was truly a waste of time," a hoarse voice came from within the black mist, carrying annoyance.