Chapter 31: Snow Water

Wang Lin looked as usual and asked, "How much do you need?"

Wang Hao hesitated for a moment and said, "At least 200 pieces!"

"That many? What are you going to use them for?" Wang Lin was startled. He could certainly produce 200 pieces; he had received nearly 500 bribes over the past few months.

Wang Hao sighed, his face bitter, and said, "Tie Zhu Ge, the Year-end Inner Sect Disciple Competition is only two months away. Although I have the qualifications to participate, I don't have the ability to win a spot. But I'm unwilling to give up. That guy Wang Zhuo is already at the Peak of the first layer of Qi Condensation, and I heard he's recently trying to open the second layer."

"How is he Cultivating so fast?" Wang Lin had not seen Wang Zhuo in a long time and was quite surprised, thinking to himself that talent truly was important!

Wang Hao looked indignant and said, "It's all because he has a good Master! His Master spared no expense, asking my Master for a batch of Creation Pills. This stuff is an extremely precious medicine within the School, and after consuming it, his speed naturally increased greatly."

Wang Lin nodded, puzzled, and asked, "How does this relate to you borrowing Immortal Talismans?"

"Of course there's a connection. You don't interact with people much, so you wouldn't know, but every year, a month before the School Competition, the Inner Sect Disciples secretly hold a Small Trade Fair. Everyone takes out their treasures and exchanges them to make final preparations for the competition. I heard from veterans who participated before that everything is used at the trade fair: Flying Swords, Magic Treasures, Medicinal Pills, and so on," Wang Hao whispered, his eyes shining.

Hearing this, Wang Lin's heart pounded. He didn't care much for Flying Swords or Magic Treasures, but the Qi Condensation Stage Formula gripped his heart. He secretly thought he might be able to exchange for it there. After a brief contemplation, he said, "There are only so many Inner Sect Disciples. Can they truly trade sincerely with each other?"

Wang Hao scoffed and said, "Tie Zhu Ge, you've hit the nail on the head. That's why this trade fair has another rule—which is essentially the requirement for participation: you must possess a Shape-Shifting and Voice-Changing Pill. Once this Medicinal Pill is consumed, no one can discern your identity unless they reach the Foundation Establishment Stage."

Wang Lin's eyes flashed, and he said, "You borrowed Immortal Talismans just for this Medicinal Pill?"

Wang Hao was startled, then nodded and said, "Tie Zhu Ge, you truly are smart. That's right. This Medicinal Pill is held by my Master. Every year around this time, he sells it privately, clearly priced at 200 Immortal Talismans per pill!"

Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "This trade fair sounds quite interesting. I want to go take a look too."

Wang Hao quickly said, "That's great! As long as you have the Medicinal Pill, you can participate. I'm going this time to obtain a Creation Pill. I heard an Inner Sect Disciple is putting one up for sale this time!"

Wang Lin flipped his right hand and took out 400 Immortal Talismans from his Storage Pouch. These Immortal Talismans were bundled together, with 100 sheets per bundle.

Wang Hao's eyes gleamed. He took the bundle, placed it in his Storage Pouch, and excitedly said, "Tie Zhu Ge, there's about half a month left. I'll come find you then, and we can go together."

Wang Lin nodded. After talking for a while longer, Wang Hao stood up and took his leave.

After the other person left, Wang Lin pondered for a moment. He placed great importance on this trade fair. If the subsequent formula for the Qi Condensation Stage truly appeared, he was determined to obtain it!

However, he currently had nothing valuable on him, and all his Immortal Talismans had been used to purchase Medicinal Pills. After thinking for a long time, he decided to procure some Spiritual Qi Spring Water. This item should be very appealing.

In any case, with the help of the Medicinal Pill, no one would be able to discern his identity.

Having made up his mind, Wang Lin stopped thinking about the matter. Since the Dream Interval had not yet passed, preventing him from entering, Wang Lin returned to the Miscellaneous Duties Office and began practicing the Gravity Spell on the large stone.

He had practiced this Gravity Spell no less than ten thousand times during his time in the Dream Space. His proficiency was increasing rapidly. If he controlled the Gourd, he could succeed ten out of ten times. In daily life, with a single hand motion, he could grab small objects through the air.

However, if the object was too large, the success rate dropped. But as the Spiritual Qi inside his body increased, especially after entering the second layer of the Qi Condensation Stage, the power of the Gravity Spell slowly began to manifest.

After practicing on the large stone for a few hours, the sky outside had darkened, and the heavy snow continued. Wang Lin did not immediately enter the Dream Space. Instead, he stood at the doorway, staring at the snowflakes, deep in thought.

During his Cultivation of the second layer over the past month, Wang Lin discovered a problem: the effect of the Spiritual Qi Spring Water had slightly decreased. Although this reduction was not significant and could be compensated for by increasing the dosage, it still caused him a hint of worry.

He worried that as his Qi Condensation stage level grew higher and higher, there would eventually come a day when the Spiritual Qi Spring Water lost its effectiveness.

"The liquid soaked by the Mysterious Bead, dew is best, and spring water is second. However, collecting dew is too slow and insufficient for use, and in winter, there is none at all. Only this spring water is simple, practical, and constantly available. If the spring water truly loses its effectiveness one day, I must prepare a substitute in advance," Wang Lin muttered to himself, his gaze flickering as he stared at the thick snow covering the ground.

He moved his hands slightly, secretly activating the Gravity Spell. Large chunks of accumulated snow floated up from the ground and flowed into a large vat inside the room, like a Snow Dragon.

In a short while, he had accumulated half a vat of snow. Wang Lin put away the Gravity Spell, walked to the vat, and formed a hand seal. After trying more than ten times, a fireball the size of a baby's fist finally appeared. The fireball emitted high temperatures, and the snow water quickly melted.

After it had all melted, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Using two different Spells consecutively had been quite strenuous for him.

There wasn't much snow water in the vat. Without hesitation, Wang Lin took out the Mysterious Bead, tossed it inside, waited for the time it takes for Half an Incense Stick to burn, and then retrieved the bead.

He was now very thorough in his research of the Mysterious Bead. For instance, when soaking it in spring water, Half an Incense Stick was the limit. He had tried soaking it for longer, but ultimately discovered that no matter how long it was soaked beyond Half an Incense Stick, the effect remained the same.

Scooping some out with a ladle, he took a sip, closed his eyes slightly, and carefully observed the concentration of Spiritual Qi within his body. A short while later, he opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "The effect is much higher than spring water, but still lower than dew. It can be used!"

He immediately took out Gourd after Gourd from his Storage Pouch. These Gourds were ones he had collected on the mountain over the past half year. After working hard all night, the snow in the courtyard was completely gone, and he had filled a small portion of the Gourds with Spiritual Qi Snow Water.