103: Exchange Meeting

The giant flying ship of the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce hovered like an immortal fortress from beyond the heavens over Sanchuan Workshop; the official auction still needed a few days of preparation.

But this brief waiting period did not leave the Cultivators gathered here idle.

On the contrary, the massive influx of visitors spawned countless private interactions and transactions.

Teahouses, taverns, and even temporarily rented courtyards and Immortal Caves in the workshop became venues for exchange meetings of all sizes.

Depending on the participants' cultivation Realm and needs, these exchange meetings were naturally divided into various levels.

Relying on his undisguised Third-Tier Demon King aura, Gao De also received several invitations from Cultivators or members of the Yao Race of the same Rank.

Wishing to take this opportunity to learn more about the outside world, he chose a few exchange meetings that seemed to be of decent quality to attend.

The atmosphere of these exchange meetings was completely different from the public bidding of an auction.

The venues were often more private, with participants frequently concealing their appearances or using Divine Thought to blur their features. The trading methods were also more direct, mostly barter, occasionally supplemented with large amounts of Spirit Stones.

Here, it was not uncommon to see Human Cultivators sitting side-by-side with Yao Race Cultivators. Although both sides maintained a certain distance and vigilance, driven by the mutual benefit of getting what they needed, they maintained a superficial peace, which Gao De found quite novel.

To reduce unnecessary attention and trouble, at one exchange meeting, Gao De traded a water-element Spirit Material he didn't need for a rather miraculous "Shadow-Ghost Bamboo Hat".

This bamboo hat was pitch black and looked ordinary, but once worn, it not only blurred the wearer's face but also distorted the light and perception around them, making it difficult for the outside world to probe the specific form and aura beneath the hat, which suited his needs perfectly.

Thereafter, when participating in exchange meetings, Gao De would always manifest this black bamboo hat and wear it on his head, shrouding himself in a hazy shadow, revealing only a vague, non-human silhouette, making it impossible for others to judge whether he was human or Yao, or what his specific background was.

This mysterious attire was not considered unusual in the hidden-dragon-crouching-tiger Sanchuan Workshop; on the contrary, it saved him a lot of trouble.

In several high-level exchange meetings, he did indeed broaden his horizons.

Some Cultivators brought out rare lightning-struck wood cores, wanting to trade for treasures that could nourish the Divine Soul; members of the Yao Race displayed glands of exotic beasts containing potent poison, seeking to trade for Spirit Materials that could purify their Bloodline; others took out broken Magic Treasure fragments from long ago, hoping to strike it lucky and trade for a repair method... Various rare treasures and strange demands gave Gao De a deeper understanding of the vastness of the cultivation world and the diversity of resources.

However, what left the deepest impression on him was not a successful transaction.

At an exchange meeting mainly attended by Third-Tier Cultivators, a Human Cultivator shrouded in a gray robe, his aura carrying a hint of chill, cautiously took out a jade box sealed with heavy Restrictions.

When he opened a crack in the jade box, a pure, scorching Yang Qi that seemed capable of igniting the Origin of life instantly permeated the air. Although it was fleeting, it still made everyone present jump.

That was unmistakably a "Red Yang Ginseng" with at least a thousand years of age, one of the main ingredients for refining many high-level life-extending Medicinal Pills. Its value was immeasurable!

The gray-robed person spoke in a hoarse voice: "With this Red Yang Ginseng, I seek to trade for a finished Spirit Pill that can extend Lifespan by more than sixty years, or supreme treasures for nourishing the soul of the same level as 'Nether Soul Crystal' or 'Ten-Thousand-Year Soul-Nourishing Wood'."

His requirements were extremely high; clearly, this Red Yang Ginseng was his trump card.

The venue fell into silence instantly. Many gazes became extremely heated, especially those of a few old Cultivators who clearly had little Lifespan left and whose auras were decaying; their breathing became rapid.

Life-extending treasures were always the most hard-currency resources in the cultivation world, bar none!

However, a finished Medicinal Pill that could extend Lifespan by sixty years, or the soul-nourishing treasures the gray-robed person required, were just as rare as the Red Yang Ginseng, if not even harder to come by.

People whispered to each other, but no one could immediately produce an item that met the requirements.

Someone tried to use other rare Materials plus a large amount of Spirit Stones to trade, but was unhesitatingly refused by the gray-robed person.

After a stalemate, the gray-robed person seemed to know that hope was slim. He let out an imperceptible sigh, carefully resealed the jade box, and put it away.

That enticing, warm Yang Qi dissipated along with it, leaving the room filled with regret and greedy gazes.

The jiao pupils hidden beneath Gao De's bamboo hat remained calm and waveless.

Life-extending treasures? His own Lifespan was long, and his Dragon Clan Bloodline granted him a Lifespan far exceeding those of the same Rank. As a Third-Tier, his Lifespan already reached several thousand years; he currently had no urgent need for such treasures.

But he kept this scene in his heart, especially the way the gray-robed person had reluctantly taken back his treasure.

This person, and those existences who were extremely thirsty for life-extending treasures, would likely become the most desperate competitors at the upcoming Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce auction.

"It seems that if similar items appear at the auction, it will surely be a fierce battle." Gao De thought to himself, becoming even more determined about his mental price limit for the baxia carapace. If it exceeded his expectations, he would definitely not entangle himself in it.

His goal was steady improvement, not going bankrupt to compete for something that was not indispensable.

These few days of exchange meetings gave him a more intuitive understanding of the potential opponents and the market situation for this auction, and he looked forward to the arrival of the official auction even more.

He was like a patient fisherman who had already cast his net, waiting quietly for the big fish to appear in the water, while remaining vigilant against competition from other fishermen.

In the following few days, Gao De changed the appearance of his concealment Magical Artifact again, shuttling between several exchange meetings of varying scales and different participants.

He did not make a move every time; more often, he acted as a calm observer, listening to various discussions and silently collecting information.

He noticed that besides the gray-robed person who was seeking life-extending treasures, there were several other groups of people in the venue who were particularly eye-catching:

A group of people dressed in uniform cloud-patterned robes, most of whom had auras at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment to False Core Realm. The old man leading them was even at the Early Stage Golden Core cultivation. They seemed particularly concerned with various high-level water-attribute Spirit Materials and Medicinal Pills that helped break through the Golden Core Bottleneck. Mentioning words like "Sect" and "tribute" in their speech, they were likely representatives of a Golden Core Sect in the nearby waters.

On the other side, several Yao Race members with sinister Demonic Qi and various forms gathered together. They had an urgent need for treasures that could strengthen the Physical Body and refine the Bloodline. One of the Yao Cultivators, surrounded by a faint fishy wind with fine scales covering his neck, was determined to get a "Poison Flood Dragon Inner Core." He argued with the seller for a long time and finally managed to trade for it with several rare poisonous plants at a price 30% higher than the market rate.

There were also a few lone travelers, either sharp-aura Sword Cultivators or evil Cultivators shrouded in ghostly Qi. Their requirements were also strange, but without exception, they all possessed exotic treasures and had sharp eyes; they were clearly not people to be trifled with.

Gao De hid himself in the shadows like a ghost, noting down these potential competitors one by one.

He felt more and more that this Shadow-Ghost Bamboo Hat was worth the trade.

In such a place where dragons and snakes were mixed, exposing his identity and true intentions too early was definitely not a wise move.

He had also taken out a few inconspicuous but locally scarce Spirit Materials from his Water Mansion, trading them for some Jade Slips regarding the power changes in the surrounding areas and several niche Artifact Refining techniques, which could be considered a small harvest.

During this period, some people also expressed interest in the Medium Grade black spear he had obtained from the Dragon Palace arsenal, but the price they offered did not meet Gao De's expectations, so he decisively took it back, leaving it for the auction.

This day, Gao De had just come out of an exchange meeting, strolling on the bustling workshop street, calculating what other supplies he might need, when suddenly, his heart stirred. He sensed a subtle but familiar Demonic Power fluctuation coming from a teahouse not far ahead.

That aura... carried the fishy smell of the aquatic race, yet it was mixed with an indescribable heat and majesty, slightly different from all the aquatic races he knew.

He did not stop, walking casually towards the teahouse, while his Divine Thought, like invisible tentacles, cautiously reached towards the source of that aura.