Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World

Chapter 392 - 387: Treasure Exchange? Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique!_1

"No, don’t waste my time." Jia Ren didn’t bother with Ma Zhongyuan, finding an excuse to send him away.

After a day’s rest, on the next day, the Steward came to him. "I almost forgot. After you became a disciple of the Lingbao Sect, you can choose one Cultivation Technique and one Divine Skill from within the Sect."

"This is the corresponding talisman. With this, go to the Spirit Law Pavilion and choose the Cultivation Technique and Divine Skill you like."

"Don’t make your choice too hastily. Consult with the Cultivation Technique instructors; they can help you pick suitable ones and avoid wasting this hard-earned opportunity."

The Lingbao Sect had Cultivation Technique instructors who were Divine Transformation Cultivators. With their wide-ranging knowledge, they were experienced in matching Cultivation Techniques and Divine Skills. Jia Ren had previously served as a Corpse Guardian and consumed a few corpses, discovering that the combinations of Cultivation Techniques, Divine Skills, and secret techniques he encountered were quite good. Ultimately, this was thanks to the Cultivation Technique instructors.

"Thank you for the advice." Jia Ren bowed, but his original plan wouldn’t change. He only wanted a Cultivation Technique that could improve his Cultivation Level with the help of Magical Treasures, not considering other types.

After sending the man away, Jia Ren left his Cave and headed towards the Spirit Law Pavilion. It was in the Eastern District; now that he was a disciple of the Lingbao Sect, his movements were unrestricted.

"Junior Brother, are you going to the Spirit Law Pavilion? This Senior Sister can show you the way." A female cultivator in a lotus-leaf dress, her hair tied in youthful knots, approached him. Her eyes couldn’t help but sweep over Jia Ren’s groin.

Perhaps due to Ma Zhongyuan’s previous excessive publicity, someone had jokingly given him the title "Waist-Entwining Lay Buddhist." Originally, it was just a joke, not taken seriously. Even if the female cultivators of the Lingbao Sect had ideas, they wouldn’t brazenly solicit Jia Ren. Wouldn’t that be as obvious as Sima Zhao’s intentions, known to all? They were cultivators who valued their dignity and wouldn’t lower themselves; even if interested, they wouldn’t show it.

Now, Jia Ren had suddenly become an Inner Sect Disciple, and by donating a Spiritual Treasure to the Sect, no less. This method might be disdained by some, but it also attracted many female cultivators. A Protector attaching herself to a cultivator of high Cultivation Level could find a shortcut, and a female cultivator finding a Lingbao Sect cultivator with a Refinement Void backer could similarly achieve success effortlessly. It was no surprise that people were approaching Jia Ren, now an Inner Sect Disciple of the Lingbao Sect.

"No trouble, Senior Sister." Not giving her a chance to refute, Jia Ren activated his Wind Control Skill and sped away with astonishing velocity. The few female cultivators who emerged behind him were momentarily stunned; before they could react, he had vanished.

With the precedent of Zhang Pengpeng fresh in his mind, Jia Ren wanted to avoid any romantic entanglements.

He continued towards the Eastern District. Soon, he saw the Spirit Law Pavilion in the distance and the numerous stalls set up before it.

This is the Lingbao Sect, isn’t it? Why are people setting up stalls in front of the Spirit Law Pavilion?

Only a small portion of the stallholders were Handymen and Protectors; the vast majority were Lingbao Sect Cultivators. They didn’t hawk their wares loudly like at normal stalls, nor were prices marked; they simply placed their treasures out. Jia Ren approached a stall to look closer and found high-quality items for sale, including replica Spiritual Treasures and Spiritual Materials.

"Do you trade for Spirit Stones?" he asked tentatively at a stall displaying Spiritual Materials. If he could exchange for Spirit Stones, that would be great. Jia Ren had an abundance of Spirit Stones and many Magical Beast Materials yet to be disposed of, which could easily be converted.

The Lingbao Sect Cultivator looked at Jia Ren strangely. "Given your Cultivation Level, you’re no newcomer. Why jest with me? Don’t waste time. Spiritual Materials are only exchanged for materials of the same rank or treasures of equal value."

Still, being fellow sect members, he offered this advice.

Jia Ren, not wanting to miss this rare chance to acquire Spiritual Materials, naturally pressed on. "Will you trade for Magical Beast Materials?"

"Do you have Fifth-Order Magical Beast Materials?" the man asked, his interest piqued. Only materials from Fifth-Order Magical Beasts could roughly compare to Spiritual Materials. With the Lingbao Sect controlling various Blessed Lands of Cave Heavens and Secret Realms, opportunities to acquire Spiritual Materials were plentiful. If he could obtain Fifth Rank Spiritual Materials, he wouldn’t mind a trade.

"Fourth Order Demon Beast Materials, offering more for less," Jia Ren proposed.

Materials from Fourth Order Demon Beasts couldn’t be used to craft Spiritual Treasures; even top-quality ones could only replicate Spiritual Treasures.

"You should ask elsewhere!" This was a polite rejection.

Jia Ren inquired at several other stalls with Spiritual Materials, but most weren’t interested in Fourth Order Demon Beast Materials. It was easy to trade low-rank materials *for* Spiritual Materials, but hard to trade Spiritual Materials *back* for them. Most Lingbao Sect Cultivators had channels to buy Fourth Order Demon Beast Materials with Spirit Stones, but Spirit Stones couldn’t easily buy Spiritual Materials. Unless one was desperate for Spirit Stones, they wouldn’t trade rare Spiritual Materials or replica Spiritual Treasures this way.

One had to admit, the Lingbao Sect was extraordinary; Magical Beast materials, highly treasured and scarce in the outside world, were disdained here.

After looking around, Jia Ren noted a few things. Stalls offered exchanges for Fifth Rank Demon Souls and higher-ranked Demon Souls. The Fourth Order materials, usually scorned, could be traded for Fourth Order Demon Souls—he exchanged a small portion for over twenty, at a value ratio of roughly two Demon Souls per one unit of Magical Beast Materials.

He hadn’t brought out too many Fourth Order Demon Beast Materials at once, fearing trouble. The remaining Fourth Order Demon Beast Materials could be refined into replica Spiritual Treasures or upgraded to Spiritual Treasures via the Demon-Sealing Tower and then sold. That should yield enough Spiritual Materials.

Thinking of this solution, a smile touched Jia Ren’s lips. Once he sorted out the Cultivation Technique, he would study Spiritual Treasure refinement.

Many cultivators frequented the Spirit Law Pavilion, and it was common for them to trade goods here. The high-level elders of the Lingbao Sect encouraged this, rarely intervening, which was why the number of stalls kept increasing.

Jia Ren passed the stalls and entered the Spirit Law Pavilion. It was like stepping into another world, utterly serene.

A small, elderly man in a purple robe lay listlessly on a table. He lifted his eyelids slightly to size up Jia Ren. "First time at the Spirit Law Pavilion?"

"Newcomers can exchange their talisman for one Cultivation Technique and one Divine Skill. To learn more later, you’ll need Sect contribution points."

"Cultivation Techniques are on the first floor, secret techniques on the second, and Divine Skills on the third. You can only choose one Cultivation Technique and one Divine Skill," the old man said, then ignored Jia Ren and closed his eyes to rest.

Jia Ren looked around; there were no Lingbao Sect Cultivators on the first floor. Changing Cultivation Techniques takes a lot of time. Most cultivators have top-tier techniques selected for them by Cultivation Technique instructors and rarely change them. This was why the first floor was the least populated.

As Jia Ren drew closer, his gaze swept over various Jade Slips. Restrictions on them allowed one to see only the Cultivation Technique’s name and its first Chapter.

"There’s even a detailed classification of Cultivation Techniques?"

Cultivation Techniques for metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, and ice each had dedicated areas, making it easy to find a desired technique by category. However, cultivation techniques that use Spiritual Treasures for cultivation weren’t in these standard categories.

No matter how good other techniques were, Jia Ren wasn’t interested. He quickly bypassed these sections and went directly to the Special Techniques area.

"Kid, so many good techniques here, why look for a special one?" The old man guarding the Spirit Law Pavilion, who had appeared out of nowhere, asked, baffled.

Jia Ren scanned the area, marveling at the Lingbao Sect’s vast collection; there were a tremendous number of Special Techniques. Nine Illusion Heart Technique, Charming Technique, Nine-Word True Incantation Technique, True Martial Heavenly King Power... There were thousands of techniques; finding a specific one wouldn’t be easy.

"Since I’m here, I’ll give you some advice. What kind of technique are you looking for?" the old man offered.

Which Cultivation Technique one practiced in the Lingbao Sect wasn’t a secret; it was impossible to hide, so there was no need for him to be evasive.

"I’m looking for a Cultivation Technique that uses Magical Treasures or Spiritual Treasures to aid cultivation."

The old man’s expression turned odd. "Youngster, I’ve taken a liking to you, so let me give you some advice: choose a different Cultivation Technique."

Change techniques? Are there hidden dangers with this type? Jia Ren thought.

"Please enlighten me, Senior," he said. As long as the drawbacks weren’t unacceptable, he wouldn’t change his mind.

"There’s only one such technique: the Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique, created by the Sect’s founding patriarch."

"The Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique only works with one’s Life-bound Magic Treasure. The greater the disparity between the Life-bound Magic Treasure’s level and one’s own Cultivation Level, the more significant the boost."

"A cultivator would have to spend a vast amount of time nurturing their Life-bound Magic Treasure to create such a disparity with their own cultivation."

"The problem is, if that same time were spent on personal cultivation, the increase in Cultivation Level would be far greater."

"Only those with a Heavenly Treasure Body, like the patriarch, are recommended to practice this technique."

"Didn’t you consult a Cultivation Technique instructor before coming here?" the old man, unwilling to see a disciple go astray, advised earnestly.

Hearing this, Jia Ren’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was ecstatic.

Is this considered a disadvantage? The Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique might be a huge problem for ordinary cultivators, but for him, it was no issue at all! His Life-bound Magic Treasure was extremely mature and even knew how to cultivate and advance on its own... This technique was tailor-made for him! Not choosing it would be an offense against the heavens! Of course, this was one of his biggest secrets, one he wouldn’t reveal.

Jia Ren put on a hesitant expression. "How many seniors in the Sect have cultivated this technique?"

"Ten thousand years ago, quite a few people chose it. Nowadays, no one has picked it for thousands of years, and I’ve played a part in that," the old man said, stroking his beard, looking self-satisfied.

Jia Ren smiled, but internally he was cursing. No wonder not a single cultivator practiced this type of technique! If he hadn’t luckily become a Lingbao Sect disciple, who knows how long he would have remained in the dark, or when he would have ever learned the Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique. The thought of those hundreds of years spent guarding graves for nothing made him feel murderous. And the main culprit was right here, gloating! Was he asking for a beating? Still, the old man was unaware of Jia Ren’s particular circumstances, which was understandable, so Jia Ren didn’t hold it against him.

"I’m quite lazy, actually. I prefer to let my Life-bound Magic Treasure handle my cultivation," Jia Ren said, suppressing his excitement as he decisively chose the Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique. "I’ll choose this one!"

The old man didn’t try to persuade him further. As long as Jia Ren didn’t regret it, that was his own business. He took out a blank Jade Slip and began inscribing. "Sect Cultivation Techniques must not be leaked. Every technique here is recorded within the Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure. You’ll bear the consequences if it gets out."

After inscribing it, the old man tossed the Jade Slip containing the Heavenly Treasure Primordial Spirit Technique to Jia Ren and then vanished.