Dual Realm Exchange System

Damian sat before the long table like a child on Christmas morning.

Boxes, jade bottles, formation plates, talisman bundles, weapons, herbs, and miscellaneous cultivation resources filled nearly every available inch of space.

Jian Rui stood beside him with the expression of someone who had already accepted that his mysterious Senior possessed interests beyond mortal comprehension.

Damian ignored the clueless and tasteless young fellow, his attention entirely focused on the first jade bottle.

He picked it up.

"Alright system, show me what cultivation civilization has been hiding!"

<Appraise I> activated and immediately, a familiar blue panel appeared.

However, this time, its structure was different.

[Cross-Realm Item Detected.]

[Dual-Realm Adaptation Analysis Complete.]

[Item effects may differ depending upon the governing power system of the realm in which they are used.]

Damian’s eyebrows rose as the first appraisal appeared.

[Item: Body Tempering Pill

Grade: Common (Valoria), Mid Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Temporarily increases the effectiveness of physical conditioning and bodily adaptation. Provides a minor increase to gains from strenuous physical training but does not directly increase Attributes.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Temporarily strengthens the physical body while increasing its receptiveness to Spiritual Energy. Particularly effective for Body Tempering cultivators, allowing muscles, bones, organs, and meridians to endure more intensive tempering.]

Damian leaned back.

"...Huh."

So this thing was... basically cultivation steroids?

Very good cultivation steroids, admittedly.

A prospective Fighter in a preparatory class could swallow one before intense training and squeeze more results from the session, while someone like Damian could potentially use it alongside ordinary exercise to improve his dreadful physical condition.

But it did not directly give Strength or Constitution points, which made sense as Valoria’s Attributes were too fundamental to be casually raised by beginner medicine.

"Useful, but not broken," Damian remarked to himself.

Damian marked it as a product with D grade potential.

Jian Rui looked confused. "Senior Damian?"

"Talking to myself," Damian responded with a casual wave.

"...Understood," Jian Rui acknowledged with twitching lips.

Damian selected another bottle.

[Item: Marrow Cleansing Pill

Grade: Common (Valoria), High Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Removes a large portion of accumulated organic residue, accumulated medicinal toxins, and low-grade foreign contaminants within the body that do not relate to disease or illness. Its effectiveness diminishes with repeated use.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Removes accumulated pill toxins, medicinal residue, impurities, and minor foreign substances from the body. Each successive dose produces diminishing cleansing efficiency. Cannot completely eliminate impurities, and repeated excessive consumption will eventually leave residues originating from the Marrow Cleansing Pill itself.]

Damian burst out laughing. "So even the detox pill eventually needs a detox pill?"

Cultivation really was ridiculous.

Marrow Cleansing Pills apparently worked like toothpaste advertising that they killed 99.9% of bacteria, but never 100%.

And if you kept consuming them?

Eventually the cleansing medicine itself became another source of residue.

Still, this was somewhat useful as adventurers used potions constantly.

Damian had already personally discovered that repeated Vials of Vigor became less pleasant and less effective when consumed too quickly.

Could Marrow Cleansing Pills help reset some of that buildup?

Perhaps, and that certainly deserved testing.

He marked it as a C grade potential item and continued his appraisal.

[Item: Grain Avoidance Pill

Grade: Common (Valoria), Low Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Provides complete basic nourishment while suppressing hunger for up to seven days in humanoids. Duration decreases substantially for physically enhanced beings or individuals engaging in continuous strenuous activity.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Provides concentrated nutritional essence and suppresses hunger. An ordinary mortal may remain adequately nourished for approximately seven days. Body Tempering cultivators and similarly physical practitioners may remain adequately nourished for approximately one day, depending upon exertion.]

Damian stopped, reread it, and then looked at the unremarkable brown pill in his palm.

"...Okay."

This one was deceptively huge.

Valoria may already possess preserved rations, magical containers, hunting Skills, Survival Specializations, and various conveniences, so Adventurers did not desperately need food.

No, the real value came from the scale itself, from poverty, famines, sieges, military logistics, refugee crises, and disaster relief on a massive scale!

A single cheap pill could feed an ordinary human for a week!

"How much does one of these cost?" Damian asked.

Jian Rui glanced at the bottle with disdain. "Grain Avoidance Pills? Very little, Senior Damian. They are among the easiest pills for apprentice alchemists to refine. Mortal ingredients can substitute for several materials, so large sects often produce them in batches."

Damian’s expression became serious.

Mass production, huh?

There it was again.

A miraculous item was not necessarily commercially important if it required a hundred-year herb and the tears of a phoenix to create.

Something that was merely good and could be manufactured by the thousands?

That could reshape markets, just like the potions were about to do.

A Valorian noble responsible for feeding five thousand soldiers would probably sell his favourite horse for a stable supply of these.

Damian carefully placed the pill aside, marking it as A grade at the very least!

"Definitely bringing that one back," he muttered seriously.

Next came the talismans.

[Item: Cleansing Talisman

Grade: Common (Valoria), Low Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Produces a broad cleaning effect upon clothing, equipment, and the body. Comparable to multiple low-level domestic cleaning enchantments applied simultaneously.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Removes ordinary dirt, grime, sweat, minor stains, and superficial impurities from the target.]

Damian stared at it. "...Magical laundry."

Jian Rui coughed. "The Cleansing Talisman is quite convenient, Senior."

"Oh, I believe you," Damian agreed with a chuckle.

It was not revolutionary, but absolutely marketable.

After all, not everyone had a cleric or mage around to cast a cleansing spell, especially in the wild or while traveling.

Damian marked it as C grade in terms of potential.

Next up, the Light Body Talisman.

[Item: Light Body Talisman

Grade: Common (Valoria), Mid Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Temporarily reduces effective body weight and movement burden. Grants a minor enhancement to movement speed and jumping capability without directly increasing Agility.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Temporarily reduces the user’s effective weight and improves movement efficiency, jumping distance, and travel speed.]

Damian’s eyes brightened, because this thing was extremely useful for Rogues and Rangers alike, especially those who relied on mobility, positioning, and agility in and out of combat.

Hell, it was extremely useful for him! After all, his AGI of 2 remained an insult to human dignity!

Cough... let’s give it a B grade potential rating and move on!

[Item: Wood Barrier Talisman

Grade: Common (Valoria), Mid Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Creates a temporary magical barrier with strong resistance against ordinary physical attacks and minor magical attacks. Particularly efficient against blunt-force impacts.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Creates a temporary wood-attributed Qi barrier capable of resisting low-level physical and spiritual attacks.]

"A disposable Shield spell equivalent," Damian remarked with disdain.

It was not identical per se, but still close enough.

This one was too niche, having an elemental weakness rather than <Shield> or <Mage Armor>, which were all-rounders.

Straight F grade. It would be more profitable to sell Shield Spell scrolls here than take this back to Valoria.

Then came the next talisman.

[Item: Purification Talisman

Grade: Common (Valoria), Low Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Removes most mundane bacterial and viral illnesses, minor poisons, low-grade curses, and several forms of magical debilitation from ordinary beings. Effectiveness decreases sharply against supernatural diseases or powerful curse effects.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Purges minor poisons, diseases, corrupted Qi, lingering negative energies, and low-level harmful status conditions. Particularly effective against superficial Corpse Qi contamination.]

Damian stopped breathing for a second, then slowly looked up.

"...Jian Rui."

"Yes, Senior?" Jian Rui looked over with interest.

"How common are these?" Damian asked, pointing to the talisman before him.

The young swordsman blinked in surprise. "Purification Talismans? They are valuable because of the war, but the talisman itself is considered basic. Most trained talisman masters can make them."

Damian almost kissed the piece of paper, because this was massive!

Valoria had healing, excellent healing in fact.

Break your arm? Drink the red potion!

Get stabbed? Drink the red potion!!

Have half your skin burned away? Once again, drink the red potion!!!

But ordinary Healing Potions did not necessarily target infections, viruses, bacterial diseases, and strange negative conditions, and that was one reason churches in Valoria possessed such an enormous presence.

Divine Purification was a service that they gave out for a fee and one of their methods of corralling faith.

And during major plagues where things got out of hand, even magical societies suffered.

Yet here was a piece of paper that could potentially eliminate most ordinary diseases with one activation.

Damian could already imagine Holy Light Church officials staring at it with murderous intent. Janet may have joked about it back then, but it was not entirely impossible for them to label him an actual Demon Lord reincarnated if he tried peddling this as a common ware.

Even ignoring the financial power, the humanitarian value was enormous.

Another item went into the special pile, marked as A grade in potential!

Next came the Hundred Mile Talisman.

[Item: Hundred Mile Talisman

Grade: Common (Valoria), Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Transmits a short magical message to a paired target across moderate distances. Range may vary depending upon ambient mana density and interference.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Transmits a short spiritual message to a designated paired recipient within approximately one hundred li, subject to environmental interference.]

Damian sighed with lament, as Valoria possessed communication magic already, his Guild Card itself having nearby communication functions.

Still, disposable communications had some uses.

Mmm... D grade at best, almost F grade.

Then came the formations.

[Item: Spirit Gathering Array

Grade: Common (Valoria), Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Draws ambient mana toward the formation area and increases local mana density. Improves natural spellcasting efficiency, magical recovery, enchanting, and other mana-dependent activities.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Draws surrounding Spiritual Energy toward the formation’s center and increases local Spiritual Energy density, improving cultivation efficiency.]

Damian’s eyes immediately sharpened, because this could be enormous for Mage Towers.

Novice <Arcane Knowledge> did not teach him how to build one, but it taught him the general layout.

The core of any mage tower was the elemental pool in the center, which was created using special materials, enchantments and magic to gather ambient mana continuously for the mage to work with.

If this one array could do all of that for far less, then... magic was about to face an industrial revolution in Valoria under Damian’s hands!

A grade potential, right away!

Next was a rather interesting one.

[Item: Bewilderment Array

Grade: Common (Valoria), Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Creates a localized illusion field that interferes with visual orientation, navigation, and ordinary spatial judgment. Individuals with strong Perception or suitable detection magic may resist the effect.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Distorts perception and directional awareness within a limited area, causing intruders to become confused and repeatedly travel incorrect paths.]

"Dungeon designers would love this," Damian muttered with amusement.

Hmm, and probably criminals too, right?

Well, Damian wisely did not dwell upon that.

D grade item.

[Item: Four Swords Array

Grade: Common (Valoria), Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Generates repeated magically constructed slashing attacks against designated hostile targets. Attack strength depends upon formation power source and node quality.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Uses four prepared formation nodes to generate repeated sword-Qi attacks against hostile targets entering its active area.]

Fighters might dislike automated magical swords stealing their job, but everyone else would love them.

Still, it had some use, but one Magic Missile could outdo this formation and with considerably less setup time.

F Grade.

[Item: Golden Shield Array

Grade: Common (Valoria), Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Generates a persistent magical barrier protecting a fixed area. Damage consumes stored energy proportionally to attack strength.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Generates a persistent defensive barrier around a limited area, consuming stored Spiritual Energy when resisting attacks.]

Damian immediately thought about camps, feeling this one would be great for fortifications, forts, castles and vaults.

Rather than have an expensive Runesmith or Enchanting Mage come and doodle all over your walls and floor, calling it ’inscribing runes’, just set this formation up and have peace of mind!

It has a strong utility to be frank, and definitely sits at B grade in Damian’s opinion.

Then the final formation appeared.

[Item: Warning Array

Grade: Common (Valoria), Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Establishes a detection perimeter that produces an audible and magical warning whenever an unapproved creature enters the protected area. Can distinguish registered allies from unknown entities.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Detects unauthorized living beings entering a designated perimeter and alerts the formation owner through spiritual fluctuations.]

Damian stared at it... then stared harder.

"Oh boy, Adventurers are going to lose their minds," he couldn’t help but remark while sucking in a deep breath.

Jian Rui looked baffled, because this was merely a Warning Array. Every dog and cat in the cultivation world set one up when moving up and about.

Previously in the forest, Jian Rui even disdained to use the basic one and used a slightly advanced, adapted model.

However, Damian understood what the boy did not.

Camping itself was not the real problem for Adventurer parties with the existence of tents, bedrolls, food, water, and especially, magic.

The real problem was nightly security.

Someone always had to remain awake, so all parties used rotating watches because sleeping simultaneously in monster territory was an excellent method of becoming breakfast.

That reduced everyone’s sleep quality and left at least one person permanently tired.

With this though?

All you had to do was drop the array, register the party, and go to sleep.

If something crossed the perimeter, everyone woke up.

Such a simple item could change standard Adventurer procedure throughout Valoria.

Another one entered the important pile, A grade at the very least!

Damian picked up the Spirit Sword next.

[Item: Evergreen Standard Spirit Sword

Grade: Common (Valoria), Low Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Functions as a high-quality enchanted weapon with exceptional magical conductivity. Can channel Mana, Mental Energy, divine power, and several other supernatural energies with low transmission loss.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Conducts Qi significantly better than mortal steel, increases the stability and destructive effect of sword techniques, and possesses enhanced durability.]

Damian whistled with interest.

Now this was something that would get Fighters interested, especially magic-class Fighters like Spellblades, Battle Mages and Arcane Swordsmen.

Most Valorian weapons at the low end were designed around specific enchantments, but this thing was closer to a supernatural energy conductor that happened to be sword-shaped.

Interesting... let’s give it a C grade rating.

The Low-Grade Spirit Stone came next.

[Item: Low-Grade Spirit Stone

Grade: Unranked (Valoria), Ungraded (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Functions as a compact universal mana battery. Energy may be extracted for spellcasting support, enchanting, magical devices, and ritual work.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Contains refined Spiritual Energy suitable for cultivation, formations, artifacts, and exchange.]

Damian gave it a dark look. "Congratulations, you are indeed a worse Mana Crystal."

Next came the manufacturing materials.

Blank talisman paper became highly mana-conductive magical inscription paper in Valoria, good for Spell Scrolls and Spell Manuals, with the same cost to produce on both sides. A redundant product.

Formation ink became a versatile medium capable of holding structured magical energy far better than ordinary inks, with some great utility in Valoria as enchanting was expensive due to this reason. B grade rating.

Spirit rice possessed slightly greater nutritional and recovery value than ordinary grain, but was essentially an easy-to-produce good in the mana-rich Valoria. Peak grade B rating, bordering on Grade A.

The common spiritual herbs varied, but most translated cleanly into magical reagents. He would have to learn more about Potioneering to be more certain of their value.

Finally, Damian turned toward the remaining pills.

He picked up the Qi Acceleration Pill first and activated <Appraise I>.

[Item: Qi Acceleration Pill

Grade: Common (Valoria), High Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Doubles Experience Point acquisition from eligible activities for twelve hours for those at or below level 5.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Increases the efficiency at which Body Tempering cultivators absorb and utilize Spiritual Energy for approximately twelve hours. Effectiveness decreases substantially beyond Body Tempering.]

Damian froze, his breathing even stopping, and Jian Rui noticed immediately.

"Senior Damian?"

Damian did not answer, his expression grave as he reread the line.

[Doubles Experience Point acquisition from eligible activities for twelve hours.]

His mouth slowly opened.

"Holy... fucking... shit!"

It actually affects experience gain... experience gain!!

The hardest thing to acquire in Valoria!

During his introduction with Guildmaster Roland, he had taken it for granted, thinking that just killing things over and over again would net experience points.

Words could not describe the depth of disdain he secretly held in his heart when he saw that level 1 required only 10 experience points to advance.

However, Damian had come to understand that experience in Valoria was judged not based on skill, luck or even effort on their own.

Rather, Valoria’s experience system was more akin to an achievement system, where you were rewarded for doing something unique each time in each fight.

You could bomb a hundred goblins in one blow and only get one experience point for the act, and the second time you do it, unless you burned either 150 or more, you would get nothing for the effort!

So being able to double that experience gain for twelve hours was beyond massive.

Whether it was questing, training, combat, or class-related activities, everything that normally qualified would benefit greatly!

Damian’s entire opinion of the pill changed instantly as he carefully put it down as though it were a priceless treasure.

Moderate highlight? No, this thing was already bordering on game-breaking!

Peak A grade, almost S tier!

And now, only one bottle remained... the Qi Nourishing Pill.

Jian Rui noticed Damian’s interest. "That is probably the most commonly used cultivation pill among our Body Tempering disciples, Senior Damian."

That piqued Damian’s interest a little. "Really?"

Jian Rui nodded. "Yes indeed. It provides direct nourishment through Spiritual Energy, although repeated consumption becomes increasingly inefficient. Wealthier disciples often use them to speed through the lower stages."

Provides direct cultivation progress, huh? So these were the famous ’pills’ that cultivators loved to pop.

Damian frowned in deep thought.

If Qi Acceleration translated into double Experience...

Then what did direct cultivation progress become?

His fingers suddenly felt heavier as he picked up the pill and activated <Appraise I>.

[Item: Qi Nourishing Pill

Grade: Common (Valoria), Mid Grade One (Shengyuan)

Effect 1 (Valoria): Grants 1 Experience Point directly upon consumption. Ineffective above level 5.

Effect 2 (Shengyuan): Gradually releases refined Spiritual Energy throughout the body for approximately twelve hours, nourishing flesh, organs, bones, and meridians while providing direct cultivation progress to Body Tempering cultivators.]

Damian’s brain crashed on the spot, causing the young man to freeze up.

It was only when more text appeared that a modicum of life returned to him.

[Adaptation Limitation Detected! Repeated Consumption Leads To Diminishing Returns!]

[Pills 1–10: +1.0 EXP each.

Pills 11–20: +0.9 EXP each.

Pills 21–30: +0.8 EXP each.

Pills 31–40: +0.7 EXP each.

Pills 41–50: +0.6 EXP each.

Pills 51–60: +0.5 EXP each.

Pills 61–70: +0.4 EXP each.

Pills 71–80: +0.3 EXP each.

Pills 81–90: +0.2 EXP each.

Pills 91–100: +0.1 EXP each.

After 100 Pills: Fixed Conversion Rate of +0.1 EXP per pill.]

Damian stared at the panel, his brain crashing a second time.

One pill was worth one Experience Point?

His current Character Sheet stood at 7/10 for his Mage Class.

Three pills, he only needed three ordinary beginner cultivation pills, and he would reach Level 2.

Slowly, very slowly, his head turned toward Jian Rui.

The young cultivator suddenly felt nervous. "Senior Damian?"

Damian pointed at the Qi Nourishing Pill. "...How much does this cost?"

Jian Rui blinked slowly, then answered. "Well, it depends. On the market, it goes for 5 spirit stones for a bottle of 10 pills, but in the sect treasury, it’s worth 3 contribution points for a bottle of 15 pills, all of high quality."

Damian listened intently, and for several seconds, he said absolutely nothing.

Then, his lips slowly curled upward.

The path that should have taken years to climb had just changed completely!

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