Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 414: Chapter 381: The Zhenren Goes to Sea

"Brother Chu."

As he was lost in thought, a crisp voice, like the tinkling of silver bells, called out, rousing Chu Mu from his deep contemplation.

Chu Mu turned his head toward the door, and the figure of a young woman came into view.

The young woman was graceful and had changed her appearance yet again today. She wore crimson Scale Armor, and a skirt of metallic, sword-shaped plates covered her lower half. Her legs, all the way to some mysterious, unseen region, were wrapped in a sheer black fabric similar to silk stockings.

The young woman walked with an easy grace. As her metallic, sword-shaped skirt swayed, it created a crisp, clinking sound, and a pleasant fragrance wafted toward him.

As the saying goes, "a thousand people, a thousand faces." After cultivating a Charm Skill, this young woman before him seemed to possess a thousand different masks.

’Does a Charm Skill also have the effect of changing one’s disposition?’

Chu Mu couldn’t help but have this sudden thought as he remembered what the young woman was like back in Jade Emperor Valley.

’The change is just too, too great.’

The original girl... although he hadn’t known her very well, it wasn’t hard to tell from her words and actions back then that she had been a simple person, single-mindedly focused on earning Spirit Stones.

But the young woman before him now was alluring and ever-changing; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a "Demoness."

If he hadn’t repeatedly confirmed that her Divine Soul Aura was unchanged, he would have suspected she had suffered Possession.

"Brother Chu, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Chu Mu’s strange expression, the young woman’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn’t help but ask.

"I was just wondering what Miss Hongyi went through all those years ago to become the person she is today."

Chu Mu spoke bluntly, but with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"This look Hong’Er has now... don’t you like it, Brother Chu?"

The young woman tugged lightly at the corner of her skirt and blinked, putting on a mischievous air.

Chu Mu leaned back slightly, openly admiring the young woman’s graceful beauty.

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere suddenly grew a little ambiguous.

"Well now, it seems I’ve come at an inopportune time."

Just then, another voice came from the top of the stairs.

Chen Hanyun chuckled as he looked at the man and woman in the side hall, his eyes full of mirth.

Chu Mu, without batting an eye, replied, "Fellow Daoist, you’ve arrived at the perfect time. Any later, and I might not have been able to resist Miss Hongyi’s charms."

The young woman’s cheeks grew redder. She sat down in a fluster, not daring to look at Chu Mu anymore.

"Hahaha, why don’t you just pretend I’m not here and continue?"

Chen Hanyun laughed heartily.

Chu Mu seamlessly changed the subject. "Has Fellow Daoist Hanwen not arrived yet?"

"Hanwen went out to sea with the True Master at the beginning of the month."

Chen Hanyun replied as he also entered the side hall and took a seat.

"The True Master went out to sea?"

Chu Mu was surprised. This Celestial Cloud True Master was no simple character. He had reached Golden Core Perfection many years ago and had been stationed in Chixia for over two decades, remaining in seclusion the entire time.

And now he had come out of seclusion to go overseas...

A look of alarm crossed Chu Mu’s face. "Did the True Master have a breakthrough?"

"Not yet. My father’s sudden trip to sea this time is probably for some minor matters..."

Although Chen Hanyun spoke nonchalantly, the faint hint of joy in his words seemed to betray a secret.

Chu Mu didn’t press the matter. In any case, as long as that Golden Core True Master was still around, Chen Hanyun’s position in Chixia, and in the entire Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, was unshakably secure.

Amidst the pleasantries, familiar Cultivators ascended to the second floor one by one and took their seats in the main hall.

At noon, Chu Mu finally walked out from the side hall. After his usual opening remarks, which hadn’t changed in years, he followed tradition by presenting the first item for exchange to kick off the meeting.

The True Understanding Pavilion had been established in Chixia for several years, and its exchange meetings had been held consecutively for just as long.

Every year, the items Chu Mu offered for exchange, while not causing a sensation like the ones at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion back in the day, were always extraordinary and invariably sparked a scramble among the attendees.

After all, Master Chixia Chu’s fondness for Spiritual Materials and Objects was already well-known.

This time, when Chu Mu took out a Jade Bottle, the entire trading floor fell silent, just as it always did, and the gazes of all the Cultivators focused on him.

"A Tier Two Upper Grade Peiyuan Pill. It can support the Cultivation of those at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment and Foundation Establishment Perfection."

Chu Mu announced slowly.

As his words fell, a clamor arose in the exchange hall. Although a Tier Two Upper Grade Elixir was valuable, it clearly couldn’t compare to the rare Puppet Artifacts Chu Mu had presented in the past.

Chu Mu ignored the noise in the hall and added, as if to himself, "A Two-Patterned Flawless Pill!"

His voice wasn’t loud, but at that moment, it struck like a bolt from the blue. The newly boisterous exchange hall was instantly plunged into a deathly silence.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, what did you just say?"

"A Two-Patterned Flawless Pill?"

"Did I hear that right?"

The silence lasted for barely a breath before a series of urgent questions rang out.

Chu Mu didn’t answer. He raised a hand and swiped, breaking the seal on the Jade Bottle. With a flick of his finger, an Elixir—pure white and wreathed in two faint, shimmering patterns—appeared before the assembled Cultivators.

"One bottle of Tier Two Upper Grade, Two-Patterned Flawless Pills. Ten in total. I’m exchanging them for a Spiritual Object that can support a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm."

Chu Mu stated slowly. The condition was quite fair.

A Two-Patterned, Tier Two Upper Grade Elixir basically meant that one would face no bottlenecks throughout the four stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm: initial, middle, late, and perfection.

If any bottleneck did appear, a single Two-Patterned Peiyuan Pill would be enough to break through it with ease.

Its Medicinal Power alone was also enough to grant a major boost in Magical Power to anyone in any stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Moreover, the Medicinal Power of a Two-Patterned Pill was not only immense but also incredibly pure, with side effects that were practically nonexistent!

Not to mention, a Two-Patterned Pill was the kind of treasure one could only chance upon, not actively seek out.

Even with his skill, enhanced by the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, it still took him three or four batches of Alchemy to produce a single Two-Patterned Pill.

For an ordinary Alchemist refining a Tier Two Upper Grade Elixir, never mind a Two-Patterned one—even a One-Patterned or a basic Flawless Pill would likely be an extravagant hope.

An Alchemist who could guarantee a certain success rate when refining Tier Two Elixirs would be considered an absolute pillar of strength, even within the Chen Family.

Ten such divine pills would be more than enough to trade for even the legendary Immortal Embryo Pill.

"I have a Celestial Bull Horn, which can increase the success rate of Core Formation by a small amount."

"Fellow Daoist’s Alchemy Skill is divine. If you were to refine it into a Formed Pill with the Celestial Bull Horn as the core, the medicinal effect would surely..."

Chu Mu was overjoyed and whipped his head around to look at the Cultivator who had spoken. The man had a Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation. Chu Mu vaguely recalled him. This was the person who had accompanied Elder Fu Song, the Fake Pill Elder from Yun Xiao Trading House, back when his cheap disciple, Fu Hao, had come to acknowledge him as a master.

’Fu Gang.’

The name flashed through his mind. Forcing down his excitement, Chu Mu raised a hand and caught the Jade Box that Fu Gang had tossed over.

His Divine Sense probed inside, and a small, ink-black horn instantly appeared in his perception.

Chu Mu’s heart pounded with excitement. Although the Celestial Bull Horn wasn’t as good as the Immortal Embryo Pill, Deep Sea Musk, or Ten Thousand Yang Liquid that he truly wanted, its effects were definitely not bad.

The reason it wasn’t as famous as the Immortal Embryo Pill, Deep Sea Musk, or Ten Thousand Yang Liquid was simple. On its own, the Celestial Bull Horn was too inefficient at aiding Core Formation. Also, despite its name, it was actually a natural Spiritual Material like Deep Sea Musk, found in the deep sea and exceedingly rare.

If one wanted to refine it into a pill, the Celestial Bull Horn’s peculiar properties meant it could only be used as a supplementary ingredient, not a primary one. Since the Celestial Bull Horn was a Tier Three Lower Grade item, refining it into a pill required a primary ingredient of at least a Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Object to best bring out its medicinal effects.

All these factors combined meant the Celestial Bull Horn was destined to be obscure.

But for him, a Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Object...

He had several in his Storage Ring!

"This Celestial Bull Horn is worth two pills."

Though his heart was pounding, Chu Mu was ruthless when it came to haggling.

"Done."

Fu Gang clearly understood the Celestial Bull Horn’s value and agreed readily. After all, Tier Three Middle Grade Spirit Medicines and Demon Pills were not easy to find.

Chu Mu put away the Jade Box, placed two Elixirs into a Jade Bottle, and with a flick of his hand, sent the bottle flying toward Fu Gang.

"Are there any other Fellow Daoists who wish to make an exchange?"

Chu Mu looked back at the other Cultivators in the hall. Such a great start had completely exceeded his expectations.

It was safe to say that this one Celestial Bull Horn had already fulfilled all his hopes for this exchange meeting.

According to his own predictions, he had been prepared for the possibility of going home empty-handed.

The hall was silent for a time. After a good while, another Cultivator finally spoke up...

...

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