Chapter 120: The Deal and News of Gu Qingzhao

“*Cough!*” Qin Ming covered his mouth and coughed lightly.

*Is this woman testing the firmness of my Dao heart?* he wondered. *Fortunately, my resolve remains strong; I won’t be easily swayed by beauty.*

As for the additional condition that Mo Lingwei had just proposed, to Qin Ming it was nothing more than an extra burden. He already had Wu Jiang to run errands and assist him—it was more than enough.

With this in mind, Qin Ming spoke, “Friend Mo, there’s no need for such insistence. To be honest, the two items you hold are indeed very useful to me.”

“However, I truly have no Foundation Establishment Pills left.”

“But I do have one Rejuvenation Pill.”

“Moreover, I am willing to grant you an extra favor: a free opportunity to personally refine a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills for you.”

“Of course, the materials needed for pill refinement must be gathered by yourself. If you find it difficult to collect the ingredients, you could follow the example of Canghai Immortal City and organize a collective effort among scattered cultivators.”

Hearing this, Mo Lingwei frowned slightly. She hadn’t expected Qin Ming to reject her final condition so decisively, almost without hesitation.

Yet when she heard of the Rejuvenation Pill, her beautiful eyes brightened with interest, stirred by the allure of eternal youth—no female cultivator could resist such temptation.

Qin Ming had gauged the situation quite skillfully.

“May I ask, Friend Qin, what is the approximate success rate for refining the Foundation Establishment Pills?” Mo Lingwei, after some thought, inquired.

Qin Ming pondered briefly before answering with some reservation, “About forty percent.”

In truth, after his last intense pill refinement session, his success rate had already risen to around seventy to eighty percent, with many high-quality pills produced.

But for an ordinary pillmaster, a forty percent success rate was already quite high.

Mo Lingwei fell into contemplation once more.

After a long pause, she decisively made up her mind, her gaze firm as she said, “Deal! I will follow your terms, Friend Qin.”

She chose to trust Qin Ming’s pill refining skills.

Qin Ming’s expression brightened upon hearing her agreement. He immediately retrieved an exquisite jade bottle from his storage pouch and handed it to Mo Lingwei.

She accepted it, uncorked the stopper, and inside lay a snow-white pill exuding a captivating fragrance—this was the miraculous elixir that had captivated countless female cultivators.

The transaction was complete.

Qin Ming happily put away the two items from the table.

Soon after, Mo Lingwei took her leave.

“Friend Mo, allow me to see you off.”

With that, Qin Ming escorted Mo Lingwei outside.

At that moment, not far off, Wu Jiang was respectfully leading two people toward Qin Ming—none other than Gu Qingzhao and Shopkeeper Liao.

As they approached, Qin Ming smiled warmly. “Friend Gu, Shopkeeper Liao, welcome. Please, have a seat inside.”

Gu Qingzhao, clad in plain robes, glanced at Mo Lingwei beside Qin Ming with a somewhat strange expression and asked, “Friend Qin, who is this companion?”

Qin Ming paused briefly, then introduced them, “This is Mo Lingwei, the Lord of Qingxia Island, Friend Mo.”

He then turned to Mo Lingwei, “And this is Gu Qingzhao, Lord of the Mirror Snow Pavilion, Friend Gu.”

The two women exchanged smiles and greetings.

“Friend Qin, you have distinguished guests visiting; no need to see them off,” Gu Qingzhao remarked.

“Once I’m ready, I’ll trouble you again,” Mo Lingwei said to Qin Ming before activating her flying artifact and departing.

“Seems, after Foundation Establishment, Friend Qin is quite popular with the ladies?” Gu Qingzhao teased, a rare smile playing on her lips.

Qin Ming smiled wryly. “Friend Gu, please don’t tease me. Friend Mo just came by for a brief visit.”

Gu Qingzhao’s expression returned to normal.

Qin Ming then led them into the reception hall and expertly brewed a pot of Spirit-Calming Tea.

Once seated, Gu Qingzhao subtly signaled Shopkeeper Liao.

Liao nodded and then, with a broad smile, produced a deep green pill refining furnace from his storage pouch. It looked quite extraordinary.

“This refining furnace is called the Profound Jade Furnace, a second-rank supreme pill furnace,” he explained.

“It is a congratulatory gift from the Pavilion Lord to Friend Qin.”

“Congratulations on reaching Foundation Establishment and advancing further on the Immortal Path.”

Qin Ming took the Profound Jade Furnace, reluctant to put it down. He had been in need of such a high-grade furnace and hadn’t expected Gu Qingzhao to prepare one in advance.

“Many thanks, Friend Gu.”

Qin Ming carefully stored the furnace and poured Spirit-Calming Tea for both of them.

“This kind of spirit tea can only be tasted at Friend Qin’s place. Outside, it is quite precious,” Shopkeeper Liao remarked, savoring the tea and adding, “Even a small quantity sells for many spirit stones.”

Qin Ming smiled at this. “I have plenty here; I’ll bring some for you to take back.”

After some casual conversation, Qin Ming suddenly asked Gu Qingzhao, “May I ask if you have any way to obtain high-grade beast blood?”

Gu Qingzhao replied, “Friend Qin, you may not know, though Canghai Immortal City is backed by the Beast Cry Mountains and rich in beast resources, second-rank or above Foundation Establishment-grade powerful beasts often possess strength several times that of human cultivators of the same rank.”

“Therefore, unless teams of Foundation Establishment cultivators go hunting together, it is extremely difficult to slay them. Moreover, the Beast Cry Mountains are fraught with danger; ordinary cultivators dare not venture deeply.”

“The blood of high-grade beasts has many uses. Whenever it appears in Canghai Immortal City, it is immediately snapped up.”

“Low-grade beast blood is easier to obtain, but high-grade beast blood…”

“Friend Qin, you’ll have to rely on luck at auctions. I will also keep an ear out for information.”

Qin Ming frowned, surprised at how difficult it was to acquire high-grade beast blood, especially from specific primate high-grade beasts.

It seemed unrealistic for him to venture into the Beast Cry Mountains to hunt Foundation Establishment powerful beasts.

He had his terms; he could just cultivate peacefully and didn’t need to risk such danger.

Though his strength was now vastly improved, there were even third-rank beast kings in the mountains. Any mishap would be disastrous.

Still, Qin Ming would not give up.

The *Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture* had always been a powerful trump card in his cultivation path. No matter what, he would find a way to obtain high-grade beast blood.

“By the way, as I suspected, Friend Qin, you must have successfully refined the Foundation Establishment Pill by now?” Gu Qingzhao suddenly asked with a smile.

Qin Ming smiled wryly, knowing he could not hide it from her. Besides, with Gu Qingzhao, there was no need to be so secretive.

He wordlessly took a delicate porcelain bottle from his storage pouch and placed it before Gu Qingzhao and Shopkeeper Liao.

Shopkeeper Liao stared fixedly at the bottle, his breathing involuntarily quickening.

Inside was surely the coveted Foundation Establishment Pill that so many lower-rank cultivators chased like moths to a flame.

Though Gu Qingzhao had already taken one herself, her heart still stirred deeply upon seeing it.

Her fair hand gently lifted the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and revealed a sapphire-blue elixir surrounded by a faint pill aura, emitting an enchanting fragrance as it rested silently inside.

“Indeed, a Foundation Establishment Pill!”

Gu Qingzhao’s face lit up as she asked Qin Ming, “What are your plans for this Foundation Establishment Pill?”

Qin Ming smiled slightly, “I’ll leave it in your hands, Friend Gu.”

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhao was overjoyed.

If such a pill were auctioned at the Mirror Snow Pavilion’s auction house, who knew what a sensation it would cause in Canghai Immortal City?

Considering this, she spoke seriously to Qin Ming, “If that is the case, the high-grade beast blood you seek isn’t entirely out of reach.”

“We can use the auction of the Foundation Establishment Pill as a headline event to organize an unprecedented auction in Canghai Immortal City.”

“Perhaps we will be able to gather some high-grade beast blood then.”

Qin Ming nodded, hopeful. “When do you plan to hold the auction?”

“At least three months from now. We need time to prepare and build momentum,” Gu Qingzhao replied after a moment’s thought.

“Very well, I will attend as well.”

“I will have someone notify you in advance, Friend Qin.”

Qin Ming then said to Gu Qingzhao, “Besides that, I also need a spirit artifact sword.”

Spirit artifacts are second-rank magical weapons used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only those who have reached the stage of condensed magical liquid can unleash their full power.

A second-rank spirit artifact’s refinement includes magical seals called law seals. A second-rank lower-grade spirit artifact has between one and eighteen law seals; mid-grade has eighteen to thirty-six; high-grade exceeds thirty-six.

There are said to be supreme spirit artifacts with seventy-two law seals.

The number of law seals a weapon can hold depends on the materials and the skill of the refiners.

Qin Ming’s magical strength was comparable to mid-stage Foundation Establishment, so the higher the grade of the spirit artifact, the better.

“That won’t be a problem. Do you have specific requirements, Friend Qin?” Gu Qingzhao asked.

Qin Ming outlined some specifications, and Gu Qingzhao instructed Shopkeeper Liao to take careful notes.

“By the way, I have some news to share with you, Friend Qin,” Gu Qingzhao said.

“The Lingqi Archipelago may not be peaceful for some time to come.”

“Our Mirror Snow Pavilion received intelligence that the Seventy-Two Island Alliance might launch an attack against one of the Seven Great Powers, the Zhao family.”

Qin Ming was taken aback and asked, “With the strength of the Seventy-Two Island Alliance, do they really dare to strike first against the Zhao family?”

“Keep in mind, the Zhao family is currently backed by the powerful Lingyu Sect,” Gu Qingzhao sipped her tea and continued, “Those few Foundation Establishment cultivators of the scattered alliance certainly wouldn’t dare, but now they have backing.”

“Are you saying the Seventy-Two Island Alliance is supported by the Thunder Origin Sect?” Qin Ming pondered. This made things clearer.

After all, the Zhao family also had an ancient pillmaster to rely on.

There was no way a few Foundation Establishment cultivators like Huo Qianqiu could openly clash with them.

Gu Qingzhao nodded slightly.

Qin Ming mulled over her words, feeling a chill. He hadn’t realized that the rivalry between these two great sects in the Wei Kingdom’s cultivation world had long been brewing and had already begun to affect this region.

*Looks like I need to hasten my cultivation,* he thought.

*Early Foundation Establishment is still unstable; I must quickly reach late Foundation Establishment.*

Qin Ming silently made his plans.