Gateway of Immortality

Qin Sang's expression darkened, his brows furrowing tightly.

He did not hide his feelings, making it clear for the Le Sisters to see, as the asking price was indeed a bit steep.

Among rogue cultivators, even Foundation Building practitioners would feel fortunate to find a spiritual vein rich in spiritual power. Whether or not one had a spiritual eye depended entirely on luck, and spiritual springs were even rarer, almost impossible to encounter.

Only powerful sects like Shaohua Mountain occupied the largest spiritual veins and could provide their Foundation Building disciples with cave dwellings comparable to spiritual eyes.

The reason Qin Sang managed to acquire a cave dwelling with a spiritual eye for the price of a few artifacts was that the white cat was eager to seek enlightenment at Heavenly Demon Hill. It distrusted humans and had no other means to achieve its goals, plus it possessed the secret art of the Spirit Evasion Art, which could help preserve its life.

One had to admit, the Le Sisters were somewhat deluded to think they could trade a mere depleted spiritual spring for a cave dwelling with a spiritual eye.

However, Qin Sang was determined to obtain the spiritual spring, so after the sisters proposed their terms, he began to ponder.

He indeed knew of two authentic cave dwellings with spiritual eyes.

One was on an island with a spirit stone mine, where the cave dwelling itself was a spiritual eye cave. The original head of the spirit stone mine had been a Foundation Building cultivator, but it was now occupied by Shen Youdao.

As the spirit stones were nearly exhausted, the accompanying spiritual vein and spiritual eye would gradually deplete as well. However, this would not happen quickly, at least not for over a hundred years.

Nevertheless, the damage inflicted on the spiritual vein by Shen Youdao and his group would undoubtedly accelerate the depletion of the spiritual eye.

Additionally, even a nearly depleted spirit stone mine was beyond his financial means. The numerous branches deep underground, if mined slowly, could yield an astonishing amount. He could not just become a miner, and mining spirit stones was a challenging task that required much expertise; it was not something one could manage simply by having high cultivation.

He could apply to take charge of the mine, but the sect would surely not allow him to transfer the cave dwelling to outsiders without permission.

The second possibility was the branch of the Heavenly Corpse Sect located in a cavern.

However, Qin Sang did not think it was feasible. If that place were an ordinary spiritual eye cave, it might be acceptable, but having three natural spiritual eyes clustered together could not compare to a true spiritual spring, yet it would still be enticing.

After he and his senior brother Yu reported the news to the sect, word of the cavern would have certainly spread.

Though it was somewhat distant, the allure of the "cave dwelling with spiritual spring" could easily overshadow this minor inconvenience. Since it had been let out, it was unlikely they would be able to retract it.

Thus, when leaving Sect Leader Peak, Qin Sang did not inquire, nor did Senior Brother Chu say anything.

However, since it was a trade, proposing terms was merely a way to negotiate.

The highest cultivation level of the Le Sisters only reached the eleventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm. A spiritual vein rich in spiritual power would suffice to support their cultivation, so their bottom line should be around this point.

They were unaware of the nature of Baiyun Island, where Hermit Baiyun resided. If that person lacked powerful friends, it might be possible to seize it forcefully.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang spoke up, "Daoist Le, I have not yet seen the spiritual spring objects in your hands. May I be allowed to have a look?"

Le Xing nodded, saying, "Of course."

With that, she waved her hand over her Mustard Seed Pouch, and a withered tree root appeared in her palm, which she graciously offered to Qin Sang.

The root was about the size of two human heads, its gnarled roots glimmering with a strange luster, resembling a mineral. This appearance was due to the erosion of the spiritual spring, aligning with descriptions found in texts.

After examining the tree root, Qin Sang handed it back and pondered. "While depleted spiritual spring objects are rare, they are not treasures. Daoist Le, your asking price seems overly high. I dare say that even if you asked everyone in the four major markets, no one would agree to this price. How about this, Shaohua Mountain raises spirit beasts that seek out spiritual veins; I will provide spirit stones and lend them to you for a year. The vast Yuncang Marshlands are criss-crossed with spiritual veins; perhaps you might find a spiritual eye there."

The Le Sisters did not directly agree or refuse but exchanged glances. One of them said, "May we consult with each other first?"

Qin Sang gestured for them to proceed.

Granny Jing gestured towards the main hall and said lightly, "The main hall has a soundproof barrier; you may proceed ahead."

"Thank you, esteemed Seniors, for your understanding..."

Le Xing pulled Le Rou along as they quickly made their way to the front. After setting up a soundproof barrier of their own, Le Rou grumbled with a hint of indignation, "The Yuncang Marshlands are filled not only with countless demonic beasts but also with many malicious people waiting to kill and steal treasures. If we flaunt our spirit beast in public, we might not even know how we died! I see no sincerity from him at all!"

"Enough," Le Xing said, pulling her back slightly. "The spirit beasts raised by Shaohua Mountain should be reliable. The price for a year's hire won't be low, so Senior Qin's sincerity can't be dismissed."

Le Rou's eyes widened. "Sister, you can’t seriously be considering selling the tree root just like that?"

Le Xing appeared deep in thought. "Selling is a given! The tree root has been passed down from our ancestors for hundreds of years, and it hasn’t produced a single drop of spring water. This confirms that the legends are true; once a spiritual spring is depleted, it can't recover. However, we definitely can't sell it for a pittance. I intend to act according to our previous discussions."

Le Rou furrowed her brows tightly. "But we still don’t know what kind of person he is. What if it really is a cave dwelling with a spiritual eye? Granny Jing may not be able to intimidate him; what if—"

"It should be fine." Le Xing pondered. "What Qin senior said is correct. Spiritual spring objects are indeed rare but not treasures. Our parents once wanted to sell some, but the price was too high, and no one wanted them. I deliberately mentioned the spiritual eye cave dwelling, and he didn’t explode with anger or reprimand us; instead, he seemed to consider it carefully. This indicates that, first, he genuinely wants to buy, and second, a spiritual eye cave dwelling is not something unattainable for him. I heard that in Shaohua Mountain, every Foundation Building cultivator can receive a spiritual eye; that's the backing of a major sect..."

Le Xing sighed enviously. "It’s rare that the tree root can fetch a good price. With Granny Jing mediating, Senior Qin is truly the best choice. We sisters can barely support our cultivation, and even if we had spare funds to hire other Foundation Building cultivators, they might not be reliable. As long as we can acquire a decent cave dwelling, we will have hope for Foundation Building. If we cannot reach the Foundation Building Realm, then what’s the point of just looking at it? Keeping it would be meaningless."

After thinking for a moment, Le Rou reluctantly said, "Fine..."

…

Seeing the Le Sisters return, Qin Sang straightened up.

He heard Le Xing softly say, "Senior Qin, we can forgo the spiritual eye cave dwelling and even give you the tree root; we only ask for your assistance with one matter..."

Qin Sang frowned and remained silent, looking into Le Xing's eyes as he waited for her to continue.

Le Xing smiled awkwardly and glanced at Granny Jing, saying, "We discovered an abandoned cave dwelling. The owner of the cave dwelling has died, but there are dangerous barriers outside. We don't dare to enter recklessly. If Senior Qin could help us break the barrier, regardless of whether the cave dwelling inside is good or bad, we sisters would be grateful and would definitely give you the tree root."

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