The ancient-looking Shanhe Bag emanated a faint magical power, which then collapsed and dissipated under everyone's gaze.
The magical power Song He channeled into it encountered almost no resistance. After a brief circulation and transformation, it was smoothly refined.
A space of about ten feet square materialized in his consciousness.
After a moment, Song He set down the Shanhe Bag, exhaled deeply, and then looked at Ji Yuan with a peculiar expression.
"What is it?" Zhou Yuyan asked softly.
He didn't say anything, merely withdrew his magical power from the Shanhe Bag and gestured for them to examine it themselves.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan, without a word, immediately snatched up the Shanhe Bag. The way Song He was looking at him made him feel uneasy, and he was eager to know what exactly was inside.
However, as his vital energy flowed in, a space appeared in his consciousness, and he was stunned. When he put down the Shanhe Bag, his expression was identical to Song He's.
Witnessing this, Zhao Yuansong and Zhou Yuyan became even more perplexed and curious. They picked up the Shanhe Bag one after another to examine it.
Before long, the faces of the four people in the room showed similar expressions.
"A bag full of... mid-grade spirit stones?" Zhao Yuansong murmured to himself. Although some time had passed, he still seemed to be reeling from the shock.
One should know that a low-grade spirit stone was worth fifty taels of snowflake silver, and even then, it was difficult to find. If one wanted to exchange it, they would have to pay at least ten taels in premium.
Normally, a mid-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for one hundred low-grade spirit stones, with a premium of about seven or eight taels. If converted to silver, without considering the premium, it would be worth at least five thousand taels of snowflake silver!
Yet, within this Shanhe Bag, there were over a thousand mid-grade spirit stones!
If converted to silver, it would be at least fifty thousand taels!
"And a pile of spirit coins, at least a hundred..." Zhou Yuyan couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
In the market, one spirit coin could be exchanged for one hundred taels of gold, so one hundred spirit coins would be ten thousand taels of gold. Converted to silver, that would be one million taels!
In comparison, those mid-grade spirit stones seemed like mere pocket change...
"The fragments in that porcelain bottle... could they be immortal pills?" Ji Yuan coughed dryly, a sense of unreality washing over him.
It felt as if he were still dreaming, and everything he saw and heard was just a dream. Otherwise, if it were just spirit stones and spirit coins, that would be one thing, but fragments of immortal pills...
Song He silently took out a porcelain bottle from the Shanhe Bag, which was shimmering with a radiant glow. Through the bottle, five pieces of pill residue could be seen.
These fragments had a purple-gold sheen. Even through the bottle, a profound aura could be felt, as if they were truly remnants of immortal pills consumed by legendary immortals.
Ji Yuan picked up a piece of the broken pill. He couldn't detect any medicinal fragrance, but he could feel the immense spiritual energy contained within, along with a gentle medicinal power.
Consuming one piece would at least allow one to break through a realm!
A thought, unbidden, surfaced in everyone's minds, and they believed it deeply.
"Perhaps those people, after consuming this, were able to attain cultivation of the first or second realm within a little over a month!" Ji Yuan's eyes flickered as he voiced his guess.
It was simply that those individuals were originally ordinary mortals, even if they possessed some martial skills. They had never encountered cultivation before. After swallowing the pill fragments, they were unable to refine the medicinal power within on their own.
As a result, most of the medicinal power dissipated, but the small portion that remained was enough to elevate them to the first or second realm.
However, due to their lack of knowledge in refinement techniques, the cultivation they gained was as fragile as paper. As for why these individuals later possessed magical artifacts and could cast martial arts and spells, it was likely due to exchanging those mid-grade spirit stones in the market while evading the pursuit of the Divine Profound Sect.
"If mortals can break through to the first or second realm after consuming it, what if we were to take it and fully refine the medicinal power..." Zhao Yuansong muttered to himself, and then a cold sweat broke out on his body.
The other three exchanged glances, and his words also brought a possibility to their minds.
This pill's greatest use might not be to increase cultivation, but to break through bottlenecks at critical moments! For example, a cultivator at the peak of the third realm, upon consuming a fragment of this pill, might be able to successfully form a Golden Core and become a powerful cultivator guarding a region!
"If the Divine Profound Sect were to know..." Song He said with a wry smile, but he then scoffed at himself. Although there was no direct evidence, he was certain that the Divine Profound Sect must have known about the existence of this item. Otherwise, those individuals would not have believed that it was the Divine Profound Sect pursuing them even after fleeing to another prefecture.
"Your luck is simply incredible. To encounter something like this just by going out." Song He sighed helplessly. He knew that Ji Yuan had immense luck, but he never expected it to be to this extent. Just by going out, such a fortuitous encounter had come his way. With this item in hand, they had an additional layer of security. Even if they couldn't form a Golden Core with it, the bottleneck of breaking through from the second to the third realm should no longer be a cause for worry.
"I'd rather not have this kind of luck!" Ji Yuan rolled his eyes and complained grumpily. If possible, he would have preferred to cultivate peacefully. With his skills in alchemy and talisman crafting, he would never lack resources wherever he went, and there would be no need to risk his life. Once the Divine Profound Sect knew that this item had fallen into their hands, they would have no other means of self-preservation except to flee and live incognito.
"However, I think this item is only suitable for increasing cultivation. Unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to use it to break through bottlenecks." Song He mused. While breaking through each realm was immensely difficult for cultivators, it was also a process of accumulation on the path to the Great Dao. If one forcibly broke through using external means, the lack of comprehension might limit their own path. This was not an unheard-of situation. Some exceptionally talented prodigies, in order to rapidly increase their realm, resorted to pills and spiritual items. Initially, their breakthroughs were like breaking through bamboo, progressing all the way to the peak of the third realm. However, when forming their Golden Core, their Dao foundation became unstable, and their path collapsed. Even with aids for breaking through, the consequences were either a hopeless future for their Dao, or death on the spot, reduced to ashes.
"There are many ways to increase cultivation; it's not necessary to use this item." Ji Yuan shook his head. "The origin of this item is unknown, and we can't be sure if it's truly safe. It's best to find a suitable opportunity to sell it for other things." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět For example, some high-quality magical artifacts, or even one or two magical treasures, as well as a large amount of other resources. This would be much better than consuming an unknown item. However, for those with limited lifespan and no hope of breaking through, this item would be a treasure hard to find in the world.
"If it's one per person, there's still one extra." Song He took out several jade bottles and packed the five pill fragments separately.
Hearing this, Zhao Yuansong laughed heartily. "I only accompanied you on this trip and didn't contribute much. It's already embarrassing to take one so shamelessly." He reached out and took one, placing it in front of him. Song He and his wife each took one as well, and then the three of them looked up simultaneously.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan let out a wry smile. He understood their intentions and could only take the remaining two portions for himself.
"Shall we divide the remaining spirit stones and spirit coins equally?" Song He pointed to the Shanhe Bag on the table, which still contained items worth over a million taels of silver.
However, Ji Yuan shook his head. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Having so many spirit stones on us is somewhat impractical. If we use them, it will easily expose us. Why not give them to Qian Nishang? My benefactor is currently in need of money, and we can exchange what we need from the Mingxin Pavilion's treasury." The most important point was that this way, they would not expose themselves and alert the Divine Profound Sect. And their actions today were proposed by Qian Nishang. No matter what they did, if any rumors were to spread later, she would be the first to be associated with it. Since that was the case, it was a good opportunity to drag her onto this "pirate ship," killing several birds with one stone.
The three pondered for a long time and then nodded one after another, clearly finding the suggestion excellent. It not only resolved the potential risk of exposure but also allowed Qian Nishang to owe them a huge favor, while they could immediately obtain a large amount of what they needed. Otherwise, if they were to take the spirit stones themselves to purchase items, besides the long time it would take, many things could not be bought simply with spirit stones. The complexities involved would create numerous troubles, and they might even attract unwanted attention from ill-intentioned individuals. The desire for wealth leading to murder and robbery was something that happened frequently in the cultivation world.
"You will have to endure staying in the Xuan Tian Temple for the next few days. In case the Divine Profound Sect really comes looking and discovers any clues." Ji Yuan's expression changed, and he cautioned them. They, of course, could not inquire about the movements of the Divine Profound Sect, nor would they dare to. However, the original owner of this Shanhe Bag was dead, and it was highly likely that the Divine Profound Sect was responsible. Otherwise, within a radius of several hundred miles of Qianyu City, who would dare to attack three cultivators of the second realm? Regardless of how weak these individuals were, at least from their appearance, they exuded the aura of the second realm. Who would bother them for no reason? Even in the prefectural city, the existence of a second-realm cultivator was enough to earn the respect of many factions. Unless there was a conflict of interest, no one would rashly offend them, let alone kill them on sight. Therefore, after much thought, the Divine Profound Sect was the most likely culprit, though other unexpected factors could not be ruled out.
"I should leave now. The sooner I return, the less likely I am to be exposed." Ji Yuan glanced at the sky and said softly.
A quarter of an hour later, his figure quietly scaled the courtyard wall of the Taoist temple and moved along the shadows, doing his best to conceal his tracks.