Liu Ruyan reached out and picked up the Mountain River Bag in front of her. After a few moments of contemplation, she infused a wisp of her consciousness into it.
A moment later, her eyes widened in disbelief, her face etched with an expression of utter astonishment. She remained stunned for a long while.
*Slap!*
She suddenly slammed the Mountain River Bag onto the tea table before her, unable to conceal the shock she felt.
Even though she had braced herself, seeing such a vast quantity of precious spiritual items piled so haphazardly within the bag still felt somewhat unreal.
Originally, Liu Ruyan had expected the payment to consist mostly of gold, silver, and other precious metals, along with a substantial amount of spirit stones and coins. She had never anticipated such an immense collection of valuable spiritual items.
It was probable that even the treasure vault of Mingxin Xuan would not boast such a diverse array of spiritual items, let alone the fact that each one held immense value.
Ji Yuan gave a dry cough. He had foreseen the expression she would wear upon seeing the contents of the Mountain River Bag.
In fact, he himself had been quite taken aback the first time he witnessed the spiritual items contained within that jade pendant.
However, it was precisely because of the abundance of these spiritual items that he felt confident in his ability to gather the necessary materials to refine the spiritual spring that could enhance physique and spiritual roots, and even induce a state of enlightenment.
Without this, even a moderately sized sect, pooling all its resources, would struggle to fill such a void, let alone a mere cultivator of the second realm like himself.
All in all, it had been worth risking his life to snatch that damaged furnace. Otherwise, even if he ascended to the third realm, he would still not be able to gather spiritual items of such high value.
"It seems your trip has indeed been extremely fruitful," Liu Ruyan couldn't help but sigh after a long silence.
She then gazed deeply at the young man before her, knowing him well enough to suspect that the items in the Mountain River Bag were merely a fraction of what he possessed. He likely had more hidden away.
"How many days will it take to get a definitive result?" Ji Yuan asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her gaze, his expression a little unnatural.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan made a quick estimation and gave a rough timeframe.
Most of the items on the list could be gathered within a few hours. The majority were in Mingxin Xuan's inventory, while the remaining half could be acquired from other merchant guilds.
Thanks to the emergence of the underground dojo, Liu Sha City had attracted thousands of cultivators. Not only from Feiyun Prefecture, but also merchant guilds from neighboring prefectures had established considerable businesses here.
Even factions like Tianqiao Pavilion and the Divine Craftsman Institute, established by the imperial court, had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.
If luck was on their side, they might even manage to procure the most crucial few precious spiritual items directly.
Therefore, if everything went smoothly, it would take at least three to four days, and at most seven to eight days, to achieve a conclusive outcome.
"Actually, in my opinion, you'd be better off staying here than at the Nine Profound Sect's estate," Liu Ruyan said suddenly, sliding her index finger across the tabletop.
While the formation arrays at Mingxin Xuan's shops here might not be as powerful as those at the Nine Profound Sect's estate, in terms of the number of experts, they were superior.
This was partly because most of the Nine Profound Sect's high-level cultivators had entered the underground dojo.
Furthermore, her own considerable achievements had led the headquarters of Luoxia Prefecture to decide to provide greater support.
Currently, the stronghold here was guarded by two cultivators of the third realm, five in the late stage of the second realm, and as many as twenty in the early and middle stages of the second realm.
Combined with the several formation arrays in the area, it was indeed much stronger than the Nine Profound Sect's estate in Liu Sha City.
Most importantly, if Ji Yuan resided in the Nine Profound Sect's estate, he would find it difficult to command anyone other than his close companions. In the event of any unforeseen circumstances, he might find himself isolated and without support.
Conversely, at Mingxin Xuan's shops, such problems would not arise. Should any trouble occur, Liu Ruyan would spare no effort to ensure his absolute safety.
"In that case, I shall stay here then." Ji Yuan nodded slightly, agreeing without any hesitation.
Putting aside all other considerations, having two third-realm cultivators by his side did indeed provide a great sense of security.
However, as he agreed, he cast a meaningful glance at Liu Ruyan, a faint, unconcealed smile playing on his lips.
Beyond the factors already mentioned, he suspected that her primary motive was to diminish the Nine Profound Sect's influence in his eyes and elevate the importance of Mingxin Xuan.
"Don't look at me like that. Truth be told, our Mingxin Xuan can be considered your 'maternal family'," Liu Ruyan said slowly, then couldn't help but chuckle, clearly amused by her own analogy.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan ignored her, rose, and walked directly to the door. He pulled it open and called for the waiting maidservant to arrange a few guest rooms.
All of Mingxin Xuan's shops adhered to their consistent style, with elegantly furnished private rooms for their own people on the top one or two floors.
There were even several quiet rooms specifically designated for alchemy or artifact refining.
"If there is any news, send someone to inform me," Ji Yuan slowly turned around, rubbing his temples with exhaustion. "I will likely be going into seclusion for a period, but it's not a deep seclusion. It's fine if I'm disturbed."
The continuous travel in the past few days, coupled with the consumption of flying mounts, had indeed left him greatly fatigued.
Especially after enduring perilous situations multiple times over the past six months, hovering on the brink of death, and engaging in high-intensity cultivation of runes and techniques. Despite brief respites, the weariness that stemmed from his very soul remained.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan nodded, signaling him to proceed with his seclusion. While Mingxin Xuan might struggle in other areas, when it came to trade, they were seasoned professionals with centuries of experience.
Not long after, the maidservant who had left earlier returned, leading a few people to the prepared private rooms.
Before entering seclusion, Ji Yuan took out some pills to enhance cultivation and distributed them to Zhou Lianying and the other two.
After activating the small formation and restriction arrays within the private room, he finally let out a long sigh. Fighting against the surging fatigue, he carefully checked the room twice or thrice before collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.
Although his body slept soundly, his soul light automatically circulated the mysterious soul-refining technique, and a small bead in his spiritual sea consciousness at the center of his brow began to slowly rotate.
Threads of light emanated from the bead, casting a soft glow over his entire spiritual sea, and Ji Yuan's soul was imperceptibly strengthened.