As Yin Xiu slowly opened his eyes he turned and noticed the group in the small bookstore looking at him in astonishment. Smiling awkwardly he nodded at them before he continued to actually read the description of the Bone of Profound Yin. 'A physique characterized by an inconspicuous black bone somewhere in the possessor's body before awakening. Different from the Supreme bone, it doesn't have a particular Dao associated with it at the beginning, but seems to be activated once the owner of the physique cultivates a Yin oriented cultivation technique or consumes a high level Yin attribute treasure.' Yin Xiu nodded to himself approvingly as it matched his situation well.
'Only two known possessors of this physique are known so far in the Nine Heavens. One is the Celestial River Maiden who is one of the most powerful Daoist cultivators in Harmonious Heaven, and the other is the Bloodfiend Patriarch from Fiend Heaven. Both had extreme influence over their specific factions for millennia. The Celestial River Maiden is one of the high elders of the Heavenly River Palace which is a top tier force in the Nine Heavens. The Bloodfiend Patriarch is believed to have fallen in an effort to conquer a large continent in Fiend Heaven. He hasn't been seen in several thousand years.'
Noting the two others known to have possessed the same physique mentally, he read the last lines of the description carefully. 'In regards to the physique itself we only know its basic conditions for activation, but we can make some assumptions based on the information available. Mainly its strength correlation to the Supreme Bone, and the possibility of higher potential.'
'In regards to the strength of the physique it seems to be slightly less powerful than the supreme bone, but has a much higher adaptability. Instead of the cultivator having their path set from birth, they have the option to select the Dao they cultivate if they are made aware of their physique before they awaken it. It is also possible that the higher the grade of the treasure or cultivation technique used upon activation of the bone will create a qualitative difference in the strength of the physique.'
'We came to this conclusion not from the records of the users of the Bone of Profound Yin, but the Bone of Profound Yang which is believed to be the exactly the same in function. One user was only able to cultivate to the Golden Core stage in his lifetime, due to a limitation in his cultivation technique, as he joined a small sect when he began his path to immortality. Raising the question of whether or not the activation condition truly makes a difference in the overall path of the cultivator, and the heights they could reach.'
Yin Xiu finished reading the entry, and carefully rolled up the scroll before standing up to see everyone looking at him curiously. Their initial shock seeming to have subsided from witnessing the small vision earlier. He bowed to the couple "Thank you for the opportunity to go through your families records." Standing up he continued "We will remain in the city for around six more days providing we finish our task in that time. We'll return once we have finished our business."
After thinking for a second he removed a long white needle with fine serrations from his robes, and handed it to Lu Yan. "This is a material from a Qi refining stage beast that I haven't yet gotten processed into a weapon. We'll leave this here as a guarantee of our promise to you."
Lu Yan carefully took the dangerous looking object carefully while briefly observing it for a moment, and nodding in acceptance.
Seeing this Yin Xiu smiled cheerfully "Great! Now let's conclude our transaction for the rest of the scrolls, and Hu Meng and I will see you soon enough."
Zi Mei went over and calculated the bill quickly which Yin Xiu promptly paid. After storing away his scrolls carefully he helped Hu Meng remove the little girl with an aggrieved expression from his back. Immediately after Hu Meng was freed he slunk into Yin Xiu's shadow.
Yin Xiu looked at Lu Yuhan who was pouting, and patted her head in an effort to console her. "Don't worry the cat will be back to see you soon."
Her expression eased as she was picked up be her mother, and promptly fell asleep in her arms. Saying goodbye to the two. The purple haired youth finally exited the bookstore contentedly.
He began walking along the busy streets with an obvious spring in his step, as he was in a great mood for a multitude of reasons. "Hu Meng, we really got a lot out of our trip so far." he whispered.
The black tiger in a decidedly much less stellar mood only let out a soft grunt in response before he began guiding Yin Xiu to the Howling Tempest Merchant association moodily.
They made their way leisurely as Yin Xiu occasionally stopped to inspect the various goods at the street vendors with interest. He made sure to buy a plain wooden mask, and a tattered hooded cloak in preparation to meet with Fu Ling later that evening. After picking up the last necessities to go the market that night he sped up his pace, curious to experience the grandeur of a large trading company.
A short time later the grand building appeared in their vision just as Hu Meng had described it. It was magnificent to behold, and seemingly out of place with its surroundings. Curious as to what it was like inside, Yin Xiu hurried his way in, not paying attention to the several curious glances from other patrons. Once inside he made his way to a pretty attendant wearing the insignia of the company on her robes.
She came forward and politely asked Yin Xiu, "Greetings guest, what can I help you with today?"
The youth smiled back calmly "I was wondering if your association purchases goods from cultivators?"
The attendant quickly nodded, "Yes sir we indeed do. How many materials are you wishing to sell today? If the goods aren't too valuable or numerous I can process the transaction here and now, but if not, I can take you to one of our appraisers to go over any goods you might have. We guarantee to offer the best prices possible." Her smile was radiant as she finished her short pitch.
Yin Xiu then whispered softly to avoid eavesdropping, "I managed to acquire a large assortment of materials on a recent expedition that I'm looking to sell."
The attendant smiled even more pleasantly "Understood sir, follow me and I'll bring you to a private room to meet with another one of our staff."
Yin Xiu followed closely as she navigated the rather packed lobby, he occasionally looked around to observe the various customers making offers for a variety of goods. Some looking rather mundane, and others clearly radiating waves of Qi.
Seeing the obvious sale of higher level goods, Yin Xiu's thoughts of selling one of the Qi refining grade materials here was cemented completely.
They soon reached the private room, it was luxuriously decorated with silk curtains, opulent cushions, and a table that was obviously crafted from some type of spirit-wood. A pleasant fragrance wafted in the air from an incense burner on the table, calming down Yin Xiu's somewhat still excited emotions.
The attendant bowed out of the room. "Wait here momentarily guest, and an appraiser should meet with you shortly." Nodding in confirmation Yin Xiu sat down on one of the cushions, and waited patiently. Not even five minutes passed before a slightly portly man with sharp looking eyes walked into the room.
"Good afternoon sir, my name is Wei Shi, can you display the goods that you've brought with you today." Yin Xiu quickly pulled out a storage bag, and with the seal removed inconspicuously by Hu Meng, he began to lay out a large amount of goods carefully on the table.
Wei Shi's sharp eyes became increasingly surprised as one material after another was placed in front of him. Clearly not expecting a body-refining client would have so many materials to sell. Mumbling the names of each material under his breath he began making a list with a preliminary offer for each good. As Yin Xiu finally emptied out the last of the unranked materials, a small smile appeared on his face as he pulled out a small jade medicine box expectantly.
Wei Shi's eyes quickly glued themselves onto it, as he felt the subtle Qi fluctuations that escaped the box. Not keeping the man in suspense for too long Yin Xiu opened the lid to reveal a rather mundane looking yellow leaf. It was practically identical to a leaf that would pile up on the roadside during Autumn, if not for the fact it slowly rippled and floated as if drifting lazily in the wind.
"An ever-drifting leaf!" Wei Shi excitedly observed the herb with fascination. "It has drifted in the wind for at least two hundred days based on the amount of movement, which is double the required time for a leaf to transform into an ever-drifting leaf. Not to mention Wind attributed treasures are rare to begin with even in Tempestuous Heaven."
Quickly overcoming his excitement, he pondered for a few moments, before also denoting a price for the ever-drifting leaf. Looking up at Yin Xiu with a slightly more appreciative gaze he coughed slightly. "I have made some estimates of prices for each of the goods you've brought in today." He quickly showed Yin Xiu the parchment he had been writing on, and gestured to each material as he made an offer. In response Yin Xiu began comparing the prices of each with the list Hu Fang had given him which he had memorized previously.
After ensuring that the prices were acceptable for the common materials, Wei She got to the final item. "I'm willing to offer two hundred spirit stones for the ever-drifting leaf. It is a more than fair price I assure you." He wrung his hands expectantly as he waited for Yin Xiu's decision.
Yin Xiu was inwardly shocked at the offer, as it was fifty spirit stones higher than Hu Fang's estimate, but not letting his surprise show on his face he pretended to ponder briefly before agreeing to the offer gladly.
With the deal concluded Yin Xiu received a large bag containing close to six hundred spirit stones which he carefully stored away. Just as he stood up to leave Wei She hurriedly added "If you find any similar high quality goods, especially of the wind element, please consider us first! We have locations all across Tempestuous Heaven!"
Yin Xiu smiled back good-naturedly "I sure will!" before happily exiting the merchant association.