The Insect Control Art of the Spirit Gate was indeed marvelous. In just over ten days, Zhou familiarized himself with the temperament of the Rock Fire Insect and some of its strange calls, learning to use the insect language to manipulate it for very simple actions like attacking, retreating, or stopping. This Rock Fire Insect had undergone initial taming; from now on, Ye Qin only needed to continuously train it.

“Although the Fire Mist Insect is considered a rare and precious anomalous creature, the flame this one spews is very weak—at most the strength of a Tier One anomalous creature. I wonder what use a senior has for raising it?” She returned the tamed anomalous creature to Ye Qin, inquiring curiously.

Ye Qin smiled, not answering her question. Having mastered the Rock Fire Insect’s language, he placed the tamed creature into a Gourd Spirit Artifact. This artifact’s interior space spanned several tens of feet, enough for the Rock Fire Insect to tumble around within. Casually, he took several large chunks of ore, melted them into magma with fire, and poured the molten rock into the gourd.

He intended to drop stones in daily to encourage it to rapidly “grow” a thick layer of armor.

Although the Rock Fire Insect’s inherent strength was weak, if it wore a stone armor ten feet thick, ten Zhou Lins combined wouldn't warrant more than a passing glance. The only regret was that adorning it with such thick stone armor would take considerable time.

Time passed quickly, and it was already the end of the month.

On the eve of the war between the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Northern Qi Kingdom, the Zhou family hosted an item trading fair, divided into two tiers: one for Foundation Establishment cultivators and one for Qi Refining cultivators. The trading fair for Qi Refining cultivators took place within the Danyang Grand Camp and will not be detailed here.

The trading fair for Foundation Establishment cultivators was held in an open area in the wilderness.

By this time, twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered at the Danyang Grand Camp. Six were from the Zhou family, five were cultivators from the Beast Spirit Sect, and over ten Spiritual Mist cultivators were hired as National Guardian Immortal Masters, hailing from Spiritual Mist, Sky Dome Plain, Ten Thousand Moon Lake, and the Chaotic Lands.

This trading fair was not large in scale, merely gathering cultivators from various locales, which broadened Ye Qin’s horizons.

Since the Zhou family was hosting the event for the Dao Masters, they had the privilege of announcing their trade items first.

Zhou Yan, the Deputy Patriarch of the Zhou family, did not immediately present his trading item. Instead, he had men carry in a large iron cage, within which was confined a third-tier Black Scaled Python, several feet long. A few low-ranking Qi Refining cultivators from the Zhou family released the fierce demonic snake from the cage and hastily retreated.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators remained rooted to the spot, watching the scene coldly. Although the third-tier demonic snake possessed strong defenses, in the eyes of these Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was merely a crawling insect easily crushed. It posed no threat. They were uncertain what Zhou Yan intended to do.

The demonic snake was also exceedingly docile. Under the pressure of the aura emanating from the group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, it dared not even flick its tongue. It twisted its body and swiftly slithered away into the distance.

Subsequently, the Deputy Patriarch clapped his beast pouch at his waist and released a massive fierce carving eagle.

This eagle was entirely inky black, possessing an extraordinary presence. A single flap of its wings sent it soaring a hundred zhang into the sky; its wingspan was over three zhang wide. After a sharp cry, it glanced disdainfully at the demonic snake on the ground and dove toward it like a streak of black lightning.

In the open ground, the demonic snake had no cover to hide and could only brace itself to fight the black eagle.

Surprisingly, the third-tier demonic snake proved utterly defenseless. After only a few breaths of struggling and thrashing, its abdominal scales were torn open by the eagle's sharp talons, its belly ripped open, and the snake’s inner gall bladder was plucked out.

The black eagle then spread its wings, flew to Deputy Patriarch Zhou, hovered before him, spat out the snake’s gall bladder, and then gently settled on the ground, awaiting Zhou Yan’s command.

Zhou Yan stroked its feathers contentedly, patted its head, and ordered it to eat the demonic snake.

Ye Qin’s expression remained unchanged, yet his heart was secretly shocked.

He glanced at the other cultivators; their eyes also held shades of surprise and awe. To dispatch a third-tier Black Scaled Python so cleanly and swiftly meant this black eagle possessed strength equivalent to at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Having such a black eagle accompany him was equivalent to gaining a powerful and very reliable fighting force.

Deputy Patriarch Zhou turned to the assembled cultivators and smiled smugly, “The eagle I have tamed is called the Dark Plume Eagle. It is a fierce and precious bird from the snowy mountains, adept at aerial combat. Maturing from hatching takes forty to fifty years. Once adult, this eagle possesses a minimum strength equivalent to the early Foundation Establishment stage, capable of reaching late Foundation Establishment at its peak, with a lifespan between two hundred and five hundred years. Its body length reaches two zhang, it is extremely intelligent, docile, and suitable for riding or combat. Among Tier Three to Tier Six precious birds, this eagle ranks superior in all aspects of aptitude. Moreover, it possesses two powerful abilities: first, innate divine strength—its claws can tear through the scales of a third-tier demonic snake in one grasp. Second, Feathered Arrows, capable of large-scale area damage in one volley.”

The Patriarch of the Zhou family took out an egg mottled with black and brown spots from his storage pouch and smiled, “However, this eagle is not for sale; what is being sold is a Dark Plume Eagle egg. The price is ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, or an exchange for items of equivalent value.”

The Foundation Establishment cultivators present, having witnessed the demonstration just now, were genuinely moved, and many felt their hearts stir.

Yet, none of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present spoke up to claim the eagle egg.

While the Dark Plume Eagle was excellent, it carried a major drawback. Any cultivator who had spent a few years navigating the cultivation world understood that demonic beasts and precious birds were exceedingly difficult to raise. Setting aside the price tag of fifty thousand spirit stones, the daily food required for them alone constituted a massive expense. Take the Dark Plume Eagle, for instance; it is an omnivorous precious bird, feeding on low-tier demonic beasts, the seeds of a rare spirit grass found on the snowy mountains, or specially formulated Spirit Feeding Pills for raising spirit beasts.

Raising the egg from hatching to adulthood would take at least forty to fifty years.

Few individual Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed such time and patience for their training. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators belonging to sects or families would undertake the nurturing of such precious birds. But even sects and families could not afford to raise too many.

Zhou Yan was aware of this; the Dark Plume Eagle was the top raptor within the Zhou family, and only Foundation Establishment cultivators within the family were qualified to possess one. This Dark Plume Eagle egg had a low chance of being traded. His primary reason for presenting it was to lend sufficient weight to this trading fair. The Zhou family itself only maintained four or five Dark Plume Eagles; surplus eggs produced by them could only be sold off, as large-scale rearing was simply impossible.

Ye Qin was tempted, but the cost of over ten thousand spirit stones left him speechless.

Following this, the Zhou family cultivators successively presented several mid-tier beast eggs—"Red Head Crane Eggs," "White Horned Turtle Eggs." After the Zhou family displayed their items, the other cultivators each presented a few items for trade and stated what they hoped to acquire.

The items brought out by the Foundation Establishment cultivators were mostly raw materials.

Raw materials differed from finished products; finished goods could be used immediately, so fewer cultivators put them up for sale. Raw materials were different. Thus, even if raw materials held significant value, if the owner had no use for them, they could only be sold to cultivators who needed them. Some higher-grade rare refining ores and spirit wood materials were collected over long periods by cultivators, making such a Foundation Establishment trading fair the perfect venue to trade them.

Cultivator Ling Ru from Ten Thousand Moon Lake presented some wood-element raw materials sourced from the Ten Thousand Moon Lake immortal realm. Among them was a section of "Silk Sound Bamboo," a Tier Five spirit wood usable for refining wood-element magical artifacts. She sought equivalent items or spirit stones in exchange.

This caused Ye Qin’s heart to leap.

In the Purple Sword Art within the Jade Ancient Scroll, there was mention of "Silk Sound Jade Bamboo," used to refine the wood-element flying sword, the "Silk Sound Sword." The material for this was Silk Sound Embroidery. However, ordinary Silk Sound Embroidery only possessed a lifespan of a few hundred years. Silk Sound Jade Embroidery, however, was a rare spirit bamboo that had absorbed three thousand years of spiritual energy, resulting in a different hue. The effects of the two were in no way comparable.

Nonetheless, Ye Qin bought that section of Silk Sound Bamboo without hesitation for three hundred low-grade spirit stones and placed it in his storage pouch. He planned to find time to see if this section of Silk Sound Bamboo could survive within his Purple Mansion. If it could, then he might have a way to obtain the Silk Sound Jade Embroidery.

Aside from this item, Ye Qin found nothing else to his liking.

After the preceding cultivators presented their goods, it was Ye Qin's turn. He brought out several fifth-tier spirit herbs and declared what he wished to seek: Primordial Essence, even a single drop would suffice.

The spirit herbs he offered were quite precious. Unfortunately, skilled alchemists were few among the Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although two cultivators inquired about them, Ye Qin was not satisfied with the items they held in return, and no trade was concluded.

Ye Qin felt somewhat helpless; such a transaction required mutual satisfaction, which was often difficult.

Deputy Patriarch Zhou approached Ye Qin, his eyes lighting up upon seeing the herbs in his hand. He asked with a smile, “Brother Qin, you seek Primordial Essence to refine a Primordial Spirit Artifact? That is residual material left after a Golden Core cultivator passes away—it is exceedingly rare in the cultivation world and very difficult to find! Furthermore, even if you find this Primordial Essence, without the fire of a Golden Core cultivator, it might be difficult to successfully forge that Primordial Spirit Artifact.”

Ye Qin smiled calmly, “Since I seek Primordial Essence, it is naturally for refining artifacts. As for how I refine artifacts, Brother Zhou need not trouble himself with that concern.”

Deputy Patriarch Zhou, seeing Ye Qin’s composed demeanor, felt a sudden shift in thought. Could it be that Brother Qin had a close senior family member who was a Golden Core cultivator, which is why he was so confident? Thinking this, Zhou Yan couldn't help but be moved, daring not to show the slightest contempt.

Families possessing Golden Core cultivators were always extremely powerful cultivation families, at least incomparable to the Zhou family. Zhou Yan was unaware of Ye Qin’s background, but if Ye Qin had even a one-tenth chance of having such a formidable backer, he would certainly not wish to offend him lightly.

Ye Qin naturally did not realize that Zhou Yan would draw such a conclusion from a single sentence of his. He simply had a way to personally refine the Primordial Spirit Artifact; no one was backing him up.

Deputy Patriarch Zhou read too much into it, and his smile became even warmer. “Brother Qin, look at how you speak. Since Brother Qin has come to my Great Zhou Kingdom to serve as the National Guardian Immortal Master, I must naturally extend some hospitality. If Brother Qin truly wishes to refine a Primordial Spirit Artifact, I might have a simpler method to let you achieve your goal.”

Ye Qin was surprised. “Oh? What method does Brother Zhou have?”

Zhou Yan said, “Golden Core cultivators are inherently few, and the Primordial Essence they leave behind after passing away is usually closely guarded and rarely offered, making it extremely hard to find. However, there is another item that is easier to find: the inner core of a demonic beast. Primordial Essence can be extracted from the inner core. This Demonic Beast Primordial Essence can also be used to refine Primordial Spirit Artifacts.”

“That works too?”

Ye Qin was greatly astonished.

Zhou Yan laughed heartily, “Many cultivators have obtained their Primordial Spirit Artifacts this way; of course, it’s feasible. Although the inner core of a demonic beast and the primordial spirit of a cultivator differ in form, both are the seat of vital energy and share an essential similarity. Our Zhou family cultivates demonic beasts and has previously extracted Demonic Beast Primordial Essence from their inner cores.”

Ye Qin had finally found a path to Primordial Essence and was naturally unwilling to give up, quickly asking Zhou Yan to sell him some.

However, Zhou Yan shook his head. “Impossible. The Demonic Beast Primordial Essence produced by the Zhou family has already been entirely contracted by the cultivators of the Ancient Artifact Sect; it cannot be sold to you.”

Ye Qin instantly felt disappointed; after all that talk, he still had no Primordial Essence.

“However, I can sell you the Secret Art for Extracting Primordial Essence from Demonic Beast Inner Cores. While this manual is not exclusive to the Zhou family, it is also hard to find in the possession of ordinary cultivators. With this technique for extracting Primordial Essence, Brother Qin can refine the essence yourself.”

“In exchange, you must give me these few fifth-tier medicinal herbs.”

Zhou Yan then retrieved a jade slip from his pouch and smiled as he handed it to Ye Qin.

Ye Qin caught it, paused for a moment, and then chuckled wryly.

He understood.

Zhou Yan preferred to sell him the secret art for extracting Primordial Essence rather than the Demonic Beast Primordial Essence itself, and there was a natural reason for this.

Because the vast majority of demonic beasts do not possess inner cores.

Finding an inner core among demonic beasts is akin to picking a spirit-root possessor from among ordinary people—one in a thousand, the difficulty is immense. The Zhou family likely had very few inner cores themselves, and the extracted essence would be scarce, so they were naturally unwilling to sell.

The Zhou family preferred to sell the technique for refining Demonic Beast Inner Core Essence precisely for this reason.

However, Ye Qin pondered for a moment and could only reluctantly accept the transaction.

After all, searching for the inner core of a demonic beast would be at least easier than finding the Primordial Essence of a Golden Core cultivator. He could find a cave where demonic beasts congregate when he had time, kill as many as possible, and surely find an inner core among them.

“These few herbs were spirit medicines I chanced upon while deep in the mountains; they serve no purpose remaining with me. Since Brother Zhou desires them, the exchange is made.”

Ye Qin took out a blank jade slip, perfectly copied the Secret Art for Extracting Primordial Essence from Demonic Beast Inner Cores from Zhou Yan’s jade slip, and handed the herbs to Zhou Yan, completing the transaction.

This trading fair left Ye Qin quite satisfied. A small one-foot section of Silk Sound Bamboo and the Secret Art for Extracting Primordial Essence from Demonic Beast Inner Cores—these two items alone brought him pleasant surprise. No wonder cultivators loved such trading fairs. (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to www**, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)