At the Spirit Treasure Convention, Ji Changkong didn't say much, continuing to stroll with Bai Qingya.

Bai Qingya was quite pleased, and during their wandering, she would occasionally touch the jade hairpin on her head, seeming very fond of it. Her delicate face remained wreathed in smiles the entire way, as she constantly recounted interesting anecdotes from previous Spirit Treasure Conventions to Ji Changkong.

Drifting aimlessly, Ji Changkong barely glanced at the various spirit treasures scattered across the ground, appearing utterly uninterested.

"Ah!"

Bai Qingya suddenly stopped and pulled Ji Changkong into a densely packed area. Bending slightly at the waist, she stared down at three spirit treasures displayed on the flagstones below.

One was a palm-sized Origin Stone, within which seemed to flow a trickling stream, rippling mesmerizingly—quite miraculous.

The second was an arm-length curved hook, forged from an unknown material, gleaming with a dark light. The hook, shaped somewhat like splayed fingers, emitted a distinct fluctuation of elemental energy. The attention of many Heaven Soldiers nearby was drawn to the hook, examining it with sparkling gazes.

The third was a finger ring that appeared utterly unremarkable. The ring was covered in pinprick-sized pores. When the wind blew, the ring emitted a soft "woo-woo" sound, like the faint weeping of a malevolent spirit, chilling the very soul.

An Origin Stone, a curved hook, and a finger ring lay flat on the stone ground, attracting a crowd of Heaven Soldiers to gather around. The seller sat cross-legged on a cushion with an indifferent expression, squinting, paying no mind to the onlookers.

In front of the three spirit treasures, carved onto a gray wooden plank, was a line of script: For Exchange Only for Black Jade Origin Crystals!

The reason none of the surrounding Heaven Soldiers opened their mouths to inquire about the price was precisely because of that small line of text on the gray plank.

"The items must be good, but alas, they can only be exchanged for Black Jade Origin Crystals. Hmph, how can an ordinary person possess something like Black Jade Origin Crystals!" One person sighed, shaking his head before reluctantly leaving.

"Hey, friend, can you exchange them for something else?" A Four Symbols Heaven Soldier, clearly intensely interested in the curved hook, suddenly asked aloud, unable to contain his yearning.

Xiao Shu, with his indifferent expression, frowned and glanced sideways at the inquirer, stating coldly, "Don't you have eyes? It clearly states exchange only for Black Jade Origin Crystals! Only Black Jade Origin Crystals!"

The man felt he had embarrassed himself, shook his head with a wry smile, gave up his pursuit, and turned to leave as well.

"Let's go." Bai Qingya glanced back one last time with lingering admiration at the Origin Stone with the rippling water effect, lightly tugging Ji Changkong's sleeve as she whispered.

"Uncle, for these three items of yours, how many Black Jade Origin Crystals would it take for an exchange?" Standing perfectly still, Ji Changkong suddenly asked with a smile.

Xiao Shu glanced at him, squinted, and offered no reply, seemingly too bored to bother with Ji Changkong.

Chuckling silently, Ji Changkong took out a piece of Black Jade Origin Crystal, as black as ink, from his spatial pouch, waved it before Xiao Shu's eyes, and asked again, "How many Black Jade Origin Crystals would it take to acquire your spirit treasures?"

Xiao Shu, who had been squinting, suddenly opened his eyes brightly. He sprang up, looking at Ji Changkong with agitation, and hurriedly said, "Three Black Jade Origin Crystals! Take the items!"

"I only want two." Ji Changkong took out another Black Jade Origin Crystal from his spatial pouch and casually tossed it to Xiao Shu. He then bent down, picked up the Origin Stone with the flowing water effect and the finger ring, and ignoring the astonishment of the crowd, grabbed Bai Qingya’s hand and threaded through the people, turning to leave.

Xiao Shu made no move to stop him, eagerly reaching out to secure the two Black Jade Origin Crystals. He then held the curved hook, glanced once at Ji Changkong's retreating figure, and headed straight out of the Spirit Treasure Convention.

It seemed his sole purpose for attending the convention was the Black Jade Origin Crystals; once they were in hand, he lingered not a moment longer.

...

"Here, I know the Four Symbols Heaven Lord needs to communicate with the Black Tortoise Sacred Beast, and your cultivation leans towards Water in the Five Elements. This stone will indeed help enhance your cultivation." After leaving that spot, Ji Changkong walked about ten zhang with Bai Qingya, then tossed the Origin Stone to her, while stroking the heavily pitted finger ring he had put on the index finger of his left hand.

"How do you possess Black Jade Origin Crystals? They are exceedingly precious, a rare spirit treasure that strengthens the Divine Soul. This is an invaluable treasure!" Bai Qingya did not take the Origin Stone but instead asked in surprise.

"Heh heh, I just happen to have some." Without further explanation, he gently placed the stone into Bai Qingya's tender palm, smiling faintly. "Sister Bai, please accept this; don't be polite with me. I will be troubling you a great deal in the future. This Origin Stone isn't that valuable; if he hadn't insisted on Black Jade Origin Crystals, with your means, you could have acquired it too."

Hearing this, Bai Qingya finally broke into a radiant smile and stopped refusing. She said softly, "Alright, Sister Bai already owes you many favors; owing one more won't matter. Changkong, be careful. This place is full of people, and gossip spreads easily. While no one would dare attack you inside the Spirit Treasure Convention, that can't be guaranteed once we leave."

"I am mindful of that. Come, let's quickly weave through the crowds and avoid the attention of those with ill intent." He sensed that a few Heaven Soldiers who had been gathered around that area earlier were now trailing behind, searching for him and Bai Qingya. Those people must have seen how young they were and harbored greedy malice in their hearts.

The Spirit Treasure Pavilion teemed with people, the ground covered with displayed spirit treasures, and Heaven Soldiers from all directions wandered about. Ji Changkong could use his intuition to sense the auras of the few figures behind him. He led Bai Qingya, ducking and weaving everywhere, and in moments, he had shaken off those following them.

"Young Brother Bai Hui, you are here too? Haha!" A hearty laugh rang out from a crowd to the left. Duan Haoshan's imposing figure suddenly emerged, walking toward Ji Changkong with a cheerful grin.

"Brother Duan, you came as well?" Ji Changkong laughed back.

"And Miss Bai is here too?" Duan Haoshan nodded a greeting to Bai Qingya, then leaned directly toward Ji Changkong, affectionately throwing an arm over his shoulder and whispering, "Little Hui, that wine you gave Brother Duan the other day, what exactly was its origin? Why is it that after drinking it, I felt my elemental power deepen, and even my Divine Soul seemed to benefit significantly?"

Duan Haoshan was at the peak of the Three Talents Heaven realm; his Divine Soul was already formed. Heaven Soldiers whose souls had taken form generally possessed extremely keen senses. It was within Ji Changkong's expectation that he could perceive the extraordinary nature of the Fire Dragon Burn afterward.

"I don't know its origin either, but it is true that the wine contains a peculiar medicinal efficacy." Ji Changkong was now also in the Three Talents Heaven realm, no longer an ignorant child. Having consumed the Fire Dragon Burn for a long time, he had long since realized its extraordinary properties.

"In any case, thank you. Being able to share such fine wine with me shows that Little Brother truly considers Big Brother a friend!" Duan Haoshan praised, then chuckled, "In Tianshui City, Big Brother has some influence. If you run into any trouble in Tianshui City, just tell Big Brother. I will certainly spare no effort to assist you."

"Thank you, Brother Duan." Ji Changkong quickly expressed his gratitude. Although the Duan family was not counted among the Seven Great Families, their strength was not much inferior. Duan Haoshan was qualified to cultivate the Mountain Splitting Stone Crushing Art, meaning he was definitely a direct descendant of the Duan family. His words carried significant weight.

"Haoshan, we can go now." Not far away, a middle-aged man of equally imposing stature with long hair cascading over his shoulders shouted.

"My father is urging me. Little Hui, until next time, see you later." Duan Haoshan retracted his head, waved his calloused hand at Ji Changkong and Bai Qingya, and hurried to catch up.

Ji Changkong and Bai Qingya continued to wander until dusk approached. Ji Changkong made no further moves. As the Heaven Soldiers began to depart one by one, the pair mingled with the crowd and left the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.

...

In the inn room, Ji Changkong sat on the edge of the bed, his right middle fingertip gently rubbing the finger ring worn on his left index finger.

With a thought, Ji Changkong secretly circulated his elemental energy, channeling it into the finger ring.

Suddenly, a sharp sting radiated from where the ring was worn on his left index finger, and scarlet blood began to seep out from the pinprick-sized pores on the ring.

Before the blood could drip, ten tiny, pitch-black bugs, each the size of a millet grain, suddenly drilled out from the fine holes in the ring. With miniscule, almost invisible sharp teeth, they clustered around the fresh blood flowing from the pores, sucking contentedly.

Woo-woo! Woo-woo-woo!

The ten tiny, glossy black bugs, only the size of millet grains, after drinking their fill of blood, suddenly spread their small wings. They flew out like houseflies, darting wildly and rapidly around the room, their sound—like the weeping of a malevolent spirit—instantly carrying outward.

Within the room, as the ten small bugs danced, they etched out fine, elongated streaks of dark light. These streaks of light intertwined, forming something akin to a vast, loosely woven net.

After a while, the ten small bugs seemed to tire of their flight. One by one, they drilled back into the finger ring, and the dark light within the room gradually faded away.