Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 288 - 169: Covered Pearl · Tiger Bone · Yin-Yang Unity Contract

There were two more pages to the list.

The fourth page was filled with common Spiritual Objects, nothing worth mentioning.

At the end of the fifth page, however, a hastily scribbled Secret Manual appeared—the Yin-Yang Unity Contract.

Xiao Chen blinked, somewhat confused.

It was as if Qiu Qichen, fearing he might miss it, had deliberately placed this Cultivation Technique at the very end of the list.

He had even underlined it for emphasis.

The problem was, Xiao Chen genuinely had no idea what this Cultivation Technique was for.

But that was no problem. When in doubt, ask. "Mr. Qiu, is there something special about this final auction item?"

Huh?

Qiu Qichen was completely floored by the question.

He had made a special trip over so early today precisely because he wanted to surprise Xiao Chen after receiving this Secret Technique yesterday.

After the exchange fair at the beginning of the year, the Qiu Family had started looking into him from all angles.

They had redoubled their efforts after the demon-slaying incident a couple of days ago.

Eventually, they managed to uncover a crucial piece of information: although the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords represented Yin and Yang, they both came from the same origin.

Xiao Chen had spared no expense, spending one hundred and ten thousand Spirit Stones to acquire this set of Dual Swords.

It was highly likely that he wanted to use the Wind and Thunder to comprehend the Path of Yin and Yang.

At the same time, the Qiu Family had also dug up a piece of "corroborating evidence": Xiao Chen had once publicly collected Spiritual Objects that contained both Yin and Yang.

These types of Spiritual Objects, possessing both Yin and Yang properties, were rare, and few Cultivators were normally interested in them.

Therefore, the Qiu Family deduced that Xiao Chen was looking for items related to Yin and Yang.

If they could produce such an item, they could appeal to his interests and successfully make him owe them a favor.

This strategy had been tried and tested, as very few people could remain unmoved when presented with something they desperately wanted.

However, Xiao Chen’s reaction to the Yin-Yang Unity Contract was very strange.

Qiu Qichen even began to wonder, ’Have I overthought this?’

’Maybe he doesn’t actually need anything related to Yin and Yang?’

’Or did I arrive too late? Has Xiao Chen already obtained a Yin-Yang related Spiritual Object from another source?’

However, after a moment of shock, Qiu Qichen recovered.

He decided to seriously explain the features of this Secret Technique, intending to see if he could still pitch it to him.

’If there’s no demand, you can always create it, after all.’

’What if Xiao Chen is captivated by the Secret Technique’s effects after hearing about them?’

"Xiao, this Cultivation Technique is just as its name implies: a Secret Technique concerning Yin and Yang."

"It comes from the Eastern Domain, from a very famous set of Ancient Ruins."

"I wonder, Xiao, if you’ve ever heard of it—the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace!"

.

Huh?

The moment those four words were spoken, Xiao Chen’s interest was piqued.

’Heard of it? I’ve been inside and even obtained the inheritance of the Lord of the Immortal Palace.’

’During the trials, I even nabbed first place and got a free Lotus Jade Ruyi out of it.’

’Of course, there was no need to spread that around.’

Xiao Chen merely nodded slightly. "I have heard of it before. I’m told it’s a good place, though I don’t know many of the details."

He then perked his ears. "If you know any stories about the Immortal Palace, Mr. Qiu, please, do elaborate."

Qiu Qichen had already planned to highlight the item’s background to emphasize the Secret Technique’s extraordinary nature.

Hearing the prompt, he explained with even more patience, "This Profound Celestial Immortal Palace is no ordinary place. It’s a super-relic that has existed for untold thousands of years."

"It’s just not very well-known here in the Southern Domain because it’s located in the Eastern Domain."

Those first two sentences alone were quite informative.

Xiao Chen had entered the Secret Realm from the Southern Domain, but from the sound of it, people in Hezhou were completely unaware that the Southern Domain even had an entrance to the Immortal Palace.

Then again, when he’d been looking through the Ancient Texts in the Scripture Pavilion a couple of days ago, he hadn’t found any mention of it either.

It seemed the Immortal Palace truly wasn’t very famous in the Southern Domain.

"This super-relic remains remarkably well-preserved to this day," Qiu Qichen continued.

"Legend says the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace opens once every hundred years, and only Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining Stage Cultivators are permitted to enter."

"It is said that there are ancient inheritances inside that can increase a Cultivator’s success rate in Core Formation."

"Rumor has it that nearly half of all Golden Core Cultivators in the Eastern Domain once received an inheritance from the Immortal Palace."

"The number of Golden Core True Men over in the Eastern Domain is far greater than what we have here."

"That’s not just because of the Spirit Veins; it has a great deal to do with the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace as well."

That had to be an exaggeration.

The difference in the number of Golden Core True Men between the two domains was likely due to disparities in Spirit Veins and Spiritual Objects.

Xiao Chen had heard before that the entire Southern Domain only possessed Tier Three Spirit Veins at most.

The Eastern Domain, however, had a large distribution of Tier Four Spirit Veins, and even several Tier Five Spirit Veins.

According to Cultivators who had been to the Eastern Domain, in an environment like that, you could just toss in a random rock and it would turn into a low-grade Spirit Stone after a short while.

However, rumors were often inaccurate.

Xiao Chen had never placed much trust in such gossip.

In his opinion, it was mainly because more Spirit Veins could provide a better environment and more High Tier Spirit Fields, which in turn could nurture more High Tier Spiritual Objects.

Furthermore, the Eastern Domain bordered the Endless Sea.

Its many islands provided different specialties, its waters nurtured all kinds of Spirit Fish, and there were vast numbers of Sea Beasts to be hunted.

Xiao Chen felt that this resource gap was the primary reason for the disparity in the number of High Tier Cultivators between the two domains.

As for the Immortal Palace inheritance, he had seen the Wood Character Stele himself.

There was nothing on it but a Big Chun Tree Painting, which didn’t seem particularly useful.

"Ahem."

Qiu Qichen cleared his throat.

Everything he had just said about the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace was merely a lead-up to what he was about to say next.