All core ingredients—the Primordial Geng Metal, Thousand-Year Spirit Turtle Herb, Deep Sea Dark Crystal, and Five-Colored Earth Heart—were safely stored in Shan Hu's storage ring. Su Qingxue's purification work was perfectly completed, clearing the final technical hurdle for alchemy.
Now, only one crucial auxiliary herb remained for the Foundation Establishment Pill: the Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma.
The Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma was not native to Earth but a rare medicinal material from the Immortal Realm lost in the mortal world. It possessed miraculous effects on medicinal integration, maximizing the prevention of conflicts and potential explosions among the Five-Element core ingredients inside the pill furnace.
Shan Hu sat cross-legged on the summit of Dragon's Hidden Mountain, his Divine Sense spreading out to cover the entire Longcheng city. He first locked onto the city's largest spiritual herb trading markets and antique collection sites.
Longcheng Underground Auction House.
This was a hidden black market within the Longcheng circle, specializing in the rare spiritual materials circulating in the ancient martial and cultivation worlds. Shan Hu did not go himself; instead, he carved a Breath-Concealing Tracking Talisman onto an ordinary jade stone and handed it to Xuan Ming.
"Go retrieve the Ganoderma that has the strongest spiritual energy and highest age in the auction house," Shan Hu instructed Xuan Ming.
Xuan Ming was now in the form of a majestic black dog, its eyes containing human-like wisdom. It carefully took the jade stone, and its figure flashed, disappearing into the night of Longcheng.
Xuan Ming's task was simple, but for it, it was a highly efficient hunt.
Relying on the Divine Sense imprint left by Shan Hu, it easily penetrated the protective arrays surrounding the auction house and entered the heavily guarded interior. The auction hall was buzzing with noise, a gathering of various ancient martial experts and rogue cultivators, yet not a single person could detect the presence of the black dog.
Xuan Ming went straight to the secret chamber housing the highest-grade exhibits.
On the display platform, a Ganoderma, clear and translucent, emanating a pale purple glow, was encased in a millennium cold jade box, giving off an enticing medicinal fragrance. This Ganoderma was exactly what Shan Hu was looking for: the Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma!
It had nine caps, each radiating a purple halo, with an age of at least five hundred years and abundant medicinal properties.
Xuan Ming did not hesitate. It gently pressed the jade stone with the Breath-Concealing Talisman onto the cold jade box. The jade stone instantly transformed into a stream of light, enveloping the cold jade box and the Ganoderma within. Xuan Ming picked up the jade stone package containing the Ganoderma, turned into a black shadow once more, and left the auction house.
The entire process took less than a minute. The people inside the auction house didn't even have time to blink.
Shan Hu waited quietly on the mountaintop. Suddenly, he detected an abnormal fluctuation of Divine Sense.
This fluctuation was extremely weak, but its aura instantly caused Shan Hu's eyes to narrow sharply.
"This aura... Qin Wan'er?"
Qin Wan'er, the Saintess of the Nine Tripods Sword Pavilion in his previous life, was the only person who shed tears for him and dared to speak out on his behalf before his demise. She cultivated a technique called the Nine Heavens Moon-Grabbing Art, and its cultivation aura was engraved deep within Shan Hu's memory.
The Divine Sense fluctuation was the unique "Moonlight" aura that resulted when Qin Wan'er's Nine Heavens Moon-Grabbing Art was cultivated to its peak. Although faint, it was unmistakably hers.
Qin Wan'er was currently inside a luxurious private club in the center of Longcheng.
Shan Hu decided to pay a visit himself. He put the Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma brought back by Xuan Ming into his storage ring, and his figure flashed, leaving Dragon's Hidden Mountain.
Longcheng, Golden Tripod Club.
This was one of the most exclusive private clubs in Longcheng, open only to genuine powerhouses and elites.
In the lavish banquet hall on the top floor, a grand banquet was being held. The focus of the party was none other than the eldest daughter of the Qin family, Qin Wan'er.
Tonight, Qin Wan'er wore an elegant white evening gown, her hair flowing like a waterfall, her demeanor cool and reserved like the moon, attracting the gaze of every man in the hall. Although she was the designated heir to the next generation of the Qin family, a persistent hint of sorrow lingered in her eyes.
"Wan'er, come, let me propose a toast." A young man in an expensive suit with arrogant eyes approached, holding a wine glass. He was Wang Xu, the heir of the Wang family and the grandson of Foundation Establishment Ancestor Wang Xiaotian.
Qin Wan'er politely raised her glass: "Young Master Wang, you are too kind."
"Too kind for what?" Wang Xu leaned closer, a hint of blatant greed in his eyes. "Your old man has already agreed that if you marry me, the debt of spiritual stones your Qin family owes us can be completely canceled. How about we settle it tonight?"
Qin Wan'er's expression chilled. Suppressing her anger, she said: "Young Master Wang, the marriage alliance between the Qin and Wang families is not something I alone can decide. Please show some respect!"
"Respect? In Longcheng, my Wang family is the rule!" Wang Xu sneered. Backed by his Foundation Establishment Ancestor, he brazenly reached out, attempting to wrap his arm around Qin Wan'er's waist.
Just as his fingers were about to touch Qin Wan'er, a voice carrying terrifying pressure suddenly echoed through the banquet hall.
"Impudence."
The voice was not loud, yet it was like divine thunder from the Nine Heavens, exploding directly in Wang Xu's Sea of Consciousness!
Wang Xu's body violently shook. Blood instantly oozed from his seven apertures. As if struck by an invisible sledgehammer, his body was sent flying backward, shattering an expensive mahogany table with a loud crash.
The sudden turn of events instantly silenced the entire banquet hall.
Everyone looked in terror toward the source of the voice.
At the club's entrance, a young man in casual black clothes stood calmly. His gaze was like a torch, his presence profound, as if he were not in a mortal banquet but standing as an Immortal Emperor above the Nine Heavens.
Qin Wan'er abruptly looked up. When her gaze met that calm, familiar face, her originally reserved eyes were instantly filled with shock and disbelief.
"You... is that you?" Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
That face was the one deeply etched in her soul, the only person she revered and adored in her past and present lives.
Shan Hu stepped into the venue, his eyes focused solely on Qin Wan'er.
"Wan'er, long time no see."