Chapter Seventy-Nine: Chaotian Peak – The Grand Gathering of Magical Treasures

Woodenhead’s words made everyone in the square roll their eyes, muttering to themselves, “So the boy truly doesn’t understand much about cultivation, to say something like that.”

It was common knowledge among cultivators: once they drew the power of the five elements and the forces of yin and yang into their bodies to temper themselves, they must discern which elemental attribute they were most attuned to. Only by choosing techniques that harmonize with their innate nature could they achieve twice the result with half the effort. Geniuses who cultivated multiple techniques at once, as Woodenhead did, were rare in the cultivation world—either a useless fool or a peerless prodigy. From Woodenhead’s command of various spells and his grasp of the “Supreme Clear Technique” in just a month, it was obvious he belonged to the latter.

“A reincarnated celestial?” someone on the square couldn’t help but whisper.

“Boundless Heaven’s blessings!” The headmaster Zhenyi’s face was alight with excitement. “The founder protects us! Our Taixu Sect has produced such a marvel!”

He turned to Xiaoyaozi and said, “Congratulations, Brother Xiaoyao, on accepting such an outstanding disciple!”

In the path of cultivation, innate talent is of utmost importance. There is a saying that a prodigy’s enlightenment can outstrip a hundred years of practice. For a sect, such disciples are especially valued, as they represent the future. It’s said that Lingyun Sect, now one of the most prestigious in the world, was once in decline, until a young disciple of extraordinary talent appeared. He deciphered ancient texts, advanced his cultivation beyond all predecessors, and single-handedly raised Lingyun from obscurity to greatness.

Hearing the headmaster’s praise, Xiaoyaozi laughed heartily, while the disciples on the square gazed at Woodenhead with a mixture of awe, envy, and jealousy.

Only now did Woodenhead realize why everyone was so astonished. It must be due to the immortal blood running in his veins, making all forms of cultivation come naturally to him. After all, the Dragon King himself could wield all manner of forbidden spells, and the “Shadow Mark Art” he inherited might also account for his versatility in cultivation.

“Let’s go!” At the master’s command, the disciples summoned their flying swords and soared skyward. Woodenhead noticed that while some flew solo on their swords, most of the elders’ swords carried three or four people at once—no doubt, some disciples lacked the strength to fly alone and needed their elders’ aid.

Heaven-Piercing Peak, as its name implied, rose higher than Taixu Sect’s own mountain, breaching the clouds. At its summit was a platform so high that it seemed to float above the very sea of clouds. From there, one could see nothing but the billowing clouds below—no other landmark in sight. Ordinarily, such a lofty place would be battered by icy winds year-round, inhospitable to mortals. Yet today, the platform was bustling like a grand marketplace.

“Look, more are coming!” someone on the platform pointed skyward. The sea of clouds churned as a group of sword-riding cultivators approached, trailing a long white line behind them. It was Woodenhead and the Taixu Sect.

“Hahaha! Master Zhenyi, you are early!” A tall middle-aged man emerged from the crowd, greeting Zhenyi with cupped hands.

Zhenyi returned the gesture promptly. “Scattered Immortal Withered Wood, well met!”

As he exchanged greetings, several others approached to pay their respects as well—old acquaintances from the cultivation world. The disciples were unsurprised—Taixu Sect was a major force, and many sought connection with Zhenyi, who was known for his gentle manner and never failed to respond politely to those who greeted him.

This grand gathering, held once every fifty years, was a momentous event in the cultivation world. Many recluses from the mountains came not just to compete, but to make friends and broaden their horizons. The elders of Taixu Sect were renowned figures, each with a wide circle of friends. As Zhenyi was detained in conversation, countless others approached the other elders as well.

The disciples, clearly well-prepared, exchanged glances and made their way to the section of the stands traditionally reserved for Taixu Sect, setting up their tents.

It was Woodenhead’s first time at such an event; he knew no one. After Xiaoyaozi exchanged greetings with his own acquaintances, he said, “I didn’t expect the gathering to begin so early this year. You can wander about—if you see anything worthwhile, buy it. By the way, the currency here is immortal stones, the same energy crystals we use for plane trading.”

Even without Xiaoyaozi’s suggestion, Woodenhead was eager to explore the market and hunt for treasures. Hearing this, he dashed off into the bazaar.

“Healing Renewal Pill: Should a cultivator lose a limb in battle, this pill can reattach it seamlessly, its effects miraculous.”

“Nourishing Essence Pill: Made from purple stone and crystalline springwater, this simple elixir does little for cultivators but acts as a true elixir to ordinary people—especially effective for martial artists.” The market was divided into zones: here, pills; there, magical tools; elsewhere, flying swords. Woodenhead was in the pill section.

Listening to the descriptions, Woodenhead thought these items were indeed valuable, especially the Nourishing Essence Pill—perfect for Li Yun and the others, for whom it would be a miracle drug.

To his surprise, the pills were quite affordable: one lower-grade energy crystal for a bottle of twelve. Ever since he began trading with Nanshan, energy crystals were the one thing he had in abundance. He bought five bottles of each kind.

Of course, the pill market offered more than just these two. Woodenhead browsed each stall, reading the introductions.

“Resurrection Pill: A pink elixir, the size of a pigeon egg. If a severely wounded cultivator still draws breath, this pill can save them. Also called the ‘Life-Snatching Pill’—so potent it can reclaim life itself.” (What a treasure!)

“Jade Marrow Pellet: For spirit beasts, enhances their strength.” (Perfect for Cloud Immortal.)

“Heavenly Intelligence Seed: Increases intelligence, turning fools into geniuses.” (No need for that now.)

“Primal Yang Pill: Highly effective when forming the nascent soul—greatly boosts true energy, accelerating nascent soul growth and preventing mishaps.”

“Oblivion Pill: The top treasure for crossing tribulations—having this is like having two powerful allies at your side.”

Woodenhead was eager for several of these, especially the Resurrection Pill, Jade Marrow Pellet, and Oblivion Pill. These, however, were expensive: a single upper-grade energy crystal for one pill. He bought a dozen of each, intending to gift the Oblivion Pill to Xiaoyaozi for his tribulation.

After a while, he moved to the artifact market, the busiest area—after all, magical artifacts are crucial for cultivators, sometimes deciding life and death in battle or providing a vital means of escape.

Woodenhead glanced around. Many artifacts were unknown to him.

“Primordial Banner—umbrella-shaped, enables teleportation and invisibility.”

“Windfire Cushion—for meditation by wind and fire cultivators, enhances cultivation.”

“Seven-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda—can trap people and burn them with fire, or be thrown as a weapon.”

“Immortal Binding Rope—automatically restrains enemies.”

“Blazing Universe Ring—a golden bracelet that changes size, can be hurled with deadly force, never missing its mark.”

Unfortunately, unlike the pill market, the artifact sellers would not accept energy crystals. Most would say, “Not for sale, only for trade. Do you have the Five-Essence Stone? The Five-Aura Iron? Earth Vein Spring? No? Then don’t waste my breath!”

He had plenty of energy crystals, but as for treasures to barter, aside from the Four Swords of Immortal Execution, Woodenhead had nothing of value. But those swords were so powerful that it would be absurd to trade them for ordinary artifacts. Thus, he could only covet the artifacts from afar, unable to obtain a single one.

“Wait, I have the Immortal Execution Formation Map. Though I can’t wield all four swords and the map together yet, I could still form a lesser Immortal Execution Sword Formation with four ordinary swords—a formidable killing array!” With this in mind, Woodenhead went to the flying sword market. He saw many low-quality swords in blue and green, but almost no golden ones. He knew that golden flying swords were the best, owned by elders and leaders of major sects—not something anyone would easily trade away. He didn’t expect to get gold swords for his formation; as long as he could find green swords like “Azure Serenity,” it would suffice.

But the owners of these swords also mostly wanted to trade, not sell for crystals. Disappointed, Woodenhead realized buying magic items or swords with energy crystals alone was unlikely. Still, he lingered in the flying sword section, unwilling to leave.

Suddenly, someone called out, “Brother, you’ve been wandering here for ages—you must be looking to buy a flying sword. Why haven’t you made a choice?”

Woodenhead turned to see a young man with five or six flying swords laid out before him. Oddly, these swords seemed lifeless, unlike others that gleamed with spiritual light, betraying their rank.

Embarrassed, Woodenhead replied, “I do need several flying swords, but it seems everyone’s bartering and I have no treasures to trade. I can only admire these swords from afar.”

The young man raised his brows. “Several swords? Are you forming a sword array? Do you have immortal stones?”

At that, Woodenhead was overjoyed. “I do! But what quality are your swords?”

The young man replied coolly, “The lowest I keep is green grade and above. Those multicolored inferior swords aren’t worth my time. But I have no silver or gold grade swords—those are rarely traded, as you know.”

Woodenhead was delighted—green grade would do. He picked up a sword and sensed it. “Strange, this sword seems…”

The young man’s next words startled him: “All these swords were taken from those who tried to kill me. I long ago erased their spiritual marks. Just nourish them for seven days, and they’ll be yours to command.”