Chapter 158: Treasure Hunting in Yixiantian

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When Qin Haoxuan, Ye Yiming, and Xing arrived at the Seven Treasures Pavilion, they were immediately captivated by its magnificent and ornate design.

It was a pagoda-like structure, entirely bright yellow, with a square base that was wide at the bottom and tapered towards the top. It was unclear how many years it had stood against the wind and rain, yet it remained as towering and brilliant as if it were new. Each of the seven floors had nine corners, symbolizing the concept of “nine returning to one.” Carved on each corner was an ancient, exotic beast, so lifelike it seemed to be roaring at the heavens.

The building was less a structure and more a work of art. It embodied the consistent architectural style of the Taichu Sect—domineering and grand, making anyone who stood before it feel a sense of their own insignificance.

In front of the pavilion was a giant stone stele made of granite, upon which was written an introduction. Qin Haoxuan walked up and read it carefully. It turned out that the pavilion had a two-thousand-year history, built by the sect’s ancestors. Feeling that it was difficult for ordinary disciples to get ahead, and also to address the issue of circulating spirit stones within the sect, they had built this library-like pavilion for disciples to study. It had gradually grown to its current scale through expansions by successive Sect Masters.

The appearance of the three of them drew sneers from the several disciples guarding the pavilion. “Disciples from the Nature Hall have come to the Seven Treasures Pavilion? And they’ve brought two new disciples?”

Another one glanced at the terrifying price list on the wall and laughed with contempt. “These prices are not something ordinary people can afford.”

Qin Haoxuan walked over and said to the guards in their brown robes, “Senior Brothers, I would like to enter the Seven Treasures Pavilion.”

“Oh, you can,” one of them said with a cold smile, pointing to the price list. “As long as you have the spirit stones.”

Qin Haoxuan’s gaze followed his finger. Posted on the wall was the price list:

Entry to the first floor: 5 second-grade spirit stones per hour.

Entry to the second floor: 15 second-grade spirit stones per hour.

Entry to the third floor: 30 second-grade spirit stones per hour.

Entry to the fourth floor: 50 second-grade spirit stones per hour.

Reading this, Qin Haoxuan was stunned speechless. He had learned from the stele that the books on spiritual sense were on the third floor, but the price was thirty second-grade spirit stones per hour—equivalent to three thousand low-grade spirit stones. While he could afford such a terrifying sum, it would completely bankrupt him. And could he really learn how to use his spiritual sense in just one hour? The arts in the pavilion could only be read inside; copying or taking them out was strictly forbidden.

Even if he did manage to learn it in an hour, how would he, now bankrupt, afford the materials to craft talismans?

At this thought, Qin Haoxuan felt an even deeper disdain for the money-grubbing sect.

“Poor ghosts from the Nature Hall. If you don’t have the money, don’t come here pretending to be rich. Don’t lose face in front of the new disciples,” the guards began to mock them, seeing the troubled looks on their faces.

Ye Yiming’s face turned ugly, but Qin Haoxuan grabbed his arm and said in a low voice, “Let’s go, Senior Brother. There’s no need to lower ourselves to their level.”

Thinking of Qin Haoxuan’s urgent situation, Ye Yiming nodded, and they left amidst the guards’ derisive laughter.

“Aigh, we can’t get into the Seven Treasures Pavilion. Where else can I go to learn how to use my spiritual sense?” Qin Haoxuan said, pulling at his hair in frustration as he sat on the picturesque mountainside.

Just then, Ye Yiming, who had been silent, said, “There is one other place we can look.”

“Where?”

“The Yixiantian trading market. All sorts of cultivation arts are occasionally sold there. We can go and take a look; we might just find a manual on using spiritual sense.”

“Let’s go!” Qin Haoxuan said, nodding. At this point, he had to chase after even the slightest sliver of hope.

They took an Immortal Cloud Cart to Yixiantian. The market was as bustling as ever, with a dense crowd and the constant cries of vendors. Under Ye Yiming’s guidance, they went directly to the section specializing in secret manuals.

The moment they arrived, their attire immediately attracted the attention of numerous vendors. A low-level disciple from the Nature Hall and two new disciples, obviously looking for a way to get strong fast. They were the perfect marks. A crowd of them immediately swarmed over, hawking various “immortal scriptures” and “divine classics.”

The three of them ignored the vendors and pushed through the crowd, hearing insults shouted after them. “Which idiot said they had money? Anyone who hangs out with the Nature Hall must be a poor ghost!”

After looking through most of the stalls, they had found all sorts of strange and wonderful spiritual arts, but not a single manual on cultivating or using spiritual sense. Qin Haoxuan’s hope began to fade.

Just as they were about to leave, his eyes suddenly fell on a disciple in a gray robe. In front of him was a single, extremely tattered book. On its dilapidated cover, he could vaguely make out the two characters for “Spiritual Sense.”

His heart leaped into his throat. Have the heavens taken pity on me? he thought. He rushed over.

“Buying a manual?” the disciple asked, his gaze cold. He recognized Qin Haoxuan’s new disciple robes and, seeing Xing and Ye Yiming in his Nature Hall robe, his attitude was extremely dismissive. Still, he began his sales pitch. “If you can master spiritual sense, you’ll be incredibly powerful. This Introduction to Spiritual Sense can satisfy your wish to dominate the cultivation world.”

“Mm,” Qin Haoxuan replied noncommittally. He saw the full title and was overjoyed, but he knew he couldn’t show it.

The disciple looked him over again and said with surprising honesty, “However, this is only the second half of the book, the part about using spiritual sense. The first half, about cultivating it, is missing. If you sincerely want it, you can take it for five low-grade spirit stones.”

Qin Haoxuan flipped through the tattered book. The disciple warned him, “If you damage it, you have to buy it.”

He quickly confirmed that it was just as the disciple had said: only some basic application methods, with no introduction on how to cultivate it.

Just the application method is all I need, Qin Haoxuan thought to himself. If I can learn how to use and attack with my spiritual sense, my combat power will increase greatly, and my life will be more secure.

He said no more and directly took out five low-grade spirit stones and gave them to the disciple.

The disciple, who had been trying to sell the book for half a month, was overjoyed to have finally found a sucker. “I knew the moment you arrived that you were a man of action, Senior Brother!” he said, pocketing the stones and laying on the flattery. “This is the first step on your path to dominating the cultivation world!”

Qin Haoxuan nodded, and after exchanging a look with Ye Yiming and Xing, he eagerly left the market.

As he walked away, the disciple who had just praised him sneered. “There are so many fools in this world,” he said to the other vendors. “He really thinks he can dominate the cultivation world! Only Dao Fruit Realm ancestors can cultivate spiritual sense. He must think he was born with it, haha.”

Another vendor looked at him with envy and sighed. “Aigh, why don’t I ever meet such fools? He sold a worthless piece of junk for five spirit stones. It would take me a month of hard labor in the fields to earn that much!”