Chapter 10: Quenching Essence Lock

In the market of Baoguang Temple.

Mu Xiaoyu shadowed Li Yinsheng closely, glancing around at her surroundings.

At first glance, the surrounding shops and stalls looked much like a mortal market. To her, it felt just like the temple fairs she used to visit, only much more bustling. Although it wasn't exactly deserted, there weren't too many people walking about either. Nine out of ten wore Daoist Robes, though the colors and styles varied drastically.

"Daoist Temples under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein are highly independent. Any one of them could establish itself as a minor Sect in the Cultivation Realm," Li Yinsheng explained proactively, seeming to sense her confusion from ahead. "Therefore, each Daoist Temple has its own Rituals, precepts, and inheritances—which naturally includes their attire."

Mu Xiaoyu looked down at her plain grayish-white Daoist Robe and nodded in understanding. "So, Xuanzhen Temple's style is just keeping a low profile, right?"

Li Yinsheng fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Correct."

Not long after, Li Yinsheng stopped in front of a shop featuring a black plaque adorned with flaming cloud patterns.

The plaque read "Zulu Temple." The board itself was as pitch-black as charcoal, but faint, flowing light flickered within the flaming clouds along its edges.

"Truly worthy of a Daoist Temple renowned for its Artifact Refining Techniques; even the signboard is a Magical Artifact." Li Yinsheng patted the Storage Bag at his waist. His Cold Leaf Sword might not even compare to this plaque.

A Female Cultivator, wearing a Daoist Robe with the exact same color scheme as the plaque, came out to greet them. She cupped her hands toward Li Yinsheng and said lukewarmly, "Is this Fellow Daoist interested in Zulu Temple's Magical Artifacts? You might as well come inside, have a cup of tea, and we can discuss the details."

Her attitude couldn't be called rude, but there wasn't a shred of enthusiasm either. Li Yinsheng wasn't surprised.

When it came to Artifact Refining, Zulu Temple firmly ranked first among all Daoist Temples. Their prices had always been fair, and they never worried about making sales, so they naturally didn't need to fawn over customers. It was just like in his previous life: if a computer store sold brand-new, authentic graphics cards at sixty or seventy percent of the official retail price, the owner could hurl obscenities at customers all day, and it still wouldn't affect business.

Guided by the Female Cultivator, Li Yinsheng led his junior sister into the shop and took a seat.

The shop was quite spacious, its shelves lined with a dazzling array of Magical Artifacts. However, with a quick glance, he noticed that most were unranked Magical Artifacts. Only twenty or thirty percent were Lower Grade, and the majority of those were inferior to his Cold Leaf Sword.

Although "Lower Grade Magical Artifact" didn't sound impressive, merely having a grade was already quite rare. As far as Li Yinsheng knew, only cultivators like Temple Masters, Vice Temple Masters, or Stewards could afford Upper Grade Magical Artifacts. Furthermore, such items wouldn't be sold in a storefront like this; one had to go directly to Zulu Temple and commission an Artifact Refiner to custom-make them.

Middle Grade Magical Artifacts were typically used by senior disciples of Daoist Temples or Stewards who didn't have high demands for their gear. For example, Cultivator Zhang, who had tried to recruit him for a risky venture a few days ago, could afford a Fuyao Talisman and most likely possessed a Middle Grade Magical Artifact.

Li Yinsheng guessed that this shop did sell Middle Grade Magical Artifacts, but they wouldn't easily reveal them to someone who hadn't shown intent to buy. Even if a customer explicitly asked for one, they would likely have to prove their wealth or strength first.

As for his own Lower Grade Magic Sword, while it might not sound like much, it was already considered excellent among his peers. Many Loose Cultivators in the outside world spent their entire lives using unranked Magical Artifacts, treating even a single Lower Grade piece as a pipe dream.

The Female Cultivator waved her hand. A Maid, who looked about the same age as Junior Sister Mu, walked over carrying a wooden tray with a teapot, cups, and a plate of bean cakes. She set them on the table and stood respectfully to the side.

"My surname is Qi, and I am the Shopkeeper here," the Female Cultivator briefly introduced herself, pushing a teacup forward. "Fellow Daoist, what kind of Magical Artifact are you looking for? Is it for combat or protection? What grade do you require?"

She maintained her polite yet lukewarm demeanor, completely ignoring the oddity of Li Yinsheng wearing a Conical Hat indoors.

"Neither." Li Yinsheng shook his head and pointed at Mu Xiaoyu. "I'm here to buy a supplementary Magical Artifact for this junior sister of mine, who has just begun her Cultivation."

Mu Xiaoyu was holding a teacup with both hands, her cheeks bulging as she chewed on a large piece of bean cake.

"A supplementary Magical Artifact for a new disciple?" Shopkeeper Qi's indifferent expression finally shifted. "Are you looking to buy a Quenching Essence Lock?"

"Exactly," Li Yinsheng nodded.

The Shopkeeper's previously calm eyes suddenly lit up. She looked at the Maid beside her and scolded lightly, "Mei! How dare you serve such ordinary tea to our esteemed guests? Go quickly and change it to this year's freshly picked Baihao Tea. Replace the snacks, too. Where is the Jiaoli Cake I asked you to buy last time?"

The Maid froze for a moment, then curtsied and hurried off to change the tea.

Li Yinsheng was taken aback, not understanding why her attitude had changed so drastically. But he quickly realized the reason. While a Quenching Essence Lock didn't seem expensive to him, its only use was helping new disciples temper their Physique.

First, not all Cultivation Techniques required tempering the Physique and refining Primordial Energy beforehand. Only highly advanced ones like the Qingxuan Scripture placed such emphasis on the foundation; ordinary Cultivation Techniques usually went straight to condensing Magical Power.

Second, the step of tempering the Physique and refining Primordial Energy generally took four or five years at most. Spending a thousand talismanic coins just to shave a little time off those brief few years was definitely not considered worth it.

That money could buy a Qiankun Bag that would last for decades. It could also buy an unranked Magical Artifact that, if properly maintained, could last a lifetime or even be passed down to descendants.

Using it to buy a Quenching Essence Lock was a bad deal no matter how one calculated it. It was like someone spending a few thousand dollars on a formal suit they could wear for years, versus spending the same amount on designer clothes for a growing child who would outgrow them by next year. The two were completely different.

Unless, of course, the buyer considered a thousand talismanic coins to be mere pocket change.

"So... she thinks I'm a potential major client?" Li Yinsheng realized.

He didn't point this out. Instead, playing along with the now-enthusiastic Shopkeeper, he chatted with her for a while.

"Although the Quenching Essence Lock is considered a good bargain, it's ultimately only useful for new disciples just starting to temper their Physique," Shopkeeper Qi explained. "More importantly, Earth Qi cannot be truly refined. It can only be driven by Restrictions, and over time, it will naturally dissipate and return to heaven and earth. Whether it is used or not, frequently or rarely, it will gradually fade away. Because of this, many people feel it isn't worth the cost.

"Only new disciples who are deeply cherished by their elders get to have a Quenching Essence Lock right at the start of their journey. Unfortunately, very few are so lucky."

As she spoke, she smiled at Mu Xiaoyu. "This junior sister is truly blessed to have such a doting senior brother."

Mu Xiaoyu, still clutching her teacup with two pieces of bean cake in hand and her mouth fully stuffed, nodded repeatedly. Her senior brother was strict, but he was indeed a great person!

When the Maid named Mei returned with the fresh tea and snacks, Li Yinsheng exchanged a few more words with the Shopkeeper. He had originally intended to get straight to business, but Mu Xiaoyu seemed extremely interested in the tea and pastries. She just kept eating, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, so he decided to wait a little longer.

The Shopkeeper even had Mei pack up two parcels of pastries and a small tin of tea leaves for her, prompting Mu Xiaoyu to repeatedly praise her as a "beautiful and kind-hearted Shopkeeper."

After feeding the little glutton, Li Yinsheng and Mu Xiaoyu followed the Shopkeeper into a room specifically used to store intangible Magical Artifacts.

Unlike the outside area where Magical Artifacts were displayed on shelves, this room contained over a dozen neatly arranged stone pedestals. Each pedestal was about ten feet square and covered in intricate Arrays. The power of the Arrays bound variously colored, shapeless clusters of light hovering above the stone surfaces.

"These are all intangible Magical Artifacts. They can only be preserved using Arrays, otherwise, they would easily dissipate on their own," the Shopkeeper introduced, pointing to the pedestal in front of them. "What you see here is the Quenching Essence Lock."

Floating above the pedestal were several fist-sized clusters of yellowish-brown cloudy gas. They emitted no Spiritual Light and hardly changed shape.

Li Yinsheng narrowed his eyes and extended his Divine Sense. It was indeed Earth Qi. Though the quantity wasn't large, it was quite pure.

"Shopkeeper, may I take one out to examine it?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Of course. Please wait a moment, esteemed guest, while I use a Qi Capturing Talisman to draw one out," she replied, reaching for her Qiankun Bag.

"There's no need for the trouble. Intangible objects can simply be bound by Magical Power."

Li Yinsheng raised his hand. A streak of green light shot from his palm, grabbing a cluster of the yellowish-brown gas. He probed it with his Divine Sense, examining it closely.

Beside him, Mu Xiaoyu also lowered her head to look carefully—even though she couldn't understand anything she was seeing, she just loved to join the fun.

The Shopkeeper's pupils violently contracted, though she didn't make a sound.

Continually wrapping an intangible Magical Artifact in Magical Power to temporarily restrain it was common knowledge in the Cultivation Realm, and it didn't require much technical skill. There was only one small hurdle—it required a profound foundation of Magical Power.

As far as she knew, achieving this feat required at least fifty years of Cultivation. This person executed it casually and effortlessly, meaning his actual Cultivation was likely even higher... Many Stewards in Daoist Temples were only at this level.

But the problem was, although this man's face was hidden, his voice was incredibly young!

The Shopkeeper guessed that unless he practiced some Cultivation Techniques or Secret Skills with excellent youth-retaining effects, based on his clear voice, he was in his early thirties at most—perhaps not even thirty yet. He might even be... younger than her!

To possess such Cultivation at this age... was he a future pillar of a Great Daoist Temple, or a young disciple of a powerful Dharma Vein?!

It had to be a Daoist Temple; disciples of Dharma Veins had no reason to visit a place like this.

She had initially thought he was merely wealthy, but to her surprise, his Cultivation was even more impressive!

At this thought, the modest enthusiasm in her eyes instantly transformed into intense eagerness, mingled with a newfound solemnity. One naturally had to be polite to the wealthy, but one had to be exceedingly cautious and respectful toward those with profound Cultivation.

Noticing the shift in the Shopkeeper's gaze, Li Yinsheng felt satisfied and casually pushed the cluster of gas back into the Array.

He had intentionally shown off his skills to avoid unnecessary trouble.

As the saying goes, "All merchants are shrewd." Although Zulu Temple's shops had always enjoyed a good reputation, rumors of them fleecing customers weren't entirely nonexistent; they were just better than other places.

Since she had mistakenly assumed he was just some rich guy, actively revealing a bit of his Cultivation was the best way to eliminate the risk of being treated like a fat sheep.

Playing the weakling to catch opponents off guard might sound satisfying in theory, but proactively resolving potential conflicts before they could even happen was far more convenient.