The Yun family brothers' lightning-attribute spells were indeed extraordinary.
Although Wu Tao appeared to have suffered no serious injuries on the surface, the meridians throughout his body had been corroded by the lightning-attribute spiritual energy. He needed to rest and recuperate slowly to recover.
A month passed by slowly.
...
During this time, Wu Tao had supplemented his recovery with various healing pills, and his internal injuries were almost healed.
In this past month, apart from recuperating, Wu Tao had spent his days cultivating his spiritual power in solitude, as if he had become detached from the world.
Apart from purchasing essential cultivation supplies every fifteen days, he would visit the market to trade useless treasures, materials, and magic artifacts he possessed for some spirit stones.
Concurrently, Wu Tao took the opportunity to inquire about major and minor events happening outside. Other than that, he did not waste even a shred of time.
Three more days passed, and Wu Tao finally finished processing all the magic artifacts, materials, and treasures he had obtained from the ancient cultivator's cave. He also sold the useless items from the storage bags of the Yun brothers and Xue Yan, totaling twelve hundred spirit stones.
Due to insufficient talismans in his storage bag, Wu Tao spent five hundred spirit stones halfway to purchase some.
Following that, another five days elapsed, and Wu Tao received an invitation to attend a trade fair organized by the elite outer disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
The primary purpose of this trade fair was to facilitate mutual exchange among the outer disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, allowing them to trade for what they needed and promote their cultivation.
The trade fair was scheduled to be held in four days. Wu Tao pondered for a moment and decided to attend.
...
"What a close call!" Wu Tao couldn't help but sigh, recalling the battle a month ago, and then said.
Wu Tao, who had always believed few could match him at the Qi Refining stage, had underestimated the Yun brothers.
He had initially thought that these two pampered young masters from influential families, who had grown up in a greenhouse, would be timid in front of Zhao Leiyun and pose no threat.
...
Unexpectedly, their lightning-attribute spells were so potent.
If it weren't for his quick wit and immense luck, he, Wu Tao, would have been the one lying on the ground as a corpse.
Wu Tao meticulously organized all the magic artifacts he possessed. There were eight high-grade magic artifacts: Soul-Fallen Bell, Golden Shimmering Rope, Lightning Fan, Electric Flash鸣 Saber, Golden Python Bow, Fire Shadow Spirit Sword, Lightning Flying Sword, and Lingjin Spear. There were also three top-grade magic artifacts: Yin-Yang Boundless Thunder Pearl, Armor-Piercing Dragon Cone, and Primordial Earth Heavy Hammer.
Oh, and there was also a magical treasure he couldn't use, the "Eastern Vermilion Bird Seven Flames Banner," and a scroll depicting the story of the Wu clan dominating the land in ancient times.
After careful consideration, Wu Tao set aside the Lightning Fan, Lightning Flying Sword, and Yin-Yang Boundless Thunder Pearl, which were prone to causing trouble. He then meticulously refined the remaining magic artifacts.
Simultaneously, Wu Tao decided to hunt for a top-tier flying magic artifact and a top-tier offensive magic artifact. This was to facilitate a quick equipment change when he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the future, preparing in advance.
To participate in this trade fair for the outer disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, Wu Tao recently tallied his entire wealth: approximately fifteen hundred spirit stones, this was after a month of extensive spirit stone expenditure on talismans and various pills.
In addition to spirit stones, Wu Tao's storage bag contained five bottles of pills to enhance the Qi Refining realm, three bottles of healing pills, and two bottles of unidentified ancient pills. There were about fifty to sixty low-level talismans of various types, three mid-level talismans, and various other miscellaneous cultivation resources.
...
Wu Tao had prepared thoroughly for this trade fair, eagerly awaiting its arrival.
However, before that, Wu Tao still had time to study the scroll depicting
the story of the Wu clan dominating the land in ancient times.
...
This scroll was a peculiar treasure.
The scroll was very thin and faded gray. However, the paintings on the scroll were exceptionally clear.
As Wu Tao probed into the scroll with his divine sense, a concentrated beam of white light shot out from it after a while. Its speed was so rapid that Wu Tao had no time to react.
"Boom."
In an instant, Wu Tao found himself in an unfamiliar place.
Before Wu Tao could make any move, a horrifying scene unfolded before his eyes.
A giant, ten thousand feet tall, resembling a towering mountain peak, its entire body a reddish-brown, swung a hundred-foot fist, its vital energy surging into the heavens, wreaking havoc across the land.
With every swing of its limbs, it employed palm strikes, punches, claws, fingers, and other incredible combat techniques.
Pure-blooded divine beasts like Hua She, Huo Dou, Gong Fu, and Ya Yu were like mere food before this giant.
...
"What is this... Ancient Body Refining Technique and Secret Method...!"
A cry of surprise erupted, and a sudden throbbing pain surged into his mind. It turned out that the scroll had poured too much information into Wu Tao's mind, making his divine soul unable to bear it.
Fortunately, the pain came and went quickly.
In the next second, Wu Tao's mind gained a partial remnant of the Wu God Primordial Body Refining Technique and a sacrificial secret method called "Dou Sheng Sacrifice."
This partial remnant of the Wu God Primordial Body Refining Technique held immense significance for Wu Tao at this moment.
The Dragon-Tiger Yuan Gang Nine Arts that Wu Tao was currently cultivating was considered a top-tier technique among Qi Refining stage cultivation methods. However, once Wu Tao advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, the Dragon-Tiger Yuan Gang Nine Arts would be discarded.
This was because, at that point, the Dragon-Tiger Yuan Gang Nine Arts would no longer be able to keep up with Wu Tao's realm progression.
Wu Tao needed to find a new top-tier cultivation method as soon as possible. However, finding top-tier cultivation methods was not easy, especially those for stages beyond Foundation Establishment, which were incredibly difficult to obtain.
This partial remnant of the Wu God Primordial Body Refining Technique was a powerful body refining technique passed down by the Wu clan in ancient times.
...
The Dou Sheng Sacrifice Secret Method was a terrifying secret method that worked in conjunction with the Wu God Primordial Body Refining Technique.
The Dou Sheng Sacrifice Secret Method allowed the user to unleash more than ten times their combat power for a short period. The price was a significant depletion of vital energy and damage to the user's foundation, making further progress difficult. It was a secret method that harmed the enemy by a thousand and oneself by eight hundred.
Sensing the formidable power of the Wu God Primordial Body Refining Technique and the Dou Sheng Sacrifice Secret Method, Wu Tao was both surprised and delighted.
He was delighted because with the Dou Sheng Sacrifice Secret Method and the Wu God Primordial Body Refining Technique, he could lower his requirements when choosing a primary cultivation method. He was surprised by the price paid for using the Dou Sheng Sacrifice Secret Method.
...
"Twelve saber teeth from a Qi Refining stage demonic beast, 'Sharp Fang Tough Boar.' These are materials used for refining low to mid-grade magic artifacts. I wish to exchange these materials for a bottle of spirit-enhancing pill used by cultivators at the tenth or eleventh level of Qi Refining."
On the trade fair stage, an outer disciple was showcasing his collected treasures and stating the items he wished to exchange for.
Wu Tao watched with a hint of disappointment, shaking his head.
In fact, Wu Tao had initially harbored some hope for this trade fair. He didn't ask for much, only hoping to acquire some items he needed from others.
However, at this nearly ten-thousand-person trade fair, one-third of the cultivators had already taken the stage, yet they were all displaying items that Wu Tao disdained or had no use for.
It was no wonder that the Taiyi Immortal Sect, as one of the Ten Great Righteous Sects and the ruler of Qingzhou, had thirty to forty thousand outer disciples, yet only nearly ten thousand participated in the trade fair. Notably, the most renowned and powerful elite outer disciples were absent.
...
It wasn't that the items at the trade fair were not good. Which outer disciple genuinely wanting to trade for cultivation resources would bring out subpar items to embarrass themselves?
However, Wu Tao, who had struck it rich, was now wealthy and looked down upon these items that ordinary Qi Refining outer disciples considered extremely precious.
While ordinary Qi Refining outer disciples were meticulously haggling over a mid-grade magic artifact, a bottle of pills, or a few dozen spirit stones, Wu Tao was already setting his sights on higher-level items like top-grade magic artifacts and Foundation Establishment Pills.
Just as Wu Tao was about to leave early, a renowned peak Qi Refining stage disciple from the outer sect stepped onto the stage and presented three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs required for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, immediately eliciting gasps of astonishment from the disciples below.