This Is an Immortal Sword (Imitation)!
In Lan Ji’s eyes, this was clearly an immortal sword containing the aura of immortality, though its origin was lacking.
It might be a damaged magical treasure, or it might be an imitation. Either way, it was more than enough to bluff people when taken outside!
What was more, it was Heaven-grade in its own right.
If she sold it to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, it could only be exchanged for one Heaven-grade magical treasure. But if she sold it to the Myriad Treasures Association, she could get two in return—
The Myriad Treasures Association had something the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion didn’t. How could that look good?!
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion’s reputation across the Nine Provinces of Canglan was already inferior to that of the Myriad Treasures Association. The only thing keeping it firmly established was the fact that it possessed some magical treasures the Myriad Treasures Association did not.
“But you have to guarantee that, from now on, you won’t sell any magical treasures to the Myriad Treasures Association,” Young Mistress Lan said solemnly. “You may sell them only to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.”
Nangong Yu glanced at her. “Sister, I’m just a cultivator. Naturally, I’ll sell to whoever offers the most.”
That was what she said, but this Qi Refining girl’s shrewdness still stirred Lan Ji’s own cunning.
“In the future, whatever you want, all you have to do is ask.” Lan Ji raised an eyebrow and declared confidently, “If the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has it, I’ll make sure to reserve it for you. If we don’t have it, I’ll find it for you.”
Hearing that promise, Nangong Yu was slightly moved.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion… This was a force worth cultivating a close relationship with!
“Fine.” She relented and handed over the quantum light sword. “That counts as two.”
She still had plenty of these things. Back then, when the players charged into the armory, she had swept up everything on the production line.
As for anything else, producing a Myriad Swords Returning to the Sect technique would be no problem.
Thinking of this, she asked, “Do you have any sword manuals?”
Lan Ji still had some conscience and replied, “There are more cultivation techniques and secret manuals in the library of the Ziyang Sect.”
“Really?” Nangong Yu’s eyes sparkled. “Sister, is there anything the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion wants but can’t get its hands on?”
Hearing this, a chill crept up the back of Lan Ji’s head. “What are you planning to do?”
“Nothing.” Nangong Yu waved her hands repeatedly. “Can I rummage through a sect’s treasury? You really know how to joke, Sister.”
Lan Ji: “…”
She hadn’t said anything at all.
“Oh, I also have a substitute puppet.” Nangong Yu took another clay doll from her storage space. “It can die in its master’s place once.”
Lan Ji had already been feeling rather exhausted, but the mention of a resurrection treasure had once again seized her attention. Just as she was preparing to leave, she seemed to hear something incredible.
“What?!”
Zhegu reacted even faster than she did. He rushed in front of Nangong Yu, reaching out with both hands as if to cradle the doll, only to hesitate because he was afraid to touch its clay body. “R-Really?!”
Lan Ji was dazed for a moment. When she came back to her senses, she was already standing in front of Nangong Yu. “What did you say this is?”
“A substitute puppet,” Nangong Yu explained. “Write down your birth details and wrap your hair around it. If you ever encounter a situation where you’re certain to die, it can die in your place once.”
Her tone was so casual, as if this were nothing more than a toy instead of a treasure that would shock the entire Canglan Realm and incite countless people to fight over it if word got out!
This was an extra life!
“What are its limitations?” Lan Ji asked calmly. “At what cultivation level, or against injuries of what severity, would it become ineffective?”
Nangong Yu thought for a moment before answering uncertainly, “I haven’t heard of any limitations.”
It had come from one of the dungeons in an infinite-flow game.
It was a very simple substitute puppet. It sold for quite a high price, but one of the players had learned how to make them. Nangong Yu had supported him through an entire dungeon: she found clues for him, fought the minor monsters, tanked the bosses, and picked up the drops for him…
All he had to do was make substitute puppets for her. He had filled several chests with them.
“Hmm, there probably aren’t any limitations.” She thought back to what had happened at the time.
This was an item that appeared in low- and mid-level dungeons, and its description was very simple—just one line:
[Substitute Puppet]: Write down your birth details and wrap your hair around it. It can die in your place once.
There wasn’t even an additional note.
Later, in a high-level dungeon, Nangong Yu had used this item as well. It worked just fine.
“If you don’t believe me, forget it.” Nangong Yu made as if to take it back.
She had only withdrawn it halfway when Lan Ji grabbed her hand. Her expression was solemn. “Little sister, what other treasures do you have? Take them all out at once.”
Treasures that could resurrect the dead.
Treasures that could die in one’s place.
Every single one of them would cause a bloody scramble if put up for sale—who had no regrets? Who had no one they still thought about? Who wasn’t greedy for life and afraid of death?
People would give up everything to exchange for these two treasures!
It was just that Lan Ji, as one of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion’s young mistresses, couldn’t produce any more bargaining chips. That was why she could only use Heaven-grade magical treasures as payment.
Then again, if the buyer were a powerful cultivator, they might not have this much patience.
They might simply kill her with a single palm strike, then take everything for themselves.
“There’s nothing much left.” Nangong Yu rummaged through her collection of items. “Let me see…”
She definitely couldn’t take out anything with overwhelming destructive power.
Things like Little Blue, the interstellar battleship; gene-collapse agents; the Source of Plague…
At most, Nangong Yu could produce items that wouldn’t affect her ability to clear dungeons.
Things like the Fountain of Youth were extremely popular in the infinite-flow world, but the cultivation world had its own Beauty-Preserving Pills.
As for explosive talismans, immobilization talismans, illusion talismans, invisibility talismans, and the like… the cultivation world had plenty of those.
She did have quite a few resurrection cards and substitute puppets, but they weren’t suitable for showing outsiders.
“Would you like an artifact that can read minds?” She took out a Mind-Reading Card. “The holder can read anyone’s thoughts, but it can only be used once.”
Before she had even finished speaking, Lan Ji snatched the card away. “Yes! It counts as… half a treasure.”
A Mind-Reading Card.
It was of little value when used on ordinary mortals. But what if it were used on a Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, or even a Great Ascension cultivator?
“It has no restrictions!” Nangong Yu protested unhappily. “Even a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator can be affected!”
She had once used it to listen to the thoughts of a final boss. The side effects had been severe—she had been tormented by maddening whispers—but it had worked!
“At least one full treasure!” she insisted. “Otherwise, forget it.”
Lan Ji gripped the card tightly and refused to let go. “If it’s genuine, it can count as one.”
She was finding it increasingly difficult to believe that this Qi Refining girl possessed so many treasures.
Was she the reincarnation of an immortal?
Or had she unearthed an ancient battlefield and dug up all the treasures left behind by ancient sages?
“Didn’t you say that if I deceived you, you’d make sure I couldn’t survive anywhere in the Nine Provinces of Canglan?” Nangong Yu patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sister. I won’t change my name or hide my identity. I’m Nangong Yu, a disciple of the Ziyang Sect.”
She considerately reassured the other woman, “You can run, but the temple can’t run with you, right?”
“I also have a summoning artifact.” Nangong Yu produced another card. “The holder can summon anyone they want to their side.”
After saying that, she added, “The other person has to agree.”
This was an item she had obtained in a dungeon challenge. It could summon a teammate to one’s side. The person being summoned would hear a voice saying: [Your teammate XX has used a summoning item on you. Do you agree?]
“Sister, this treasure is also Heaven-grade!” Nangong Yu assigned a value to her item. “Just think—if you ever fall into a hopeless situation and need someone’s help…”
Lan Ji did not need any explanation to figure out what the card was for, and a growing sense of shock crept over her. "There are no restrictions at all?"
Could she summon someone even if their cultivation level was far higher than hers?
Nangong Yu thought for a moment and said, "I'm not entirely sure. If you step into a very powerful secret realm that even Great Vehicle or Tribulation Transcendence cultivators cannot break through, there is a good chance the card will stop working."
Even with that potential flaw, this artifact was still incredibly powerful. If it were sold to the scions of prominent cultivation families, it would surely fetch an exorbitant price.
"This can only be counted as an Earth-tier—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Nangong Yu snatched the card back and stowed it in her spatial ring. "Pick another one. This one isn't worth enough."
Lan Ji's brows twitched violently, and she quickly corrected herself. "But we're such good friends, of course I won't value it as mere Earth-tier. It's at least low-grade Sky-tier, no questions asked."
Nangong Yu curled her lip and said, "I already have two copies of this card, you know."
"Two artifacts! That counts for two!" Lan Ji declared immediately.
Standing beside her, Zhegu kept tugging at her sleeve.
Lan Ji calmed down a little and said, "I need to test one of them to confirm it's real before you can take everything away."
"Fine by me," Nangong Yu said. "Then I'll pick three more items first."
She had a modest amount of spirit stones on hand, enough to cover two items.
The Quantum Light Sword counted for two items.
The Substitute Puppet counted for two more—it looked so shabby, it did not seem like something from the cultivation world at all, more like a cheap clay figurine that cost a few copper coins in the mortal realm.
Young Mistress Lan absolutely refused to count it as three items unless Nangong Yu could offer more in exchange.
But there was no way she had more to give. Two items was better than nothing, anyway—they were just gathering dust in her spatial storage.
The Mind-Reading Card counted for one item.
The two Summoning Cards counted for two items.
With nine items total, Nangong Yu sat in the private VIP lounge munching on spirit fruits while waiting for Zhegu to bring her the Broken Slaughter Sword, the Broken Void Blade, and the Imitation Hou Yi Bow.
Lan Ji left soon after. She even borrowed a flying artifact from the Heavenly Secret Tower to travel back as fast as possible.
"My nephew is still waiting for me," Nangong Yu said. "Get me a new flute, and let me know as soon as Young Mistress Lan comes back."
She had already stayed for half the day, and it would be impolite to keep True Person Qinghong waiting any longer.
She put away all the items like the Substitute Puppet and the Mind-Reading Card, planning to finish the rest of the transaction once Young Mistress Lan returned.
"The spiritual energy here is so abundant, Little Yu, you could just cultivate here!" Zhegu did not want to let her leave—what if she went away and never came back?
"Your nephew can come up here too and cultivate together," he offered enthusiastically. "I'll have the kitchen prepare a few dishes, and he can eat and rest comfortably."
Nangong Yu thought that sounded nice, so she nodded. "That would be much appreciated."
Zhegu ordered a subordinate to go to the restaurant to place the food order, then returned to wait on his valued guest. But when a figure stepped through the door a while later, he froze. "Who might you be?"
"I'm here to find my Junior Martial Aunt." True Person Qinghong glanced inside the room. Seeing Nangong Yu sitting at the table calmly eating a rare Vermilion Fruit, she felt both surprise and relief.
She walked further in, and Zhegu stared at her wide-eyed, turning to Nangong Yu. "Little Yu, this is... your nephew?"
A Nascent Soul nephew?!
That would mean her master was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and her nephew was also a Nascent Soul? Is that what that meant?
"Yep yep," Nangong Yu said with a bright smile, waving True Person Qinghong over. "Nephew, come sit. I'll still be a while longer."
She was clearly not just catching up with a friend—no one would choose the Heavenly Secret Tower for a casual chat, much less lock themselves in a private VIP lounge. But there was no need to dig into the details. True Person Qinghong nodded. "I'll go meditate over there."
The VIP lounge was very spacious, fitted with a spirit-gathering formation and several futons, exactly the place for cultivators to meditate and rest.
"Sir, the food you ordered is here—" The shop assistant had barely stepped through the door when Zhegu pushed him right back out. "Wrong room. This isn't my order."
