Vessel of Worlds

"For guarding a cave dwelling, you'll need not only strong defensive power but also considerable coverage. Has the fellow cultivator heard of the Six-Wheel Spirit-Severing Formation or the Heaven-Covering Twin Poles Formation?" The white-clad woman considered briefly before naming two formations Andy had never heard of.

Andy admitted with some embarrassment: "I haven't. I know nothing about formations—I'd be grateful if the Fairy could explain."

"Both are adaptations of ancient grand formations, so it's only natural you wouldn't know them." The white-clad woman smiled faintly and continued: "The Six-Wheel Spirit-Severing Formation can cover an area fifty or sixty kilometers across—ideal for shielding an entire dwelling site. Its defensive power is nothing exceptional, but it excels at concealing spiritual energy and masking terrain. A dwelling shrouded by this formation would be nearly impossible to detect even for an early-stage Core Formation senior, unless he searched deliberately at close range. The Heaven-Covering Twin Poles Formation, on the other hand, is purely defensive. Its coverage is limited, but its defensive strength is remarkable—it could hold for half a day even under a direct assault by four or five late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"You could use the Six-Wheel Spirit-Severing Formation to conceal the entire dwelling site, then protect the core area with the Heaven-Covering Twin Poles Formation. With the two working in tandem, as long as no Core Formation senior takes an interest in you, your dwelling would be practically impregnable."

Andy nodded along, pleased. "Wonderfully clever, Fairy. Two formations used together, each playing to its strengths and covering the other's weaknesses—an excellent idea. In that case, may I ask: are these formations easy to deploy, and what do they cost?"

A hint of pride entered the white-clad woman's voice. "Both are ancient grand formations, originally so complex that even a practiced formation master would need months to set one up. But my father is a rare genius of the formation path. He simplified and improved both arrays and crafted the corresponding flags and discs. You need only follow the formation's instructions precisely, place the flags and discs in their correct positions, and socket the spirit stones—then the formation can be activated. Even someone entirely unfamiliar with formations could deploy both sets in half a day."

"As for the price—" she paused, "—each set is worth over a thousand spirit stones. If you sincerely wish to buy both, we'll settle at two thousand."

Two thousand spirit stones! Andy exclaimed inwardly. He had braced himself for a steep price, but he hadn't expected to part with two thousand stones in one purchase.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator of modest means, two thousand spirit stones was essentially an entire fortune. He hesitated to produce that much at once. But these two formations suited his needs perfectly—he had to buy them.

Andy said nothing for a moment, brow furrowed in thought.

Neither young woman pressed him. They simply waited quietly for his answer. It was no small sum, after all—if he had agreed instantly without a second thought, that would have aroused their curiosity instead.

After some deliberation, Andy said: "I don't have that many spirit stones on hand. Would the Fairy consider taking this in partial exchange?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He produced a small red wooden box and gave it a light tap. The box floated smoothly over to the white-clad woman.

She opened it with mild puzzlement—and found a translucent purple pill about a cun across, exuding a strange, refreshing medicinal fragrance.

"A Youth-Preserving Pill!" The white-clad woman, whose tone had been unfailingly level, suddenly cried out, her voice rising sharply. An instant later she recovered her composure. "This is the legendary Youth-Preserving Pill—one dose, and one's face never ages?"

"That's the very pill. What price would the Fairy offer for it?" The momentary crack in her composure told Andy all he needed to know—this pill would fetch an excellent price.

"Might the fellow cultivator have more of these? I would buy every one, at a price you'd certainly find satisfactory!" Remarkably, one Youth-Preserving Pill wasn't enough for the white-clad woman—she was already angling for more.

"You flatter me, Fairy. This single pill cost me the better part of my savings—where would I get more?" Andy said with a rueful smile, his tone earnest. The latter half was true enough in its way: he had obtained three inferior Youth-Preserving Pills through Jian Xin'er and enhanced them all into standard pills with the small bowl. He had taken one himself and given one to Jian Xin'er. The pill now in the white-clad woman's hands was indeed his last.

The white-clad woman was visibly disappointed. "For this Youth-Preserving Pill, our shop will offer fifteen hundred spirit stones. Pay another five hundred, and both the Six-Wheel Spirit-Severing Formation and the Heaven-Covering Twin Poles Formation are yours."

Fifteen hundred spirit stones—more than Andy had expected. It seemed that women, especially beautiful ones, whether mortal or cultivator, placed enormous value on their looks. Which suggested, in turn, that this veiled white-clad woman was probably far from plain.

The thought led Andy to a private conclusion: the Youth-Preserving Pill was a fine commodity indeed. If the chance arose, he should acquire another batch—trading them to female cultivators would be relatively safe and highly profitable.

But he dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it came. If anyone grew curious about where his Youth-Preserving Pills came from, he'd be inviting trouble for no reason.

Andy paid the five hundred spirit stones and received from the green-dressed girl several dozen formation flags and discs of varying colors and sizes, along with a jade slip. The slip contained not only detailed instructions for deploying both formations but also a brief primer on formation fundamentals and points of caution.

For a cultivator as ignorant of formations as Andy, it was invaluable. He was thoroughly satisfied with such considerate service.

After leaving the Mystic Change Pavilion, Andy visited several other establishments in the market and purchased various supplies, including four or five pill formulas for medicines that could benefit a Foundation Establishment cultivator's progress. Two of these pills worked only for early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and required several types of rank-three beast cores as primary ingredients. The other two remained effective even for late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators—but required rank-five beast cores to refine.

A rank-five beast core came from a rank-five beast, whose strength was equivalent to a human early-stage Core Formation cultivator. Such cores were naturally beyond Andy's reach for now.

While buying the formulas, Andy also inquired about beast core prices. An ordinary rank-three core ran around seven or eight hundred spirit stones; a rank-four core, nearly two thousand; and a rank-five core, no less than four thousand.

And those were the cores of common beasts. Cores from truly rare species often cost about double.

Prices that steep put an end to any thought of simply buying beast cores to refine his pills. If he purchased cores every few days, sooner or later someone would take notice.

Beast cores were used primarily for refining pills, and that demand was effectively endless—which kept prices permanently high.

Beast materials, by comparison, were far cheaper.

Andy bought one or two kinds of beast materials, some auxiliary crafting ingredients, a batch of talisman-making supplies, and various furnishings for his dwelling. Then he left West Star Island, flying north.