Chapter 5: Exchange (Part 1)

The guy from the Beast Pavilion led the way, and soon everyone arrived at a small attic. Inside the attic room, there was a large brazier, and the scent of charcoal filled the air. The warm heat made Guo Shier feel very comfortable.
There were five people in the attic room—three men and two women.
As Guo Shier and the others entered, the room seemed a bit smaller.
Guo Shier took off his large leather hat and said, “Who is looking for me? I’m Guo Shier from the Northern Symbol Gate.”
The old man sitting on the leather mat in the middle said, “I am Chen Zhizhong, an elder of the Inner Circle of the Western Symbol Gate.”
Wu Qing quickly introduced, “Elder Chen is a great beast symbol sorcerer. Heh, just like you, Shier—both of you are in the symbol sorcery profession.”
Guo Shier nodded and introduced his followers as well. Chen Zhizhong was greatly surprised. Although he already knew this boy had two great symbol martial artists as followers, seeing it with his own eyes was still shocking. He asked, “Young man, have you already advanced to a great symbol sorcerer?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “I only possess master-level combat strength, but I lack the foundation of the symbol sorcery profession.” He didn’t hide the fact that he wasn’t a master. However, no one denied that his combat strength was at a master level since he could defeat a master.
Chen Zhizhong nodded and said, “That makes more sense.” Then he introduced the people around him. The two men behind him were his followers, both beast martial artists. The two women beside him—a young woman and a young girl—were looking at Guo Shier with curiosity.
“This is my female disciple, An Bilan, the youngest beast symbol sorceress in the Western Symbol Gate. The little girl next to her, heh, is an apprentice beast warrior. She’s only eight years old and named An Biyun.”
Guo Shier had seen these two before at the Beast Pavilion. He nodded slightly and said, “Pleasure to meet you.”
An Bilan nodded in return. But An Biyun said, “Hello, Brother Shier.” She was a very polite child, even though she had called him a villain when they first met.
Chen Zhizhong said, “Sit!”
Guo Shier didn’t hesitate. He took off his large leather robe and sat down. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan sat behind him, while Huo Bao and the others sat behind those two.
“Does Grandpa Chen have any instructions?”
As long as there was no hostility, Guo Shier was always polite to elders. Hearing Guo Shier call him “grandpa,” Chen Zhizhong felt very pleased. He smiled and said, “I am a contributor to the Beast Pavilion. Heh, I get 10% of its income. That’s why I specially invited you here to ask if you have anything to exchange.”
Guo Shier was surprised. “Grandpa Chen, is that all you want—just to exchange items?”

Chen Zhizhong smiled and said, “Then what do you think it’s for?”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly and replied, “It’s nothing. I just don’t have anything to exchange—everything is with my master.” He didn’t dare bring out the materials he had collected in the secret realm, and he had always believed that selling raw materials was the stupidest thing to do.
Chen Zhizhong said, “I heard that you and your master killed a mutated sigil worm in a secret realm?”
Guo Shier was slightly stunned. The news had spread quickly—even the people of the Western Sigil Sect were aware of it. He wondered if news about the altar had also leaked.
Eagle Demon asked, “Hehe, I wonder where Brother Chen got this information?”
Chen Zhizhong smiled and said, “How could the Western Sigil Sect not know about what happens in the great plains? Hehe.”
Guo Shier said, “There’s nothing I can do. Everything is with my master; I don’t have anything here.” He certainly wouldn’t hand over his materials and exchange them foolishly.
Eagle Demon nodded secretly. If an exchange took place, Guo Shier would surely suffer losses because he didn’t understand the ins and outs of trading.
Chen Zhizhong said regretfully, “Hehe, I have a spirit sigil here. I originally wanted to exchange it with you, but since you can’t make the decision, it’s a real pity.” He began to tempt him openly.
Wu Qing’s eyes almost popped out. He only had one spirit sigil, which was even stored inside his body as his life sigil. He wondered, “Shier, when did you encounter the mutated sigil worm?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “After you left, we discovered a secret realm, and there we encountered a mutated sigil worm.”
Slap!
Wu Qing slapped himself, making An Bilan and An Biyun giggle. An Biyun asked softly, “Sis, why did he slap himself?”
An Bilan replied in a whisper, “Maybe his mouth itched… Hehe.”
Wu Qing was extremely regretful. He had missed a secret realm and a mutated sigil worm—it was truly heartbreaking. Slapping himself was the least of his punishments.
Guo Shier said, “Don’t be sorry either. That mutated sigil worm was extremely powerful. It took three of our masters, along with everyone else, to finally kill it… It was a very fierce worm.”
Chen Zhizhong said, “Exchange it for a bottle of sigil worm blood! One spirit sigil for a bottle of sigil worm blood—just half a pound is enough!”

Guo Shier smiled and said, “Grandpa Chen, it’s not that I don’t want to exchange it, but I don’t have the authority to dispose of the materials—they all belong to the master.” He certainly wouldn’t fall for it.Fumuchong blood blood was extremely precious becauseFumuchong blood were quite small and had very little blood. The blood of mutatedFumuchong blood was slightly more, but such creatures were hard to find, and they were extremely difficult to deal with.

Starting from half a jin ofFumuchong blood blood, the price dropped to three taels, until finally Chen Zhizhong offered one tael ofFumuchong blood blood in exchange for one spirit talisman. Guo Shier was puzzled and asked, “Grandpa Chen,Fumuchong blood blood isn’t the blood ofFusui. Only the people from the Nanfu Sect are interested in that. What do you want it for?”

Chen Zhizhong smiled bitterly and said, “As a neutralizing agent. The blood of mutatedFumuchong blood is the best neutralizing agent. I need to conduct an experiment, and I’m missing a few materials, withFumuchong blood blood being the most important one.”

Guo Shier thought for a moment before saying, “I can talk to the master, but if I don’t need your spirit talismans, this deal won’t work.” He really needed spirit talismans because his core talisman ball was quite picky—it wouldn’t accept anything below the level of a spirit talisman.

Chen Zhizhong was decisive. He took out a spirit talisman and placed it in front of Guo Shier, saying, “You can take a look. This is an animal spirit talisman. You should be able to use it.”

Guo Shier already had a bird talisman, which was quite powerful, so he had high expectations for this animal spirit talisman. He picked it up and placed it on his forehead. Instantly, the talisman disappeared and was quickly absorbed by his core talisman ball. This proved that it was indeed a spirit talisman.

“Okay, the exchange is done! I’ll give it to you once I get back. Hehe, you can send someone with me.”

Chen Zhizhong was overjoyed. He said, “I’ll send my disciple with you… Bilan, go back with Shier, get the blood of mutatedFumuchong blood, and return immediately.”

An Bilan nodded in agreement.

Guo Shier found that this animal spirit talisman was slightly inferior to the bird talisman, but since it could be absorbed by his core talisman ball, it wasn’t that bad. After all, a spirit talisman was extremely rare. In this world, spirit talismans were the highest-tier talismans, second only to ancient talismans. He couldn’t yet tell what beast’s spirit was sealed within this talisman.

“Grandpa Chen, what’s the name of this spirit talisman?” Its grade was relatively low, so he couldn’t identify it through his soul senses.

Chen Zhizhong replied, “It’s called the Barbarian Ox Spirit Talisman. Hehe, it seals the spirit of an iron-armored barbarian ox. This ox already has talisman patterns on its body. Although it’s not considered aFusui, it’s much stronger than ordinary beasts and can be used to block attacks. It’s a pretty good spirit talisman.”

Guo Shier nodded in satisfaction. Even with great talisman martial artists as guards, having another powerful Wild Ox Spirit Talisman was useful. He said, “Iron-Armored Wild Ox, heh, it’s the first time I’ve heard of such a beast. Hmm, not bad.”
Chen Zhizhong said, “Young man, please give me the blood of the mutated talisman worm as soon as possible.”
Guo Shier stood up and said, “No problem. Then I’ll take my leave.”
An Bilan said, “Master, I’m going.” An Biyun also stood up and said, “Sister, I’ll go with you.”
…
There were many shops in the Beast Shop District. After visiting a few shops, Guo Shier and his group bought some local specialties before returning to their residence satisfied.
After taking care of sisters An Bilan and An Biyun, Guo Shier went to Luo Jie’s residence. As soon as he saw Luo Jie, he heard him laughing and saying, “Shier, did you beat a great beast sorcerer from the West Talisman Sect today?”
Guo Shier replied, “Did the news spread so fast?”
Qi Nanshan smiled and said, “The whole West Talisman Sect is in an uproar. Heh, kid, you’re even more famous than me.”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “He was careless. He sent out a few beasts. Heh, my sword talisman forced them back to their heels, so they had no choice but to admit defeat. If he had been serious, I’m not sure if I could have won.”
Luo Jie couldn’t help but laugh and said, “You know, your childlike appearance is really deceptive. Not to mention him, even I… if I didn’t know your strength, I might suffer a big loss in a fight.”
Guo Shier said, “Master, I met an elder from the West Talisman Sect at the Beast Pavilion. His name is Chen Zhizhong. He wanted to exchange items with me—using a Spirit Talisman in exchange for an ounce of the blood of a mutated talisman worm. I agreed.”
Luo Jie was surprised and said, “An ounce? So little? What does he want the worm blood for?”
Guo Shier replied, “He said he needs it for an experiment, using the blood of mutated talisman worms as a neutralizer.”
Luo Jie said, “A neutralizer? Oh, I see. That’s actually a good idea. If he exchanges a Spirit Talisman for it, he’s at a loss… Wait, let me give you some.”
He handed Guo Shier a very small crystal bottle. The blood of the Green Knife Stinger was a deep green color, but after purification, it turned into a beautiful light green, with tiny green glimmers inside—very striking. The crystal bottle was only as thick as a little finger and as long as a palm.
Luo Jie said, “Shier, it’s a bit unfair for him to exchange a Spirit Talisman for just an ounce of worm blood… There’s two ounces of purified blood in this bottle… He’s a master, so we shouldn’t take too much advantage. It’s not necessary.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Master, I understand. But… this was his price. I didn’t haggle or say anything. Heh, he himself reduced it from half a jin to one tael.”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “That’s what he wanted. If it were you who wanted it, it would be different… But Shier is very cunning. He kept quiet and refused to haggle. When he finally had to speak, he said, ‘The blood belongs to the master; I can’t make the decision.’ This forced Chen Zhizhong to keep lowering his price on his own. Heh, I guess Chen Zhizhong must be feeling terrible… To make a master so embarrassed, Shier is truly amazing.”
Guo Shier rolled his eyes and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, are you praising me… or insulting me?”
Eagle Demon laughed heartily and said, “Of course I’m praising you!”
Luo Jie said, “Alright, Shier, hurry up and deliver it to them… By the way, what kind of spirit talisman did you get?”
Guo Shier replied, “It’s a Wild Ox Spirit Talisman. It contains the spirit of an armored wild ox.”