Joining the Joyful Union Sect, My Life in the Grip of My Senior Sister

Chapter 200: Half-Step Sage

Seeing that Lin Fengmian still looked somewhat doubtful, Luo Xue gave him a simple example.

“Cultivation is like forging a weapon. Different materials and forging techniques will result in different weapons.”

“Your cultivation technique is the material that determines the limit of your weapon, while the breakthrough pills are your forging techniques.”

“Even if your forging technique is crude, you can still make a weapon, but its strength will be far inferior to a weapon made with great care.”

“When cultivators clash, it’s like their weapons colliding. If all other conditions are equal, how can you be their match?”

Lin Fengmian understood immediately and nodded. “I see, but we can’t find those pills. What should we do?”

“Try the underground trade fair. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find the pills we need,” Luo Xue said somewhat helplessly.

Knowing that Lin Fengmian didn’t understand, Luo Xue continued to explain.

The underground market was basically the black market of the cultivation world. It was filled with items of unknown origin, but it was also a place where you could find things you wouldn’t normally encounter. 

The prices were usually clearly marked, and sometimes items were exchanged for other items.

Participants just needed to inform the organizers of what they needed or wanted to sell, and the organizers would announce it.

If a suitable buyer or seller appeared, the organizers would act as intermediaries.

If a deal was struck, the organizers would take a commission.

Luo Xue spent some Spirit Stones and demonstrated her strength, quickly gaining access to the city’s underground trade fair.

She immediately listed the three pills Lin Fengmian needed: the Soul Separation Pill, the Spirit Fusion Pill, and the Void Breaking Pill.

All they could do now was wait and hope for the best. Luo Xue decided that if they didn’t hear anything within two days, they would try their luck in a bigger city.

Lin Fengmian suddenly remembered something and asked, “Luo Xue, have you prepared the pills for the Great Ascension Realm yet?”

He didn’t want to go through the trouble of killing someone only to find out that she hadn’t brought the pills.

Luo Xue nodded. “My master prepared them for me a long time ago, and I’ve been carrying them around with me. However, without a vacant revered position, I dare not take them.”

Lin Fengmian couldn’t help but be curious. “What would happen if you took the pills and successfully broke through, but didn’t have a revered position?”

Luo Xue smiled. “That situation won’t happen, because you can’t successfully break through without a vacant venerated position. The prerequisite for breaking through is having a vacant position.”

“You were able to break through to the Core Formation Realm without any obstacles because you shared my venerated position. Without a venerated position, there would be no heavenly tribulation, and thus it wouldn’t count as a successful breakthrough.”

Lin Fengmian suddenly understood. “So the heavenly tribulation is actually a sign of heavenly acknowledgment, like an official certification?”

Luo Xue nodded. “Exactly. Even if you successfully break through, without the heavenly tribulation, it’s considered a borderline state.”

“This borderline state grants partial power of the next realm, but it only counts as a half step into that realm, not a complete entry.”

Lin Fengmian immediately realized the problem and asked, “Then why don’t you, Luo Xue, become this so-called Half-Step Saint?”

“Half-Step Saint? That’s quite an apt title.”

Luo Xue explained, “Because if I become a half-step saint and don’t truly enter the next realm within a month, I will lose the opportunity to become a saint forever.”

Lin Fengmian hadn’t expected this realm to have an expiration date and asked confusedly, “So being in this borderline state means either fighting for a rank or being stuck forever?”

Luo Xue nodded and said, “Yes, in general, unless you know that you have no hope of advancing or are in a life and death situation, no one would choose to enter this borderline state instead of advancing normally.”

Lin Fengmian asked with some trepidation, “Luo Xue, you’re not planning to enter this borderline state before challenging the Sword Saint, are you?”

Luo Xue replied firmly, “Of course, I will either succeed or perish!”

Lin Fengmian inhaled sharply as he felt the pressure increase once again.

“Do you really have to go all the way?”

Luo Xue laughed and said, “The cultivation path is by nature defying the heavens, how can we be timid and hesitant? I still have enough time to secure a rank before the Soul Severing Realm.”

“You will face even harsher challenges, so you must prepare in advance.”

Lin Fengmian couldn’t help but sigh, “Sigh, logically, as more people join, the number of ranks should decrease.”

“Perhaps by my time, the Nascent Soul Realm will be full of ranks, so why do cultivators still need to compete for them?”

Luo Xue was silent for a moment before saying, “According to Master, the heavens can only bear a limited amount of power, so it restricts the masses to maintain balance.”

Lin Fengmian nodded, just venting his frustration without any other thoughts.

Fortunately, the underground trade fair soon brought good news. Someone was willing to sell a high-quality Soul Separation Pill in exchange for healing elixirs.

Due to the high demand for the Soul Separation Pill, there were many competitors, and the seller had to choose the one who could provide what they needed.

Luo Xue understood the vendor’s intention and immediately offered an entrance fee, saying coolly, “Alright, lead the way.”

The two were guided to a tranquil estate surrounded by dense forests and mountains, making it difficult for outsiders to discover.

Upon entering the manor’s grand hall, one could see a round stone table with about a dozen people gathered around it.

Most of the participants in the transaction were wearing black cloaks to hide their identities so as not to be recognized.

Lin Fengmian hadn’t expected the lure of a high-grade Soul Separation Pill to be so great. He inwardly marveled, “So many competitors?”

Luo Xue explained, “That’s because the seller is still in dire need and the news hasn’t spread yet. Otherwise, the number of people could easily be ten times higher.”

“Why is it so sought after?” he asked curiously.

Luo Xue gave him another lesson, “Most of the pills available on the market are of high, medium, or low grade, and even inferior quality.”

“The truly high quality pills are in the hands of great powers. They don’t have enough for themselves, let alone to sell on the market.”

“It seems that even the underground trading houses don’t have the pills the seller needs, otherwise they wouldn’t give us this opportunity.”

If it weren’t for the fear of not being able to leave after returning to Qionghua, she would have gone back to Qionghua to fetch the pills long ago.

Why did she have to run around the world and go through all that trouble?

Actually, if Luo Xue could reveal her identity, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to get pills from different factions given her status.

But now, not only could she not reveal her identity, she also had to avoid being followed by Qionghua.

This led to this awkward situation.

Lin Fengmian understood right away. In any era, the best things are never available to ordinary people.

He couldn’t help but feel a headache. This was just a top-notch Soul Separation Pill.

If even Luo Xue found it so troublesome with her strength, what would he do in the future?

Luo Xue stood in the crowd, disguised like the others, wearing a black cloak and a silver-white half-mask that covered half of her face.

The atmosphere here was very different from a regular auction hall. Everyone was looking at each other, their gazes filled with scrutiny.

In the tense atmosphere, a sexy hostess slowly entered the hall, and everyone couldn’t help but turn to look at her.