The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 485: Long Xuan Takes the Stage

After scanning the crowd, Qian Changjiang smiled and finally said, “I thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the trade fair I’m hosting.”

“I believe everyone here already knows my identity, so I won’t waste time introducing myself.”

“I have only two rules: First, no deception is allowed at my trade fair. Second, no one is allowed to rob or kill for treasures after leaving the venue.”

“During the entire event, a Integrity Gu will be in operation to detect lies. This guarantees that no one will be deceived. Those fond of playing tricks had better behave themselves, or they’ll have to bear the consequences.”

Qian Changjiang’s authoritative gaze swept across the crowd. Many lowered their heads after meeting his eyes. Even those at the peak of Gu King realm had to bow their heads before one of the Top Ten Powerhouses of the Gu World.

His words reassured everyone present.

Qian Changjiang was indeed one of the strongest cultivators in the Gu World. There weren’t many who could surpass him in combat power in this realm.

Since he had explicitly forbidden any post-event murder or treasure plundering, who would dare to defy his command and risk offending him?

This guaranteed the safety of the trade fair, allowing participants to confidently bring out their most valuable treasures.

The most crucial factor was the presence of a Integrity Gu, which ensured no one could falsify transactions. This greatly minimized the risk of purchasing counterfeit goods.

Such a secure and well-regulated trading environment was precisely what attracted a large number of Gu Kings to participate. Trade fairs with so many Gu Kings gathered in one place were truly rare.

After sweeping his sharp gaze across the crowd, Qian Changjiang withdrew his eyes and said,

“Alright, since I’m the host of this trade fair, let me take the lead.”

“However, I have far too many treasures—too many to place on the table, or even in this room. So just tell me what you want. Whatever it is, I have it on me.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Gu cultivators in the room turned marvelously complex. Even Long Xuan’s mouth twitched involuntarily—this man really knew how to show off. Yet the frightening thing was: he was telling the truth.

As his words fell, an elderly man rushed forward impatiently and exclaimed,

“I need a Longevity Pill or a Longevity Gu. Do you have either?”

At this, everyone gasped inwardly and stared at Qian Changjiang with eyes full of hope.

They hadn't expected someone to immediately request such an outrageous treasure. Anything that could extend one’s lifespan was extremely rare and precious—items that almost never entered the public market.

After all, anyone who acquired a treasure that could extend lifespan would use it themselves immediately. Who would ever sell such a thing?

Could this multi-treasure merchant actually possess such a rare item? All eyes turned greedily toward Qian Changjiang.

With a confident smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Qian Changjiang chuckled,

“Isn’t it just a treasure that increases lifespan? Of course I have it—and not just one, but many.”

“But you should know the rules of a Treasure-Gathering Merchant, right? No matter what you want, you must offer a treasure worth 30% more in value to make the trade.”

“And the valuation of treasures is determined solely by us Treasure-Gathering Merchants. I have the final say on everything. No objections will be accepted. Do you agree?” Qian Changjiang asked sternly.

The elderly man nodded excitedly,

“I am well aware of the rules of multi-treasure merchants. Since you possess something that increases lifespan, the price is no issue at all!”

With that, the elder began pulling treasures out of his storage pouch, laying them out one after another on the table.

In Long Xuan’s view, the elder took out one item—Qian Changjiang shook his head. Another item—still a shake of the head.

It wasn’t long before the table was piled with treasures of staggering value. The elder had essentially emptied his entire fortune.

Finally, when his trembling fingers brought out the last item, Qian Changjiang stopped shaking his head. With a smile, he nodded and swept all the treasures into his possession. Then he placed a pill bottle on the table.

“This is a Two-Hundred-Year Longevity Pill. Keep it well.”

The elder eagerly put the pill away and finally let out a long breath of relief. He had obtained the Longevity Pill, though it cost him everything he had.

His lips twitched in pain, but trusting the Integrity Gu, he didn’t inspect the item on the spot and turned to leave.

Watching the transaction conclude, Long Xuan’s expression turned strange. To completely clean out a peak-level Gu King’s fortune and only give a single Two-Hundred-Year Longevity Pill in return—this Treasure-Gathering Merchants was truly ruthless.

Once the elder left, another Gu cultivator quickly stepped up to trade.

Even though dealing with multi-treasure merchants required offering treasures of higher value, and the trades were inherently unfair, many Gu Kings still lined up eagerly to be "taken advantage of."

The reason was simple: in this world, the rarest treasures might not be obtainable even after decades or centuries of effort.

Time is also a cost. Many Gu Kings believed that even if the trade was unequal, it was worth it to save decades of effort.

After some contemplation, Long Xuan also decided to become one of the “willing fools.” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

This Treasure-Gathering Merchant truly had many treasures that he needed, though he could forgo the rest—after all, the more trades he made, the more he stood to lose.

However, there was one item on Qian Changjiang that he absolutely had to obtain—no matter how many treasures he had to give up in exchange.

Those who possess Heavenly Water can sense each other. He vaguely sensed the aura of Three-Yuan Heavy Water emanating from Qian Changjiang.

There is only one instance of the Three-Yuan Heavy Water across all worlds—if he missed this opportunity, it might never come again.

He had long resolved to collect all forms of Heavy Water. Now that he had found the whereabouts of the Three-Yuan Heavy Water, how could he possibly let it go?

Long Xuan did not compete with the other Gu Kings but chose to sit in the back and wait patiently.

Even if he wanted to fight over it, he wouldn't be able to win. To stay hidden, he had chosen a corner seat in the last row—how could he possibly be faster than the Gu Kings sitting in the front row?

Time passed slowly. There were simply too many Gu Kings lining up to trade with the Treasure-Gathering Merchant. Long Xuan yawned repeatedly. It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that he saw an opening and seized the opportunity to rush forward at top speed.

“Is the Three-Yuan Heavy Water on your person available for trade?” Long Xuan asked directly through soul transmission the moment he approached.

“Heh… Everything the Treasure-Gathering Merchant possesses can be traded—so long as you can afford the price,” Qian Changjiang replied.

“You should know the value of the Three-Yuan Heavy Water. Are you sure you can offer something worth more?” Qian Changjiang asked meaningfully, eyeing him.

A faint smile curled on Long Xuan’s lips as he transmitted back:

“I killed a junior cultivator and found the Heaven Prison Staff forged by the Artifact Fanatic on him. Would you trade your Three-Yuan Heavy Water for the Heaven Prison Staff? Surely, the Three-Yuan Heavy Water is of no use to a senior like you.”

By leveraging the magnification ability of the Eye of Heavenly Secret, he had already deciphered the refining method of the Heaven Prison Staff. In the future, he could use the Eye of Heavenly Secret to engrave the artifact patterns on the staff a hundredfold, allowing him to forge divine weapons far more powerful than the Heaven Prison Staff.

Through studying the refining technique of the Heaven Prison Staff, he even had confidence in perfectly recreating the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden-Hooped Staff) from Journey to the West.

Thus, the Heaven Prison Staff was now of no use to him. Trading it away didn't make him feel the slightest bit of regret.

The moment Qian Changjiang heard the words Heaven Prison Staff, his pupils shrank and his eyes revealed an uncontrollable joy.

It was rare to see something that could make a seasoned Treasure-Gathering Merchant so ecstatic.

When the Heaven Prison Staff first appeared, it immediately ranked third on the Gu Realm's Divine Artifact Ranking—a truly heaven-defying weapon. Possessing it was tantamount to invincibility.

The Artifact Fanatic, with this very artifact, had once swept across the human world. Even when hundreds of Gu Kings joined forces, they were utterly defeated by this weapon.

The value of the Heaven Prison Staff was evident.

However, when compared to the Three-Yuan Heavy Water, it was not an easy comparison to make.

In higher-level worlds, the Three-Yuan Heavy Water would undoubtedly be more valuable. After all, the Heaven Prison Staff was only a Grade-4 Spiritual Tool—invincible in the Gu Realm perhaps, but insignificant elsewhere.

But within the Gu Realm, Gu Kings couldn't fully utilize the power of the Three-Yuan Heavy Water. In terms of enhancing combat capability, the Heaven Prison Staff was clearly superior.

Therefore, the value of the Three-Yuan Heavy Water was hard to definitively assess. Still, at this moment, he was already determined to obtain the Heaven Prison Staff.

Losing the Three-Yuan Heavy Water didn’t matter. As a Treasure-Gathering Merchant, his collection contained more than one type of Heavenly Water. A weapon like the Heaven Prison Staff that could directly boost his combat power was something he had to trade for.

With the Heaven Prison Staff in hand, he might even rise further in the Gu Realm’s Top Ten Power Rankings.

“Deal!” Qian Changjiang exclaimed excitedly.

He extended his hand—with the storage ring on his finger—toward Long Xuan.

Long Xuan understood what he meant. Clearly, Qian Changjiang didn’t want anyone to see the Heaven Prison Staff. Even he had to be cautious of the greed that such an artifact might incite.

Long Xuan touched his storage ring to Qian Changjiang’s. The Heaven Prison Staff was instantly transferred. At the same time, the small sealed box containing the Three-Yuan Heavy Water was also transferred to Long Xuan’s storage ring.

The entire transaction occurred without anyone knowing what had just been exchanged.

After completing the deal, Qian Changjiang stepped down from the stage—clearly making room for others. Had he continued to monopolize the platform, the entire trade gathering would’ve become his personal showcase.

Long Xuan paused for a moment. Now, he was the only one standing on stage. According to the unspoken rules of the trade gathering, it was now his turn to present his treasure.

Of course, he could also choose not to display anything and simply leave, in which case someone else would take the stage.

Taking a deep breath, Long Xuan stepped forward and spoke loudly:

“The treasure I’m offering is quite special—it’s not a physical item I can place on the table. It’s a piece of intelligence.”

“I discovered a large ancient tomb within the borders of the Xuanyuan Empire. To this day, it has never been excavated—not even by me. When I saw how dangerous it was, I decided to halt all attempts at excavation.”

“To shift the risk, I’ve decided to sell the hidden location of this tomb. That way, I gain the benefits without the danger.”

“No one knows exactly what lies within the tomb, but considering how perilous it is, one can safely assume the buried treasures must be substantial.”

“Anyone interested in the tomb’s location can contact me via soul transmission. The highest bidder wins. Any kind of treasure will be accepted as payment.”