After making the deal with Xu, Wang Ping changed the direction of his route before continuing on his journey.
To him, the bird egg from Xu was just a bonus. His next transaction was the true highlight.
After traveling for another twenty kilometers or so, Wang Ping had entered a forest. He saw the "Black Shark Drifter" descending from the sky, landing several meters away from him.
Seeing this, Wang Ping immediately stopped in his tracks, he then bowed and said, "Junior Wang Ping greets Senior Black Shark Drifter."
"No need for such formalities. Have you decided on what you want?"
"Black Shark Drifter" waved his hand and wasted no time on chatter. He went straight to the point, asking about Wang Ping's decision.
When Wang Ping heard this, he replied in a respectful tone. "I am indebted to Senior's kindness in being willing to help this junior. This junior wants an offensive Dharma artifact."
Upon hearing this, the "Black Shark Drifter" immediately patted the storage pouch hanging from his waist. The pouch opened; from it darted out three streaks of spiritual light, landing in front of Wang Ping to reveal three Dharma artifacts.
The three Dharma artifacts were: a black serpent-shaped dart with red stripes, a blue-black dagger that flickered with cold light, and a white pearl the size of an egg.
"Here are three low-grade offensive Dharma artifacts: The Meteor Fire-Snake Dart, the Cold Star Dagger, and the Water Arrow Pearl. Take a look, see which one you want."
Seeing that Wang Ping was staring at the three items fixedly without any idea of what to do, the "Black Shark Drifter" calmly explained the names of each of the three artifacts.
Generally speaking, one would be able to roughly understand the functions of a Dharma artifact just by its name.
Knowing this, Wang Ping, who had been hesitating on which artifact to choose, immediately pointed at the black serpent-shaped dart with red stripes and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior. Junior will choose this Meteor Fire-Snake Dart."
"In that case, it's yours now."
As he spoke, the "Black Shark Drifter" waved his hand to bring the floating serpent-shaped dart flying towards Wang Ping, who caught it reflexively.
The "Black Shark Drifter" waved his hand again and said, "Alright, I've already given you the Dharma artifact. Hand over the spiritual incense to me. This old man has to rush off to trade with the others."
To his surprise, after hearing his words, Wang Ping did not immediately do as he was told. Instead, he gritted his teeth, raised his head, cupped his hands, and said, "Senior, my apologies. This junior has an important matter to report to you."
"Important matters? What important matters can you possibly have for me?"
The "Black Shark Drifter" lowered his voice, looking at Wang Ping coldly with a hint of displeasure. He felt that Wang Ping had crossed the line.
Wang Ping, an early-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, was fortunate enough to obtain the spiritual incense produced by a tier-2 demon beast, the Star-Spotted Whale. In his opinion, Wang Ping had gotten very lucky, and it shouldn't be possible for him to be continuously lucky.
Furthermore, even if Wang Ping was really able to bring out a treasure of the same level, he hated the way he was beating around the bush.
Wang Ping, hearing the displeasure in his voice, hurriedly removed the basket on his back. His tone became even more respectful as he said, "Senior, please calm down. If this junior doesn't have any important matters to report to you about, how could I dare to delay your time? Everything will be clear once you test this little girl's spiritual core constitution!"
"Test this little girl's spiritual core constitution?"
The "Black Shark Drifter" was stunned. He did not expect that from Wang Ping.
However, he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had lived for who knew how many years. He vaguely understood Wang Ping's intentions, and couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity.
He did not say a word. With a swift move, he went over to Wang Ping. Then, he reached out to grab Lin Xiao'e's wrist.
A moment later, his eyes widened as he looked at Lin Xiao'e in astonishment.
"Unbelievable! Unbelievable! She actually has a rare thunder-elemental spiritual core constitution! I really didn't expect this, I really didn't expect that such a small island like Golden Pearl Island could actually bring a child with a thunder-elemental spiritual core constitution into this world!"
It was indeed one of the 'variant spiritual cores,' the thunder-elemental spiritual core!
Wang Ping heaved a huge sigh of relief in his heart, he was overjoyed.
From the looks of it, he had clearly made the right gamble.
Possessing a thunder-elemental spiritual core constitution was extremely rare. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator like the "Black Shark Drifter" was unable to remain calm after seeing it.
"Senior is wise. Ever since this junior discovered that Xiao'e possesses a thunder-elemental spiritual core constitution, I was aware that if I were to let her cultivate with me, it would only delay her journey in Dao and waste her talent. Thus, this junior would like to earnestly request that Senior take her as a disciple. Only a senior as distinguished and knowledgeable in cultivation as you will be able to truly teach her well!"
Wang Ping looked at the "Black Shark Drifter" joyfully, finally revealing his true intentions.
The preciousness and rarity of a thunder-elemental spiritual core constitution were far greater than Wang Ping had imagined.
After hearing his request, the "Black Shark Drifter" went straight to the point and agreed without any hesitation.
He then brought Wang Ping and Lin Xiao'e to a place halfway up Black Stone Mountain and told them to wait and rest for the time being.
They waited for almost two hours since the "Black Shark Drifter" still had to complete his transactions with the other itinerant cultivators before he returned to discuss the matter of taking in a disciple.
"I have never taken anyone in as a disciple before. With Xiao'e's thunder-elemental spiritual core constitution, she is more than qualified to be my first disciple."
"However, this old man doesn't have the foundation cultivation manual required to cultivate a thunder-elemental spiritual core. I will have to go to the markets elsewhere to purchase it."
"Thus, Wang Ping, you will first stay in my cave residence to take care of Xiao'e, teach her how to read, and teach her some basic knowledge of the cultivation world. After this old man has acquired a cultivation technique suitable for Xiao'e, you can then leave."
When "Black Shark Drifter" returned to Black Stone Mountain, he told Wang Ping and Lin Xiao'e about his plans.
There was no room for negotiation in his words. It was not a discussion with Wang Ping, but an order for him.
Wang Ping didn't feel any discontent towards this.
Given his identity as the "Black Shark Drifter," it would be odd if he were to speak to Wang Ping in a negotiable tone, and it would only make him extremely suspicious.
As such, after hearing the words from "Black Shark Drifter" he immediately replied respectfully, "The junior understands. Don't worry, Senior. I will definitely take good care of Xiao'e and wait for Senior's return."
"Very good, you don't have to worry. You've found such an outstanding disciple for me, when I return from the market, I'll definitely return with a handsome reward for you."
The "Black Shark Drifter" nodded his head in satisfaction as he gave Wang Ping his word.
After giving Wang Ping some pointers to take note of, the "Black Shark Drifter" quietly left Black Stone Mountain, riding his tier-2 Demon Shark and leaving Golden Pearl Island for an unknown destination.