The next day.
After finishing his morning cultivation, Ji Xia took out the spatial pouches of Pang Shixie and Lu Yuqi.
For the past few days, he had been too focused on cultivation to examine these mystical pouches. Today, the thought suddenly struck him, and he decided to take a closer look.
He first picked up Pang Shixie's pouch. With a flow of spiritual energy across its mystical beast head clasp, a hazy space appeared in Ji Xia's mind.
"I've already checked Pang Shixie's spatial pouch several times, but every time I look at it, I'm delighted," Ji Xia thought to himself.
Inside this spatial dimension were two enormous chests neatly arranged, each filled with luminous blue spiritual crystals.
These chests were unlike the smaller boxes used in Tai Cang or Jiujian for storing spiritual crystals. Each chest in Pang Shixie's pouch was approximately five feet long, five feet wide, and five feet tall. A brief scan revealed that each chest held 10,000 spiritual crystals.
Two chests meant a total of 20,000 spiritual crystals! Such wealth could be considered immense even in the Great Talisman Kingdom.
Apart from the spiritual crystals, there were several sets of armor, weapons, and a chest full of scrolls.
With a thought, Ji Xia opened the chest, and a heavy wooden scroll floated into his hand.
Focusing on the scroll, he saw it contained a cultivation method titled The True Technique of Embracing Clouds.
"It seems this chest is full of cultivation manuals, likely accumulated by Pang Shixie over many years," Ji Xia mused.
He returned the scroll to the pouch and pondered,
"This True Technique of Embracing Clouds is of exceptionally high quality, on par with the Starry Mystery Axis, the inherited cultivation method of the Ji clan. While I already have the Golden Crow Primal Saint Codex, which surpasses these techniques by far, I can still study them to broaden my horizons and refine my skills."
"Moreover, when I return to Tai Cang, I can donate these rare techniques to the Tai Cang Academy, giving my people access to a wider range of powerful methods."
The thought brought Ji Xia great joy. Tai Cang's foundation was shallow, and relying solely on the dozen or so methods available in its academy would severely limit its potential.
But with over a hundred rare techniques now at hand, the martial prowess and wisdom of Tai Cang's people could rise significantly.
"If only there were enough spiritual seeds," Ji Xia thought wistfully. "Currently, only a small number of Tai Cang's population can cultivate using spiritual energy. If we had enough spiritual seeds to endlessly exchange for Meridian Refinement Crystals and enough Tai Lai Spirit Water for everyone, then every citizen of Tai Cang could become a cultivator.
At that point, Tai Cang would no longer be the weak Tai Cang it is now."
Ji Xia indulged in this vision briefly before suppressing his excitement.
"Progress must come step by step. My purpose in coming to the Great Talisman Kingdom this time is to address the issue of my people enduring harsh winters. Then, I will plant some hidden seeds for the future. When Tai Cang needs them, these seeds will bear fruit."
After organizing his thoughts, Ji Xia stored away Pang Shixie's pouch and turned his attention to Lu Yuqi's.
Lu Yuqi's status was extraordinary—he was the young master of the Lu family, a prominent clan in the Great Talisman Kingdom.
The treasures in his spatial pouch far exceeded those of Pang Shixie, his subordinate.
Piles of spirit jade used for inscribing talismans were neatly stacked into a massive block, and beside it were pieces of spirit gold gleaming with otherworldly light.
After examining them for a while, Ji Xia sighed regretfully.
"These spirit jade and spirit gold are far more valuable than spiritual crystals, but Tai Cang lacks talisman masters or artifact refiners. To me, they're just useless treasures."
Tai Cang's treasury still held many spirit gold pieces looted from Jiujian's vaults. Ji Xia had initially planned to bring them to the Great Talisman Kingdom to exchange for spiritual crystals. However, lacking a spatial pouch at the time, transporting them proved difficult. Since Tai Cang wasn't in urgent need of spiritual crystals, he had decided against it.
His gaze then shifted to several small bottles in the pouch. Picking one up, he noticed the label read Transformative Spirit Pill. Opening the bottle, a refreshing fragrance wafted out, invigorating his spiritual energy.
"Pills?" Ji Xia's expression brightened with delight.
"These are far superior to the ones produced by Tai Cang's Apothecary Hall!"
Sweeping his consciousness across the bottles, he found they contained various pills, each clearly labeled: Essence Refining Pill, Tiger Body Pill, Spirit Gathering Pill, Foundation Pill, Hundred Herbs Pill... Over a dozen types of pills lay neatly arranged in Lu Yuqi's pouch.
"These pills can be brought back to Tai Cang for Fang Lu and the apothecaries to study. Perhaps they'll yield valuable insights."
As Ji Xia pondered, he returned the bottles to the pouch. He was about to store it away when his attention was drawn to a massive jade slip in the corner of the spatial space.
The jade slip was half as tall as a person, casually tossed on the ground with its strap undone and lying to the side.
"This must be something Lu Yuqi used frequently," Ji Xia thought as he retrieved it.
Opening the jade slip slightly, a large light screen materialized, densely packed with text arranged neatly across its surface. The sight was overwhelming.
Examining the text closely, Ji Xia felt a jolt of astonishment.
"The Profound Talisman Codex! This is the most comprehensive collection of talismanic knowledge in the Great Talisman Kingdom!"
Ji Xia recalled hearing from Zhao Qu that the Great Talisman Kingdom's royal court had compiled numerous talismanic arts into a jade slip, distributing it to prominent clans and sects for study and practice to enhance their strength.
This jade slip, known as the Profound Talisman Codex, was said to contain extensive records of common talismanic arts in the kingdom, though it omitted the most secret and advanced techniques.
Even so, its breadth was staggering. Nearly all widely circulated talismanic arts were documented.
Ji Xia took a deep breath, marveling at the treasure in his hands.
"This jade slip alone is worth a fortune. While it may not offer much to an individual, to a nation with limited knowledge of talismanic arts, this codex can solve countless problems."
Flipping through the light screen, his eyes fell on a specific section filled with intricate diagrams and annotations.
The Ascendant Furnace Talisman, the very symbol of hope for his people's winter survival, was among its contents.
"No matter what, when I return to Tai Cang, I must establish a Talisman Guild and gather talented citizens to thoroughly study this Profound Talisman Codex!"
"If we can decipher all the talismans in this jade slip, even if it doesn't significantly enhance Tai Cang's military power, it will elevate the quality of life to levels previously unimaginable."
Ji Xia's gaze turned sharp with determination.
"Before that, however, military strength must be prioritized. At the very least, it must reach the level of the Great Talisman Kingdom. Otherwise, stealing the Profound Talisman Codex will surely provoke a retaliatory strike, one that Tai Cang might not survive."
He couldn't help but think of the fate of Zhou Qingguo, its people crushed to paste beneath overwhelming power.
"To negotiate with a tiger, one must prepare early."