Actually, the calculation is quite simple. Just divide nineteen billion by one thousand two hundred and then by one thousand five hundred.
However, the difficulty lies in the remainder not dividing evenly. Ling Ruoxue did not know how to bring it up for a moment. If it were other items, she could waive the remainder, but how could she waive High Grade Spirit Stones?
"How do you conduct business if you cannot even calculate this? Let me calculate instead. After conversion, nineteen billion Low Grade Spirit Stones amount to approximately one thousand and fifty-five High Grade Spirit Stones. Since there is a remainder, I will round it up for you to one thousand and fifty-six. How about that?"
Seeing that Ling Ruoxue and the others had remained silent for so long, Qin Xiao knew they were waiting for him to round up the sum, so he took the opportunity to grant them face.
"In that case, I thank Young Master Qin."
Ling Ruoxue spoke with a trace of awkwardness.
Following that, Qin Xiao swept all nineteen Storage Bags before him into the System Space and opened them together. The Spirit Stone count was correct, and the exchange commenced.
After a series of operations, Qin Xiao retained nothing. He could continuously produce Low Grade Spirit Stones on his own, rendering reserves useless to him. All nineteen billion were converted into High Grade Spirit Stones, totaling one thousand nine hundred. He retrieved one thousand and fifty-six, placed them into a single Storage Bag, and still netted a surplus of eight hundred and forty-four.
"Very well, here are one thousand and fifty-six High Grade Spirit Stones. Inspect them. Once verified, the transaction is complete."
Qin Xiao produced a Storage Bag and handed it to Ling Ruoxue.
"Thank you, Young Master Qin."
Ling Ruoxue took the Storage Bag and surveyed its contents with a brief sweep of her Spiritual Sense. Since there were only a little over a thousand stones, it required very little time. Upon confirming the amount, she promptly expressed her gratitude.
"Now that the transaction is concluded, I require some materials for Body Refinement. Any pills or medicinal herbs will suffice; bring me whatever you have, as I want them all. However, you must inform me of their respective uses and methods of application."
Finding himself finally finished with the cumbersome tasks, Qin Xiao turned his attention to acquiring provisions for his Body Refinement.
"Young Friend Qin, you are indeed pursuing Body Refinement. I was wondering why I could not sense any cultivation base from you; no wonder you were able to rescue the Young Patriarch from the second layer of the secret realm. Since you are a distinguished guest of our Immortal Dao Merchant Association, ordinary low-grade materials naturally will not serve your current physique. Why not allow this old man to test your physical body so that we may find suitable materials matching your present strength? What does Young Friend Qin think?"
Seeing Qin Xiao wave his hand with the intent to clear out more goods, Wu Li stepped forward to advise him.
As a distinguished guest of the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, he could not be treated with negligence. Selling useless items and inadvertently displeasing such a figure would ruin prospects for future cooperation, making proper service paramount.
"Indeed, Young Master Qin. Manager Wu possesses considerable insight into Body Refinement. Let him examine you so that the remedy fits the condition without wasting resources."
Ling Ruoxue echoed the sentiment, sharing Wu Li's perspective.
"In that case, I shall trouble the Manager to take a look."
Qin Xiao understood nothing of the matter, and having someone filter his options was far more convenient than tinkering blindly.
Wu Li stepped forward and probed Qin Xiao's physique, pressing along his limbs to gauge his physical strength. He then channeled a wisp of Spiritual Qi to examine Qin Xiao's meridians before finally applying pressure with his hand to test his endurance.
Qin Xiao felt a strange sense of incongruity, the process bearing an uncanny resemblance to watching someone select a dog in his past life-checking its purity, coat color, and temperament.
"It is truly a pity. Young Friend Qin's meridians are sealed, rendering him utterly incapable of cultivation. Yet his physical shell is exceptionally rare. Although he cannot cultivate, every single inch of his flesh is saturated with Spiritual Qi, and his physical strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. It is the most consummate Body Refinement physique imaginable. If he could cultivate, he would become a peerless existence."
Upon completing the examination, Wu Li first lamented Qin Xiao's inability to cultivate before showering his physique with praise.
"Nonsense. My physical strength was piled up using Spirit Liquid; naturally, every inch is saturated with Spiritual Qi."
Qin Xiao muttered inwardly, taking care not to voice the thought aloud this time.
"Does Manager Wu have any corresponding materials to recommend?"
Indifferent to the flattery, Qin Xiao pressed for practical recommendations.
He had already discovered that while Spirit Liquid Body Refinement was potent, merely filling himself with spiritual power yielded slow progress. He required methods to aid absorption and external means of enhancement.
"Young Friend Qin, given your present constitution, ordinary medicinal items can no longer assist your advancement. Medical enhancements are primarily meant for initial foundation-building during the early stages, akin to mortal practices, and are no longer suited to your current strength. To progress further, you require a specialized Body Refinement technique capable of rapidly refining and absorbing the energy within your body and converting it into physical might."
Wu Li slowly shook his head as he spoke.
While the early stages of Body Refinement offered numerous drugs and pills to accelerate physical enhancement, such conventional methods failed to affect Qin Xiao's exceptional physique. Since he lacked no resources, acquiring a high-grade Body Refinement technique to aid absorption was the sole path to further advancement.
"Is that so? That is truly regrettable. Does your Immortal Dao Merchant Association possess such a technique?"
Disappointment flickered in Qin Xiao's mind. He had engaged in Body Refinement only to find that medicinal aids were ineffective, and lacking any proper technique, he inquired about their availability.
"Pardon my failing, but Body Refinement is a niche path that very few pursue. Our merchant association does not stock high-grade Body Refinement techniques, and ordinary manuals would be useless to you anyway. However, this old man does happen to know where you might find the high-grade technique you require."
Wu Li shook his head initially before offering a deliberate tease.
"Then Senior, do speak. Is compensation required? Name your price."
Assuming Wu Li was holding out for a lead fee, Qin Xiao urged him to state his price.
"Young Friend Qin misunderstands. This old man requires no remuneration; I merely have a favor to ask."
Seeing Qin Xiao's misconception, Wu Li hastily clarified.
"Speak, then. If it lies within my power to assist, I shall naturally do so."
Because he urgently required information on high-grade Body Refinement techniques, Qin Xiao agreed without hesitation.
"Young Friend Qin is indeed forthright. Then I shall speak plainly. In three months, Spirit Medicine Valley will open. Should Young Friend have the opportunity to acquire a Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, I ask that you sell one to me."
Dispensing with concealment, Wu Li revealed his objective.
He had lingered at the late stage of Soul Formation for a considerable duration, yet due to an insufficient Primordial Spirit, he had remained unable to break through to the Soul Formation peak. Thus, he pinned his hopes on Qin Xiao.
The opening of Spirit Medicine Valley coincided precisely with the ripening period of the Saint Origin Fruit Tree within. The tree bore fruit once every century, yielding several dozen fruits per harvest. Although the headquarters of the Immortal Dao Merchant Association cultivated its own tree, the organization's vast influence meant too many individuals required the item, leaving mere Soul Formation elders like himself without a share.
"Saint Origin Spirit Fruit? Why does that name sound familiar?"
Rather than giving an immediate reply, Qin Xiao searched his memory, convinced he had encountered the term previously.
"Could it be... surely not?"
A sudden realization struck Qin Xiao, prompting him to open the System.
"It truly is you-the newly unlocked supplies."
His suspicion was confirmed as he gazed at the Saint Origin Fruit Tree listed among his newly unlocked supplies within the System Space, alongside a stock of four Saint Origin Spirit Fruits.
Two shichen-four hours-had elapsed since he accepted his disciples, yielding a harvest of four fruits.
"Just how valuable is this Saint Origin Spirit Fruit? What is the market rate?"
Curiosity stirred within Qin Xiao.
"The Saint Origin Spirit Fruit holds immense utility for cultivators at or above the Soul Formation stage. Below that realm, one may advance relying purely on talent. However, upon reaching the Soul Formation stage, the Primordial Spirit becomes independent, and one's cultivation progress is restricted by the strength of that Primordial Spirit. Otherwise, after all these years, even a flood of resources would have fostered numerous Body Integration stage experts. Yet how many individuals above the Body Integration stage can be found throughout the entire Qingzhou?"
Before Wu Li could respond, Ye Qiuyue provided the explanation.
During her years of secluded cultivation, her accumulation of spiritual power alone would have sufficed to breach the Body Integration stage. Yet, because her Primordial Spirit fell slightly short, she remained stalled at the Soul Formation peak.
Had she possessed a single Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, she would have possessed the confidence to achieve a breakthrough to the Body Integration stage within a short timeframe. Yet Saint Origin Spirit Fruits were exceedingly rare; whenever they manifested, major powers invariably acquired or seized them, leaving ordinary cultivators reliant solely on the slow accumulation of time.