The mirror-like surface only existed for three short seconds, but every trace of the battle vanished completely.

Zhang Deming glanced around. The Light Wings on his heels appeared, and he sped away.

The fluctuations from the battle just now had been significant, especially when the Water Dragon evolved at the end. The fluctuations of Duality had been unmistakable.

With Celestial Spirit City being so bustling recently, if he didn’t leave quickly, he would likely be cornered by someone any moment.

The Light Wings on his heels vibrated rapidly as Zhang Deming pushed his speed to the absolute limit.

At the same time, mist enveloped his body as he activated his Hidden Breath Skill at full power.

Just as his Spiritual Power was about to run out, Zhang Deming made it back to the Sect.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself down without a sound, and returned to Qingyou Pool as if nothing had happened.

’I’m still too young and inexperienced,’ he thought. ’I was so careful about everything, yet I forgot to clean up properly.’

Today’s incident was entirely due to a lack of experience and knowledge.

But it wasn’t all bad. The sooner this wake-up call came, the better.

Otherwise, he might suffer a major setback somewhere down the line.

His mind raced with these thoughts as he returned to the Qingyou Jade Pavilion.

With a flip of his hand, he laid out the items he had hastily picked up earlier.

First was the Command Token, the same type of token Zhang Deming had used to enter Falling Turtle Lake.

The situation had been urgent, so Zhang Deming had only managed to grab two; several others were left behind.

Seeing this item all but confirmed his previous suspicion: this guy had been spreading news of the ruins, likely as bait to lure people in.

Zhang Deming inspected the Command Token and gently set it aside.

He then picked up the object that most caught his eye—a book. It was palm-sized, not very thick, and looked like something one would carry around. ’It’s probably a Technique he was studying recently, right?’

The book appeared to be thread-bound and clearly had no title.

Zhang Deming gently opened it and was slightly taken aback.

This book was actually a Magical Artifact, not some secret technique manual.

As Zhang Deming opened it, a map began to appear within the pages, with a flashing red dot in the middle.

"Huh? A xianxia version of a smart map? Did GPS make its way to this Otherworld or something?"

What most intrigued Zhang Deming was that besides the flashing red dot representing the book’s location, three other places on the map were circled.

The first was Falling Turtle Lake. Of the other two locations, one was near the mountain peak Zhang Deming had passed on his way out of his home region.

The last place was completely unfamiliar.

Since there were no notes on the map, Zhang Deming didn’t know what these two places represented.

The entire book only had this one map function.

However, it was quite intelligent. He could display the map by opening the book, or project it onto a Light Screen and zoom in.

Furthermore, he could add new maps or actively record them himself.

Zhang Deming held the book, examining it from all angles. It was actually a One-Star Magical Artifact.

’To be a One-Star Magical Artifact with such a simple function... it seems the map in this book can be expanded to be very large and detailed.’

The current information only covered a portion of the back mountains. For an artifact of this level, that was a waste of its potential.

After another look, Zhang Deming put the book away directly. This thing was very practical.

Finally, Zhang Deming picked up a box. It looked a bit like the legendary Inheritance Boxes.

The kind of box that family patriarchs leave behind for their descendants as a foundational treasure.

In the Hongmeng Realm, these things were very popular among Cultivation Families.

To put it simply, it was equivalent to a puzzle box from his previous life.

If one didn’t know the proper way to open it, it was impossible. Forcing it would only destroy the contents inside.

After examining it for a long time, Zhang Deming set the item aside.

There had been a few other things on the ground at the time, but he was pressed for time and didn’t dare delay, so he had just used a vine to hastily and randomly grab these few items.

Zhang Deming looked at the box and tossed it into the chest of valuables in his room.

He had no desire to carry around something of such unknown origin. Who knew what was inside? A storage bag wasn’t omnipotent, after all.

As for the two Command Tokens, Zhang Deming originally planned to destroy them.

But then he thought about the markings on the map. After some consideration, he inspected them in detail once more. Besides being an access token, there didn’t seem to be any other hidden mechanisms.

’Right, I need to get my hands on some Array-related Techniques,’ he thought. ’Not necessarily as a primary method of attack, but at least so I won’t be at a disadvantage.’

The Array Artifact Dao was prosperous. To achieve mastery in the Array Dao, one needed to spend a vast amount of time, and it required the largest reserve of knowledge.

Therefore, Zhang Deming hadn’t considered pursuing it before.

But now that he had reached the Tai Chi realm, he needed to learn some when time allowed.

He didn’t need to become a professional Array Master, though. He just needed to achieve mastery in Array Dao Techniques. As for specializing in Arrays, he’d see about that depending on the situation.

After tidying up, Zhang Deming took out the half-portion of Wandering Soul Mist from his valuables, opened his Identity Card, and sent a message to Shao Jiefeng.

Shao Jiefeng arrived quickly. Zhang Deming had only just reached his courtyard and waited a short while before Zong En let him in.

"It’s been a while, Junior Brother Zhang." Shao Jiefeng greeted Zhang Deming with a broad smile, his slightly chubby, round face causing his eyes to narrow into slits.

Zhang Deming smiled and said, "Long time no see."

The two sat down again, and Shao Jiefeng began, "Junior Brother Zhang, your message said you had some business for me?"

Zhang Deming nodded, pushed a small Jade Box across the table, and made a "go ahead" gesture.

Shao Jiefeng took the Jade Box with a puzzled expression and gently opened it.

Inside the Jade Box, he saw a small, swirling mass of black smoke.

His brow furrowed slightly. He thought for a moment, then said in astonishment, "The top-tier main promotion material for a Strange Ability Soulless—Wandering Soul Mist?"

Zhang Deming smiled and nodded. "Senior Brother Shao has a good eye."

Receiving confirmation, Shao Jiefeng’s face lit up with joy. He admired it fondly for a long time before finally asking, "Junior Brother Zhang, what is this about?"

Zhang Deming smiled. "I want to get rid of it. Does Senior Brother Shao have any suggestions?"

Hearing this, Shao Jiefeng looked completely stunned. "Junior Brother Zhang, you’re not going to use it to trade for a top-tier main material for the Summoning System?"

"Even though you only have half a portion, Junior Brother, if you pull some strings, you should still be able to exchange it."

Zhang Deming smiled. "Are there any Fetal Jades for the Summoning System in the Outer Sect?"

Shao Jiefeng paused at his words, then shook his head with a wry smile. "The Summoning Category is too broad and versatile. Forget top-tier Fetal Jades, even some of the ordinary main materials are out of stock."

Zhang Deming spread his hands and pursed his lips. "Well, that settles it, then."

Shao Jiefeng tried again, "But the Inner Sect’s resource repository should have some. Why are you in such a rush, Junior Brother?"

"When you get to the Inner Sect in the future, you can use this item, add a few Spirit Stones, and get a spot on the exchange list."

Zhang Deming shook his head. "I’m only an Intermediate Apprentice. That’s too far off. I’d rather focus on what’s in front of me."

Seeing Zhang Deming’s firm attitude, Shao Jiefeng stopped trying to persuade him and asked, "In that case, Junior Brother, are you looking for Contribution Points, to sell it, or to trade it privately?"

Zhang Deming said, "I called you here, Senior Brother, precisely to ask about that."

Hearing this, Shao Jiefeng explained, "If you want to sell it for Spirit Stones, that’s the easiest way. For top-tier main materials, just one is enough to substitute for the vast majority of main materials in any given formula."

"Therefore, the price is between three hundred and five hundred. Of course, since the item is rare, the price might be higher."

"However, what you have is Wandering Soul Mist, Junior Brother. The Strange Ability Class is already rare, and you can count the number of Wraiths in the entire Sect on one hand."

"So, a higher price is impossible. Based on the market rate, your half-portion should sell for around two hundred Spirit Stones."

Shao Jiefeng glanced at Zhang Deming’s expression. Seeing that he seemed unconcerned, he figured he wasn’t interested in Spirit Stones and continued:

"As for bartering, that involves more options. Because of what I mentioned earlier about it being exchangeable for other top-tier main materials..."

"...even a half-portion of Wandering Soul Mist has a large market."

"However, this method is very time-consuming and energy-draining, because every time a potential trader appears, you’ll have to personally see if their offer suits your needs."

"For a private transaction, those are basically your two options."

Zhang Deming pondered for a moment. ’I really don’t want to hold onto this thing. It’s better to get rid of it sooner rather than later.’

So, Zhang Deming said decisively, "Forget it. I’m extremely short on Contribution Points anyway. Just exchange it for Contribution Points for me."