Satisfied with what he had obtained out of the exchange, Senior Yül descended from the stage and went back to his seat.

Another senior superseded him, barely a couple of seconds later.

He was tall, at least 6ft, with broad shoulders and a fit body. He walked with the grace of a feline. Closer observation showed Calum that he didn't only possess the grace, but also the eyes of one.

"He is Tiogair, a core disciple in the 6th state of foundation like the 7 of us. In terms of power, he is only second to us in the whole Core." Yan King once again added his input, presenting the man on the stage to Calum.

"As rumors would have it, he has the blood of a divine beast, the White Tiger." He continued with an informative tone.

*A White Tiger?

Though, Calum didn't have the time to go through the sect depository of knowledge, how could he be unknowledgeable about the White Tiger divine beast? This was a beast even the most isolated village kid knew. This beast was at the center of many of the universe's creation myths.

*Interesting.

He thought to himself.

Calum was thoroughly amazed every second since he came to attend this banquet. Back to senior Tiogair, he didn't put out any object for exchange. Instead, he had a piece of intel.

"I have come across a piece of interesting information about the current imperial administration." He paused, letting it sink.

"Whoever is interested, feel free to manifest yourself. As for what I need... I don't want treasures or cultivation resources. I want someone with expertise in formations to follow me in the great wilderness."

With this, he sat cross-legged and waited.

Soon enough, someone manifested interest in the piece of information. He was a slender senior with an almost feminine appearance.

"Senior, I am interested." Despite his appearance, his voice was incontestably masculine. There was a deepness to it.

"Very well." Senior Tiogair who had closed his eyes opened them, his gaze falling on the man.

*I wonder, how they will exchange without disclosing it to us also? Or will they wait until later to talk?

Calum was curious.

As he observed them, he noticed that both of them had closed their eyes, seemingly in deep meditation.

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"They are communicating through consciousness. You can do it too as long as you open your barriers to your interlocutor." Yan King shed some light on what they were doing.

Calum understood. With the consciousness of a cultivator, talking telepathically was mere child play. It was only a matter of agreement between the two speakers.

"Though, Senior, how much is the effective range of these types of communications." He asked.

"Well, it depends on the speakers' cultivations. Take someone like the Demonic Saint, for example, he could talk with you telepathically even if you were on the other side of the continent." Yan King explained.

A few moments later they had terminated their transaction. Senior Tiogair regained his seat. After this, a plethora of seniors took the scene successively to exchange treasures, cultivation resources, or intel.

There was a great variety of treasures and herbs that changed hands through the duration of the event. Calum's horizons were broadened every two minutes.

He witness a peerless blade that could slash at one consciousness. A necklace that could create a barrier that blocked all manners of attacks. A spear capable of creating a vortex of qi that could turn the hardest ore to dust.

A ring that contained a garden of trees bearing mystical fruits.

A plant rumored to change one constitution, raising one affinity with a particular element. Another one capable of bringing someone back to life as long as his consciousness wasn't completely shattered.

It wasn't all.

There were also various rumors. Naturally, Calum didn't hear the details as he couldn't exchange for them but the general content was something that was announced publicly. If not, how was one supposed to know if it was an intel worth exchanging something for?

Some were about a new inheritance ground. What was an inheritance ground?

According to Yan King, an inheritance ground was the place where a cultivator left his legacy for future generations to benefit. A cultivator would typically do that before they died or left this world. As such, it contained not only an abundance of treasures but also heaven-defying cultivation arts.

It was a treasure trove. Every newly discovered one would cause the confluence of a massive number of cultivators. After all, everyone wanted to find serendipity and ascend in a single bound.

There were also rumors about the sighting of various demons, the birth of a supreme treasure, the ascension of a powerhouse, and the likes.

Finally, the annual banquet came to an end.

"Everyone, thank you once again for participating. I am glad to see the progress of my fellow disciples each year. I won't keep you any longer as we all have things to attend to. Let us gather once more next year." Sun Luo gave a closing speech and everyone left the hall progressively.

Standing outside of the hall, Calum and Yan King watched the other disciples leave the place one by one. Either walking, running, flying, or simply vanishing from sight.

"So what are you going to do now?" Yan King asked.

"Well, I will enter a cultivation retreat. I won't step out until at least a year has gone by."

"Ho? What dedication! For a new disciple, entering seclusion so quickly is unusual. But oh well, I approve." Yan King spoke amusedly.

"After that, I will start taking missions. I need to accumulate merit to exchange for treasures and intel from the sect. Overall, my goal is to become strong, impossibly so." Calum wasn't just speaking to Yan King now he was reaffirming his vow. In his eye, only a lonely tombstone remained.

Yan King watched this junior of his seriously.

*He is obsessed.

Yan King didn't know the exact nature of the obsession of this child at his side. But he was sure of one thing. Either it would become an incredible drive pushing him to the apex at an accelerated speed, or it would become a shackle dragging him into a bottomless abyss.

In any case, if there was a need to bet, Yan King would bet on the kid. After all, he was the only one amongst those who passed the test who was able to cultivate that technique. Yan King also gave it a go all these years ago.

It was fruitless. Naturally, the problem didn't stem from his understanding. Among all the disciples of the Core, he was the one with the most talent in pure comprehension. No, the problem came when it was time to cultivate it.

The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. If it was merely physical, so be it. But it wasn't, it transcended the physique to attain the soul, mind, or consciousness, whatever you called the metaphysical entity intricately linked with the body.

To his knowledge, he was the only one among the 7 to have been able to pierce the mystery of the scripture on the stele. The Saint had even come forth at that time, only to depart in dejection when he wasn't able to cultivate it.

"The road is long but it's good to know another fellow joined." Yan King said as he came back from his recollections. Calum was looking at him puzzled.

Yan King didn't explain.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, junior Calum. If you ever have a question come and see me. Until then, cultivate well." With a laugh full of meanings Senior Yan vanished like a dissipating mirage.

Calum looked at the place he was standing for a moment and shrugged.

*What a great experience! Next year I will come back.

He threw a last glance at the hall and went back to his abode.