Zhou Chuan barged into the Medicine Pavilion with a somewhat overbearing demeanor, adopting this attitude merely to mask his status as a novice.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any medicine?"
"We do."
"I'm talking about spiritual medicine, first-grade and second-grade ones."
"We do."
"Do you have Enlightenment Pills?" Enlightenment pills required the blood of a Spirit Cunning Rabbit as a catalytic ingredient.
"We do."
"What about Qingfeng Pills, do you have those?" Those required it as well.
"Can't you say one more word?"
"Yes."
The shopkeeper was Wang Laoqi, whose cultivation base was at the 7th Layer of Qi Condensation. He had concealed his cultivation base, so Zhou Chuan could not see through the shopkeeper's level, yet the shopkeeper saw through him completely, instantly recognizing that the kid was only at the 3rd Layer of Qi Condensation.
Zhou Chuan deliberately put on a strong front to disguise his identity and avoid being seen as poor. After inquiring, he learned that they sold pills involving Spirit Cunning Rabbits, leading him to deduce that the probability of them buying spirit rabbits was very high, meaning this trip would not be in vain.
"Shopkeeper, I have Spirit Cunning Rabbits. Do you buy them here?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Laoqi dropped his indifferent attitude and became serious.
"We do! How many do you have?"
"I need to understand the price first. After all, spirit rabbits are truly difficult to raise."
"See the goods first, then set the price. That is the rule of the trade."
With that, Zhou Chuan took a Spirit Cunning Rabbit out of his beast bag. Its legs were already bound; otherwise, a fierce spirit rabbit would leap about wildly the moment it saw the light.
When Wang Laoqi saw the plump, robust spirit rabbit brimming with vital energy, he instantly beamed, revealing two rows of large teeth.
"Not bad! Not bad!" Old Wang stroked the Spirit Cunning Rabbit and said.
"Rest assured, they haven't been bled at all, not a single drop. Name your price!"
"One middle-grade spirit stone!"
"What? So little?" Regardless of the offer, Zhou Chuan had to pretend he was getting the short end of the stick and complain that it was too little. His inspiration came from market bargaining strategies.
"Fellow Daoist, one middle-grade spirit stone is not cheap. If not for its vibrant aura of vitality, I wouldn't offer such a high price." The shopkeeper said unhurriedly.
"At least two!" Zhou Chuan declared in a firm tone.
The spirit rabbits he had brought from the Affairs Pavilion had been bled multiple times, so their value naturally could not compare to those in peak condition. However, Zhou Chuan's reckless bargaining stemmed from his utter unfamiliarity with market rates. He figured that if this deal fell through, he could just find another shop next time. Right now, securing his first batch of spirit stones was paramount; otherwise, Zhang Yuan would take his life.
"How many do you have?" Wang Laoqi anticipated bargaining, so he remained calm and composed.
"A considerable number—twenty."
"What is their quality like?"
"Similar to this one, brimming with vital energy and completely unbled."
"Is that so... Two it is, then. If you only had one, I wouldn't buy it."
Wang Laoqi's heart was churning with excitement. One rabbit would have been nothing, but twenty made it an absolute massive business deal. With such volume, he could finally trade with major sects and prominent clans. Most importantly, this was the highest-quality batch of Spirit Cunning Rabbits he had ever laid eyes on, and he would certainly have no trouble finding buyers.
Zhou Chuan's heart was also racing with excitement. On his very first trip down the mountain to do business, he had earned forty middle-grade spirit stones, which was equivalent to four thousand low-grade spirit stones. With this kind of money, he could casually consume first-grade pills without batting an eye.
The transaction was completed quickly, and Zhou Chuan left in a hurry with a heavy pouch of spirit stones. Wang Laoqi asked no questions about the origin of the goods and inquired nothing about his background, which greatly pleased Zhou Chuan. As for whether he had been cheated on the price, he accepted it; after all, he couldn't go around carrying rabbits to ask for quotes everywhere.
"My business cost me nothing to start, but it's a pity I sold so few this time. Next time I'll catch more."
Previously penniless, he now possessed a massive fortune, and a swelling of pride was inevitable. Realizing he could sell even more spirit rabbits, he decided to spend a portion of his money.
Cultivation techniques, spell techniques, a spirit sword, equipment, and Spirit Talismans—he wanted them all.
Selling things required stealth, but buying things did not. He was a disciple of the Water Talisman Sect, and even without a discount, no one would dare to cheat him. He hadn't displayed his sect identity waist token earlier, but now that he was in a different place, there was no harm in wearing it openly.
He went to the most famous Myriad Treasures Pavilion, as the only auction house in the Qi State was located right here.
"Young master... No, esteemed Immortal Lord, welcome to our humble pavilion." The steward in charge of hospitality immediately changed his form of address the moment he caught sight of the Water Talisman Sect's waist token.
The Water Talisman Sect was a third-tier immortal sect, holding a lofty status, and mortals generally addressed disciples of immortal sects as Immortal Lord or Immortal Venerable. Hearing himself called Immortal Lord sent ripples of pleasure through Zhou Chuan; he now possessed a cultivation base and could well afford the title.
"Immortal Lord, how may this humble one assist you?"
"I am looking for a cultivation technique suited for earth spiritual roots."
"We certainly have it. Please follow me, and I will have an Elder receive you personally."
Zhou Chuan thought about it and realized that a cultivation base was the ultimate truth. His current cultivation technique, *Zhengyuan Changqing*, had been cultivated to its limit and could no longer do anything for his cultivation base. To continue advancing his cultivation, he had to practice a new technique, making a cultivation technique his primary choice.
The Water Talisman Sect also had a large number of cultivation techniques and spell techniques for sale, but they all required contribution points or spirit stones to exchange. While they would be cheaper than outside prices, they came with certain inconveniences. Having suddenly come into a windfall, Zhou Chuan was afraid the Elders would ask questions!
When it came to cultivation techniques, Zhou Chuan needed a senior cultivator to provide recommendations. The manager who received him was Chen Chong, the Third Elder of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
"Greetings, Senior Brother of the Water Talisman Sect." Although Chen Chong's cultivation base was at the 6th Layer of Qi Condensation, facing a disciple from the largest immortal sect in the Qi State, he had no choice but to be deferential.
"Greetings, Elder. I wish to find a cultivation technique suitable for an earth spiritual root."
"Since Senior Brother is already at the 3rd Layer of Qi Condensation, it is indeed time to change your cultivation technique."
During the Qi Condensation stage, cultivation techniques were not overly profound; a single technique generally could only raise one's cultivation base by two or three layers. Therefore, Qi Condensation stage techniques were divided into three tiers: low, middle, and high. Low-grade techniques were suitable for those below the 3rd Layer of Qi Condensation, middle-grade techniques for below the 6th Layer, and high-grade techniques for below the 9th Layer.
"I wonder which aspect Senior Brother is interested in?" Chen Chong asked.
"It doesn't matter, as long as it's good." Zhou Chuan had little exposure, so he had no idea what kind of technique suited him best.
"In that case, I would like to recommend the *Lixing Dao* technique to Senior Brother. It has a total of four layers. If one can cultivate it to perfection, your cultivation base will surely advance to the 6th Layer of Qi Condensation."
Before meeting Zhou Chuan, Chen Chong had already figured out his purpose, so he had prepared his pitch beforehand.
A cultivation technique reaching four layers, starting from the 3rd Layer of Qi Condensation—this perfectly matched Zhou Chuan's requirements.
"How much?" Zhou Chuan asked.
"Three middle-grade spirit stones!"
"That's so expensive!" Zhou Chuan had never bought a cultivation technique before. Regardless of what price the manager quoted, he intended to complain that it was too expensive to facilitate bargaining.
"It is a fine item, which is why it is worth this price."
"Can you lower the price?"
"No bargaining."
"Excuse me, do disciples of the Water Talisman Sect receive a discount?"
"Hehe! It seems this is Senior Brother's first time visiting my Myriad Treasures Pavilion."
"Please enlighten me."
"Disciples of the Water Talisman Sect enjoy priority purchasing rights, and all prices receive a flat twenty percent off."
"Very well, I'll buy the cultivation technique."
If the Myriad Treasures Pavilion wanted to secure its position as the premier pavilion, it naturally had to curry favor with the most powerful faction, the Water Talisman Sect. Sect masters and elders rarely visited the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, so the targets of their flattery were actually disciples like Zhou Chuan. Of course, the greater one's strength, the more preferential treatment the Myriad Treasures Pavilion would provide.
Before he had money, Zhou Chuan would have cried out to the heavens and complained that ten low-grade spirit stones for a cultivation technique was too expensive.
"I only have three opportunities to leave the mountain each year, and I can't sell rabbits every day. Cultivation techniques and spell techniques are absolute essentials, so I'll buy everything I need today."
He began to spend lavishly. His cultivation base could now support sword flight, so he wanted to purchase a sword flight art and a spirit sword. The sword flight art was very cheap, costing one hundred low-grade spirit stones for a complete set.
As for the spirit sword, he picked a fine one, spending six middle-grade spirit stones to buy a Green Flower Sword, which was of upper first-grade quality.
Divine sense had to be cultivated independently, and for its technique he also picked a top-tier one, selecting a set called *Miao Miao Six Intents*, which could support his cultivation all the way up to the 6th Layer of Qi Condensation.
As for the spiritual pills needed for cultivation, he didn't dare buy any because he didn't have much money left. Spell techniques were essential, so he bought four of them; spell techniques were much cheaper than cultivation techniques.
In addition, he bought a set of defensive equipment, though it was of middle first-grade quality—he figured it was unlikely he would get into fights with people, so he didn't choose the best. Given his cultivation base, he was now capable of activating upper first-grade equipment.
Gritting his teeth, he bought a silver-grade storage bag, along with food to stave off hunger, dried fruits, and the like. Remembering how well Zhong Xiu had treated him, he decided to give her a substantial gift. He bought a Skin-Nourishing Pill; this pill could not only whiten and beautify the skin, but also prolong life.
After such wild spending, of his forty middle-grade spirit stones, less than two remained, which was already insufficient to pay off his debt to Zhang Yuan.
"I really am a prodigal. If converted into gold coins, I could buy a small city in the E Guo."
"Still, this trip has been truly exhilarating—fully armed! From now on in Heiwu Mountain, no matter who it is, I can stand tall and speak with confidence."
Wa haha!