Picking Up Bargains in the Market? No, the Bargains Picked Me Up!

After his closed-door cultivation hit a snag, Li Wuyang decided to go out and clear his head, and perhaps, fulfill his dream of "getting rich" by visiting the cultivation market near Qingyun Sect to see if he could snag a bargain.

He disguised himself as an ordinary rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage (keeping a low profile), bringing along Little Fire, who had also changed its form to resemble an ordinary little puppy, and Yingying, disguised as a small sparrow. He excitedly arrived at the "Qingyun Market."

The market was bustling with people, and the cries of vendors filled the air. It was much smaller than the Myriad Spirits Market in the Primordial World, but it was still quite lively.

"Look here, look here! A peerless sword unearthed from an ancient Sword Immortal's cave dwelling! Only a hundred high-grade spirit stones!"

"Walk by, don't miss out! Ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng King, eat it and immediately reach Golden Core! Selling at a rock-bottom price!"

"Fellow Daoist, please stay! I see you have unusual potential, this copy of Buddha's Palm... Ah, no, it's a fragment of the Qingyun Sword Art, it's fated for you!"

Li Wuyang listened to these familiar shouts, feeling as if he had traveled back to Earth's antique market. He looked around, and relying on his experience of "scavenging" in the Primordial World, he quickly discovered... it was all fake!

The "peerless sword" was covered in rust, and a scan with his divine sense revealed a loose internal structure; it would likely break with a slight tug. The "ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng" had faint spiritual energy, clearly a carrot soaked in special medicinal water! As for the sword art fragment... hehe, the content was utter nonsense, worse than anything he could have made up.

"Alas, the world is changing, and people's hearts are not what they used to be," Li Wuyang sighed, deeply disappointed.

Just as he was about to head back, an unremarkable stall in a corner caught his attention. The vendor was a disheveled old man, drooling as he slept, with a few dark, unappealing stones, some wilted herbs, and a chipped bowl displayed on his stall.

However, the Great Dao Imprint in Li Wuyang's sea of consciousness resonated faintly with the largest black stone!

"There's something here!" Li Wuyang rejoiced inwardly, but his expression remained calm. He ambled over and casually picked up the black stone, weighing it in his hand. "Boss, how much for this lump of coal?"

The old man was woken up, wiped his drool, and groggily glanced over. "Oh, that? Found it by the roadside, used it to weigh down a pickle jar. Ten low-grade spirit stones and it's yours."

Li Wuyang suppressed his excitement and was about to pay when a foppish young master, with greasy hair and a fan in hand, suddenly darted out from the side, snatched the black stone, and exclaimed, "This stone has caught my eye! I'll give twenty low-grade spirit stones for it!"

Li Wuyang was taken aback. Someone was cutting him off? He looked at the young master, whose cultivation was only at the late Qi Refining stage—a typical spoiled brat.

"Fellow Daoist, isn't there a matter of first come, first served?" Li Wuyang frowned.

"First come, first served? In this Qingyun Market, whatever our Liu family fancies, is ours!" The young master said haughtily, his nostrils flaring. His two lackeys behind him also rolled up their sleeves, their faces menacing.

Seeing this, the old vendor flinched and dared not utter a word.

Li Wuyang chuckled. He hadn't expected to encounter such a classic scenario in this low-tier cultivation world. He had intended to keep a low profile, but his strength (and background) wouldn't allow it!

He sighed and looked at the young master as if he were an idiot. "Little friend, didn't your mother ever tell you that snatching things randomly brings bad luck?"

"How dare you insult me?!" The young master roared, "Beat him!"

The two lackeys charged forward with yells.

Li Wuyang couldn't be bothered to lift a finger. He gave a look to Little Fire, who was disguised as a puppy at his feet.

Little Fire yawned, opened its mouth, and let out a gentle puff—poof! A small cluster of sparks flew out, landing precisely on the crotches of the two lackeys.

"Aaaargh—! It's on fire! My balls!" The two lackeys instantly turned into rolling gourds, screaming and patting their groins. The scene was quite graphic.

The young master was stunned, pointing at Li Wuyang. "You... you used sorcery!"

Li Wuyang shrugged. "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Who saw my dog breathing fire? Clearly, your servants accidentally set themselves on fire."

Just then, the market patrol cultivators were alerted and rushed over. The one leading them was Zhao Gan, whom Li Wuyang had met once before.

Zhao Gan recognized Li Wuyang and then looked at the Liu family servants rolling on the ground and the terrified Liu family young master. His scalp tingled, and he quickly bowed. "Pr... Senior Li! Are you alright?"

This address of "Fellow Daoist" and respectful attitude stunned the onlookers and the young master Liu. Zhao Gan was an outer sect steward of Qingyun Sect, a cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage! And he was showing such respect to this seemingly ordinary rogue cultivator?

Li Wuyang waved his hand and pointed at the black stone in the young master's hand. "I'm fine, it's just that this little friend wanted to snatch something I had my eye on."

Zhao Gan's expression turned stern, and he berated Young Master Liu. "Liu Neng! How dare you offend Senior Li! Return the item to Senior immediately and apologize!"

Young Master Liu was on the verge of tears. How could he have known this guy, who looked like a rogue cultivator, had such a powerful background! He quickly returned the black stone with both hands and apologized tremblingly.

Li Wuyang took the stone, weighed it, and smiled at Zhao Gan. "Steward Zhao, your enforcement of the law is strict. Very good." He then turned to the terrified old vendor and said gently, "Boss, I'll take the stone. Here are ten low-grade spirit stones."

The old man tremblingly took the spirit stones, feeling as if he were dreaming.

Li Wuyang walked away with the stone, in a good mood. Young Master Liu was left bewildered in the wind, along with a crowd of onlookers chattering amongst themselves.

"Who is that? Even Steward Zhao calls him Senior?"

"Don't know, he looks like he's hiding his strength!"

"Liu Neng really kicked a steel plate this time, haha!"

Exiting the market, Li Wuyang looked at the black stone in his hand and chuckled. "I wanted to pick up a bargain, but the bargain came to me, complete with a face-slapping scene. This trip was definitely worth it!"

He felt that life in the Spiritual Stream Realm was starting to become interesting.