The Trading Fair

"Bang, bang, bang," a series of rapid and forceful knocks suddenly sounded outside the door, interrupting Zhang Tie's cultivation. He slowly stopped circulating his energy and was about to ask who it was when he heard a voice say, "Is Brother Zhang there?"

"One moment," Zhang Tie replied. He then got up, walked quickly to the door, and gently opened it. Standing at the entrance was a scholar dressed in white.

The man held a folding fan, which he gently swayed. His face was as fair as jade, his eyebrows like distant mountains, and his nose bridge was straight like a peak. What was particularly striking was a subtle yet clear scar on his right cheek, a scar that clashed with his scholarly and elegant appearance.

His name was Yang Xiu, a disciple of a small immortal cultivation family from Violet Flame City. Currently, his cultivation was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. Zhang Tie had met him a few days prior while gathering information.

Yang Xiu had arranged for them to attend a small, private trading fair for cultivators at the Qi Refining stage today. With the time approaching, he had come to find Zhang Tie to go together.

For the past two months, Zhang Tie had, apart from gathering information, dedicated almost all his time to tirelessly refining spirit stones to recharge the Undying Pearl. Now, he had finally achieved his goal. This time, he had absorbed nearly fifteen hundred low-grade spirit stones, which made Zhang Tie's heart ache.

Moreover, his Qi Refining cultivation had also broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining in one go, thanks to this opportunity. Perhaps due to the Undying Pearl, his breakthroughs to the eighth and ninth layers had been incredibly smooth, without any obstacles, as if the so-called bottlenecks simply didn't exist.

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Yang. Let's set off now," Zhang Tie said, returning to his senses.

"Most of the participants at this trading fair are fellow cultivators like you, all at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Who knows, we might find some rare treasures," Yang Xiu said. Seeing that Zhang Tie was ready, he turned and walked out the door first, with Zhang Tie following closely behind.

Not long after, the two arrived in front of a pavilion. Above the pavilion, the words "Spring Rain Rouge Workshop" were written in a flowing script.

As they stepped inside, Yang Xiu presented a small, dark-colored token. A maid then came forward and led them towards the backyard.

Upon reaching the backyard, the maid directly pushed open a door and walked into the room. She approached a bookshelf, moved a vase on it, and then the bookshelf surprisingly rotated, revealing a secret passage.

The maid handed two ghost-faced masks to Yang Xiu and said, "You two immortal masters can proceed inside. I'll be going back now."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left, closing the door behind her. Yang Xiu put on the mask and strode towards the secret passage. Zhang Tie quickly put on his mask and followed closely behind. Zhang Tie soon realized that this mask was actually a low-grade first-tier magic artifact.

Clearly, Yang Xiu was not new to attending trading fairs here. He glanced back at Zhang Tie and then headed down the sloping passage. The two descended the stairs. The passage was not dark; on the contrary, it was clearly visible as the walls were inlaid with night-shining pearls.

After walking about twenty steps, they reached the bottom. Walking another ten steps forward, a stone door appeared before them. Yang Xiu placed his hand on it and pushed hard, and the stone door slowly rotated open.

Zhang Tie followed Yang Xiu in. As soon as they entered, the stone door returned to its original state.

The moment Zhang Tie stepped into the place, he felt the space open up. Their entry point was at the very back of the entire trading fair. Two rows of stone tables and chairs were set up in front, with tea placed on the tables. In front of the two rows of tables, there was a three-foot-high stone platform with another stone table on it.

To the right of the stone platform, another stone door was tightly closed.

The two casually found a place to sit. By this time, about six or seven people had already arrived at the trading fair. He and Yang Xiu sat on the right side. Yang Xiu remained silent, while Zhang Tie examined the mask on his face. He discovered that the mask not only protected his face, making others see only a blur, but also altered his voice. Zhang Tie found it quite magical.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, three more people gradually entered. At this moment, the stone door on the right side of the stone platform suddenly opened, and a young woman in a red robe emerged. She had a well-proportioned figure, regular features, and a cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

She walked to the front and said, "Thank you, fellow cultivators, for taking the time to attend. I am Liu Wan'er, and I will be presiding over this trading fair today. Everyone is here, so let us begin."

After speaking, she stood before the stone table and continued, "Since there are new fellow cultivators here, I will briefly re-explain the trading fair's process.

Everyone will go on stage in order, presenting the items they wish to exchange and what they require. If there is mutual satisfaction, the transaction can be completed. After everyone has had a turn, you may conduct private trades or leave."

"Then, I will start by offering a humble contribution." As she spoke, she took out a jade box from her storage bag and gently opened it. Inside was a talisman treasure with a scissor-like pattern drawn on it.

However, this talisman treasure looked dull and lusterless, far from what Zhang Tie possessed. Clearly, this talisman treasure could only be used once or twice more before it would be rendered useless.

"I believe everyone knows what this is, so I will not say more. Although this talisman treasure can only be used twice more, it is still a talisman treasure. Even when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it can resist one or two attacks.

If the timing is right, it might even be possible to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Liu Wan'er continued, "I wish to exchange this for a stalk of Yijing grass. If anyone desires other compensation, we can also negotiate." Afterward, she took out a picture album from her storage bag. The page that was opened displayed the appearance and description of Yijing grass.

After a pause of about ten breaths, seeing no one respond, Liu Wan'er dejectedly put away the jade box and said, "Then, let's begin the exchanges with the fellow cultivator on the left." After speaking, she walked off the stone platform and found a seat.

A burly man in black clothing went on stage. He waved his hand and produced a bell-shaped magic artifact, saying, "This is a high-grade first-tier magic artifact, the Seven Profound Bell. As long as there is sufficient spiritual power, it can withstand the full force of an attack from a Foundation Establishment early stage cultivator.

What I wish to exchange for is a piece of black iron essence." After a pause of more than ten breaths, there was still no response. The burly man in black put away the magic artifact and walked off the stone platform with a shake of his head.

Next, the second and third individuals went on stage in turn. Some displayed magic artifacts, some brought out pills, and some showed cultivation techniques. Some managed to exchange for what they needed, but most returned disappointed. Soon, it was Yang Xiu and Zhang Tie's turn.

Yang Xiu wished to exchange for a storage ring or a storage bracelet, offering spirit stones as payment. Zhang Tie, on the other hand, needed the Compendium of Talisman Crafting, and was willing to pay with either spirit stones or magic artifacts.

Soon, everyone had taken their turn. Afterward, people began to conduct private trades, while some left directly. Just as Zhang Tie was contemplating whether to leave, a old woman in black suddenly walked towards him. The reason she was called an old woman was due to her gray hair and the cane she held.

"Fellow cultivator, would it be convenient for you to discuss this with me over here?" the old woman said.

"Certainly, please go ahead, fellow cultivator," Zhang Tie replied. He then nodded to Yang Xiu and walked towards a corner.

"Fellow cultivator, please take a look. Does this meet your requirements?"

As the old woman spoke, several pages flew out of her storage bag. Zhang Tie reached out and caught them, examining them carefully.

It was a table of contents for a book, and it was indeed what he needed. It not only contained first-tier talismans but also over a dozen types of second-tier talismans, and even three types of low-grade third-tier talismans.

"What do you want, fellow cultivator?" Zhang Tie asked.

"Five hundred low-grade spirit stones, no bargaining," the old woman replied.

"Deal."

Upon hearing this, the old woman took out a book, and Zhang Tie produced five hundred low-grade spirit stones, successfully completing the exchange.