Free Market

Seeing this, Wang Hong crowded over as well. The meat of this demonic ox was bright red, covered in snowflake-like marbling.

"Everyone knows that a first-tier mid-grade Demonic Beast is as strong as a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. It took us brothers half a day of hard work to hunt this Golden-Haired Demonic Ox," the dark-faced man continued. "Demonic beast meat is rich in spiritual energy. Eating it can also improve one's cultivation, and it's far more cost-effective than eating Spirit Rice. Spirit Rice costs one Spirit Stone per pound, after all."

"Fellow Daoist, don't take me for an ignorant fool. How can demonic beast meat compare to Spirit Rice?" The middle-aged man who was bargaining shook his head. "The spiritual energy in Spirit Rice is upright and gentle, making it easiest to refine and absorb. It is safe and has no side effects. The spiritual energy in demonic beast meat, on the other hand, is violent and difficult to absorb. Long-term consumption may even affect one's mind."

"The symptoms you mentioned would only appear after eating it continuously for several years. Who would eat demonic beasts every day for years on end?

"Besides, can't you hire Spirit Chefs to prepare it? The Spirit Meals made by Spirit Chefs are not only delicious and free of side effects, but even more effective," the dark-faced man added.

"But hiring Spirit Chefs still costs Spirit Stones, doesn't it? How about this: one Spirit Stone for one hundred and twenty pounds of demonic ox meat?"

After a round of haggling, with each side giving and taking, the dark-faced man finally nodded. He cut off a huge chunk of meat, threaded it onto a straw rope, and handed it to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man accepted it, then took a finger-sized cube from his robes. It was crystal clear and emitted a hazy green glow. He handed it to the dark-faced man.

Wang Hong guessed that this was a Spirit Stone. Were these immortal masters using stones like this as money? He had to find a way to get a few and take a closer look.

Wang Hong continued down the market and discovered that all transactions here used the same kind of Spirit Stone, though their colors varied.

The goods here dazzled the eye, and every kind of item was for sale. Unfortunately, Wang Hong did not recognize any of them. He was in no hurry, though; he could simply treat it as broadening his horizons.

Two piles of ore sat on one stall. One pile was jet-black and gleaming, with a small sign in front that read: Mysterious Iron Ore, one Spirit Stone per pound. In front of the other pile of crimson ore was written: red copper, two Spirit Stones per pound. Wang Hong stood nearby for a while and only learned from others' conversation that they were used to refine magical artifacts. But what exactly were magical artifacts? What kind of things were they?

Another stall specialized in materials said to come from Demonic Beasts. There were horns more than three feet long, enormous beast claws, and even a small tuft of fine golden fur, which the stall owner praised until it seemed almost divine.

At this moment, Wang Hong was studying a spirit herb stall with great interest. At last, he had found something he recognized.

A foot-long medicinal herb lay on the stall before him. Its stem was white, its leaves emerald green and heart-shaped. This was the rare medicinal herb Green Leaf Vine that Wang Hong had seen described in books, though he had never had the chance to see it before. When it reached ten years of age, its stem was white; after fifty years, the stem would turn from white to green.

There was also a Turtle Leaf Grass. The patterns along its leaf veins resembled a turtle's shell, and it too was an exceedingly rare herb recorded in the books.

Several other medicinal herbs were displayed on the stall as well, but Wang Hong did not recognize them. Presumably, they were rare medicinal herbs too.

At other stalls, Wang Hong saw several more precious herbs recorded in the books.

Wang Hong also found a hundred-year-old Ginseng at one stall. He asked about the price, and it was being sold for twenty Spirit Stones.

Hearing that price, Wang Hong immediately felt much more at ease. He still had dozens of subordinates to support. Just moments ago, he had been worrying that he would become dirt poor, but now, at least for the short term, he would not have to worry about lacking Spirit Stones. His first pot of gold finally had a source. He still had one or two hundred Ginseng plants over a hundred years old in his space, and the oldest had already reached two hundred years.

"Come take a look! All kinds of cultivation manuals, sold cheap! Pick whatever you like, choose whatever you want—there's bound to be one that suits you!"

A tall, skinny young man shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Pass by if you like, but don't miss out! Once you've passed this village, there won't be another shop!"

More than a hundred books of every variety lay spread across the tall, skinny man's stall. Quite a few people were gathered around the bookstall, picking through them.

Wang Hong went over as well. The books truly came in every conceivable variety, all piled together in a chaotic jumble.

The first book that caught his eye had a beautiful, slender woman painted on its cover. Its title read, "One Hundred Techniques for Pursuing Female Cultivators." He casually flipped through it and found nothing but boring content. Wang Hong thought, Are immortals really this idle?

He casually picked up another book, "Basic Fire Spells," and flipped through it. He recognized every word inside, but once they were strung together, he could not understand a single sentence.

He picked up another book, "Wood Element Art," and flipped through it. It seemed to be a cultivation technique similar to an internal energy manual. He still could not understand it.

After flipping through some of the other books, he found a very thick volume in the pile. Written on it in regular script were the large words: "Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation."

Wang Hong flipped through a few pages and found that this book suited his current needs perfectly. It introduced all kinds of basic knowledge about cultivation. It contained brief commentary on certain Cultivation Techniques, introductions to the various spiritual objects of the cultivation world, and much common knowledge about the cultivation world.

Wang Hong began calculating how to buy this book. He raised the book in his hand and asked, "How much is this one?"

The tall, skinny man glanced at Wang Hong. "Ten Spirit Stones."

Then he resumed shouting, apparently not expecting Wang Hong to be able to afford it. Wang Hong reluctantly put the book down and got up to continue onward.

After spending several hours walking through the entire great plaza and examining every stall, he had gained quite a lot.

Wang Hong now planned to sell some items from his space and gather some Spirit Stones. After making a full circuit, he had found that all transactions here used Spirit Stones as currency, or else involved direct barter.

Wang Hong pondered it. There were at least two kinds of items in his space that he could sell here in exchange for Spirit Stones. One was the Ginseng he had just seen, while the other surprised even him.

The rice and wheat he had planted in his space had undergone changes over the past few years and could now grow as tall as a person. Their growth cycle had also become much longer, taking more than ten days—roughly equivalent to a full year—to mature. The greatest change was that the grains they produced were now as large as chicken eggs. Every grain of rice was crystal clear, and they tasted even better than before.

Earlier, Wang Hong had seen a stall selling Spirit Grains. Out of curiosity, he went over to take a look and discovered that they were identical to the rice growing in his space. The price was one Spirit Stone for ten grains of Spirit Grains.

Wang Hong had plenty of Spirit Grains piled up in his space, just right for selling in exchange for Spirit Stones. However, Spirit Grains took up a great deal of space, and with so many people watching here, it would not be convenient to take them out of his space.

The plaza stalls carried a complete range of goods. Most sold all kinds of items, but some stalls specialized in purchasing goods. There were dozens of stalls with signs saying they bought spirit herbs alone.

Wang Hong found a stall run by a kind-looking old man. He took a small cloth bundle from his robes and handed it over.

"Please take a look and see how many Spirit Stones this is worth."

The old man slowly opened the cloth bundle and saw two plump Ginseng plants inside. Their roots were intact, and they were extremely fresh.

"Young man, these two Ginseng plants are of good quality, and their spiritual energy is exceptionally rich. They must have grown somewhere with abundant spiritual energy. Judging by their age, they should be a hundred years old."

The old man covered the bundle again and said unhurriedly, "For these two Ginseng plants, I can offer at most thirty-five Spirit Stones. If you agree, we can complete the deal immediately."

Wang Hong considered it briefly, then nodded in agreement. Sold individually, two Ginseng plants like these should be worth around forty Spirit Stones. Anyone buying them had to earn a margin. He accepted the Spirit Stones the old man handed over and quickly stuffed them into his robes.