Myriad Treasures Tower

One day, Wang Hong checked into a rather unremarkable inn and paid for half a month in advance.

After staying for a few days, he went in and out countless times. Seeing that no one paid him any attention, he disguised himself as Wang Kun, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and left the inn.

First, he rented a secluded courtyard in the city. Considering that he would be using this identity for a long time, he needed a place to live.

On this day, Zhao's Elixir Pavilion welcomed a distinguished guest, a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Shopkeeper Zhao personally greeted him at the door with extreme enthusiasm.

The two then entered a secret chamber. The specifics are unknown, but after their meeting, Shopkeeper Zhao respectfully escorted the guest out.

The next day, the elixirs that Zhao's Elixir Pavilion had previously sold out and were out of stock were replenished.

There was even news that a precious Barrier Breaking Pill was for sale, and it was eventually bought by a cultivator for nine thousand Spirit Stones.

Needless to say, this mysterious distinguished guest with thick eyebrows and large eyes was naturally Wang Hong, disguised as Wang Kun.

He believed that with one or two more appearances, those who were secretly investigating would surely find him.

In a quiet room in Qingxu City, Wang Hong took out all the White Crystal Fruits that had their pits removed. He gently picked up a piece. The fruit's texture was like top-grade jade, crystal clear and faintly luminous, making it almost a shame to eat.

He took a light bite. It was crisp and juicy. After a slight chew, it melted into a mouthful of juice that slid down his throat.

"Mmm! Delicious! I'll switch to these for my snacks and fruits from now on."

After eating one White Crystal Fruit in a few bites, he felt a cool stream of energy flow into his dantian and merge with the spiritual energy vortex. His spiritual energy seemed to have been purified, and a sense of refreshment spread throughout his body. The spiritual energy vortex in his dantian had shrunk by a fraction.

After he finished all fifteen White Crystal Fruits, he sadly discovered that his cultivation level had dropped from Qi Refining Layer Five to Qi Refining Layer Four.

While he was shocked by the potent effects of the White Crystal Fruit, he also lamented how superficial his previous cultivation advancement solely through elixirs had been.

Although his cultivation level had dropped by one layer, his magical power had become more refined. His combat strength had not only not decreased but had even subtly increased.

After eating the White Crystal Fruits, he also used the remaining dozens of Spirit Fruits he had collected to brew Spirit Wine according to a first-tier high-grade Spirit Wine recipe recorded in "Secret Brews of the Wine Master," storing it in his Mysterious Space.

High-grade Spirit Wine was currently in high demand in the market. Qingxu City did not have a single Spirit Wine shop that could supply it in sufficient quantities.

They could only sell a limited amount once a month or every few months, which would attract a rush of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

After finishing these tasks, Wang Hong decided to buy some Magic Artifacts, as all the Magic Artifacts he had brought with him this time were lost. He couldn't even use the two spoils of war he had obtained.

Coincidentally, over the past month, his three shops had brought him nearly thirty thousand Spirit Stones.

As soon as Wang Hong approached the entrance of the Myriad Treasures Tower, the four attendant girls standing at the door bowed in unison. One of them immediately stepped forward and led him into the tower.

"Esteemed guest, are you here to purchase or sell items today?" the attendant asked with a polite smile.

Wang Hong glanced at the attendant's beautiful face and replied, "I need to purchase some offensive and defensive Magic Artifacts this time."

He followed the attendant into the main hall and discovered that it was incredibly spacious, capable of accommodating hundreds of shoppers.

The attendant skillfully led him to the Magic Artifacts area. This area had ten rows of rosewood shelves displaying over a thousand Magic Artifacts. Each Magic Artifact was protected by a light barrier.

They ranged from low-grade to high-grade, with mid-grade being the most numerous and high-grade the least. The prices varied from one hundred Spirit Stones to over a thousand Spirit Stones.

As he looked through the rows, Flying Swords were the most common, with various other types of Magic Artifacts also available.

Wang Hong walked to the counter displaying Spear Magic Artifacts. There were over a dozen spears, with only two being high-grade.

The two high-grade spears were one a fiery red and the other a deep black.

At this point, the attendant introduced, "This red spear is entirely crafted from first-grade Fire Obsidian. It is one zhang and nine cun long, weighs nine hundred jin, and comes with fire-elemental magical attacks. It is priced at one thousand Spirit Stones."

"This black spear is entirely crafted from Profound Nether Heavy Iron. It is one zhang and six chi long, weighs six thousand jin, and is equipped with a gravity formation, but has no magical attacks. It is priced at one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones." As she introduced this spear, she felt a bit strange.

She had heard from seniors in the shop that this spear had been displayed here for decades. She wondered what the artifact refiner was thinking when they created such a heavy spear; who could possibly wield it?

However, to his surprise, this unassuming young man seemed more interested in this dark, heavy spear.

Wang Hong signaled for the attendant to help him open the barrier. The attendant took out a token and lightly swiped it, and the light barrier slowly opened to the sides.

Wang Hong reached out and took the black spear. He hefted it in his hand and felt that the weight was just right, neither too light nor too heavy.

His purpose in choosing a spear was for close combat, and a heavier weapon could better leverage his body-tempering advantages. Without much hesitation, he decided on this spear.

After selecting the spear, he then proceeded to the Flying Sword area.

He wasn't too particular about Flying Swords and chose a mid-grade earth-elemental Flying Sword. Earth-elemental Flying Swords were slightly less agile but were sturdy and durable, unlike the one that was easily shattered last time. The price was also not expensive, two hundred Spirit Stones.

When he reached the counter for defensive Magic Artifacts, he began to worry again. For defensive Magic Artifacts, the stronger the defense, the better, of course.

However, his current spiritual power cultivation could at most activate mid-grade Magic Artifacts. If he were to force the activation of a high-grade Magic Artifact even once, Mistwind Gorge would drain all his spiritual power.

Furthermore, defensive Magic Artifacts required continuous consumption of the owner's spiritual power during defense.

This was also why he had been using defensive talismans instead of Magic Artifacts before.

Ultimately, Wang Hong decided to buy two items: a mid-grade pale yellow small shield for eight hundred Spirit Stones, which he could use daily.

And a high-grade Mystic Turtle Shield, refined from an entire piece of tortoise shell. It was priced as high as three thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.

This high-grade Magic Artifact could save his life in critical moments. Like this time, if his primary combat Magic Artifact was damaged, he would have a replacement.

After selecting the Magic Artifacts he needed, he asked the attendant beside him, "May I see the second-tier Spirit Grass and Spirit Fruits?"

"Second-tier spiritual items are all on the second floor, which is a dedicated area for Foundation Establishment cultivators. If a Qi Refining cultivator wishes to enter the second floor, they need to pay a deposit of ten thousand Spirit Stones, which will be refunded upon departure," the attendant replied.

Wang Hong thought it made sense. Second-tier spiritual items were generally not useful or affordable for Qi Refining cultivators. If every Qi Refining cultivator came to look and broaden their horizons, they would be overwhelmed.

However, outright refusal was also not appropriate, as there might be some wealthy Qi Refining cultivators with purchasing power. When doing business, why turn away customers?

Setting the threshold at ten thousand Spirit Stones would effectively block most Qi Refining cultivators who were only there to gain experience and lacked the ability to purchase anything.

Wang Hong paid the ten thousand Spirit Stone deposit and followed the maidservant to the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the second floor was considerably quieter.

The shelves were also spaced much further apart. There were only about twenty people scattered about, but over a dozen of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, exuding an astonishing pressure.

There were also a few Qi Refining cultivators who cautiously kept their distance from the Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only after the Foundation Establishment cultivators moved away did they dare to approach and observe.

Wang Hong walked up to an empty spiritual herb counter. There weren't many spiritual herbs, only a dozen or so stalks. But they were all good things, things he had only read about in books and never seen in person.

Any single spiritual herb here was worth hundreds or thousands of Spirit Stones. Among the dozen or so spiritual medicines, Wang Hong found a Nine-leaf Golden Thread Grass, a primary ingredient for the Golden Body Pill.

His Body Tempering Art recorded two pill recipes: one for the Body Tempering Pill and one for the Golden Body Pill, along with several Spirit Fruits that could aid in body refinement. Currently, he had only collected the materials for the Body Tempering Pill and had cultivated a small plot in his Mysterious Space.

For the Golden Body Pill, he had only gathered a few secondary ingredients and hadn't found any Spirit Fruits. Today, he finally found a primary ingredient, which was an unexpected delight.

Wang Hong immediately decided to purchase this spiritual medicine and also bought three types of second-tier spiritual herb seeds. These were commonly used spiritual herbs for the Foundation Establishment stage.

He actually wanted to buy them all and cultivate them in his Mysterious Space. However, being too ostentatious would lead to a quick demise, especially in front of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Afterward, he browsed the Spirit Fruit counter and purchased three more types of Spirit Fruit seeds.

Wang Hong pondered that if he had time in the future, he could purchase second-tier spiritual herbs and fruits in batches and cultivate them in his Mysterious Space. The profit from cultivating second-tier spiritual medicines was much greater.

Moreover, with his Mysterious Space, even though his aptitude was poor, he had some confidence in reaching Foundation Establishment. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, he could also use these spiritual medicines himself.

Most second-tier spiritual medicines require one to two hundred years to mature before they can be used. Cultivating them in advance would prevent him from having to wait when he needed them.

After selecting these, he went downstairs to pay. Including the spiritual herbs and seeds purchased on the second floor, the total expenditure was seven thousand Spirit Stones.

Wang Hong took out a Barrier Breaking Pill to settle the bill. The acquisition price of the Barrier Breaking Pill was eight thousand Spirit Stones. In the end, he bought a pile of things without spending a single Spirit Stone, and even got one thousand Spirit Stones back.

He returned to his residence contentedly and had the Mysterious Space absorb the remaining thirty thousand Spirit Stones. This created an additional three units of empty space, just enough to plant the newly purchased second-tier spiritual herbs and fruits.

The materials for the Body Tempering Pill he had been cultivating had matured into over thirty portions. He harvested them all and spent seven days refining over a hundred pills of Body Tempering Pill.