"Bl... Black Cliff, how many spirit stones do you want to sell it for?"
A man in his early thirties was the first to ask. He looked both nervous and eager.
Tang Jie remembered that people called this man Sun Gang.
It was obvious that Sun Gang was very interested in the Profound Nether Cone. Sun Gang himself was a Rogue Cultivator, and he did not even possess a magic treasure of his own. Now that he had seen Tang Jie selling a finished magic treasure, of course he was extremely tempted!
"How much can you offer?"
Tang Jie asked in return. He himself did not know how much the Profound Nether Cone was worth, which was why he had let Sun Gang name his price.
"I... I can offer one hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones. These are what I've saved up over all these years. I was originally planning to buy materials and forge a ninth-grade magic treasure."
Sun Gang spoke nervously. All his possessions, from head to toe, amounted to only 140 low-grade spirit stones.
The others exchanged glances. According to market prices, a ninth-grade magic treasure, even one of rather poor quality, would cost around 200 to 300 low-grade spirit stones. Sun Gang's spirit stones were clearly far from enough to buy a ninth-grade magic treasure.
"By my estimate, the five spirit stones embedded in the Spirit Gathering Plate earlier should all have been low-grade spirit stones. Five low-grade spirit stones can keep the Spirit Gathering Plate running for half a month, so 140 spirit stones should be enough to keep it running for about a year. A year should be enough for my Boyhood Art to break through again!"
Tang Jie made a calculation in his heart.
After obtaining the Spirit Gathering Plate earlier, Tang Jie had used up the energy in the spirit stones on it in about half a month. Based on that, 140 spirit stones should be enough to keep the Spirit Gathering Plate running for roughly a year.
That should be enough time for Tang Jie's Boyhood Art to reach its highest realm, the Red Sun Art!
True Man Snow Goose and the others all watched Tang Jie's reaction, feeling that he would probably refuse. The price offered was far too low. If Tang Jie chose to sell it, he would be practically giving it away!
"Fine. Deal!"
Yet, to everyone's surprise, Tang Jie spoke in a hoarse voice and chose to accept the transaction.
"This..." Everyone looked at one another in dismay. Tang Jie had actually agreed? He was selling a magic treasure for only 140 low-grade spirit stones?
What they did not know was that the Profound Nether Cone was practically useless to Tang Jie. Trading a Profound Nether Cone for a rapid breakthrough was a very worthwhile bargain!
"C... Can I inspect the goods first?"
Tang Jie's decisiveness made Sun Gang somewhat suspicious that there might be something wrong with the Profound Nether Cone, so he asked to examine it.
"You can."
Tang Jie replied briefly.
"It's a ninth-grade magic treasure... If it were sold on the market, it could fetch at least more than 200 spirit stones..."
After inspecting it, Sun Gang's face lit up with joy. He confirmed that the Profound Nether Cone was indeed a ninth-grade magic treasure and was undamaged. Buying it for 140 low-grade spirit stones was an incredible bargain.
"Here are the spirit stones. Count them."
Sun Gang hurriedly took a cloth pouch larger than his fist from his bosom and handed it to Tang Jie, afraid that Tang Jie would regret the deal.
Tang Jie opened the cloth pouch a narrow crack. Inside, he saw one glittering crystal after another, exactly like the crystals embedded in the Spirit Gathering Plate!
After counting them, Tang Jie felt wild joy in his heart, but on the surface he merely nodded calmly.
Seeing this, Sun Gang smiled. His harvest had truly been enormous. He had bought a ninth-grade magic treasure at such a low price, and with this magic treasure, his own strength would rise by a whole notch!
The others were all rather envious that Sun Gang had picked up such a huge bargain.
"Everyone, this gathering is more or less over. Why don't you stay for a meal before leaving?"
Before long, the trade fair came to an end. As the host of the place, True Man Snow Goose invited everyone to stay as guests.
"No, my wife is still waiting for me. Perhaps next time."
"Yes, yes, we shouldn't impose."
However, none of them were willing to stay as guests.
True Man Snow Goose did not press them. He smiled faintly. "On this day next year, I hope everyone can come to the gathering again."
The gathering was held once a year.
"Certainly!"
Several people had all gained something, and they agreed to return to the same place on the same day the following year.
Tang Jie himself left with two Corpse Puppets. He could not wait to return home and try the Spirit Gathering Plate.
When he reached the entrance of the town, Tang Jie cast an almost imperceptible glance behind him, then left without turning his head.
"Forget it... This Black Cliff is an evil cultivator. Since he sold the Profound Nether Cone earlier, he must have obtained an even better treasure himself. Besides, he seems to have noticed me following him. If I fought him, the odds would be fifty-fifty..." In the crowd, a Bearded Man watched Tang Jie's departing back. In the end, he gritted his teeth and did not follow.
If Tang Jie had seen his face, he would certainly have recognized him as one of the Rogue Cultivators—the Rogue Cultivator named Lu Tian.
"As for that Sun Gang, he didn't even have a magic treasure before. He bought this one at the trade fair, so he must be extremely unfamiliar with using it. I'll go pay him a visit." The Bearded Man, Lu Tian, had a flicker in his eyes as he headed in another direction.
The cultivation world was incredibly cruel. Killing people and seizing their treasures happened every day, especially for Rogue Cultivators like them, who had neither sect nor faction behind them. If they wanted more cultivation resources and hoped to go further, they had to fight with their lives and struggle with their lives, treating others as stepping stones!
"He didn't follow me?"
As a martial artist, Tang Jie possessed keen instincts. He could sense that someone had followed him in Fengling Town just now. It had been one of the Rogue Cultivators from the gathering, but in the end, that person seemed to have given up.
This made Tang Jie sigh with relief, but it also left him somewhat disappointed. With two Corpse Puppets assisting him and his mastery of throwing knives, Tang Jie had a great chance of winning even against a cultivator of Black Cliff's level.
However, since the other party had given up on attacking him, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Tang Jie did not linger either, returning to Qingyuan Town overnight.
By the time he returned to Qingyuan Town, two days had already passed.
After returning home, the Rogue Cultivator gathering had made Tang Jie realize that there were far more cultivators in the world than he had imagined. It was merely that they did not belong to the same circle, so he had never been able to come into contact with them.
"This world is vast, wondrous, and cruel. I have to become stronger before I can see more of its scenery!"
Tang Jie yearned even more intensely to become powerful. He no longer wanted to encounter another assassination by Black Cliff and survive only by sheer luck.
"I'll replace the spirit stones and see."
Tang Jie then took out the Spirit Gathering Plate. He removed the spirit stones that had been drained of spiritual energy and replaced them with five new spirit stones.
Whoosh!
Tang Jie pressed the pattern on the Spirit Gathering Plate, and it rapidly began to spin, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy.
"It worked!"
Tang Jie was delighted at the sight. After replacing the spirit stones, the Spirit Gathering Plate could indeed be used again!
"I have to hurry and cultivate!"
Now that the Spirit Gathering Plate could be used again, Tang Jie did not waste the spirit stones. He began cultivating, determined to raise his Boyhood Art to its highest realm as quickly as possible.
Once the Boyhood Art reached the Red Sun Art, his power would be ten times greater than before. He would refine qi into astral force and become a true figure standing at the pinnacle of martial artists!
Before you continue