Acquiring Spirit Stones!

"Black... Fellow Daoist Black Cliff, how many spirit stones are you asking for?"

A man in his early thirties asked first, looking somewhat nervous and eager.

Tang Jie remembered this man being called Sun Gang by others.

It was clear that Sun Gang was very interested in this Profound Nether Cone, as Sun Gang himself was a rogue cultivator and didn't own his own magic treasure. Seeing Tang Jie selling a finished magic treasure, he was naturally extremely tempted!

"How much can you offer?"

Tang Jie countered. He didn't know the value of the Profound Nether Cone himself, so he let Sun Gang make the first offer.

"I... I can offer one hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones. These are what I've saved up over the years, and I was originally planning to buy materials to forge a ninth-grade magic treasure."

Sun Gang said nervously. All his possessions amounted to only 140 low-grade spirit stones.

The others exchanged glances. According to market prices, even a lower-quality ninth-grade magic treasure would sell for around 200 to 300 low-grade spirit stones. Sun Gang's spirit stones were clearly insufficient to buy a ninth-grade magic treasure.

"Based on my estimation, the five spirit stones previously embedded in the Spirit Gathering Plate were all low-grade. Five low-grade spirit stones can keep the Spirit Gathering Plate running for half a month. 140 spirit stones would be enough to maintain the Spirit Gathering Plate for me for a year. A year's time is enough for my Boyhood Art to break through again!"

Tang Jie calculated in his mind.

When he first obtained the Spirit Gathering Plate, Tang Jie used up its spirit stone energy in about half a month. Estimating based on this, 140 spirit stones would last for about a year.

This 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 watched Tang Jie's reaction, thinking he wouldn't agree. The offered price was quite a bit off. If Tang Jie sold it, it would be a bargain!

"Alright, deal!"

However, to everyone's surprise, Tang Jie spoke with a hoarse voice and accepted the transaction.

"This..." Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Tang Jie actually agreed? Selling a magic treasure for only 140 low-grade spirit stones?

They didn't know that for Tang Jie, the Profound Nether Cone wasn't of much use. Trading the Profound Nether Cone for a rapid breakthrough was a very worthwhile deal!

"Can... can I inspect the goods first?"

Tang Jie's decisive agreement made Sun Gang a little suspicious that the Profound Nether Cone might have a problem, so he requested to inspect it.

"You can."

Tang Jie replied curtly.

"It's a ninth-grade magic treasure... If sold on the market, it would fetch at least over 200 spirit stones..."

After inspecting it, Sun Gang's face lit up with joy. He confirmed that this Profound Nether Cone was indeed a ninth-grade magic treasure and was undamaged. Buying it for 140 low-grade spirit stones was a massive profit.

"Here are the spirit stones, count them."

Sun Gang quickly took out a cloth bag, larger than his fist, from his embrace and handed it to Tang Jie, fearing Tang Jie might go back on his word.

Tang Jie slightly opened the cloth bag. He saw that it contained shining crystals, identical to the ones embedded in the Spirit Gathering Plate!

After counting, Tang Jie was inwardly ecstatic, but outwardly, he remained calm and nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Sun Gang smiled. His gains were truly substantial. He had acquired a ninth-grade magic treasure at such a low price, which would undoubtedly boost his own strength.

The others were quite envious of Sun Gang for striking such a great bargain.

"Everyone, this gathering is almost over. Please stay for a meal before you leave."

Not long after, the trade fair concluded. True Man Snow Goose, as the host, invited everyone to stay as guests.

"No, thank you. My wife is waiting for me. Perhaps next time."

"Yes, yes, we won't disturb you."

However, everyone was unwilling to stay and be guests.

True Man Snow Goose did not insist further. He smiled slightly, "One year from today, I hope everyone can gather here again."

This gathering was held once a year.

"We'll definitely be there!"

Having all gained something, they made arrangements to gather at the same place next year.

Tang Jie, accompanied by his two Corpse Puppets, departed. He was eager to return home and try out the Spirit Gathering Plate.

As he reached the town entrance, Tang Jie glanced back subtly, then left without looking back.

"Forget it... This Black Cliff is an evil cultivator. After selling the Profound Nether Cone, he must have obtained something better. Moreover, he seems to have noticed me following. If I were to fight him, the outcome would be fifty-fifty..." In the crowd, a bearded man watched Tang Jie's departing back, eventually gritting his teeth and not following.

If Tang Jie had seen his face, he would have recognized him as one of the rogue cultivators, named Lu Tian.

"As for that Sun Gang, he didn't even have a magic treasure before; he bought it at the trade fair. He's bound to be clumsy with its use. I'll go pay him a visit." The bearded Lu Tian's eyes flickered as he headed in another direction.

The world of immortal cultivation was extremely brutal. Killing for treasures was an everyday occurrence, especially for rogue cultivators like them. To obtain more cultivation resources and go further, they had to risk their lives, fight for it, and use others as stepping stones!

"He didn't follow?"

Tang Jie's keen senses as a martial artist allowed him to feel that someone had been tracking him in Fengling Town earlier, one of the rogue cultivators from the gathering. However, the person had ultimately given up.

While this relieved Tang Jie, he also felt a bit disappointed. With his two Corpse Puppets assisting him, and having mastered the flying knife, he believed he had a good 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 didn't linger and returned to Qingyuan Town overnight.

It was already two days later by the time he returned to Qingyuan Town.

Returning home, this rogue cultivator gathering made Tang Jie realize that immortal cultivators were far more numerous than he had imagined. It was simply that they weren't in his usual circles, so he hadn't encountered them before.

"This world is vast, and it's both wonderful and cruel. I need to become stronger to see more of its scenery!"

Tang Jie's desire to become powerful grew even stronger. He didn't want to experience being ambushed by Black Cliff and only surviving by sheer luck again.

"Let's try replacing the spirit stones."

Tang Jie then took out the Spirit Gathering Plate, removed the depleted spirit stones, and replaced them with five new ones.

Whoosh!

Tang Jie pressed a pattern on the Spirit Gathering Plate, and it began to spin rapidly, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy.

"It worked!"

Tang Jie rejoiced inwardly. After replacing the spirit stones, the Spirit Gathering Plate could indeed be used again!

"Seize the time to cultivate!"

With the Spirit Gathering Plate functional again, Tang Jie didn't waste any spirit stones and began his cultivation. He aimed to advance the Boyhood Art to its highest realm as quickly as possible.

Once the Boyhood Art reached the Red Sun Art, his power would increase tenfold compared to before, forming a barrier from qi, making him a true peak martial artist!