Preparation

Tianyuan World, Black Market.

After dealing with matters on Blue Star, Su Jie returned here with the help of the ancient mirror, preparing to purchase the last batch of supplies for his upcoming mountain patrol.

The Black Market was much livelier than usual.

Many Ghost Ridge Palace disciples had the same idea as Su Jie, wanting to exchange their stored Blood Marrow Crystals for combat power.

Taixu Pavilion!

Su Jie looked up at the seven-story building, one of the most prominent in the Black Market, and walked in.

Taixu Pavilion specialized in selling talismans and magic tools, divided into the Talisman Hall and the Magic Tool Hall.

The talismans here were mostly used by righteous cultivators from outside Ghost Ridge Palace. Devilish Cultivators could also use them, just not as effectively.

Outside the Black Market, Taixu Pavilion was quite famous, with a Secret Treasure Realm expert serving as its guardian.

"Young Master Su."

As soon as he entered, a woman of exceptional appearance and figure, dressed in a palace gown and adorned with a long, five-colored silk sash at her waist, approached him. She had a perfectly rounded posterior, full and soft lips, and appeared to be around thirty, exuding the charm of a mature married woman, though she wore no makeup.

"Sister Cai, it's only been a month, and you've become even more beautiful and captivating."

Su Jie raised an eyebrow and smiled.

The woman before him was Cai Chun'e, the manager of Taixu Pavilion, renowned in the Black Market for her beauty.

Su Jie had purchased talismans from her before and had also sold her some Poisonous Insects that Taixu Pavilion had acquired, so they had interacted a few times.

"Young Master Su is too kind with his words."

Cai Chun'e pouted and giggled, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "You wouldn't come here without a reason. What are you looking to purchase today?"

"I need to buy some talismans, defensive types."

Su Jie stated, feeling he had enough offensive power but was still lacking in defense.

He only had one life, so he couldn't be too careful.

"Follow me."

Cai Chun'e nodded slightly and led Su Jie up the stairs to the second floor.

As she ascended, her half-skirted palace gown revealed her jade-like legs, her hips swaying alluringly with each step.

Cai Chun'e seemed to notice and reached back to adjust her skirt.

Upon reaching the second floor, dozens, even hundreds, of talismans were displayed on shelves protected by intricate magical formations, shimmering with spiritual energy, a sight that was truly captivating.

Su Jie was also quite envious of these talismans. In Tianyuan World, whether one was a talisman master, alchemist, or artifact refiner, anyone with talent who achieved mastery was a top-tier wealthy individual.

"This low-grade, beginner Golden Whirlwind Talisman can create a spiritual energy field to deflect incoming ranged attacks and costs 12 Blood Marrow Crystals. The low-grade, beginner Divine Speed Talisman stimulates the spiritual energy meridians in your legs, increasing your speed for one minute, costing 10 Blood Marrow Crystals. And this low-grade, intermediate Heavenly Escape Fire Talisman can condense a high-temperature fire shield to protect your body, costing 50 Blood Marrow Crystals."

Cai Chun'e introduced each one to Su Jie in detail. However, she didn't elaborate much on the high-grade talismans, as those started at hundreds of Blood Marrow Crystals, far beyond the reach of ordinary outer disciples.

"Have the prices increased? I recall the Golden Whirlwind Talisman being 10 Blood Marrow Crystals before. The other talismans are also more expensive."

Su Jie frowned slightly, noticing that the prices had gone up since his last visit.

"Due to recent frequent harassment of trade routes by Strange Ghosts, our procurement costs have increased. To barely break even, we've had to slightly raise our prices."

As if accustomed to such questions, Cai Chun'e remained unfazed by Su Jie's words.

Scoundrel!

Su Jie cursed inwardly.

But then he considered the kind of people who dared to do business in the Black Market with Ghost Ridge Palace, and the practice of hoarding goods didn't surprise him at all.

"I'll go look around at other places first."

Although Cai Chun'e was incredibly alluring, when it came to his wallet, Su Jie had to shop around and couldn't let himself be blinded by beauty.

Cai Chun'e smiled slightly, confident, and said, "Young Master Su, please."

Su Jie left Taixu Pavilion and headed to other shops selling talismans.

There were no intellectual property rights for talismans, especially low-grade ones, which were produced in the largest quantities and sold the best. Many shops carried them.

However, after browsing the entire Black Market, Su Jie's expression turned grim.

Compared to Taixu Pavilion, the prices in other shops had increased even more drastically.

It wasn't just talismans; the prices of all combat-related materials had skyrocketed, making Su Jie's brow twitch.

An hour later, Su Jie returned to Taixu Pavilion.

Cai Chun'e was waiting at the entrance, as if she had anticipated his return. She greeted him with a graceful smile, "Young Master Su, our prices at Taixu Pavilion are the most sincere in the Black Market. You can buy with confidence."

Su Jie was speechless, as Cai Chun'e was telling the truth.

"Give me two Golden Whirlwind Talismans and one Divine Speed Talisman."

Su Jie no longer haggled and placed his order with Cai Chun'e.

After spending 10 Blood Marrow Crystals on the Tiger Roar Fist martial art some time ago, his entire fortune was now only 35 Blood Marrow Crystals. This was money earned from selling Peng Shiwen's corpse; otherwise, Su Jie would have been even poorer.

"Thank you for your business, Young Master Su."

Cai Chun'e handed the talisman to Su Jie and collected 34 Blood Marrow Crystals from him.

"Is there anything else you need to buy? Would you like to take a look at some magic tools?"

Perhaps seeing that Su Jie was relatively well-off among the outer disciples, Cai Chun'e continued to promote her merchandise, hoping to sell more.

"I'm out of money. If Sister Cai were willing to give it to me, I wouldn't mind."

Flipping through his empty pockets, Su Jie wished he could buy magic tools.

But unlike talismans, which were disposable and gone after use.

Magic tools could be used indefinitely as long as they weren't damaged, so even the lowest quality, low-grade beginner magic tools cost hundreds of Blood Marrow Crystals.

It wasn't that he didn't want to buy them, he just couldn't afford them.

Cai Chun'e pursed her lips and smiled, giving Su Jie a flirtatious glance. "I'd be willing, but Taixu Pavilion isn't run by me, so I can't just give them away. I can only welcome Young Master Su to come and purchase again next time."

Su Jie spread his hands and pouted, "With your prices, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford them."

Given this upward trend in prices, if the Strange Ghost problem couldn't be resolved soon, the prices of combat-related goods would surely continue to soar.

Having bought the talisman, Su Jie didn't linger.

As soon as he stepped out of the Taixu Pavilion's entrance, Su Jie's ears twitched as he heard a commotion.

On the street, a group of disciples were pushing a flatbed cart ostentatiously through the market.

On the cart lay a humanoid creature with pale skin, over three meters tall, its claws sharp as steel blades, and its eyes as crimson as blood. It looked utterly terrifying.

It was a Strange Ghost, but a dead one.

Its heart had a large hole, revealing its shattered internal organs.

Several disciples stood beside the cart, looking around with smug satisfaction.

A swarm of merchants rushed forward, surrounding the disciples and showering them with flattery.

"You actually managed to kill a Strange Ghost! You lot are truly remarkable."

"How about selling this Strange Ghost to Mingguang Tower? We're willing to pay a high price, 300 Blood Marrow Crystals."

"Our Chen Family Chamber of Commerce is willing to offer 350 Blood Marrow Crystals."

"We offer..."

The merchants eagerly bid around the flatbed cart, and more and more merchants joined in.

From within Taixu Pavilion behind Su Jie, Cai Chun'e also hurried out, clutching her skirt as she rushed into the bidding crowd.

The scene of frantic bidding made the disciples on the Black Market street extremely envious.

Su Jie's eyes also gleamed with desire. The materials from Strange Ghosts were extremely precious. While its skin and flesh weren't worth much, its bones were another matter entirely.

Grinding Strange Ghost bones into powder and adding them to the forging of magic tools could significantly increase the success rate and quality of the magic tools. This was why the merchants were so excited and eager to buy.

"I wonder what price they paid."

Su Jie glanced at the disciples around the flatbed cart. Most of them were injured, bearing bloodstains. Strange Ghosts were incredibly powerful, and it would take the cooperation of several disciples just to injure one, let alone kill it.

Su Jie also watched the auction. In the end, the Strange Ghost was sold for a high price of 550 Blood Marrow Crystals.

The merchants who failed to bid dispersed in small groups, and Cai Chun'e returned with a look of disappointment.

"Sister Cai, did Taixu Pavilion also want the Strange Ghost's corpse?"

Su Jie saw Cai Chun'e returning empty-handed, her expression filled with disappointment.

Given Taixu Pavilion's vast resources, it shouldn't be like this.

"Lin Lan, the 'heaven's pride' of the Lin Family, is celebrating her 18th birthday soon. Her father is a renowned artifact refiner and plans to personally forge a top-grade magic tool. It requires a large amount of Strange Ghost bone powder, and its price has doubled."

Cai Chun'e explained. Upon hearing "Lin Family," Su Jie immediately understood.

In the Qingzhou region outside, the Lin Family was a colossal power, with a history of over a thousand years and countless experts within the clan.

The reason these merchants were procuring Strange Ghost corpses was likely to curry favor with this millennium-old aristocratic family.

After her explanation, Cai Chun'e continued, "Young Master Su, you're buying talismans because you're going on patrol to guard the path, right? If you get a chance to obtain a Strange Ghost corpse, please consider me, Sister. I'll offer a good price."

"Sister Cai, you think too highly of me. I'm not that capable."

"Not necessarily. I have a good eye for people."

Cai Chun'e looked thoughtfully at Su Jie's abdomen, then leaned in close to his ear, smiling enchantingly. "Young Master Su seemed to admire my posterior just now. If you can get me a Strange Ghost corpse, I can let you experience its touch."

Leaving that alluring remark behind, Cai Chun'e swayed her enchantingly graceful figure and returned to Taixu Pavilion.

"That demoness."

Su Jie touched his chest, lowered his eyes, and pondered, "Did she discover the situation with the Thousand-Hand Centipede?"

Unfortunately, it was difficult to verify this with her.

Su Jie could only suppress the doubts in his heart for the time being and turned to return to the Ghost Ridge Palace's encampment.