Buying a Spirit Beast

Buying a Spirit Beast

The shopkeeper was a gray-robed old man with white hair and beard, and a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level Five.

"Fellow Daoist, what would you like to see? Our shop is well-stocked. Would you like this old man to show you around?" As soon as Shi Yue walked in, the gray-robed old man hurried over and asked with a smile.

"How much do your fifty-year-old Spirit Herbs sell for?" Shi Yue asked, keeping his expression neutral.

"Fellow Daoist, you're in luck. Our shop just acquired two fifty-year-old Yellow Phoenix Flowers. They're sixty-eight Spirit Stones each," the gray-robed old man said with a beaming smile.

"Sixty-eight Spirit Stones?" Shi Yue frowned at that.

Noticing the change in Shi Yue's expression, the gray-robed old man hurriedly explained, "Sixty-eight is already very cheap. If you buy both, I'll charge you one hundred and thirty Spirit Stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

As he spoke, he watched Shi Yue closely.

"How much do you pay for fifty-year-old Spirit Herbs?" Shi Yue asked after a moment's thought.

"That depends on what kind of Spirit Herb it is, how good its quality is, and whether its roots and stems are damaged. Different Spirit Herbs fetch different prices, and quality and condition affect the price, too," the gray-robed old man said, enunciating each word.

"Take a look at these two Fire Yang Ginseng roots, shopkeeper. Tell me how many Spirit Stones they're worth." After a brief pause, Shi Yue said this and took two foot-long Green Wood Boxes from his sleeve.

The gray-robed old man took the two boxes and opened them. Inside lay foot-long Red Ginseng roots, exuding a faint medicinal fragrance.

His eyes narrowed. He picked up the two Fire Yang Ginseng roots and inspected them carefully, occasionally lifting them to his nose for a sniff.

"The quality of your two Fire Yang Ginseng roots is only so-so. But since this is your first time visiting our shop, let's see... fifty-five Spirit Stones apiece, or one hundred and ten for both. How does that sound?" The gray-robed old man put the Fire Yang Ginseng back in the box and spoke casually, as if the roots truly were only average.

A rookie who had just entered the Cultivation World might have been fooled by the gray-robed old man's superb acting, but Shi Yue had grown up in Taixu Sect. He wouldn't be taken in so easily.

He knew that two fifty-year-old Fire Yang Ginseng roots were worth far more than fifty-five Spirit Stones. The gray-robed old man was only trying to drive down the price.

"If the quality is only so-so, I'll take them to another shop." Shi Yue put the two boxes away and turned to leave.

"Ah! Don't go, fellow Daoist! We can still discuss the price." The gray-robed old man's expression changed. He hurriedly called Shi Yue back, his face breaking into a smile.

"We can discuss it, but I risked my life to pick these Fire Yang Ginseng roots. If your offer is too low, I'll have to ask around at other shops," Shi Yue said evenly.

"How about fifty-eight Spirit Stones apiece?" The gray-robed old man raised his brows and asked after thinking it over.

"No. Sixty-five," Shi Yue bargained.

The gray-robed old man considered this, then said, "Sixty at most. Our shop may be small, but the annual rent is no small sum. If you still can't accept that, go have a look elsewhere!"

"Deal." Shi Yue thought it over and nodded.

With that, he produced the two boxes with a flip of his hand and handed them to the gray-robed old man.

The gray-robed old man opened them and checked the contents carefully. Once he'd confirmed they were in order, he took out one Mid-grade Spirit Stone and twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones and handed them to Shi Yue.

Shi Yue pocketed the Spirit Stones and left with a broad smile.

After that, Shi Yue visited several more general stores and sold off all the Fire Yang Ginseng he had left at about the same price, earning more than six hundred Spirit Stones.

By the time Shi Yue walked out of one of the general stores, night had fallen.

With more than six hundred Spirit Stones in his possession, even his steps felt lighter.

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Yue arrived before a resplendent palace decorated with carved dragons and phoenixes. On the silver plaque above the entrance were three golden characters: "Hundred Beasts Palace."

The palace stood over ten zhang tall. Quite a few cultivators went in and out, each with a Spirit Beast Bag hanging at their waist. Roars and howls occasionally rang out from within, but the passersby seemed entirely used to it.

Shi Yue glanced to either side and, after confirming there were no Taixu Sect disciples nearby, stepped inside.

Once inside the palace, Shi Yue swept his gaze around and paused in surprise.

The hall was spacious, with iron cages of all sizes scattered across the floor. Inside them were all kinds of spirit beasts. These...

A blue giant wolf over one zhang tall, a red tiger with two heads, a silver leopard over one zhang long, a black giant eagle with a wingspan of one zhang, a strange beast with a lion's head and tiger's body...

Shi Yue was stunned by the sight. He had already spotted at least thirty or forty kinds of spirit beasts, though all of them were first-level.

More than a dozen attendants in matching uniforms were explaining things to cultivators who looked like customers. When someone bought a spirit beast, the attendants would open its cage, put the beast into a Spirit Beast Bag, and hand it to the buyer.

These enormous, oddly shaped spirit beasts were exceptionally docile in their cages, showing no sign of suddenly attacking anyone.

As soon as Shi Yue entered, a green-robed attendant hurried over with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, what kind of spirit beast are you looking to buy? Would you like me to show you around? Our shop sells everything from first-level spirit beasts to second-level ones."

"I'd like to buy one that's on the larger side, but... relatively cheap. Could you recommend something?" Shi Yue asked after a moment's thought.

"Certainly. Please come with me, fellow Daoist." The green-robed attendant agreed with a smile and led Shi Yue over to several large cages. They contained some of the bigger spirit beasts.

"This first-level, high-grade Green Giant Python moves quite quickly. It has thick skin and flesh, and even a High-grade Magic Tool can barely scratch it. It can also unleash the Wind Blade Technique to attack enemies. Buy it, and you'll have a fearless fighter at your side. It isn't too expensive, either—six hundred Spirit Stones." The green-robed attendant enthusiastically introduced a blue giant python that was seven or eight zhang long.

Shi Yue shook his head at that. He could afford the Green Giant Python, but his goal was to buy a spirit beast that pissed a lot.

"It's all right if you don't like this Green Giant Python, fellow Daoist. What about the Double-Headed Flame Tiger beside it? Though it's only a first-level, middle-grade spirit beast, it's agile and runs incredibly fast. It can even attack enemies with fireballs. It's an excellent choice for a spirit beast. For just five hundred Spirit Stones, you can take this Double-Headed Flame Tiger home." The green-robed attendant pointed to a red giant tiger about one zhang tall with two heads and introduced it.

Shi Yue looked somewhat tempted.

The Double-Headed Flame Tiger was the right size, but five hundred Spirit Stones was a bit expensive.

"What do I usually feed it? Does it have any special dietary requirements?" Shi Yue asked, his expression shifting.

"It has no special dietary requirements. You can feed it Spirit Grain or ordinary meat. If that doesn't work, you can take it out into the wild and let it hunt some beasts."

Shi Yue shook his head at that. With a Double-Headed Flame Tiger of this size, it was bound to eat a lot. He didn't have that much Spirit Grain to feed it. And even if it could hunt beasts, there was no way he could take it out hunting every few days!