Transaction

"What price does Fellow Daoist have in mind?" Back in the room at Hundred Treasures Tower, Fang Mingyuan brewed another cup of spiritual tea, slowly sat down, and spoke with a smile.

"With Shopkeeper Fang's discerning eye, what price do you think this trick is worth?" Lin Chen did not answer, instead kicking the ball back to him.

"This..." Fang Mingyuan pondered for a moment. "Though its power is fairly good among Qi Refining Stage tricks, it also has many limitations. So, how does one thousand spirit stones sound, Fellow Daoist?"

"One thousand spirit stones?!" Lin Chen's expression abruptly changed as he shouted harshly, "Shopkeeper Fang, are you trying to cheat me?! Offering such a price—is Zhang Mou here for your amusement? Since that's the case, I simply won't sell this trick!"

Having said that, as though enraged beyond measure, Lin Chen flicked his sleeve and rose to leave.

"Wait, wait, wait! This old man was muddleheaded and said some nonsense. Fellow Daoist, please don't take it to heart!" Fang Mingyuan hurriedly stood to stop him, talking him around with every possible plea before finally persuading Lin Chen to stay.

Lin Chen stared at Fang Mingyuan for a while before snorting coldly and sitting back down, seemingly with great reluctance.

In truth, Lin Chen did not know the market price of an improved trick either. They were simply too precious; almost no one would put one up for sale, so he had no past examples to refer to.

But it did not matter if he did not know its value. He had to show dissatisfaction, because only then could he keep pushing the price higher.

As long as the other party desperately tried to force the price down, he would desperately raise it. Lin Chen might not know how to haggle, but who did not know how to bluff wildly?

Besides, although this trick was the worst among his many improved tricks, it was still the crystallization of his painstaking effort!

He had spent three days and three nights improving it.

So the price could only go up, never down!!!

"Fellow Daoist, I absolutely did not mean that." Fang Mingyuan hurriedly soothed him, afraid that he would sell the trick to another shop. "As long as Fellow Daoist is willing, the price can still be discussed."

"Ten thousand spirit stones, plus ten portions each of [Pulse Protecting Pill], [Spirit Condensing Liquid], and [Spirit Shedding Powder], as well as ten [Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills]. And I want to freely make copies of ten Foundation Establishment Realm spirit arts and one hundred Qi Refining Stage tricks from Hundred Treasures Tower." Lin Chen spoke flatly.

"What?!"

Fang Mingyuan's expression changed when he heard this.

Setting aside the copying of tricks and spirit arts, he had opened his mouth asking for ten and a hundred copies at a time.

Ten thousand spirit stones alone equaled a year's income for a very ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, comparable to Hundred Treasures Tower's annual profits!

Let alone his demands for pills, which Fang Mingyuan found even more unacceptable.

The three kinds of pills Lin Chen wanted—[Pulse Protecting Pill] could protect one's meridians from injury, ensuring smooth advancement through the Qi Refining Stage, or allowing a cultivator who failed to break through to Foundation Establishment to keep his life.

After taking [Spirit Shedding Powder], a cultivator's [Mental Power] could be highly condensed for a short time, allowing them to better liquefy the true qi within their dantian.

[Spirit Condensing Liquid], meanwhile, better promoted the liquefaction of true qi within a cultivator's body.

When the effects of all three were combined, they could achieve thirty percent of a Foundation Establishment Pill's effect!

Thus, for rogue cultivators without enough wealth to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill, they were known as the Foundation Establishment Three Treasures!

As for the [Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pill], it was refined from the essences of a hundred herbs, supplemented with precious spiritual medicine. It was a famous healing pill among Qi Refining Stage cultivators and even had a not-small effect on Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators.

Thus, the prices of these pills had always remained high, and they were often unavailable even with money.

As one of the foremost shops in Cloud Arrival Market, Hundred Treasures Tower naturally possessed these pills, but it still could not bear Lin Chen demanding ten portions at a time!

"Is Fellow Daoist not being too greedy? Improved tricks may be precious, but they are absolutely not worth this price!" Fang Mingyuan's face darkened as he directly refused.

What a joke!

If he agreed to this transaction, he would have to roll up his bedding and leave Hundred Treasures Tower the very next day!

"Is that so?" Lin Chen said unhurriedly. "Given this trick's rarity and uniqueness, it can fetch three to five times the price of an ordinary trick on the market. If Hundred Treasures Tower acquires the original, with your customer volume, who knows how much you could earn? In my view, I'd say I'm already selling it too cheaply!"

"You jest, Fellow Daoist." Fang Mingyuan retorted. "The principle behind this trick is merely to explode the body of the Golden Spear, granting its tip greater power and speed, then adding a flame attack. It would be very easy to imitate. This trick is not nearly so precious."

"If this thing were really so easy to imitate, Shopkeeper Fang would not be here bargaining with me." Lin Chen said calmly. "Besides, ensuring that the force generated by the explosion is transmitted to the spear tip rather than disrupting its trajectory is enough to guarantee that this trick is not so easily copied..."

After an intense round of bargaining, the price was ultimately settled under Fang Mingyuan's ugly expression.

Fang Mingyuan completed the transaction by waiving the spirit artifact fee and providing three thousand spirit stones, three portions each of [Pulse Protecting Pill], [Spirit Condensing Liquid], and [Spirit Shedding Powder], three Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills, one Foundation Establishment Realm spirit art, and ten Qi Refining Stage tricks.

The corners of Lin Chen's mouth lifted slightly. Though it was not conspicuous, the joy in his heart was plain to see.

But Fang Mingyuan's gaze was exceedingly gloomy. He cast Lin Chen a faint glance and lowered his eyelids slightly.

Let him take them first. As for what happens afterward...

With that thought, Fang Mingyuan stood up, made a trip back and forth, retrieved the items for the trade, and handed them to Lin Chen.

"These are thirty [Azure Cloud Spirit Leaves], the corresponding pills, and the relevant spirit art templates. I hope Fellow Daoist will keep them safe." Fang Mingyuan placed the hundred verdant leaves, glistening as though dripping with green and giving off a faint spiritual glow, along with the other items before Lin Chen.

Although spirit stones remained the Cultivation World's basic unit of currency, unlike coins or paper notes, spirit stones were not small in size.

A small amount was manageable, but once the quantity grew, they became difficult to carry. Even with a Storage Bag, its space was limited, making it impossible to carry thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones at all times.

Thus, for the convenience of cultivators, Azure Cloud Sect used a unique secret method to refine a spiritual item known as [Azure Cloud Spirit Leaf]. Not only was it easy to carry, it also contained spiritual qi comparable to one hundred low-grade spirit stones. In moments of crisis, it could even be swallowed as a healing pill.

As for why mid-grade spirit stones were not used instead, that was because mid-grade spirit stones could circulate only among Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators. Lin Chen had some guesses as to the specific reason, but could not confirm them.

Lin Chen nodded and carefully inspected everything. After confirming that there were no problems, he put them away in his Storage Bag, then made a move to undo the restriction on the jade slip.

"Many thanks, Shopkeeper Fang. If nothing else is the matter, I'll be leaving first." After collecting the items and chatting for a few more moments, Lin Chen took his leave.

"I hope Fellow Daoist will visit again." Fang Mingyuan courteously saw him off.

Yet after Lin Chen left, Fang Mingyuan did not rise. Instead, he sat in the carved wooden chair, lightly sipping spiritual tea with a distant, shadowed gaze.

Three thousand spirit stones, three defense spirit artifacts, three portions of the Foundation Establishment Three Treasures, three Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills, coupled with the improved spirit art templates... As his thoughts turned, a trace of cold light gradually surfaced in Fang Mingyuan's eyes.

"Come in." At his call, the door opened, and Wang Ping walked in.

"How certain are you?" Fang Mingyuan asked a question that left people somewhat baffled.

Yet Wang Ping immediately understood what he meant.

As the saying went, no merchant was honest, and Fang Mingyuan had done plenty of business that brought boundless profit at no cost!

"I don't know." Wang Ping fell silent for a moment before answering.

"Hmm?" Fang Mingyuan frowned. "You're at the late stage of Qi Refinement, while he's only at the middle stage. Not only are you battle-hardened, but you also have the spirit artifacts and talismans provided by our Hundred Treasures Tower. Under such circumstances, you don't even know whether you can kill him?!"

"Among those of the same rank, when fighting to the death, what is tested is not merely strength and trump cards, but also one's ability to react on the spot and control the battlefield," Wang Ping said evenly.

"Without knowing anything about the other party, I cannot judge my chances of victory based on aura alone. And when I was testing the trick just now, I could sense from the bloody killing intent emanating from his body that he is no simple opponent."

"Is that so..." Fang Mingyuan's brow furrowed deeply.

He knew Wang Ping's strength. Wang Ping was the strongest cultivator in terms of combat power at the Hundred Treasures Tower. He had once fought one against three and slain three late-stage Qi Refinement Evil Cultivators.

Even he said so. It seemed this Zhang Daoren would not be as easy to deal with as imagined.

The room fell silent for a time.

After a while, Fang Mingyuan suddenly spoke. "If I remember correctly, a group of Rogue Cultivators who specialize in killing people and taking their treasures arrived near the market recently."

"That's right." Wang Ping nodded.

"What was the result of contacting them?"

"The other party is unwilling to cooperate with us." Wang Ping expressionlessly spoke words that would have left the market's cultivators utterly shocked.

Who could have imagined that the large shops within the market had private connections with Rogue Cultivators who specialized in murder and robbery!

But on second thought, it was not impossible. After all, all sorts of transactions took place inside the shops, and visitors to the market more or less wore black clothes. Under such circumstances, how could those Rogue Cultivators who killed and robbed possibly determine who was a pauper and who was a fat sheep?

"Isn't that perfect?" Fang Mingyuan gave a cold smile. "Casually let slip that today, the shop conducted a transaction worth nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones. Do you understand?"

He deliberately stressed the words "casually."

"Understood."

"Remember." Fang Mingyuan stared into his eyes. "Remember, if there is an opportunity, capture him alive. If not, leave no survivors. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Wang Ping immediately grasped his meaning.

The other party had value, so they should capture him alive if possible. But if there was no such opportunity, they were to go all out and kill him, preventing the news from leaking.

"But... Manager, if he has a powerful background, then if we do this, won't we..." Wang Ping hesitated, as though he had Thought Of something.

"If a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator truly stood Behind It, why would he need to sell this improved trick?" Fang Mingyuan shook his head.

Then a trace of cold mockery surfaced on his face. "Besides, this was done by those Rogue Cultivators who specialize in ambushing and killing traveling merchants. What does it have to do with our Hundred Treasures Tower?"

"If something really happens, we can use this opportunity to rightfully slaughter them. Wouldn't that bring us both reputation and profit? By then, those customers might even be deeply grateful to us!"

In Fang Mingyuan's view, a true merchant ought to secure the greatest possible profit while earning the most gratitude!

As for the bloodshed and cruelty behind it, what did that have to do with him?!

As long as the outward show was done well, he would forever be a merchant with a conscience!

"Manager, your lesson is well received." A trace of admiration appeared on Wang Ping's face. He gave a deep bow, then withdrew.

Before long, a figure hurried away through the Hundred Treasures Tower's back door.

Afterward, the spies lying in wait throughout Cloud Arrival Market "casually" passed Lin Chen's transaction details and travel route into certain people's hands.

Greed stirred by wealth, diverting disaster toward another, killing with a borrowed blade... the darkness and cruelty of the Cultivation World had only just revealed the tip of the iceberg!