Elder Ren examined the three Dharma Artifacts Xu Yang had brought out. He picked up the Blood Spirit Pearl, his face full of regret. "This Blood Spirit Pearl is a defensive Dharma Artifact, and it's the most valuable of the three. Unfortunately, it's already damaged. Even if repaired, it'll drop a grade and become a Superior Dharma Artifact."
Elder Ren then set down the Blood Spirit Pearl and inspected the Blood-Flying Sword and Blood-Transforming Bracelet one by one. Only then did he look up at Xu Yang. "Although the Blood-Flying Sword is a Top-Grade Dharma Artifact, its quality isn't the best. This Blood-Transforming Bracelet, on the other hand, is exceptional in quality and the most valuable."
At this, Elder Ren stroked the beard on his chin and continued, "The Blood-Flying Sword is worth one hundred and forty Spirit Stones, the Blood-Transforming Bracelet one hundred and seventy-five, and this damaged Blood Spirit Pearl is worth only about eighty."
Xu Yang was overjoyed. He immediately bowed to Elder Ren. "That's an extremely fair price. Thank you for going easy on me, Elder Ren. I'm ready to trade."
"Haha! My Myriad Treasures Pavilion never cheats anyone. We've always been fair in business and never let fellow cultivators come off worse. Otherwise, how could our pavilion have grown to the size it is today?" Elder Ren laughed heartily at Xu Yang's words.
The Myriad Treasures Pavilion truly was as fair as Elder Ren claimed, earning the trust of countless cultivators. But don't mistake that fairness for weakness. Its power was immense; even the major forces throughout Yue Province wouldn't dare provoke it.
That was because the pavilion's master was a Nascent Soul Realm patriarch, a cultivator at the same level as the Supreme Elders of the major sects. There were also rumors that the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in Yue Province was merely one branch, with others in the great provinces beyond Yue Province.
The Myriad Treasures Pavilion was a powerful interprovincial trade association. That, however, was only a rumor. Ordinary cultivators had no way of knowing whether it was true; perhaps only the Supreme Elders of the major sects knew the details.
Seeing that Xu Yang had agreed to sell, Elder Ren acted swiftly. He put away the three Dharma Artifacts, then took out a Qiankun Bag and tossed it to Xu Yang. Xu Yang caught it and swept it with his divine sense. Inside, he immediately saw several hundred Spirit Stones.
Xu Yang was delighted. With these Spirit Stones, he could buy the Talisman Treasure he wanted and gain another trump card. He quickly looked up at Elder Ren and asked, "Elder Ren, I saw outside that your pavilion sells Talisman Treasures. May I ask how much one costs?"
"Oh? You want to buy a Talisman Treasure, kid? They don't come cheap! The nearly four hundred Spirit Stones you just got won't be enough." Elder Ren shook his head at Xu Yang.
"I know Talisman Treasures are expensive, but I still want one. Their power is formidable, and at a critical moment, one can defeat an enemy and save your life. Please, just name a price." Xu Yang gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Seeing how determined Xu Yang was, Elder Ren had no choice but to tell him, "Since you've already made up your mind, I'll name a price. You can decide whether you can afford it. How about six hundred Spirit Stones? That's already the lowest price. At auction, it would go for more."
Hearing the price, Xu Yang quickly did the math and was overjoyed. He had enough Spirit Stones to buy a Talisman Treasure. He immediately scraped together all his funds, placed six hundred Spirit Stones in a Qiankun Bag, and handed it to Elder Ren. "I have just enough Spirit Stones to buy one. Please check whether the amount is correct."
Elder Ren took the Qiankun Bag, his face full of surprise, and swept it with his divine sense. He immediately saw exactly six hundred Spirit Stones inside. He looked at Xu Yang in amazement. "Well, aren't you a wealthy one? Even ordinary cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage aren't as flush as you."
Elder Ren set down the Qiankun Bag and clapped twice. Two attendants immediately entered from outside. He gave them a few instructions, and they promptly acknowledged him and left.
Elder Ren then turned to Xu Yang. "I've sent someone to fetch the Talisman Treasures. Wait a moment." Xu Yang answered at once and sat where he was.
Sure enough, a short while later, the two attendants returned carrying a tray. After placing it in front of Elder Ren, they bowed and backed out of the room.
Elder Ren glanced over the tray, then pushed it in front of Xu Yang. "Take a look. There are three Talisman Treasures here, each made from a different magical treasure. You can choose whichever one you like." At once, Xu Yang looked down at the Talisman Treasures on the tray.
The three Talisman Treasures had different designs on their surfaces: one depicted a Flying Sword, another a ring, and the last a three-story pagoda. Xu Yang picked them up one by one to examine them, and quickly discovered what each could do.
The Flying Sword Talisman Treasure was offensive. It could conjure a magical treasure in the shape of a Flying Sword to attack an opponent. The ring Talisman Treasure was also offensive. It could release a ring-shaped fire treasure that unleashed Samadhi True Fire at an opponent.
The remaining Talisman Treasure was defensive. It could transform into a three-story pagoda above its wielder's head and cast down a curtain of light to ward off enemy attacks.
Xu Yang badly wanted the pagoda Talisman Treasure, but he knew that offense was the best defense. In the end, he chose the ring Talisman Treasure. The Samadhi True Fire it released was powerful, even more so than the Flying Sword Talisman Treasure.
Seeing Xu Yang choose the ring Talisman Treasure, Elder Ren waved a hand, and the tray vanished into his Qiankun Bag. Xu Yang stood up and said, "Now that our business is done, I won't trouble you any longer, Elder Ren. I'll take my leave."
Elder Ren nodded. "Go ahead. If you find anything good in the future, you can sell it to my Myriad Treasures Pavilion. I guarantee you won't come off worse!"
Xu Yang nodded to show he understood. Then he bowed to Elder Ren and turned to leave. Once outside, he headed straight down to the first floor, where he planned to pick out another Superior defensive Dharma Artifact.
The Indeterminate Ring had been damaged and he had already gotten rid of it, so he no longer had a defensive Dharma Artifact to protect him. Fighting another cultivator without one would be far too dangerous. Fortunately, he still had over a hundred Spirit Stones in his Qiankun Bag, enough to buy a defensive Dharma Artifact.
On the first floor, Xu Yang wandered around slowly. After looking things over, he settled on a defensive Dharma Artifact: a small bell called the Yellow Heaven Bell. It was no bigger than a palm, and its entire body was orange-yellow, giving it a solid, weighty look.
After choosing the artifact, Xu Yang found a nearby maid and asked the price of the Yellow Heaven Bell. In the end, he spent one hundred Spirit Stones on it.
After that spending spree, Xu Yang's pockets were immediately empty. He had once possessed more than seven hundred Spirit Stones, but was now a pauper again, with only a few left. Seeing this, Xu Yang couldn't help sighing. Spirit Stones really were too easy to spend!
After buying the Yellow Heaven Bell, Xu Yang left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. He then went to have a look at the western side of the market, where most of the stalls had been set up by Rogue Cultivators. They sold all kinds of odds and ends, and the dazzling array of wares left Xu Yang overwhelmed.
Thanks to the Treasure Appraisal Catalog, Xu Yang could identify most of the items. The rest were either exceedingly rare or strange objects no one recognized.
These strange objects weren't necessarily worthless. On the contrary, some might well be genuine heavenly treasures. The only reason no one recognized them was that low-level cultivators had seen too little of the world. That was why cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment Realm often visited the stalls, hoping to get lucky. If fortune favored them, they might buy a rare treasure at a low price.
Xu Yang made a round of the stalls and found some decent things. He was also interested in two or three strange objects, but his pockets were too light. In the end, he could only feast his eyes on them before leaving with a rueful look.
Xu Yang had learned his lesson. From then on, no matter where he was or what he was doing, he would always keep a certain amount of Spirit Stones in his Qiankun Bag for emergencies.
After leaving the Rogue Cultivators' stalls, Xu Yang had finished his trip to the market. He didn't linger, but walked straight out through the market's Illusion Array, then took to his Flying Sword and sped toward his sect.
Xu Yang spent most of the day traveling back to Wu Prefecture. To avoid being discovered by cultivators from the Blood Refining Sect, he landed, then used a light-footed movement technique to continue on foot.
As Xu Yang walked, he mused to himself, "Flying on a sword is indeed fast. But once I land, my speed drops drastically. Looks like I'll have to find a movement technique to make up for my weakness."
Just as Xu Yang was considering how he might learn such a technique, a scream suddenly rang out ahead, drawing his attention. The land before him was open and empty, with not a soul in sight. He had no idea where the scream had come from.
Seeing this, Xu Yang immediately released his divine sense and scanned the area. At the same time, he hurried forward. His divine sense was still too weak, and its range too narrow, so he could only cover more ground by moving quickly.
He continued on like this for a short while before his expression suddenly changed. He immediately sped toward the front. A little later, he reached an open clearing. There before him were familiar faces—Lei Dong, Zhao Qiankun, and the others—locked in a fierce fight against Yin Shihong and his men.
Xu Yang watched from the side for a moment, then leaped into the air. A massive wind blade appeared and slashed toward Yin Shihong. Yin Shihong's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly leaped backward, and the wind blade cleaved a huge fissure into the ground.
The commotion immediately alerted the others. The two sides stopped fighting and gathered together, all turning to look at Xu Yang. When they saw his face, Lei Dong and the others were delighted, while Yin Shihong and his men looked grim.
Xu Yang took in the expressions on both sides, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected them to still remember him after more than a year.
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