Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild

Lu Ye watched the Spiritual Light on the cultivators coming and going for a while, then compared it with his own, roughly deducing their cultivation realms.

Overall, most were at the Spirit Stream Second and Third Layer, while those at the First Layer were fewer, and most of them were Rogue Cultivators.

Although anyone who reached the Spirit Stream First Layer was qualified to cultivate and travel on the battlefield, given sufficient means, sects large and small would naturally wait until their disciples had cultivated to a higher level before allowing them to leave the sect camp. That gave them a better chance of staying alive.

Those Rogue Cultivators, on the other hand, had no one to rely on. The battlefield was dangerous, but opportunities lay everywhere. If they wanted to live well, they naturally had to come out and struggle early.

It was somewhat like the difference between children from poor families and children from wealthy ones.

There were also cultivators at the Spirit Stream Fourth Layer, though not many. Usually, only one or two would appear among dozens of cultivators.

Lu Ye even spotted someone who seemed to be at the Spirit Stream Fifth Layer. That person's senses were exceptionally sharp. The moment Lu Ye looked at him, he turned his head and stared back. His scarlet eyes were like a pair of beast pupils, radiating an immense pressure that sent a chill through Lu Ye's entire body.

After observing for a while, Lu Ye had a general idea.

Thinking back to Steward Yang and Zhou Cheng, whom he had killed in the Mine Cave, Lu Ye had only known then that their cultivation was not high. He had had no idea exactly what realms they were in.

Now, it seemed Steward Yang had likely been at Spirit Stream Layer Three, while Zhou Cheng had been no more than Spirit Stream Second Layer.

But one had been disrupted by the Primordial Magnetic Field, unable to bring his Spiritual Power into play, while the other had been seriously wounded. Lu Ye had simply picked up an easy bargain. By now, the grass on their graves was probably three zhang high.

Lu Ye did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that the Spiritual Light on his body was somewhat clearer than that of other cultivators at the Spirit Stream First Layer.

As he was observing, someone suddenly squatted down in front of him. The man picked up a piece of ore from Lu Ye's stall and asked, "How much is this?"

How could Lu Ye know how much it was worth? He had placed these ores here only to cast a stone to find the way, so he had already prepared his answer. "Name your price. If it's suitable, I'll sell."

At the same time, he examined the other party's cultivation. Judging by his Spiritual Light, he should be a cultivator at Tier Two, but his Spiritual Light seemed far murkier than that of others.

Lu Ye suddenly realized something. Could this be the condition the Sect Master had mentioned, where one's Spiritual Power became sluggish and obscure? If so, it meant this person had taken too many Spiritual Pills recently, allowing Pill Toxin to accumulate in his body.

The man named a price. "Two Spirit Stones!"

"Scram!"

Though Lu Ye did not know exactly how much his ore was worth, he was certain that this man had come hoping to pick up a bargain, so there was no need to consider it further.

The man was not angered. He had merely seen Lu Ye looking simple and foolish and come over to see whether he could take advantage of him. Having met his gaze, he knew this was not someone he could exploit casually. Naturally, he would not make an enemy of Lu Ye for no reason. He put down the ore and left.

After that, several more people came over to ask about prices. Lu Ye told every one of them to make an offer themselves, but not a single transaction was made.

What caught Lu Ye's attention was that the Primordial Magnetic Ore drew the most inquiries, and the offers for it were also the highest. One cultivator at the Spirit Stream Fourth Layer had even offered twenty Spirit Stones.

It seemed this thing really was quite valuable. No wonder both Steward Yang and Zhou Cheng had used their positions to secretly stash some away.

For cultivators at their level, something of such value was no small fortune.

Lu Ye had not made a single sale, yet the items at the female cultivator's stall beside him kept dwindling. She sold herbs she had gathered from Green Cloud Mountain, and they appealed to a broad range of buyers. In less than half a day, she had sold out completely.

The female cultivator packed up and prepared to leave. Before departing, she asked Lu Ye, "You want to know the value of these ores, don't you?"

She had watched him from beside him for half the day. How could she fail to see what he was trying to do?

"Yes." Lu Ye nodded. "Senior Sister, do you know how much these things are worth?"

The female cultivator shook her head. "I don't know much about ores. I can't even recognize what kind of stones these are, so I don't know how much they're worth. But if you truly want to sell them, you can go to the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. Their purchase prices are slightly lower than the market rate, but generally speaking, they treat young and old alike without deception. The main thing is that the cultivators here are not particularly wealthy. Selling small items is no problem, but for something like your Primordial Magnetic Ore, there aren't many people with the means to buy it, and the prices they offer won't be very high."

Lu Ye had actually noticed this issue as well. However, he had never intended to sell his ores here in the first place, so after hearing the female cultivator's words, he readily accepted her advice. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister."

"Then I wish you good luck!" The female cultivator gave Lu Ye a gentle smile. After taking a few steps, she merged into the crowd and vanished from sight.

Not long after the female cultivator left, Lu Ye packed up his stall as well.

He had not set up a stall here to sell things in the first place. His main purpose had been to observe other cultivators more conveniently and find a way to judge the strength of their cultivation.

Now that he had achieved his goal with the female cultivator's guidance, there was naturally no need to waste any more time.

One incense stick later, Lu Ye stood before an enormous circular building and looked up at it.

Amid the disorderly, haphazard layout of the marketplace, such a structure was an unmistakable landmark.

This was the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. A single building silently displayed its profound foundations and immense wealth.

The Merchant Alliance's plaque hung above the main entrance. The open doors were like a beast's maw, with countless cultivators streaming in and out. A glittering gold couplet was posted on either side of the entrance. The left read, "Broadly welcome guests from the Nine Provinces." The right read, "Gladly gather wealth from all directions." The horizontal inscription read: "Guests Feel at Home!"

Lu Ye followed the crowd into the main hall. Strangely, although many cultivators entered and left, the hall itself was exceptionally quiet.

A beautiful, slender female cultivator immediately approached and gave Lu Ye a graceful curtsey. "Greetings, Senior Brother."

Lu Ye returned the salute, unable to resist looking at the pair of furry ears atop her head.

This was another Demon Cultivator, and one who had not fully taken human form. According to what that fat cultivator had said earlier, once these Demon Cultivators reached a sufficiently profound cultivation, the traits of Monster Beasts would gradually fade away, and they would slowly become no different from ordinary people.

So it was not strange to see many Demon Cultivators here with Monster Beast traits, because the cultivators here were not particularly strong.

Although she noticed Lu Ye's gaze, the Female Demon Cultivator was long accustomed to it and naturally showed no unusual reaction. She continued in a gentle voice, "Is Senior Brother here to buy or sell? Or are you simply looking around?"

It seemed different choices received different treatment. Lu Ye composed himself and said, "Sell."

A smile blossomed across the Female Demon Cultivator's face as she gestured ahead. "This way, Senior Brother."

Lu Ye followed her in that direction. There seemed to be many private rooms there, and he could vaguely see figures seated inside them, discussing business.