Market

With his purse embarrassingly empty, Song Wen ultimately did not buy any spell or cultivation technique from the Transmission Hall.

After finally finding a Corpse Puppet Refinement Art he liked, he discovered that it required twenty-five spirit stones.

Leaving the Transmission Hall, Song Wen headed for the market at the foot of the mountain.

The market at the mountain's foot had been established by the Corpse Demon Sect. It contained not only shops run by the Corpse Demon Sect, but also shops belonging to outside factions, as well as stalls set up by Corpse Demon Sect disciples and rogue cultivators selling their wares.

The sect's shops generally sold more expensive goods, but their quality was guaranteed.

The goods at the stalls were generally cheaper, but their quality was much poorer. For instance, pills might be of inferior quality, or cultivation techniques might have missing portions that made them impossible to cultivate.

By the time Song Wen reached the market, the sun was already sinking westward, yet the place was packed shoulder to shoulder. This was the market's liveliest hour. Most Corpse Demon Sect disciples toiled hard throughout the day and only had time to stroll through the market and hunt for bargains now.

Song Wen had come to the market for two reasons: first, to purchase corpse baleful qi to aid his cultivation; second, to broaden his horizons.

Song Wen wandered along, looking as he walked. After nearly half an hour, he finally spotted the corpse baleful qi he had been yearning for at a stall.

Three black jade bottles sat on the stall. Intricate formation patterns had been carved onto the bottles, meant to prevent the corpse baleful qi within from leaking away.

"Senior Brother, how much is the corpse baleful qi?" Song Wen asked.

The stall owner was likewise dressed in the robes of a Corpse Demon Sect outer disciple. He gave Song Wen a cold glance and replied indifferently.

"Eighty low-grade spirit stones."

"So expensive!" Song Wen was stunned by the price.

"I ventured deep into the central region of Ten Thousand Corpse Valley and spent several days refining and collecting the purest corpse baleful qi. One bottle can sustain an early Qi Refinement disciple like you for three months. Of course it won't be cheap."

Ten Thousand Corpse Valley was a forbidden place not far from the Corpse Demon Sect. It was shrouded in corpse baleful qi year-round and was a place nearby demonic cultivators often visited to collect corpse baleful qi.

As for the owner's claim that he had ventured deep into the central region of Ten Thousand Corpse Valley, that was merely boastful talk to help sell his wares.

Even though Song Wen had only been in the Corpse Demon Sect for two months, he knew that the central region of Ten Thousand Corpse Valley was absolutely not a place a Qi Refinement cultivator could enter deeply.

"Make it cheaper. Twenty spirit stones," Song Wen tried to bargain.

The stall owner immediately became somewhat angry. "Go, go, go! If you're not buying, don't come here and cause trouble. You want to buy a bottle of pure corpse baleful qi for twenty spirit stones? You must still be dreaming. This jade bottle alone is worth more than ten low-grade spirit stones."

Song Wen left the stall in embarrassment after being chased away.

Next, Song Wen saw several more stalls selling corpse baleful qi. From his observations, a bottle of pure corpse baleful qi generally sold for around sixty spirit stones.

If the buyer could provide an empty jade bottle, the price would be ten spirit stones lower.

In other words, the specially made jade bottle used to hold corpse baleful qi was worth around ten spirit stones.

Though he did not have enough spirit stones, Song Wen did not give up. He still had something he could sell.

The pill furnace he had obtained from Extreme Yin!

Though this pill furnace was only a low-grade magical artifact, it was a relatively rare type of magical artifact and could fetch a good price.

Song Wen walked directly into a shop that sold magical artifacts.

A shop assistant immediately came forward. His cultivation was around the third level of Qi Refinement.

"Customer, what would you like to buy?"

Song Wen said, "I'm not buying anything. Do you purchase magical artifacts here?"

"Of course we do." The assistant did not become less courteous just because Song Wen was there to sell something. He remained quite enthusiastic.

"May I ask what magical artifact you wish to sell?"

Song Wen flipped his palm, and the pill furnace appeared in his hand.

"This pill furnace."

The assistant took the pill furnace and inspected it carefully before saying,

"Customer, this pill furnace is a low-grade magical artifact. It has clearly been used for a long time, and some of the formation patterns have already begun to show signs of wear. Our shop can offer fifty spirit stones for it."

Song Wen was slightly stunned. "The price is so low?"

According to Song Wen's understanding, low-grade offensive magical artifacts sold in the market generally cost over one hundred spirit stones. Defensive magical artifacts were slightly more expensive, though they generally did not exceed two hundred spirit stones.

A special magical artifact like a pill furnace could not be mentioned in the same breath as ordinary magical artifacts.

A low-grade pill furnace generally cost around five hundred spirit stones. No wonder it was said in the cultivation world that training an alchemist consumed an enormous amount of resources.

This low-grade pill furnace alone was something an ordinary cultivator could not afford.

Though Song Wen's pill furnace was secondhand and had been used before, he had estimated it would be worth between two hundred and three hundred spirit stones.

Though shops needed to profit from buying low and selling high, fifty spirit stones was far below Song Wen's expectations.

"Your offer is too low. Can you raise it?"

The assistant smiled. "Customer, you may not know this, but when our shop purchases things, we do not ask where they came from. No matter how you obtained this magical artifact, once it enters our shop, we can resolve any trouble connected to this pill furnace for you. Naturally, the price will be lower."

Song Wen was rendered somewhat speechless. Clearly, the other party had taken him for someone looking to dispose of stolen goods.

The assistant could not be blamed for this. Song Wen appeared to be only at the late first level of Qi Refinement, completely like a beginner who had just entered the sect. This pill furnace naturally could not possibly belong to Song Wen himself.

Alchemy was a profession that consumed enormous resources and spirit stones. It was absolutely not something an outer disciple who had only just entered the sect, like Song Wen, could aspire to.

Song Wen said, "You are mistaken. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the origin of this pill furnace. It will not involve any trouble."

Song Wen took back the pill furnace, turned, and headed toward the shop entrance. If this shop would not buy it, there were other shops.

Seeing Song Wen leave so cleanly and decisively, the assistant immediately became anxious and hurriedly called out.

"Eighty spirit stones?"

Song Wen was already nearly at the shop entrance, yet he showed no sign whatsoever of turning back.

The assistant could not help feeling uneasy. Had his earlier judgment been wrong? Did this pill furnace truly have no problems with its origin?

"One hundred and twenty spirit stones."

Song Wen still did not look back. He had already stepped out of the shop and onto the street outside, glancing around for a suitable shop to sell to.

"One hundred and eighty spirit stones."

The assistant hurriedly chased after Song Wen outside the shop and said to him,

"This is the highest price I can offer. Even if there are no issues with this pill furnace's origin, you won't be able to sell it for a higher price."

Song Wen smiled faintly, turned, and walked toward the assistant.

"Alright, deal."

Song Wen handed the pill furnace to the assistant.

He knew that if he set up a stall in the market to sell the pill furnace himself, he could probably get a higher price. However, setting up a stall required paying five spirit stones every day, and a pill furnace was unlike other magical artifacts. Ordinary people would not buy one; only those determined to become alchemists would purchase it.

If Song Wen set up a stall himself, who knew how long it would take to sell it.

The assistant's offer of one hundred and eighty spirit stones had already exceeded his expectations.