Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion
"The Soul Bottle is less than four miles away from us, and it's clearly within my Divine Sense perception range, so why can't I sense that person's presence?" the elder brother said, somewhat puzzled.
"She must have cultivated some kind of profound technique for concealing her aura, just like us," the female cultivator said nonchalantly.
Upon hearing this, the elder brother no longer hesitated.
"Do it!"
Before he finished speaking, he darted away, heading towards the location of the Divine Sense imprint.
The other two followed behind him and rushed out as well.
When the three of them rushed to the location of the Soul Bottle, they were immediately dumbfounded.
There was no sign of any cultivator, only a Gu Worm carrying Soul Bottle, swaying as it moved forward.
"Oh no, we've been tricked! Let's go!"
The eldest brother roared and activated his Movement Method, preparing to leave.
However, they could no longer leave.
Suddenly, five more Gu Worm appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the three of them.
Surrounded by six peak-level second-tier Sacred Beetle Gu, the three were quickly defeated.
When Song Wen arrived, apart from the 'eldest brother' who was still breathing, the other two had already died.
"Don't kill me, I'm from the Xing Family."
Upon seeing Song Wen arrive, the elder brother hurriedly called out.
His response was a foot-long sharp blade.
After killing the 'eldest brother,' Song Wen used the Corpse Dao Secret Art to seal the souls of the three men into their respective bodies, collected the three corpses, and disappeared into the dense forest.
After traveling hundreds of miles, Song Wen began searching the souls of the three men at the foot of a secluded mountain.
From his 'elder brother's' memories, Song Wen obtained some useful information.
Firstly.
This "elder brother" was not a member of the Xing Family, as he claimed.
To put it nicely, he was a retainer hired by the Xing Family.
To put it bluntly, he was just a high-ranking lackey of the Xing Family.
Secondly.
On the first and fifteenth of each month, a gathering for Foundation Establishment cultivators is held at the 'Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion' in the Ghost Market.
Cultivators can exchange what they need, such as spiritual herbs and pills, Cultivation Method and secret arts, and even Heart-Refining Mountains.
Thirdly.
The Xing Family seems to be preparing for some important event, and many disciples and followers from other forces have come to Fangzhu City.
After consuming the Essence Blood and souls of the three, Song Wen stored their corpses in his storage ring, intending to use them to refine Death-Substitute Puppet.
He then began checking the three people's storage rings.
A bunch of paupers!
This is Song Wen's assessment of the three individuals.
Song Wen obtained a total of 50,000 Spirit Stone, most of which came from his 'elder brother's' storage ring.
There were also quite a few other miscellaneous spiritual materials, which were estimated to be worth twenty to thirty thousand Spirit Stone.
Actually, the three of them weren't poor.
Of the three, only the 'eldest brother' held a position in the Xing Family; the other two were Rogue Cultivator.
Most Rogue Cultivator earn enough Spirit Stone for their daily cultivation; otherwise, they wouldn't risk becoming Bandit Cultivator.
Ten days later, at midnight.
This day happened to be the first day of the month.
Song Wen arrived at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion black market.
Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is a shop that sells magical Law Artifact and Spirit Artifact.
Most of the items sold in this shop are of dubious origin, hence their prices are quite cheap.
"Senior, what would you like to buy?" asked a maid who Late Qi Refinement.
"I have some spiritual items here that I'd like to sell. I wonder if your shop accepts them?" Song Wen said.
The maid replied, "Of course we'll accept it. May I ask what you wish to sell, senior? Would you allow me to take a look?"
With a thought, Song Wen conjured a mid-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword in his hand.
The maid only glanced at the flying sword before realizing that with her Qi Refining Stage cultivation, she was simply incapable of accurately assessing its value.
She gestured towards the backyard.
"Forgive my limited knowledge, senior, for I cannot determine the value of the flying sword. Please come with me, I will take you to see the steward."
Led by a maid, the two arrived at a wooden building in the backyard.
After the maidservant had Song Wen sit down in the main hall of the wooden building, they went up to the second floor.
A short while later, an elderly man with white hair and a maid came down from the second floor.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the maid left, and the white-haired old man spoke.
"Guest, may I have a look at your flying sword?"
Song Wen did not take out his flying sword, but directly stated his true purpose.
"I've heard that your shop hosts an exchange meeting for Foundation Establishment cultivators. I wonder if I would have the honor of attending?"
The white-haired old man smiled slightly.
"So, it turns out your true intentions lie elsewhere. However, everyone who attends our humble establishment's exchange meeting is a distinguished guest of our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and it is our duty to protect their safety. Not just anyone can participate in such an event."
Song Wen instantly understood what the other person meant and asked.
How can I become a VIP at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?
The white-haired old man stretched out his right hand, his fingers spread wide.
"The customer only needs to spend 50,000 Spirit Stone at our shop, or the customer can sell a treasure worth 50,000 Spirit Stone to our shop."
Song Wen raised an eyebrow.
Fifty thousand Spirit Stone!
This is no small sum, and it only gets you a qualification to participate in the exchange meeting, specifically the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators' exchange meeting.
If you can't find what you want at the exchange meeting, then spending those 50,000 Spirit Stone will be a bit of a waste.
Song Wen took out the mid-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword from before, handed it to the old man, and asked.
"What price will your shop offer for this sword?"
The old man held the flying sword, examined it for a moment, and then spoke.
"Two thousand Spirit Stone, I wonder if the guest is satisfied?"
Song Wen frowned slightly.
A mid-grade flying sword sells for around ten thousand Spirit Stone, but Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion only offers 20% of that price.
Perhaps sensing Song Wen's dissatisfaction with the price, the white-haired old man said.
"Guest, our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion buys spiritual items without ever inquiring about their origin, nor will we ever reveal any information about the seller. You can sell your spiritual items to us without any worries."
Song Wen did not answer the old man, but instead looked deep in thought.
The only items he possessed that could be considered stolen goods were the spiritual materials he obtained from the three Bandit Cultivators, worth approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Spirit Stone.
Selling these spiritual materials to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion would only fetch around five thousand Spirit Stone.
There's still a long way to go to reach 50,000 Spirit Stone.
The other spiritual materials he possessed were all brought from the Heavenly Origin Continent, so there was no need to sell them on the black market.
Selling it openly and honestly to Fangzhu City would at least double the price.
Song Wen was somewhat unwilling to sell the spiritual items he brought from the Heavenly Origin Continent to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion at a low price, but he also wanted to participate in the exchange meeting.
Then the only option is to spend 50,000 Spirit Stone at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
Song Wen frowned and asked, "May I ask if your shop has any other Spirit Treasure displayed outside?"
The white-haired old man smiled and said.
"So the customer didn't like the Spirit Treasure displayed outside. That's easy, our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion also offers customization services. Customers can make requests or provide spiritual materials, and we will refine Spirit Treasure specifically for them according to their requirements."
"Your shop has a weapon refiner!"
Song Wen asked with great interest.
"Excuse me, what rank of weapon refiner are you?"