"Sorry, but the materials on my stall are for trade, not sale. And I won't take anything but Duo Er Stone!"
The voice beneath the Bamboo Hat sounded distinctly disappointed at Su Shi'er's answer.
"I don't have any Duo Er Stone, but I do have a Magical Treasure I believe you might find interesting."
Su Shi'er had come with confidence. He was not about to leave just like that.
He continued speaking, but when the other man showed no intention of replying, he simply waved a hand and took a dark-gold Alchemical Furnace from his Storage Bracelet.
It was none other than the Fourth-grade Magic Treasure he had obtained years ago on Medicine King Island in the East Sea Islands: the Duo Er Golden Furnace.
And the Duo Er Golden Furnace had been crafted with Duo Er Stone as its primary material.
"Hm? Is that..."
The cultivator, who had been reclining in a wicker chair, suddenly sat bolt upright. He swept the Bamboo Hat from his face, revealing features as firm and sharply cut as if carved by blade and axe.
He looked middle-aged, with bright, piercing eyes like a tiger's, carrying an air of authority even without anger.
Ignoring Su Shi'er, he fixed his gaze on the Pill Furnace in Su Shi'er's hand.
After studying it for a moment, he spoke.
"A Fourth-grade Pill Furnace crafted from Duo Er Stone? Hmph! What a waste of a precious gift!"
The tiger-eyed cultivator frowned deeply and muttered the rebuke.
"Did you craft this Pill Furnace?"
Only then did he look at Su Shi'er, scrutiny in his eyes.
A waste of a precious gift? From his tone, he seems quite dissatisfied with how this furnace was crafted.
*For him to react so instinctively, could he be skilled in the Art of Artifact