"Thank you, Shopkeeper Zhang."
"I, Hong, will remember this favor. If I have pills to sell in the future, Azure Pill Hall will certainly be my first choice!"
Liu Yu spoke solemnly.
A century-old establishment like this was very well informed. He could maintain a relationship with them in the future.
At his words, the smile on Zhang Chunming's aged face grew even brighter.
Wasn't this precisely what he had been waiting to hear?
Liu Yu chatted with him a little longer, then put away the wooden box, took his leave, and departed.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Liu Yu relaxed and began browsing the Market Ward.
Before he knew it, he had returned to the square laid out in the shape of the character 回.
It was already evening, yet the crowds in the square had not thinned. Instead, it had grown even livelier.
Everywhere he looked, stalls were selling all manner of goods.
Some stallholders were bargaining with customers, while others loudly hawked their wares.
A few stallholders sat meditating with their eyes closed, utterly indifferent to those around them. Perhaps they were so confident in their goods that they felt no need to call out.
Vendors' cries rose and fell, giving the place something of the flavor of a mundane marketplace.
Liu Yu wandered slowly through the square, purchasing a few talismans along the way.
They were Fireball Talismans, Fire Serpent Talismans, and Vajra Talismans.
The Fireball Technique was a first-tier, low-grade spell, its power roughly equivalent to an early Qi Refining cultivator's all-out attack with the Fireball Technique.
The Fire Serpent Technique was a first-tier, high-grade spell, its power roughly equivalent to a late Qi Refining cultivator's all-out attack with the Fire Serpent Technique.
The Vajra Talisman contained a first-tier, middle-grade defensive spell, its power roughly equivalent to a middle Qi Refining cultivator's fully unleashed Vajra Technique.
This spell could create a golden shield around the body, capable of withstanding two or three attacks no stronger than the middle Qi Refining level.
Spells sealed within talismans were generally a little weaker than those cast directly by cultivators, but the difference was not great.
After all, over the long passage of years, the art of talisman crafting had become highly refined.
A Fireball Talisman usually cost one spirit stone, a Vajra Talisman five, and a Fire Serpent Talisman eight.
When Liu Yu left, he counted his purchases: twenty Fireball Talismans, two Vajra Talismans, and three Fire Serpent Talismans, costing fifty-four spirit stones in total.
He had bought these talismans from different stalls, so there was no need to worry about attracting attention.
Liu Yu had wanted to buy a few more Fire Serpent Talismans.
However, talismans with such considerable power for Qi Refining Period cultivators were highly sought after and had already sold out.
Talismans were extremely simple to use and could be activated far faster than spells could normally be cast.
When needed, a mere trace of magical power would activate one. The expenditure was practically negligible, so almost every cultivator kept a few on hand.
This time, Liu Yu did not intend to set up a stall to sell pills. Taking out dozens of bottles would draw too much attention, and selling them that way would be too slow.
It would be better to sell them directly to shops. He would receive slightly fewer spirit stones, but save time.
With that in mind, Liu Yu went to the Welcome Immortal Inn and paid one spirit stone for a room.
A Spirit Gathering Formation was inscribed in the room. The spiritual energy was fairly dense by the standards of Qi Refining Period cultivators, more than sufficient for cultivation.
Sitting cross-legged on the wooden bed with his eyes closed, Liu Yu circulated the Wood Spirit Art, carefully refining his magical power.
Although the bottleneck prevented his magical power from increasing any further, he could not stop cultivating.
At the very least, he could refine his magical power and make it purer.
Only through accumulation, day after day, could he travel farther and see more of the scenery along the road to immortality.
Even within the ordinary, miracles could be found!
Time flowed on, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those three days, Liu Yu sold fifteen bottles of Pure Spirit Pills, receiving four hundred and five spirit stones in total.
Together with his previous spirit stones, he now had fourteen hundred.
Winning that Yellow Dragon Pill at auction should pose no difficulty.
Three days later, the day of the underground auction arrived. Liu Yu finished cultivating and prepared to set out.
He took a small bottle from his storage pouch, removed the stopper, and shook it gently. A murky liquid could be seen inside.
This was a special disguise spirit liquid he had prepared according to the Essentials of Demonic Cultivation, capable of deceiving probes of divine sense.
According to the manual, no divine sense below the Golden Core Stage could see through it.
To gather the spiritual herbs required for this liquid, Liu Yu had visited every Market Ward belonging to the sect before finally collecting them all.
Fortunately, he had the Immortal Mansion. For most of the spiritual herbs, he only needed to obtain their seeds.
Otherwise, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would likely have found gathering them difficult.
Suppressing his revulsion, Liu Yu stood before the mirror and carefully smeared the liquid over his face, following the method recorded in the Essentials of Demonic Cultivation.
Once he had finished applying it, he examined himself in the mirror.
A cultivator with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and sallow skin appeared in the reflection, completely different from before.
Even someone familiar with him probably would not recognize him face-to-face.
"Although it looks a little disgusting, the effect is certainly good."
Liu Yu nodded in satisfaction and put on a black veil and a bamboo hat. Both were made of ordinary materials and could not block probes of divine sense.
In the shops earlier, the staff could not casually use divine sense to inspect others. Doing so would be considered rude and create an extremely bad impression.
In more serious cases, it could even provoke hostility from cultivators.
But the underground auction was different. Dragons and fish mingled among the cultivators coming and going, and some even came specifically to dispose of "stolen goods." He had to take precautions.
Turning these matters over in his mind, Liu Yu left the inn.
Following the address Zhang Chunming had given him, he arrived at a general store on the western side of Jiatai Market that looked quite old.
The general store appeared small, its storefront somewhat weathered. Very few cultivators came and went, and most behaved secretively.
After observing for a while, Liu Yu noticed that many people entered but never came back out. He guessed there was more to the place than met the eye.
Without further hesitation, he strode inside.
Entering the general store, Liu Yu looked around and saw an old woman behind the counter.
Her hair was graying and her back was hunched, but the spiritual power fluctuations she emitted unmistakably belonged to late Qi Refining.
Liu Yu's heart immediately tightened.
Even the cultivator guarding the entrance was at late Qi Refining. The power hosting this auction was certainly no ordinary one.
"Were heaven to feel, even heaven would grow old."
Liu Yu's tone was indifferent. Without beating around the bush, he immediately gave Azure Pill Hall's referral passphrase.
Hearing this, the old woman slowly raised her head. Her somewhat cloudy eyes looked Liu Yu up and down.
Then she forced out an ugly smile.
"The Great Dao is without feeling, utterly impartial."
Her voice was hoarse. Having answered the passphrase, she reached beneath the counter and pressed something.
Clack, clack, clack.
Some mechanism had been triggered, and an opening half a zhang wide suddenly appeared in the floor beside them.
Within the opening was a dimly lit flight of stairs leading to an unknown destination.
"Please enter, honored guest. Follow the passage to its end, and you will reach the auction venue."
With a peculiar expression, the old woman spoke again in her hoarse voice.
Liu Yu remained vigilant in this unfamiliar setting, but showed no fear.
He gave the old woman an indifferent glance, briefly cupped his hands, and walked openly toward the stairs.
The stairs led downward throughout, with a lamp placed every dozen or so zhang, though their light was rather dim.
Tap. Tap, tap.
After following the passage for about a quarter of an hour, he finally reached its end.
From a distance, Liu Yu spotted a door guarded by two black-clad figures, one on either side.
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