Hearing the old man's offer, Lin Xiye was somewhat surprised. The leaves and stem of the "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass" were worth far more than he had estimated!
After a little thought, however, Lin Xiye understood why.
In the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect's immortal cultivators' marketplace, the leaves and stem of a "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass" were also precious and rare, but as long as one was willing to pay Spirit Stones, one could still buy them.
Yet within a thousand miles of Zichuan City, or even several thousand miles... not a single force could cultivate hundred-year-old Treasure Medicine!
Cultivating Treasure Medicine was extraordinarily demanding. Not only did it require an immortal cultivator's devoted care, but it also required a top-grade spirit field...
Within several thousand miles of Zichuan City, the leaves and stems of hundred-year-old Treasure Medicine were almost impossible to buy at any price!!
Having understood this, Lin Xiye did not immediately respond to the old man. Instead, he kept an indifferent expression and deliberately furrowed his brow slightly, as if he were deeply dissatisfied with the offer.
Every transaction was a battle of wits!
Only by taking the initiative could one gain greater benefits in the course of a transaction! That was true in the world of immortal cultivation, and in the mortal world... it was no different.
Seeing Lin Xiye remain silent with his brow tightly furrowed, the old man was in no hurry.
As the shopkeeper of the Azure Shore Pavilion, he had dealt with all kinds of customers.
He knew perfectly well that Lin Xiye was holding out for a better offer!
So he spoke again and raised his price,
"How about this, fellow Daoist... let the Azure Shore Pavilion make a friend of you. A firm offer: thirty-five Spirit Stone fragments!"
"Fellow Daoist, although the leaves and stem of the 'hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass' have some value, they're of little practical use in your hands..."
"After all, even if you swallowed them directly, they wouldn't increase your cultivation by much. Instead, much of their medicinal potency would go to waste."
"If you exchange them for Spirit Stone fragments, fellow Daoist, you can buy all kinds of finished pills and Cultivation Methods..."
Faced with the old man's higher offer and his ceaseless persuasion, Lin Xiye remained perfectly calm, unmoved in the slightest.
Although thirty-five Spirit Stone fragments was already a considerable price, Lin Xiye knew... it was not the highest the Azure Shore Pavilion could offer!
Looking at the unruffled Lin Xiye, the old man felt a headache coming on. But instead of raising his offer again, he changed tack and asked Lin Xiye,
"Fellow Daoist, thirty-five Spirit Stone fragments is already the Azure Shore Pavilion's bottom line."
"If you're still dissatisfied, fellow Daoist, could you name a price? As long as it's reasonable... we can discuss it."
When he said "bottom line," the old man deliberately stressed the words... that, too, was part of the battle of wits!
Within the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect, the leaves and stem of the "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass" might sell for twenty Spirit Stone fragments at most.
But within several thousand miles of Zichuan City, the leaves and stems of "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass" were impossible to buy at any price. If the Azure Shore Pavilion handled their sale at auction... they could fetch at least 100 Spirit Stone fragments!
By abruptly changing tack and letting Lin Xiye name a price, the old man was also probing for Lin Xiye's bottom line.
In any battle of wits, only by yielding the initiative at the right moment... could one seize an even greater advantage!
But as an immortal cultivator who had cultivated for a hundred years and was already 110 years old, Lin Xiye would not fall for it!
"Eighty Spirit Stone fragments. Any less... and this old man won't sell."
Lin Xiye demanded an exorbitant price outright, calling for the high sum of eighty Spirit Stone fragments. After all... eighty Spirit Stone fragments was already close to the price of one Spirit Stone fragment.
A whole "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass" could sell for only three or four low-grade Spirit Stones at most.
And what Lin Xiye had brought out was merely a piece of the "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass's" leaves and stem.
Sure enough, the old man's expression changed slightly when he heard Lin Xiye's price!
At the same time, he felt somewhat helpless.
In front of Lin Xiye, none of his sales patter or tactics... had any effect.
"Fellow Daoist, don't joke with me."
"How about this... we each take a step back! Sixty Spirit Stone fragments, what do you say?"
"That price is already three times the market price for these leaves and stem of 'hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass'! Even if you went to another trading shop, fellow Daoist, that would be the most you could get."
The old man sighed.
Sixty Spirit Stone fragments really was the highest price the Azure Shore Pavilion could offer.
Although the Azure Shore Pavilion could drive up the price at auction and sell the leaves and stem of the "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass" for a hundred Spirit Stone fragments or even more,
The Azure Shore Pavilion had to give thirty percent of the proceeds from every transaction to the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect!
It was not just the Azure Shore Pavilion. Every immortal cultivation force in this marketplace and throughout Huai Mountain Commandery... had to pay thirty percent of any income from its assets to the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect!
Otherwise, the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect would wipe them out!!
In Huai Mountain Commandery, the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect was the absolute ruler!
"Not enough."
"Unless you also add three scrolls of Organ Refining Realm Cultivation Methods and a bottle of Spirit Tempering Pills!"
Lin Xiye spoke indifferently.
Hearing this, the old man said little and readily agreed.
Organ Refining Realm Cultivation Methods were not particularly valuable. The Azure Shore Pavilion had several hundred scrolls of them, so there was no harm in making three copies for Lin Xiye.
As for a bottle of Spirit Tempering Pills, it contained only six pills, worth two Spirit Stone fragments at most.
After the deal was settled, the old man quickly had someone bring copies of three Organ Refining Realm Cultivation Methods and placed them in Lin Xiye's hands along with a bottle of Spirit Tempering Pills and sixty Spirit Stone fragments.
Lin Xiye, in turn, handed the old man the piece of leaves and stem from the "hundred-year-old Spirit Tempering Grass."
Once the entire transaction was complete, the old man spoke again,
"Fellow Daoist... see if there's anything else you need."
"The Azure Shore Pavilion has all kinds of fine Law Treasures, finished pills..."
"If you need anything, fellow Daoist, the Azure Shore Pavilion can give you a ten percent discount this time!!"
The old man was enthusiastic.
Lin Xiye did not refuse.
He had come to the immortal cultivators' marketplace this time to purchase all kinds of pills, talismans, and formations...
"Shopkeeper, give me ten Flame Talismans, three Spirit Poison Bottles... and ten bottles of Body Tempering Pills!"
Lin Xiye spoke casually.
Flame Talismans were an extremely low-grade type of talisman.
The power of a single Flame Talisman would be hard-pressed even to injure an immortal cultivator at the Bone Refining Realm.
Yet Flame Talismans were not cheap! A single Flame Talisman could sell for one Spirit Stone fragment!
Of course, while the killing power of one Flame Talisman was very limited, if hundreds or even thousands of Flame Talismans were thrown out all at once... even an immortal cultivator who had just broken through to the Early Spirit Accumulation Stage would have to give them a wide berth!!
Lin Xiye had naturally bought the Flame Talismans to deal with the Zhao Household's Organ Refining Realm ancestor.
Although Flame Talismans were weak, Lin Xiye could use the Immortal-Appraising Treasure Mirror to upgrade and strengthen them!
As for the Spirit Poison Bottle, it was similar to the Flame Talisman, another low-grade item for use against enemies!
Treasure Medicine Spirit Poison was sealed inside a Spirit Poison Bottle. If it struck an enemy, it would briefly numb them!
However, low-grade Spirit Poison Bottles had some effect only on immortal cultivators in the Four Body Tempering Realms.