Tianyuan World, Black Market.
Having dealt with the matters on Blue Star, Su Jie used the Ancient Mirror to return here, preparing to purchase the last batch of supplies for the upcoming mountain patrol.
The flow of people in the Black Market was much busier than on regular days.
Many from Ghost Ridge Palace harbored the same thoughts as Su Jie, seeking to convert their stored Blood Marrow Crystals into combat power.
Taixu Pavilion!
Looking up at this seven-story building, one of the most prominent in the Black Market, Su Jie stepped inside.
Taixu Pavilion specialized in selling talismans and Magic Artifacts, divided into Talisman Hall and Magic Artifact Hall.
The talismans here were primarily used by Righteous Cultivators from the outside world; Demon Cultivators could also use them, but not as seamlessly.
In the outside world, Taixu Pavilion also had quite a reputation, with a Sacrifice from the Secret Realm overseeing it.
"Mr. Su."
No sooner had he walked in than a woman with a spectacular figure and court attire, a long, splendid five-colored sash tied around her waist and full, round hips, together with rich, moist lips, free from make-up and appearing about thirty years of age with quite the mature charm, approached him.
"Sister Cai, we haven't seen each other for a month, and you've become even more beautiful and captivating."
Raising an eyebrow, Su Jie spoke with a smile.
The woman before him was named Cai Chun'e, the manager of Taixu Pavilion, renowned in the Black Market for her beauty.
As Su Jie had previously bought talismans from her and had also sold her several Poison Insects which Taixu Pavilion sought to acquire, they had interacted a few times.
"Mr. Su, you jest."
Cai Chun'e smiled demurely and said with a grin, "You never visit without a reason. What are you planning to buy today?"
"I'm here to buy some protective talismans."
Su Jie stated his intentions, knowing that while he had sufficient offensive capabilities, his defenses were still lacking.
As he had but one life, caution was never excessive.
"Come with me."
Cai Chun'e nodded slightly and led Su Jie up the staircase to the second floor.
As she ascended the stairs in her half-skirt palace attire, her exquisite legs were revealed, and her hips swayed enticingly with every step.
Seemingly aware of the attention, Cai Chun'e reach back to smooth down her skirt.
On the second floor, hundreds of talismans were displayed on shelves protected by strict Prohibition spells, shimmering with Spiritual Radiance that was captivating to behold.
Jealous of these talismans, Su Jie knew that, in the Tianyuan World, whether it was a talisman master, Alchemist, or Artifact Refiner, as long as one had talent and achieved success, they belonged to a first-class wealthy elite.
"This Low Grade Basic Golden Vortex Talisman can create a deflective Spiritual Power field, deflecting incoming long-range attacks, priced at 12 Blood Marrow Crystals. The Low Grade Basic Godspeed Talisman can stimulate the Spiritual Power meridians of the legs, greatly increasing your speed for one minute, priced at 10 Blood Marrow Crystals. There is also the Lower Grade Intermediate Sky Escape Fire Talisman that can form a high-temperature fire shield to protect the bearer, priced at 50 Blood Marrow Crystals..."
Cai Chun'e introduced these items to Su Jie in great detail, but she didn't elaborate much on the more advanced talismans. Their prices were beyond one hundred Blood Marrow Crystals, something ordinary Outer Disciples couldn't afford.
"Have the prices gone up? I remember the Golden Vortex Talisman was only 10 Blood Marrow Crystals before, and the others seem pricier as well."
Su Jie furrowed his brow slightly, noticing the hike in prices from the past.
"Due to recent disruptions to trade by Alien Ghosts, the cost of stocks has increased, and to barely break even, we had to adjust the prices slightly," explained Cai Chun'e without any sign of panic, apparently used to hearing such queries.
Profiteer!
Su Jie cursed inwardly.
However, considering the sort of merchants who dared to enter the Black Market and conduct business with Ghost Ridge Palace, it was no surprise they would take advantage of scarcity to inflate prices.
"I'll check other stores first."
Though Cai Chun'e was quite charming, when it came to his own purse, Su Jie was determined to compare prices from different sellers; he could not be blindsided by beauty.
Cai Chun'e smiled faintly, confidently saying, "Please feel free, Mr. Su."
Su Jie left Taixu Pavilion and headed to other shops selling talismans.
Talismans, especially the Lower Grade ones that had the highest production and sales, had no so-called intellectual property rules, and many shops sold them.
But after touring the entire Black Market, Su Jie's face was grim.
The price hikes in other shops were even worse than at Taixu Pavilion.
It wasn't just the talismans, the prices of various combat-related materials had also skyrocketed, causing Su Jie's brows to continuously furrow.
An hour later, Su Jie returned to Taixu Pavilion.
Cai Chun'e was waiting at the entrance, expecting his return. Upon seeing him, she greeted with a beaming smile, "Mr. Su, Taixu Pavilion's prices are the most sincere in the Black Market, you can buy with confidence."
Su Jie was left speechless because Cai Chun'e's words were indeed the truth.
"Give me two Golden Vortex Talismans and one Godspeed Talisman."
Su Jie didn't haggle anymore and made his purchase from Cai Chun'e.
After spending 10 Blood Marrow Crystals on the Tiger Roar Fist martial art some time ago, he now had only 35 Blood Marrow Crystals left in total, which was the money he had earned from selling Peng Shiwen's corpse. Otherwise, Su Jie would have been even poorer.
"Thank you, Mr. Su, for taking care of the business."
Cai Chun'e handed over the talismans to Su Jie and collected 34 Blood Marrow Crystals from him.
"Do you need to buy anything else? Would you like to take a look at the Magic Artifacts?"
Perhaps seeing Su Jie as one of the wealthier Outer Disciples, Cai Chun'e continued to pitch her products, hoping to sell even more.
"I'm out of money, but if Sister Cai you're willing to give me one for free, I certainly wouldn't mind."
Turning out his empty pockets, Su Jie wished he could buy a Magic Artifact.
But unlike talismans, which are one-time use items that are gone after being used,
Magic Artifacts can be used continuously as long as they are not damaged, so even the poorest quality Low Grade Basic Magic Artifact is priced at over a hundred Blood Marrow Crystals.
It wasn't that he didn't want to buy one; he simply couldn't afford it.
Cai Chun'e pursed her lips with a smile, cast a charming glance at Su Jie, and said, "I'd be willing, but Taixu Pavilion isn't mine to give away, so I can't offer it. I can only welcome Mr. Su to come and shop again next time."
Spreading his hands, Su Jie said with a wry smile, "With these prices, I'm afraid I can't afford it."
If this trend of price hikes continued, and the Alien Ghost problem couldn't be resolved soon, the price of these battle-related goods would certainly keep soaring.
After purchasing the talismans, Su Jie didn't linger.
No sooner had he stepped out of Taixu Pavilion's main gate than his ears picked up a commotion.
He saw on the street that a group of Disciples were ostentatiously pushing a flat cart through the crowd.
On the cart lay a pale-skinned, over three meters tall humanoid creature with claws sharp as steel knives and blood-red eyes — an extremely terrifying sight. It was an Alien Ghost, but one that was already dead.
Its heart had a large hole through which one could see that its internal organs had been shattered.
A few Disciples stood beside the cart, looking rather pleased with themselves as they surveyed the crowd.
Merchants swarmed around them, endlessly flattering the group of Disciples.
"You've actually managed to kill an Alien Ghost; you guys are really something."
"How about selling this Alien Ghost to us at Bright Light Tower? We're willing to pay a high price, 300 Blood Marrow Crystals for the purchase."
"Our Chen's Commerce is willing to offer 350 Blood Marrow Crystals."
"We will offer..."
The merchants surrounded the cart, fiercely bidding against each other, and the number of joiners to this heated auction kept growing.
Behind Su Jie in Taixu Pavilion, Cai Chun'e also hurried out, lifting her skirt as she rushed into the bidding crowd.
This scene of frenzied bidding made many Disciples on the Black Market street green with envy.
Su Jie felt a pang of desire himself. Alien Ghost materials were extremely precious; their skin and flesh weren't worth much, but their bones were a different story.
Grinding the bones of an Alien Ghost into powder to mix into the forging of a Magic Artifact could significantly enhance both the success rate and quality of the Artifact Refining, which was why these merchants were so eager to sell.
"Who knows what it cost them..."
Looking at the Disciples around the cart, who were more or less bloodied, Su Jie knew the Alien Ghost's combat power was tremendously strong. Hurting it would require the cooperation of several Disciples, let alone killing it.
Su Jie watched the auction, and in the end, the Alien Ghost was sold for a high price of 550 Blood Marrow Crystals.
Those merchants who failed to secure the bid dispersed in twos and threes, and Cai Chun'e returned with a forlorn expression.
"Sister Cai, does Taixu Pavilion also want the body of an Alien Ghost?"
Su Jie saw Cai Chun'e empty-handed and looking very disappointed.
For a place as large and well-established as Taixu Pavilion, this seemed unlikely.
"The pride of the Lin Family, Lin Lan, will celebrate her 18th birthday soon. Her father is a famous Artifact Refiner, planning to personally create an exceptional Magic Artifact, which requires a large amount of Alien Ghost bone powder. The price of that has doubled recently," Cai Chun'e explained. Upon hearing 'Lin Family,' Su Jie immediately understood.
In the outer region of Qingzhou, the Lin Family was a vast entity with a lineage spanning thousands of years and filled with numerous experts.
These merchants wanted to acquire the Alien Ghost body likely in hopes of gaining favor with this millennial family.
After finishing her explanation, Cai Chun'e continued, "Mr. Su, you're buying talismans because you're going on a Mountain Patrol, right? If you get a chance to acquire an Alien Ghost body, remember to think of me. I'll give you a good price."
"You really think too highly of me, Sister Cai. I'm not that powerful," Su Jie replied.
"You never know, I tend to be quite accurate with people," Cai Chun'e said, looking thoughtfully at Su Jie's waist. Then, leaning in close enough for their faces to almost touch, she whispered with a teasing smile, "You seemed quite taken with Sister's backside earlier, Mr. Su. If you manage to get an Alien Ghost body, I'll let you experience the feeling."
Leaving that provocative remark hanging, Cai Chun'e returned to Taixu Pavilion with a seductive sway.
"That temptress."
Touching his chest, Su Jie looked down, lost in thought: "Could she have noticed the situation with the thousand-hand centipede?"
Unfortunately, this was a question he couldn't easily ask her to confirm.
Su Jie had to suppress his doubts for the time being and turned to head back to the Ghost Ridge Palace base.