The Xuan Stone Sect's five-member group temporarily stayed in Qingshi County, their daunting presence dissuading all loose cultivators from entertaining any crooked thoughts.
This caused the market's legitimate transactions to flourish like never before.
Uniform stalls, clear pricing, and a safe environment ensured all trades were conducted within regulated norms.
Yang Shi took the opportunity to sell this year's surplus of Spirit Rice.
At the market price of one Spirit Stone for ten catties, he sold a total of fifty Low Grade Spirit Stones.
Together with the twenty-three Low Grade Spirit Stones left over from the previous sale of the Divine General Card, Yang Shi had a substantial sum of seventy-three Low Grade Spirit Stones on hand!
In the ancestral hall behind the tea house.
Yang Shi dug out twelve Low Grade Spirit Stones from the pile and pushed them toward Jiang Xiaobai.
"Use these twelve stones for your cultivation," he said.
Jiang Xiaobai hurriedly shook his head, "I don't want them, brother. You should buy some elixirs that can help you with body refining. I can just slowly absorb the natural spiritual energy."
"Just take them if I say so. I've asked Brother Bai, and he said that at your stage, refining the pure spiritual energy from one Low Grade Spirit Stone each month will make your cultivation speed twice as fast as just absorbing natural spiritual energy. Your strength is very important for our family."
"Our... family," Jiang Xiaobai's face flushed red, and then she spoke in a twisting, girlish manner, "Brother, in three more months, I'll be eighteen."
"Oh, with the remaining sixty-one Spirit Stones, we'll be able to...get you a suitable Wood Element Cultivation Technique and purchase some other family properties."
"Hmph! I don't want it. Buy it for yourself," Little White pouted and turned her head away, seemingly angry for some reason.
"Let's wait for the patriarch. His spiritual sense can see the goods in the market; he is sure to pick the most suitable items for us."
Indeed...
Yang Genshuo could see the spiritual power on items, naturally allowing him to select the best among them.
He had been browsing through the offerings of the loose cultivators, but it must be said... after all, this was the lowest tier of the trading market, with mostly loose cultivators in the Fetal Breathing Stage and innate martial artists.
There were only a very few Qi Cultivators.
Their merchandise was mostly common, and their value well understood, with hardly any room for overpricing or heavy discounts, leaving no chance to snatch a bargain.
Yang Genshuo tirelessly skimmed through the offerings at every stall, eventually finding two items suitable for Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai.
"Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill?"
Yang Shi approached a stall in the market, picking up a small jade bottle that held a black elixir. The elixir's spiritual energy condensed within the jade bottle, making it look rather distinguished.
"Good eye, Shopkeep Yang. This Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill is a genuine First Grade Elixir. Taking it can cleanse the impurities within the body, optimize the blood vessels, enhance talent, and improve cultivation. It is one of the essential elixirs for all cultivators. Would you like one?"
With the patriarch's endorsement, even though Yang Shi did not recognize the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, he was not worried about being duped. However, he felt a bitter taste in his heart.
"This tiny pill costs me twenty Low Grade Spirit Stones?"
Shop owner: "Not to mention the enhancement of physique and cultivation, just the improvement in talent alone is worth it! Twenty Low Grade Spirit Stones is truly not expensive!"
The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill could only be taken once by a person; any further consumption would be useless.
Most crucially, its effects were highly significant for martial artists.
After some haggling, the deal was struck for eighteen Low Grade Spirit Stones.
"Now I'm left with only forty-three Low Grade Spirit Stones..."
When Yang Shi arrived at another stall indicated by the patriarch, he saw a Cultivation Technique Jade Scroll.
The Spring Wood Longevity Skill
A Wood Element Qi Cultivation Skill, which could be cultivated to the peak of Qi Cultivation.
Its specialty was that it could absorb the essence of plants to stimulate one's potential and increase lifespan.
It came with three spells: All Things Growth Skill, Spring Wood Revitalization Technique, Wood Spirit Possession.
"This is good, suitable for Xiaobai."
Yang Shi glanced at the price: fifty Spirit Stones for sale, and his vision darkened.
"Why do you dare charge fifty Low Grade Spirit Stones for a spell that can only be cultivated up to the Qi Cultivation level?"
"Because of longevity! Who among us immortal cultivators doesn't wish to live longer? An extra year of lifespan gives one more opportunity to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage. So, is this a mere Qi Cultivation skill? No! This is a shortcut to the Foundation Establishment Stage!"
Seeing the stall owner speak with conviction, Yang Shi's face was racked with toothache.
Not convinced, he went around to look at the Cultivation Techniques offered at other stalls, finding that the techniques from the Fetal Breathing to Qi Refinement Stages were priced around forty Low Grade Spirit Stones each, and none matched Xiaobai as well as this one.
After more negotiation, Yang Shi managed to bring the price down to forty Spirit Stones.
Having gone around, he was left with just three Spirit Stones.
The Yang family had almost spent the entire year's harvest and the Spirit Stones earned from selling cards.
"Right, I also have three more spirit fruits."
Magma Fruit.
Yang Shi saw someone selling them outside, a kind of fire element material that was good for making spiritual food or alchemy.
They could sell for five low grade spirit stones each,
but Yang Genshuo stopped him.
"Keep feeding Little Fire, it can grow into a guardian spirit beast."
Since these things couldn't sell for much, it was better to continue strengthening the Yang family's power.
The workshop was open for three days.
Loose cultivators in a sea of laughter and joy, were about to conclude their transactions tonight.
Ding Zhen took out a set of Blood Explosion Landmine Arrays from his storage ring, pondered for a long time, and then put it back.
"Boss, we're back."
"How did it go?"
"Still couldn't find any loose cultivators who want to join our demon path..."
"..."
In the end, these three days, they finally remembered their business, but none of the loose cultivators wanted to join the demon path; they were quite comfortable here.
"Without hatred, jealousy, rage... who should we absorb?"
Ding Zhen couldn't help recalling the day when he was still a child.
His father took him to the yearly Loose Cultivation Market, bought a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, said he had great talent, and was to feed it to him when they got home to become an immortal, but... they were ambushed and killed by two greedy cultivators on the way.
The mentor from Blood Soul Valley appeared, took him back to Blood Soul Valley, let him cultivate the demon path with hatred as his faith, and then to take revenge on his enemies...
Over the years, he had always carried that hatred but never found those two cultivators.
But he also followed his mentor's footsteps, recruiting many like-minded people into Blood Soul Valley.
The previous days' Qingshi Workshop Market, established by Yang Shi, lacked that flavor... He felt disappointed yet somewhat relieved.
"Perhaps this year may not see the likes of me appearing..."
"Let's go, we're returning to the sect; we won't find the people we're looking for here."
Two subordinates hesitantly said, "What about the Blood Explosion Landmine Array... not using it?"
Ding Zhen raised an eyebrow: "Who will set it off? Who will be blown up? Why don't you go bury it at Yang's Tabletop Game Tea House, and after we leave... boom! They'd all be dead!"
The subordinate quickly shook his head: "No, we of the demon path have our codes. We repay debts of gratitude and take vengeance for enmities. Boss Yang treated me to tea and explained strategies to me. These days I feel as if my brain has started working again; I can't do this."
"I feel the same."
Ding Zhen spread his hands: "Then what are you standing around for, let's go; waiting to be discovered by the Xuan Stone Sect?"
Watching those loose cultivators with whom he had passionately debated the virtues of the demon path, for once, Ding Zhen truly could not bring himself to act.
Clap, clap, clap~
"Brilliant, brilliant, the executioner Ding Zhen of Blood Soul Valley, also has a day where he refrains from killing."
The door opened, and Bai Heyu, accompanied by three junior brothers and sisters, stood at the entrance clapping.
As Ding Zhen thought of running, he was locked by a powerful qi mechanism, feeling as if with the slightest move, he would be beheaded the next second.
"Foundation Establishment..."
Murong Ziyuan floated in from the window.
"In light of your awakening and timely retreat at the last moment, I shall spare your lives. Come with me to Xuan Stone Sect tomorrow..."
...
Late at night.
Ge Tan silently sneaked into the Treasure Pavilion.
Growl~
The low growl woke Liao Cao from his sleep!
Opening his eyes, he saw a huge wolf head with blood-red eyes staring at him.
"Ahh!!!"
Ge Tan sneered: "Speak, who is the one who killed the guest of the Ge Family?"