"15 Spirit Stones!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yan felt happy inside, but he still pretended to hesitate for a moment before slowly saying, "Fine, let's do as you say, Senior Brother."
He handed over the Spirit Stones.
Both parties were completely satisfied; one had sold off useless scrap, and the other had obtained a rare Treasure.
With this mask, Zhang Yan was already very satisfied with this trip.
The trip was worth it!
"I still have quite a few Spirit Stones left; should I buy some medicinal herbs?"
Zhang Yan hesitated in his heart, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. The main reason was that Steward Bai had already given him a bottle of Qi Gathering Pill.
Furthermore, the success rate for Pill Refining at the Minor Accomplishment stage could not be guaranteed; it was possible to spend money on refining medicine and end up not even breaking even.
"I'm still short on money!" Zhang Yan sighed deeply. The cost of a furnace of pills was too expensive, and besides, he did not have a fire spiritual root, nor did he know any fire-elemental spell.
To refine pills, one still needed specialized Spirit Charcoal or Earth Fire.
Both of these were relatively eye-catching resources and were highly likely to make him memorable to others.
He only wanted to quietly engage in Farming and cultivation, to be an inconspicuous little Genius, and did not want to be too Outstanding.
The Sect's Market was truly too small.
In less than half a Shichen, Zhang Yan had finished browsing almost everything. Aside from purchasing the Mask of Concealment, he hadn't bought anything else.
Earning Spirit Stones is not easy.
One still needs to be as frugal as possible.
"Time to go, time to go." Just as he was planning to leave, Zhang Yan suddenly spotted a Magic Tool at a stall.
It was a Magic Tool that looked like a hammer.
【Purple Spirit Hammer】
【Quality】: Gray
【Equipment Attribute】: Armor Piercing（damage bonus against armor）, Great Strength（strength is improved）
"Hmm?"
"This Magic Tool..."
Seeing the equipment's attributes, Zhang Yan's eyes lit up.
He immediately walked up to inquire.
"Excuse me, Senior Brother, how much for this Magic Tool?"
"The Purple Spirit Hammer is crafted entirely from Purple Cloud Stone and Spirit Iron. It has immense power and only costs 150 Spirit Stones."
"So expensive?"
Zhang Yan felt a bit of a toothache.
He was used to picking up bargains, so suddenly buying a normal Magic Tool made the price feel Outrageous.
But in reality, this was the normal price for a Magic Tool.
"There's no helping it. A lot of Purple Cloud Stone and Spirit Iron were used when crafting this Magic Tool. The material cost alone is no less than 110 Spirit Stones. Adding the Artifact Refiner's labor fee, I really am not making much."
As the stall owner spoke, a hint of helplessness was revealed.
"Alright then..."
Zhang Yan hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he still couldn't bring himself to buy it.
This price was simply too expensive!
"This Magic Tool is a bit too expensive for me. I wonder if you have any Second-hand magical artifact for sale, Senior Brother? Damaged ones are fine too," Zhang Yan asked the stall owner with a smile.
"Second-hand magical artifact?
Damaged ones are fine too?"
The stall owner looked to be of a considerable age, around forty or fifty. He pondered as he looked at Zhang Yan, and after a long while, he finally said, "I do have some, but I cannot guarantee the quality of these Magic Tools."
"That is perfectly fine. As long as it is a Magic Tool, that is enough. I just want to learn more about Magic Tools," Zhang Yan shook his head quickly. He didn't care about the quality of the Magic Tool; he only cared about the Entry.
"Learn more about Magic Tools...
How about that, young man, are you looking to become an Artifact Refiner?" the middle-aged stall owner asked Zhang Yan with a smile.
Artifact Refiner is one of the Upper Four Arts.
Naturally, many people want to learn it.
However, is Artifact Refining really that easy?
Only one in a thousand or ten thousand people can become an Artifact Refiner. It is no Exaggerated claim to say that once you become an Artifact Refiner, you will be treated as an honored guest wherever you go.
Of course, if you are just an Entry-level Artifact Refiner going to a Nascent Soul sect, that certainly doesn't count.
"You flatter me." Zhang Yan showed a shy smile.
"That's nothing. I can't help you with becoming an Artifact Refiner, but if you just want to get in touch with discarded Magic Tools, I can help with that," the stall owner said with a mysterious smile.
"Hmm?
I wonder what you mean, Senior Brother?" Hearing the words "discarded Magic Tools," Zhang Yan's eyes lit up instantly.
"It's like this. You should be able to tell that most of the Magic Tools I sell here are from Thousand Treasures Peak."
"Indeed, these are all Magic Tools from Thousand Treasures Peak." Zhang Yan nodded as he looked at the various Magic Tools on the stall. As one of the five peaks of the Qingheng Sect, Thousand Treasures Peak would mark the Magic Tools they produced with a special brand, and even the name of the Artifact Refiner would be stamped on them.
This way, if there were any issues with the Magic Tool, it would be easy to hold someone accountable.
If a Magic Tool became famous, it would also help build a reputation.
However, it was extremely difficult for an ordinary person to get their hands on Magic Tools from Thousand Treasures Peak. Since this stall owner could obtain them, he must have some connections.
"It's like this: Thousand Treasures Peak collects quite a few discarded Magic Tools and needs some Disciples to help sort and categorize them, which makes it easier for the Artifact Refiners to extract the materials inside later. If you want to go, I can introduce you."
When he said this.
The stall owner rubbed his thumb and index finger together repeatedly.
"Senior Brother, I will buy this Magic Tool."
Seeing that the other party wanted a favor, Zhang Yan did not give him money, but instead purchased the Purple Spirit Hammer.
"Good, Junior Brother is straightforward!"
"I'll find someone for you right now!" Hearing this, the stall owner laughed immediately and took out his Sect Jade Talisman to make contact.
In fact, these tasks issued by Thousand Treasures Peak did not require any connections; it was just that ordinary Disciples didn't notice them, so they were completely unaware.
And what this stall owner was selling right now was an information gap.
Zhang Yan was well aware of this, but he wasn't annoyed at all. After all, an information gap is, in itself, the most expensive resource.
In less than half a stick of incense, the stall owner looked at Zhang Yan with a smile: "Junior Brother, I have already arranged it for you. Just go to Thousand Treasures Peak to report, and when you get there, just say it was arranged by Hou Jiu from the Market."
"Good, thank you, Senior Brother!"
Zhang Yan nodded and left, satisfied.
Soon, Zhang Yan, riding his Golden Bamboo Sword, slowly flew toward Thousand Treasures Peak.
Thousand Treasures Peak is the place where Inner Sect Disciples reside.
So, from a distance, he stopped his Flying Sword and walked up the rest of the way.
In front of the Mountain Gate of Thousand Treasures Peak, there was a building, and it was bustling with many people.
Most of them were people who had come to buy Magic Tools or to have them custom-made.
As soon as Zhang Yan arrived, someone came to maintain order and receive him.
"Are you here to buy a finished Magic Tool or to have one custom-made, Junior Brother?" A beautiful Female Cultivator greeted him with a smile.
"Reporting to Senior Sister, I was introduced by Senior Brother Hou Jiu from the Market to do the task of sorting discarded Magic Tools." Zhang Yan glanced at the Female Cultivator, sensing that her cultivation level was at least at the Qi Refining mid-stage, and replied politely.
"Senior Brother Hou?"
"Sorting discarded Magic Tools?" The beautiful Female Cultivator glanced at Zhang Yan, her tone cooling down involuntarily: "Follow me, Junior Brother. I will take you to see the Manager."
"Good, thank you, Senior Sister!"
Zhang Yan nodded and followed behind the Female Cultivator, walking into Thousand Treasures Peak.
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