The woman’s curt reply left Li Changsheng stunned, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
He looked at the woman, who had gone back to stroking the white fox in her arms.
Li Changsheng sighed in resignation. Steeling himself, he pointed at a pile of small, verdant herbs.
"Senior Sister, surely I can afford this..."
The woman looked up. After seeing what he was pointing at, she rolled her eyes at him and said languidly, "Jade Grass. Two Spirit Stone fragments a stalk."
"I’ll take ten stalks."
Without another word, Li Changsheng took out twenty Spirit Stone fragments and placed them on the stall.
The woman waved her hand dismissively. "Go ahead and take them."
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
Li Changsheng counted out ten stalks, packed them away, and turned to leave.
The woman never stopped stroking the white fox in her arms, not even looking up as he left.
Once he was a short distance away, Li Changsheng’s expression returned to normal.
’Being called a poor bastard to my face is embarrassing, but I got used to it in my past life. Now, I don’t give a damn!’
Afterward, Li Changsheng went from one stall to the next.
Whenever he saw something unfamiliar, he would approach the stall and ask about it. Once he had the information he wanted, he’d bluntly state that he couldn’t afford it and quickly walk away.
While this earned him plenty of muttered curses, his gains were considerable.
Around noon, Li Changsheng walked away from a stall selling Purple-striped Pear spirit fruits, an apologetic look on his face.
Just as he was about to check the next stall, he realized he had reached the end of the market.
Li Changsheng shook his head. He was about to turn back and walk along the stalls on the other side when he suddenly saw a thick cloud of dust rising in the distance.
RUMBLE...
As the ground trembled, the dust cloud surged forward like a furious dragon, reaching them in just a few moments.
Li Changsheng scrambled to the side, raising a sleeve to cover his face.
WHOA...
ROAR!
A long cry, like the roar of a dragon, echoed through the air.
It was immediately followed by a deafening shout that boomed over the market.
"New batch of Cultivation Technique and Magic Jade Scrolls just in! First come, first served!"
As the words fell, a powerful wave of Spiritual Power erupted, instantly blowing the dust away.
Li Changsheng lowered his sleeve and looked toward the source of the sound.
On a previously empty patch of ground at the far end of the market, a massive, luxurious carriage had appeared.
The exotic beast pulling it looked just like a Dragon Horse he had seen online in his past life.
It was covered in black scales, with the head of a horse, the whiskers of a dragon, and four-clawed hooves. A black-and-red mane ran from its head to its tail, giving it a majestic and extraordinary air.
In front of the carriage stood a wooden table tens of meters long. Two young women in silk scarves walked back and forth, carrying silver platters and arranging unknown items on the table.
’Selling Cultivation Technique Jade Scrolls at a stall?’
Li Changsheng’s expression was one of disbelief. This was the first time he’d ever seen anyone selling Cultivation Techniques.
’Doesn’t the Cyan Yang Sect regulate this?’
Just then, Li Changsheng felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively turned to look.
"Fuck..."
Li Changsheng couldn’t help but curse when he saw what was behind him.
A massive, red-faced crowd was stampeding toward him. The momentum was like that of a charging army.
"Hurry up! If we’re late, they’ll all be gone!"
"This time, I’m buying a bunch no matter what. If I can find just one that’s usable, I’ll have struck it rich!"
"Kid, get out of the way! Keep pushing and see what happens!"
"BLECH... Haven’t you bathed in decades?! The stench is killing me!"
"..."
Throughout the market, disciples who had joined in the last year stared dumbfounded at their senior brothers and sisters, wondering why they were all in such a frenzy.
The more quick-witted among them, however, quietly joined the throng.
The vendor who had been selling Purple-striped Pears reacted in a flash. He swiftly bundled up his wares, hoisted the pack onto his shoulder, and charged toward the carriage.
Seeing this, Li Changsheng didn’t hesitate to follow right behind the vendor. By the time they reached the carriage, dozens of people in assorted attire were already crowded around the new stall.
The aura emanating from each of them was enough to make Li Changsheng’s heart pound with apprehension.
By now, the vendor had already pushed his way to the wooden table, his face flushed with excitement.
Li Changsheng snapped out of his daze and quickly moved to the vendor’s side.
The crowd surged in behind them, packing the area around the stall wall-to-wall.
The entire area instantly erupted into a cacophony.
Li Changsheng struggled against the crush of bodies for a moment, but seeing it was useless, he gave up and focused on examining the items on the long table.
The massive table was covered with jade slips, animal hides, pieces of bark, and books of all shapes and sizes, but nearly every single item was damaged or incomplete.
Before him, for instance, was a jade scroll with a corner snapped off, a book that was half-burnt, and a piece of bark with blurred writing...
’So that’s why someone’s selling Cultivation Techniques at a stall,’ Li Changsheng thought. ’They’re all damaged.’
His confusion cleared. He casually picked up a jade scroll that was mostly broken and let out a soft sound of surprise. "Hm?"
The jade scroll in his hand felt insubstantial, as if he were touching empty air.
He put the jade scroll down and scanned the table. He realized that a thin layer of Spiritual Power enveloped every item, allowing one to see its exterior but not its contents.
Just then, the two young women emerged slowly from the carriage.
One held a wooden sign, the other a wooden box.
The sign read: "One Spirit Stone each. All sales final. No returns or exchanges."
’So cheap?’
Li Changsheng’s eyes widened in shock.
He knew that in the Outer Sect’s Scripture Tower, even a Tier 1, low-grade Magic cost a minimum of ten Spirit Stones. A mid-grade one was ten times that price.
Cultivation Techniques suitable for the Qi Cultivation Stage had no grade and cost at least a hundred Spirit Stones.
And yet, everything at this stall was just one Spirit Stone!
’Even though they’re incomplete, if I find just one that’s usable, it’d be a massive windfall.’
’After all, besides using it myself, I could also sell it.’
Just then, a large, portly man in golden robes, almost as wide as he was tall, stepped out of the carriage.
His appearance instantly silenced the clamoring crowd.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
"..."
The crowd called out respectfully.
The man waved his hand dismissively and bellowed, "Start picking!"
The moment he spoke, more than half of the most complete-looking jade slips, animal hides, and other items on the table vanished in an instant.
A stream of lustrous Crystal Stones was tossed into the wooden box, clinking crisply.
The man roared with laughter at the sight, then grabbed one of the young women and began groping her.
Li Changsheng, short on cash, hesitated, unsure which item to buy.
Meanwhile, more than half of the damaged jade slips and hides on the table were already gone, and the remaining items were disappearing fast.
Seeing this, Li Changsheng snatched up a dark-brown animal hide. He examined it from top to bottom but couldn’t discern anything about its contents.
An idea struck Li Changsheng. He fixed his gaze on the hide.
After a few breaths, he felt as if he’d broken through an invisible barrier. Instantly, a stream of information flowed into his mind.
[Wild Bull Body Cultivation Skill: Recorded. Incomplete. Not usable for cultivation...]
’It really works.’
Elated, Li Changsheng put down the hide and picked up a jade scroll that was mostly shattered.
[Sharp Metal...: Too damaged. Incomplete. Cannot be recorded...]
[Spirit Gathering Technique: Recorded. Incomplete. Not usable for cultivation...]
[Fireball Technique: Recorded. Incomplete. Not usable for cultivation...]
[......]
He continued until he picked up a fractured piece of jade engraved with half of a Four-winged Centipede. As he stared at it, another stream of information entered his mind.
[Insect Breeding Record: Recorded. Incomplete. Usable for cultivation...]