Manager Qian was briefly stunned.
“These were just for the two of you to choose from.”
“No need to choose, I’ll take them all,” Xiao Jing said.
He even considered buying all the Heaven-level manuals on the third floor.
But the system wouldn’t allow it.
He could only spend within the permitted range.
Manager Qian had originally planned to carefully explain the characteristics, flaws, special precautions, upper and lower limits of each technique.
But Xiao Jing had already asked, “How many Spirit Stones in total?”
Manager Qian couldn’t quite adapt to Xiao Jing’s way of doing business.
He paused for a moment before he began calculating the price…
At Haina Pavilion, Heaven-level manuals started at 100,000 Spirit Stones.
Lower-grade Heaven-level manuals started from 100,000, mid-grade from 200,000, high-grade from 500,000—with no upper limit.
Of the seven manuals Manager Qian recommended, three were high-grade Heaven-level, and four were mid-grade Heaven-level, totaling 2.75 million.
Add to that the 1.39 million for the legendary-level Purple Radiance Body Refining Technique.
“In total…” Manager Qian beamed, “4.14 million Spirit Stones.”
Plus the 160,000 Spirit Stones already paid for the Butterfly Blossom Phantom Palm—
This single transaction equaled two or three months’ worth of business!
Mu Lanchu suddenly felt a dizzying wave of happiness.
No one had ever treated her so well.
Especially after the past few years spent trapped in the Princess Mansion—it had felt like hell.
But now, her husband had, on the second day after their wedding, spent over 4 million Spirit Stones just to buy her manuals!
So many at once!
The turnaround in her life had come too suddenly…
Her feelings for Xiao Jing deepened with admiration and reliance, and she blurted out,
“Husband, this is too much…”
“Don’t talk. Just take everything I buy for you. Be good,” Xiao Jing said, his expression turning slightly stern.
Seeing his face darken a little, Mu Lanchu immediately quieted down obediently.
Xiao Jing secretly let out a breath of relief.
As long as his wife didn’t try to help bargain like a clueless teammate, everything was fine!
After quoting the price, Manager Qian scratched his head and muttered, “That total doesn’t sound very nice. How about I give you a discount? Let’s say 3.99 million Spirit Stones.”
“No need!” Xiao Jing immediately stopped this harmful suggestion. “I’m not that fussy. I don’t like petty bargains. A gentleman walks through life upright and open. Would a number on a receipt affect my luck?”
“Well… Your Highness has a point~.”
Manager Qian, who was used to negotiating with customers, found himself speechless before Xiao Jing’s words.
Little did he know, Xiao Jing was drooling as he stared at the Heaven-level manuals on the third floor.
But for himself, he only had 1,000 Spirit Stones to spend.
Not even enough to buy a manual’s cover…
Xiao Jing stood up and glanced over the shelves filled with Heaven-level manuals.
An idea came to him, and he smiled, “If you really want to offer a discount, how about throwing in one extra manual for free instead? No need for an actual price cut.”
He wondered if this would count as exploiting a loophole in the system.
Why bother with discounts?
Wasn’t it better to receive a free martial technique?
Tagging along behind his wife and picking up some suitable free gifts for himself—how practical!
Hearing this, Manager Qian instantly understood.
So Third Prince Xiao didn’t like discounts!
To someone who wasn’t short on Spirit Stones, discounts might feel beneath their dignity.
Someone who could casually drop 4 million Spirit Stones—would they care about a discount of a few hundred thousand?
But the prince must’ve noticed his intention to build rapport, so he was offering a way to save face.
No need for a discount, but a free manual was acceptable.
It might also be a way to test Haina Pavilion’s sincerity!
Yes, that had to be it!
If he cheaped out and gave away some low-grade manuals, that would be an insult to the Third Prince.
So, if he was going to gift something, it had to be a Heaven-level one.
Since Third Prince Xiao was so generous, he, Qian, couldn’t be petty.
Having thought it through, Manager Qian waved his hand decisively.
Beaming, he said, “What a fine suggestion from Your Highness. I’ll gift you one additional Heaven-level manual.”
Now it was Xiao Jing’s turn to be surprised.
Manager Qian was truly generous—he’d agreed to gift a Heaven-level manual just like that?
Manager Qian flipped through Haina Pavilion’s technique catalog and stopped at the miscellaneous section.
He placed it before Xiao Jing.
“Your Highness must’ve already received true transmission from the Ultimate Dao Sect, and likely doesn’t need our Body Refining techniques or simple martial skills.”
“You may choose from the miscellaneous section. Our pavilion has some rare and unusual techniques there. I think you may find something interesting.”
“Miscellaneous…”
Xiao Jing felt a bit awkward inside.
But Manager Qian had already imagined him as a top-tier disciple who lacked for nothing.
He couldn’t say outright that he actually needed martial skills badly.
His gaze stopped at the name of one technique.
Curious, he asked,
“‘Whale Devour Art’—what’s that?”
“Your Highness has excellent vision!” Manager Qian praised enthusiastically.
“This technique, to be honest, hasn’t sold a single copy in over ten years.
Because its function is to increase cultivation by consuming spiritual ingredients and spirit beast meat.
“Most cultivators can’t handle excessive spiritual food.
But this technique allows them to digest and absorb the spiritual power from such foods quickly.
“However, it takes at least two years to cultivate this technique first.
So most people consider it pointless.
“They think the time spent cultivating Whale Devour Art could be better used to focus on advancing through core stages.
And even if you perfect it, it requires massive amounts of expensive ingredients to use—
You’d be better off taking pills or using arrays to enhance absorption speed.
“But, if you’re not worried about resource consumption—in other words, if you’re not short on Spirit Stones—
And you fully master this technique, while also using pills and arrays, and consuming unlimited spiritual treasures… wouldn’t that be amazing?
“It would drastically increase cultivation speed!
“Additionally, while using this technique, you can keep eating spiritual food without fear of your body exploding.
When not using it, you’re no different from normal people.
So it won’t leave you with an endless appetite or anything.”
Xiao Jing understood, and his eyes lit up.
This technique was perfect!
While he didn’t need it himself, it was ideal for his Cultivation Target!
With Whale Devour Art, Chu Chu could eat all the spiritual treasures she wanted each day and instantly absorb them!
It would not only speed up her cultivation but also provide another way to burn Spirit Stones.
Two birds with one stone!
“Thank you for the recommendation,” Xiao Jing said happily, accepting the free ‘useless’ technique.
As for the martial skills and defensive techniques he so badly needed—he’d figure that out later.
If necessary, he could start by learning Chu Chu’s techniques to get by for now…
Then, Xiao Jing raised his hand and stacked the 4.14 million Spirit Stones in the open space on the third floor.
[Host has purchased martial manuals for the Cultivation Target, successfully spending 4.14 million Spirit Stones.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 4,140,000 Cultivation.]
[Current available Cultivation: 4,340,500]