“How lively.”
The entire market bustled with activity, offering a wide variety of cultivation goods.
Stepping into the bazaar, Xu Changshou found himself overwhelmed by the variety.
Ye Shanhu led the group straight toward the Senior Brother from Danxia Peak who was selling Barrier Breaking Pills.
Xu Changshou took a single glance and turned away. Without Spirit Stones, he could not afford one. Staring at things he couldn’t buy was unpleasant.
“Come and buy! Qi Gathering Pills, twelve for a single Spirit Stone! Genuine goods at a fair price! Tenfold compensation for any fakes!”
Suddenly, a spirited hawker’s cry caught Xu Changshou’s attention.
Not far away, a young man sporting a thin mustache called out to customers. At his feet lay a red cloth, with bottles and jars arranged on it.
Xu Changshou swept a glance over him. The young man’s cultivation was high-he was actually at the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation.
“Senior Brother, might I inspect your Qi Gathering Pills?” Xu Changshou asked as he approached.
“Of course, browse as you please!” The mustached youth casually tossed over a white jade bottle.
Xu Changshou popped the cork and tipped a pill into his palm. It was a Qi Gathering Pill, undeniably, but its texture was coarse. It lacked the glossy sheen of the Sect’s stock, and it contained less Spiritual Qi than the sect’s pills.
“How about it?” the youth asked.
Xu Changshou shook his head, tossing the jade bottle back. “Not interested.”
“Now, Junior Brother, I’ll admit these pills have slight blemishes, but they are incredibly cheap! Look, if you’re genuinely buying, I’ll offer a better rate. Fourteen pills for one Spirit Stone. How’s that?”
“No.” Xu Changshou firmly shook his head.
Seeing the sale slip away, the mustached youth’s face fell slightly. He offered a sheepish grin. “Junior Brother, are you looking for purer Qi Gathering Pills?”
“You have some?” Xu Changshou’s eyes brightened.
The youth nodded. “I do, but the price is steep.”
“How steep?”
“One Spirit Stone for ten pills. But rest assured, I guarantee they match the Sect’s standard.”
“Let me inspect them first.”
“Deal!”
The mustached youth retrieved another bottle from his Storage Bag. Xu Changshou poured a single pill into his palm, inspected it, and gave a satisfied nod.
The pill was vibrant green, perfectly spherical, and emanated a faint medicinal fragrance. It was indistinguishable from the Sect’s Qi Gathering Pills.
“Senior Brother, I have fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones. How many can you sell me for that?” Xu Changshou asked with a polite smile.
The youth grimaced. “Junior Brother… fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones only covers five pills. Didn’t I just say? They are the exact same as the Sect’s.”
The young man flashed a bitter smile and quickly waved his hands. “No, no, no, Junior Brother. My dear Junior Brother. How about this? Your Senior Brother will throw in an extra. Fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones for six pills. Deal?”
Xu Changshou shook his head again. “Seven.”
The youth frantically shook his head. “No, absolutely not. I would lose too much by selling seven.”
Xu Changshou kept his tone even. “Senior Brother, how may I address you?”
“My surname is Huang. Huang Xiangui.”
“Senior Brother Huang, how about this: from now on, I will purchase all my pills exclusively from you. In exchange, you give me seven.”
“That still won’t do!” Huang Xiangui’s face scrunched in misery.
Xu Changshou leaned in, lowering his voice. “I have a Senior Sister. She’s a second-generation immortal. I can direct her business to your stall.”
“You mean that?”
Huang Xiangui’s eyes lit up instantly. He waved his large sleeve with grand finality. “Fine! Seven it is. Sold.”
“My thanks, Senior Brother. Here are the Spirit Stones.”
“A pleasure doing business. How may I address you, Junior Brother?”
“My surname is Xu.”
“Junior Brother Xu! Excellent. Don’t forget to send that second-generation immortal Senior Sister my way.”
“I won’t forget. Farewell, Senior Brother Huang.”
Leaving the stall behind, Xu Changshou sighed inwardly. If only I were a second-generation immortal. Then I wouldn’t have to haggle over a single Qi Gathering Pill.
After completing a slow lap around the market, Xu Changshou returned to the entrance to wait for Ye Shanhu.
Before long, Ye Shanhu approached with the rest of the group in tow.
Sweeping his gaze across them, Xu Changshou noted that Jiang Xiaochuan, Han Zong, Lin Xian’er, Qian Yuanbao, Zhang Feixian, and Shi Wantong all looked happy.
Li Linhao looked calm, while Su Mo’s complexion looked rather grim.
He learned that Su Mo could not afford a Barrier Breaking Pill. Aside from Su Mo and Li Linhao, the others had bought one.
Ye Shanhu glanced at Li Linhao and offered, “Junior Brother Li, and you as well, Junior Brother Xu. Give me another half a month and I can procure another batch of Barrier Breaking Pills. Will you be needing them?”
Li Linhao smiled and shook his head. “Many thanks, Senior Sister, but there is no need. My family has prepared one for me.”
“Ah…”
Xu Changshou faltered for a fraction of a second before smoothly adding, “My situation is the same as Junior Brother Li’s. My family has prepared one for me too. They should be delivered shortly.”
“Very well! Let us return!”
The White Jade Boat was deployed once more. The group bounded aboard, soaring away from Danxia Peak.
“Senior Brother Xu, you have no idea how formidable Senior Sister Ye truly is. With a single word, she emptied the market of all its Barrier Breaking Pills.”
“We will surely have to rely on Senior Sister Ye’s grace in the future.”
…
Soon, they touched down at the Gengzi Courtyard.
Inside Xu Changshou’s room.
Jiang Xiaochuan pinched a fiery-red pill between his fingers, showing it off. “Senior Brother Xu, what do you think?”
Xu Changshou pursed his lips. “What’s the big deal? I have one too.”
Jiang Xiaochuan grinned. “Junior Brother Xu, exactly when will you receive your Barrier Breaking Pill?”
“It should be soon,” Xu Changshou deflected.
Jiang Xiaochuan’s grin widened into a beaming smirk. “‘Soon’ means you don’t have it yet. Right now, I am the one holding the pill. I plan to enter Secluded Cultivation tomorrow. Once I emerge, you’ll be the one forced to call me ‘Senior Brother’.”
“This…”
Xu Changshou was momentarily stunned and felt a little bitter.
In the cultivation world, the rule was that seniority followed cultivation: whoever held the higher cultivation was the Senior Brother. Should a lowly Qi Condensation disciple encounter a Foundation Establishment expert, they would have to respectfully call them ‘Martial Uncle’.
Jiang Xiaochuan and the others came from cultivation families and had some resources.
During the early stages of Qi Condensation, Xu Changshou could keep pace with them through hard work.
But entering the later stages, the speed of cultivation inherently plummeted. Here, the advantage of resources would become clear.
Soon enough, junior disciples like Jiang Xiaochuan would surpass him, one by one.
He would become the Junior Brother instead.
“Come now, Junior Brother Xu. Call me ‘Senior Brother’ just once. Let me hear how it sounds.”
“Oh, stop it. Wait until you surpass me!”
“Right!”
Xu Changshou hurriedly changed the subject. “Junior Brother Jiang, I can’t sense much difference between this Barrier Breaking Pill and a standard Qi Gathering Pill. Why is the price so high?”
“Senior Brother Xu, you’ve genuinely cultivated yourself into a stupor. This is basic common knowledge.”
Jiang Xiaochuan looked utterly exasperated.
Xu Changshou bristled with displeasure. “If I spent all day goofing off and running around like you, I’d naturally know everything too. Why else would I bother asking?”
“Fair enough.”
Jiang Xiaochuan nodded. He could genuinely understand Xu Changshou’s lack of knowledge of Cultivation world affairs. After all, the madman spent his days buried in Secluded Cultivation, leaving zero time for worldly gossip.
Secretly, Jiang Xiaochuan was immensely envious of Xu Changshou’s terrifying diligence. Unfortunately, it was a level of suffering he simply couldn’t endure himself.
“Senior Brother Xu, what you don’t realize is that Barrier Breaking Pills possess great value at critical junctures. That is precisely why their price exceeds other pills of the same grade.
Take the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, for example. Stripped to its core, it is ultimately just a high-tier Barrier Breaking Pill.”