Purchasing Spiritual Treasures

The second day of the Dharma Assembly was reserved for free exchange. Apart from the Hundred Arts Hall, several other locations within the Mountain Grotto-Heaven were now open to the public.

These included the Dao Discussion Platform, the Gambling Hall, and the Moon-Red Pavilion.

Yang Lingrui's focus naturally remained on the Hundred Arts Hall. It had not been easy to secure this exhibition booth, so he had to seize the opportunity to sell off the items he carried.

He currently had ten Fire Talismans, twenty Mind-Calming Talismans, and twenty Evil-Repelling Talismans left.

Fire Talismans were always in high demand. As a commonly used basic Five Elements talisman, their applications were vast. Consequently, they were all sold within half a day, bringing in fifty Spirit Crystals.

Furthermore, the Fengling Town cultivator who had purchased a Fire Talisman the previous day returned with a rogue cultivator friend. This individual had reached the ninth level of Qi Gathering and owned a bamboo grove cave dwelling in the Fengling area.

While the cultivation technique he practiced required the clear Qi of a bamboo grove as an aid, the techniques he trained in belonged to the path of ice.

He had constructed a cold well at his residence, which usually required Fire Talismans to suppress its frigid aura, preventing the cold from leaking out and destroying the bamboo grove. He would only open the well when training his techniques.

This man had taken a liking to the quality of the Fire Talismans refined by the Yang Family and had come specifically to buy them.

Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the final ten Fire Talismans had already been sold.

At this point, the advantages of the Hundred Arts Hall became evident. The rogue cultivator immediately called over a cultivator from the Immortal Patrol Office to serve as a witness, and signed a formal contract with Yang Lingrui.

For the next five years, he would purchase thirty-six substandard Fire Talismans from the Yang Family annually at a price of eight Spirit Crystals per talisman.

If the family could produce superior-grade ones, he was willing to buy them at the premium price of eighteen Spirit Crystals each.

The transactions would take place each year on the day of the Great Heat, and the location would be Fengling Town.

With a deposit of eighty Spirit Crystals now in his pocket, Yang Lingrui was overjoyed. He had finally secured a long-term, substantial order.

With the Fire Talismans completely sold out, moving the remaining Mind-Calming Talismans and Evil-Repelling Talismans proved to be a slower process.

It was exactly as Chen Yang had anticipated; these two types of talismans were too low in grade, and their effects were rather niche.

The cultivators attending the Dharma Assembly were all at least in the mid-stage of Qi Gathering, so they generally only purchased such talismans for their younger descendants.

Even so, as the old saying goes, the aroma of fine wine fears no deep alley.

The talismans produced by the Yang Family were of exceptional quality, and as word of mouth spread among the passing cultivators, a few buyers were drawn to the booth.

By dusk on the second day, the remaining twenty Mind-Calming Talismans and twenty Evil-Repelling Talismans had all been sold, bringing in another forty Spirit Crystals.

Yang Lingrui happily tucked away his earnings. The harvest from this trip to the Dharma Assembly was incredibly bountiful, more than enough for him to return and report a success.

Seeing that there was still some time before the Hundred Arts Hall closed, he made his way to the Li Family booth to find Li Cheng. He required some assistance.

With the one thousand three hundred Spirit Crystals provided by the Su Family and the three hundred sixty Spirit Crystals earned from his talisman sales, he intended to purchase items to bring back to the family.

Yang Lingqing had previously instructed him that since the family already possessed a sufficient reserve of cultivation techniques and techniques, and with the Immortal Venerable watching over them, there was no urgent need to buy resources that merely accelerated cultivation speed. Instead, it was best to bring back items that could immediately enhance their combat strength, preferably suitable spiritual artifacts.

However, because purchasing items here required one to declare their name and lineage, the small Songshan Yang Family spending so many Spirit Crystals at once would inevitably attract unwanted scrutiny.

Therefore, he had requested the assistance of Yu Fenghuo and Liu Cheshui from Li Cheng.

The three met and went to the exhibition grounds of the Hundred Artifacts Tower, where they split up to act.

The true scale of a major power was immediately apparent. The exhibition booth of the Hundred Artifacts Tower was nearly twice the size of the Yang Family's central square, representing a world of difference from Yang Lingrui's modest space.

"Welcome to the Hundred Artifacts Tower, Fellow Daoist. What are you looking to acquire?" a fourth-level Qi Gathering cultivator from the tower stepped forward and greeted him warmly.

"Do you have any spiritual artifacts suitable for martial cultivators at the Qi Gathering stage?"

"Naturally we do. May I ask for your name and affiliation, Fellow Daoist?"

"Songshan Yang Family, Yang Lingrui."

"Very well, Fellow Daoist Lingrui, please follow me."

Yang Lingrui navigated through the crowds and was led to the northwestern section of the booth, where a variety of spiritual artifacts specifically designed for martial cultivators were displayed.

"Tungsten Iron Body Armor, suitable for the early Qi Gathering stage. It is exceptionally resilient against blades and swords. A substandard-grade piece is priced at fifteen Spirit Crystals."

"Green Snake Leggings, suitable for the mid-Qi Gathering stage. When worn, they greatly increase movement speed in water and offer excellent protection against water-based techniques. Substandard grade, priced at eighty Spirit Crystals."

"Refined Iron Staff, suitable for the early Qi Gathering stage. Forged entirely from refined iron, its lethal force is outstanding. Substandard grade, priced at fifteen Spirit Crystals."

The cultivator introduced each item one by one, praising only their virtues while omitting any flaws. In his telling, every piece sounded like an unparalleled treasure.

Yang Lingrui was not so easily swayed by such rhetoric. Scanning the collection, his eyes settled on a pair of Tiger-Head Bracers.

Unlike ordinary arm guards, these extended down over the hands, ending in tiger-claw-shaped fist buckles.

"How much for these bracers?"

"Fellow Daoist truly has an exceptional eye! You have picked out one of the finest spiritual artifacts we have on display!"

The man stepped forward with a delighted expression. "This item was personally forged by a master smith of our Hundred Artifacts Tower. It is crafted from two pieces of tiger-pattern black iron, making it incredibly durable. It is a perfect weapon for both offense and defense!"

"Just state the price directly."

"This is a mid-Qi Gathering stage spiritual artifact. The substandard grade is priced at eighty Spirit Crystals."

"And a superior-grade one?"

"A superior-grade piece is two hundred."

"Two hundred? Heh."

Yang Lingrui let out a faint laugh and turned to leave. The cultivator quickly caught him by the sleeve.

"Fellow Daoist, please do not be in such a hurry. That is merely the listed price; we can certainly negotiate."

"Let us not waste each other's time. I am sincerely looking to purchase a superior-grade piece, but my funds are limited. Give me your bottom price."

The merchant scrutinized Yang Lingrui for a moment.

He had heard of the Songshan Yang Family-a minor clan added to the assembly's guest list through the influence of the Li Family's second young master.

To have caught Li Cheng's attention meant the family possessed some potential, but since they had only recently begun to rise, their financial reserves were likely meager.

The merchant's eyes darted as he calculated exactly how much profit he could squeeze from Yang Lingrui.

Yang Lingrui, however, was no naive target. Elder Yu had thoroughly briefed him on the market prices of various goods before the journey, ensuring he would not be easily deceived.

After a prolonged round of bargaining and counter-offers, Yang Lingrui finally secured a superior-grade pair of Tiger-Head Bracers for one hundred forty Spirit Crystals.

Next, he visited the booth of the Pill Workshop, which offered an elixir reclamation service. There, Yang Lingrui sold the three Rejuvenation Pills remaining in his possession.

The attendants did not pry. They escorted Yang Lingrui into a private room behind the pavilion, where a white-haired, elder alchemist verified the pills' quality. Once confirmed, they promptly paid Yang Lingrui one thousand Spirit Crystals.

Following that, he went to the official booth of the Wangyue City Lord's Mansion, where he selected a standard-issue, superior-grade Black Sparrow Feather Fan suitable for the mid-Qi Gathering stage.

With his own purchases completed, he returned to the Li Family's pavilion to reunite with Yu Fenghuo and Liu Cheshui.

"Senior, everything you requested is inside," Yu Fenghuo said, handing over a Storage Bag. "One superior-grade Earth-Element Formation Disk and one superior-grade Black Iron Soft Armor, both for the mid-Qi Gathering stage, as well as five substandard-grade Green Stone Dharma Robes also at the mid-Qi Gathering stage."

This entire round of purchasing spiritual artifacts had cost a total of eight hundred five Spirit Crystals, leaving one thousand eight hundred fifty-five Spirit Crystals inside the Storage Bag.

After inspecting the treasures, Yang Lingrui could not help but sigh with emotion in his heart.

It truly felt magnificent to have ample funds.

With this single round of acquisitions, the overall combat power of the Yang Family's cultivators would see a massive leap. As for the remaining Spirit Crystals, they would decide how to allocate them once he returned home.

"Thank you both for your assistance. Please accept this minor token of appreciation."

As a gesture of gratitude, Yang Lingrui produced two hundred Spirit Crystals and offered them to the pair.

"Senior, we cannot accept this," Yu Fenghuo replied quickly.

"If our young master finds out, he will certainly reprimand us."

"Then simply tell him that this is the payment for those four Qi-Replenishing Pills from before."

"This..."

Yu Fenghuo and Liu Cheshui were hesitant, but seeing Yang Lingrui's insistence, they ultimately accepted the crystals.

After seeing them off, Yang Lingrui intended to explore further. Since it was the second day of the Dharma Assembly, many new areas had been opened to visitors.

The closest venue to the Li Family pavilion was the Gambling Hall, a place where cultivators gathered for entertainment and minor wagers. It featured various novel attractions, such as betting on raw spirit ores, guessing the properties of formation discs, and staging battles between spiritual insects.

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