Market

Feeling the sting of an empty purse, Song Wen ultimately bought no techniques at the Technique Transmission Hall.

He had finally found a Corpse Puppet refinement technique that caught his eye, but it cost twenty-five Spirit Stones.

Leaving the Technique Transmission Hall, Song Wen headed for the market at the foot of the mountain.

This market was established by the Corpse Demon Sect. It hosted not only the Sect's own shops but also merchants from outside factions, alongside stalls set up by Corpse Demon Sect disciples and demonic Rogue Cultivators.

Goods sold in the Sect shops were generally more expensive, but their quality was guaranteed.

Items at the street stalls were much cheaper, but their quality was highly inconsistent. For example, Pills might have inferior efficacy, or cultivation methods could be incomplete, leading to issues with cultivation.

By the time Song Wen arrived, the sun was already setting in the west, yet the market bustled with activity. This was the market's most lively hour; most Corpse Demon Sect disciples spent their days toiling, only finding the time to browse for treasures at this hour.

Song Wen had two goals for this visit: first, to purchase Corpse Miasma Qi to aid his cultivation, and second, to broaden his horizons.

He strolled along, observing the wares as he went. Finally, after half an hour, he spotted the Corpse Miasma Qi he longed for at a stall.

Three black jade bottles sat on the stall, their surfaces carved with intricate runic patterns. These formations were used to prevent the Corpse Miasma Qi within from leaking out.

"Senior Brother, how much for the Corpse Miasma Qi?" Song Wen asked.

The stall owner, also wearing the robes of a Corpse Demon Sect outer disciple, gave Song Wen a cold glance before replying indifferently.

"Eighty Low Grade Spirit Stones."

"So expensive!" Song Wen was taken aback by the price.

"I had to venture deep into the heart of Ten Thousand Corpses Valley and spend several days refining and collecting this most pure Corpse Miasma Qi. It can sustain an early-stage Qi Refining disciple like you for three whole months, so naturally, it won't be cheap."

Ten Thousand Corpses Valley was a perilous zone not far from the Corpse Demon Sect. Perpetually shrouded in Corpse Miasma Qi, it was a common gathering ground for nearby Demonic Cultivators to collect Corpse Miasma Qi.

As for the vendor's claim about venturing deep into its core, that was purely a boast to drive up the price.

Even though Song Wen had only joined the Corpse Demon Sect two months ago, he knew perfectly well that a mere Qi Refining cultivator could absolutely not survive the depths of Ten Thousand Corpses Valley.

"Make it a bit cheaper. Twenty Spirit Stones," Song Wen attempted to haggle.

The stall owner instantly flared with annoyance. "Shoo, shoo! If you aren't going to buy, don't cause trouble. Twenty Spirit Stones for a bottle of pure Corpse Miasma Qi? You must be dreaming. This jade bottle alone is worth over ten Low Grade Spirit Stones."

Driven away, Song Wen dejectedly left the stall.

Following this, Song Wen spotted several other stalls selling Corpse Miasma Qi. Based on his observations, the going rate for a bottle of pure Corpse Miasma Qi was basically around sixty Spirit Stones.

If the buyer could provide an empty jade bottle, the price could be lowered by ten Spirit Stones.

In other words, the specialized jade bottles used to contain the Corpse Miasma Qi were indeed priced at around ten Spirit Stones each.

Short on Spirit Stones, Song Wen did not give up. He still had something on him that he could sell.

The alchemy furnace he had obtained from Ji Yin!

Though this alchemy furnace was only a Low Grade Magical Artifact, it belonged to a relatively rare category of Magical Artifacts and commanded a high price.

Song Wen strode directly into a shop specializing in Magical Artifacts.

A shop assistant immediately hurried over to greet him. The attendant's cultivation sat at roughly the third layer of Qi Refining.

"Customer, what would you like to buy?"

"I'm not buying," Song Wen said. "Do you purchase Magical Artifacts here?"

"Of course we do." The assistant's attitude didn't sour just because Song Wen was here to sell; he remained very enthusiastic as he spoke.

"May I ask what Magical Artifact the customer wishes to sell?"

With a flip of his palm, the alchemy furnace appeared in Song Wen's hand.

"This alchemy furnace."

The assistant accepted the furnace and, after inspecting it carefully, spoke.

"Customer, this is a Low Grade Magical Artifact alchemy furnace. It shows heavy signs of long-term use, and some of the runic patterns are beginning to wear down. Our shop can offer fifty Spirit Stones for it."

Song Wen paused slightly upon hearing this, "That low?"

From what Song Wen understood, offensive Low Grade Magical Artifacts in the market typically sold for upwards of one hundred Spirit Stones. Defensive Magical Artifacts were slightly higher, though they generally would not exceed two hundred Spirit Stones.

Specialized Magical Artifacts like an alchemy furnace were completely different from ordinary Magical Artifacts.

The price of a Low Grade alchemy furnace was generally around five hundred Spirit Stones. It was no wonder the cultivation world always claimed that raising an alchemist was a matter that consumed an extreme amount of resources.

This single Low Grade alchemy furnace alone was not something an ordinary cultivator could afford.

Even though Song Wen's furnace was a used, second-hand good, he had estimated its value at somewhere between two and three hundred Spirit Stones.

Although he knew the shop had to make a profit by buying low and selling high, a price of fifty Spirit Stones was far below his expectations.

"Your offer is far too low. Can it be raised a bit?"

The assistant smiled, "Customer, you might not know, but our shop buys things without asking about their origins. No matter how you obtained this Magical Artifact, once it enters our shop, we will resolve any trouble attached to this alchemy furnace on your behalf. Therefore, the price is naturally a bit lower."

Song Wen was momentarily speechless. The other party clearly thought he was someone here to dispose of illicit goods.

He couldn't blame the assistant. Song Wen was displaying the cultivation base of a late first-layer Qi Refining cultivator, completely at the level of a newly initiated Novice. Naturally, it was impossible for this alchemy furnace to belong to him.

An alchemist was an occupation that consumed a massive amount of resources and Spirit Stones. It was absolutely not something a newly initiated outer disciple like Song Wen could aspire to.

"You are mistaken," Song Wen said. "The origin of my alchemy furnace is absolutely clean. It will not bring about any trouble."

Song Wen snatched the alchemy furnace back, turned on his heel, and walked toward the shop's door. If this shop wouldn't buy it, there were other shops.

Seeing Song Wen leave so decisively, the clerk suddenly grew anxious and hurriedly called out.

"Eighty Spirit Stones?"

Seeing that Song Wen was already nearing the shop door, there was still no sign of him turning around.

The assistant's heart couldn't help but pound. Had he misjudged the situation just now? Was the origin of this furnace truly without issue?

"One hundred and twenty Spirit Stones."

Song Wen still didn't look back. His steps had already crossed out of the shop and onto the outside street, where he looked around, searching for a suitable shop to sell his goods.

"One hundred and eighty Spirit Stones."

The assistant hurriedly chased him out of the shop and said to Song Wen.

"This is the absolute highest price I can offer. Even if the origin of this furnace has no issues, it is impossible for you to sell it for a higher price."

Song Wen smiled faintly, turned, and walked toward the assistant.

"Alright. Deal."

Song Wen handed the alchemy furnace toward the assistant.

He knew that if he set up a street stall in the market to sell the furnace, he should be able to fetch a higher price. However, setting up a stall required paying a daily fee of five Spirit Stones. Furthermore, a Magical Artifact like an alchemy furnace was different from other Magical Artifacts; ordinary people would not buy it, and only those determined to become alchemists would purchase one.

If Song Wen set up a stall himself, there was no telling how many days it would take to sell.

The assistant's offer of one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones had already exceeded his internal expectations.

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