https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-162-A-Spirit-Abundant-Land-Times-Have-Changed/12900280/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-164-The-Heavenly-Peng-Transformation-I-Have-a-Foundation-Establishment-Friend/12900282/
Chapter 163: Sword Pill, Clarity Liquid, and Cooperation
Chapter 163: Sword Pill, Clarity Liquid, and Cooperation
Luo Chen chose a secluded corner and sat down.
Wang Yuan was not far from him.
Seeing the taut muscles under his hemp robe, Luo Chen knew that his decision was right.
Things were different now.
With the absence of many shops in the inner city, the black market in the outer city had become unprecedentedly lively.
The previous gathering had only a few dozen people, but this time, it had surged to more than three times that number, totaling over three hundred.
The previously sparse Zhenlong Hall now felt crowded.
Especially the seven Foundation Establishment True Cultivators sitting on both sides, who exerted an immense pressure.
Luo Chen looked at each one. The one wearing the golden dragon mask was undoubtedly Tianxingzi.
To be honest, Luo Chen was extremely shocked when he first entered.
The Zhenlong Black Market had participated in the battle that besieged the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion. Logically, they should have fled after the battle.
Unexpectedly, not only did they not leave, but they also held the black market regularly.
Even Tianxingzi, the leader of the Foundation Establishment, did not leave.
"What gives them the confidence to stay?"
Luo Chen could not figure it out and turned his gaze to the others.
The one wearing the rotten wood mask was very familiar.
During the last black market, this elderly Foundation Establishment also participated, and he had auctioned off a puppet with the combat power equivalent to a Great Qi Perfection cultivator, as well as an eight-hundred-year-old heavenly root.
For this, he had promised another Foundation Establishment a favor.
"This person is quite peculiar, always participating in the black market instead of cultivating."
Apart from these two familiar faces, the other five were a bit of a mystery to Luo Chen.
He could not recognize any of them at all.
It seemed they were not local cultivators from the Great River Workshop.
"Could they be from elsewhere?"
"Right, in half a month, the news from the Great River Workshop has spread, naturally attracting some powerful Foundation Establishment True Cultivators to investigate."
"The black market, besides trading various resources, also includes information trading."
"Some important information can even fetch high prices."
Just as Luo Chen was about to withdraw his gaze, his gaze paused on a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator who was as robust as a bear.
This person gave him a familiar feeling.
"Familiar?"
"Where have I seen him?"
Luo Chen frowned, trying to recall.
Just as he was thinking about this, Tianxingzi had already walked to the center of the sandalwood table.
Taking out the five-colored treasure disk, he began to explain the black market rules as usual, patiently and thoroughly.
"I am Tianxingzi, the master of the Zhenlong Black Market. Today, I will be responsible for overseeing the transactions."
"I am glad to see many old friends and welcome the new comrades joining us."
"The rules of this market are simple. First, the host..."
Luo Chen listened quietly until the first auction item appeared.
The moment it appeared, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became still.
Luo Chen's eyes widened in shock, and he turned his head.
As if sensing the same thing, Wang Yuan also looked over.
The two met each other's gaze, both unable to suppress their shock.
"A Sword Pill!"
"A Sword Pill cultivated by a Jade Cauldron Foundation Establishment True Cultivator using their life-bound true fire and spirit energy for twenty-five years."
"Originally a magic treasure embryo, after the owner's death, its quality remains unchanged, but it can never be upgraded again unless you master the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's secret method for cultivating Sword Pills and switch to the Sword Path."
"Currently, it is of supreme quality. Its functions include size transformation, sword light division, and the Great Sword Technique."
"The disadvantage is that, apart from being unable to upgrade, it requires the cultivator to release their spirit sense or have extremely strong control over magical artifacts."
"Starting bid: five thousand low-grade spirit stones!"
"Each bid must not be less than one hundred."
Tianxingzi's words echoed like a great bell, the sound lingering after the strike.
After a brief silence in the hall, a frenzy of disturbance followed.
A Sword Pill!
A Sword Pill from a Jade Cauldron Foundation Establishment True Cultivator!
What did this mean?
Everyone knew.
In that ghost city, a great battle had just erupted, costing the life of a Golden Core Sword Cultivator.
According to what everyone knew, apart from that Golden Core Sword Cultivator, there were two other Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivators.
This meant that this Sword Pill either belonged to the outer sect executor Miao Wen or the true disciple Luo Tianhong.
The key question was: How did the Zhenlong Black Market dare to auction it off?
Did they not care about their lives?
Or were they planning to run after this one big deal?
The disturbance continued to spread, no longer limited to whispered conversations. Some people even spoke out loud.
Many questioned Tianxingzi.
"If we bid on this Sword Pill, won't we fear being troubled by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?"
"This is stolen property!"
"The cause and effect are too great, we dare not get involved, we dare not!"
Tianxingzi did not explain. In a black market auction, did you come to me and talk about fearing the consequences?
Fearing retaliation from enemies?
Moreover, wasn't his purpose to create this situation?
To draw everyone's attention and showcase the hidden strength of the Zhenlong Black Market.
As for whether it would be sold, he did not care.
He just smiled and said, "No one is bidding?"
It was not that no one wanted to bid, but no one dared to.
In this silence, a voice sounded from the corner.
"Five thousand!"
Under the mask, Tianxingzi's eyebrows raised.
He smiled and said, "Very good, it seems there are still people who can appreciate its value!"
"Five thousand spirit stones once!"
After making the bid, seeing no one else bidding, he mentioned another advantage of the Sword Pill.
"Although it is of supreme quality, this Sword Pill does not have the common drawbacks of supreme quality magical artifacts."
"It consumes very little spirit energy, only as much as a high-grade magical artifact."
Upon hearing this, many people were swayed.
Especially the Qi Cultivation Stage independent cultivators!
A supreme quality magical artifact that does not consume much spirit energy, even if it cannot be upgraded, is still very useful!
But considering the potential retaliation from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, everyone remained silent.
"Oh, there's one more thing I forgot to mention."
Tianxingzi, as if deliberately building suspense, slowly revealed another advantage.
"This treasure has had the previous owner's spirit sense erased. It only needs a little refinement to be usable."
At this point, a second bid finally came in.
"Five thousand five hundred spirit stones."
Tianxingzi turned his head and saw a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator sitting on a chair to the right.
It was an old acquaintance!
"Five thousand six hundred spirit stones!"
From a corner, the person who had made the first bid spoke up again.
Everyone held their breath, amazed that a Qi Cultivation Stage Independent Cultivator would dare to compete with a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.
Wasn't he afraid of being disciplined by the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator after the auction?
Moreover, a typical Qi Cultivation Stage Independent Cultivator couldn't possibly match the resources of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
But strangely, the hoarse voice did not speak again.
"Five thousand six hundred, once."
"Five thousand six hundred, twice."
"Five thousand six hundred... thrice, sold!"
Tianxingzi no longer toyed with the crowd and directly placed the Sword Pill into a jade box.
In the corner, Luo Chen walked up calmly and took out five thousand six hundred spirit stones.
After the transaction, he obtained the Sword Pill.
On the way back, everyone watched his figure, wondering what confidence he had to bid on the Sword Pill.
Wasn't he afraid of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's retaliation?
Beyond the confusion, there was an uncontrollable envy, even jealousy.
A Sword Pill comparable to a supreme magical treasure!
Moreover, it didn't consume much magical power; one only needed to have a high level of magical treasure control.
Although many people lacked the latter, they could still practice for such powerful offensive means!
Such a treasure would usually fetch a price of seven to eight thousand spirit stones!
This person, however, obtained it for just five thousand six hundred spirit stones.
How could one not be envious?
Luo Chen could feel the hundreds of pairs of eyes on him, including those of Brother Wang Yuan.
But he didn't care.
This kind of treasure was meant to be his!
He had witnessed the power of the Sword Pill.
On the Lancang River, no matter how many tricks the evil cultivator used, he could not withstand a single sword strike from Pang Renxiong.
Even without the corresponding sword technique or the ability to project his spirit sense, he had a sufficiently refined skill in controlling magical treasures!
In fact, it wasn't just refined.
His Great Perfection Pulling Technique had brought his magical treasure control to the peak.
Even a powerful Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator like Qiu Bai, who had reached the Great Perfection level, could only summon six dragons from the Green Musk Dragon-Gathering Flag with all his might.
But when he was at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation, he could already summon six dragons.
This was all thanks to the Great Perfection Pulling Technique.
Therefore, he wasn't worried about how to control the treasure after obtaining it.
The reason for purchasing it was to supplement his combat skills.
The Green Musk Dragon-Gathering Flag was very strong, but it consumed a lot of spirit energy and was more flexible and versatile, especially when paired with the Green Musk Poison Incense, making it more useful in prolonged battles.
However, it lacked the power for a direct frontal assault.
Qiu Bai's full-strength strike didn't even kill Sima Three Cultivators.
When he used it to fight against Fu Zhang, he still needed to supplement it with the Great Perfection Fireball Spell.
This showed that its power wasn't reach the expected level.
But the Sword Pill was different.
He had witnessed the Giant Sword Technique!
The shocking sword strike by Pang Renxiong on the Lancang River and the sword qi transforming into a dragon on Phoenix Landing Mountain were all variations of the Giant Sword Technique.
With this treasure, he could make up for his lack of direct frontal assault capabilities.
"Five thousand six hundred, what a huge bargain!"
Luo Chen smiled as he put away the Sword Pill and watched the crowd bid on the various treasures Tianxingzi brought out.
He knew that such a bargain wasn't come easily.
He was just taking advantage of the current special situation.
No one dared to take this hot potato!
Even the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators abandoned it after a simple bid.
But he was different!
First, the Zhenlong Black Market had the confidence to auction it.
Where did the confidence come from, Luo Chen didn't know.
But since they didn't run away, there must be a reason.
Second, he had to mention his "deep relationship" with the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!
Even if the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect came back and found him,
He had an excuse!
I gained the trust of Elder Pang, and even during difficult times, I made efforts to recover the remains of the sect's cultivators.
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect might even reward him.
"A bottle of Clarity Liquid!"
"Produced by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, a Second Rank spirit medicine. Long-term use can cause the cultivator's eyes to mutate. When partially successful, it can discern truth and falsehood; when fully successful, it can penetrate illusions and see through array restrictions."
"There is no realm limit for use."
"Starting bid is five hundred spirit stones, each bid must not be less than ten spirit stones."
"Ladies and gentlemen, please bid!"
Another item from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!
The atmosphere, which had been getting more and more heated with other auction items, suddenly became quiet again.
What kind of background did this Zhenlong Black Market have?
Did they participate in the Golden Core battle?
Or had they already entered the ghost city ahead of all nearby forces and excavated the legacy of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion?
However, this time, the atmosphere wasn't as cold as before.
Spirit medicines were different from Sword Pills.
If you bid on it, you could use it immediately.
"Five hundred and twenty spirit stones!"
"Five hundred and thirty!"
...
In the crowd, the moment Luo Chen heard about the Clarity Liquid, he became spirited.
This was the advanced version of the Pearl Brightening Liquid!
Or rather, the Pearl Brightening Liquid was just a weakened version of the Clarity Liquid.
He had been using the Pearl Brightening Liquid for a long time, but he hadn't seen any specific effects.
However, the Great Perfection Spirit Eye Technique had indeed brought him a lot of convenience.
It could see through the simple spirit qi disguise of cultivators and scan a hundred-mile radius with one glance.
During the battle on the Lancang River, other Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators couldn't have watched the entire battle like Luo Chen did.
"The Spirit Eye Technique is already at the Great Perfection level and cannot be further advanced."
"But the clearer the eyes, the better."
"This item, I must have it!"
When the bidding reached six hundred spirit stones, the enthusiastic auction atmosphere in the hall cooled down somewhat.
To put it bluntly, it was just a second-rank spirit medicine.
Moreover, there was only one bottle, making it difficult to use it for a long time.
It was at this moment that Luo Chen joined the bidding.
"Six hundred fifty!"
Compared to the previous slow bidding, adding ten spirit stones at a time, a one-time increase of fifty spirit stones was undoubtedly a big move.
This caused many cultivators to glance over.
When they realized it was the same person who had previously bid on the Sword Pill, many cultivators felt uneasy.
Where did this person come from, and why did he want everything related to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?
For a moment, no one dared to bid again.
Tianxingzi was not bothered by this.
"Six hundred fifty, first call."
"Second call."
"Six hundred fifty, third call, sold!"
"Congratulations, fellow Daoist!"
This time, Luo Chen did not go up to pay the spirit stones.
His previous action was just to check the quality of the Sword Pill in front of everyone.
This time, he directly used his spirit energy to send the six hundred fifty spirit stones flying over.
Tianxingzi also sent the Clarity Liquid to Luo Chen.
After receiving it, Luo Chen inspected it and put it away.
Great!
Once he got back, he would try its effect!
Next, Tianxingzi took out even more treasures.
Especially pills and magical treasures, the number of these two items was almost ten times more than usual.
Even the Qi Nourishing Pills and Dust-Transforming Pills that the Spirit Medicine Pavilion usually sold were available.
Although the price was higher than that of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, with a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills often selling for over a hundred and twenty spirit stones, there were still people who bought them enthusiastically.
The reason was simple!
Now that the Spirit Medicine Pavilion had left the Great River Market, even the spirit qi dispersed from Phoenix Landing Mountain could not adequately support the needs of late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators.
Luo Chen even bid on five bottles of Dust-Transforming Pills.
He spent one thousand three hundred spirit stones, which was three hundred more than usual.
This was almost enough to buy another one and a half bottles.
But the more of this stuff, the better.
In the current situation, stockpiling as much as possible was never wrong.
After spending another thousand spirit stones to buy ten bottles of Golden Essence Liquid from Mount Tai Market, Luo Chen could hardly hold back.
"How much did this Zhenlong Black Market stockpile in terms of pills and magical treasures!"
"It seems they knew about the current situation long ago and prepared specifically to make a huge profit!"
"If that's the case, then the release of the three Ghost Kings and the ambush of Pang Renxiong was not a sudden idea, but a well-prepared conspiracy."
"Then, when did it start?"
When Pang Renxiong returned to the Great River Market?
Or when Fei Bowen, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Ailao Mountain, was killed?
It couldn't have been prepared as early as the opening of the Dao Forum Platform, right?
Luo Chen couldn't guess the specifics because, at that time, he was only at the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation, and the people he associated with were unable to understand such matters.
He only knew that the Zhenlong Black Market had made a huge profit this time!
The auction continued.
Not only did Luo Chen gain a lot, but other independent cultivators also actively participated.
Even Wang Yuan bid multiple times, purchasing the resources he needed.
Among these, a supreme-quality magical treasure glove was snatched by him for a low price of six thousand five hundred spirit stones.
If it were in the past, it would have sparked a bidding frenzy.
But today, it seemed quite ordinary.
The glove had too many flaws.
Apart from the common problem of spirit energy depletion, it required a physique comparable to a second-rank demon beast, or it would consume the cultivator's flesh and blood in reverse.
It was a supreme-quality magical treasure biased towards the demon path.
However, Luo Chen was not worried about this.
In terms of physical strength, few in the current Great River Market could match Wang Yuan.
The long phase of the host’s bidding ended with the successful auction of a complete second-rank demon beast corpse.
"Quite a big move, actually slaying a second-rank demon beast."
Luo Chen muttered to himself and immediately went up to auction his items.
Nothing else, just Blood-Boiling Pills!
It had to be said, this thing really had a market.
Especially in the current situation.
Luo Chen took out ten Blood-Boiling Pills, preparing to make a big profit.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he hung them up, Tianxingzi suddenly spoke.
"Fifteen spirit stones each, I'll take them all!"
As soon as these words were spoken, no one dared to bid again.
The face of the black market owner had to be given, even the other six Foundation Establishment cultivators tacitly did not bid.
Luo Chen had no objections.
Fifteen spirit stones each, this was fifty percent more than the previous auction price.
It also saved him a lot of effort.
After the transaction, he made a profit of one thousand five hundred spirit stones.
Luo Chen let out a small sigh of relief. Today, he had spent seven thousand five hundred fifty spirit stones on the Sword Pill and pills, a significant expense.
He now had less than thirteen thousand spirit stones left.
With this small profit, he had managed to stop the bleeding.
"It seems I need to spend more time refining Blood-Boiling Pills in addition to the Jade Marrow Pills every day."
"Not only does it bring in money quickly, but there's no shortage of buyers."
Just as Luo Chen was calculating this, a voice transmission reached his ears.
Luo Chen's eyebrows raised, and he left his spot, heading straight for Tianxingzi.
Many people noticed this, and although they were curious, no one dared to eavesdrop, still actively participating in the auction among cultivators.
Wang Yuan's gaze followed Luo Chen, with a hint of worry.
Arriving beside Tianxingzi, Luo Chen had not yet spoken when Tianxingzi cast a spirit energy barrier.
A thick soundproof shield enveloped the two of them.
"Senior, what guidance do you have?"
Tianxingzi smiled and said, "Young friend, are you an alchemist? I noticed that you have come three times, and each time you have auctioned off quite a few Blood-Boiling Pills."
Luo Chen's eyebrows raised, avoiding the topic.
"I am not an alchemist, I just know a friend."
"Is that so?"
Tianxingzi did not press further and directly stated his intentions.
After hearing the other party's intentions, Luo Chen was surprised, "Cooperation?"
(End of Chapter)
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