Chapter 639: Growing Reputation
Chapter 639: Growing Reputation
"Friend, how much for this Foundation Establishment Pill?"
The young man gathered his wits, deliberated for a moment, and decided to prioritize buying a Foundation Establishment Pill. After all, this pill was quite rare even within the Stargazing Tower.
"3,588 low-grade spirit stones each," replied Wen Qian with a smile as he stood by.
"That's exorbitant!"
The young man frowned slightly, his gaze landing on a Sword-Nurturing Gourd.
"What is the story behind this gourd, and how much does it cost?"
"The gourd is called the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, a third-grade treasure. It contains an abundance of sharp sword qi that can be used to battle enemies and demons. Its offensive power is no weaker than most third-grade magical artifacts. However, once the sword qi is depleted, it becomes an ordinary object," Wen Qian explained in detail, without hiding anything.
"As for the price, each gourd is 1,998 low-grade spirit stones."
He had originally intended to set the price at 2,000 spirit stones, but after Lu Xuan's suggestion, he finally lowered it by two spirit stones. There was still some difference between hearing one thousand and two thousand.
As expected, the young man's face showed a hint of interest upon hearing this.
"A strange gourd that can release sword qi for less than 2,000 spirit stones."
The scales in his heart gradually tipped towards the Sword-Nurturing Gourd.
Both the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Sword-Nurturing Gourd were third-grade items. The pill was among the most expensive in its grade and was rarely traded. While the gourd was not as powerful as a true third-grade artifact, it was still considerably cheaper.
"Then I'll take a Sword-Nurturing Gourd."
After some hesitation, the young man gritted his teeth and made his choice. Although the Foundation Establishment Pill was rare, he was only at the advanced Qi Refining stage and still had a long way to go before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. The gourd, on the other hand, was a bargain that would significantly boost his strength.
Of course, the main reason was that he didn't have over 3,000 spirit stones on hand.
"I'll use this gourd to kill more demonic beasts in the secret realm, and then come back to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill or some other treasure," he thought to himself.
"May your business prosper," Wen Qian said as he watched the young man's figure disappear into the distance, carefully storing away the spirit stones.
The reputation of the little shop spread faster than he had anticipated. Before long, many cultivators within the Stargazing Tower learned about it. In a corner of the lower-middle floors was a shop with a peculiar name, and while it didn't have a wide variety of goods, almost every item was of fine quality. Among them were rare treasures like the fourth-grade Sword Talisman.
Except for the Beast Spirit Pill, all the other types of pills were very popular and quickly sold out. This was especially true for the Foundation Establishment Pill, for which many Qi Refining cultivators were willing to sell their pots and pans just to get their hands on one.
Every few days, the shop would release a fourth-grade treasure—be it one of the Sword Talismans, the rare Earthfire Heart Lotus Seeds or Emperor Earth Dates, or artifacts like the Seal of Mountain Imprisonment—and each item was highly sought after by cultivators.
Gradually, the regular customers of the shop figured out this pattern, and a peculiar phenomenon began to emerge. On days when rare items like the Sword Talisman or Earthfire Heart Lotus Seeds were released, numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators could be seen lining up outside the shop in advance.
"There are so many Foundation Establishment cultivators waiting outside again."
"Looks like 'That Little Shop' will be releasing a fourth-grade Sword Talisman today."
In the morning, the door of the neighboring shop opened, and a thin, elderly man walked out. Seeing the queue of cultivators quietly lined up in front of the little shop, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
"I must make sure my rabbit-like son learns how to draw Sword Talismans!" he firmly told himself.
The old man owned a small shop that crafted and sold talismans, but it only carried common first and second-grade talismans. There were only a handful of third-grade talismans, and as for fourth-grade talismans, especially the Sword Talisman, he could only dream about them.
However, while he envied the business of 'That Little Shop,' he had no ideas of his own.
"Good morning, fellow cultivators."
"Good morning, Fellow Wen," they replied.
"Fellow Wen, will you be releasing a Sword Talisman today? Which type will it be?" one of the cultivators asked eagerly.
As soon as Wen Qian appeared, he was bombarded with questions from the waiting cultivators.
"Indeed, today we have the Great Sun Sword Talisman for sale, and as always, it's priced at 8,888 low-grade spirit stones," Wen Qian replied, maintaining their consistent pricing.
Despite the immense popularity of the Sword Talismans among cultivators, neither Lu Xuan nor Wen Qian had increased their prices, choosing instead to keep them at the original rate.
The cultivators filed into the shop, their eyes immediately drawn to the talisman displayed in the center—a dazzling sun hanging high, with strands of sword qi radiating from it.
"Fellow Wen, we discussed this a few days ago. Will you sell me this Great Sun Sword Talisman? I'm willing to pay an extra 500 spirit stones for it," a burly middle-aged man at the Mid-Foundation Establishment stage said hastily.
"Who hasn't tried to make arrangements? I've already asked Fellow Wen several times," someone behind him grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"Fellow Wen, I was the first one to arrive at the shop today. Following the usual rules, this Great Sun Sword Talisman should be mine, right?" an elderly man at the Late-Foundation Establishment stage said slowly.
"Of course. I will abide by the rules set by the shop's owner," Wen Qian replied calmly as he retrieved the talisman and handed it to the elderly cultivator.
Disappointment washed over the faces of the other cultivators, and they turned their attention to the other treasures displayed on the wooden shelves in the shop.
Not only did the little shop occasionally offer rare fourth-grade treasures, but it also sometimes carried decent third and fourth-grade artifacts, spirit minerals, and spirit herbs.
Soon, several cultivators left satisfied, having acquired their desired items in exchange for a substantial number of spirit stones.
"Fellow Wen, I've traveled a great distance to get here, all the way from the Xin Yang Kingdom, specifically for that fourth-grade Sword Talisman. Is there any way you could do me a favor and sell me another one? I'm willing to pay extra spirit stones," a cultivator at the Mid-Foundation Establishment stage said, his eyes fixed on Wen Qian.
"I apologize, but we have a limited quantity of Sword Talismans. Today's talisman has already been sold. You can try coming earlier next time," Wen Qian replied, a hint of apology in his tone as he bowed to the cultivator.
"I'm from the Wang Clan of Xin Yang. I just want to obtain a single Sword Talisman. Can't you give me some face, Fellow Wen?" the cultivator persisted, taking a few steps forward and causing the spiritual energy around him to surge as he attempted to intimidate Wen Qian. There was a hint of coercion in his voice.
"So it's Fellow Wang. My apologies, my apologies," Wen Qian said, neither servile nor overbearing. Although his cultivation was a whole major realm lower than the cultivator's, his demeanor remained calm and composed. Even Yuan Ying Realm cultivators wouldn't dare cause trouble in the Stargazing Tower, let alone a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.
As for his background, he had the support of the Wen Family, one of the seven major families of the Hailou Commerce Alliance, so he had no fear of a small local family.
"I'm merely managing this shop on behalf of its owner. If Fellow Wang has any requests, you can direct them to the true owner of the shop," Wen Qian explained.
"Let me remind you, Fellow, that the owner of this shop is a Golden Core Realm cultivator who also serves as a guest advisor to the Hailou Commerce Alliance. You should consider your actions carefully," the cultivator said, his expression shifting as he realized the weight of Wen Qian's backing.
"I'll be back!" the cultivator snapped as he stormed out, his sleeves flapping angrily.
"Safe journey, Fellow," Wen Qian called out politely after him.
Business in the little shop was booming, and Lu Xuan had also managed to gather information about the Confucian cultivators.
Wooden Daoist had a wide network of connections, and through his help, Lu Xuan learned the cultivation locations of two Confucian cultivators in the Tianxing Cave.
(End of Chapter)
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