Chapter 754: Unexpected Spirit Herb
Chapter 754: Unexpected Spirit Herb
There was a small general store, or a humble provision shop, in a distant land.
Early one morning, Wen Qian unlocked the store's door and casually scanned the area, immediately spotting several cultivators waiting outside.
"Fellow daoists, you're up early today," he greeted them with a smile.
It was common for certain highly sought-after treasures to appear in the store, causing quite a stir among cultivators eager to get their hands on them.
Over time, some cultivators had noticed this pattern, and every morning, those living nearby or passing by would stop by the store to see if they could get lucky and find some rare treasure.
"Shop owner Wen, do you have any new and exciting items today?" a young cultivator called out.
"Rest assured, I won't disappoint," Wen Qian replied. "We have twelve new fourth-grade Sword Talismans, the same type as before. They're available on a first-come, first-served basis."
"In addition, we have a new fifth-grade treasure today. If any of you fellow daoists are interested but lack the funds, feel free to spread the word."
Wen Qian opened the store wide, revealing the newly acquired treasures within.
On a shelf, over a dozen Sword Talismans were neatly arranged, each imbued with powerful sword intent, making them one of the store's most prized possessions.
What caught the cultivators' attention, however, was a piece of bluish crystal in the center. It glowed with a spiritual light, and faint azure thunder arcs flickered across its surface, indicating its extraordinariness.
"Is that a fifth-grade material? I've never seen anything like it," a charming female cultivator in the middle stages of the Foundation Establishment asked, puzzled.
"That, my dear, is a Thunder Death Crystal," Wen Qian explained. "It's a special type of crystal formed from the essence of high-rank demonic beasts and pure thunder qi. It's useful for cultivating thunder-based divine abilities and crafting high-grade thunder-attributed magical artifacts."
"Thunder Death Crystal?" A tall young man's eyes lit up as he recalled, "I remember hearing an elder in my clan mention this very rare item. I never expected to see it here."
"Shop owner Wen, what's the price for this Thunder Death Crystal?" the tall young man inquired eagerly.
"Six thousand low-grade spirit stones per pound. It's sold separately, and the price is final," Wen Qian said with a smile.
He would have preferred to sell the crystal in smaller pieces, but without Lu Xuan's help, he lacked the ability to divide it, hence his decision.
"Six thousand spirit stones per pound? How much would that even get us?" the startled cultivators exclaimed upon hearing the price. They had all achieved the Foundation Establishment, but the price still startled them.
However, they quickly realized that such a rare fifth-grade material would naturally command a high price.
The cultivators could only feast their eyes on the crystal, each picking out an affordable treasure before leaving the store.
News of the Thunder Death Crystal being sold at the store spread quickly, attracting the attention of many cultivators.
Soon enough, several cultivators at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage rushed to the store.
"Friend Wen, this isn't very considerate of you," an elderly cultivator said as he entered the store. "You should have informed me, your old friend, about such a precious new item."
Though his words carried a hint of reproach, his tone lacked any real blame, his attention fully captured by the Thunder Death Crystal.
"It's indeed a Thunder Death Crystal, and quite a sizable one at that," another cultivator remarked.
"I've heard that this crystal only forms in high-rank thunder beasts as they near death, making it incredibly rare. I never expected to see one here," a third cultivator added, his eyes gleaming with desire.
"Friend Wen, I missed out on that fifth-grade Profound Armor last time. Please, you must let me have this Thunder Death Crystal," one of them pleaded.
"The cultivation technique I practice is directly related to this crystal," another cultivator explained. "I've been stuck for years, but with this crystal, I'm certain I can break through my bottleneck and make a breakthrough!"
Wen Qian found himself surrounded by these enthusiastic cultivators, all of whom had cultivation bases far surpassing his own. He could only smile wryly, accustomed to such situations.
He took out a wooden box that was securely sealed.
"Hey, I won! I won!"
An elderly man with a perfected Qi Refining cultivation base exclaimed in delight.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhang!"
The others offered their congratulations to the elderly man.
"Hold on."
Suddenly, a clear voice rang in everyone's ears, and before the speaker had finished, a white light flashed and a young man appeared in the shop as quick as lightning.
The young man was handsome and possessed a profound aura, indicating that he had reached the early stages of the Core Formation realm.
"I am Ren Dong of the Xuanlei Sect. I happened to be passing by when I heard that a Thunder Death Crystal was being sold here. May I ask if you, Fellow Daoist, would be willing to sell it to me?" he asked the elderly man with a smile.
"Greetings, Senior Ren of the Xuanlei Sect. This Thunder Death Crystal is of great use to me, and I was fortunate to obtain it. Please forgive me for not having any intention of selling it," the elderly man replied, bowing respectfully but with a firm tone.
"Oh? Won't you sell it to me even if I offer a higher price?"
The handsome young man asked with a smile.
Without hesitation, the elderly man shook his head.
Seeing this, the young man's smile faded, and a subtle spiritual pressure filled the shop.
Being repeatedly refused by a mere Qi Refining cultivator had sparked a hint of annoyance within him.
However, he was also aware that they were currently in the Tianxing Cave's main branch, the Star-Plucking Tower. If he caused any trouble, it would be difficult for him to leave unscathed.
"Are you the shop owner? Do you have any more of the Thunder Death Crystal? I'll buy as many as you have," he turned to ask Wen Qian.
Wen Qian replied calmly, "I'm just managing this shop on behalf of someone else. The real owner is someone else."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"It's Keqing Lu Xuan of the Hailou Merchant Association."
Wen Qian answered without any change in his expression.
"A guest of the Hailou Merchant Association?"
Hearing this, the handsome young man's aura weakened a little, and he looked thoughtful.
The Hailou Merchant Association was the second most powerful force in the Liyang territory, second only to the Liyang Dao Sect. Compared to his own Xuanlei Sect, it was undoubtedly much stronger. As the owner of this shop was a guest of the association, his status was naturally extremely high, so much so that even the head of the Xuanlei Sect would have to be polite to him. How could an ordinary elder like himself compare?
"So it's an industry under Lu Xuan's name. I've been rash," the young man said.
"I don't know if Lu has any more Thunder Death Crystals, but this treasure is of great use to me. I'm willing to pay any price to obtain it from him," he said, his tone becoming more respectful without him realizing it.
"I'm not sure about that, Senior," Wen Qian replied.
Wen Qian recalled the scene when Lu Xuan had handed him the Thunder Death Crystal, and although he guessed that Lu Xuan probably had quite a few more, he didn't dare to make any decisions rashly.
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
"To be honest, Senior Lu is an expert in spirit herbs and has a particular fondness for rare and high-grade spirit herbs. If you have any high-grade spirit herbs, Senior, I can help you contact Lu," he said.
"I do have a high-grade spirit herb. It's a sixth-grade spirit herb, and perhaps Senior Lu might be interested in it," the young man said slowly.
"I'll contact Senior Lu right away, but I can't guarantee that he'll have the Thunder Death Crystal you need!" Wen Qian said hastily. He knew Lu Xuan's whereabouts very well and was aware that he would be handling spirit herb-related matters at the association's branch at that moment, so he quickly sent him a message talisman.
(End of Chapter)
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