After searching for a long time without finding even one of the five heavenly treasures and earthly wonders, Lin Zheyu reluctantly considered the costly alternative. "If I really have no other choice, I'll buy them from a large merchant house like the Soaring Cloud Pavilion."
Each portion of these five heavenly treasures and earthly wonders cost more than a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and he needed at least eighty-three portions in total. If he purchased them from a major merchant house like the Soaring Cloud Pavilion, the required spirit stones would far exceed his original budget.
Fortunately, the three bandit cultivators he had killed truly had been three enormous fat sheep. Their various dharma treasures, heavenly treasures and earthly wonders, and spirit stones were collectively worth a full thirty-two high-grade spirit stones. Together with the spirit stones he already possessed, Lin Zheyu's wealth had surpassed its previous peak, reaching an astonishing total of seventy-nine high-grade spirit stones.
Haha, that old bastard Fan Hongwei truly is my lucky star. I've found another one.
Lin Zheyu laughed heartily as he stopped before an old woman's stall.
"Fellow friend, how many spirit stones are you asking for this Seven-Colored Profound Moss?" Lin Zheyu asked.
Seven-Colored Profound Moss was a potent body-tempering treasure herb with extremely fierce medicinal properties. Ordinary cultivators would never dare consume it directly. It had to be combined with various other treasure herbs to temper its medicinal properties and refined into medicinal pills before it could be safely consumed. However, once refined into pills, its most violent and powerful medicinal effects would be greatly diminished. Only by consuming it directly could one draw out its full potency.
The old woman glanced at Lin Zheyu and replied indifferently, "One high-grade spirit stone."
Although Seven-Colored Profound Moss was expensive, there was no shortage of buyers, so the old woman showed little enthusiasm. Moreover, her asking price was already far lower than the prices charged by shops run by esteemed families and sects.
In those shops, it would cost at least fourteen hundred mid-grade spirit stones, equivalent to one high-grade spirit stone plus another four hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
"Fellow friend, isn't that rather expensive? Although this Seven-Colored Profound Moss is old enough, it has a serious problem. Its medicinal power has already been contaminated. Even if the contamination can be removed, less than half the medicinal power of an intact specimen will remain. That is not even accounting for the time, effort, and resources required to purify the treasure herb's medicinal power. Four hundred mid-grade spirit stones. I won't offer any more," Lin Zheyu said calmly.
Within his sea of consciousness, the golden Heavenly Eye shone with dazzling light, allowing him to see the Seven-Colored Profound Moss's condition with perfect clarity. There was good reason why the heavenly treasures and earthly wonders sold in established shops were more expensive.
Unlike stall owners, who often cared only about making a single sale, those shops sought to build lasting businesses and cultivate a steady stream of loyal customers. Therefore, there was little need to worry about being deceived when purchasing from them. Even if an item had minor flaws, they would rarely be serious.
Purchasing dharma treasures, heavenly treasures, and earthly wonders from market stalls, however, entailed considerable risk. All manner of hidden flaws and potential problems could arise without end. This was also why identical items were sold more cheaply at stalls than in established shops.
Lin Zheyu was only able to shop with confidence because he possessed the golden Heavenly Eye, which allowed him to easily discern the true condition of heavenly treasures, earthly wonders, and dharma artifacts. Otherwise, there was no telling how many times he would have been deceived by now. Hearing his words, the old woman narrowed her eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them.
The old woman nodded slightly and said in an even tone, "You have a discerning eye. Since you have already seen through it, I will not conceal the truth from you. I obtained this Seven-Colored Profound Moss from an ancient ruin, and it had long been deeply corrupted by demonic will and demonic qi. Four hundred mid-grade spirit stones is indeed a fair price for it."
There was not the slightest embarrassment on her face at having been exposed. Instead, she appeared entirely at ease. Such practices were commonplace in immortal markets. When purchasing dharma artifacts and treasures, buyers had only their own discernment to rely on. If their judgment failed them and they misjudged an item, they could only swallow the loss.
Lin Zheyu took out four hundred mid-grade spirit stones and handed them over. After putting away the Seven-Colored Profound Moss, he asked in a casual tone, "I wonder how much Seven-Colored Profound Moss you have on hand. Even specimens whose medicinal power has been heavily contaminated will do. I have another use for them."
He needed roughly ninety portions of Seven-Colored Profound Moss in total. If he could obtain a large quantity of cheap, contaminated treasure herbs, that would be ideal. The abilities of Origin Force were extraordinarily powerful, allowing it to absorb only the energy beneficial to him from among countless different energies. Even if all the medicinal power within the Seven-Colored Profound Moss had been contaminated, it would not matter in the slightest.
"Oh?" The old woman's expression shifted slightly, and she could not help studying Lin Zheyu more closely.
Intrigued by the possibility, the old woman could not resist asking, "Could it be that you possess some powerful secret art capable of purifying treasure herbs?"
She was no fool. Every cultivator was exceedingly shrewd and would never willingly make a losing deal. This was especially true of the mysterious cultivator before her, whose eyes were so discerning that he had recognized the contamination within the Seven-Colored Profound Moss at a glance without even picking it up.
Lin Zheyu shook his head and replied calmly, "You misunderstand. I simply have another use for them. If I truly possessed such a powerful secret art, I would have amassed more spirit stones than I could count by now and could simply purchase treasure herbs directly from established shops. Why would I need to come here and try my luck buying cheap goods?"
The old woman's expression shifted slightly as she said in an even tone, "Is that so... I do indeed have several more portions of Seven-Colored Profound Moss, but they have been severely corrupted and are no longer worth much."
Whether she truly believed Lin Zheyu's explanation was impossible to say. She patted the storage pouch at her waist and took out eight portions of Seven-Colored Profound Moss. Just as she had said, these eight spirit herbs were at least 70% corrupted. Their medicinal power had become deeply entangled with the tainted energy, making the two extremely difficult to separate.
"Since you want them, I will sell them to you cheaply. Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and you may take all eight portions of Seven-Colored Profound Moss," the old woman said calmly.
"Deal. Many thanks, fellow friend," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.
The two completed the exchange, trading the spirit stones for the Seven-Colored Profound Moss. Once he had obtained the spirit herbs, Lin Zheyu turned and left without delay. The old woman watched his departing figure, her eyes flickering faintly.
A dozen or so breaths later, an old man emerged from the crowd with a frown, his expression somewhat grim. "I lost him. This man's strength should not be underestimated. It would be best not to make an enemy of him."
"Sigh... Let's go. His perception is exceptionally keen, and he may have already noticed you following him. We should not remain here any longer. We are leaving immediately!" the old woman said solemnly.
With a wave of her right hand, everything on the stall vanished in an instant. The two slipped into the crowd and hurried away.
"Aren't they leaving the immortal market...? Forget it. They only followed me. That hardly warrants death, so I'll spare their lives." Lin Zheyu shook his head, and with a slight shift of his body, he vanished without a trace.
After realizing that he was being followed, Lin Zheyu had originally intended to deal with them in secret. Unexpectedly, the two were so cautious that they had immediately abandoned their plans.
Moreover, rather than leaving the immortal market outright, they had headed toward its center. They were likely planning to seek protection within the market and remain there for some time before departing.
After purchasing the Seven-Colored Profound Moss, Lin Zheyu continued browsing the immortal market. He managed to purchase another type of heavenly treasure and earthly wonder, but found none of the other items he needed.
Afterward, Lin Zheyu resumed the appearance of Xiao Yu from the Martial Alliance and withdrew the concealment of the Heaven-Deceiving Art. He then openly strolled through the Soaring Cloud Pavilion's shops without the slightest attempt to hide himself. He was certain that if that old fellow Fan Hongwei was still here, the man would be unable to resist showing himself.
Sure enough, one day later, after finishing his tour of the market, Lin Zheyu leisurely took a seat beside a window in a restaurant at the heart of the market.
Across from Lin Zheyu, a figure slowly solidified, revealing an elderly man with the refined, otherworldly bearing of an immortal. "Haha, Fellow Xiao, we meet again. I heard that you broke through to the Shackles realm and now possess strength comparable to a Golden Core realm cultivator of the Immortal Dao. This is truly cause for celebration. Congratulations!"
The old man cupped his hands with a genial smile. He was none other than Fan Hongwei of the Soaring Cloud Pavilion!
"It was merely a stroke of luck. It has been a long time, Senior Fan. Your aura has grown even more unfathomable," Lin Zheyu said with a flattering smile.
His smile was radiant, yet inwardly, he sneered with disdain. Despite what he said aloud, the golden Heavenly Eye within Lin Zheyu's sea of consciousness had long since opened.
Beneath the Heavenly Eye's gaze, Fan Hongwei had nowhere to hide, and the secret art concealing his aura was completely ineffective. The man was merely a peak Golden Core realm cultivator.
"Hehe. You are truly capable, fellow friend. At one point, I nearly thought that something unfortunate had happened to you," Fan Hongwei said pointedly, his smile never reaching his eyes.
Hmph. Do you truly think that just because you broke through to the Shackles realm, I can no longer do anything to you? You truly overestimate yourself! Fan Hongwei sneered inwardly.
In his view, Lin Zheyu's willingness to appear here so openly clearly meant that after breaking through to the Shackles realm, he had gained enough confidence to face him directly.
But that suited Fan Hongwei perfectly. He had been wondering how to lure Xiao Yu of the Martial Alliance into taking the bait and joining him in exploring that Shamanic Clan ruin. Unexpectedly, the man had delivered himself right to his doorstep.
Lin Zheyu glossed over the matter and asked with a smile, "I did encounter some trouble and nearly lost my life. I wonder, have you finished exploring the ruin you mentioned last time?"
It would be difficult for him to make a move within the immortal market. He could only wait until Fan Hongwei left.
"We failed. Without your assistance, we encountered some unexpected complications." Fan Hongwei shook his head and said with sincerity, "To tell you the truth, it is a Shamanic Clan Ruin. It should hold considerable benefits for you. I wonder if you would be willing to explore it with us?"
A Shamanic Clan Ruin? Lin Zheyu's interest was immediately piqued. This was truly an unexpected stroke of good fortune. He had never imagined that the ruin the old bastard had mentioned would actually be a Shamanic Clan Ruin!
After learning that it was a Shamanic Clan Ruin, Lin Zheyu immediately abandoned his previous plans and decided to finish exploring the ruin with Fan Hongwei before settling anything else. He had received the complete Shamanic Clan inheritance.
Although the current environment of the world made it impossible to cultivate the Shamanic Dao, his status as an inheritor of the Shamanic Clan would grant him an unimaginable advantage when exploring one of their ruins. Perhaps this ruin, like the inheritance secret realm left behind by Qiong Yun, had even preserved an environment suitable for cultivating shamanic arts. That would be ideal.
"Are you telling the truth?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously, allowing a look of interest to appear on his face.
"Every word is true!"
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