"What's the price?"
Zhao Zuo asked distractedly. 'This thing is nice, but there's no way I can afford it.' Supporting Magical Artifacts were mostly made from certain natural Spirit Jades or gems, which were not easily replicable. As a result, their prices were often several times higher than Combat Magical Artifacts. He had already prepared himself for this before coming.
"This item is a Middle Grade Magical Artifact. Due to the immense cost of its materials, the price is eight hundred eighty-eight Spirit Stones."
"My pockets are a little empty. How about you show me something around thirty Spirit Stones?" Zhao Zuo's face flushed as he spoke dryly. He cursed Qing Ci inwardly for her lack of perceptiveness. 'I'm so poor I can't even afford a Storage Bag, how could I possibly come up with eight hundred eighty-eight Spirit Stones?'
"Ah... Thirty Spirit Stones." Qing Ci's smile didn't falter. With a wave of her hand, the Gathering Spirit Jade Disc vanished. With another wave, a dark green jade tablet appeared on the counter. Its back was smooth, while its front was carved with a ferocious Evil Beast, showcasing extreme skill.
"A Clear Heart Jade Pendant, made from Clear Heart Jade. Wearing it can calm your heart and mind, nourish your meridians, protect your body, and gather the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power to enhance your absorption efficiency." Qing Ci's smile never faded as she detailed its functions, adding a great deal of flattery.
Zhao Zuo was immediately taken with the Clear Heart Jade Pendant before him. First, it was cheap. Second, it was easy to carry.
"What are its specific effects, and how many Spirit Stones?" Zhao Zuo asked, his finger gently pressing on the Clear Heart Jade Pendant.
[Level: Lower Grade Magical Artifact · Clear Heart Jade Pendant]
[Experience: 0/200]
[Status: Not upgradeable]
[Creation Points: 6]
'It really works. As long as it's classified as a Magical Artifact, I can upgrade it with experience points.'
Zhao Zuo inwardly looked forward to a future where his Cultivation speed would advance by leaps and bounds.
"One percent."
"It's that low?" Zhao Zuo asked in surprise. The Middle Grade Magical Artifact offered a twenty percent boost, but this Lower Grade one plummeted to a mere one percent. That didn't seem very reasonable.
"It's mainly due to the difference in materials. Taoist Friend, please consider this: the Gathering Spirit Jade Disc used a full seventy catties of Gathering Spirit Jade material, while the Clear Heart Jade Pendant... uses only four taels of Clear Heart Jade material." Faced with his question, Qing Ci showed no impatience, displaying a high degree of professionalism.
"Haha, I see. I'll take it." Zhao Zuo gave an awkward laugh, took out a beast hide pouch filled with Spirit Stones from his robe, and poured out ten of them. He then pulled four brand-new Willow Leaf Darts from his waist.
"Ten Spirit Stones, plus these four Lower Grade Magical Artifacts. Would that be acceptable?" Zhao Zuo asked, a little nervous. He had originally planned to offer twenty Spirit Stones, but then he remembered he needed to save some to buy Spirit Rice and changed his plan on the spot.
"Please wait a moment, valued customer, I need to inspect them." Qing Ci waved her hand slightly, and four wisps of Mana emerged from her fingertips, quickly sinking into the Willow Leaf Darts on the table. Infused with Mana, the Willow Leaf Darts trembled slightly and floated in mid-air, defying gravity.
Seeing this, Zhao Zuo was secretly astonished. 'Based on her display of this technique, her Cultivation must be higher than mine, maybe even close to the Late Period of Qi Cultivation.'
A minute later, Qing Ci retracted her Mana, a faint trace of fatigue flashing across her face.
"The Spirit Patterns are perfect, and the blades are brand new... The trade is acceptable." Qing Ci nodded, approving the transaction.
"A pleasure doing business with you, then." Zhao Zuo carefully hung the Clear Heart Jade Pendant around his neck, against his skin. Feeling the cool touch against the center of his chest, he felt much more at ease.
"Taoist Friend, may I ask your name?" Qing Ci sat up straight, puffed out her chest slightly, and asked with a smile.
"My surname is Zhao."
"So it's Taoist Friend Zhao. Taoist Friend, would you like to take a look at our Purifying Spirit Pills? They can increase your Cultivation. A single pill is equivalent to fifteen days of ascetic training, and the price is just... five Spirit Stones."
The moment the transaction was complete, Qing Ci began pitching her next sale.
"No, no, my pockets are empty." Zhao Zuo hurriedly stood up, shook off Qing Ci's persistence, and fled the Spirit Treasure Pavilion as if for his life.
'She wasn't even going to let me keep the few Spirit Stones left in my beast hide pouch. Good thing I left quickly, or that young lady would have cleaned me out completely.'
"Taoist Friend, Taoist Friend, please wait." As Zhao Zuo was walking down the street, he suddenly heard someone calling out to him from the side.
He turned his head to look and saw a rather thin and withered old man, who appeared to be very advanced in age. His face was covered in wrinkles and age spots, but his eyes were remarkably bright. His hair and beard were completely white, and he wore a gray Taoist Robe that was somewhat faded from washing.
In front of him was a dilapidated wooden table, on which were carved the two words "Fortune Telling."
"You want to tell my fortune?" Zhao Zuo stopped and asked with a booming laugh, intending to hear what profound insights the old man might have. He instinctively felt a certain respect for the elderly.
"There's no need for divination. With the art I have studied, I can reach a conclusion just by reading your face," the old man explained. Though his appearance was ancient, his voice was full of vigor.
"So, have you reached a conclusion?" Zhao Zuo asked, sitting down on the wooden stool in front of the old Taoist. 'This is the core area of Moyun Workshop. The fact that this old Taoist can set up a stall here without being driven away... already says a lot.'
"Taoist Friend, I fear you will face a bloody disaster in the near future," the old fortune teller said, looking somewhat nervous.
"Oh, is that so? What's the Divination Fee?" Zhao Zuo's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged.
The old fortune teller stroked his beard, actually giving off the air of an enlightened master.
"If the prediction comes true, you need only give me one tael of gold in the future."
"But if I die, won't you have done it for nothing?" Zhao Zuo hadn't believed in so-called fortune-telling, but when he considered that the old Taoist could set up a stall here, he found himself eighty percent convinced.
"Fate brings people together and scatters them apart. If you die, Taoist Friend, it simply means we were not fated to be, and thus I should not have collected a Divination Fee in the first place." The old man gently shook the sleeves of his Taoist Robe, his eyes holding a profound light within.
Now Zhao Zuo was getting a little panicked, worried about the impending bloody disaster.
"Taoist Friend, don't you dare believe his nonsense. He told me I'd have a bloody disaster years ago. I was so scared I hid at home for half a month, and absolutely nothing happened," a passing Cultivator casually interjected, undermining him.
"Pah!"
The old fortune teller immediately shot to his feet and spat in the direction of the man who had just spoken.
"The Celestial Secret Technique is a legacy from ancient times! It can measure Spirit Veins, observe fortune, and calculate calamities and blessings."
"You young brat! You're illiterate! How could you possibly understand the profound mysteries within!?"
The man didn't respond. Having made his point, he just walked away without a backward glance.
Zhao Zuo thought for a moment, then stood up and cupped his hands in a salute to the old Taoist. "If Senior's prediction is accurate, I will be sure to deliver the Divination Fee on time in the future."
"Of course, of course," the old fortune teller said, waving his hand dismissively.
"By the way, my surname is Li."
"This junior's surname is Zhao."
Zhao Zuo continued walking toward the outskirts of the Market. Along the way, he bought twenty catties of Spirit Rice from a Spirit Rice shop. After walking for another quarter of an hour, he reached the flea market area at the edge of the Market. Yet, the thought of... the possible bloody disaster kept surfacing in his mind.
'Am I going to run into a Tribulation Cultivator on the way home?' Zhao Zuo's heart began to race, until he saw a familiar flash of red in the flea market area—a graceful, flame-like silhouette.
Zhao Zuo's heart calmed down a little.
....
PS: Please add to your collection, thank you all for your support.