On a secluded street in Feileng City.
A woman with a hint of untamed pride in her brows came to a halt.
She looked up at a gilded sign:
*Jinzhan Shop*
Comparing it to a name in her memory, she blinked and stepped inside.
An attendant came forward to greet her, but before he could begin his pitch, she cut straight to the point.
"I have a batch of demon beast materials. Do you buy them?"
The attendant froze momentarily before smiling. "Our Jinzhan Shop does indeed purchase materials harvested from demon beasts, but if the rank is too low..."
Before he could finish, the woman flipped her wrist, and an enormous crab pincer materialized in her hand.
A dense wave of demonic qi instantly washed outward.
It drew the gazes of several patrons throughout the shop.
The attendant's eyes went wide. "The pincer of a Tier 3 Azure Emperor Crab! This..."
"Do you buy it?"
"Yes! Of course we do!"
Materials from a Tier 3 Demon King—and the razor-sharp pincer at that—were an absolute first choice for forging dharma artifacts and treasures.
How could their shop possibly turn such business away?
Yet before he could name an offer, the woman patted the storage bag at her waist.
"I have plenty more where this came from. If you give me a satisfactory price, they're all yours."
*There are more!*
*And plenty of them!*
The attendant swallowed hard. A transaction of this scale was far beyond what a mere Qi Refinement cultivator like him could negotiate.
Without hesitation, he gestured respectfully.
"Senior, this way to the rear courtyard, please! I will notify our shopkeeper at once so he can discuss this business with you in person."
The woman gave a soft acknowledgment and strode fearlessly into the shop's back courtyard.
Moments later, a ruddy-faced, middle-aged man hurried into the courtyard.
Upon seeing the woman, he smoothed his robes and said courteously, "I am Qian Datong, humbled to serve as the shopkeeper of Jinzhan Shop. May I ask how to address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"Tianxuan."
"So it is Fellow Daoist Tianxuan." Qian Datong offered a genial smile. "I heard that you have pincers from a Tier 3 Azure Emperor Crab, and in considerable quantity?"
Tianxuan did not bother answering. With a casual flick of her hand, she tossed out her wares.
In the next instant, a relentless cascade of heavy thuds echoed through the courtyard.
Qian Datong stared dumbfounded at the mountain of demon beast materials piling up before him.
Pincers, legs...
One after another, pair upon pair, sinister yet possessing an exotic, predatory beauty.
The dense demonic qi accumulated into a concentrated cloud that seemed ready to surge into the heavens.
Had the courtyard not been shielded by an isolation formation that cut off all aura from the outside world, this spectacle would have drawn countless eyes.
Even so, witnessing it firsthand shook Qian Datong to his core.
*Tier 2 demon crabs!*
Nearly ninety percent were Tier 2 demon crab materials, almost all harvested from Azure Emperor Crabs.
On top of that, there was a complete set of Tier 3 Azure Emperor Crab parts.
The materials were stacked so densely they nearly filled the entire yard. Yet judging by the slight frown on Tianxuan's face, she seemed unsatisfied, as if she had not even finished unloading.
Suppressing the excitement in his chest, Qian Datong asked, "Fellow Daoist Tianxuan, could it be that you slaughtered an entire colony of Azure Emperor Crabs?"
Tianxuan shot him a cool glance. "Don't pry into things you shouldn't. Inspect the goods and name your price!"
Qian Datong nodded repeatedly, though he did not begin the appraisal immediately.
Instead, right before Tianxuan's eyes, he sent out a voice transmission.
Only then did he offer an explanation:
"The quantity is rather immense. Appraising it all on my own would take past nightfall. I have called two kinsmen over to help tally the inventory. Please bear with us a short while, Fellow Daoist."
Tianxuan raised no objection. Clasped hands behind her back, she said, "Go ahead and take stock. I'll browse your shop in the meantime. We can talk business once you're done."
Qian Datong was taken aback. *She's leaving it with us just like that?*
If this deal went through, the preliminary transaction would easily surpass five hundred thousand spirit stones, yet she treated it so casually.
Still, if she had no worries, he certainly would not complain.
He immediately instructed the Qi Refinement attendant to accompany Tianxuan one-on-one and guide her around Jinzhan Shop.
***
"Senior, this dharma artifact is called the Broken Gold Battleaxe. Though it is only high-grade, its striking power is by no means inferior to supreme-grade offensive artifacts of the water, earth, or wood elements. Its price is also quite reasonable—only four thousand lower-grade spirit stones."
"This here is the Quicksand Horn Edge, consisting of a primary and secondary pair, reaching the level of a supreme-grade dharma artifact. The Quicksand Edge handles defense while the Curved Horn Edge executes attacks, making it a rare unified weapon for both offense and defense. Foundation Establishment cultivators inquire about it daily, though its steep price of eight thousand lower-grade spirit stones gives many pause. With Senior's wealth, securing this treasure would be effortless."
Listening to the attendant's descriptions, Tianxuan nodded repeatedly.
Human cultivators truly lived up to their reputation!
Their utilization of external instruments had reached an exquisite peak, far beyond anything ordinary demon beasts could match.
In just a brief stroll, the attendant had introduced several artifacts on display, and upon evaluating them, she found them impressively potent.
If a Foundation Establishment cultivator acquired and properly refined one, an ordinary Tier 2 demon beast would suffer terribly against it.
Come to think of it, she now possessed a human form, making it far more convenient to attune to dharma artifacts than when she had been a beast.
Perhaps she ought to acquire a handy weapon of her own.
If she encountered battles in the future, she could be of greater help to her master.
Pausing her footsteps, she asked, "Does your shop carry dharma treasures?"
"Well..." The attendant hesitated awkwardly.
Tianxuan's brow knitted as she said bluntly, "As far as I know, Jinzhan Shop has business dealings with several forging workshops on Lengguang Island. Surely you can't be lacking even a single treasure to anchor the establishment?"
The attendant waved his hands frantically.
Just then, a voice transmission reached his ear, and upon hearing it, a look of profound relief crossed his face.
"If Senior wishes to purchase a dharma treasure, it is not impossible, but you must register your background and lineage."
"Hm?" Tianxuan voiced her doubt.
The attendant gritted his teeth and explained, "Please rest assured, Senior, our Jinzhan Shop will never leak that information. The reason for this rule is simply the overwhelming influx of foreign cultivators into Lengguang Island of late, compounded by the fact that Feileng City does not prohibit bloodshed and fighting. If a demonic rogue or brigand bought a lethal weapon and turned around to slaughter the clan cultivators who forged it, it would cause endless trouble. Thus, the major powers that consign dharma treasures to us all insist on this prerequisite. Ordinary dharma artifacts are fine, but for dharma treasures, we must record the buyer's details to facilitate tracking should anything go wrong."
*A measure of self-protection for the local factions, is it?*
Tianxuan gave a noncommittal hum. "Show them to me first!"
Breathing a sigh of relief, the attendant led Tianxuan up to the second floor.
Staff upstairs were already prepared and brought out two dharma treasures of remarkable quality.
One was water-aligned, the other earth-aligned, each possessing distinct might.
The water-attribute treasure in particular offered a noticeable thirty percent boost to a water-element Core Formation cultivator's dharmic power.
After examining them closely, however, Tianxuan waved her hand under the attendant's expectant gaze.
"Forget it. They aren't suited to me."
"Er..."
Ignoring the attendant's crestfallen expression, Tianxuan walked back downstairs.
Indeed, while both treasures were fine, they genuinely did not suit her.
Tianxuan's true form was a Tianxuan Battle Gull, naturally attuned to the wind, metal, and water elements.
If categorized by the spirit root classification of human cultivators, she possessed dual metal-water spirit roots alongside a mutated wind spirit root.
Conventionally, that water treasure should have fit her well.
Yet through years of cultivation, what she excelled at most remained her wind arts.
Whether it was the sweeping gales, churning vortexes, or conjuring miniature tornadoes, all fell under that category.
Hence, she preferred a dharma treasure that augmented the wind attribute.
***
While Tianxuan used the opportunity to browse the shop and broaden her horizons, the appraisal in the rear courtyard drew to a close.
Three Foundation Establishment True Cultivators gathered around the massive assortment of materials sorted by quality, quietly conversing as they made their assessments.
"This is a massive haul!"
"Once we secure it, whether we supply it to the forging workshops or sell it off piece by piece at the trade fair, our Qian family stands to make a fortune."
"A profit is guaranteed, but how much we make is worth discussing."
"Fifth Uncle is right. The profit margin depends entirely on our acquisition cost!"
"Fifth Uncle, you interacted with that female cultivator for a bit. What do you make of her? Is she easy to handle?"
Qian Datong, addressed as Fifth Uncle, paused his work and pondered for a moment.
With confidence, he replied, "She should be simple enough. From what I can tell, she lacks experience in worldly affairs. She produced all the goods without even inquiring about the price, and then left them entirely to our inspection without keeping any cards up her sleeve."
Another Foundation Establishment cultivator tested the waters. "Drive down the price?"
Qian Datong nodded. "Of course we must drive it down, or what will we earn? Besides, we're run as an honest business; had she walked into a den of thieves, they might have killed her and taken the loot outright."
The third man voiced some concern. "To hunt down this many demon crabs, she likely has a formidable power backing her. If we squeeze her too hard, we might invite trouble."
Qian Datong waved it off dismissively. "There won't be much trouble. You've handled these materials yourselves—the vast majority are Tier 2 demon crabs, something ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can hunt. Add to that the residual demonic qi, which clearly shows years have passed. It's almost certainly old stock accumulated over decades by some small faction looking to liquidate it all at once during this opportunity."
"But what about the Tier 3 Azure Emperor Crab materials? Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can't kill a Tier 3 Demon King. What if she has a Core Formation power behind her?" The kinsman remained uneasy.
Qian Datong clicked his tongue and picked up a massive pincer.
"Little Eight, look closely. The wounds on this weren't inflicted by human cultivators."
Little Eight leaned in for a closer look, his eyes lighting up in realization. "They were caused by demon beasts!"
Qian Datong smiled slightly. "Your eye hasn't failed you; my teaching over the years wasn't in vain. The marks on these Tier 3 materials clearly stem from internal battles between demon beasts. Her backers likely got lucky and reaped the spoils as fishermen."
Straightening his back, he added with absolute conviction, "Furthermore, our Qian family is one of the strongest Core Formation powers on Lengguang Island. We run several shops right here in Feileng City. Even if a Core Formation faction backs her, we have nothing to fear!"
The other two nodded in hearty agreement.
Their Qian family truly did not fear ordinary Core Formation forces.
On Lengguang Island, aside from the indifferent Perfected Person Feileng, they had virtually no rivals.
If measured by sect standards, the Qian family would easily rank as a grand sect.
With that settled, the three began conferring on their negotiation strategy, focusing entirely on how to push the price down.
When Tianxuan returned to the rear courtyard, Qian Datong had dismissed his kinsmen to handle the negotiation personally.
"Four hundred thousand?"
Tianxuan's slender brows drew together, her displeasure surfacing instantly.
"Are you taking me for a fool who knows nothing of business, throwing out numbers as you please?"
Qian Datong remained unperturbed, gesturing toward the pile. "I am not deliberately undervaluing your goods; rather, while this batch appears pristine at a glance, it is quite aged and was improperly preserved."
"The lingering demonic qi has largely dissipated, and there are numerous scars. If forged into artifacts, flaws will undoubtedly arise. Even if we take them in, selling them off will prove difficult."
"Moreover, the quantity is simply too vast. Parting with hundreds of thousands of spirit stones in a single breath is a strain even for our Qian family. Fellow Daoist Tianxuan, you must show some understanding for our position!"
Tianxuan said nothing, only staring at him with cold detachment.
Under her unblinking gaze, Qian Datong felt an inexplicable pressure mounting in his chest.
Wiping away nonexistent sweat, he pressed on with his performance.
"Fellow Daoist may not understand the craft of forging. When refining dharma artifacts, intact demon beast parts are ideal."
"Yet look at your batch—it consists entirely of legs and pincers, lacking sinew, bone, and flesh."
"Oh, and most crucially, the carapaces. Those are the premier material for crafting defensive treasures."
"Without those core pieces, selling these off will be an uphill battle!"
The corner of Tianxuan's mouth twitched. "I know nothing of the things you speak of. All I know is that with the fall of the Yuan Demon Sect, the Northern Sea cultivation world is left without a leader. Righteous and demonic factions clash in chaos, countless rogue cultivators fish in troubled waters, and endless hordes of demon beasts lurk within the Demon Sea. The prices of pills, formations, artifacts, talismans, and resources across the board are soaring. Five hundred thousand... heh."
Qian Datong's expression tightened.
She truly lacked fine technical knowledge of forging materials, yet she had a firm grasp on the broader tides of the world.
Clearly, she was no easy mark to swindle.
In that case, continuing with his rehearsed pretexts would only backfire.
He adopted a solemn tone. "Then pray tell, Fellow Daoist, what is your expected figure?"
"Seven hundred thousand!"
"Impossible!"
Tianxuan drew a deep breath. "Is it truly impossible?"
"Of course it's impo—" Qian Datong began instinctively, but before the words could leave his mouth, his expression drastically changed.
Across from him, an overwhelming spiritual pressure bore down like a crashing wave.
That was by no means something a Foundation Establishment cultivator could unleash!
His throat went dry. "Fellow Daoist Tianxuan... no, Senior! Let us talk this over in peace!"
Tianxuan promptly reined in the spiritual pressure radiating from her demon core and said coldly, "There is nothing to discuss. Seven hundred thousand. Take it or leave it, and I will pack up these materials. In a place as vast as Feileng City, your Jinzhan Shop is hardly the only business capable of swallowing this inventory. As far as I know, your Qian family runs several branch shops throughout the city. If you refuse, are all the other branches just as blind?"
Qian Datong opened his mouth, struck speechless.
Beads of sweat broke out across his forehead in layers.
***
An hour later, Tianxuan stepped out of Jinzhan Shop, escorted respectfully by Qian Datong and a Qian family Core Formation cultivator who had rushed over personally to deliver the spirit stones.
Regardless of how the Qian family evaluated the transaction, Tianxuan had gained considerable insight from the encounter.
Unlike the straightforward communication and territorial clashes among demon beasts, transactions between human cultivators were markedly more convoluted.
Every speck of profit was bitterly contested.
Human hearts harbored treachery like a den of ghosts; without absolute strength, one would be devoured down to the bone.
Beneath the cover of night, Tianxuan sat in a standalone wooden cabin at the edge of the valley, lost in thought.
*Handling these matters would surely be child's play for Master.*
*Yet he entrusted them to me, which means he is testing and tempering me.*
*If so, I cannot let him down.*
The batch at Jinzhan Shop had ultimately yielded a staggering sum of seven hundred thousand lower-grade spirit stones.
Yet that was merely the first parcel!
Tianxuan still held a vast hoard, and the most precious demon cores had not even been touched.
Before entering secluded cultivation, Master had expressed his hope of bringing back at least ten million spirit stones. She needed to push harder and refrain from being as careless as she had been today.
Furthermore, she had to absorb more general knowledge to keep from being tricked.
"A bit of a headache!"
Tianxuan rubbed her temples, though a spark of anticipation flickered in her heart.
Was this battle of wits and words not also a form of combat—a trial of cultivation?
This time, she would accomplish her task flawlessly.
***
In the days that followed, Tianxuan frequently came and went from shops large and small across Feileng City.
Gradually, she developed an intuition.
Liquidating goods could not be done carelessly.
Tier 2 demon crab materials were not particularly rare to the shops of Core Formation factions, and they refused to pay high rates.
Consequently, those materials were best suited for smaller storefronts.
Though troublesome, the prices were better.
On the other hand, small shops lacked the capital to swallow Tier 3 materials, which only larger establishments could handle.
Yet even among large shops, there were distinctions.
Parting with a million spirit stones in one breath was beyond the means of ordinary Core Formation clans.
Cultivation clans poured vast wealth into supporting their kinsmen, leaving their liquid reserves scarce.
Sects, conversely, were different.
Toward low-tier disciples—unless extraordinarily talented—sects operated primarily through exploitation.
There was little consideration for familial sentiment or blood ties.
As a result, sect powers held immense reserves of liquid spirit stones.
They had the appetite to swallow large shipments whole.
Leveraging these insights, the backlog of demon crab materials in Tianxuan's hands vanished at an accelerating pace.
The spirit stones in her possession grew steadily!
One million, two million, three million...
Before she knew it, Tianxuan sat on a colossal fortune.
And of the materials Luo Chen had entrusted to her, only the final and most precious batch remained.
***
Standing on Feileng Central Avenue, Tianxuan reached out with her divine sense into her storage bag.
All of them were materials from Tier 3 Demon Kings: harvested from Azure Emperor Crabs, Overlord Crabs, Demon Spider Crabs, and even a Nine-Clawed Poison King Crab!
*A pity!*
*Time was pressed, and because I lacked common sense at the start, I took many detours. Otherwise, a place as vast as Lengguang Island could easily have absorbed all these materials, and I could have exchanged them for even more spirit stones for Master.*
*Now, the factions in Feileng City capable of buying this batch are few and far between.*
*If I want to sell it all in one go, there is only one place left.*
Tianxuan looked up at the most opulent nine-story pavilion on Feileng Central Avenue!
A steady stream of people flowed in and out, with over a hundred people entering in just a short span.
Far more went in than came out.
It was clear that the pavilion held countless treasures that kept these cultivators lingering.
It was a bottomless pit for squandering wealth, and likewise the premier venue for liquidating premium goods.
*Tianyuan Business Alliance*
Rumor had it that this establishment was an enterprise belonging to the Central Plains Soul Formation sacred ground, the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
Similar towering pavilions were spread across the Five Provinces,
especially throughout the Central Plains and the Northern Sea!
*I don't have the time to set up a stall and sell them piece by piece. My only hope for resolving this final batch lies here.*
Tianxuan drew a deep breath, reining her aura in to the absolute limit, and stepped into the grand pavilion.
At the very moment she entered,
on the seventh floor of the nine-story pavilion, a rather portly man abruptly snapped his eyes open.
Across from him, a dark bronze mirror hanging high on the wall flared with brilliant spiritual light. Countless silhouettes flashed across its surface before freezing upon a handsome woman whose brows held a faint edge of untamed pride.
The plump cultivator shuddered in astonishment, blurting out in shock,
"A transformed demon cultivator!"
Chapter 571