After the ordeal with the teleportation, Qin Sang had learned to be more cautious. He always kept a mustard seed bag hanging at his waist with a few items inside to deceive watchful eyes, lest he encounter another situation like drifting down the river and have his Qianjun Ring slipped right off him.
Sensing that the faint, indistinct gaze trailing him from behind had vanished, Qin Sang sneered inwardly. He hurried back to his stone hut and cautiously laid down several layers of isolating spirit formations.
Holding the bone flute, Qin Sang examined it for a long while. After a moment of hesitation, he ultimately chose to tie a cord around it, hang it around his neck, and tuck it inside his inner armor.
He did not dare let the two sections of the bone flute touch here.
The cultivation market was filled with countless experts; it was far from a safe place.
The strange power within the bone flute was connected to the astral energy of the heavenly circuit. If bringing them together triggered some kind of phenomenon, he might not be able to conceal it, and drawing the covetous eyes of others would spell trouble.
To be safe, Qin Sang reined in his curiosity to wait until the trade fair was over. Over the next two days, Qin Sang frequently went out to browse, but made no further major gains.
Feeling the restrictions outside the stone hut stirred, Qin Sang awoke from his meditation. A sweep of his spiritual sense revealed one of the cultivation market's attendants standing outside. Knowing that the trade fair was about to begin, he pushed open the door and stepped out.
Catching sight of Qin Sang, the man bowed and said, "Senior, the trade fair is about to commence. Allow this junior to escort you there now."
Reflecting on his gains from the past few days, Qin Sang made his way toward the largest stone hut in the depths of the inner layer.
In truth, he had already purchased most of what he needed; even without attending this trade fair, his trip could already be considered a bountiful success. Waiting for the trade fair was primarily to inquire about a path through the Thousand Demons Sea.
The Primordial Concentric Rings was not an absolute necessity, but without this magic treasure, he could hardly consider himself safe in the Demon Sea.
For now, he could also put the Primordial Concentric Rings out of his mind and hide elsewhere to hunt demons.
Yet, as could be seen from the increasingly chaotic situation outside Huntian Island, finding a single patch of pure land within the explored waters would only become more difficult going forward.
Unless both races called a truce, he would sooner or later be dragged into the turmoil.
When that time came, if he did not want to be swept up in the chaos, his only option would be to venture into uncharted waters. And at that point, the utility of the Primordial Concentric Rings would be irreplaceable.
Qin Sang could not afford not to plan ahead.
Of course, if there truly were no way to cross the Thousand Demons Sea, Qin Sang would not force the issue.
Guards were stationed outside the stone hut, but seeing Qin Sang and his guide approach, they made no move to stop them and instead bowed respectfully.
Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Qin Sang found that the spacious stone hut contained over thirty chairs, most of which were already occupied.
*There are actually so many Core Formation cultivators here?*
Qin Sang was secretly astonished. Looking around the room, however, he spotted a few familiar faces among them—stewards from the most renowned merchant associations.
So the major merchant associations had sent people to take part as well.
Next, Qin Sang caught sight of a few more familiar figures and exchanged nods of greeting. Under several scrutinizing gazes, he walked over to a corner, found an empty chair, sat down, and quietly waited for the trade fair to begin.
Han Cuo was not present.
Two days prior, Han Cuo had reportedly exhausted his savings to purchase a treasure he had long desired. Rather than waiting for the trade fair, he had departed the cultivation market early and bid farewell to Qin Sang.
Before leaving, Han Cuo had dropped clear hints inviting Qin Sang to join his team, but Qin Sang had politely declined each time. For the time being, he did not want to become overly entangled with cultivators from Huntian Island, and had agreed with Han Cuo to meet on the island at a later date.
Qin Sang waited for a quarter of an hour. A few more people filed in one after another until almost every chair was filled.
At that moment, an elderly man seated at the far end, who had been resting with his eyes closed all along, suddenly rose to his feet. Once he had drawn everyone's attention, he said in a clear voice, "This old man is deeply honored that so many fellow daoists have graced us with your presence today, including several new faces. You must all be eager to begin, so I shall not waste words. The rules of the trade fair are simple: take turns displaying your treasures, state your terms of exchange, and once a trade is struck, there will be no going back. Though lacking in ability, this old man can serve as a witness..."
After a few brief words, the elderly man sat back down.
The crowd was evidently familiar with the process as well. After exchanging glances, a female cultivator sitting near the door retrieved two items from her mustard seed bag and displayed them for all to see. "One demon core and one damaged magic treasure, in exchange for a spiritual item such as a spirit water. The terms of exchange can be adjusted depending on the value of the spirit water..."
The magic treasure had clearly been damaged in a fierce battle, and the damage was quite severe. Even so, no one seemed deterred; they cast their spiritual sense upon it one after another, and within moments, someone began conversing with the female cultivator.
Aside from the magic treasure, the demon core belonged to an early Demon Core stage Black Fiend Porpoise. Given the female cultivator's cultivation level, slaying such a beast could not have been easy.
Although demon beasts were countless in the Demon Sea, demon cores remained consistently high in value, and quite a few people were tempted.
Not everyone was like Qin Sang, able to come and go like the wind and effortlessly hunt down demon beasts of the same rank.
Qin Sang had no interest in either the magic treasure or the demon core and simply sat in silence.
Soon enough, the female cultivator obtained what she desired, and it was the next person's turn. Time slipped by as one treasure after another was presented. Some fulfilled their wishes, while others came away disappointed.
Throughout it all, Qin Sang saw nothing that stirred his interest, save for an egg of a Thunder Gate Crane, which caused a slight ripple in his heart.
Even here, a demon beast egg was an exceedingly valuable treasure. Once hatched, one could raise the beast personally and tame it into a loyal spirit beast without worrying about betrayal.
However, raising a spirit beast was not a whit easier than raising spirit insects.
Qin Sang already had two spirit insects to care for; adding a spirit beast would demand far too much of his energy. On the other hand, the Primordial Concentric Rings could directly take control of a demon beast, bypassing the enormous time required to rear one.
That the Primordial Concentric Rings required so many exceptionally precious spirit materials yet turned out to be only low-grade upon completion was largely due to this feature.
There was good reason for it to be revered as a secret treasure by the Yuling Sect.
Unfortunately, the Primordial Concentric Rings could at most control an early Demon Core stage beast. Once Qin Sang advanced to the late Core Formation stage, that benefit would no longer be significant.
A moment later, someone actually brought out the demon core of a venomous fish for sale.
Qin Sang had been searching for this type of core to see if the fat silkworm could devour it, but had previously come up empty. Seeing one now, he immediately joined the bargaining. After some haggling, he traded another demon core and a demon carcass for it.
At last, it was Qin Sang's turn.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qin Sang calmly brought out three demon cores and a magic treasure.
Seeing that Qin Sang could produce so many demon cores, the way people looked at him shifted, tinged with a hint of wary respect.
"This one needs soul-attracting grass, Everlasting Camphor..."
Qin Sang listed several spirit materials and medicinal pills in succession, before concluding, "Beyond these, this one also wishes to inquire about a route that can pass through the Thousand Demons Sea. The price is negotiable."
Hearing this, the cultivators—who had all been staring intently at the treasures before Qin Sang—looked up at him in astonishment.
"Does Fellow Daoist intend to head to the Thousand Demons Sea right now? Are you not afraid of being ambushed and slaughtered by the evil cultivators there?" someone blurted out.
Qin Sang chuckled softly. "I never said I would go right now. Even if things calm down later, that route will likely remain difficult to travel. But having reasons that compel me to go in the future, I have no choice but to purchase an alternative path."
Chapter 697