Lu Qing stood in front of the stall where Xiao Li had told him about the unusual treasure fluctuations.
The stall owner was a capable middle-aged man at the Golden Core stage, who sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed.
He seemed uninterested in anything outside of himself.
Even when Lu Qing and the others arrived, he still didn't open his eyes, letting them examine the items on his stall.
Lu Qing didn't disturb him, but slowly looked at the items on the stall.
After a while, he pointed to one of the items and asked, "Fellow Daoist, how much is this treasure worth?"
The capable-looking middle-aged man opened his eyes and looked at the thing Lu Qing was pointing to.
He said calmly, "No bargaining, three thousand low-grade spirit stones."
"What? Three thousand low-grade spirit stones?"
Upon hearing the price, Lu Qing hadn't said anything yet, but the Five Treasures Taoist priest beside him couldn't help but speak up.
"Fellow Daoist, your price is outrageous! This is just a top-grade magic artifact, yet you're asking for such a high price. For that price, you could buy a decent magic treasure!"
“Products from the sacred mountain are naturally priced differently from ordinary magical artifacts.”
The capable middle-aged man wasn't angry; he maintained his calm tone.
"Even if it's from the Divine Mountain, it's still just a top-grade magic weapon, not worth that many spirit stones at all!"
The Five Treasures Taoist was not fooled and retorted.
"If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to buy it."
The capable middle-aged man glanced at the Five Treasures Taoist priest and said impatiently.
"Fellow Daoist, this price is indeed a bit too high. Could you make it a little cheaper?"
Lu Qing then spoke up.
"What? You actually believe stories made up by others and are willing to spend a lot of money to buy a broken magic artifact?"
This item from a certain shop is genuine, a top-quality magical artifact painstakingly obtained from a sacred mountain, yet you complain it's too expensive.
"Buy it if you want it. If you can't afford the spirit stones, go to another stall and continue being ripped off. Don't disturb my cultivation."
Upon hearing this, the expression on the face of the Foundation Establishment stage stall owner standing nearby immediately changed.
He couldn't help but defend himself, saying, "Senior, you've gone too far. When have I ever lied to this senior? Everything I said is true!"
"Whether it's true or not, you know in your heart."
The lean, middle-aged man spoke coldly.
"you!"
The Foundation Establishment stage stall owner was immediately enraged, but ultimately his cultivation was inferior to the others. His face flushed slightly, but he still didn't dare to lash out.
He looked at Lu Qing with some fear and said, "Senior, I really didn't deceive you. I swear!"
"Since I've already paid with spirit stones, I naturally won't care about these things."
Lu Qing smiled but didn't show any intention of pursuing the matter.
"However, fellow Daoist, your three thousand spirit stones are indeed too expensive. I cannot afford that price."
"I said, no bargaining. If you don't want it, go look elsewhere. I can't say that the items here are the cheapest, but I can guarantee that they are all obtained from the sacred mountain and every single one is a treasure."
The middle-aged man's fingers twitched almost imperceptibly.
However, he remained calm and spoke in a flat tone.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, let's go somewhere else!"
At this point, the Five Treasures Taoist could no longer tolerate this person's attitude and immediately spoke to Lu Qing.
“There’s no rush.” Lu Qing waved his hand, instead showing interest. “Since this fellow Daoist is so confident, it seems he has great confidence in his treasure. Let’s take another look.”
After saying that, he continued to look at the items on the stall.
Helpless, the Five Treasures Taoist had no choice but to stand with him in the same spot.
He hadn't expected that Fellow Daoist Chen, who was usually extremely calm and composed, would become so lively after arriving at Tianji Peak.
They're still young after all; they can't keep their cool when they see so-called treasures.
Soon, Lu Qing took a fancy to something else.
Pointing at it, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, how much is this bead priced?"
The Taoist priest looked in that direction and saw that it was a dull gray bead that looked quite ordinary.
It didn't emit any magical aura, so it must be an unrefined object.
Whether it is a treasure or not remains to be seen.
"This bead... also costs three thousand low-grade spirit stones."
The capable-looking middle-aged man glanced at the bead, hesitated slightly, and then spoke.
"Another three thousand low-grade spirit stones. I can forgive that top-grade magic artifact, but this bead doesn't even have a trace of treasure aura, yet you're selling it for three thousand spirit stones. Aren't you going too far?"
Upon hearing the price, the Five Treasures Taoist priest couldn't resist any longer.
Lu Qing shook his head at this moment: "It seems that you really think I'm a sucker. Daoist, let's go."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
The Five Treasures Taoist snorted coldly and then also prepared to leave.
"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!"
Seeing that Lu Qing was really going to leave, the capable middle-aged man finally got anxious.
"If you really want this bead, how about two thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones?"
“I will only offer one thousand low-grade spirit stones.” Lu Qing stopped and said, “If you are willing to sell, we can trade directly. If not, then let’s call it quits.”
The capable middle-aged man hesitated once again.
If he claimed that the top-grade magical artifact he just mentioned came from the Heavenly Pivot Divine Mountain, that's only partly true.
In fact, it was just one of the magical artifacts he obtained after intercepting and killing several enemies in Tian Shu Divine Mountain.
But this gray bead was something he genuinely obtained from a cave space in the Tian Shu Divine Mountain.
He paid a heavy price for that expedition.
Most of the treasures they acquired have already been sold over the years.
However, this gray bead, being so ordinary, has remained unnoticed.
He had considered sending it to an auction, but the appraisers at the auction rejected it after examining it.
Having thought this through, the capable middle-aged man had already made up his mind.
Although he had always had a feeling that this gray bead was not as simple as it seemed.
But unfortunately, over the years, he has never been able to unravel the secret within.
No matter how you look at it, it's just an ordinary bead, no different from any other stone bead.
It is said that a batch of pills for refining golden elixir will appear at this auction.
He has now reached the third stage of the Golden Core realm. To advance to the fourth stage, he must refine his Golden Core and upgrade his magical Golden Core to the middle grade.
Therefore, he must seize this opportunity to obtain the Golden Elixir Refining Pill.
Otherwise, who knows when such a pill will appear again.
Therefore, he would need to prepare a sufficient amount of spirit stones.
This gray bead might really hold some secret.
But more likely, it really is just an ordinary stone bead.
After all these years, he had tried every method imaginable, but had been unable to figure out anything special about it.
Treasures that cannot be used are practically useless, no matter how good they are. It's better to exchange them for spirit stones and buy the treasures you need to increase your strength.
After several changes of expression, the capable middle-aged man finally looked at Lu Qing.
He said earnestly, "Fifteen hundred low-grade spirit stones, that's the lowest I can offer. If you're not willing, then forget it."
Seeing the expression on his face, Lu Qing hesitated for a moment before finally nodding and saying, "Okay, 1,500 spirit stones it is."
After saying that, he took out fifteen mid-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.
Seeing that Lu Qing made a move and that all of his items were mid-grade spirit stones, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of the capable middle-aged man.
But he quickly put it away, put away the spirit stone, picked up the gray bead, and handed it to Lu Qing.
"This precious pearl now belongs to you, fellow Daoist."
Lu Qing seemed unaware of the other party's abnormality, casually took the bead, and then put it away without checking it.
The capable middle-aged man felt a sudden sense of loss after Lu Qing put the gray bead away.
It seemed that something important had slipped from his grasp.
Unfortunately, even if he regretted it at this point, it was too late.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this place seems unmanaged; everyone is freely buying and selling.
But if something really happens, the powerful figures of Tian Shu City will step in immediately.
He might be expelled and never be able to enter the city again.
So he could only force a smile: "Fellow Daoist is indeed generous. I have quite a few treasures here. I wonder if there is anything else that catches your eye? I can give you a discount."
"No need, I'd like to visit other places as well."
After getting what he wanted, Lu Qing didn't want to linger any longer and walked with the Five Treasures Taoist to other stalls.
As Lu Qing and his companion slowly disappeared into the crowd, the eyes of the capable middle-aged man narrowed slightly.
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
At this moment, a divine voice transmission rang out.
"Nothing much, I just felt that kid seemed a bit special. By the way, I haven't congratulated you yet on selling an ordinary magic artifact for over a thousand spirit stones."
The capable middle-aged man withdrew his gaze and responded telepathically in return.
"Haha, this kid is really a fool. He actually believed the story I made up. And you, brother, aren't you the same? That useless stone bead has finally been sold."
It turned out that the person who transmitted the message was actually the Foundation Establishment stage stall owner at the stall next to them.
The two of them had actually been putting on a show, pretending not to know each other.
"Useless stone beads..."
The capable middle-aged man recalled the sense of loss he felt when the stone bead slipped from his hand, and a dark glint appeared in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, why are you so concerned about that bead? Could there be some hidden secret within it?"
At this point, the Five Treasures Taoist finally realized what was going on.
Lu Qing's previous behavior was quite different from usual.
Seeing him pull out so many spirit stones without even blinking to buy a seemingly useless stone bead.
He finally realized that there might be another hidden meaning behind it.
"It just so happened that I took a liking to that bead and thought it was nice."
Lu Qing smiled but did not reveal the truth.
But the Five Treasures Taoist knew perfectly well that the bead must have something special about it, even though neither he nor the stall owner could see it.
Lu Qing then strolled around the square again.
He went to the stalls where Xiao Li had sensed unusual treasures, but found that they were mostly normal treasures.
The aura of treasure was very obvious, and the stall owners were asking for exorbitant prices.
But there was never another treasure like that gray bead, whose brilliance was hidden and whose true nature was difficult for others to discern.
Lu Qing was taken aback by this, yet it also seemed reasonable.
That's true, that's normal. In this world, there aren't that many bargains to be found.
Being able to acquire a rare treasure at a low price is already considered quite lucky.
It's impossible for him to have all the opportunities.
After asking around, it was discovered that the vendors were asking extremely high prices for the rare treasures that Xiao Li had sensed as extraordinary, prices far exceeding the actual value of the treasures themselves.
Furthermore, those rare treasures were not necessary for him, so Lu Qing immediately lost interest.
However, this sudden change made him even more excited for the upcoming auction.
Even these priceless treasures cannot be auctioned off and can only be sold here at stalls.
What amazing treasures will be in this auction?
After leaving the square, Lu Qing and the Five Treasures Taoist strolled around Tianji Peak again.
As time went on, it drew ever closer to evening.
Cultivators kept flying down from the sky and landing on Tianji Peak.
Each of them possessed a powerful aura, indicating they were at least experts at the Golden Core Realm or above.
Among them were those whose mere appearance could send shivers down the spines of those below.
A powerful being whose aura is as deep as the ocean, as majestic as a mountain, or as vast as the sky.
He was clearly a high-ranking primordial spirit powerhouse, and just now he displayed such elegance.
However, most of the powerful cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage directly entered the huge building on the mountaintop, and few lingered on Tianji Peak.
Lu Qing was still strolling around with the five-star Taoist priest when he stopped in front of a shop, a look of surprise on his face.
This shop doesn't sell the usual magical artifacts or elixirs; instead, it displays rows of jade slips and ancient books.
According to the shopkeeper, the items inside are all martial arts manuals and secret cultivation methods.
"Dao Dian Ju, there's actually a shop that specializes in selling cultivation manuals?"
Lu Qing was both pleasantly surprised and taken aback.
It should be understood that cultivators have always attached great importance to their cultivation methods.
Aside from their closest disciples and family, few would be willing to show their skills to outsiders, let alone sell them.
After all, if others learn about the techniques and secrets of one's cultivation, it's hard to guarantee that they won't develop methods to counter one's own methods.
Therefore, Lu Qing has rarely seen any places that specialize in selling cultivation manuals.
Unexpectedly, we met here on Tianji Peak.
It seems this shop must have a powerful background; it might even belong to Tian Shu City.
Lu Qing immediately went inside, but after looking around and hearing the shopkeeper's explanation, he realized that he had been too excited.
Most of the cultivation manuals in this shop are for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.
Only a dozen or so sects can reach the Golden Core level.
As for scriptures at the Nascent Soul level, there isn't a single one.
After understanding this, Lu Qing was somewhat disappointed, but also felt understanding.
A cultivation technique at the Nascent Soul level is too precious to be sold so easily.
It's not a question of whether anyone will buy it, but rather that the shopkeepers just need to dare to display this level of skill.
Even with the support of Tian Shu City, it would be difficult to stop the greed of those powerful Golden Core cultivators.
Who knows, the moment this place is set up, someone might dare to rob it that very night.
Having figured this out, Lu Qing's excited heart calmed down.
He then looked at the dozen or so Golden Core level cultivation techniques, his eyes filled with fervor.
His 【Perfect Golden Elixir Method】 has recently hit a bottleneck in its deductions.
These Golden Core level cultivation techniques came at just the right time.
