Chapter 120: Chapter 119: Exchange Meet and Items to Offer

「Two days later, at dusk.」

Zhao Xiaoshu expertly led Lu Zhao through the Hundred Arts Workshop’s bustling second-hand market, turning into a narrow alley that smelled faintly of mildew. At the end of the alley, in front of an unremarkable mud-brick house, stood a brawny man with a grim presence and a Cultivation around the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

Zhao Xiaoshu took a step forward and whispered, "Dingmao." At the same time, he pressed a Spirit Stone into the brawny man’s hand.

The brawny man weighed the Spirit Stone in his hand. The cool touch and the Spiritual Qi that flowed from it eased his vigilance slightly. But when his gaze fell upon Lu Zhao, his pupils suddenly contracted. The man’s presence was as heavy as a mountain; even deliberately suppressed, it emanated the unfathomable feeling of a deep, dark abyss.

His throat bobbed, but he said nothing more. He silently turned his thick body to the side, creating a gap in the doorway.

The moment Lu Zhao stepped inside, an oppressive stench assaulted him—a mix of heavy body odor, stale sweat, various unknown Spiritual Materials, and dust that made it hard to breathe.

The room was cramped, not much more than ten feet high and about fifty feet square, with bare, rammed-earth walls. In the center was a bare, half-man-high earthen platform that seemed jarringly out of place.

Below the platform, twenty-some crude, crooked wooden stools were scattered about, already seventy or eighty percent full. The shadowy figures were mostly wrapped in dark cloaks or wide robes, like silent reefs in the dark, revealing only wary, vigilant, or coldly indifferent eyes.

The air in the room felt frozen. There was only the sound of extremely suppressed, faint breathing and some unknown, soft rustling. It was as if everyone was separated by invisible barriers, wary of each other and of the space itself. All eyes were fixed on the simple earthen platform in the center as the sole point of focus.

Lu Zhao’s calm gaze swept across the room, taking in the oppressive scene. He moved lightly and silently toward an empty seat in the back corner. Zhao Xiaoshu followed like a shadow, keeping half a step behind before carefully sitting down beside him.

Time crawled by in the suffocating silence. A full hour passed, every minute and second stretching on for an eternity. Finally, the sound of heavy footsteps broke the stillness.

A middle-aged man in faded, unremarkable brown, close-fitting clothes walked onto the earthen platform. His face was so ordinary that he would disappear instantly in a crowd. Yet, a fierce aura, condensed like tempered steel, was contained within him, and a faint smell of blood lingered around him—the kind of scent that seeps into one’s very bones after countless life-and-death battles.

The heavy Spiritual Pressure of a cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Peak descended upon the room, making the already tense atmosphere stretch even tighter. It became so quiet that even the faint rustling sounds vanished.

His hawk-like gaze, as sharp and cold as a bone-scraping knife, slowly and meticulously swept over every face hidden in the darkness or behind a blurry disguise. His voice wasn’t loud, yet every word drilled clearly into everyone’s ears:

"Fellow Daoists, the time has come. You know the rules, so I’ll be brief. All trades here are voluntary. Once the goods and money are exchanged, we let fate decide the rest! First, no forced sales. The highest bidder wins, and there are no take-backs! Second, after a trade, whether the item is real or fake, whether you profit or lose, it’s all on your own judgment. No going back on your word or causing trouble! Violators... Hmph, don’t blame us for being merciless!"

He paused, then pulled a fist-sized ore from his Storage Bag. It was a brilliant blue, and an image of flowing water seemed to move within it. "Let’s get things started! A piece of Tier One High-Grade Water Wave Stone! This stone contains pure Water Spirit Power and is an excellent Auxiliary Material for refining Water Attribute Magical Artifacts! I want to trade it for a bottle of Life Essence Liquid! Any takers, come on up!"

"’Life Essence Liquid?’" A few suppressed murmurs rose from the audience. Lu Zhao knew what it was. He was well aware of the item—a Tier One High-Grade sacred healing item, miraculously effective against hidden injuries to the internal organs and meridians.

But what truly made it famous was its ability to provide a sliver of assistance during Foundation Establishment. Even if it was just a sliver, it was still incredibly precious in the eyes of Late-stage Qi Cultivators. Thus, the item was highly sought after and quite difficult to obtain.

The middle-aged man’s Water Wave Stone was decent, but its value was clearly no match for the Life Essence Liquid. As expected, after a few moments, no one responded. The man wasn’t discouraged. He put away the Water Wave Stone and gestured for the next person to come up.

Over the next while, seven or eight more people took the stage, displaying a motley collection of items: special Talismans, materials from unknown Demon Beasts, Spirit Grass that hadn’t aged long enough, and even a few Magical Artifacts with obscure auras.

Most items were between Tier One Middle and High Grades, but they either had niche uses or their value was unclear. Very few trades were actually made. Lu Zhao watched quietly without making a move. His objective was clear.

Finally, a female cultivator who looked to be in her thirties, dressed in cyan, close-fitting clothes with a weathered look on her face, walked onto the platform. Zhao Xiaoshu gently nudged Lu Zhao’s arm and whispered, "Senior, that’s her!"

The female cultivator took a deep breath and carefully retrieved an object from her Storage Bag. It was about a foot long and as thick as a person’s arm.

The object was a deep cyan color with fine, silk-like wood grain. It gave off a gentle luster and radiated a rich, pure Wood Attribute Vitality. It was exactly what Lu Zhao had been searching for: the Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart!

"A piece of Tier One High-Grade Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart." The female cultivator’s voice was tinged with nervousness and anticipation. "I want to trade it for ten pounds of Tier One High-Grade Red Flame Iron! If any fellow Daoist has it, please come up to trade!"

Her gaze swept hopefully across the crowd below. However, she was met with the same suffocating silence. Red Flame Iron was a sought-after Tier One High-Grade Fire Attribute Refining Material. A quantity of ten pounds was valuable enough to refine a Tier One High-Grade Spiritual Artifact.

Trading that for a piece of Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart, which was mainly used for Wood Attribute Puppets or as an Auxiliary Material for a few niche Pills? Anyone could see that was a bad deal.

The female cultivator waited for a short while. Seeing no response, a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, and she prepared to put the tree heart away and leave the stage.

Just then, a calm Divine Sense transmission entered her mind with perfect precision: "I’ll take that item."

The female cultivator froze, her eyes instantly flashing with delighted surprise. She quickly sent a transmission back, "Friend, do you have the Red Flame Iron?"

"No," Lu Zhao’s reply was blunt and simple.

The joy on the female cultivator’s face froze instantly, replaced by a surge of anger at being trifled with. She was just about to lash out.

Lu Zhao’s second transmission followed immediately, "Your section of Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart has a market price of around two hundred Spirit Stones. I’ll offer two hundred and twenty Spirit Stones to buy it. How about it?"

The female cultivator was visibly stunned. The anger on her face turned to astonishment, then hesitation. She fell silent for a few breaths, seemingly weighing her options.

Lu Zhao didn’t give her much time to think, raising his offer again. "Two hundred and thirty Spirit Stones."

The female cultivator’s breath hitched, and her fingers tightened around the tree heart. ’This price is already beyond my expectations!’ She instinctively wanted to push for more, her lips twitching slightly.

Lu Zhao’s third transmission came, tinged with an unquestionable finality. "Two hundred and forty Spirit Stones. If you are still unwilling, then forget it."

"Deal!" The female cultivator blurted out the word. ’Two hundred and forty Spirit Stones! That was worth significantly more than the Red Flame Iron she had originally wanted to trade for!’ The immense surprise made her fear Lu Zhao would go back on his word, so she quickly added, "Two hundred and forty Spirit Stones it is! Friend, please come to the stage to make the trade!"

The transaction was completed quickly on the earthen platform. Lu Zhao counted out two hundred and forty Spirit Stones and gave them to the female cultivator, who in turn solemnly handed the gentle, warm Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart to Lu Zhao.

The tree heart felt heavy in his hand. Its wood was solid and brimming with inner Vitality—a perfect material for refining a Puppet Core! Lu Zhao weighed it and estimated in his mind, ’This tree heart is substantial and rich with Wood Spirit Essence Qi. It should be enough to attempt refining a Puppet Core eight to ten times.’

Watching the female cultivator hurry off the stage with the Spirit Stones, unable to hide the joy on her face, Lu Zhao understood. Her claim of not wanting to trade for Spirit Stones was just a pretense to wait for the highest bidder; the previous offers simply hadn’t been enough to move her. ’In the face of absolute profit,’ he thought, ’principles are often flexible.’

Having obtained the tree heart, the main purpose of his trip was accomplished. Lu Zhao didn’t linger. He gave Zhao Xiaoshu a look, and the two quietly stood up, pushed aside the cloth curtain, and left the simple underground trading floor.

After parting ways with Zhao Xiaoshu at the mouth of the alley, Lu Zhao did not return directly to his residence at the Bixia Sect. He found a secluded corner and quickly performed a simple Disguise Technique, changing his appearance and attire to that of a middle-aged Wanderer with a sallow face and an ordinary presence.

Next, he changed his identity and appearance three more times, visiting several large shops in the Marketplace that had complex backgrounds and a reputation for "not asking questions" about the origins of goods.

Within three days, he moved through the Marketplace like a ghost. He quickly sold off the Magical Artifacts he had obtained from the Tribulation Cultivator and Qian Yuan—several Magical Artifacts of varying attributes, along with some miscellaneous ores, Talismans, and Refining Materials—in different batches, at different shops, and under different identities.

When all was said and done, his "assets" had sold for a total of one thousand four hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

’One thousand four hundred... a bit less than I expected.’ Lu Zhao frowned slightly as he looked at the new Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag. If he hadn’t been worried about someone noticing the origin of these "hot" goods and causing unnecessary trouble, he could have taken more time to sell them slowly, and the price might have been ten or fifteen percent higher.

’It’s still a matter of insufficient strength. My actions are too restricted.’ Lu Zhao sighed internally, and his thoughts inevitably turned to the Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill he had obtained from Qian Yuan. The skill was exceptionally profound. If he could master the Entry Level, he could not only perfectly conceal his aura but also change his physical form and appearance at will, far surpassing the crude Disguise Technique he was currently using.

’After I get back, I’ll start comprehending the Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill!’ A glint of determination flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. Once he mastered this skill, everything from fencing goods to avoiding danger and scouting would become much more convenient. In the Cultivation Realm, having an extra life-saving skill to change one’s identity provided an extra degree of freedom.

Lu Zhao took one last look at the Marketplace before heading in the direction of the Bixia Sect. His time was precious now; he couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

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