"I see the First-Tier longswords at other stalls only go for two hundred low-grade spirit stones, even if they're high-grade. Why is yours so expensive?"
Ye Hao weighed the First-Tier longsword in his hand and asked out of curiosity.
When passing those stalls earlier, he had indeed seen identical First-Tier longswords.
He couldn't tell the difference between these longswords and theirs.
"Surely you can recognize that this was forged by the Baiyun Sect's Weapon Peak, right?"
"Look at this emblem; only items from the Baiyun Sect carry it."
Lu Jie chuckled lightly and pointed out the Baiyun Sect's exclusive emblem.
He continued, "An ordinary First-Tier high-grade longsword normally costs two hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones, but mine was forged by the Baiyun Sect's Weapon Peak, so quality is guaranteed."
"It isn't like the other longswords in the black market, which vary wildly in quality—most of them are defective or fake."
"Their prices are low, but they won't last long."
"Mine is expensive, but I guarantee it's worth every bit."
After finishing, Lu Jie looked at Ye Hao.
"Alright, I'll take one."
"Though, can you give me a bit of a discount?"
Ye Hao chuckled softly.
Lu Jie thought about it for a moment and said, "How about two hundred and ninety-eight then?"
"Deal."
Ye Hao nodded, pulled out 298 low-grade spirit stones, and placed them on the stall.
A discount of two stones was still a discount.
"Fellow Daoist, would you like to take a look at anything else?"
Seeing Ye Hao pay so straightforwardly, Lu Jie immediately recommended the other spirit artifacts on his stall.
"No need. I don't have many spirit stones left on me."
Ye Hao shook his head and turned to leave. It wasn't that he didn't have many spirit stones left; rather, he had noticed that after pulling out those spirit stones, several people had already set their eyes on him.
Faint, fleeting glances swept across his face from time to time.
Whenever he looked up, those gazes vanished without a trace.
After Ye Hao left, Lu Jie also frowned and looked around.
It seemed he had also been targeted.
However, since he dared to come here, he had already made thorough preparations.
He wasn't overly afraid.
...
Although he was being watched, Ye Hao was in no rush to leave the black market.
He casually strolled around the black market and bought a good deal of nice things.
He even got a First-Tier high-grade turtle shell.
Not only did it possess impressive defense, but it could also serve as a flying spirit artifact.
It was far better than his previous flying sword.
The only downside was its hefty price tag, costing him a full 480 low-grade spirit stones.
However, that was normal; the price of flying spirit artifacts was always higher than other spirit artifacts of the same tier.
In total, he had spent nearly one thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Satisfied with his purchases, Ye Hao finally left the black market.
Black market entrance.
The guards on duty were two Foundation Establishment cultivators.
They watched Ye Hao walk out, and before a few breaths had passed, more than a dozen people followed him out.
They immediately realized what was happening.
However, they did not intervene.
They could step in to stop fights inside the black market.
But once outside the black market, those people were no longer customers of the black market.
Thus, whether the targets lived or died was none of their concern.
"Twelve Qi Refinement cultivators, including two at Qi Refinement Great Perfection, chasing down a Fifth-Layer Qi Refinement."
"What kind of bitter feud do they have with him?"
One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Among the dozen or so people, the one with the lowest cultivation realm was precisely the Fifth-Layer Qi Refinement cultivator being pursued.
"That kid spent over a thousand spirit stones in the black market, yet he's only at Fifth-Layer Qi Refinement."
"He's a textbook fat sheep. How could people not eye him?"
The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivator snorted coldly, then chuckled.
"Put it that way, and I actually think the kid might survive."
"Want to make a bet then?"
"Sure, I bet the kid lives."
"If I win, you give me a jug of that Drunken Flower Brew of yours."
"I bet that kid is dead for sure."
"If I win, treat me to a fine meal at Xianlai Building."
At this moment, Ye Hao had no idea.
His life and death had already become a wager between two Foundation Establishment cultivators.
...
In the mountain forest, ancient trees reached toward the sky.
A thick layer of dead branches and fallen leaves carpeted the ground.
Carrying a heavy stench of decay.
Ye Hao's body flickered as he darted deep into the dense underbrush.
Circulating the Turtle Breath Technique, he concealed his aura and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Two Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivators, leading ten Qi Refinement cultivators, rushed over in a hurry.
Yet in that exact instant, they lost all perception of Ye Hao.
A fork in the road.
The wind rustled through the branches, and ahead lay three mountain paths splitting off.
Vines crisscrossed everywhere.
Messy spiritual energy fluctuations lingered all around.
Yet they couldn't discern Ye Hao's precise direction.
Pan Chi, leading the group, knitted his brows tightly. "Split up and search."
The group quickly fanned out, repeatedly scanning the surrounding mountain forest.
However, the scents of vegetation in the forest were mixed and tangled.
Ye Hao's aura had completely dissipated, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
Pan Chi looked down at the ground; the footprints in the soil were chaotic, continuously washed away by the forest breeze and botanical spiritual energy.
The other Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivator looked over at Pan Chi with a solemn expression. "What's going on? How did he vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye?"
"Can't find him."
"Nothing over here either."
The remaining Qi Refinement cultivators searched in all directions.
After searching back and forth for a moment, they returned one after another.
Every one of them looked bewildered.
"Watch out!"
Suddenly, Pan Chi sensed something.
Even as he shouted, he yanked a Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement cultivator standing nearby.
And pulled him in front of himself as a shield.
Buzz!
A talisman suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.
In the next second, the talisman burned away instantly.
A dazzling red fireball leaped out of thin air.
Without the slightest warning, it charged straight toward Pan Chi, carrying a howling heat wave.
The fireball was larger than ordinary fireballs.
Its flames burned blazingly bright.
It crashed headlong toward Pan Chi.
Fortunately, that man had reacted with extreme speed, grabbing someone to take the hit.
The fierce flames instantly enveloped the victim's body.
The Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement cultivator let out a miserable shriek, his life breath cut off in an instant.
"Dammit!"
Pan Chi felt thoroughly disgusted by the bad luck and quickly tossed the cultivator aside.
The remaining Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivator merely glanced at Pan Chi, his brows furrowing slightly, but he didn't say anything.
He only stared fixedly into the empty air, terrified that another talisman might shoot out.
"That was just a First-Tier high-grade talisman earlier. At most, it can deal with Seventh-Layer Qi Refinement cultivators."
"You and I are both at Qi Refinement Great Perfection, so there's no need to be so worried."
"I was just caught off guard earlier. Otherwise, I could have shattered that fireball with a single punch."
Pan Chi looked at Wan Hao and explained with a laugh.
He didn't care about the others, but he had to care about Wan Hao.
The other man had a mysterious background and was much younger than him, yet he had reached Qi Refinement Great Perfection all the same. He was bound to achieve Foundation Establishment in the future.
He certainly wouldn't offend him lightly.
"It's still better to be careful."
Wan Hao constantly felt like something wasn't quite right. He frowned as he looked at Pan Chi beside him and warned.
"A First-Tier high-grade Fireball Talisman costs a hundred low-grade spirit stones a piece."
"As long as it's not a First-Tier supreme-grade Fireball Talisman, I can block it with ease."
"Brother Wan Hao, there's no need for you to be so tense."
Pan Chi said smugly.
"Is that right?"
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