BXBX NOVEL Chapter 101 - 72: Marketplace_2
Xu Yang didn’t waste words, paid a spirit stone, and received a wooden token before entering the island.
Cultivators, seizing the essence of heaven and earth, encroachinz on the mysteries of the sun and moon, rely on spiritual energy to practice.
Spiritual energy is sustenance, it is strength, it is hope and the future.
Therefore, cultivators seldom stay in the mortal world for long, because there is no spiritual energy there, which is of no help to cultivation; staying too long can even cause their cultivation to regress, just like people suffering from malnutrition without food.
Such an important resource naturally needed to be controlled. Those places abundant in spiritual energy had long been occupied by major forces. Loose cultivators wanting to enter must pay spirit stones, or else they would be driven away or even killed on the spot.
Like White Dragon Island, entering the island required paying a spirit stone, allowing one to stay for a day. After a day, if one could not find shelter, they would have to leave on their own, otherwise, the enforcement team would drive them out.
Therefore, the industries like “renting cave mansions” and “selling cave mansions” in the markets were always booming. “The cultivation realm is vast, but residence is not easy!” “However, it doesn’t have much to do with me.”
With a smile, Xu Yang stepped into the market.
They’re said to be cultivators of the Immortal Cultivation World, but they’re in fact not much different from mortals.
In the marketplace, noise and clamor were everywhere; cries of hawkers echoed back and forth, and the variety of trades and stalls were dazzling.
Although Xu Yang had just entered the Immortal Cultivation World, he knew well that the hearts of people in this world were treacherous. Hence, he had already disguised himself with “Disguise Concealment” and simulated the mana aura of a cultivator with Divine Intent Gang Qi, now presenting himself as a cultivator in the mid-phase of Qi Cultivation.
Not too high, not too low, perfect for fishing.
“Would the honored guest need guidance?”
“Honored guest, I’m most familiar with White Dragon Island.”
“My ancestors for eight generations have been from White Dragon Island; I could certainly guide the honored guest.” “Senior, I only ask for one spirit stone.”
“I’ll take only half a piece…”
At the entrance of the marketplace, some people loitered. As soon as they saw Xu Yang’s novice appearance, they immediately surrounded him.
Xu Yang smiled and randomly chose one: “You’ll do.” “Thank you, honored guest!”
Seeing this, the rest sighed but did not insist.
They were mortals whose ancestors had been cultivators, allowing them entry into the Immortal Cultivation World, but they lacked spiritual roots and couldn’t cultivate. Their work involved serving as guides, earning spirit stones to contribute to their families.
Spiritual root, a single spiritual root, determined the fate of so many people?
“Is this the honored guest’s first time on White Dragon Island?” The young man Xu Yang picked spoke up readily. Xu Yang smiled, “Correct, do you have any recommendations?”
“If it’s recommendations, there are plenty.”
The young man smiled cautiously, asking, “It depends on the honored guest’s needs, whether to earn spirit stones, or to buy and sell goods, talismans, magic artifacts, pills, or if you seek cultivation techniques. Different shops offer different things.”
Xu Yang was interested, “Then let’s start with earning spirit stones.”
“Earning spirit stones, huh.”
The young man looked Xu Yang up and down and then continued, “There are many ways to earn spirit stones. If one’s cultivation is profound and strength formidable, good at fighting, one could take on the commissioned tasks of White Dragon Island, which are quite rewarding.”
“If one is skilled in elixirs, talismans, or artifact refining, one could make a fortune daily. Whether it’s White Dragon Island itself or the various shops, they’re willing to hire pill masters, talisman masters, artifact refiners at a high price.”
“Furthermore…”
The young man looked around, then leaned closer and whispered, “Pursuing and capturing Immortal fate Men who do evil is also a path. If you’re lucky and hit upon a big fateful encounter with the supernatural, then you could soar to the heavens in one leap.”
“Immortal fate Men…”
“Immortal fate, selling fateful encounter hints!”
Xu Yang murmured to himself, his thoughts unsettled, when he suddenly heard hawking nearby, someone actually selling hints to fateful encounters with the supernatural.
Turning his head to look, he saw a middle-aged man in brocade robes with a rotund figure, loudly hawking his wares.
Xu Yang approached, and the middle-aged man noticed him, “Honored guest, might you wish to buy a clue to a fateful encounter with the supernatural?” “A clue to a fateful encounter with the supernatural?”
Xu Yang narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man, “What kind of fateful encounter clue?”
“The whereabouts of those Immortal fate Men, of course.”
Seeing Xu Yang’s novice appearance, the middle- aged man’s smile grew even brighter, “After the honored guest buys it, go and investigate, and perhaps you’ll obtain a great fateful encounter and soar to the skies in one leap!”
“Really?”
Xu Yang smiled, “How do you sell it?”
“Different news, different clues, different prices.”
The middle-aged fatty rubbed his hands together, his demeanor that of a cunning merchant, “There are those that cost one Spirit Stone, those for ten, and even those for a hundred Spirit Stones. You are free to choose.”
Xu Yang took out a Spirit Stone, “Let’s start with one that costs a Spirit Stone to see.”
“Sure thing!”
The middle-aged fatty accepted the Spirit Stone, looked around cautiously, then lowered his voice to say, “To the east of White Dragon Lake, there is another lake called Dongting. A few months ago, an unusual phenomenon occurred in the lake, and a Jiao Dragon stirred the winds and thunder, witnessed by hundreds of fishermen. There must be an ‘Immortal Fate’ there.”
Xu Yang fell silent for a while, “Is that it?”
“That’s it.”
The fatty nodded as if it was only to be expected, “For one Spirit Stone, that’s all you get. Sir, if you buy the ten or a hundred Spirit Stone ones, you will definitely get more detailed clues about ‘Immortal Fate.’ What do you say, do you want one?”
“No need!”
Xu Yang decisively refused and turned away.
The youth followed him, and after they had walked some distance, he said in a low voice to Xu Yang, “Sir, you shouldn’t believe that man’s words; he is a notorious scammer from White Dragon Island.”
“A scammer?”
Xu Yang smiled, turning back, “Is there anyone who sells this stuff who isn’t a scammer?”
“This…”
The youth scratched his cheek, then also broke into a smile.
“Indeed, those who sell this kind of information are basically all scammers.
They establish gangs and factions in the mundane world to collect tales of ‘Immortal Fate.’ If they had any reliable news, they would have taken action themselves long ago, rather than sell it to others. What they sell is mostly second or third-hand, or even twenty or thirty-times removed, and is common knowledge. It’s just that you are new here…”
“So it seems you know quite a bit as well,”
Xu Yang smiled and took the opportunity to ask, “Apart from what we just talked about, have there been any other rumors about Dongting Lake recently?”
“Dongting Lake?”
The youth recalled for a moment, then shook his head, “No, although Dongting Lake has its peculiarities, it has been thoroughly explored by countless cultivators over the years. It’s just an ordinary place with no hidden Spiritual Energy. It’s true that some ‘Immortal Fate Men’ like to hide there, thinking they can move about unseen. But to cultivators, an area spanning eight hundred miles is trivial, and can be thoroughly searched with some effort.”
“Alright then.”
Hearing this, Xu Yang didn’t ask further, “I’m looking to buy some items, lead the way.”
“Yes, sir!”
Half a day later, Xu Yang left the market and headed straight out of White Dragon Island.
As for the youth…
“Shopkeeper, you are indeed as cunning as a fox and wise beyond anyone else!”
Inside the shop, the youth bowed respectfully to the middle-aged fatty selling ‘Immortal Fate’ information, “After that duet performance, he indeed let down his guard around me and followed me to several shops.”
“Oh?”
The chubby shopkeeper narrowed his mung bean-sized eyes and asked, “What did he buy?”
The youth listed them off like valuable possessions, “There’s the Purple Ink
Bamboo from the Purple Bamboo Hall, the Fish-Dragon Sinew from White Dragon Island, some Mysterious Iron Steel from Iron King Mountain, all sorts of materials, and then he went to Rejuvenation Hall and bought the Elixir Recipes for Nourishing Yuan Pills and Vitality Pills…”
“Hmm-!”
The fat shopkeeper pondered for a moment, “All these together must cost several hundred Spirit Stones, right?”
“Four hundred and fifteen lower-grade Spirit Stones.”
The youth promptly added, “He was a bit short on Spirit Stones, so he sold two or three Magic Artifacts. I saw it clear as day, he has at least four or five Storage Bags on him.” “Two or three Magic Artifacts?”
“Four or five Storage Bags?”
The fat shopkeeper frowned, “Could he be a Robbing Cultivator, here to phish, baiting people into a trap?”
“This…”
The youth paused, taken aback, then fell silent, not daring to hastily conclude on such a serious matter.
Fortunately, the chubby shopkeeper soon made a decision.
“Hmph, just a mid-level Qi Cultivation practitioner, he is most likely an ‘Immortal Fate Man.’ And even if he’s really a Robbing Cultivator fishing for prey, in this underworld of double-crossing, who’s to fear whom is not yet certain. Did you use the Claiming Life Incense?”
“I did, I did.”
“Good, not open for three years, but once open, good for three years.. Let’s see what kind of ‘Immortal Fate’ I’ll encounter this time!”