PS: Going back to school tomorrow, classes start the day after tomorrow, so I won't be able to write for the next two days. I'll combine the chapters from these two days and post them together—hope everyone can forgive me!
"A trading event? This big guy doesn't seem like a crafty or dangerous person! Shouldn't be lying. Well, waiting like this isn't a good plan either! I'll go and check it out!" Lin Hao decided in an instant that he would go see whether the man was tricking him or not. Having made up his mind, Lin Hao asked the man, "Are there any restrictions for this trading event?"
The man shook his head and said, "No, there aren't. As long as you have items to exchange, it's fine!" After thinking for a moment, he added, "However, you have to be careful on your way back. Someone might take the opportunity to kill you and steal your treasures!"
"That's a problem! My cultivation is too low right now, and most of the treasures in my storage ring are of no use. Looks like I need to plan this carefully," Lin Hao thought to himself. Then he said to the man, "Thanks for the advice, fellow cultivator."
"It's nothing. Since you charged me fewer spirit stones, it's only right I tell you!" The man grinned at Lin Hao.
"Looks like I need to visit the Treasure Pavilion!" Lin Hao decided firmly, packed up the remaining items, said goodbye to the sturdy man, and left...
The Treasure Pavilion is the most mysterious force in the Xianji Continent, specializing in commerce. No one has ever known the cultivational level or even the gender of the pavilion master. All that is known is that anyone who crosses the Treasure Pavilion, regardless of the power of their backing, will face annihilation...
"Yo, a rare guest! What brings you here today?" Li, the steward of the Treasure Pavilion, said to Lin Hao as he entered. Since they often dealt with each other (Lin Hao buys most of his medicinal herb seeds, including foundation-stage seeds, from the Treasure Pavilion!), Li and Lin Hao were very familiar with each other.
"How's it going, steward Li? Can't just come to visit you for nothing? But I actually do have a reason today. I'm here to buy a few magical instruments from you. Do you have any that can hide or disguise cultivation levels?" Lin Hao rarely showed a smile, influenced somewhat by the memories of the valley Taoist he had merged with.
"You're not here for medicinal herb seeds? That's unusual! As for the magical instruments you mentioned, we have them, but they can only conceal the cultivation of disciples below the Golden Core stage," Li thought for a moment and replied.
"Alright! How many spirit stones?" Lin Hao agreed very quickly. "Thirty-seven thousand lower-grade spirit stones." Li was a little surprised. "Here! Remember to return my storage bag!""Lin Hao threw out a storage bag. 'The amount is correct! Here.' Shopkeeper Li took the storage bag, scanned it with his spiritual sense, then moved the spirit stones into another storage bag and handed the empty storage bag and magical artifact to Lin Hao. Lin Hao took the artifact and storage bag, glanced at the mask-like artifact, and nodded. 'I have something to attend to, leaving first. I'll come see you next time!' Before Lin Hao finished speaking, he turned and walked out...
The next day, during the Chen hour (8:00–9:59), Lin Hao wore the mask, put on a black robe (the hooded kind), and arrived at the place on the outskirts of the city where the trading fair was being held. He saw that the empty ground had been enchanted to rise a platform, and rows of seats were also elevated around it, with about a hundred people already seated. Lin Hao found a spot where he wouldn't draw attention and sat down. Scanning the seated crowd, he noticed that most people were dressed like him, sitting quietly. After a while, everyone had arrived, and an elder stepped up. Lin Hao recognized this elder; he was a fairly famous appraiser from Qingfeng City, named Xiao Bi (Little B appears!! Everyone applaud!), also known as Elder Xiao!
'Cough… cough… fellow cultivators, greetings from this old man. This trading fair will be appraised by me! Please follow the numbered seats and proceed in order, cough… cough…' Hearing Elder Xiao's words, Lin Hao checked the seats with his spiritual sense and indeed found number twenty-one marked! Just as Lin Hao finished scanning, the trading fair began, and number one had already stepped up. He respectfully handed a magical artifact to Elder Xiao. 'Lower-grade mid-level spiritual artifact!' Elder Xiao glanced at it and said nothing. Number one bowed to the audience holding the artifact and slowly said, 'Lower-grade mid-level spiritual artifact, Fire Wheel. When attacking, it can emit flames to strike enemies. Exchange for Daoist fasting period pills or spirit stones!' The crowd's eyes lit up at the mention of a magical artifact. Mind you, ordinary cultivators weren't wealthy; even Golden Core-stage solo cultivators sometimes only used high-grade artifacts, showing how precious this artifact was. Before long, it was exchanged, and the recipient immediately began public refining of the artifact. Lin Hao looked on with approval. That person knew that if he left immediately, he might perish along the way, so he refined it publicly, ensuring he wouldn't suffer losses in any ensuing battles.
Time quickly passed, and soon it was Lin Hao's turn."Lin Hao walked onto the stage, took a jade box out of his storage bag, and handed it over respectfully. Elder Xiao took the jade box from Lin Hao, his eyes full of astonishment. It should be known that this was a box made from top-grade spiritual jade; anything that could be stored in such a jade box must be extremely precious. Elder Xiao's eyes were filled with solemnity as he carefully opened the jade box. The moment he opened it, a strong fragrance spread throughout the hall, and every cultivator who smelled it felt their True Yuan flow accelerate noticeably. A flicker of greed passed through everyone's eyes.
Elder Xiao looked at the items in the jade box, steadied his heart that was about to jump out of his chest, and said in a trembling voice, 'F-Five… hundred… year… Huangjing!' The moment Elder Xiao finished speaking, everyone in the hall first took a sharp breath of cold air, and then the scene became wildly heated. It should be known that any medicinal herb over three hundred years old is worth a fortune. Seeing this scene, Lin Hao's scalp tingled, but he still mustered his courage and shouted, 'One five-hundred-year-old Huangjing, in exchange for more precious spiritual medicine seeds or spiritual roots! If any of you have them, I don't mind using spirit stones to buy them!' As soon as Lin Hao finished speaking, the crowd began calling out! At that moment, a spiritual sound transmission reached Lin Hao's ears, startling him. Spiritual sound transmissions are a technique used by experts at or above the Golden Core stage. 'You, what seeds do you want?' The voice was very pleasant, a female voice, but the icy tone felt as if it came from the Nine Nether, sending chills down one's spine. Lin Hao's expression flickered but soon calmed down. Tentatively, Lin Hao reported the three main ingredients missing for the Foundation Establishment Pill, while also including other herbs. Lin Hao was gambling, betting that the other party would not lower their status to quibble with someone junior like him.
Qian Nian (Qian Nian MM enters, everyone applause~) is a top assassin of the Assassins' Hall. The Assassins' Hall is a place secretly established by the five major sects to train assassins, specifically an organization for assassinating important figures of the Demon Sect.This time, she had completed the task assigned in the hall. On the way back, she discovered a trade fair. Since it was along the way, she decided to take a look. She had assumed that the impoverished wandering cultivators wouldn't have anything valuable, but unexpectedly, someone took out fifty-year-old Polygonatum to exchange for spirit medicine seeds. This was something truly unprecedented in the world, and even she, usually cold and ruthless, was a bit shocked. Fortunately, she had good composure. Slightly in disbelief, she used her spiritual sense to inquire what kind of spirit medicine seeds the other party needed, and the other party responded. By coincidence, she had exactly what they needed, and these seeds were the ones she had taken from the storage bag of an alchemist during the mission...\ After the trade, Qian Nian looked at the jade box in her hands, feeling somewhat insecure, but when she saw the greed flashing in the eyes of those wandering cultivators as they looked at her, a trace of killing intent appeared in her eyes, and she projected a restrained aura... Seeing the fear in their eyes directed at her, Qian Nian snorted and turned to leave...
