Chapter 7: Bargaining

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Li Guanzhen made his third attempt to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, but once again, he failed.

There was nothing he could do about it—his aptitude was simply too poor. Coupled with his physical condition, the frequency of his intimate cultivation had to be reduced, resulting in less pure energy gained than before.

Aside from this, Li Guanzhen felt that his skills in the art of talismans could still be improved, but now, limited by his cultivation, he couldn't break through to the upper first-grade.

“It just so happens that I need to go to the Wanxiang Pavilion in the East Market today. While I’m there, I’ll see if I can find a suitable body cultivation technique,” Li Guanzhen mused silently.

Over the past half year, Wen Rongxin had devoted much of her time to martial training, aside from managing the household chores.

Unfortunately, lacking any martial arts manuals or body cultivation techniques, she could only practice standing postures and shadowboxing, exercising her body in the most basic ways.

As for Li Guanzhen, born into the Li family of Great Heng, he was able from childhood to cultivate the family’s Qi Refinement technique, the Azure Profound Art, thanks to his bloodline. Thus, he was never troubled by the lack of a cultivation method.

Each level of the Azure Profound Art not only enhanced his Azure Profound Qi but also added ten years to his lifespan. It was, in a sense, a modest longevity technique.

Now, Li Guanzhen had cultivated this art to the third level, unable for a long time to break through to the fourth.

“Currently, I have sixty-nine protective talismans, eleven Ice Talismans, thirteen Fire Talismans, and two Spirit Burst Talismans. I’ve used up five sheets of first-grade talisman paper, and my skills in middle-grade first-rank talisman crafting are nearly perfected,” Li Guanzhen tallied his inventory. Besides his specialty talismans, he had seventeen low-grade Return Essence Pills, worth at least seventeen low-grade spirit stones.

“Dual cultivation techniques are hard to come by, but body cultivation techniques shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe I’ll buy some ingredients to strengthen my waist, too…” Li Guanzhen sighed inwardly—it was still a life of poverty.

If only he had a dual cultivation method, Wen Rongxin’s name would have to be changed to Wen Rongqin.

Just as he stepped out, Li Guanzhen ran into Shu Yao, who was affectionately holding the arm of a male cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, the two looking very much in love.

“Daoist Li, heading out?” Shu Yao greeted him with a smile.

“Yes, just going for a walk,” Li Guanzhen nodded slightly, turning his gaze to the male cultivator and smiling, “And this is…?”

The man cupped his fists and introduced himself, “I am Bi Zhou, adept in alchemy, currently at the middle grade of the first rank. If you ever need pills, feel free to seek me out.”

“I certainly will,” Li Guanzhen replied with a smile and then took his leave.

Bi Zhou was momentarily stunned—he was an alchemist, yet the other party didn’t care to chat further? He’d been ready to offload some inferior pills…

Shu Yao explained at his side, “He’s also an alchemist, and a talisman master too… However, his attainments in alchemy are not as high as yours; he’s only a lower first-rank.”

“Lower first-rank, I see…” Bi Zhou understood and let it go. In this shantytown, it was indeed hard to find a middle-grade, first-rank alchemist.

Since he couldn’t sell his inferior pills, perhaps he could sell some alchemy knowledge instead. A lower first-rank alchemist would certainly be eager to advance.

——

East Market, Qing’an City, Wanxiang Pavilion.

“Daoist Li, you’ve come at just the right time. Talisman prices have soared lately—you’re about to make a tidy profit,” the shopkeeper greeted him with a broad smile, recognizing Li Guanzhen instantly despite the months that had passed.

Li Guanzhen paused. “What’s happened?”

A price hike for talismans meant things were likely unsettled around Qing’an City.

“What could it be? Just the usual—taking advantage of the weak to eliminate them,” the shopkeeper replied bluntly inside the pavilion.

Li Guanzhen understood. The four great powers—Blood Hand Sect, Deathblade Tower, Azure Thunder Sect, and Falling Moon Valley—not only wanted to kill the old patriarch of Mount Joy but to annihilate the entire mountain.

Only then could they seize a vast trove of cultivation resources. After all, the sect leader and ancestor couldn’t feast while their disciples starved.

The shopkeeper continued, “Moreover, there’s been news from the Ten Thousand Mountains—some Golden Vine has reached a hundred years of age. It’s a main ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills and Essence Cultivation Pills. Quite a few cultivators are gathering, hoping to try their luck for a stroke of immortal fate.”

Li Guanzhen caught his meaning and laughed lightly. “My abilities are meager. I won’t wade into that muddy water. I’d rather stay here, drawing talismans and refining pills—life is more carefree.”

“Hahaha… From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were a kindred spirit.”

“If we’re kindred spirits, how about you offer me a fair price?”

“…”

The shopkeeper was momentarily speechless, then sighed, “Let’s see what you’ve brought first.”

Li Guanzhen laid out his talismans, keeping one Spirit Burst Talisman and two each of the Protective, Ice, and Fire Talismans. One must always keep life-saving talismans on hand when venturing out.

“Protective Talismans go for around eleven or twelve spirit stones each; I’ll pay ten per. Ice and Fire Talismans are twelve each. As for this Spirit Burst Talisman, it’s good quality—twenty spirit stones. Altogether, that’s nine hundred and thirty low-grade spirit stones,” the shopkeeper calculated, smiling. “That’s a fair deal.”

Li Guanzhen nodded slightly. “I also have seventeen Return Essence Pills. Round it up—give me nine hundred and fifty spirit stones.”

“Is that how you round up?” The shopkeeper’s eyes widened, his voice rising unconsciously.

Li Guanzhen chuckled awkwardly. “I’m going to spend it here anyway. It’s not like I’m taking the stones and running off…”

The shopkeeper sighed, helpless. “Fine, fine. See what else you need.”

“One thousand sheets of first-rank talisman paper, one hundred bottles of cinnabar, three thousand jin of spirit rice, one thousand jin of spirit vegetables, five hundred jin of spirit meat.”

As soon as he finished, the shopkeeper named the price, “Seven hundred spirit stones in total—you have two hundred and fifty left.”

“Do you have any recommendations for body cultivation techniques? And something to replenish vitality and blood.”

Li Guanzhen dropped all pretenses, rubbing his lower back as he spoke.

“Body cultivation techniques of the martial path? Those are inferior arts—even with training, Foundation Establishment isn’t guaranteed,” the shopkeeper warned.

“Just recommend something.”

Li Guanzhen couldn’t care less—if he couldn’t afford a good dual cultivation technique, he’d at least strengthen his physique, lest his waist begin to ache again.

“How about the Five-Dragon Transformation Art? It’s the best of the body cultivation techniques. With the right resources, you might even hope to reach Foundation Establishment… The original price is sixty-seven spirit stones; I’ll let you have it for fifty.”

With that, the shopkeeper flipped his palm, and a manual appeared.

Li Guanzhen examined it carefully. This technique used the five viscera and six bowels to achieve blood refinement and transformation, fundamentally changing one’s vitality and making it easier to learn various martial arts and secret techniques, steadily enhancing the body until one achieved the legendary Indestructible Vajra Body.

In the mundane world, this was indeed an extraordinary technique.

But in the eyes of cultivators, no matter how impressive, it was still just a body cultivation method. Without attaining the Indestructible Vajra Body, even a Qi Refinement stage cultivator could easily defeat its practitioner.

A body cultivation technique with a chance at Foundation Establishment was worth fifty spirit stones, but… Li Guanzhen rubbed his hands together and said, “Brother, I only come by once every half a year—how about forty spirit stones?”

“Fifty! Not a single coin less!” The shopkeeper glared at him.

Was this fellow addicted to haggling?