Inside the tent, Fang Qingyuan and the other cultivators from the caravan t with the tribe’s chief.
The chief exuded a dense Demonic Dao aura, and his cultivation had reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishnt realm. Fang Qingyuan was stunned to see this.
’How can there be a Demonic Cultivator in this desert, revealing his nature so brazenly? Isn’t he afraid of the Great Zhou Academy?’
’After all, the Great Zhou Academy was known for punishing cultivators from the Demonic Dao and Ghost Dao without rcy.’
But though Fang Qingyuan was surprised, he didn’t let it show. When he noticed that the other cultivators from the caravan seed completely unfazed, he decided to act as if nothing was amiss, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.
After eting the chief, a few of the caravan’s leaders stayed behind to negotiate, while Fang Qingyuan and the others went outside the tent to set up their stalls.
And so, Fang Qingyuan’s first bit of business on this trade run was about to begin.
Fang Qingyuan took down a portion of the goods from Yinbao’s back. Copying the other caravan cultivators, he arranged them on the ground in front of him and waited for the tribe’s cultivators to co and shop.
Fang Qingyuan’s goods consisted mostly of Water and Wood-attribute spiritual materials. The desert was scarce in materials with these attributes, so items that cost just a few Low-grade Spirit Stones in the Southern Border could sell for at least double the price here.
"Friend, how much are you selling this leaf for?"
Before long, a cultivator from the tribe ca over to ask for a price. He had taken a liking to the Water Marsh Spirit Leaves Fang Qingyuan had on display.
Water Marsh Spirit Leaves were a Tier One Lower Grade Water Spiritual Material. They had the effect of Purifying Heart and Focusing Spirit. When placed on one’s body during ditation, they could effectively reduce the agitation produced during cultivation, making them a type of auxiliary spiritual material.
Fang Qingyuan sized up the cultivator. Seeing his flushed face and the dense, fiery energy emanating from his body, he knew the man had run into a small problem with his cultivation.
Among the five elents, Fire-attribute cultivation techniques were the most intense. Cultivators who practiced them usually didn’t have very good tempers.
They might have been good-natured originally, but after practicing a Fire-attribute cultivation technique for a long ti, their temper would gradually beco explosive. This was the technique’s subtle influence on a person’s character.
So cultivators didn’t care about this change, but others did. For those who wished to reduce their cultivation technique’s influence on their personality, certain auxiliary spiritual materials were indispensable.
The Water Marsh Spirit Leaves were one of many such auxiliary spiritual materials, but they were particularly effective for Fire-attribute cultivators.
Hearing the question, Fang Qingyuan slowly replied:
"Friend, one Water Marsh Spirit Leaf is five Low-grade Spirit Stones."
’Thank heavens for the Great Zhou Academy. Because of its efforts to spread culture and education, all cultivators in this realm speak the sa language.’
’Even the demonic beasts of the untad wilds have to learn the official tongue as their first priority after taking human form.’
’Otherwise, it would have been so awkward for to travel all this way only to find a language barrier, like a chicken talking to a duck.’
The tribal cultivator rely had a bit of a regional accent, and as long as he spoke slowly, Fang Qingyuan could still understand him.
Hearing the price, the tribal cultivator didn’t haggle. Instead, he took out a pile of tallic ore, placed it in front of Fang Qingyuan, and asked:
"I don’t have many Spirit Stones. I was wondering what these ores would be worth in a trade?"
As Fang Qingyuan looked at the ore, his eyelid twitched. He picked up a piece to examine it carefully and discovered it was actually Tier One Middle Grade Fire Iron Essence Stone.
Looking at the quality of the pile before him, he estimated that it could be refined into at least three jin of Fire Iron Essence. A single jin of Fire Iron Essence sold for one hundred Spirit Stones.
With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan ventured a price:
"Your pile of Fire Iron Essence Stone can be traded for thirty Water Marsh Spirit Leaves. Are you satisfied with that price, friend?"
"Friend, I’m very satisfied! You’re more honest than the others. We have a deal at that price."
Watching the tribal cultivator leave happily with thirty Water Marsh Spirit Leaves, Fang Qingyuan was lost in thought, wondering if he had set his price too high.
’The thirty Water Marsh Spirit Leaves had cost him a re one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, aning he had just made a profit of over two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. And yet, in that cultivator’s eyes, he was an honest, good person?’
Before Fang Qingyuan could finish pondering, the next cultivator approached his stall and asked for a price.
.....
After a full day of hard work, Fang Qingyuan and the rest of the caravan set out again once the sun had set.
Riding on Yinbao’s back, Fang Qingyuan looked at the now-empty space among his wares, and joy welled up in his heart. At this very first tribe, he had managed to sell off nearly half the goods on Yinbao’s back, trading them for Spirit Stones and local specialty products.
Fang Qingyuan did a quick calculation. This one stop had already brought him a profit of at least twofold. If he sold the local goods he’d acquired after returning to the Southern Border, a three or even fourfold profit for the round trip was well within reach.
But even as he was making money, Fang Qingyuan’s mind was filled with questions. He wanted to understand how there could be Demonic Cultivators here—and one who was even a local leader.
So, Fang Qingyuan guided Yinbao over to Bao Rensheng to ask for more details.
Bao Rensheng took a puff from his long-stemd pipe and said mysteriously to Fang Qingyuan:
"Do you know which power controls Black Sand City?"
Fang Qingyuan thought for a mont before shaking his head to show he didn’t know. He had always lived in the Southern Border; how could he possibly know who controlled a city a hundred thousand li away?
Seeing this, Bao Rensheng didn’t keep him in suspense any longer, but said in a serious tone:
"You must have heard of Black Wind Valley, right? Co to think of it, they’re allies with your Beast Taming Sect."
As soon as he said this, understanding dawned on Fang Qingyuan. He had been too focused on the details to see the bigger picture. As one of the eight major sects, Black Wind Valley naturally had the power to demand certain privileges.
Recalling Black Wind Valley’s typical way of doing things, if Black Sand City belonged to them, then the appearance of Demonic Cultivators in the surrounding area made perfect sense.
This was because Black Wind Valley was itself a Demon Sect—and the largest Demon Sect in the entire realm, at that.
In the eyes of the Great Zhou Academy, a lone Demonic Cultivator was an unforgivable evil. A group of them was an unlawful organization that needed to be suppressed without delay.
However, a Demon Sect that possessed Divinity Transformation Cultivators—and more than one, at that—was an entity worth trying to win over, even for the Great Zhou Academy.
As for the Demonic Cultivators within Black Wind Valley’s sphere of influence, their existence was rely an internal affair. The Great Zhou Academy could offer criticism, but it could not interfere directly.
Furthermore, due to its way of doing things, Black Wind Valley was at odds with other major sects. For example, it didn’t get along with powers like the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect, Mingyang Mountain, the Celestial Justice Sect, or Jixia City.
For years, Black Wind Valley had been in constant conflict with other sects. If it wasn’t fighting the Sword Cultivators of the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect one day, it was clashing with the Confucian Cultivators from Mingyang Mountain and the Celestial Justice Sect the next.
It was constantly fighting three, or even four, other powers at once. Black Wind Valley simply didn’t care about the Great Zhou Academy’s condemnations; if it ca down to it, they were happy to take on the Academy as well.
Given how aggressive and domineering Black Wind Valley was—and, most importantly, how unruly and poor they were—cultivators from the outside world all referred to their disciples as the Black Wind Barbarians.
Of course, Black Wind Valley wasn’t completely reckless. It did have an ally—the Beast Taming Sect.
’So after all that, this territory actually belongs to my own allies,’ Fang Qingyuan thought, montarily speechless.
However, now that he understood the reason for everything, Fang Qingyuan felt much more at ease. He composed himself and, amidst the swirling Black Sand, continued toward the next tribe.
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