"Is it really the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining?"
Lin Chen hesitated while Cen Wushan made his move.
A flying sword pierced the chest of the bandit leader, chilling him to the core.
The next second, the previously domineering bandit leader was dead beyond doubt.
"Alright, so it’s just the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining! Where did he get the courage?"
Lin Chen also accepted this reality.
After taking out the Tribulation Cultivators, Cen Wushan approached Lin Chen and said, laughing:
"Haha, Junior Brother, you worry too much. In Yanlai Country, those at Qi Refining Perfection exceed ninety-nine percent of cultivators, and Foundation Establishnt cultivators are a rarity."
"So, there’s no need to be so cautious."
Lin Chen nodded slightly but didn’t comnt.
It seems he still overestimated the Loose Cultivators; joining the sect had unknowingly placed him above most cultivators.
"But being cautious never hurts!"
Lin Chen still said this.
Cen Wushan did not respond, instead saying:
"Though this group of Tribulation Cultivators is a rabble, they’ve been plundering for years, surely have so savings..."
"How about we, as fellow disciples, search and divide so resources?"
Thus, the two of them released their Divine Sense and turned the Water Stockade upside down.
A mont later.
"Tch, these Tribulation Cultivators are really dirt poor."
Cen Wushan looked at the small pile of resources before him and complained.
Aside from a hundred or so Spirit Stones, there were only so ores and spiritual dicine, with a significant number of Cold Iron Stones.
It seems these Tribulation Cultivators also doubled as miners when tis were tough.
Lin Chen pondered for a mont and said:
"These materials are estimated to be worth around two hundred Spirit Stones. Junior Brother wants these materials, so how about making up for them with so Spirit Stones for Senior Brother?"
Cen Wushan waved his hand after listening.
"Ha, you kid. What do I need these materials for? You take them all!"
Having said that, he took out a letter.
This letter was found on the body of the bandit leader.
He carefully read it, showing a joyful expression, then handed it to Lin Chen.
Lin Chen flipped through the letter and frowned slightly.
The letter stated that two hundred miles north of this place, there is another Tribulation Cultivation Stockade.
The number of people is no less than thirty, with the strongest among them being Late Period Qi Refining, inviting the Water Stockade leader to join them.
Clearly, Cen Wushan’s first thought after reading the letter was—
"Junior Brother, why don’t we go for another... uh, extinguish another nest of Tribulation Cultivators?"
"Let tell you, if a cultivator is plundered, they are a Tribulation Cultivator, but plundering Tribulation Cultivators is righteous! Besides... it’s a quick way to earn money!"
Cen Wushan was rather tempted.
Lin Chen listened but resolutely refused, advising:
"Senior Brother, we promised Master this ti that we would return quickly!"
Cen Wushan was unconcerned, his eyes darted around as he said:
"Hehe, Senior Brother will invite you for a drink first... Tomorrow morning, you can return to the sect by yourself, how about it?"
Lin Chen sighed after hearing this; he knew Cen Wushan’s mind was set, and he probably couldn’t persuade him.
"Since Senior Brother insists on going, rember to investigate thoroughly first, don’t act rashly..." Lin Chen finally reminded.
That day, neither of them returned directly to Changchun Sect.
Cen Wushan ordered a table full of spiritual food at the biggest restaurant in the Guangyuan Town Marketplace, inviting Lin Chen for a big feast.
"Co, co, Junior Brother, quickly taste... This Purple Smoke Chicken is a specialty of Guangyuan Town, it’s very tasty!"
Lin Chen took a bite and found the Purple Swallow Chicken was indeed incredibly tender.
...
The next morning.
After waking up, Lin Chen found that Cen Wushan had already left alone to deal with the bandits.
He also decided not to return to Changchun Sect.
"It’s rare to co out, naturally I must finish my business before heading back..."
Lin Chen thought to himself silently.
"The auction in Guangyuan Town starts tomorrow... Today let’s complete the task of gathering spiritual dicine first."
The location for the herbs wasn’t far from the marketplace, and Lin Chen flew using his Magical Artifact to several places.
In just one or two two-hour periods, he collected the required dicinal herbs.
Seeing it was near noon, Lin Chen didn’t rush back to the marketplace.
He first put on a human skin mask in the town, then changed his clothes.
Then he boldly strolled into a shop in the marketplace.
"Shopkeeper, how do you sell Cold Iron Stones?"
Displaying Qi Refining Peak cultivation, the shopkeeper rushed to welco him with a smile, not daring to raise the price.
"Honorable guest, one Spirit Stone can buy five pounds of Cold Iron Stone..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen took out a hundred Spirit Stones.
"Give five hundred pounds of Cold Iron Stone, old man needs them to craft weapons!"
The owner instantly grinned ear to ear upon hearing this.
Five hundred pounds of Cold Iron Stone was almost half of his store’s stock, making it a substantial deal.
Before long, after Lin Chen left the store, his Storage Bag contained five hundred Cold Iron Stones, if not more.
Afterward, Lin Chen visited more than ten shops, changing his appearance twice during this ti.
By dusk, he had accumulated nearly six thousand pounds of Cold Iron Stone.
"Hmm, six thousand pounds of Cold Iron Stone is roughly half a month’s sales in this marketplace... Any more might attract attention."
Lin Chen decided to quit while ahead.
His aggressive acquisition of Cold Iron Stones did carry so risk.
But with his Qi Refining Peak cultivation level as a deterrent, it was temporarily safe.
Furthermore, the shops he chose were spread apart, making it difficult for them to notice a massive purchase.
By the ti they realized, Lin Chen would likely be back at Changchun Sect, eight hundred miles away.
...
The next morning.
Lin Chen once again changed his appearance and headed to the auction.
After displaying his cultivation, Lin Chen successfully entered the venue.
The venue wasn’t large, with just over a hundred seats.
Lin Chen picked a corner seat in the back, just in case sothing went wrong, making it easy to flee.
Soon, the auction began.
Lin Chen glanced around.
The hundred or so seats were almost full, and there were boxes on the second floor.
"Hmm, it looks like about half the cultivators here are Late Period Qi Refining, no Foundation Establishnt cultivators... Seems the Foundation Establishnt cultivators are in the boxes upstairs?"
Lin Chen was sowhat surprised; it appeared half the strongest individuals in this small town marketplace had co for this auction.
"Welco, fellow Daoists, to this auction..."
"We’ve received temporary notification that there will be a precious finale item in this auction that should interest everyone!"
"Now, the first item in this auction, a middle-grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword, starting price 20 Spirit Stones..."
Lin Chen watched for a while, then lost interest.
Nothing novel appeared, just a flamboyantly dressed woman energetically shouting at the auction on stage.
But even by Lin Chen’s standards, these auction items were ordinary.
It couldn’t even compare to the black market on Changchun Mountain...
Yet these middle-grade Magical Artifacts, first-tier upper-grade talismans, and upper-grade Qi Nourishing Pills were quite popular at the auction.
Most buyers were cultivators in the mid to late stages of Qi Refining.
Prices generally ranged from twenty to fifty Spirit Stones.
After watching for a while, the auction finally presented an item that piqued Lin Chen’s interest.
"Following is an auction item, a natural Spirit Testing Stone, standing three feet high, over two feet wide..."
"After certification, this Spirit Testing Stone can be used thirty thousand tis... Starting price, 200 Spirit Stones."
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