Chapter 48: Myriad Treasures Tower
On this day, Wang Hong checked into an inconspicuous inn, prepaying for half a month's stay. After spending a few days unnoticed, he transformed into a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes named Wang Kun and left the inn.
In the city, he rented a secluded courtyard, considering the need for a long-term residence with his current identity.
At Zhao's Pill Shop, a distinguished guest, a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, arrived. Zhao, the shopkeeper, personally welcomed him with great enthusiasm. The two entered a secret room, the details of which remained unknown, and were then respectfully escorted outside by Zhao.
The next day, Zhao's Pill Shop, which had been out of stock, once again had supplies of Elixirs. Rumors circulated that a precious Barrier Breaking Pill was even sold and bought by a cultivator for nine thousand Spirit Stones.
No need to say, the mysterious guest with thick eyebrows and big eyes was none other than Wang Hong disguised as Wang Kun.
He believed that if he appeared a few more times, those who were secretly investigating him would eventually find him.
In a quiet room in Azure Void City, Wang Hong took out all the white crystal fruits he had obtained from the core. Gently picking one up, its texture resembled high-quality jade, crystal clear, and faintly translucent, making it hard to resist.
With a light bite, the fruit was crisp, juicy, and melted in the mouth, leaving a mouthful of juice that slid down the throat.
"Mmm! Delicious! I'll switch to this for future snacks and fruits."
After consuming fifteen white crystal fruits, he felt a cool breeze entering his dantian, merging into the Spiritual Energy vortex. It seemed like a purification, and his entire body felt refreshed. The Spiritual Energy vortex in his dantian had shrunk.Upon finishing all fifteen white crystal fruits, he sadly discovered that his cultivation level had dropped from Qi Cultivation level five to level four.
While shocked by the potency of the white crystal fruits, he also marveled at how his previous cultivation level, boosted solely by Elixirs, was somewhat superficial.
Although his realm had dropped, his mana became purer. His overall combat strength not only didn't decrease but seemed to have subtly improved.
After consuming the white crystal fruits, he brewed Spirit Wine using the remaining dozens of types of spirit fruits, following the recipe in the "Secret Brewing Techniques." These were stored in his Space.
High-quality Spirit Wine was currently in high demand, and no Spirit Wine shop in Azure Void City could supply enough. They were typically sold in batches every month or few months, attracting late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators.
Having completed these tasks, Wang Hong planned to buy some Magical Weapons. The ones he carried had been mostly depleted, and the two items he acquired were still beyond his current usage.
Coincidentally, in this month, his three businesses had earned him nearly thirty thousand Spirit Stones.
Approaching the entrance of Myriad Treasures Tower, the four maids standing there all bowed in unison. One maid stepped forward, leading him into the tower.
"Esteemed guest, are you here to purchase or sell items today?" the maid asked politely with a smile.
Glancing at the beautiful face of the maid, Wang Hong replied, "This time, I need to buy some attack and defense Magical Weapons."
Following the maid into the spacious hall, he realized it could easily accommodate several hundred people shopping.
The maid skillfully guided him to the Magical Weapon area, which had ten rows of mahogany shelves displaying over a thousand Magical Weapons. Each Magical Weapon had a protective barrier.
From low-grade to high-grade, with mid-grade being the most abundant and high-grade the least, prices ranged from one hundred to over a thousand Spirit Stones.
Surveying the rows, Flying Swords were the most common, with various other types of Magical Weapons available.
Wang Hong walked up to the counter displaying Long Spear Magical Weapons. There were a dozen or so Long Spears, with only two being high-grade.
The two high-grade Long Spears were, one red and one deep black.
The maid introduced, "This red Long Spear is crafted entirely from a first-grade fire sunstone, with a length of nine feet and nine inches, weighing nine hundred kilograms. It comes with Fire Element Magical Arts attack and is priced at one thousand Spirit Stones."
She continued, "This black Long Spear is crafted entirely from dark abyss iron, with a length of six feet and six inches, weighing six thousand kilograms. It comes with a gravity formation and has no Magical Arts attack. It is priced at one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones." As she introduced this Long Spear, she found it somewhat strange.
According to the senior in the store, this Long Spear had been here for decades. No one knew what the blacksmith was thinking when crafting such a heavy Long Spear. Who could wield it?
Unexpectedly, the unremarkable young man seemed more interested in this dark and heavy spear.
Wang Hong gestured for the maid to help him deactivate the barrier. She took out a token and gently swiped it, causing the protective barrier to slowly open.
Wang Hong took out the black Long Spear, weighing it in his hand. Feeling the weight, he found it neither light nor heavy, just right.
He chose the Long Spear for melee combat, as a heavier weapon would better utilize his body refinement advantages. Without much consideration, he decided on this Long Spear.
Having chosen the Long Spear, Wang Hong then proceeded to the Flying Sword area.
He wasn't particularly picky about Flying Swords and selected a mid-grade Earth Element Flying Sword. While Earth Element Flying Swords lacked some flexibility, they excelled in durability and wouldn't easily shatter like the last time. The price was also reasonable, just two hundred Spirit Stones.
When he reached the counter for defensive Magical Weapons, he faced a dilemma. Of course, the better the defensive ability, the better. However, his current Spiritual Energy cultivation level could only activate mid-grade Magical Weapons at most. If he forcefully activated a high-grade Magical Weapon once, Mist Wind Gorge could easily drain his entire Spiritual Energy.
Moreover, during the defense process, the owner's Spiritual Energy was continuously consumed, which was why he had previously relied on defensive Talismans rather than Magical Weapons.
In the end, Wang Hong decided to buy two items. One was a mid-grade transparent yellow small shield for eight hundred Spirit Stones, suitable for everyday use. The other was a high-grade Black Tortoise Shield, crafted from a complete turtle shell, priced at a whopping three thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.
The high-grade Magical Weapon could be used to save his life in critical situations, serving as a replacement in case his primary weapon was damaged.
With the selected Magical Weapons, he asked the nearby maid, "May I see the second-tier Spiritual Objects—Spirit Herbs and spirit fruits?"
"Second-tier Spiritual Objects are on the second floor, exclusively for Foundation Building cultivators. If Qi Cultivation cultivators wish to enter the second floor, they need to deposit ten thousand Spirit Stones, which will be refunded upon leaving," the maid replied.
Wang Hong thought it made sense. Second-tier Spiritual Objects were generally beyond the reach and affordability of Qi Cultivation cultivators. If every Qi Cultivation cultivator wanted to take a look, it would become troublesome.
To avoid outright rejection and considering that some wealthy Qi Cultivation cultivators might have the means to purchase, setting a ten-thousand-Spirit-Stone threshold was an effective way to deter those without buying capability but curious to explore.
Wang Hong paid the ten-thousand-Spirit-Stone deposit and followed the maid to the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the second floor was noticeably quieter.
The shelves were also much sparser. There were only around twenty people, but over a dozen of them exuded formidable pressure, indicating they were Foundation Building cultivators.
Several Qi Cultivation cultivators cautiously kept their distance from the Foundation Building cultivators. They only approached to observe after the Foundation Building cultivators moved away.
Approaching an unattended Spirit Herb counter, Wang Hong found there weren't many Spirit Herbs, only about a dozen. However, they were all valuable. Among them, he discovered a nine-leaf golden thread grass, the main ingredient for the Golden Body Pill, a Spiritual Medicine he had only read about but never seen in person.
In his "Body Refining Decision," there were two pill recipes—one for Body Refining Pill and one for Golden Body Pill. He had gathered the materials for the Body Refining Pill and cultivated a small area in his Space.
Although he had only collected some auxiliary herbs for the Golden Body Pill, today he unexpectedly found the main ingredient, bringing him a pleasant surprise.
Wang Hong decided to purchase this Spiritual Medicine along with three types of second-tier Spiritual Medicine seeds commonly used during the Foundation Building stage.
While he wanted to buy everything and cultivate them in his Space, being too conspicuous could lead to a swift demise, especially when showing off in front of Foundation Building cultivators.
Later, he also visited the spirit fruit counter and bought three types of spirit fruit seeds.
Considering that he could gradually purchase all available second-tier Spiritual Herbs and spirit fruits in the future, he planned to cultivate them in batches in his Space. The profit from cultivating second-tier Spiritual Medicine would be much greater.
Having a Space, even with poor aptitude, he had confidence in his Foundation Building. Once he reached that level, he could use these Spiritual Medicines himself.
Most second-tier Spiritual Medicines took one or two hundred years to mature. Cultivating them in advance would save waiting time when needed.
After making these selections, he proceeded downstairs to settle the bill. Including the purchased Spirit Herbs and seeds on the second floor, he spent a total of seven thousand Spirit Stones.
Wang Hong took out a Barrier Breaking Pill to offset the cost. The buyback price for the Barrier Breaking Pill was eight thousand Spirit Stones, so in the end, he not only bought a bunch of items without spending a single Spirit Stone but also received a refund of one thousand Spirit Stones.
Satisfied, he returned to his residence, allowing the Space to absorb the remaining thirty thousand Spirit Stones. This cleared up more space, perfect for planting the newly acquired second-tier Spirit Herbs and spirit fruits.
He had cultivated over thirty portions of the Body Refining Pill materials. Harvesting them all took seven days, and he successfully refined over a hundred Body Refining Pills.
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