Chapter 49: Treasure Hunting in the Market, A Thousand Spirit Stones to Reach the Second Floor
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“Come take a look! Freshly refined Spirit Pills! One pill equals a month of cultivation! Only one spirit stone each!”
“Fellow cultivators! This is a treasure weapon sourced straight from internal White Cloud Sect channels—Chaos Shuttle! Lethal power! Unstoppable! Just one hundred spirit stones!”
“Rainblood Grass! Rainblood Grass! Key ingredient for refining the Bloodburst Pill! Come take a look!”
…
Yu Xian strolled through the bustling market, passing by stalls filled with products like barely passable low-grade spirit pills, mass-produced first-tier weapons like the Golden Light Shuttle, and several half-wilted, potency-depleted Rainblood Grass stalks.
He couldn’t help but shake his head silently.
The life of a rogue cultivator… it’s just too bitter.
No wonder so many chose to stay in White Cloud Sect as mining disciples.
Even if it was back-breaking work, at least it gave them a steady stream of spirit stones—digging up a few decent ores a month could earn them dozens of stones.
But here?
Cultivators with weaker strength probably couldn’t even scrounge together a few stones per month.
Life was just too hard.
He continued walking deeper into the market.
The crowd didn’t thin, and the stalls lining either side of the road started offering somewhat better goods.
At the very least, it wasn’t all snake oil and lies anymore.
Even Yu Xian found himself pausing now and then, carefully examining the stalls—wondering if there was anything worthwhile to snag… maybe a lucky bargain.
Turns out, bargain hunting is human nature.
And it paid off.
Thanks to Xiao Wusheng’s teachings, Yu Xian’s alchemical knowledge had vastly improved.
With it, his understanding of spirit herbs, materials, and monster parts had grown immensely.
Within just an hour, he identified a stalk of Three-Colored Grass, a Phoenix Thorn, and a Jade Blossom—all rare third-tier spirit herbs used in concocting a niche high-grade elixir.
In White Cloud Sect’s Herb Hall, they were pricey.
Here, he bought them for a steal—clearly, the rogue who’d gathered them had no clue what they were worth.
A reminder: in the cultivation world, lack of knowledge can cost you dearly.
That said, even after snagging these three herbs, he’d only saved about twenty spirit stones total.
Not a huge difference.
He could’ve saved more just by buying directly from the sect’s Herb Hall.
Still… the thrill of a deal had hooked him.
Even though he’d wasted an entire hour, which logically wasn’t worth the twenty-stone saving… he was still in high spirits and kept browsing, wondering if he’d find more hidden treasures.
That little itch to get a bargain—it had taken hold.
But just a short while later, Yu Xian suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The crowd around him seemed to fade to a blur.
Everything else melted away.
He slowly raised a trembling hand to his chest.
The jade pendant at his chest… was growing warm!
What…
He didn’t know what caused it, or what it meant.
But if the jade was heating up—it had to be a signal!
Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he tested his direction by taking a few steps forward.
Warmer.
That was the right way.
Yu Xian began moving quickly, heading straight toward wherever the jade led him.
He no longer spared a glance at any stalls or vendors.
As the warmth intensified, a quarter of an incense stick later, he briskly passed by a tall, ornate building—then suddenly paused.
He turned around and retraced his steps, slower this time.
Just now, the jade’s warmth had waned.
But retracing his path made it heat up again.
Walking past the building once more—the warmth lessened.
Yu Xian turned and looked up at the building’s main gate.
Above it hung a large, golden signboard:
“Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.”
Dozens of rogue cultivators came and went through the gates.
Right at the entrance—the pendant’s warmth was at its peak.
Without hesitation, Yu Xian stepped inside.
True to its name, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was a grand sight.
Everywhere he looked, he saw display counters packed with items: pills, weapons, talismans, spiritual herbs, half-finished materials…
If you looked at something, a beautiful female cultivator would politely take it down and softly explain its use and price.
But Yu Xian had no time for such junk.
He focused solely on the heat pulsing from the jade, which guided him through the bustling hall straight to a flight of stairs.
Just as he was about to ascend—
“Stop right there, fellow cultivator!”
The voice came from his left.
Yu Xian had been so focused, he hadn’t noticed a middle-aged Daoist standing by the staircase.
This man radiated late Qi Condensation stage cultivation—pretty solid among the market’s tens of thousands of rogue cultivators.
The Daoist gave him a once-over and frowned.
“First time here? You don’t know the second floor requires a token? Let me see your pass.”
“Token…”
Yu Xian narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t have one. What are the requirements to go upstairs?”
Though he was in a rush, he knew not to cause trouble.
Trying to force his way up would only cause bigger problems.
“Ah, then you really are new.”
The Daoist said calmly,
“The second floor is for honored guests only.”
As he spoke, a slightly chubby cultivator passed by, casually flashed a purple-gold token, and walked past Yu Xian to ascend the stairs without issue.
“See that?” the Daoist added.
“That token allows access upstairs. Only those who’ve spent over 1,000 spirit stones are eligible. Once you reach the threshold—even through multiple purchases—you’ll receive a token from our pavilion.”
The jade was still warm.
Its target was definitely on the second floor—or maybe even the third or fourth.
Yu Xian didn’t argue or ask why it was necessary.
He simply nodded.
“Understood.”
And turned back into the hall.
The Daoist smirked.
“Yeah. That’s how it is.”
Yu Xian ignored him and quickly scanned the counters, eyes darting until he stopped before one of them.
He pointed at a bottle behind the glass.
“That Flowing Cloud Spirit Elixir—how much?”
The female cultivator behind the counter froze for a second, then lit up.
“D-Daoist! Are you interested in that?”
“How much?”
His voice was calm and firm—leaving no room for refusal.
“That’s a second-tier treasure-grade elixir,” she hurriedly explained.
“It calms the mind, repels evil, and enriches spiritual energy—a top-tier pill for advancing cultivation. It’s two hundred spirit stones per bottle!”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, cheeks flushing.
“If you buy more, we can negotiate the price. A-And… if you have any other requests, I-I could also…”
“I’ll take five.”
Yu Xian nodded flatly.
“Ah?”
She was stunned.
Nearby cultivators who’d been browsing also turned to look at him in shock.
“Five bottles.”
He frowned slightly and repeated himself.
“R-Right! Of course!” she snapped back to attention.
Flustered, she turned and rushed to fetch the pills, practically bouncing as she brought back five bottles of Flowing Cloud Spirit Elixir and placed them reverently on the counter.
Yu Xian didn’t waste words.
He tossed a storage pouch on the counter.
“One thousand spirit stones. Check it.”
She froze.
Her pale hands trembled slightly as she reached out for the pouch.
This… this sale would give her a fifty-stone commission—something she might not earn in months!
To think… she’d landed such a wealthy client!
“Make way!”
Suddenly, the Daoist from earlier appeared beside the counter.
He shoved the girl aside and reached for the storage pouch.
A quick spiritual probe later, his expression paused—then shifted into a wide smile.
“Lotus, pack the elixirs for this customer.”
He placed the pouch beside the pills and turned to Yu Xian with a respectful bow.
“Daoist friend, my apologies for earlier. I’m Xu Le. I was merely following protocol. But now, seeing your generous purchase of 1,000 spirit stones, I am truly impressed!”
He clapped his hands.
“Allow me to grant you the Golden Token of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. You may now proceed to the second floor—and beyond, if you desire!”
The woman named Lotus carefully packed the five elixirs into a pouch and handed it over to Yu Xian with both hands, respectfully.
Yu Xian accepted it without a word.
“The token?” he asked plainly.
Xu Le raised a hand.
A purple-gold token identical to the one the chubby cultivator used earlier landed gently on the table.
Xu Le smiled,
“Daoist friend, please—this way!”
Yu Xian didn’t respond.
He calmly picked up the token, turned, and strode toward the staircase—straight up to the second floor.
