Chapter 794

Chapter 794: Half-Broken True Immortal Puppet

“Friend, your Universe Ship is too slow. Would you like me to send you back with my immortal ship?” the black-robed cultivator said with a smile, looking at Xu Fan as if he were a rare treasure.

“No need, I wouldn’t want to trouble your immortal ship, Senior,” Xu Fan replied politely.

Even if he were foolish, he would never casually reveal the location of his world to a true immortal.

“Then I’ll wait here for your return.”

The black-robed cultivator’s eyes showed a hint of reluctance. Although he had only interacted with Xu Fan briefly, he knew that once these talismans were delivered to Xu Fan, his future might very well depend on him.

According to the countless experiences summarized by the merchants, befriending a few prodigious talents like Xu Fan would make the path of advancement much smoother.

A crystal-clear spirit pearl appeared in the black-robed cultivator’s hand.

“This is the communication spirit pearl of the Wood Origin Grand World. If you ascend to the Immortal Realm in the future and need anything, you can contact me anytime,” the black-robed cultivator said.

“May I ask your name, Senior?” Xu Fan inquired.

“Just call me Black Scale, friend,” the black-robed cultivator replied with a smile.

Xu Fan nodded and left the grand hall with a somewhat dazed Ming Kong.

A space ring floated before Xu Fan.

“It contains five thousand Immortal Jade; consider it a deposit,” Black Scale’s voice came.

Xu Fan nodded, leaving with an envious Ming Kong.

Once again on the most bustling street, Xu Fan and Ming Kong wandered from one merchant association to another.

“Grand Elder, so you’re a grandmaster of talismans,” Ming Kong exclaimed.

“It’s just a bit of talent,” Xu Fan smiled.

In the Feiyu Realm, although talismans existed, they were considered a side path and had not been particularly developed.

“Grand Elder, you’re too humble,” Ming Kong said.

After working hard, he had collected the essence accumulated by the Elder Council over a thousand years to earn just a small amount of Immortal Jade.

Yet Xu Fan, leveraging his command of the wide road, easily accepted an order worth hundreds of thousands of Immortal Jade.

When the two reached the next merchant association, Xu Fan suddenly noticed a broken puppet.

“Shopkeeper, how much for this puppet?” Xu Fan asked.

With his keen eyes, he could tell that it was clearly based on the fighting strength surpassing the Great Ascension stage, with a partially exposed puppet core showcasing a celestial spirit formation. Xu Fan estimated that this puppet must have had at least true immortal-level fighting strength at its peak.

It seemed he could find a bargain, Xu Fan thought to himself.

A half-broken puppet, even if it had true immortal fighting strength at its peak, wouldn’t sell for much Immortal Jade.

The shopkeeper merely glanced at the puppet.

“A damaged true immortal fighting-strength puppet, ten thousand Immortal Jade,” the shopkeeper said with a professional smile.

“…”

Wasn’t it supposed to be a bargain? Weren’t they saying it was broken and worthless?

"Shopkeeper, ten thousand Immortal Jade for this broken puppet seems a bit steep."

"Fifty Immortal Jade would be more reasonable," Ming Kong interjected quickly.

"This puppet is on consignment; ten thousand Immortal Jade is the fixed price. Take it or leave it."

"If you’re not interested, feel free to browse our other items. We have Great Ascension stage puppets available. Buy eleven, and we’ll include a secret technique for an invincible battle formation," the shopkeeper said with a grin.

"Elder Ming Kong, let’s move on," Xu Fan said, giving the broken puppet a final glance.

"Grand Elder, do you want it? If so, we might be able to gather ten thousand Immortal Jade together," Ming Kong suggested, noticing Xu Fan’s lingering look.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up with hope.

"No, let’s not," Xu Fan shook his head. He was only interested in studying it; spending that much Immortal Jade wasn’t worth it.

Ming Kong nodded and followed Xu Fan as they walked towards another shop.

Just then, the shopkeeper called out from behind them.

"Fellow taoist friends, the consigner has lowered the price to five thousand Immortal Jade!"

The shopkeeper sounded thrilled, as if he had finally found the right moment to make a big sale.

The two exchanged a knowing look and continued walking without turning back.

Seeing them about to leave, the shopkeeper grew anxious.

"It’s been reduced again; the consigner is now asking for only two thousand Immortal Jade. This is the result of my tough negotiations!" the shopkeeper shouted.

Nearby shopkeepers came out, chuckling as they watched the scene unfold.

The two kept walking, not looking back.

Desperate, the shopkeeper ran to block their path.

"Fellow taoist friends, since you’re interested, why not make an offer!"

"I’ll negotiate; I can see you both really like that puppet," the shopkeeper said earnestly.

The onlookers exchanged knowing smiles.

Xu Fan turned to face the shopkeeper.

"I’ll offer one hundred Immortal Jade," Xu Fan stated his price.

"Deal!" the shopkeeper agreed immediately.

The shop assistant quickly grabbed the broken puppet and brought it over.

Well, I probably overpaid, Xu Fan thought.

From the shopkeeper’s expression, it was clear he hadn’t lost out, and likely made a profit.

Without further ado, Xu Fan handed over one hundred Immortal Jade and took the broken puppet.

"Fellow taoist friends, do come again!" the shopkeeper said with a smile.

Xu Fan and Ming Kong exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and walked into a spirit pill shop.

The shopkeeper happily returned to his shop and placed another broken puppet back in its original spot.

"Shopkeeper, your strategy is quite impressive; I really admire it," the assistant complimented.

"This is nothing; next time someone shows interest, you need to play along too. We’ve only caught three big fish recently; we need to step up our game!" the shopkeeper replied proudly.

Inside the spirit pill shop, the owner smiled at the two and said, "You’ve been had by Old Liu."

"Is that true immortal’s broken puppet fake?" Xu Fan wondered how his judgment could be so off.

"Of course not; you just overpaid for that puppet."

"Old Liu’s association discovered a battlefield relic in the star region, filled with these broken puppets."

"They used to sell for fifty Immortal Jade each, but suddenly someone came up with this method, and now they sell like hotcakes."

"Now and then, they can also reel in a big fish," the shopkeeper explained.

"One hundred Immortal Jade is one hundred Immortal Jade; it’s not a big loss," Xu Fan said with a smile.

When buying and selling, the price depends on skill; if you pay too much, it just means your judgment was lacking. As long as the item isn’t fake, you can’t blame others.

At that moment, they again heard the shopkeeper’s voice outside.

"Fellow taoist friends, the consigner has lowered the price again; now it’s just two thousand Immortal Jade."

The earnest tone made it sound like clients would miss out significantly if they didn’t buy.

Xu Fan and Ming Kong glanced outside.

They saw a goofy young man turning back with a triumphant look on his face.

"This counts as a half big fish," the shopkeeper said with a smile, a hint of envy in his tone.