Wanbao Merchant House

Qi Feng flew on his sword at full speed back to the Blue Moon Sect.

After turning in the mission at the General Affairs Hall, the hall's deacon counted the two venomous stingers of the Red-Tailed Venomous Scorpions and handed over the mission rewards.

Three hundred low-grade spirit stones and a hundred-year-old Blood Essence Grass.

This Blood Essence Grass was originally used by cultivators to refine elixirs that replenished vitality, but to mortal martial artists, it was an incredibly nourishing sacred herb for blood qi.

With the rewards in hand, Qi Feng turned his sword light around and headed back to Black Wind Valley.

“Miss Su.”

Inside the ruined stone hall they had agreed upon, Qi Feng landed his sword light and handed over the spirit stones and Blood Essence Grass together.

Su Yueli took the items, swept her eyes over them, and was very satisfied.

She casually counted out one hundred low-grade spirit stones from the bag and handed them back to Qi Feng. “Fellow Daoist Qi, thank you for your hard work running back and forth for me. Please accept these spirit stones. Consider it my treat for tea.”

Qi Feng hurriedly declined. “How can I accept this! You risked your life to complete the mission, Miss Su. I merely went through the motions. I absolutely cannot take your cultivation resources.”

Su Yueli, however, was firm. She stuffed the spirit stones directly into his hand. “Just take them. Without your help running errands, I wouldn't even have touched the threshold for the Blue Moon Sect's missions. I'll surely have to trouble you to take on more requests in the future. If you don't accept this, I won't dare ask you to cooperate next time.”

Seeing that Su Yueli had put it that way, Qi Feng had no choice but to sheepishly accept them. In his heart, he greatly admired this young Martial God's generosity and frankness.

The two stood in the ruins and chatted for a moment. After finalizing the subsequent matters, Qi Feng cupped his hands in farewell and soared away on his sword light.

On his way back to the sect, Qi Feng, flying on his sword against the wind, knitted his brows. His mind was filled with the details of his conversations with Su Yueli over the past two days.

That strange feeling grew stronger and stronger.

Whenever he brought up Young Sect Master Shen Huai'an, whether intentionally or not, Su Yueli's eyes and tone always carried an indescribable, profound meaning.

Qi Feng couldn't help but wonder if this Miss Su really did know the Young Sect Master.

But on second thought, the Young Sect Master was currently in the restricted area of the back mountain, using the mid-grade Universe-Clearing Heart Pill to enter seclusion and prepare to charge into the Fifth Realm of the immortal path in one fell swoop.

How could such an aloof, peerless genius have any connection with a mortal martial artist from the secular world?

Qi Feng shook his head vigorously, feeling that he was simply worrying about things that were none of his business, and decided to stop thinking about it.

...

Among the piles of jagged rocks, Su Yueli was counting her entire net worth.

A full three hundred mid-grade spirit stones, two hundred low-grade spirit stones, and a hundred-year-old Blood Essence Grass.

Looking at the pile of stones emitting a faint blue glow before her, Su Yueli rubbed her temples, feeling somewhat helpless.

These spirit stones were highly sought-after hard currency for cultivators. But for a mortal martial artist like her who couldn't cultivate, holding them didn't allow her to absorb them directly. Keeping them in her storage bag made them nothing more than a pile of pretty stones.

“I need to visit a major city and exchange these immortal currencies for resources I can actually use.”

Su Yueli thought for a moment. Tianyuan City.

This was the largest immortal cultivation city within a radius of thousands of miles, where various major sects and loose cultivators had properties.

It was said that there was a massive store in the city called the Wanbao Merchant House, which possessed an immense background. Inside, they sold everything from the dharma treasures and spiritual elixirs needed by high-and-mighty cultivators to the body-tempering secret medicines desperately needed by high-level martial artists in the secular world.

Having made up her mind, Su Yueli packed up quickly. Her figure transformed into a green afterimage as she rushed toward Tianyuan City at full speed.

Half a day later.

A majestic ancient city, crouching on the plains like a primordial beast, appeared at the end of her line of sight.

The city walls were a hundred zhang high, with the golden light of formations faintly flowing across them, presenting a magnificent sight.

Stepping into the city, she found the streets bustling with carriages and pedestrians, and the cries of street vendors rose and fell. Various immortal shops lined both sides of the streets, making it extremely prosperous.

Su Yueli had no heart to admire the scenery. Avoiding several cultivators riding low-grade immortal birds, she headed straight for the Wanbao Merchant House in the center of the city.

Stepping through the doors of the merchant house, she found the interior space to be staggeringly vast and magnificently decorated.

A sweet-looking young female receptionist wearing a uniform dress greeted her with a warm smile and bowed politely. “Welcome to the Wanbao Merchant House. May I ask if our guest is here today to purchase immortal pills and dharma treasures, or to acquire talismans?”

Su Yueli smiled faintly. “Take me to the resource area for high-level martial artists.”

The female receptionist raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. However, the staff of the Wanbao Merchant House were always well-trained; her smile did not fade in the slightest as she politely led Su Yueli through a long corridor to a secluded corner of the side hall.

Here, Su Yueli patiently and carefully made her selections.

In the end, she spent one hundred low-grade spirit stones to purchase several bottles of top-tier body-tempering elixirs that were completely unseen in the secular world, along with a pile of premium aged herbs that greatly nourished blood qi.

Most items for martial artists were used by mortals, so they were usually sold using silver as currency.

Using a cultivator's spirit stones in exchange made them seem incredibly cheap, costing very little.

If these resources had to be bought with silver or gold, she probably wouldn't have been able to buy much even if she spent her entire fortune.

Having packed away her purchased resources, Su Yueli was about to turn and leave when the female receptionist stopped her with a smile.

“Please wait, guest. The night after next, our merchant house will be hosting a grand triennial auction.”

“At that time, not only will there be many rare immortal treasures as the highlights, but there are also said to be two remnants of martial arts manuals passed down from ancient sect ruins, as well as ten-thousand-year Bone Talent medicine. If you are interested, guest, you can come and take a look then.”

An auction? Remnants of martial arts manuals?

Su Yueli raised her eyebrows, feeling a spark of interest in her heart.

The mist beyond the Tenth Realm of the martial path had always troubled her. Perhaps she could find some useful clues at this auction.

However, if she wanted to buy truly good things at a cultivators' auction, the few hundred spirit stones left in her hands probably wouldn't be enough.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck her mind.

During the decades she spent sitting in the Cangyun Kingdom ruins, she had casually picked quite a few weeds from the restricted area out of boredom and stuffed them into her storage bag.

Previously, just a single stalk of Sky Blue Silver Spot Grass had made the Chiyang Sect's Third Realm first disciple, Lie Yangfeng, twitch his eyelids in excitement, willing to throw out three hundred mid-grade spirit stones just to force an exchange.

And in her storage bag, there were still three more of those same deep-blue dried herbs lying around!

The Wanbao Merchant House had an outstanding reputation, so their credibility must be excellent. Selling things here meant she wouldn't have to worry about being double-crossed.

Thinking of this, Su Yueli stopped in her tracks and looked at the female receptionist, speaking calmly. “I happen to have some items I don't need on hand, and I'd like to see if they can be put up for your auction the day after next.”

The female receptionist was slightly surprised. Raising her eyebrows, her tone remained polite. “Oh? May I ask what kind of treasure you wish to sell, guest? If it is an ordinary item, it might not be able to make it onto the stage the day after next.”

Su Yueli took out a deep-blue dried herb with fine silver spots on its leaves from her storage bag and waved it in front of the female receptionist.

Once the receptionist saw the dried herb clearly, her eyebrows shot up.

“This... is this the Sky Blue Silver Spot Grass? And its age is preserved so perfectly!”

This was a rare spiritual herb that even low-level cultivators dreamed of when entering seclusion to break through bottlenecks!

The female receptionist took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. Her attitude toward Su Yueli instantly became incredibly respectful, and she even bowed low:

“Guest, this is indeed a rare treasure, and it is fully qualified to enter the main venue of the auction the day after next!”

“However, the value of this medicine is too high, and I cannot make the decision. We will need to invite our merchant house's top professional appraiser to inspect the goods in person. Please step this way, guest, and follow me to the VIP room on the second floor for further discussion.”