Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 83: Inquiry

The three mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators traveled together for about half an hour. In order to avoid the lair of some powerful demonic beasts, they made several turns and detours in the middle of the ice field before finally arriving at a small ice island with a diameter of less than 100 feet.

This area, known as the largest trading point within a hundred miles, has no scattered stalls or proper permanent shops. The few shops that exist are simply set up on makeshift structures made of poplar wood planks.

The number of cultivators coming and going at the trading point was also scarce, with no more than twenty Qi Refining stage cultivators scattered around.

"Thank you both for your guidance, I am deeply grateful."

Although Tong Bingfeng did not agree with the scale of the so-called trading point in front of him, he still expressed his sincere gratitude to the two cultivators surnamed Tao.

If it weren't for the other party's guidance, such an inconspicuous path with no spiritual veins would not have attracted any extra attention from cultivators, and naturally they would not have discovered this trading point.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, my brother and I have important matters to attend to. We thank you again for saving our lives, and we will take our leave now."

The burly male cultivator, Tao Gong, showed a hint of anxiety on his face and immediately bowed to take his leave.

"The green hills remain unchanged, and the clear waters flow on forever. Take care, my two fellow Daoists. If we are fortunate enough to meet again in the future, we shall surely drink until we are thoroughly drunk."

Since the other party had important business to attend to, Tong Bingfeng naturally wouldn't stop them.

"Giving such a risk to steal the Three-Leaf Rat's magical treasure, and now leaving in such a hurry, it seems that a close relative at home is suffering from severe frostbite."

Watching the male and female cultivators leave, Tong Bingfeng murmured to himself, though it was just a guess, it was pretty close to the correct answer.

He had only met the two cultivators surnamed Tao by chance, and as a qualified cultivator, he naturally wouldn't pay them any special attention. At this moment, his attention had been completely focused on the trading point in front of him.

"Spirit Ice is a valuable commodity among independent cultivators, with a wide range of uses. The shops here should also be buying it, but I wonder what the monthly requirement is?"

"Furthermore, is there a stable supply of various spiritual items that aid cultivation, as well as complete sets of array flags urgently needed by the spirit ice mines? What is their value?"

Tong Bingfeng had two questions that needed to be answered precisely during this trip, with the sale of Lingbing being the most pressing.

If the prices of other spiritual items are too high, the two of them can simply take spirit stones to Ice Spirit Island to buy them, since these spiritual items are easy to carry.

Various thoughts swirled in Tong Bingfeng's mind, but he remained calm and composed on the surface, showing no sign of his inner turmoil, and steadily headed towards the area where the trading point shops were concentrated.

Seeing is believing. Since this place can be called the largest trading point within a hundred miles of the ice field, it must have some value.

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar, as this is your first time visiting the central trading point. What brings you here? I am Shi Zhang, and I have met you before. I am the manager of this small shop, and I have been here for over five years. I operate with integrity, and my spiritual items are of excellent quality and a wide variety."

After a while, they finally stepped into the center of the trading point. A cultivator with an honest face but cunning eyes greeted them warmly and actively promoted the spiritual items in the shop, hoping to successfully complete a transaction.

As for the truthfulness of the various self-praises in his words, they naturally cannot be trusted enough.

"Shopkeeper, your insight is remarkable. This is my first time here. Since this place is called the Central Trading Point, are there other trading points as well? Do you have a map here that guides you to the entire 300-mile radius of the Ice Domain?"

"Also, may I ask if your shop sells spirit ice? And what is its value?"

The purpose of this trip was to search for various useful information, so Tong Bingfeng naturally didn't mind having a conversation with the other party.

"Of course, we have a guide map. It costs two spirit stones and not only marks the locations of other trading points, but also the main locations of monsters that have appeared in the last three months. This guide map is created by five Qi Refining Level 9 cultivators who work together every three months to explore the area. It is trustworthy."

"Our shop specializes in various first-tier spiritual items. We naturally have a large stock of basic resources like spiritual ice, which are consumed in considerable quantities. One low-grade first-tier spiritual ice costs two spirit stones, and three mid-grade first-tier spiritual ice costs two spirit stones. If you need more than one hundred, you can enjoy a 10% discount."

"Every piece of spirit ice here is mined from high-quality spirit ice veins, and its quality far surpasses that of spirit ice produced in ordinary ice regions. Fellow Daoist, you must not miss it."

The shopkeeper's descriptions of the map and the spirit ice came pouring in, and he seemed to have all sorts of information at his fingertips, clearly determined not to miss any potential transaction and not to give up until he achieved his goal.

"On Ice Spirit Island, one spirit stone can buy three low-grade first-tier spirit ices or one mid-grade first-tier spirit ice. Fellow Daoist, the price you're offering here is a bit high."

Tong Bingfeng's bargaining was based on reason and evidence; asking for an exorbitant price and then settling for a lower price is the normal transaction process.

"As you just mentioned, this refers to the price on Ice Spirit Island. Each spiritual item at our trading points incurs additional transportation and storage costs, so naturally, it cannot compare to the price on the Spirit Island."

"Not only at the central trading point, but at all other trading points deep within the Ice Domain, the prices are the same. Spirit Ice, a highly consumable commodity, is even sold at a publicly disclosed price, so you can rest assured, fellow Daoist."

The shopkeeper's words also carried a sense of helplessness, but that expression quickly vanished.

"Seeing is believing, so I must go to the trading point to inquire. Thank you for your understanding, fellow Daoist."

After a long, rambling conversation that lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Tong Bingfeng only bought a guide map for two spirit stones before taking his leave.

He was seen constantly appearing in different shops, inquiring about the prices of various spiritual items, while also buying and selling some spiritual items as appropriate.

For example, the complete corpse of a mid-grade first-tier water rat, based on a series of small transactions, was not troublesome, and the search for various information about the Ice Domain was naturally quite smooth.

The only downside was that news of a strange cultivator's visit spread rapidly throughout this not-so-large trading post.

One by one, the shifty-eyed, ill-intentioned cultivators, summoned by those with ulterior motives, quickly converged on the trading point.

The central trading point in front of us is specifically for serving cultivators deep in the Ice Domain. These cultivators are usually evil cultivators who have been expelled or wanted for various reasons. Robbing, killing and stealing spiritual items are just part of their job.

However, Tong Bingfeng, the instigator, remained completely unaware of the undercurrents beneath the calm surface. Now that he had a comprehensive understanding of the trading points, he was quite confident in the sale of the spirit ice produced by the spirit ice mine.

"The trading point is not large in area, but the throughput of spiritual items is considerable. Even if they cannot be sold locally, they can still be used to support Ice Crystal Spirit Island."