txolops Chapter 10: Purchasing Defensive Magic Items!
Chapter 10: Purchasing Defensive Magic Items!
Chapter 10: Purchasing Defensive Magic Items!
A glint flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes. He stepped forward to examine it carefully, then cautiously sensed it with his divine sense for a moment before nodding and saying, "It is indeed a Crimson Flame Fruit over three hundred years old, perfectly preserved, and brimming with medicinal power. This item will greatly benefit fellow cultivators who practice fire-attribute techniques, and can also serve as the main ingredient in several high-grade pills... Fellow cultivator, are you truly willing to sell it?"
"Name your price," Lin Chuan said succinctly.
The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "Three hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones is the highest price we can offer. Although the market is large, there aren't many shops that can offer such a large number of spirit stones at once and have a reliable reputation."
Lin Chuan calculated in his mind that the price was similar to his estimate, or even slightly higher.
He nodded decisively: "Deal."
After exchanging spirit stones, Lin Chuan's storage bag suddenly became much heavier.
Without lingering, after leaving Yaowangzhai, he wandered around several different shops and stalls wearing a cloak, selling off in batches all the unusable low-grade magic artifacts, odds and ends, and the century-old Qingxin grass he had picked the day before.
These items are not individually valuable, but when added together they are quite considerable.
Especially those few low-grade magic artifacts, although he couldn't use them, were still hot commodities for rogue cultivators or lower-level disciples.
The century-old Qingxincao (a type of herb) also sold for a good price.
After all that, plus the money from selling the Crimson Flame Fruit, Lin Chuan had nearly six hundred spirit stones left.
He tallied up his assets, and with his original savings plus what he had gained today, his low-grade spirit stones had exceeded one thousand, totaling more than one thousand one hundred!
Furthermore, five mid-grade spirit stones, each worth five hundred low-grade spirit stones, lay inside the jade box!
"At least we're not so strapped for cash anymore." Lin Chuan felt a little relieved.
Resources are always the foundation of a cultivator's confidence.
For attack purposes, he now has the top-tier magic weapon Biyun Sword and the superior-grade magic weapon Qingfeng Sword, which is sufficient.
However, in terms of defense, it only has a few one-time use Vajra Talismans, which is a real weakness.
In a battle of wits, only by combining offense and defense can one remain invincible.
After a moment's thought, he walked once again toward the core area of the market, toward the most magnificent five-story pavilion—Wanbaolou.
Wanbaolou is an official property of Huangfeng Valley, with a strong background and excellent reputation. Its prices may be slightly higher than those of individual vendors, but the quality of its goods and the security of its transactions are the most guaranteed.
Upon entering the main hall of Wanbaolou, a cultivator who appeared to be in charge immediately greeted them.
Lin Chuan, still concealing his face with his cloak, stated directly, "If you wish to purchase a top-tier defensive magic artifact, it must be of superior quality."
Seeing his composed demeanor and the fact that he spoke with the words of a top-tier magical artifact, the manager dared not be negligent and respectfully said, "Honored guest, please wait in the private room on the second floor. I will immediately fetch the manager."
The elegant room on the second floor was tastefully furnished, with the gentle fragrance of incense wafting through the air. Before long, an elderly man with a goatee and sharp, eagle-like eyes pushed open the door and entered; he was none other than the manager of Wanbaolou.
"I've heard that you desire a top-tier defensive magic weapon?"
The shopkeeper cupped his hands and smiled, "Our shop happens to have two rare items recently. Please take a look, fellow Daoist."
He patted his storage bag, and two exquisite rosewood boxes appeared on the table.
Upon opening the first wooden box, one finds a palm-sized, golden round shield. The shield's surface is as smooth as a mirror, with intricate reinforcing runes engraved along its edges, its spiritual light subtly contained.
"This is the 'Golden Light Shield,' made primarily of refined gold with a small amount of 'Flowing Light Sand.' Once activated, it can grow into a three-foot-long giant shield with astonishing defensive power, especially adept at defending against direct impacts from flying swords and spells. A standard top-tier magic weapon, priced at three hundred and fifty spirit stones."
The shopkeeper then opened the second wooden box.
Inside was a deep black inner armor that felt cool and soft to the touch. The armor plates were fine and dense like scales, with a dark luster, and were exceptionally tough to the touch.
"This armor is called the 'Ink Scale Armor,' made primarily from the reverse scale shed from the collar of the level-two demon beast 'Black Water Python,' woven together with 'Ink Crystal Silk.' This armor is an inner armor, worn close to the body, and does not interfere with the outer robe. Its defensive power is no weaker than heavy armor, and it also possesses excellent toughness, making it remarkably effective against blunt force and piercing injuries. Furthermore, it carries a trace of moistening energy, which can slightly neutralize special injuries such as fire poison and cold. This is a top-quality magic weapon, priced at five hundred spirit stones."
After the shopkeeper finished his introduction, he waited for Lin Chuan to make his choice.
Lin Chuan carefully examined the two magical artifacts.
The Golden Shield is a standard defensive shield, combining offense and defense; the Ink Scale Armor is a rare close-fitting inner armor, offering more comprehensive and concealed protection. Moreover, the scales of the "Black Water Python" are already rare, and the refining process is obviously more complex.
"I'll take them all." Lin Chuan said almost without hesitation.
With the Azure Cloud Sword for offense and the Golden Light Shield and Ink Scale Armor for defense, one external and one internal, they complement each other to build a solid defensive line.
Spirit stones can be earned again, but life-saving items cannot be compromised.
A hint of surprise flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes, but his smile widened: "Fellow Daoist, you're generous! Two items for a total of eight hundred and fifty spirit stones!"
Lin Chuan pointed out the spirit stone exchange and put the two wooden boxes into his pocket.
After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Does your establishment have any pills suitable for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to improve their cultivation?"
"Yes, there is. The 'Condensing Essence Pill' has a mild and mellow medicinal effect, making it most suitable for steady improvement after stabilizing one's realm. A bottle contains ten pills and costs thirty spirit stones. There is also the 'Spirit Cultivation Powder,' which has a slightly stronger effect and is suitable for use when breaking through minor bottlenecks. It costs fifty spirit stones."
Lin Chuan bought two bottles of each, spending nearly two hundred spirit stones in the process.
At this point, his storage bag, which had just started to swell, had shrunk considerably, but what he gained in return was real confidence.
After the transaction was completed, Lin Chuan did not leave the market and return to his sect immediately.
As a precaution, he rented a temporary cave dwelling with simple defensive barriers on the edge of the market for one day.
The cave dwelling is small, with only one room and one living room, but it has a decent amount of spiritual energy and is quiet and private.
After activating the cave's restrictions, Lin Chuan immediately took out the newly acquired Golden Light Shield and Ink Scale Armor.
He first refined the Golden Light Shield. The shield was not difficult to refine, and he had a basic grasp of it after half an hour.
With a thought, the small golden shield instantly transformed into a three-foot-square golden light shield that hovered in front of him. Runes flowed across the shield's surface, gleaming brightly and giving it a solid and reliable feel.
Next up is the Inkscale Armor.
This armor required even more meticulous refining, so Lin Chuan used the spiritual power of the Li Huo Technique to slowly nurture and refine it.
An hour later, the Inkscale Armor flashed with a faint light and automatically adhered to the outside of his inner garment. The icy feeling instantly spread throughout his body, then transformed into a warm sensation, as if it were a second skin, without any bulkiness or obstruction.
"With these two treasures protecting me, there are probably not many things below the Foundation Establishment stage that can threaten my life." Lin Chuan felt reassured as he felt the double protection from both inside and outside.
He took out the ancient tortoise shell again and tried various methods: increasing the infusion of spiritual power, carefully probing its internal structure with his own divine sense... The tortoise shell remained unresponsive, grayish, as if it really was just a particularly hard tortoise shell.
"It seems that until I reach the Core Formation stage, this treasure will indeed remain hidden away in my storage bag." Although Lin Chuan felt regret, he was also content and carefully put it away.
Next, he took a Qi Condensation Pill and circulated the Fire Separation Technique to further solidify his Qi Refining eleventh level cultivation.
As the elixir dissolved, pure spiritual energy flowed into the dantian, and cultivation gradually solidified and improved at a perceptible pace.
Once he regained his peak condition, Lin Chuan began to comprehend the secret techniques of the "Awakening of Insects Divine Sword".