18: Chapter 18 Sunset Market

Luoxia Market consisted of a long bluestone road and rows upon rows of stalls of all sizes.

Besides the Sunset Glow Sect Disciples in their moon-white robes, one could also see some simply-dressed Loose Cultivators, as well as Disciples from small Sects or families under Sunset Glow Sect's jurisdiction.

Including the Spirit Stones in the System's wealth, Yun Ming currently had nearly three thousand on hand.

He felt that buying a few offensive and defensive Magical Artifacts should be no problem.

After wandering around for a bit, he finally stopped in front of a small stall.

The stall owner looked young, around fourteen or fifteen years old, with numb and cold eyes and tattered clothes; Yun Ming guessed he was a Loose Cultivator whose Family had been wiped out.

His stall was also very simple—just a piece of ragged cloth with a dozen or so items on it, all of which were Tier 1 Low Grade Medicinal Pills and spiritual talismans.

There were only two items that caught Yun Ming's Dharma Eye.

One was a bracer, Tier 1 High Grade. Its primary Materials were dozens of dull-colored Yao Beast scales of varying sizes.

It was dark cyan in color and covered in many fine scratches.

Yun Ming suspected it was originally part of a full set of armor, but for some reason, only this bracer remained.

The other item was the relatively common chaos spirit bell, Tier 1 Medium Grade, which could disturb a Cultivator's mind, though its effectiveness depended on the opponent's Divine Soul strength.

However, it was severely damaged and looked like it could only be used a few more times.

"Boss, how much for this bracer?" Yun Ming squatted in front of the stall and picked up the bracer, weighing it in his hand; it was surprisingly heavy.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones." The stall owner gave a price and then fell silent, appearing very indifferent.

"Make it cheaper. This should be part of a set, but now there's only this one piece. How about this: with that nearly broken chaos spirit bell next to it, I'll give you six hundred Spirit Stones for both," Yun Ming bargained.

The young stall owner showed a conflicted expression. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. "No."

"How about this: I'll add another fifty as a favor to your business. Six hundred and fifty? Aside from me, who knows how long you'll have to wait for someone else to buy this junk?"

The youth began to hesitate again. His Family had been destroyed, his parents killed, and his fiancée had come to break off their engagement. His cultivation had vanished overnight. All he could do now was sell these Family heirlooms for Spirit Stones to Cultivate and then seek revenge.

But he had been at this stall for three days, and this was the only person who had come to buy anything.

He also knew that the bracer of the black flood dragon scale armor was definitely worth more than this; a complete set of black flood dragon scale armor was a Tier 2 High Grade Magical Artifact.

If the chaos spirit bell weren't damaged, it would also certainly be a Tier 1 High Grade Magical Artifact.

But the man in front of him was right; these things were defective, and he couldn't afford to wait or remain idle any longer.

"Fine!"

"Decisive."

Yun Ming took out six hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. After the young stall owner collected them, he immediately packed up his stall. He needed to leave the market and find a place to Cultivate and restore his cultivation.

Yun Ming first inspected the bracer, trying it on to feel the fit. The size was perfect, but the craftsmanship was crude and wild. The edges of the unknown Yao Beast's scales were uneven and even somewhat sharp, coming together to form several short, menacing spikes over the knuckles.

When he clenched his fist, the scales would slightly interlock and tighten, and those short, menacing spikes would jut out like a beast's claws.

Yun Ming was very satisfied. "This should increase the damage of my Serious Punch. Plus, it provides defense. Perfect."

As for the chaos spirit bell, Yun Ming didn't examine it closely; it was so battered he treated it as a free gift, and it looked like it would fall apart into a pile of junk after only two or three uses.

Suddenly, someone came up to strike up a conversation with Yun Ming. "Friend, you've got quite the guts, daring to buy that kid's things."

Yun Ming looked at the newcomer. He didn't recognize him, and since the man was dressed plainly and wasn't a Sect Disciple, he didn't want to bother and turned to leave.

Seeing that Yun Ming ignored him, the man felt a bit awkward. "Friend, don't go! Don't you want to know who that kid is?"

Yun Ming ignored him and kept walking.

Seeing that Yun Ming was about to leave, the man got a bit anxious. He had hoped to sell some information, but he hadn't expected Yun Ming to ignore him entirely.

Not wanting to let his prey escape, he hurriedly chased after him.

"Friend, wait a moment! That kid is really not simple. This concerns your very life! Are you sure you don't want to know?"

Seeing the man catch up, Yun Ming sighed and rubbed his brow. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Hehe, one hundred Spirit Stones, and I'll tell you."

"Crazy person."

Yun Ming rolled his eyes, cursed, and continued walking. He was still planning to buy some Pill Formulas and spiritual talismans.

"Fifty! I'll tell you for fifty Spirit Stones!"

Yun Ming remained unmoved.

"Ten! Ten Spirit Stones!"

Yun Ming turned a deaf ear.

"Nine! Eight! Seven! Fine, I'll tell you for free."

Only then did Yun Ming stop. "Speak."

"Aiya, Fellow Daoist, your willpower is truly impressive. Consider this news a gift. I am Liu Bai. You can ask me anything you want to know. As long as the price is right, I will tell you everything I know."

"So, what exactly are you going to say?"

"About that youth, of course. His name is Ye Chen, the young master of the Ye Family under the jurisdiction of the Sunset Glow Sect. He possesses Gold and Fire dual Spiritual Roots and is exceptionally gifted, reaching Qi Refinement Level 9 at only fourteen years old. Unfortunately, his Family suddenly met with disaster a few days ago. Because a Personal Disciple from the Sunset Glow Sect's Sword Peak killed four Qi Refinement Perfection demonic Cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Hall and even killed their Young Lord, the Heavenly Demon Hall was enraged and directly wiped out four Foundation Establishment families under the Sunset Glow Sect. The Ye Family was one of them."

"His parents died before his eyes, and he barely escaped with heavy injuries. His cultivation is gone, and even his Spiritual Roots are damaged; it's hard to say if he can ever return to Qi Refinement Level 9. Misfortunes never come singly—his childhood sweetheart and fiancée chose to break off their engagement and cut ties with him after he suffered such a massive blow. Truly pitiful."

As expected, Yun Ming's mouth hung open in surprise.

Yun Ming thought to himself, 'This sequence of events is way too familiar. Isn't this exactly the template for a novel's protagonist?!'

Liu Bai didn't know what Yun Ming was thinking, only that he had achieved the desired effect, so he continued, "He's been here for three days, but no one dared to approach for fear of being associated with him. However! You, Fellow Daoist, are extraordinary, daring to do what others wouldn't. Impressive!"

"Fear of being associated with him? Why?"

"Fellow Daoist, did you forget what I just said? The Heavenly Demon Hall. This Heavenly Demon Hall isn't some trashy Demonic Path Sect; it's a major Demonic Path Sect with a Nascent Soul expert presiding over it. Once targeted by the Heavenly Demon Hall, except for major Sects like the Sunset Glow Sect that also have Nascent Soul experts, who wouldn't be wiped out completely? Associating with him now is like being a thorn in the Heavenly Demon Hall's side."

Liu Bai spoke with such gravity that he even pretended to look nervously to both sides, as if some Demonic Path Cultivators might be lurking nearby.

Then he leaned in and whispered in Yun Ming's ear, "But don't be afraid, Fellow Daoist. I have a way for you to take refuge in the Sunset Glow Sect. It'll just cost this much."

Yun Ming looked down at the five fingers Liu Bai held out in front of his chest. "Five Spirit Stones?"

"Pah! Fellow Daoist, this is no time for jokes. This is for the sake of your life. Five hundred Spirit Stones, not a single one less."