Chapter 8 Protagonist Treatment

Chapter 8: Protagonist Treatment

Arriving at the market square, Wang Hao found it exceptionally lively. Previously, only rogue cultivators set up stalls here, usually with nothing particularly good to offer. Wang Hao came mainly to broaden his horizons, though picking up a bargain like "Old Demon Han" would be fine too.

Upon asking around, he learned that next year was when the Qingyuan Sect would auction Foundation Establishment Pills. Various families and some capable rogue cultivators were selling off more items to accumulate Spirit Stones, hence the bustling scene with so many stalls.

If another year passed, approaching the Foundation Establishment Pill auction date, the Qingniu Market District would likely be even more lively!

The Qingyuan Sect had already announced that they would auction a total of seven Foundation Establishment Pills in the Qingniu Market District—five allocated to the five major families, and two for open auction. If any family couldn't afford theirs, those would also be auctioned to the public.

Under the temptation of Foundation Establishment Pills, the items currently sold in the market district were far superior to usual offerings. For example, Tier 1 spiritual herbs and their seeds were usually available but sold by rootless rogue cultivators. Now? Even the established families were bringing them out for sale!

Wang Hao couldn't help but feel ecstatic. Sure enough, transmigrators were protagonists—just when he felt sleepy, someone delivered a pillow!

Spirit Talisman Grass: As its name suggests, it could be used to make talisman paper.

He asked about the price: five Spirit Stones for a small bag of seeds, containing about twenty-some seeds. Buy! It was perfect since Wang Hao wanted to practice making talismans.

Spirit Wheat Seeds: After eating rice for months, Wang Hao felt somewhat bored with his diet. Time to change the flavor—Bought!

Crimson Blood Ginseng: One of the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills and among the most common herbs for that purpose. Only when grown to the top-grade of Tier 2 could it be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills; Tier 1 versions were usually used for brewing wine or refining healing pills for the Qi Refining stage. Since he encountered it, he definitely had to buy it! But the price was truly expensive: ten Spirit Stones only got him three seeds.

He also wanted to acquire seeds for free, but the sellers only let him look, not touch—so there was no chance for a "free acquisition" via the system.

However, he did manage to touch quite a few less precious seeds, successfully unlocking most of the Tier 1 seeds in his farm inventory. This satisfied Wang Hao greatly.

Then, at one stall, he discovered a fruit tree sapling. His eyes immediately lit up. Spirit fruits could be eaten directly, with effects that boosted cultivation—similar to pills, actually. Depending on the variety, some effects were slightly worse than Gathering Spirit Pills, while others far surpassed them.

The stall owner was a male cultivator looking to be in his early forties. Seeing the robe with the clan insignia, Wang Hao muttered softly, "Isn't that the Wang family's robe?" Last time, Old Wang wore this exact set.

Even fruit trees were being sold by the Wang family—they were really going all out! Based on cultivation level and importance, if they bought a Foundation Establishment Pill, it would probably go to Wang Yanzhao. Thinking of this, Wang Hao was unsure whether to feel happy or worried.

He was happy because Wang Yanzhao was his biological father; even if their relationship was strained, he could still seek help in a future crisis. His father's Foundation Establishment would be beneficial to him.

He was worried because once Wang Yanzhao reached Foundation Establishment, he might transfer away from the market district, making it hard to meet again. As for the other Wang family members? They simply ignored him anyway!

Ah, I'm always overthinking. If my own cultivation is high enough, do I still need to rely on others? Wang Hao shook his head and walked forward a couple of steps.

The stall owner greeted him enthusiastically. "Fellow Daoist, if you see anything you fancy, feel free to pick."

Pointing at the sapling, Wang Hao said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. Frankly speaking, this humble one fancies this sapling. If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Wang family's specialty, the Golden Thread Spirit Apricot tree, right?"

The Golden Thread Spirit Apricot was a top-grade Tier 1 spirit fruit. It ranked highly among Tier 1 fruits and was rarely seen in the market.

Wang Hao had truly never eaten a Golden Thread Spirit Apricot; he estimated that even Old Wang only got a fruit every few years. The Wang family also only had a batch ripen every few years, and the market price was as high as thirty Spirit Stones per fruit—equivalent to an entire bottle of Gathering Spirit Pills. With such an expensive price, the effect was naturally potent. The medicinal power was gentle and mellow, and its efficacy was even stronger than the Yellow Dragon Pill taken in the late Qi Refining stage, with the added benefit of having no pill toxins!

This thing was useless to him now, but he could plant and raise it first. When he reached the late Qi Refining stage, it would save him the Spirit Stones he would otherwise spend on buying pills.

Moreover, the sapling looked only two or three years old. Even planted in his farm, he would need to wait a year and a half for it to bloom and bear fruit.

Hearing his interest in buying the sapling, the Wang family cultivator showed a pleased expression. "Fellow Daoist has a good eye indeed. It is the Golden Thread Spirit Apricot."

"Since you recognize it, you must know its efficacy, so I won't waste words introducing it. A Golden Thread Spirit Apricot sapling for one hundred Spirit Stones. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Wang Hao laughed lightly. "Fellow Daoist, your business practice isn't honest! A Golden Thread Spirit Apricot is precious, and theoretically, one hundred Spirit Stones would be a steal for me. But this sapling has withered leaves and stunted growth—it's obviously a rejected specimen. Presumably, if your Wang family's spiritual farmer was confident he could keep it alive, you wouldn't have put it up for sale, right? The price, I'm afraid..."

"Sigh..." The Wang family cultivator sighed deeply. "Fellow Daoist has a discerning eye, like a torch. But the price is fixed. If the family didn't need to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill for my Second Uncle, we wouldn't have brought it out for sale! I guarantee on my character that there is no problem with the sapling itself; it can absolutely survive being replanted."

Wang Hao's heart stirred. Old Wang was ranked second in the family.