85: Chapter 85 Buying Spells

Princess Duan Qingwan knew very well how hasty her deal with Lin Qing was, but she had no choice; if the Third Prince made it into the top five, her chances of success would drop significantly.

She couldn't see through Lin Qing's strength. He had defeated two Late Stage fourth-rank Cultivators in succession during the arena battles, and he had done so with apparent ease. At this point, she had to take a gamble on him.

In Princess Duan Qingwan's eyes, there were only three people in Great Qi who had a chance of joining the Chuyun Immortal Sect: Lin Qing, Sun Shaoping, and Third Prince Duan Chengyu.

In fact, such a number was considered terrifying in the entire history of the Great Qi Dynasty.

One had to realize that Great Qi was merely a Dynasty. Above it were Imperial Dynasties and Great Empires, and the Chuyun Immortal Sect governed more than one Great Empire.

In the past, someone from the Great Qi Dynasty entering the Chuyun Immortal Sect only happened once every few decades. This generation truly deserved to be called the one with the most Prodigies by outsiders.

Her basis for this judgment came from her father, the current King of Qi. The King of Qi was the last person from Great Qi to have entered the Chuyun Immortal Sect to practice.

However, even after entering the sect, cultivation was not all smooth sailing. Competition within the sect was equally fierce, and the King of Qi's Aptitude could only be considered average there.

Thus, after practicing in the sect for over a decade, the King of Qi returned. Even so, he was currently the youngest sixth-rank Cultivator in Great Qi.

Furthermore, upon his return, the previous King of Qi immediately designated him as the successor. This was also why Princess Duan Qingwan didn't want the Third Prince to participate in the entrance examination; if Third Prince Duan Chengyu actually entered the sect, she would lose her chance entirely.

This was the prestige associated with being a Disciple of the Chuyun Immortal Sect.

In truth, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Third Prince Duan Chengyu's natural talent wasn't as good as Lin Qing's or Sun Shaoping's, but one couldn't ignore his high Realm.

After the Heavenly Pride Competition concluded, the six top powers would provide the five selected Disciples with resources to help them improve their Realm and combat power. By then, it was highly likely that Third Prince Duan Chengyu would Breakthrough to the fifth rank. This was his only chance of entering the Chuyun Immortal Sect, and Princess Duan Qingwan wouldn't gamble on him failing to Breakthrough.

The only reason Princess Duan Qingwan favored Lin Qing and Sun Shaoping was their age. According to the King of Qi, the Chuyun Immortal Sect's entrance examination didn't just look at Realm and combat power.

For someone like Sun Shaoping, although his Realm wasn't high, his young age was an advantage. If he participated in the selection, it would be easier for him to enter the sect than for the Third Prince.

She believed Lin Qing might be even more terrifying than Sun Shaoping. If she knew Lin Qing's real age, she wouldn't have added the word "might."

Princess Duan Qingwan stood by the window and took a deep breath. Since she had decided to fight for that position, there was no need to hesitate any longer.

Meanwhile, Lin Qing found an inconspicuous corner on the street, took out a set of black robes from his Storage Ring, and changed into them.

Thanks to his brilliant performance in the competition, he was no longer a nobody in the Royal Capital. Therefore, he had to be extra cautious when out and about.

His Breath Concealment Technique remained active at all times. However, this time he didn't fully suppress his spiritual power fluctuations; instead, he revealed his Realm at the level of a newly entered fifth-rank Cultivator.

After making full preparations, Lin Qing walked straight into the Heshun Chamber of Commerce.

During the Heavenly Pride Competition, the first floor of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce had been completely turned into a betting venue. The first round of matches had just ended, and those Cultivators who had bet on a certain Prodigy reaching the top twenty were coming to collect their winnings, so the first floor was still crowded.

Guided by the staff, Lin Qing went to the second floor of the chamber. He was still received by a young female Cultivator, though not the one from the room where he had placed his bet last time.

Lin Qing had no interest in the standard Medicinal Pills and weapons in the display cases and immediately requested the staff to take him to a private trading room.

"Please take a seat, guest. May I ask what items you need to have appraised or traded?" the female staff member asked with a slight bow and a respectful tone.

Lin Qing said nothing more, pulling out a pile of bottles and jars from his robe and placing them on the table.

"First, help me appraise these Medicinal Pills."

The female staff member's expression changed slightly. Clearly, she wasn't skilled in appraisal work. She immediately bowed to Lin Qing again.

"Please wait a moment, honored guest. Medicinal Pill appraisal requires a professional Alchemy Elder. I will go and fetch someone right away."

With that, the female staff member exited the trading room and walked away quickly.

After just a short while, the door was pushed open again.

An old man dressed in a grey cloth robe with bright eyes walked in. Seeing this white-haired old man, Lin Qing couldn't help but relax; he really didn't like dealing with those female staff members.

After entering, the old man cupped his hands slightly toward Lin Qing in a simple greeting, then walked straight to the table and began appraising the Medicinal Pills.

He picked up the jade bottles one by one, gently pulled out the stoppers, sniffed them, and focused his gaze with practiced movements. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had finished appraising all the pills.

The old man put down the last jade bottle, looked up at Lin Qing, and said in a calm tone:

"Honored guest, I have finished the appraisal. These pills of yours are all high-quality fifth-rank Medicinal Pills."

"Among them: two bottles of spirit gathering pills, one bottle of Spirit Clearing Pills, one bottle of Rejuvenation Pills, and five vein erosion pills."

Lin Qing sat in his chair, listening quietly. The names of these pills were straightforward and simple; one could roughly know their effects just by their names.

He could keep the spirit gathering pills, Spirit Clearing Pills, and Rejuvenation Pills for his own use. As for the vein erosion pills, he planned to sell them back to the chamber. So Lin Qing looked up at the old man and asked:

"Do you, the Heshun Chamber of Commerce, buy vein erosion pills?"

Hearing this, the old man nodded slightly and said:

"We do. The chamber naturally buys them. However, I must clarify with you beforehand that the buyback price for these vein erosion pills might not meet your expectations. Please be prepared for that."

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, "Oh? Is there a reason for that?"

Seeing that Lin Qing truly didn't understand the inner workings, the old man patiently explained:

"As you may not know, although the cost of producing poison pills is extremely high, the market for them is very small, and few people buy them."

"The cost of refining a poison pill effective against a fifth-rank Cultivator is often enough for a Cultivator to Breakthrough a minor Realm."

"Compared to spending an exorbitant price on a poison pill to plot against someone, most Cultivators would rather spend their resources on themselves to improve their strength."

"Therefore, the liquidity of poison pills in the market is extremely poor. Even if the Materials are expensive and the grade is not low, the actual trading price has always remained low."

After listening, Lin Qing understood. If it were him, he would make the same choice. Instead of having spare money to buy poison pills, it was better to improve his own cultivation.

What? You want to take poison pills? Refine them yourself if you want them!

Even if the price was low, he still decided to sell these five vein erosion pills. Keeping them was useless to him; it was better to exchange them for solid Spirit Stones.

"The low price doesn't matter, sell them." Lin Qing said flatly.

The old man immediately nodded and gave a quote:

"Five fifth-rank vein erosion pills, the chamber's buyback price is a total of two hundred Spirit Stones. Do you agree, honored guest?"

Lin Qing didn't hesitate and nodded directly.

Adding the five hundred Spirit Stones Sect Master Shen Yurong had given him previously, he now had over seven hundred Spirit Stones.

With the pills handled, Lin Qing spoke again, stating the main purpose of his trip.

"I also want to purchase some low-rank Spells. Does the chamber have any?"

Lin Qing wasn't sure if the Heshun Chamber of Commerce had mid-rank Spells, but even if they did, he couldn't afford them with his current wealth, so he didn't bother asking.

Hearing this, the old man laughed and nodded, taking out a booklet from his Storage Ring and handing it to Lin Qing.

"Of course we do. Here is the catalog; you can look through it and choose for yourself."

Lin Qing took the booklet and browsed through it quickly.

Based on his experience, he only needed to practice five low-rank Spells to automatically master all low-rank spiritual Qi manipulation methods. Therefore, he only needed to pick the five cheapest ones.

In the end, he chose Fireball Technique and Water Bullet at eighty Spirit Stones each; Wind Blade Technique and Light Body Technique at one hundred Spirit Stones each; and a Spiritual Qi Armor for one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.

The total cost was four hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.

After the transaction was completed, Lin Qing didn't linger. He took a detour again, changed out of his black robes, and after confirming he wasn't being followed, slowly returned to the small courtyard in Luoxia Valley.