13: Chapter 13 Dress Up

The West Market remained as bustling as ever.

Gu Shen mingled with the crowd, his black cloth shoes, coated with "shadow essence," landing silently.

He discovered an interesting phenomenon: moving through the crowd today seemed smoother than usual.

Passing Cultivators often subconsciously ignored his presence; even if their gazes swept over him, it was as if they were looking at a blurry shadow, forgetting him in the blink of an eye.

"So this is the effect of Tier 2 mutant beast Materials."

Gu Shen felt slightly relieved, lowered his hat brim further, and headed straight into the depths of the West Market.

This time, he avoided the "Xu's Iron Shop" he had visited before and instead arrived in front of a shop named "Gold Stone Pavilion."

This was a medium-sized shop specializing in the purchase of spiritual Materials. Its reputation was better than private workshops; although it drove hard bargains, it had the advantage of being able to handle large quantities and not asking about the origin of the goods.

Behind the counter sat a shrewd, goat-bearded old Cultivator, who was examining Ore sent by others with a magnifying glass.

Gu Shen patiently waited until the previous customer left before stepping forward, pulling the heavy, purplish-red metal from his bosom and placing it gently on the counter.

"Shopkeeper, do you purchase refined red copper?"

His voice remained the disguised, hoarse one.

The goat-bearded man glanced over indifferently, but the hand he was about to extend suddenly stopped.

He adjusted his glasses, leaned forward, and looked with some surprise at the cloud patterns flowing on the surface of the metal.

"Oh?"

The old Cultivator extended a finger and pressed it against the metal surface. A searing, dry heat instantly repelled his fingertip.

"The fire energy is contained within, and the patterns are naturally formed."

The old Cultivator looked up, regarding Gu Shen directly for the first time. "This purity... I fear it is over ninety percent. Where did you obtain this, Fellow Daoist?"

Ordinary Loose Cultivators could never refine refined red copper of this quality using ground fire. Only Artifact Refiners in large Sects who possessed special spiritual fires could achieve this.

"I was lucky enough to obtain it in an ancient Cultivator's remains."

Gu Shen was concise and did not take the bait. "Name a price."

The old Cultivator gave him a long look but did not ask further. In the market, nine and a half out of ten such claims of "ancient remains" or "ancestral heritage" were fake; everyone understood this tacitly.

"The quality is good; it is excellent material for forging Medium Grade Magical Artifacts."

The old Cultivator fiddled with his abacus. "The market price is five Spirit Stones per jin. This piece of yours weighs two jin and three taels. Theoretically, it is worth eleven and a half Spirit Stones."

The abacus beads clicked crisply.

"But since your piece has high purity, it saves the effort of secondary refining." The old Cultivator paused and extended three fingers. "Thirteen Spirit Stones, I will take it all."

It was higher than expected.

Gu Shen's eyebrows raised slightly beneath his mask.

"Deal."

Without any wasted words.

A moment later, thirteen Spirit Stones were in his pocket. Added to what he had obtained from killing and looting earlier, the total number of Spirit Stones Gu Shen possessed reached twenty-eight.

For a Loose Cultivator at Qi Refining Level 3, this was already a massive sum of money that would make others envious.

Gu Shen did not leave the West Market immediately.

Once one has money, it must be converted into combat power.

His current means of attack included the gold-severing saber and Golden Light Finger; for ambushing, he had the poison evil bead; for escaping, he had the shadow shoes. The only thing missing was one thing.

Defense.

That Low Grade Vajra Talisman was a one-time consumable; once used, it was gone. In this treacherous market, without a shield in hand, he wouldn't even sleep soundly.

Gu Shen turned and walked into a Magical Artifact shop named "Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion."

As soon as he entered, he heard a commotion of arguing.

"Price hike? Yesterday this black iron shield was fifteen Spirit Stones, why is it eighteen today? Are you robbing people!" a Loose Cultivator roared with a red neck.

The shop assistant looked helpless: "Customer, shouting is useless. The front lines are tense recently, and all major Sects are requisitioning large amounts of refined iron and defensive Magical Artifacts. The procurement cost has risen; there is nothing we can do."

"The front lines are tense?"

Gu Shen caught this keyword, and his heart sank slightly.

It seemed the rumors in the market were not false; friction between the Righteous and Demonic paths on the border was becoming more frequent. As chaotic times approached, soaring prices were inevitable.

"This also means the sooner I buy, the more cost-effective it will be."

Gu Shen did not hesitate anymore, squeezed through the crowd, and scanned the shelves behind the counter.

The dazzling array of Magical Artifacts was mostly Low Grade, with very few Medium Grade ones.

"I want that shield."

Gu Shen pointed to a dusty little round shield in the corner.

The shield was only the size of a pot lid, its surface pitted and uneven, and it seemed to have been repaired; its appearance was terrible.

The shop assistant glanced at it: "Customer, you have a good eye. This is a black turtle shield, a fine item among Low Grade Magical Artifacts. It is mixed with black water profound iron. Although it is second-hand and has been repaired, its defensive power remains undiminished and can withstand three full-force strikes from a Middle Stage Cultivator."

"How much?"

"It originally sold for sixteen, but with today's price hike, it is twenty Spirit Stones." The assistant extended two fingers.

Gu Shen frowned.

Really expensive.

Twenty Spirit Stones was the savings of an ordinary Loose Cultivator for ten years.

"Eighteen." Gu Shen said coldly, "This shield has cracks on the edge; although it has been repaired, its spirituality has leaked, and it won't last many uses."

The assistant made a bitter face: "Customer, with the current market conditions..."

"Eighteen, I will pay now." Gu Shen directly took out a handful of Spirit Stones and slapped them on the counter. "If not, I will go next door."

Looking at the pile of glittering Spirit Stones, the assistant swallowed.

"Fine! Eighteen it is! Let's just consider it making a friend!"

Money and goods exchanged hands.

Gu Shen grabbed the heavy black turtle shield; it felt cold and heavy in his hand, giving him a solid sense of security. He quickly tucked it into his bosom and turned to leave.

At this moment, only ten Spirit Stones remained in his pocket.

Back to square one overnight.

But Gu Shen's steps were much lighter than when he arrived.

Attack, defense, escape, ambush.

Until this moment, the prototype of his "hexagonal warrior" could be considered barely complete.

Walking out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, the sky was approaching dusk.

Gu Shen was preparing to go home, but when passing a Medicinal Pill stall, his footsteps suddenly paused.

A sign hung on the stall: "High-price purchase of Yao Beast Materials, selling various Medicinal Pills."

The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a sorrowful face, sighing and groaning.

Gu Shen's gaze fell on a jade bottle in the corner of his stall.

barrier-breaking pill (defective).

This was a Medicinal Pill used to assist in breaking through the Bottleneck of the Early Stage Qi Refining to charge towards the Middle Stage. Although it was labeled "defective," indicating it was a substandard product from a failed refining process, its efficacy was only thirty percent of the genuine article, and the pill poison was immense.

But even so, the listed price was as high as eight Spirit Stones.

Gu Shen was currently at the Perfection of Qi Refining Level 3. To Breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage 4 (Middle Stage), relying solely on "essence white dew" to accumulate spiritual power was not enough; he had to use external force to break the Bottleneck.

A genuine barrier-breaking pill cost at least thirty Spirit Stones; he could not afford it.

But this...

Gu Shen touched the center of his eyebrows.

Defective pill? Pill poison?

In front of the [Heaven and Earth Furnace], wasn't this just raw Materials waiting to be refined?

"I want this Medicinal Pill."

Gu Shen walked up and pointed to that jade bottle.

The stall owner was stunned, then overjoyed: "Fellow Daoist wants this? This is... cough cough, although it is a defective product, it still has medicinal power. As long as Fellow Daoist has a strong physique and can withstand the pill poison..."

"Six Spirit Stones." Gu Shen cut the price directly.

"This... the cost price is more than that, seven! At least seven!"

"Six and a half."

After some back-and-forth.

Finally, Gu Shen spent his last six and a half Spirit Stones and took the bottle of waste pills.

Up to this point, only three and a half Spirit Stones remained in his pocket; that was the rent money for next month.

It was calculated just right.

Gu Shen put away the Medicinal Pill, tightened his collar, and disappeared into the end of the street in the twilight, following the bustling crowd.

Everything is ready, except for the east wind.

Tonight, Breakthrough.