Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"Boss, how much for this bottle?" Lu Yang squatted down and asked casually.
"Sir, you have a keen eye. This Jade Pure Bottle was acquired from a secret realm opened by an Elemental Infant cultivator. It contains diluted Taiyi True Water, eighty thousand spirit stones."
Lu Yang's eye twitched, thinking to himself that this was practically robbery; the entire fortune of a Golden Elixir cultivator was only about a hundred thousand spirit stones.
Moreover, the Immortal Fairy had already told him that the Taiyi True Water inside was diluted by a factor of ten thousand. The power contained in his own urine was greater than this.
In the market, if you're not sharp, lack knowledge, or have poor vision, you're easy to be swindled.
Luckily, he had the Immortal Fairy.
"What are the effects of this bottle of pills?"
"It's often difficult for cultivators to succeed in forming their Golden Elixir in one go. This bottle of pills can simulate the process of Golden Elixir formation, with about sixty percent similarity to the real thing, greatly increasing the success rate. Thirty thousand spirit stones per bottle," the vendor pitched enthusiastically.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a glance, puzzled. Isn't forming the Golden Elixir always a one-time success?
Lu Yang shook the bottle of pills and laughed, "Boss, you're not being honest. Even if the pills are sealed to prevent dissipation, their potency is still leaking. Thirty thousand is the price for a complete bottle, not for what you have here."
The vendor praised Lu Yang's sharp eye with a smile on his face, but inwardly he was alarmed to have encountered someone who knew their stuff.
"And this flying sword, don't tell me it was used by the owner of the secret realm," Lu Yang said nonchalantly, his attitude leaving the vendor unsure.
The vendor, caught up in the situation, didn't realize, but Meng Jingzhou saw clearly that Lu Yang had laid so much groundwork for the purpose of this flying sword.
Such a shabby flying sword, could it be hiding some secret?
"This flying sword is made of sturdy material, remaining uncorrupted after a hundred years. Although it's not up to the standard of an Elemental Infant cultivator's accessory, it's definitely one of the close-combat treasures. It has been through a great battle and was placed in the secret realm because repairing it would be a loss!" the vendor asserted, as if he had personally witnessed an Elemental Infant cultivator using the sword to slay enemies.
Lu Yang didn't believe the vendor's tall tales, but another question suddenly occurred to him: how could a celestial sword be so damaged? Even after tens of thousands of years, it shouldn't be like this.
Unless it truly went through a great battle, and the celestial sword was broken!
Who was the enemy?
"Alright, save those stories to fool others. Don't think I can't tell that this flying sword is of questionable quality. It's barely suitable for a Golden Elixir cultivator, probably more fitting for a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Although the vendor didn't know the origin of the flying sword, he couldn't let Lu Yang have the final say.
"This is definitely the personal sword of the secret realm's owner during his Golden Elixir phase, not something a Foundation Establishment cultivator would use!"
Lu Yang showed an expression of not wanting to argue: "Three thousand spirit stones. The sword is so damaged, I'll need to repair it after buying."
"Twenty thousand at least!"
"Let's go," Lu Yang stood up to leave.
"Wait, wait, we can still negotiate the price, eighteen thousand spirit stones!"
Lu Yang said coldly, "Five thousand spirit stones."
The vendor gritted his teeth. He had set up shop elsewhere, but everyone scoffed at the sword for being too damaged, with no buyers. It was not easy to find a buyer during the Qingzhou festival, and who knew how long it would be until the next opportunity: "Five thousand it is, let's just make friends!"
Seeing Lu Yang successfully acquire the flying sword, Meng Jingzhou curiously asked via telepathy, "What's the origin of this flying sword?"
"A flying sword used by an ancient immortal."
Meng Jingzhou gasped in shock, enviously looking at Lu Yang. What a steal!
Originally, Lu Yang wanted to probe the vendor about the origin of the flying sword, but as soon as the vendor mentioned it was from a secret realm opened by an Elemental Infant cultivator, Lu Yang knew he wouldn't get any more information.
To inflate the price, vendors would concoct origins for their goods, meaning at most, the sword was obtained from an Elemental Infant's secret realm.
It was probably picked up by an Elemental Infant cultivator by chance, with no way to trace its source.
Lu Yang examined the sword for a moment. It was damaged, but there were no bloodstains or nicks, and the break was rough, as if it had been snapped by brute force.
His sword spiritual root intuition told him that this was once an exceptional sword.
"Was the Kylin Immortal a sword cultivator?"
"Was the Kylin Immortal a sword cultivator?"
The Immortal Fairy shook her head: "No, the Kylin Immortal didn't use swords. Let's go, let's see what else is good."
"Wait a minute, if the Kylin Immortal didn't use swords, what was this flying sword for?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? When the Kylin Immortal did something wrong, those two dragon and phoenix girls would stand the swords up to form a square and make the Kylin Immortal kneel on the sword tips."
"The Kylin Immortal then asked the Heavenly Immortal to forge a batch of flying swords that looked impressive and shone with cold light, but had no power when used, just like kneeling on foam."
"When the dragon and phoenix girls found out, they broke all the swords in anger, and the one you have is one of them."
Lu Yang: "…"
So I spent five thousand spirit stones on this thing?
Lu Yang had thought about asking the Immortal Fairy to help him find a bargain, to let Meng Jingzhou also experience the thrill of a good find.
Now it seems better not to waste Meng Jingzhou's spirit stones on the Immortal Fairy's antics.
***
"Sir, disciples from The Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, The Five Elements Sect, and Suppress Hell Sect have arrived and are waiting at the gate," a subordinate reported respectfully.
The governor nodded slightly, giving great importance to the people from the five major immortal sects: "Only three sects? Seek Tao Sect and The Floating Temple haven't come? Then invite them all over."
The Qingzhou festival was jointly organized by the Qingzhou government and several local first-tier sects. If people from the five major immortal sects came, it would add prestige to the event.
"That old ancestor from Seek Tao Sect set a good precedent here as governor," the governor mused. Whether the people from Seek Tao Sect were reliable or not was another question, but their boundless creativity was unmatched.
This Qingzhou festival was their idea.
A successful festival would be credited to his political achievements.
The most attractive part of the Qingzhou festival was the exchange between cultivators, but the five major immortal sects had their own internal exchanges, with geniuses as the participants, who hardly cared for this event.
Sending people was a courtesy to the Qingzhou government.
"What are you waiting for, go on?" the governor looked puzzled at the subordinate who stood still.
"Sir, here's the situation: there seems to be no place for the disciples from the immortal sects to stay."
"What about the post station?"
"Following your orders, to make high-level cultivators feel the warmth of the government, they are all staying at the post station."
"What about the inns at the foot of the mountain?"
"They're all full."
"Then build some temporary houses."
"There's no space left. When planning, to accommodate more people, we used up all the available land."
The governor was in a difficult position. It was good that the five major immortal sects sent people, but if they were not well accommodated, it would be hard to invite them again in the future.
"Not a single house built by the government is available?" the governor asked, not giving up hope.
The subordinate actually thought of a place: "There is a place that can accommodate people, with a vast area and plenty of empty rooms. It was built by us, and it would be no problem for them to stay without paying spirit stones."
The governor's eyes lit up: "Where is it?"
"The prison."