Chapter 1934: Qingyuan Tribe's Fierce Ape

The blue flying needle had flickering runes on its surface and emanated an imposing spiritual aura, clearly indicating it was a low-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure.

This was the Profound Jade Spirit-Slaying Needle, forged primarily from ten-thousand-year profound jade and silver-adamant stone. It was the first Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure Wang Changsheng had ever refined in the Profound Sun Realm.

Generally, high-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures might trigger heavenly tribulations, whereas mid- and low-grade ones cannot. Any treasure capable of attracting heavenly tribulations was truly extraordinary.

All told, Wang Changsheng possessed four low-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures: the Nine Flood Dragon Drum, the Glazed Spirit-Severing Axe, the Profound Moon Shield, and the Profound Jade Spirit-Slaying Needle. His natal artifact, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, was still a Spirit Treasure. He had not yet refined a complete set of Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures, and merely gathering the materials needed to upgrade all eighteen Sea-Stabilizing Pearls to Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures would be a significant challenge.

Refining a complete set of Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures was already difficult, and the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls numbered eighteen. If all of them could be upgraded to Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures, Wang Changsheng's power would increase by a considerable margin.

The Seven Star Merchant Alliance was holding an auction, presenting Wang Changsheng with an opportune moment to bid for rare water-attribute refining materials to upgrade his Sea-Stabilizing Pearls.

While selling a large quantity of silver-adamant stone would earn Wang Changsheng a substantial amount of spirit stones, it would also easily attract suspicion. If Song Feng were to grow suspicious of him, it would create significant trouble.

If he chose not to sell the silver-adamant stone, Wang Changsheng didn't have many other valuable possessions. The Underworld Moon Water presented a good alternative, and he might even seize the opportunity to discover its true origin.

After meditating for over an hour, Wang Changsheng put away the Profound Jade Spirit-Slaying Needle and stepped out.

He strolled around the market. Perhaps because of the upcoming auction hosted by the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, there were significantly more Soul Transformation cultivators on the streets.

Half an hour later, Wang Changsheng arrived at a bluestone plaza spanning ten thousand acres. Numerous small stalls dotted the plaza, with owners whose cultivation levels varied from Foundation Establishment to Soul Transformation. The items on display were diverse, though most were ordinary wares.

Wang Changsheng browsed, hoping to discover a hidden gem.

Suddenly, he paused at a stall owned by a short, stout middle-aged man in the mid-Nascent Soul stage. The stall displayed a wide array of items: ores, beast bones, demon cores, spirit herbs, and more. Most were suitable for Nascent Soul cultivators, with nothing seemingly intended for Soul Transformation cultivators.

Wang Changsheng's gaze landed on a blue and white speckled ore. Its surface was dotted with numerous blue specks of light, and it felt remarkably light when he picked it up.

"Senior has excellent taste," the middle-aged man said enthusiastically. "Cloud Sea Ore comes from ten thousand fathoms beneath the sea, making it incredibly difficult to mine. A piece this size is truly rare, and it's excellent for artifact refining. If Senior likes it, how about seventy thousand spirit stones?"

He added that Cloud Sea Ore served as a useful auxiliary material for refining Spirit Treasures.

Wang Changsheng didn't haggle. He handed the middle-aged man a blue storage bag and left with the ore.

"It's just a Spirit Treasure; it's absolutely not worth this much Gold-Lapis Crystal."

"Exactly! Gold-Lapis Crystal is a fifth-tier refining material, and a single jin can fetch eighty thousand spirit stones. Requesting over fifty jin is simply excessive."

"Hmph," a voice retorted. "This is the mirage pearl I acquired from slaying a fifth-tier high-grade Illusionary Mirage Beast. While my refining skills may not match those of your human refiners, this is a genuine Spirit Treasure. If you're looking for a bargain, go elsewhere; I, Yuan Lie, do not welcome such attempts."

A heated argument erupted ahead, drawing a crowd of cultivators.

"An Illusionary Mirage Beast?"

Wang Changsheng's heart stirred. Illusionary Mirage Beasts were exceedingly rare demonic beasts, masters of illusionary arts that made them nearly impossible to guard against. Their mirage pearls were superb materials for crafting illusion-based treasures. A mirage pearl from a fifth-tier high-grade Illusionary Mirage Beast would be more than sufficient to refine an illusion-type Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure.

He quickly walked forward and squeezed into the crowd.

A robust red giant ape sat on the ground, its stall displaying various items such as magic treasures, refining materials, spirit wood, and spirit herbs.

The red giant ape stood three zhang tall, with crimson fur and red eyes. The powerful magical energy fluctuations it emitted suggested it was even stronger than a late-Soul Transformation cultivator.

The human race had a good relationship with the Azure Ape clan. Generally, members of the Azure Ape clan rarely studied artifact refining, as their physical bodies were their most potent weapons. However, there were always exceptions; any thriving race would inevitably have its own artifact refiners, talisman masters, formation masters, and alchemists. Relying solely on external purchases would leave them vulnerable to hostile forces.

Wang Changsheng's gaze landed on a silver jade box containing a silvery-white round pearl. Runes flickered across its surface, and it radiated an astonishing spiritual aura, clearly marking it as a Spirit Treasure.

Wang Changsheng felt a slight dizziness just by looking at it.

He himself possessed a Spirit Treasure, the Soul-Capturing Pearl, which had the ability to confuse enemies.

Standing before the stall was a middle-aged man in a green long robe, with narrow eyes, a straight nose, and an air of arrogance. Beside him stood a plump old man in a blue robe, with a round face and small eyes.

The middle-aged man chuckled, saying, "Daoist Yuan, please don't be angry. A transaction requires mutual willingness. If the price isn't right, we can always discuss it further."

"This Heavenly Illusion Pearl, if taken back and re-tempered with some rare illusionary materials, could easily be refined and upgraded into a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure," Yuan Lie explained.

As Yuan Lie spoke, he picked up the silvery-white pearl and infused it with his magical power. A dazzling white light flared, and soon after, the spiritual radiance dissipated, revealing a graceful young woman in a purple dress, whose features were as picturesque as a painting and whose skin was as fair as snow.

Wang Changsheng's eyes lit up; this Heavenly Illusion Pearl was indeed an indispensable item for ambushing and plundering treasures.

With a flash of spiritual light, the young woman in the purple dress vanished, replaced once more by Yuan Lie.

The middle-aged man's lips moved slightly, clearly transmitting a private message.

Yuan Lie's face showed an expression of temptation, tinged with hesitation.

"Daoist Yuan," Wang Changsheng transmitted, "I am willing to offer forty jin of silver-adamant stone in exchange for this Heavenly Illusion Pearl. What do you say?"

Wang Changsheng transmitted this message because with the Heavenly Illusion Pearl, he could confidently sell the Underworld Moon Water.

Silver-adamant stone was even more valuable than Gold-Lapis Crystal; otherwise, Song Feng wouldn't have used it to refine a set of Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures.

Yuan Lie, clearly tempted, looked towards Wang Changsheng.

The middle-aged man frowned deeply and glanced at Wang Changsheng, who pretended not to notice, acting completely unfazed.

"I am Huang Tianyou from Xuanfeng Island. May I know your name, Daoist friend?"

The middle-aged man asked politely. Before understanding the other party's background, he wouldn't rashly antagonize them. By stating his family's name, he hoped to intimidate his competitor.

"My surname is Wang."

Wang Changsheng took out his identity token, infused it with magical power, and a deafening sound like a tsunami erupted.

"The Sea-Stabilizing Palace!"

Huang Tianyou's expression turned grim. If it had been a Soul Transformation cultivator from another power, he could have used his family's name to intimidate them. However, his opponent hailed from the Sea-Stabilizing Palace, an organization his family simply couldn't contend with.

Seeing Wang Changsheng's identity token, Yuan Lie's eyes lit up. "Daoist Huang," he declared, "if you cannot produce fifty jin of Gold-Lapis Crystal, then this Heavenly Illusion Pearl will belong to this Daoist friend."

Among the 'One Palace, Two Sects, Three Families, Four Gates, and Five Kings,' the Huang family was not one of the esteemed Three Families. They could hardly afford to offend the Sea-Stabilizing Palace.

Unable to produce fifty jin of Gold-Lapis Crystal, Huang Tianyou clasped his fists in a polite bow, then turned and departed.

"Daoist Yuan, may we find a more private place to discuss this in detail?"

Wang Changsheng asked politely.

Yuan Lie nodded and agreed. He quickly packed up his stall and followed Wang Changsheng away.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wang Changsheng and Yuan Lie appeared in a private room within a teahouse. Yuan Lie's presence there drew considerable attention from other cultivators.

"Daoist Wang, can you truly provide forty jin of silver-adamant stone?" Yuan Lie asked, his voice eager and urgent.