Chapter 181: Black Market Tips

He had just come to this familiar dark market, intending merely to browse. He held no hope whatsoever. But to his utter disbelief, someone was indeed selling a beast whip. What's more, it was a King-grade Demonic Emperor Bloodline beast whip! Its efficacy surpassed that of ordinary Demonic Emperor Bloodline beast whips! This was truly a blessing from the heavens! There was hope for the prescription now!

Jiang Fan looked up. It was a round-faced old man with a pale complexion and white hair, and a green mole on his forehead, who at first glance resembled a Bodhisattva from a temple. Indeed, he was truly a living Bodhisattva. Jiang Fan had been worried no one would buy it. He was about to nod, but then remembered Wen Shengnan's 'black-hearted merchant' secret: "Don't be polite to anxious customers." Observing the old man's excited expression, he was clearly eager for it. And at such an advanced age, he was still so improper.

So Jiang Fan impolitely hiked up the price! He held up seven fingers.

"Seventy thousand?" Zhuang Yuanyin immediately frowned when he saw Jiang Fan's impromptu price hike. Was he being taken for a fool? But considering this beast whip was the only one of its kind in the lands of the Nine Sects, though seventy thousand spirit stones was an exorbitant price, he had no other choice. He was about to pull out the money immediately.

Good heavens! He'd even buy it for seventy thousand? How desperate was this old man?

Jiang Fan's eyes glinted. He quoted a new price, crossing two fingers to form a 'ten'.

"A hundred thousand?"

Zhuang Yuanyin, his authority evident despite his lack of overt anger, reprimanded, "Young man, this is no way to conduct business! Who repeatedly hikes up the price like this?"

Jiang Fan pouted, "Take it or leave it."

Gritting his teeth—Zhuang Yuanyin gnashed his old teeth. Given his status, he could certainly afford a hundred thousand spirit stones. And he was willing to pay such a price for a Demonic Emperor Bloodline beast whip, an item so rare it was nearly impossible to find. But Jiang Fan's audacity in repeatedly hiking the price infuriated him! If he bought it, he'd be a complete fool! If he didn't buy it, there was no other option!

Finally, after much internal struggle, he reluctantly pulled out a palm-sized jade token, his aged face dark with displeasure. A faint spiritual glow emanated from it, with the characters '100,000' engraved on its face.

"Take it!" He tossed it onto the stall.

Jiang Fan was momentarily stunned. "What is this?"

Wen Shengnan's expression, however, changed immediately. She quickly wrapped the Beast King Beast Whip, presenting it with both hands, and respectfully said, "Senior, please take this."

Zhuang Yuanyin snatched it. He shot Jiang Fan a fierce glare, snorted dismissively, and departed.

Jiang Fan quickly said, "You haven't given..."

Wen Shengnan, however, pulled him back and said, "Isn't this money?" She picked up the jade token from the stall, her eyes wide with surprise. "This is a unique Crystal Token from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. With this token, one can redeem the indicated number of spirit stones at any Heavenly Secret Pavilion branch. This token is indeed for an amount of one hundred thousand."

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. Crystal Tokens were much like the banknotes circulated in the mortal world. Carrying too many spirit stones was inconvenient. Crystal Tokens, however, were much lighter to carry.

"Junior Brother Jiang, you shouldn't have continuously hiked up the price just now." Wen Shengnan examined the Crystal Token closely, her voice serious. "The Heavenly Secret Pavilion only issues Crystal Tokens to the Sect Masters of the Nine Sects and the elders of their respective peaks. That old man just now must hold a highly respected position. You've already offended him."

Jiang Fan couldn't help but feel a little guilty. But then, changing his mind, he indifferently pocketed the Crystal Token and said, "So what if I've offended him? The world is vast; where would he even find me?"

Wen Shengnan nodded slightly. "That's true! He's probably an elder from an outer sect; the chances of you two meeting again are virtually zero."

She thought of Jiang Fan, who had managed to sell a beast whip originally worth twenty thousand spirit stones for a staggering one hundred thousand. She couldn't help but mutter enviously, "I thought Junior Brother Jiang was just a naive innocent. Turns out he's even more unscrupulous than I am. If you cut him open, his insides must be entirely black, right?"

In a good mood, Jiang Fan helped Wen Shengnan sell off all the beast whips. Humming a little tune, he then returned to the Sect Master Peak.

The moment he opened the door, the room was once again littered with half-eaten natural treasures! That rascal had been stealing from the herb garden again! Jiang Fan unhappily pulled out some spiritual herbs he'd gotten from Medicine Peak and tossed them to the little Qilin: "You little thief, if you get caught, don't you dare expose me!"

The little Qilin's eyes sparkled. It immediately spat out the chewed spiritual ginseng in its mouth, then joyfully picked up the spiritual herbs and began to munch contentedly. Compared to ordinary natural treasures, it preferred refined spiritual herbs and elixirs even more!

Jiang Fan tidied up the room briefly, then swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill and began meditating cross-legged to consolidate the seventh-layer Foundation Establishment realm he had broken through earlier that day.

Unbeknownst to him, in a side hall, Liu Wenchen wore a look of surprise. "Master, what's wrong with you?" He noticed Zhuang Yuanyin's expression was off. He returned with a dark face, as if he had been greatly provoked. But who in Qingyun City would dare to anger Zhuang Yuanyin?

Zhuang Yuanyin angrily tossed the beast whip onto the table. Upon closer inspection, Liu Wenchen exclaimed in delight, "A Demonic Emperor Bloodline beast whip? And it's King-grade? Unbelievable! You actually managed to acquire it? If so, the prescription is within reach! But Master, why do you look unhappy?" Liu Wenchen asked, puzzled.

Zhuang Yuanyin snorted. "Do you know how much I spent? A hundred thousand! A full hundred thousand spirit stones!"

Liu Wenchen's heart ached. A hundred thousand spirit stones was no small sum, even for the Sect Master Peak. However, if it could restore Zhuang Yuanyin to his peak, then a hundred thousand was well worth it.

"One hundred thousand it is, then. This item is priceless and rarely seen; it's fortunate enough that you managed to acquire it," Liu Wenchen advised him, urging him to look at the brighter side.

Zhuang Yuanyin retorted, seething, "I'm not bothered by the money. Do you know how infuriating that kid who sold this thing is?" He then recounted his entire experience.

"Outrageous!" Liu Wenchen, enraged, slammed his palm onto the table, shattering it. "Isn't this just bullying? Hiking the price once is bad enough, but twice! What audacity! I'll send someone to apprehend him right away!"

Selling for a hundred thousand spirit stones and hiking the price *up* to a hundred thousand spirit stones are two entirely different matters! Anyone would find that unacceptable. Such black-heartedness directed at the venerable Old Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect—it was simply outrageous audacity!

Seeing Liu Wenchen so incensed, Zhuang Yuanyin's own temper cooled slightly. He said, "Let it be, let it be. If I had wanted to teach him a lesson, I would have acted then. It's just that I've just come out of seclusion and was immediately fleeced; I'm simply a bit displeased. Besides, if you make such a big fuss about apprehending him, do you want everyone in the world to know I was buying a beast whip last night?"

"This..." Liu Wenchen could only suppress his anger and let the matter drop.

Zhuang Yuanyin picked up the beast whip, feeling much more reassured. He finally had the peace of mind to properly assess the current state of Sect Master Peak. "Tomorrow, gather all inner disciples. I want to see what promising talents there are."

Liu Wenchen cupped his hands and bowed. "Yes, I will ensure everyone is informed and present!"

The following day, after a night of cultivation, Jiang Fan felt invigorated. His seventh-layer Foundation Establishment realm had been solidified. "The disciple evaluation should pose no major issues now," Jiang Fan mused. "Even if Tang Tianlong launched a full-power attack, he could calmly handle it. It wouldn't be easy to use this opportunity to expel him from the sect."

Ding, ding, ding—

Just then, the bell summoning to the Grand Hall rang out. Jiang Fan counted on his fingers, a look of surprise on his face. "It's not the end of the month for mission submissions yet, so why has Master summoned everyone?"

Immediately afterward, Liu Qingxian's shouts came from outside the door. "Jiang Fan, Jiang Fan, hurry up! The Grand Elder is summoning all disciples!"

Jiang Fan's spirit was roused. He felt a surge of excitement. Lately, he had only encountered Grand Elders from other peaks. His own Grand Elder was finally making an appearance. This gave him an immense sense of security. He quickly tidied himself up and hurried out. He couldn't wait to behold the Grand Elder's true appearance!