Chapter 351: A Lucky Find

“Boss, how much for this bottle?” Lu Yang squatted down and asked casually.

“Good eye, guest. This jade purification bottle was obtained from a secret realm opened by a Nascent Soul cultivator, and it contains diluted Taiyi True Water. The price is eighty thousand Spirit Stones.”

Lu Yang’s eye twitched. He thought, Are you trying to rob me? Even a Golden Core Stage cultivator’s entire net worth is only around a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Plus, Everlasting Fairy had already told him that the Taiyi True Water inside was diluted ten thousand times—his own urine would have more potency than this.

In the marketplace, if you’re not sharp, knowledgeable, or observant, it’s easy to get scammed.

Thankfully, he had Everlasting Fairy.

“What’s the effect of these pills?”

“It’s often difficult for cultivators to form their cores in one go. These pills simulate the process of core formation with about sixty percent accuracy, significantly increasing the chances of success. Thirty thousand Spirit Stones per bottle,” the vendor enthusiastically promoted.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a puzzled look; wasn’t core formation supposed to be a one-time success?

Lu Yang shook the bottle of pills and smiled. “Boss, you’re not being honest. Even with the sealing method, the medicinal efficacy of the pills is still leaking. Thirty thousand per bottle is the price for a complete pill, not for this degraded one.”

The vendor forced a smile, praising Lu Yang’s keen eye while secretly shocked—he had run into someone who knew their stuff.

“And what about this flying sword? Don’t tell me it’s the sword used by the secret realm’s owner,” Lu Yang said casually, his attitude making the vendor uncertain.

While the vendor was clueless, Meng Jingzhou had figured it out—Lu Yang was laying the groundwork, aiming for this flying sword.

Could there be some hidden secret in such a broken sword?

“This flying sword is made of tough material and has lasted for centuries. Though it’s not quite worthy of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator’s use, it’s definitely one of their close combat treasures. It went through a great battle, and the cost of repairs outweighed its worth, so it was left in the secret realm!” the vendor confidently declared, as if he had witnessed the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator using the sword in battle.

Lu Yang didn’t believe the vendor’s story but suddenly thought of another issue—how could an immortal sword be so badly damaged? Even after several hundred thousand years, it shouldn’t be like this.

Unless it had truly gone through a great battle and the sword was broken!

Who was the enemy?

“Enough. You can fool others with that story, but don’t think I can’t see through it. This sword’s quality is so poor that even a Golden Core Stage cultivator would struggle to use it—it’s likely a Foundation Building cultivator’s sword.”

Although the vendor didn’t know the true origins of the sword, he couldn’t let Lu Yang determine its value.

“This is definitely the sword used by the secret realm’s owner when he was in the Golden Core Stage! It couldn’t have been used by someone in the Foundation Building Stage!”

Lu Yang put on a dismissive expression. “Three thousand Spirit Stones. The sword is so broken that I’ll have to spend more to fix it.”

“At least twenty thousand!”

“We’re leaving.” Lu Yang stood up and started to walk away.

“Wait, wait! We can negotiate. Eighteen thousand Spirit Stones!”

Lu Yang coldly replied, “Five thousand Spirit Stones.”

The vendor gritted his teeth. He had set up stalls elsewhere, but the sword was always considered too broken, and no one would buy it. Now, at the Qingzhou Festival, someone finally showed interest, and who knew how long it would be before another opportunity arose. “Five thousand it is—let’s call it a friendly deal!”

Seeing Lu Yang obtain the sword as he wished, Meng Jingzhou curiously sent a voice transmission asking, “What’s the origin of this flying sword?”

“It was used by an ancient immortal.”

Meng Jingzhou gasped, looking at Lu Yang with envy. He had really scored big!

Originally, Lu Yang had intended to subtly ask the vendor about the sword’s origins, but the vendor had immediately claimed it was from a secret realm opened by a Nascent Soul cultivator, so there was no point in asking further.

To inflate the price, vendors would often fabricate the backstory of their items, meaning this sword was, at most, acquired from a Nascent Soul secret realm.

It was probably picked up by some Nascent Soul Stage cultivator at some point, and the true origins can no longer be traced.

Lu Yang examined the sword closely. It was damaged, but there were no bloodstains or chips; the break was rough, as if it had been forcibly snapped.

His sword spirit intuition told him that this must have once been an exceptional sword.

“Was Qilin Immortal a sword cultivator?”

Everlasting Fairy shook her head. “No, Qilin Immortal didn’t use swords. Come on, let’s keep looking for other good stuff.”

“Wait a minute. If Qilin Immortal didn’t use swords, what was this flying sword for?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? When Qilin Immortal messed up, those two Dragon and Phoenix girls would set up flying swords in a square formation and make Qilin Immortal kneel on the sword tips.”

“So Qilin Immortal asked Ying Tian Immortal to forge a batch of flying swords that looked impressive—sharp and shiny but harmless, like kneeling on foam.”

“Later, when the Dragon and Phoenix girls found out, they were furious and broke all the flying swords. The one in your hand is one of them.”

Lu Yang: “…”

So I just spent five thousand Spirit Stones on this junk?

Lu Yang initially thought he could have Everlasting Fairy help him find a real treasure, letting Meng Jingzhou experience the thrill of a lucky find as well.

But now, it seemed better to give up on that idea. He didn’t want Everlasting Fairy wasting Meng Jingzhou’s Spirit Stones too.

“My lord, the disciples from Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, Five Elements Sect, and Prison-Suppressing Sect have arrived and are waiting at the entrance,” a subordinate reported respectfully.

Upon hearing this, the governor nodded slightly, paying great attention to the presence of members from the Five Great Immortal Sects. “Only three sects? Dao Seeking Sect and Hanging Temple haven’t arrived? Well, invite them in.”

The Qingzhou Festival was co-hosted by the Qingzhou government and several top local sects. If disciples from the Five Great Immortal Sects attended, it would raise the prestige of the event.

“That old ancestor of Dao Seeking Sect who served as governor here really set a great example,” the governor sighed. Whether or not Dao Seeking Sect’s people were reliable was debatable, but their wild ideas were second to none.

After all, the Qingzhou Festival itself was an idea that came from Dao Seeking Sect.

If the event was successful, it would count as an achievement.

The most appealing aspect of the Qingzhou Festival was the exchange among cultivators. However, the Five Great Immortal Sects had their own internal exchanges with fellow geniuses, so they didn’t particularly care for this event.

Sending people was more about giving face to the Qingzhou government.

“What are you standing around for? Go on!” The governor looked at his subordinate in confusion as he remained in place.

“My lord, there’s a bit of a problem. It seems the disciples from the immortal sects have nowhere to stay.”

“What about the post stations?”

“Following your instructions, we reserved those for higher-level cultivators to show the government’s hospitality.”

“And the inns at the foot of the mountain?”

“They’re all full.”

“Then build some temporary housing.”

“There’s no space. During the planning, to accommodate more people, we occupied every available area.”

The governor felt troubled. Having disciples from the Five Great Immortal Sects attend was a great opportunity, but if they were poorly treated, it would be hard to invite them in the future.

“Isn’t there even one government-constructed house left?” The governor was still hopeful, urging his subordinate to think harder.

The subordinate suddenly remembered something. “There is a place that can house people—large grounds, plenty of vacant rooms, built by us, and it wouldn’t cost a single Spirit Stone to stay. It’s all up to your command.”

The governor’s eyes lit up. “Where is that?”

“The jail”

(End of the chapter)