Jia Ren hesitated for a moment but decided against taking action at night. The night was too dangerous; it was practically a paradise for Bizarre Cultivators. Who knew how many would emerge to stir up trouble? If he accidentally stumbled into the line of fire, he would likely die without ever knowing why. Jia Ren wouldn't risk his life, especially not just to test poisons. If he were to make a move, he would wait until his strength had significantly improved and far surpassed his opponents'. He resolved to ensure overwhelming strength, never relying on being weaker to overcome the strong, nor would he challenge those beyond his level.
Time to grind Proficiency!
The Wind Control Skill is about to reach Master Level!
With more Spiritual Power at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, the frequency of using the Wind Control Skill increased, doubling the efficiency of grinding its Proficiency Level. The Wind Control Skill was only a little over a hundred proficiency points away from Master Level. After a night of hard grinding, he finally reached it.
Master Level Wind Control Skill is truly powerful!
The Breeze Robe's effect is quite good too!
Rising at the crack of dawn, Jia Ren skillfully activated the Wind Control Skill, transforming into a swift figure that rapidly flew away. He felt as if he were sailing on the wind, his speed increased by more than fifty percent compared to before. Compared to the entry-level Wind Control Skill, his speed had quadrupled.
The Wind Control Skill's potential hasn't been fully tapped. Above Master Level, there's Grandmaster Level, and Grandmaster Level can even break its limits!
How fast would a limit-breaking Wind Control Skill be?
It's truly something to look forward to.
After preparing and eating breakfast in the early morning, Jia Ren was getting ready to set up his stall when he saw a male Cultivator emerge from the stone house behind his. The man's hair was disheveled, his Taoist Robe worn haphazardly, and he kept looking around furtively, like a thief. Upon seeing Jia Ren emerge, the man's face showed an awkward yet polite smile.
This one's a novice, not thick-skinned enough yet, Jia Ren thought.
"Daoist Jia, you're up bright and early?" the man greeted.
A female Cultivator, wearing a revealing belly-band and a thin shawl with nothing else underneath, her exquisite figure on full display, then appeared. As if she had forgotten any previous displeasure, she smiled and greeted Jia Ren while hanging up drenched bedding to dry. An indescribable scent emanated from it. Noticing Jia Ren's gaze, the woman didn't mind her state of undress at all. To give Jia Ren a better view, she purposefully turned sideways, allowing him a glimpse of her perfect curves.
"Daoist Jia, interested in coming inside to discuss the Great Dao?"
Always trying to solicit customers; truly a qualified 'seafood merchant,' Jia Ren thought with disdain. He decisively refused, turning his cold back to the woman.
Why has his temperament changed so much? the woman wondered. Could he have switched to practicing a Cultivation Technique emphasizing purity and detachment?
Unaware of the female Cultivator's thoughts, Jia Ren arrived at the Northern District Market. He paid the one Fragmented Spirit Stone stall fee and found a good spot to set up. He didn't trust the second-tier dealers enough to transact at his residence; the Market was safer.
Over 14,000 pieces of bait… can the second-tier dealers even buy it all?
After setting up his stall, he casually sent a Sound Transmission Talisman to the second-tier dealer he knew and waited for him to show up. Jia Ren didn't stay idle; he took the opportunity to purchase some pots and pans. He occasionally glanced at other stalls, hoping to find a bargain. He found no bargains but did notice many strange and curious trinkets. He acquired a Hollow Poison Sword for a few dozen Gold pieces; it wasn't a Magic Artifact and thus not very valuable, but its hollow core could be filled with Poison.
Gold held little value among Cultivators. It could only purchase ordinary food like rice and oil. Any item with even a hint of Spiritual Energy was priced in Spirit Stones or Fragmented Spirit Stones.
For mortals to use? The Great Wilderness was inherently a land of hardship. The limited safe, arable land on its periphery wouldn't be extravagantly used for ordinary crops. Regular food was mainly supplied by visiting merchant caravans at exorbitant prices. Even Cultivators found it difficult to get by, leaving no viable environment for mortals to survive. Mortals were exceedingly rare in the Great Wilderness Market, where Loose Cultivators congregated.
Gold could also serve as a lower-tier currency to Fragmented Spirit Stones. The exchange rate typically ranged from one hundred to two hundred Gold for one Fragmented Spirit Stone, though prices frequently fluctuated. Exchanging Fragmented Spirit Stones for Gold was easy, but acquiring Fragmented Spirit Stones with Gold was difficult.
Time ticked by, and soon it was midday, yet the second-tier dealer was nowhere to be seen. A sense of unease began to creep into Jia Ren's heart.
Could something have happened?
The bait business had also hit rock bottom; not a single piece had been sold so far.
Could it be that the Loose Cultivators in the Northern District aren't interested in the Spirit Fish from Lake of Smoky Waves?
Impossible! In just a short time, he had seen over a dozen stalls selling Spirit Fish from Lake of Smoky Waves, and their business was booming.
Lake of Smoky Waves still has Spirit Fish; it hasn't dried up. The bait business shouldn't be saturated yet. What went wrong? Compared to the second-tier dealers selling high-priced bait, his stall offered a price advantage. It was inconceivable that no Loose Cultivators would make inquiries.
Various thoughts flashed through Jia Ren's mind, causing him anxiety and a vague sense of disquiet. Selling bait was currently his only source of income, and he was critically short of Spirit Stones. Jia Ren desperately hoped nothing would go wrong with his bait business.
He sent a second Sound Transmission Talisman. Time ticked by, but still, there was no response.
It felt as if he had been abandoned.
The second-tier dealer must have run into trouble! Otherwise, it was impossible that he wouldn't even have time to reply to a Sound Transmission Talisman.
He approached a stall selling Spirit Fish and inquired of the fishmonger, "Fellow Daoist, do you know if anything has happened at Lake of Smoky Waves recently?"
Thinking he was a customer, the stall owner greeted him warmly. But upon hearing the question about Lake of Smoky Waves and suspecting a competitor, the owner's expression soured instantly. "You'd better ask someone else!"
Jia Ren questioned several other Loose Cultivators. They either knew nothing about what had happened at Lake of Smoky Waves or coldly dismissed him.
Sigh, I can only make a trip there myself.
It's getting late; better wait for tomorrow! The stall fee of one Fragmented Spirit Stone had to be recouped.
The results were disappointing. By the time dusk approached, he still hadn't sold a single piece of bait. On the contrary, the number of stalls selling Spirit Fish had increased. Due to the glut of Spirit Fish, the price of Spirit Fish Meat had plummeted to one Fragmented Spirit Stone for two jin.
Losing one Fragmented Spirit Stone soured Jia Ren's mood considerably. That night, he didn't eat Qingya Spiritual Rice, reverting to his mixture of Spirit Rice and ordinary rice.
I'll go take a look first thing tomorrow!
The next day, maintaining his habit of rising early, he confirmed all his preparations were in order. The Poison Thorn Bottle and Lime Bag were placed within easy reach. The Hollow Poison Sword was loaded with a mixture of lime and Poisonous Spines; perhaps it would prove useful. Only after checking that his Magic Artifacts were in order did he set off for Lake of Smoky Waves.
Lake of Smoky Waves was not far from the Great Wilderness Market. As the first Loose Cultivator to pioneer fishing for Spirit Fish in the lake, he knew the way well.
After an absence of eight days, Jia Ren once again set foot by Lake of Smoky Waves. Compared to his solo fishing expeditions more than ten days earlier, the lake was now bustling with activity. Although it was still early, nearly two hundred Loose Cultivators had already gathered near the lake, with more arriving continuously. The fame of Lake of Smoky Waves had spread, attracting a multitude of Loose Cultivators. It could be called their paradise, with numbers at its peak exceeding five hundred people. Many Loose Cultivators who lacked a trade and struggled to earn Spirit Stones came to Lake of Smoky Waves to eke out a living.
Countless wooden boats and small Spirit Boats floated on the lake's surface, bobbing with the waves and disappearing into the swirling mist that clung to the water. Loose Cultivators stood on the boats, casting nets into the water and hauling in catches of Spirit Fish. Those with bountiful hauls beamed with radiant smiles.
It was only at this moment that Jia Ren finally understood why his bait wasn't selling.
Fishing had been replaced by netting... No matter how skilled one was at fishing, or how good the bait, it could never compare to catching fish with nets.
No wonder the bait wasn't selling, while the number of Spirit Fish kept increasing and their prices kept falling.
The bait business was dead!
Only then did Jia Ren have a stark realization. The 14,000 pieces of fish bait he had accumulated were now dead stock, unsellable. This made his already modest life even more difficult. Jia Ren had known the bait business wouldn't last forever; he had just hoped to make one last profit.
Plans, after all, can never keep up with change.
"Daoist Jia has arrived?" a Loose Cultivator who had previously bought bait from his stall called out, his tone tinged with mockery, drawing the attention of the crowd. "Everyone's netting fish now; nobody's buying bait anymore!"
"Fellow Daoist," Jia Ren asked, "do you know of a Daoist Lv Hang? He used to sell bait here at Lake of Smoky Waves."
Lv Hang was the real name of the second-tier dealer. He had been a significant client, but was now missing. Those present were all regulars at Lake of Smoky Waves; perhaps they knew of the second-tier dealer's whereabouts.
"That crooked merchant surnamed Lv?" one of them sneered.
"Are you in cahoots with him?!" another accused.
"He sold the bait at exorbitant prices—three pieces for one Fragmented Spirit Stone! He made ill-gotten gains and was robbed and killed for it!"
Robbed and killed? Jia Ren felt a chill in his heart. Though he had already guessed this outcome, he couldn't help but feel a grim sense of shared vulnerability. Selling bait at Lake of Smoky Waves was extremely dangerous; it was bound to attract covetous eyes.
And sure enough, the second-tier dealer was dead...
If not for his own caution and refusal to chase excessive profits, he might have been the one lying dead...