Upon hearing that, several question marks immediately popped up in Song Changsheng's mind. Are all the black market sellers this unprofessional?
He ignored the man and walked away without responding to his pitch.
Judging by the man's cultivation, just Foundation Establishment at best, there was no way he had a Demon King's inner core. And even if he did, Song Changsheng couldn't afford it anyway, so there was no need to waste time.
Without acting rashly, he first took a walk around the area.
To his surprise, the black market was quite large and crowded. There were very few buildings; most people simply sat cross-legged on the ground, propping up signs in front of them indicating what they were selling or buying, then meditated silently like monks.
After a rough survey, Song Changsheng saw a wide array of items being offered, so diverse that many of them he didn't even recognize.
Still, some things caught his eye, such as powerful talismans, intricate array manuals, or rare cultivation techniques.
Unfortunately, half of his possessions had already been handed over to Song Qingxi, and he was now left with only 36,000 lower-grade spirit stones.
"Looks like I need to offload some items first to get more spirit stones," Song Changsheng thought, weighing his money pouch with a bitter smile.
This amount of spirit stones wouldn't get him far.
After some thought, he found an open spot on the ground like the others, sat down, and pulled out an iron plate. With his finger as a blade, he carved the words:
Selling: High-grade demonic spirit artifact, Tier 1 & 2 demonic tools, and demon cultivation manuals.
Then he took out another plate and engraved:
Buying: Dragon-scaled hide, offering a high price.
He had already gathered four out of the five materials required for the Five-Beast Body Tempering Technique. Only the flood dragon scale was still missing.
Though he had searched for years without luck, this black market gathered cultivators from across the Great Qi Empire and even neighboring cultivation realms, so there was still a sliver of hope.
As soon as he set out his signs, he began to draw attention, unsurprisingly, mostly from demonic cultivators.
Song Changsheng could only sigh at how openly the black market operated.
One buyer after another came and went, and he eventually sold off most of his demonic cultivation goods, though only for a total of 15,000 lower-grade spirit stones. It was a "bleeding-heart clearance sale."
No helping it. Most black market goods had shady origins, so buyers ruthlessly haggled. Some even tried to slash the price in half.
Song Changsheng, in a hurry to cash out, didn't bother to argue. Otherwise, he might have made a little more.
Within an hour, everything except the high-grade demonic artifact had been sold at dirt-cheap prices, earning him a total of 18,000 spirit stones.
It wasn't that the artifact lacked appeal; in fact, most people came because of it. But they couldn't accept the asking price, so it remained unsold.
Just as Song Changsheng was considering whether to lower the price, a tall figure approached. Wearing a wolf-head mask, the man looked down at Song Changsheng and asked, "You have a high-grade demonic spirit artifact?"
His voice sounded like sandpaper grating on sandpaper, unpleasant to the ear. Song Changsheng didn't expect much and replied casually, "50,000 lower-grade spirit stones, non-negotiable. If you're paying in mid-grade stones, I'll offer a 5% discount."
For a high-grade spirit artifact, this price wasn't high, actually quite cheap, but even so, it was hard to move in the black market.
Unexpectedly, the tall figure nodded. "The price is fair. But I need to inspect it first."
Song Changsheng immediately perked up, finally, a serious buyer.
He hurriedly pulled out the demonic wheel from his storage pouch and handed it over. "It's in perfect condition. Among high-grade demonic artifacts, it's one of the best."
The tall man examined it carefully, even trying to activate it a few times, then nodded with satisfaction. "Very good."
"Fifty thousand spirit stones and it's yours," Song Changsheng said with some relief, seeing that the man was pleased.
But to his shock, the man shook his head. "I don't have that many spirit stones."
"What?" Song Changsheng froze. Are you kidding me? Why come to the brothe—uh, black market with no money?
Sensing Song Changsheng's mood shift, the tall man quickly added, "But I can trade you something else."
Song Changsheng wasn't very interested. Even if a demonic cultivator had something valuable, he probably wouldn't dare use it. He was about to refuse when the man suddenly placed a porcelain vial in front of him.
"This is a bottle of Thousand-Year Spirit Marrow Liquid worth no less than a spirit artifact."
The moment he said this, not only did it catch Song Changsheng's attention, but also the attention of the surrounding crowd. People began inching closer.
Even though everyone was masked, Song Changsheng could almost see the greedy looks on their faces, proof of how tempting that offer was.
Quick on the draw, Song Changsheng grabbed the jade vial. Though he was eager, he still carefully inspected it.
He needn't have worried, though black market rules forbade interfering in others' transactions. It was just his first time here, so he hadn't known that.
After confirming that it was indeed genuine Thousand-Year Spirit Marrow Liquid, Song Changsheng suppressed his excitement and shook his head.
"This is real, no doubt, but the quantity is too small. Thirty thousand spirit stones is the best I can do."
The tall man seemed a bit anxious. Song Changsheng's offer was far too low. Out in the open market, that vial of spirit liquid would easily go for fifty thousand spirit stones, and here he was, getting almost half shaved off the value.
But Song Changsheng felt nothing amiss. This is the black market, and cutthroat bargaining is just part of the game.
That's how deals work: one's willing to sell, the other's willing to buy. After searching around, the tall man found that Song Changsheng's item suited him best. Though he was displeased, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. Thirty thousand it is. I'll cover the rest with spirit stones, mid-grade ones!"
At that, Song Changsheng broke into a brilliant smile, his tone becoming much warmer. "That'll be one hundred and ninety mid-grade spirit stones, thank you kindly."
With silver and goods exchanged, the tall figure in black robes turned and walked off without another word.
Having secured a bottle of Thousand-Year Spirit Marrow Liquid, which could enhance cultivation, and pocketed 190 mid-grade spirit stones, Song Changsheng was thoroughly satisfied. Including the 18,000 lower-grade spirit stones he'd earned earlier, his coin pouch finally felt full again.
Unfortunately, there was still no sign of the Flood Dragon Scale; only two swindlers had tried to fool him so far.
Though it was still early, Song Changsheng decided he wasn't going to wait around any longer. He picked up his two iron signs and prepared to leave.
But just as he stood up, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of black-robed individuals.
"What is the meaning of this, fellow Daoists?" Song Changsheng asked calmly.
He wasn't nervous; no one would dare act rashly in the black market. These people didn't have the guts to start a fight here.
One of them spoke up. "Fellow Daoist, this old man will offer forty thousand spirit stones for the Thousand-Year Spirit Marrow Liquid you just acquired. How about it?"
"I'll pay fifty thousand!"
"I'll offer five hundred mid-grade spirit stones!"
All at once, the crowd began shouting out their bids, making it hard for Song Changsheng not to be tempted.
But this item was rare and valuable, especially useful for him. There was no way he was going to part with it.
He cupped his fists toward the group. "Everyone, I have no intention of selling. However, if any of you have a Flood Dragon Scale of equal value, I'd be willing to trade."
Everyone glanced at each other, then slowly dispersed.
The Flood Dragon Scale might sound like it wasn't too rare, but in truth, dragonkin were already scarce across the continent. A flood dragon was only a step away from becoming a true dragon, earning it the title of "lesser dragon" and making it even rarer.
Take the Ten-Thousand Mountains for example, there was only one known flood dragon in all those vast lands, residing in Blackwater Marsh, and it didn't even have direct descendants.
So it was no surprise that hardly anyone could come up with a Flood Dragon Scale.
Seeing no further response, Song Changsheng sighed and made his way toward a pavilion in the distance.
There weren't many buildings in the black market. He'd only spotted three.
One housed a spatial teleportation array, the one he had used to arrive.
Another belonged to the market's enforcement office, responsible for maintaining order.
And the last was his current destination. As he'd passed by earlier, he'd noticed many black-robed figures going inside. With nothing better to do, he figured he might as well take a look.
No one greeted him at the entrance, so Song Changsheng walked in on his own. Inside, he saw strange, irregularly shaped gray stones arranged all over the place.
Many black-cloaked individuals were weaving between them, occasionally stopping to examine and discuss certain stones.
"A… stone exhibition?" Song Changsheng frowned slightly, unable to make sense of it.
Just as he was thinking of finding someone to ask, a sudden commotion caught his attention.
Looking toward the source of the noise, he saw a crowd gathered, excitedly talking about something.
Now this is rare, he thought. Since entering the black market, he'd noticed that everyone here was the quiet, secretive type. Even when people did speak, they kept their words short and to the point.
This was the first time he'd seen anyone gathered and chatting with such enthusiasm; it only piqued his curiosity further.
Just then, a slim figure in black robes happened to walk past him. Seizing the opportunity, Song Changsheng called out, "Excuse me, fellow Daoist, apologies for the interruption, but may I ask what this place is?"
The figure gave him a quick once-over. "First time here?"
The voice was surprisingly sweet, like an oriole's song; it was a woman.
Sensing an opportunity, Song Changsheng cupped his fists with a polite smile. "Indeed. I would be grateful for your guidance."
"Of course, of course," she replied warmly. "See all these stones? They're special rocks mined from an ancient battlefield and brought here by the black market.
"Most of them are just regular old stones, but a rare few contain broken artifacts, rare treasures, or even spiritual relics.
"That's how stone gambling came to be. If one catches your eye, you can buy it with spirit stones. There are expert cutters here who will slice it open for you. Whatever's inside is yours, whether it's trash or treasure; it all depends on your luck and eye."
She was extremely friendly and enthusiastic in explaining things to Song Changsheng.
Suddenly, it all clicked for him. So this is "stone gambling." Damn, I've seen this before in my previous life. One vendor shouted, "Strike it rich!" and I got scammed out of 2,800 bucks.
"So this kind of thing exists in this world, too, huh?" he muttered. "But wouldn't it be easy for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to see through the outer layer with their spiritual sense?"
He voiced the question, and the woman snorted with amusement. "If they were that easy to see through, do you think the black market would bother selling them? These are the ones they've already sorted through the leftovers. They're specially treated to block spiritual sense."
"Ah… I see." Song Changsheng nodded in understanding.
"Since it's your first time, I bet you don't know how to pick them, right? Come, come, let me teach you the essence of stone gambling," she said cheerfully.
Her enthusiasm caught him a little off-guard. It was so unexpected that he couldn't help but become a little suspicious of her intentions.
However, he was also curious about this alternate world's version of stone gambling. Seeing how familiar and confident the woman was, he figured following her lead might help him avoid a few pitfalls, so he stepped forward and walked after her.
With her hands clasped behind her back, the woman strolled casually among the many stones, speaking with full confidence: "When it comes to stone gambling, the first thing to look at is the skin. The color should be rich and pure, with no impurities. Anything with cracks? Forget it. Even if someone gave me that kind of trash for free, I wouldn't want it."
She pointed at a nearby stone covered in fine cracks, her tone full of disdain.
"Second, you have to consider the weight. That's where your personal experience comes in, something that can't be taught, only felt.
"Third, the sound is very important. You can tell whether there's anything inside just by knocking on it. Back in the day, I once opened a Linglong Pagoda using this trick alone!
"And there's more…"
The woman went on and on, rattling off a long list of pointers that left Song Changsheng amazed. He hadn't expected there to be so many hidden techniques involved.
"Much appreciated," Song Changsheng said with a sincere cupped-fist salute.
"No need to be so polite. Have you seen any stones that catch your eye? I can take a look for you," the woman offered confidently.
As someone new to this, Song Changsheng didn't want to throw his spirit stones away blindly. He shook his head and said, "I'd like to take my time and look around first."
"Ai, you rookies are always too cautious. Don't you know that fortune favors the bold? Let me show you how it's done today!" she said with a voice that was pleasant to the ear, though her words sounded exactly like a seasoned gambler.
With that, she walked up to an egg-shaped stone, knocked on it a few times, then ran her hands over it, inspecting it from top to bottom. After a moment of fiddling, her face lit up with joy. "This one's got something!"
But Song Changsheng couldn't see how it was any different from the stones around it.
"If it contains a spiritual item, maybe I can use the Eye of Insight to check."
With that thought, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a strange, arcane symbol had appeared in his pupils.
Casting his gaze toward the stone the woman had chosen, Song Changsheng indeed noticed a faint spiritual glow within. So, her method wasn't just nonsense; there might be something to it. Still, whether it would be a jackpot or a dud remained to be seen.
He glanced at the sign next to the stone, which read: "500 lower-grade spirit stones."
Not exactly cheap if she misjudged, it would be money down the drain.
The woman continued using her routine and picked out more stones. After selecting a total of sixteen, she finally stopped, satisfied.
Song Changsheng roughly calculated that she had just spent nearly 7,000 spirit stones in one go.
Yet she didn't even bat an eye and paid the amount with gusto.
Still, Song Changsheng couldn't help but mourn for her a little inside. After checking ahead of time, he already knew that out of the sixteen stones, only six contained spiritual light.
This woman did have some skill, but only just some.
If she didn't manage to unearth something truly valuable, this gamble was likely to be a total loss.
Despite everything, Song Changsheng did feel a degree of fondness for her. Watching her brimming with confidence, he gently suggested, "Fellow cultivator, how about opening one or two first to get a sense of things?"
To his surprise, the woman waved him off. "See? That's exactly what a rookie would say. It's still early, and not many people are around. If I don't grab the good stuff now, what'll be left once the crowd shows up?
"Relax! When I make a move, I never walk away empty-handed. I'm opening all of them."
She declared this with great bravado.
Seeing her like this, Song Changsheng could only sigh and say no more.
Gambling addicts don't deserve sympathy.
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