After purchasing a hundred catties of top-grade 'Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice' as rice seeds, Fang Xi visited several weapon shops.
His top-grade weapon, the 'Golden Dragon Sword,' suffered some damage during the battle with Dugu Wuwu, so it was best to repair it.
However, Fang Xi's identity really wasn't suitable for exposing top-grade weapons to the public.
Moreover... the Kou siblings were still active near the market!
Because of this, Fang Xi gave up on the idea.
"However, after the Xuantie Shield is completely damaged, I still need to buy a medium-grade defense weapon, along with an attack weapon, and hmm, the Black Cloud Pouch also needs to be replaced."
As a mid-level Qi Refinement cultivator, it was reasonable to have several medium-grade weapons.
In the market, the prices of medium-grade weapons fluctuated between tens of spirit stones.
Defense weapons were generally more expensive than attack weapons, and special weapons surpassed both.
After some searching, Fang Xi picked up a 'Green Turtle Shield' at a stall!
"This shield is mainly made of the shell of a first-grade medium turtle, and it also comes with a 'Water Element Shield' spell. Sixty spirit stones are really not expensive!"
The stall owner was a cultivator with two whiskers, with a shrewd look in his eyes, praising this medium-grade weapon as if it could rival legendary treasures.
Fang Xi, on the other hand, haggled logically: "The Water Element Shield is just a common item. Besides being stronger against fire spells, what else does it have? I'll buy it if you reduce the price by five spirit stones!"
It wasn't that he really cared about those few spirit stones, but as a small Qi Refinement cultivator, he needed to establish a good image.
Just as Fang Xi was negotiating tirelessly, a crisp sound of bells suddenly rang in his ears.
Ding ling ling...
"Friend Fang!"
Ruan Xingling's voice was as clear as a silver bell: "Shopping for weapons?"
"Yes... not recently... so I'm planning to buy a good defensive weapon." Fang Xi deliberately spoke vaguely, but Ruan Xingling understood that he was preparing for the upcoming major battle.
"The weapons sold here are just average..." Ruan Xingling shook her head.
"How can you slander someone without cause?" The stall owner with two whiskers couldn't stand it.
"This Green Turtle Shield has flaws in its veins... and here, there are traces of repairs... is it a second-hand item?" Ruan Xingling pointed out a few places, sneering.
"Then... how about a cheaper price, forty spirit stones?" The whiskered cultivator, realizing he was dealing with an expert, changed his tune.
"I'll take it!" Fang Xi brightened up immediately.
"Deal!"
The stall owner's eyes lit up, not expecting to make a sale.
After the two completed the transaction, Ruan Xingling, who had been watching quietly, said, "Friend, if you want to exchange for high-quality weapons, why not go to the auction? I've reserved a private box..."
At the auction, they naturally sold only high-quality items.
However, Fang Xi smiled bitterly and refused, "This weapon has almost depleted my savings. As for the auction, I'll just broaden my horizons at most..."
In fact, he had long hidden his identity and secretly booked a box, but there was no need to tell Ruan Xingling about it.
After all, it's best to keep one's wealth hidden, even if this woman was an ally!
"Since that's the case, I won't force you, friend."
Ruan Xingling left gracefully, the silver bells on her person tinkling in the wind.
She had a feeling that Fang Xi had a little secret, after all, a spiritual farmer spending lavishly at a teahouse and thinking of becoming a landlord was a bit out of the ordinary.
But everyone had sworn oaths, knowing that their current cooperation was enough.
On the day the auction began, various magical lights shimmered in the sky.
Spirit boats flew across the sky and docked on the outskirts of the market.
There were also cultivators riding spiritual beasts and stepping on flying swords, each with long sleeves fluttering, resembling immortals.
"Wow... look over there, are those the flying boats of the three largest families in the Thirty-Six Islands, the Taishu, Weichi, and Xiahou families?"
"Even the powerful expert among the independent cultivators, Yulingzi, is here."
"This auction is likely to attract the attention of the Zhong family's ancestors. Without a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it won't be easy to suppress..."
Amidst the discussions of the crowd, Fang Xi transformed into a tall man with a square face and strode towards the Dragon Gate Pavilion.
Along the way, one could see members of the Zhong family, dressed in black flying fish robes, maintaining order.
"Hello, esteemed guest, please show your invitation!"
At the entrance of the Dragon Gate Pavilion, Zhong Wangu saw a tall man in blue clothes striding over and couldn't help but be impressed, thinking to himself that this was a formidable man. However, he still spoke the standard greeting.
"Here you go!"
Fang Xi presented his expensive invitation.
"It turns out you're a guest in one of the private rooms. Please follow me to Room No. 16 of the Xuan character!"
Taking the invitation, Zhong Wangu immediately led Fang Xi to a row of private rooms.
After opening the door, the sound of rushing water could be heard.
Inside the private room, there was even a small pool, connected to the outside through a water channel, with scales resembling jade swimming in it like carp.
"Esteemed guest, this is our family's Jade Carp!" Zhong Wangu smiled broadly. "Each guest in the private rooms will receive a plate of fish slices..."
"Not bad."
Fang Xi sat down, thinking to himself that the Zhong family, which started with selling fish, never missed an opportunity to promote their spiritual fish.
"This is the bidding spirit sign. If a guest is interested in any item, they can write down the amount and hand it to the spiritual fish, which will then take it to the headquarters... there will be no leaks!"
Zhong Wangu explained further.
Fang Xi then realized that this auction actually adopted a silent bidding mode, with the highest bidder winning in the end.
"It makes sense... openly bidding would indeed attract unnecessary enmity."
"Perhaps I can buy a few more things?"
Fang Xi counted the spirit stones in his storage bag and found he had three hundred and eighty-seven left.
"Well... turns out I'm still broke, can't even afford the base price..."
He chuckled and continued to watch the show.
"Qinghuo Sword... a first-grade superior weapon just out of the furnace, extremely sharp, with a 'Flame Art' attached, starting at one hundred and fifty spirit stones..."
Zhong Wangu described the materials and origins of this Qinghuo Sword in an interesting manner, not making it seem awkward at all.
At this point, Fang Xi also saw the spirit sign beside him.
If he was interested in the Qinghuo Sword, he could write down his price and hand it to the Jade Carp.
The highest bidder would win, and settlement would be made upon leaving.
"Not bad... in this way, apart from the Zhong family themselves, the chances of leaks are minimal..."
"Perhaps, I can buy something else?"
Fang Xi quickly wrote down a number and handed it to the spiritual fish.
According to his observations, there weren't many body cultivators in the Baochuan Market, so there shouldn't be much competition.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Zhong Wangu introduced another item:
"A heavy sword made of extraterrestrial meteorite!"
He struggled to lift up a large black sword, two meters long and as wide as an adult's palm, looking like a door panel.
The key point was that, with Zhong Wangu's cultivation level, even though he wasn't a body cultivator, he still had some difficulty lifting the sword, showing its weight.
"Hoo... this sword is made of extraterrestrial meteorite, which has a peculiar nature, unable to contain mana or inscribe formations, but extremely hard... Later, a weapon refiner found a way to melt it into this heavy sword, weighing two hundred and thirty-six catties, with an extremely sharp blade that even top-grade weapons find it hard to damage..."
"Our pavilion has appraised this sword to be at least comparable to a top-grade weapon, more suitable for body cultivators... starting at two hundred spirit stones!"
...
Listening to the description, Fang Xi's eyes lit up.
He was a body cultivator too!
Relying solely on fists for combat was indeed a bit lacking in excitement, and this sword would be just right for him.
As for the weight?
Since reaching the Grandmaster realm, his arms could lift thousands of catties of rocks effortlessly.
"Let's put down three hundred... oops, I don't have enough spirit stones. Well, I can always use monster materials to offset the debt later."
Fang Xi quickly wrote down a number and handed it to the spiritual fish.
Based on his observations, there weren't many body cultivators in the Baochuan Market, so there shouldn't be much competition.
At that moment, Zhong Wangu picked up a jade bottle and introduced, "A bottle of Red Ape Essence Blood, this Red Ape is a first-grade superior demon beast. Don't be fooled by the small bottle, it's actually refined from its entire body's blood... starting at three hundred and fifty spirit stones!"
"Is this... one of the recommended blood essences for the third level of the 'Thousand Beast Body' cultivation?" Fang Xi immediately recalled, his eyes turning somewhat dangerous. "Could it be that the Zhong family is fishing? Perhaps even fishing for me?"
(End of this chapter)