NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37: Forbidden Divine Art
Translator: Cinder Translations
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Carrying the newly acquired 180 spirit stones, Song Wen walked out of the shop.
He returned to the stall where he had inquired about the price of Corpse Qi.
Before he could speak, the stall owner recognized Song Wen and frowned unhappily.
"It's you again! Back to cause trouble?"
Song Wen smiled.
"Senior brother, don't be upset. I'm genuinely here to buy Corpse Qi. How about 10 spirit stones per bottle?"
The stall owner frowned, "As long as you can pay, I'll sell."
He had three bottles of Corpse Qi on display, none of which had been sold so far.
Song Wen offered 60 spirit stones to the stall owner and put one bottle of Corpse Qi into his storage bag.
As Song Wen turned to leave, he suddenly noticed a martial art manual titled "Forbidden Divine Art" displayed in a corner of the stall.
Song Wen asked, "How much is this martial art manual?"
After completing a quick transaction, the stall owner's attitude became much warmer, his face showing enthusiasm.
"1000 pieces of spirit stones."
The stall owner quoted a sky-high price.
However, Song Wen wasn't startled by this price. After wandering around the market for so long, he had realized that these vendors often quoted exorbitant prices for rare items with unclear origins. The actual transaction price was often much lower.
"Can I take a closer look at it?"
"Of course."
Song Wen picked up "Forbidden Divine Art" and began to read.
As he flipped open the cover, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
The martial art manual only had one page of content, and the paper of this page was different from the cover.
The martial art was recorded on a very ancient monster skin, and it was clear that the cover had been added later.
This page of martial art was also partially covered with paper, so Song Wen could only see the first hundred or so words. This meant that the martial art probably only consisted of three to four hundred words in total.
Song Wen quickly glanced at the first hundred words of the martial art content and roughly judged that it was an extremely rare spiritual cultivation martial art.
It involved forcibly enhancing one's soul strength by consuming fragments of others' souls.
This made Song Wen extremely interested in the martial art, but he could tell that this manual was incomplete.
It lacked the general outline at the beginning and the subsequent content. The page he held was probably only the first layer of the martial art.
"How much are you selling this martial art for?" Song Wen asked.
When Song Wen picked up "Forbidden Divine Art" to examine it, the stall owner didn't pay much attention.
In his experience, Song Wen would likely be like previous customers—initially attracted by the fame of "Forbidden Divine Art," only to leave disappointed upon discovering that it consisted of only one page.
He had possessed this well-known "Forbidden Divine Art" for over ten years. He had tried to cultivate it himself and had even asked friends and relatives to try, but they found it impossible to cultivate.
Afterward, he placed it on his stall for sale. It had been purchased at a high price by several disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect, all of whom ultimately returned it. They not only returned the manual but also spread rumors that it was fake and impossible to cultivate, ruining his plan to earn some spirit stones with "Forbidden Divine Art."
Those disciples had strong abilities and powerful backing, far beyond his reach. He could only swallow his anger and accept his misfortune.
In the past two years, "Forbidden Divine Art" had been sitting in a corner of his stall without any interest. If Song Wen hadn't picked it up today, he might have forgotten he even had such a product.
Seeing Song Wen's interest in "Forbidden Divine Art" and knowing that Song Wen was a newcomer with weak strength, once Song Wen bought the martial art, there was no possibility of a return.
He immediately began to promote it.
"Junior brother has a discerning eye indeed. This 'Forbidden Divine Art' is an esoteric skill of the Ten Thousand Souls Sect, absolutely the top martial art for cultivating the soul. This technique is fated with junior brother. For just 1000 spirit stones, junior brother can take it away."
The Ten Thousand Souls Sect was an extremely powerful ghost cultivation sect that had dominated the Tuolan Mountain Range, where the Corpse Demon Sect resided, for nearly ten thousand years, truly a dominant force in the cultivation world.
However, hundreds of years ago, it was jointly exterminated by several major righteous sects.
With the extinction of the Ten Thousand Souls Sect, its heritage was also lost.
Song Wen wouldn't be swayed by the stall owner's words and think his journey would lead him to stumble upon world-defying martial arts.
He shook his head and said, "The technique is too severely incomplete, lacking both the beginning and the end. It's almost certain that it can't be cultivated. It's not worth 1000 spirit stones."
As he spoke, Song Wen returned "Forbidden Divine Art" to the stall.
"Don't rush to leave, junior brother. As they say in business, 'Shout high prices, return on the spot.' Why not offer a price?"
Looking at the stall owner, Song Wen slowly said, "I'm afraid if I offer a price, you'll hit me."
"How could that be? Would I dare to lay hands on my own junior brother in the market? Feel free to make an offer."
"Really?"
Seeing the stall owner's affirmative expression, Song Wen extended a hand and said, "5 inferior spirit stones."
The stall owner, upon hearing Song Wen's offer, immediately replied, showing a bit of fear that Song Wen might walk away, "Deal!"
Song Wen was somewhat incredulous and hesitated.
"I meant 5 inferior spirit stones?"
"Of course, they are inferior spirit stones."
With one hand, the stall owner handed "Forbidden Divine Art" to Song Wen, while with the other, he opened it, demanding the spirit stones from Song Wen.
Song Wen was somewhat dumbfounded. It seemed he had offered too much.
This "Forbidden Divine Art" was highly likely to be too incomplete to be of any use. Forget about five spirit stones; it wasn't worth even one.
Seeing Song Wen hesitate, the stall owner's joy gradually faded, and his expression turned unfriendly.
"What? Are you having second thoughts?"
Feeling the stall owner's increasingly sharp edge, Song Wen chuckled.
"Of course not."
Song Wen took out five spirit stones and handed them over to the stall owner.
Taking the spirit stones, the stall owner's face once again turned kind.
The speed at which his demeanor changed was not slower than the face-changing in Sichuan opera that Song Wen had seen in his previous life.
"Junior brother, take another look to see if there's anything else you need?"
Song Wen quickly shook his head, "No need, I've bought everything I need. Goodbye."
Song Wen was afraid to stay longer, lest the spirit stones on him be squeezed dry by the stall owner.
"Safe travels, junior brother. Welcome to visit my stall more often in the future."
The stall owner called out loudly to Song Wen's receding figure.
Hearing the voice behind him, Song Wen quickened his pace.
Instead of returning directly to his cave, Song Wen took advantage of the Transmission Hall still being closed and returned to it once again. He purchased "Blood Escape Technique" and a cultivation method called "Ghost Corpse Technique."
The "Ghost Corpse Technique" was priced at 25 spirit stones and was a widely practiced method for refining corpse puppets in the Corpse Demon Sect.
Song Wen's main reason for choosing the "Ghost Corpse Technique" was that it included methods for both manipulating dead bodies and creating zombies.
(End of the Chapter)
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