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Chapter 29: Bargaining
Meng Zhang slowly approached the stall, glanced at the goods being sold, and casually picked up a mountain-like magic tool. "This broken thing is supposed to be Thousand Jun Peak? It's in such a sorry state, and you dare to sell it?" Meng Zhang said bluntly without any reservations.
Thousand Jun Peak was a type of magic tool that relied on its weight for power. The main material used in crafting Thousand Jun Peak was the earth attribute Thousand Dust Sand, which was relatively common in the Endless Sea of Sand. As a result, various grades and styles of Thousand Jun Peaks were considered relatively mainstream magic tools in the Endless Sea of Sand.
The usage of Thousand Jun Peak was straightforward; the user only needed to activate it and fiercely strike down on the target's head. As the name suggested, it was said to carry the force of a thousand jun (a unit of weight). Of course, this was an exaggerated claim. Even a Second Rank Thousand Jun Peak would not possess the force of twenty thousand jin. A First Rank Thousand Jun Peak could generate at most 2,000-3,000 jin of force.
"Dear customer, this Thousand Jun Peak is definitely not junk; it's just a bit old. With a simple repair, it can be used for sacrifice again," the stall owner tried to talk his way out without shame.
"Do you take me for a fool? This piece of trash is broken in half, and you call it just a bit old!" Meng Zhang pointed at the broken upper half of the Thousand Jun Peak and cursed loudly.
"To tell you the truth, I am an apprentice tool refiner. I can tell whether any magic tool is useful with just one look," Meng Zhang confidently claimed.
"This Thousand Jun Peak is already completely ruined; it's not worth repairing at all."
"I'm buying this thing just to practice my skills and try to extract the Thousand Dust Sand inside it."
The stall owner was momentarily taken aback. He realized he was dealing with someone who understood the craft, so there was no use using the usual tricks to deceive him.
Among loose cultivators, there were few tool refiners. Generally, only some larger sects and families would have the means to cultivate tool refiners. "Enough with the nonsense; give me an honest price. If we can agree, I'll buy this piece of junk; if not, I'll walk away without wasting another word," Meng Zhang continued his act.
"Dear young master, this Thousand Jun Peak, aside from anything else, is quite heavy. If you extract the materials, you can get at least five or six jin of Thousand Dust Sand."
"On the current market, one jin of Thousand Dust Sand costs at least ten low-grade spirit stones."
"Since we've hit it off, I'm willing to make a loss. I'll sell this Thousand Jun Peak to you for fifty low-grade spirit stones, which is the cost price."
The stall owner's face twitched as he spoke.
Having listened to him, Meng Zhang didn't hesitate and pretended to turn to leave. "Young master, don't go. If the price doesn't suit you, let's continue negotiating," the stall owner hurriedly tried to stop him.
"You really take me for a fool? If you can extract more than three jin of Thousand Dust Sand from this junk, I'll swallow everything on your stall," Meng Zhang retorted.
"And, do you think extracting materials is something anyone can do?"
"I am an apprentice tool refiner. If I really have to extract this broken thing, it will require a considerable amount of effort and resources."
"If it weren't for the sake of honing my skills, I wouldn't be interested in this piece of junk at all."
Meng Zhang played the role of an arrogant and knowledgeable apprentice tool refiner, portraying himself quite convincingly. Apprentice tool refiners didn't have the ability to refine tools independently; they mainly assisted their masters or extracted low-grade materials. Meng Zhang's argument had no loopholes.
A heated bargaining session followed. Though Meng Zhang knew from Mind Reading that the stall owner's bottom line was twenty-five low-grade spirit stones, he pretended not to know and feared that setting the price too high might arouse suspicion. He wanted to ensure the deal would go through, so he put in a lot of effort. Finally, he managed to buy the Thousand Jun Peak for thirty low-grade spirit stones.
After storing the Thousand Jun Peak in his storage bag, Meng Zhang suppressed his surprise and quickly left the place. The true value of the Thousand Jun Peak was far more than thirty low-grade spirit stones; even three hundred wouldn't be enough.
As Meng Zhang was about to leave the Ghost Market, a young man who seemed shifty approached him hurriedly. Thinking that the man might pose a threat, Meng Zhang halted and scanned him while using Mind Reading to read his thoughts.
"I see," Meng Zhang realized the man's intentions and relaxed. However, he became interested in the man's merchandise.
"Dear customer, it seems you are quite generous. Would you like to buy something special?" The young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, had a seemingly honest face with a trace of cunningness that occasionally showed through.
Though not short, he appeared relatively clean and spirited, exuding the liveliness typical of young people. However, his suspicious movements made him somewhat unlikable.
"What special thing?" Meng Zhang asked knowingly. The young man looked around before leading Meng Zhang to a secluded corner not far away. Then, he took out a jade bottle and opened it, releasing a refreshing medicinal fragrance. Inside the jade bottle were several pills.
"So, you're selling privately made pills," Meng Zhang seemed dismissive.
In the Cultivation World, there used to be many Alchemists in various sects and even among loose cultivators. They freely circulated the pills they crafted in the Cultivation World, leading to a large-scale demonic calamity many years ago. Major sects paid a high price to quell the disaster.
Afterward, to avoid a repeat of history, pills with unknown origins were no longer allowed to be circulated in the Cultivation World. Each region in the Cultivation World established a powerful sect to govern the Alchemists, control the distribution of pills, and more. Alchemists who weren't certified by these sects were forbidden from selling their pills privately.
In the surrounding regions, the Alchemist Guild led by Flying Swan Sect monopolized the supply of pills. Only forces like Twin Success Valley and Forest Spring Watch could join the Alchemist Guild.
As a result, the cultivation world saw a rise in the clandestine sale of privately made pills.
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