Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 416 - 410: Transaction One

Chapter 416: Chapter 410: Transaction One

Lin Xin stood aside, also looking at the red smoke stone in that person’s hand, which had a layer of substance similar to gel on its surface, while the inside looked like it was dyed red, showing nothing particularly remarkable.

"This stone is nothing special to outsiders," the man in the black robe laughed. "This red smoke stone is actually not a natural stone but a special magic artifact made specifically for identity recognition in the jade black market."

He paused and then continued.

"Only this can represent permission to participate in the black market trading. Otherwise, no matter what, you can’t find the entrance point."

"So, how much is this red smoke stone?" Since things had reached this point, everyone naturally understood the person’s purpose, which clearly was to profit by selling goods.

"Whether inside or outside the market, it’s the same price, fifteen shell gold pieces," the man in the black robe stated directly.

"That expensive!"

The family of three was suddenly a bit astonished.

"Is this just an entrance fee, and yet it costs fifteen pieces of shell gold?"

"Hey, I’m not extorting here," the man in the black robe laughed, "you can call me Old Du. I have been mixing in this trading market for decades, conducting long-term business, definitely not someone who abandons principles for a slight benefit, and later I still need to lead you into the market. It’s not worth making such a small amount of money on this."

"If you cheat me, I will kill you."

The androgynous person in the black robe said coldly.

"Heh heh heh," Old Du just laughed a few times without speaking.

Then, after hesitating for a bit, they still bought a red smoke stone from him as an entry ticket to the black market, and then the group, led by Old Du, walked toward the blue vortex.

It wasn’t long before they left that they saw another person in a black robe come to wait at the spot where they had previously been standing, ready to greet new newcomers.

"We have one wave after another here, all are old-timers bound by rules, you can rest assured, fleecing customers is just a one-time deal, I’m not that foolish," Old Du said with a laugh, leading the family of three along with Lin Xin and two others directly toward the blue vortex.

All of them practiced light body techniques and stepped directly into the vortex from its edge.

As soon as they entered, the world before their eyes changed drastically.

The entire sky suddenly turned a greyish mist, and a giant pill furnace was slowly rotating above their heads.

Its surface continuously reflected images of divine beasts forming illusions high in the sky.

Among them were the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Qilin, Phoenix, Pixiu, and many more, with at least more than ten different kinds of divine beast appearances.

Below was a large square of white jade, lined with round stone houses of varying sizes.

Old Du led them to stand to the side as horse-drawn carriages and animal carts rapidly came and went.

"Everyone, stand aside to avoid blocking others’ way. See these stone houses? These houses have level restrictions. The houses with three horizontal lines carved on the front are third-level stone houses, the least secret, followed by second-level and first-level. The rental prices vary.

A third-level stone house can block and conceal the detection of someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Second-level for the Golden Core Stage, first-level for the Yuan Jing Phase.

Because the owner of this market is a Qi Cultivator, the classifications here are based on the levels of Qi Cultivation."

"Then how do we find and purchase the items we want here?"

The androgynous person in the black robe asked in a low voice.

"How may I address you?" Old Du asked with a smile.

"You can call me Bai Zi," the person said lightly.

"Well, Bai Zi, if you are looking to buy something, whatever category, things here are clearly classified. Later, I will take everyone to get a classification crystal. It cannot be taken out of the market, but you can find what you need and where the transactions are taking place from it," Old Du explained without any secrecy.

Lin Xin stood on the side, observing the surroundings.

He saw people entering and exiting the stone houses, not knowing which were buyers and which were sellers. Many people, once they went in, seemed as if they no longer existed, completely concealed by the stone houses’ secrecy, making it impossible for even his keen perception to sense any movement inside.

The level of concealment was indeed impressive.

Moreover, the cultivation levels of the cultivators here, once they came in, made everyone look the same, unable to sense and distinguish as they could outside.

Certainly, there were formations helping cultivators conceal their identities to reduce incidents of greed-induced treasure thefts.

Old Du quickly led the five people toward the center of the square, and soon, in front of a white jade statue of a woman, received five black crystal slabs from a person in a white robe, with the family of three getting three and Lin Xin and the other, Bai Zi, getting one each.

After receiving the crystal slab, Lin Xin, under Old Du’s guidance, injected a wisp of demonic qi, and immediately the surface of the slab lit up, displaying an interface similar to a computer. The sidebar on the left was organized into several major sections.

’Attack’

’Defense’

’Escape Skill’

’Seal’

’Concealment’

Then, at the very bottom, there was a separate column for Formation Talisman techniques.

He clicked into the Formation Talisman techniques according to his needs and looked around. Inside, it was similarly subdivided into many categories, including attack, defense, escape skill, seal, concealment, etc., but it was all regarding Talisman Paper and Array Plates.

In addition, he saw a column for tools, clicked it open, and, indeed, there were the special tools he now needed for making Formation Talismans.

’Bai Hua Leaf Pen Set: Personally made by Master Xu Yan Rong, uses Spiritual Energy as ink, can make First Grade Talisman Paper. Capable of making up to Third Grade Formation Talismans. No special abilities attached. Price: twenty-five Spirit Jade, firm.’

’Empty Speech Pen Set: Personally made by the Monk Kong Ji, uses Spiritual Energy as ink, can make First Grade Talisman Paper. Capable of making up to Third Grade Formation Talismans. No special abilities attached. Price: twenty Spirit Jade, negotiable.’

’Saint Fi Pen Set: Ancient set, uses Spiritual Energy as ink, can make Second Grade Talisman Paper. Capable of making up to Third Grade Formation Talismans. No abilities attached. Price: twenty Spirit Jade, firm.’

’Earth Escape Pen Set: Ancient set, uses Demonic Qi as ink, can make First Grade Talisman Paper, capable of making up to Third Grade Formation Talismans. Increases the success rate of making Earth Escape Talismans by about ten percent. Certified by Jade Trade Market. Price: thirty Spirit Jade, non-negotiable.’

Lin Xin looked through and saw many toolsets aimed at making specific Formation Talismans, but all could only make up to Third Grade Formation Talismans. He planned to purchase all he needed at once rather than constantly returning to the market to search.

Given his current level, he could already make Third Grade Arrays and with a bit more research, feared he could reach Fourth Grade. Beyond Third Grade is considered Grandmaster level—a threshold. Once crossed, it was not too difficult for a Grandmaster to progress until Fifth Grade, which was another threshold to reach Grandmaster status.

Therefore, he planned to fully prepare now, to get himself ready for crafting Fifth Grade Array Talisman Techniques in the future.

However, the toolsets in the trade market could only make up to Third Grade Array Talisman Techniques and not many had special abilities; they did not catch his eye.

He looked through over a hundred sets laid out but found none that impressed him.

"It seems I have to head to the black market now. It appears that the items at the trade market have all been screened, and the truly good stuff, as rumors suggest, are all retained for auction at the black market," Lin Xin realized, and then casually browsed through the items with an attitude of finding undervalued goods.

Apart from tools, the Formation Talisman column also contained many different arrays, from large-scale arrays able to found and protect a sect, to small-scale illumination and heating arrays that could be engraved in the palm of one’s hand.

There were even daily arrays for cleaning clothes and body.

Many arrays were on sale, although all were simple arrays below Third Grade, but these could already satisfy the needs of the vast majority of cultivators.

Lin Xin also saw arrays he was skilled in, such as Solar Yang Formation and Moon Fire Formation.

Higher grade Array Talisman Techniques required Spirit Jade as consumables, so even though they were displayed for sale, most people likely couldn’t afford them. And those who could afford them, likely had sufficient reserves of arrays already.

The arrays displayed outside were all ordinary.

Lin Xin even saw the Mortal Fire Formation that his Pixiu used.

However, the price was outrageously high, as the Mortal Fire Formation belonged to a type of array that could advance in stages. Mortal Fire was just the first stage; afterward, it could further increase in power, reaching the level of Human Fire among the three types: Heaven, Earth, and Man. Therefore, it was expensive and considered an advanceable array.

The group found a place to carefully check the items they needed, but Lao Du called out to everyone.

"If any of you need to go to the black market before nightfall, gather here after the daytime market closes, and I will lead the way. Remember to prepare the entrance fee, otherwise, you won’t be able to enter."

Unsurprisingly, when they arrived here at this event, most people would opt to experience the black market if they had the means.

So, all five of them had no other questions and directly agreed to meet here after the market closed.

Then, the family of three went on their own to search through the items they wanted to buy before leaving.

That young man stood still, seemingly undecided or simply staying there without leaving.

Lin Xin didn’t bother with him and continued to select from the black crystal slab for a while, finding no desirable items, but did discover some array flags with functions similar to his own Array Plates.

’Sky Concealing Array Flag: Invisibility, conceals oneself, can evade detection under normal conditions by Third Grade enemies. Usage depletes one Spirit Jade for two hours. Price hundred Spirit Jade. Non-negotiable.’

’Void Lacquer Array Plate: Distorts light, conceals all traces of one’s presence, can evade Fourth Grade enemy detection, usage consumes one piece of Spirit Jade for two hours. Price three hundred Spirit Jade. Non-negotiable.’

’Illusive Cloud Array Plate: Releases clouds and fog, Fourth Grade concealment ability, usage consumes one Spirit Jade for three hours. Price four hundred Spirit Jade. Non-negotiable.’

Each Concealment Array Plate was expensive and non-negotiable, and compared to his own Concealment Array Plate, they had similar performances but the consumption was drastically different.

Perhaps because his was created by stacking a large number of low-level arrays, its consumption was extremely low; a single Spirit Jade lasted for at least more than ten hours. Moreover, he had once used it to hide from a Dao Seeking cultivator’s sensory search.

Dao Seeking cultivators were already Fourth Grade cultivators, among the top echelon of Fourth Grade, so the price should be much higher than these.