"Two bottles of Spiritual Liquid in exchange for three Hundred-year-old Spiritual Fruits, and on top of that, to form a connection with such a mysterious person, this deal is definitely a surefire profit."
"Of course it's possible," said the red-clothed woman with a smile as beautiful as a blooming flower. She took out a purple-gold card and said with a grin, "This is the VIP card of Heavenly Fragrance Square. From now on, in any area of Heavenly Fragrance Square, you will be treated as a VIP. Furthermore, any purchase will receive a 10% discount. If you participate in an auction, the commission fee will be reduced from ten percent to five percent."
"It seems he mistook me for an alchemist," Lin Xuan said as he accepted the Purple Gold Card, nodding in satisfaction.
On the Spirit Martial Continent, there are all kinds of professions, including alchemists, who are specialized in extracting effective ingredients from Spiritual Medicine, creating elixirs and Spiritual Liquids with significantly enhanced effects.
These alchemists are divided from First to Ninth Rank, and correspondingly, their Elixir Pills and Spiritual Liquids are also graded into nine levels. The Spiritual Wine that Lin Xuan had was a Second Grade Spirit Liquid.
Lin Xuan took possession of the Spirit Fruits and quickly left the shop.
Watching Lin Xuan's departing figure, the red-clothed woman's eyes twinkled, "Elder, is this really Second Grade Spirit Liquid?"
The Elder's face, which looked like the skin of an orange, was filled with gravity, "Indeed, it is Second Grade Spirit Liquid, but I did not sense the aura that should emanate from an alchemist."
"Are you saying he is not an alchemist?" The red-clothed woman's brows furrowed slightly. "Should we send someone to check on him?"
The Elder shook his head, "No need. Even if he's not an alchemist, he must have an extraordinary relationship with one. If we were to anger him, it could only be detrimental to our Heavenly Fragrance Square and bring no benefit."
"You must understand, alchemists are highly sought after by many forces. Do not offend one carelessly, or the consequences could be unimaginable!"
"Don't worry, Elder, I know what to do," said the red-clothed woman with a smile.
...
After leaving Heavenly Fragrance Square, Lin Xuan did not head straight back, but instead went directly to the business street in the western district.
The business street paled in comparison to Heavenly Fragrance Square, with no grand buildings, no orderly guards to maintain discipline, and certainly no beautiful maidens with welcoming smiles.
Having acquired three Spirit Fruits, Lin Xuan was in high spirits. He walked lightly through the business street, occasionally glancing at the stalls along the way.
Most people were selling common items, some of which were even broken weapons and armor. Apart from those, there were also some oddly shaped items that they proudly claimed to be ancient treasures!
Lin Xuan looked around but found nothing of interest until he was about to leave, when Lord of Wine suddenly spoke up.
"Little Xuanzi, at the stand to your rear right, there is a brown stone that you absolutely must acquire!"
Lin Xuan cast a covert glance in that direction and then asked in his mind, "What's special about it?"
"Calling you young and you still don't believe me!" Lord of Wine said with a hint of mockery. "Of course, the stone itself isn't special. The key is the branch sealed inside it; it's at least a thousand years old."
"Really?" Lin Xuan was astonished. He found Lord of Wine to be like a divine being; first, he could make that middle-aged Fatty spill the truth, and now he could see the contents inside a stone.
"How do you do it?" Lin Xuan, eager to learn, asked flatteringly.
"This is Divine Skills, Divine Skills, understand?" Lord of Wine said proudly.
Lin Xuan curled his lip and casually approached the stall, picking up a few items to examine. The stall owner was a youth about the same age as him, but his complexion was yellowish and his body somewhat thin.
"Sir, have you taken a fancy to anything good? Let me tell you, all these items are ancestral treasures from my family, definitely ancient relics!" the sallow-faced youth declared with great animation.
Lin Xuan browsed for quite a while before picking up the brown stone. Lord of Wine let out a barrage of strange cries within Lin Xuan's heart, and Lin Xuan felt a fleeting glimpse of a tiny black vortex, but when he looked carefully, he found nothing.
"It's settled, Little Xuanzi, I've got my hands on that half piece of branch, you can withdraw now!" Lord of Wine, holding onto the half branch and three Spirit Fruits, focused on brewing his wine.
"What's this? You're even selling this broken stone?" Lin Xuan asked in a lowered voice.
"This..." The sallow-faced youth's eyes darted around, but before he could speak, Lin Xuan heard an arrogant voice from behind him, "I'll buy that stone!"
Clang! A bag of Spirit Stones landed on the stall.
"Here are twenty Spirit Stones, take them. The stone is mine!" The voice carried an authoritative tone.
Lin Xuan turned around and saw several young men and women standing behind him, exuding arrogance as if they held nothing and no one in regard.
"The money is given, the stone is mine! Put down the stone, you can go now," one of the youths said coldly to Lin Xuan.
Originally, since the object inside the stone was now in his possession, there was no need for Lin Xuan to fight over the stone itself. However, the tone of these youths displeased him, and moreover, they were all disciples of Xuantian Sect, two of the youths belonged to the Divine Power Group, and one of the young women, dressed in green robes and endowed with fine features, also carried the same air of arrogance.
"It's the Divine Power Group again," Lin Xuan sneered inwardly. He said indifferently, "I'll offer thirty Spirit Stones."
"You dare to compete with me for an item? Do you know who we are? We are disciples of Xuantian Sect!" the youth arrogantly declared.
"Since ancient times, the highest bidder wins the item. You, an Outer Disciple, don't yet have the capital to be so insolent!" Lin Xuan said scornfully.
The cultivation of these individuals was mostly at the Fourth-stage of Congealing Veins, which could be considered above-average among the Outer Door, but their tone was as if they were unparalleled experts, showing disdain for everyone.
"Fine, thirty Spirit Stones, it's yours," the youth said with a sneer. "I don't have to spend a penny and can still make you obediently hand it over!" Having said that, he touched the longsword at his waist in a clear threat.
"Of course, such a fine stone should be cut open on the spot," Lin Xuan said calmly.
Hearing this, the faces of the youths changed dramatically, and they were at a loss for what to do, resorting to staring fiercely at Lin Xuan.
"Hmph, wait until Brother Tian Jie comes back to teach him a lesson!" the young woman suddenly said.
Indeed, it wasn't long before another youth arrived, a burly fellow with thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding an extremely strong aura, with sharp eyes as piercing as lightning, and an impressive demeanor.
"Fifth Level of Pulse Condensing!" Lin Xuan was inwardly shocked. Among the Outer Door, this was already considered a master. Why did these people want the stone as well? Could it be that they knew there was something inside?
Having learned of the situation, the youth named Tian Jie directly asked, "Vendor, who are you planning to sell to?"
"I, I'm not selling anymore!" Even the sallow-faced vendor, however slow-witted, knew that the brown stone was a treasure. How could he possibly sell it for just twenty Spirit Stones?
"Fifty Spirit Stones, and I'll take the stone. Otherwise, you're opposing the Divine Power Group of our Xuantian Sect!" Tian Jie said forcefully.
"What! You, you're from the Divine Power Group!" The sallow-faced vendor's complexion immediately became extremely unsightly.
Seeing the change in the vendor's expression, Tian Jie smiled smugly and then reached out his large hand, grasping arrogantly for the stone in Lin Xuan's hand.