58: Dangers abound, send spiritual fruit

Lin Feng nodded, his voice muffled and heavily accented: "En. A few stones, and... a few horns."

He awkwardly pulled three 'Thunder-Patterned Stones' from his Storage Pouch, each shimmering with faint electrical arcs and covered in peculiar patterns, along with two Benlei Beast horns of slightly inferior quality but still containing strong thunder power.

The old steward's eyes lit up. He picked up a Thunder-Patterned Stone and carefully sensed it: "Such pure thunder power! These patterns...? Rare! Truly rare!"

He then weighed the horns. "These horns are also of superior quality. Sir, you have great skill!"

Hai Jiao just scratched his head honestly, remaining silent.

The old steward pondered for a moment: "Thunder-Patterned Stones are rare. These three are valued at fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. The two horns are valued at five thousand Spirit Stones. A total of twenty thousand Spirit Stones. How about it?"

Lin Feng seemed unfamiliar with the market, hesitating for a moment before asking in a muffled voice: "Can't it be... a bit more?"

The old steward smiled and shook his head: "Sir, this price is very fair. If not for the excellent quality of these Thunder-Patterned Stones, the horns wouldn't fetch this price."

Lin Feng 'honestly' hesitated for a long while again before nodding heavily: "Alright then!"

The transaction was completed. This time, Lin Feng's Divine Sense perceived that the trackers sent by Juyuan Zhai were noticeably more professional. They were two Cultivators at Qi Refining eighth level, their aura well-concealed, trailing far behind and blending into the crowd.

But he remained calm.

The last stop was 'Haitian Pavilion.' This was a large merchant guild known for dealing in sea beast Materials and sea minerals. Lin Feng circled the city a few times, ensuring he had shaken off Juyuan Zhai's tail, then changed his appearance again!

This time, he transformed into a middle-aged Loose Cultivator with a worn, faded blue Daoist robe, a troubled face, a scholarly air, yet down on his luck. His cultivation was suppressed to Qi Refining eighth level. His eyes were filled with helplessness towards life and a longing for Spirit Stones.

'The third identity, 'Down-and-Out Scholar'...' He straightened his collar, a perfectly feigned anxiety on his face, and quickly walked into Haitian Pavilion, which was decorated with giant seashells and coral.

Greeting him was a serious-faced, sharp-eyed middle-aged female steward.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you wish to consign?" The female steward's voice was cold and businesslike.

Lin Feng carefully took out the last few Foundation Establishment Materials and five crimson flame jujube pears, his voice a little flustered: "Ma... Madam, please see, these are some Materials passed down from my ancestors... uh, no, they are something I luckily obtained. I hope Madam can give me a fair price to solve my urgent needs."

The female steward's gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the Materials and crimson flame jujube pears. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "The beast hide is acceptable, valued at twenty-two thousand Spirit Stones. The crimson flame jujube pears... their quality is slightly uneven, but they contain pure Spiritual Qi. Three are valued at five thousand Spirit Stones. A total of twenty-seven thousand Spirit Stones."

Lin Feng's face showed a mix of struggle and pleasant surprise, his lips trembling: "Tw... twenty-seven thousand? Madam... can it be a bit more? I... I urgently need Spirit Stones to buy Medicinal Pills for an emergency!" He tried to squeeze out a few tears.

The female steward was unmoved, her tone flat: "This price is already the best. If Fellow Daoist feels it's not suitable, you can inquire elsewhere."

"Al... alright! As Madam wishes!" Lin Feng seemed to resign himself to fate, nodding dejectedly. When he took the Spirit Stone Pouch, his hands trembled slightly.

However, just as he turned to leave Haitian Pavilion, seemingly with heavy steps, and merged into the crowd on the main road, an extremely subtle yet strongly purposeful Divine Sense, like a cold viper, silently locked onto him!

'A master! Foundation Establishment Stage!' Lin Feng's internal alarm bells rang loudly, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back! The owner of this Divine Sense was definitely not comparable to the ordinary scouts sent by the previous merchant guilds! Its precision in locking on and the condensed nature of its aura carried the cold patience of a hunter.

He suppressed the throbbing in his heart, maintaining the stumbling gait and disordered breathing that a down-and-out scholar should have, as if completely unaware of the deadly threat behind him. Yet, his mind was racing like a storm.

'Haitian Pavilion? Or did the previous two places reveal a flaw, attracting the attention of a true big shot?' He relied on his spiritual perception, which far surpassed others of his cultivation level, to sense that cold, ever-present gaze.

The other party seemed not to be in a hurry to act, more like confirming the prey's destination, or... waiting for him to leave the protection of the market's Restriction?

So what? As long as he didn't leave the market, what could they do to him?

He swaggered into the Immortal Cave rental area, where a massive formation isolated outsiders.

One hundred fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! An enormous sum, enough to drive even a Purple Mansion Cultivator mad, now lay heavily in his Storage Pouch.

The immense wealth brought not joy, but a sense of crisis like thorns in his back and the lingering fear of having narrowly escaped danger.

'One hundred fifty thousand... finally obtained.'

He slowly slid to the ground, spreading his palms and looking at his slightly trembling fingertips. The cold touch of the Spirit Stones seemed to still carry the chill of the tracker's Divine Sense. 'The auction... Foundation Establishment Pill... I hope all this risk is worth it.'

Lin Feng also recalled that there might be what he needed at the auction, and Xuanlei Island still required a large amount of Spirit Stones to advance his stage. He had just bought a lot of supplies, and he was definitely being watched outside.

Thus, he waited for another two days.

He changed his appearance again, transforming into a simple-dressed, honest-looking middle-aged farmer, suppressing his cultivation to Qi Refining seventh level, and arrived at the side hall of the Golden Scale Merchant Guild, which specialized in consignment matters.

This place was also heavily guarded, with strict procedures to protect the consignor's privacy.

The guards checked the jade token, and after confirming its authenticity, they expressionlessly allowed him to pass. The side hall was brightly lit and simply furnished. Behind a row of windows embedded with isolation Restrictions sat several appraisers, equally calm in aura and sharp in gaze.

Lin Feng walked to an empty window.

The appraiser behind the window was a serious-faced old man with deep nasolabial folds, and his cultivation was impressively at the Peak of Qi Refining tenth level.

He looked up and scanned Lin Feng, his tone flat: "What do you wish to consign? Do you know the rules? A ten percent commission, a deposit deducted after the item is unsold or sold, and malicious consignments are at your own risk."

"Yes... I know the rules." Lin Feng quickly nodded, carefully taking an unremarkable box made of ordinary ironwood from hisin my arms. His movements showed the clumsy and precious care of a country person protecting a treasure.

He opened the lid. Inside, padded with soft Spiritual Plants, lay three Dragon-eye-sized fruits, entirely yellowish-brown, with dense, intricate silver thunder patterns on their surface, and two entirely crimson fruits, emitting an enticing fruity fragrance and pure fire-wood Spiritual Qi. Even with the box obstructing, the pure Spiritual Qi fluctuations faintly seeped out.

The old appraiser's originally calm eyes, upon seeing the contents of the box, suddenly sharpened like an eagle's! He immediately activated the isolation formation beneath the window, and a soft light screen rose, completely isolating the internal and external auras.

"yellow thunder apricot! Vermillion Fruit!"