15: Chapter 15: Pick up a bargain?

Wang Bin finally successfully entered the Mid Stage Foundation Establishment. He reviewed the Breakthrough process and was pleasantly surprised to find that it only took twenty days.

It must be said that this speed was indeed quite rapid.

This was mainly due to the extremely ample supply of Medicinal Pills, which provided a solid guarantee for his Breakthrough.

Wang Bin slowly left the Merit Hall, his mood exceptionally pleasant, as if the sky above him was bluer and the surrounding air was fresher.

For some reason, he suddenly had a strong premonition that he might really hit the jackpot today.

He couldn't help but recall the protagonists in novels, who often managed to buy enviable good things when they first visited a large market's stalls, whether it was a dust-covered Magic Treasure or a powerful Sharp Weapon.

Thinking of this, a fervent flame ignited in Wang Bin's heart, and he immediately became spirited.

He secretly mused that with his unique perspective and rich experience from two worlds, he might really be able to pick up a great bargain in this market full of opportunities.

If he could fortunately pick up a flawed Magic Treasure with an old man inside, it would be like ascending a ladder to the heavens, soaring directly, and from then on, his path of cultivation would be unobstructed.

With such beautiful aspirations, Wang Bin eagerly asked passersby for directions to his destination, then walked with firm steps towards that hopeful place.

It turned out that this anticipated place was not far from the Merit Hall, a bustling market where Cultivators of West Sea City gathered.

It was crowded and lively, like a huge Treasure Trove full of vitality.

Along the street were rows of neat shops, selling a dazzling array of strange and wonderful items.

These shops were opened by other forces or internal members of merchant alliances, who gathered various precious items here.

The items here were nothing more than Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and other essential items for Cultivators, and each item was clearly priced, making it easy to see.

However, precisely because of this, there was basically no chance of finding a bargain.

Wang Bin just glanced quickly, then shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.

He knew that here, finding true treasures and acquiring them at a low price was almost impossible.

After walking through this bustling street, further ahead was the area for street stalls.

This place was completely different from those shops, selling all sorts of strange and varied items.

There were no fancy signboards or neat displays here, only simple stalls, where vendors casually displayed their items, waiting for discerning customers.

This was the place where it was truly possible to find bargains, because most of these vendors were Loose Cultivators or lucky adventurers who had obtained some unknown items from various mysterious places and brought them here to try their luck.

With anticipation, Wang Bin weaved among the various stalls, his gaze like a keen detector, constantly scanning the items on the stalls, trying to discover the buried treasures.

At one stall, some ancient Magical Artifacts were displayed, emitting a mysterious Aura, as if telling of their past glory.

There were short swords, small tripods, jade pendants, and so on, each Magical Artifact having a unique shape and pattern, making one eager to explore them.

Wang Bin first picked up a short sword and carefully injected a trace of Qi into it.

The short sword vibrated slightly, emitting a faint glow, but this glow was very weak, clearly not an Advanced Magical Artifact.

He put down the short sword without a change in expression, feeling a little disappointed, but he did not give up hope.

Next, he picked up a small tripod to examine it. Mysterious patterns were carved on the small tripod, intricate and complex, as if containing endless mysteries.

Wang Bin examined it carefully, trying to discern something, but ultimately found nothing special.

He reluctantly secretly input Qi into it, but the small tripod did not react at all.

In novels, such tripods usually lead to a bargain, but this small tripod was so unremarkable, which made Wang Bin feel a bit confused.

The vendor was a thin old man, his face weathered, but his eyes revealed a shrewdness. The old man was also a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, clearly having some experience on the path of cultivation.

Seeing that Wang Bin seemed interested in these Magical Artifacts, he enthusiastically introduced them:

"Fellow Daoist, the Magical Artifacts at my stall are all from ruins, and each one has a unique story. Perhaps there's a Treasure Trove you're looking for."

Wang Bin just smiled slightly, not responding, and continued to browse the stall.

He knew that in this situation, he couldn't easily reveal his true thoughts, otherwise, the vendor would easily raise the price.

In fact, Wang Bin was somewhat interested in this small tripod. He had just secretly squeezed it with all his strength, and the small tripod showed no reaction, at least the hardness of its Materials was sufficient.

This made his heart stir, feeling that this small tripod might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.

As long as the price was not expensive, he decided to buy it. He also did not use those cliché tactics, such as clearly wanting this small tripod but buying other things, then asking the vendor to give him this small tripod as an extra after the deal was done.

He felt that doing so was neither troublesome nor guaranteed to succeed.

"Fellow Daoist, how many Spirit Stones is this small tripod?" Wang Bin finally couldn't help but ask.

"It seems you are also an expert. I found this small tripod in a ruin. Although I haven't discovered its function, its Materials are very hard.

It might be a Magic Treasure, at worst a Spiritual Artifact, just this number!" The vendor said, extending a finger.

Wang Bin tentatively asked, "One thousand Spirit Stones?"

"Ten thousand!" The vendor glared at Wang Bin unhappily.

Wang Bin was speechless for a moment; this price was a bit expensive!

But he always felt that this tripod was a good thing, yet he only had over eight thousand Spirit Stones left, far from enough to pay for this small tripod.

So, for the first time in his life, he shamelessly began to haggle.

He knew that in such a transaction, one should not give up easily; with patience, it was possible to buy the desired item at a reasonable price.

After a fierce back-and-forth, both sides gave it their all.

The vendor tried to raise the price, while Wang Bin tried every means to lower it.

Finally, after a long negotiation, the price was reduced to five thousand Spirit Stones.

Both parties were relatively satisfied, feeling that they had made a profit.

Wang Bin felt that this was a good thing, although he didn't know its specific function yet, he trusted his intuition.

The vendor, on the other hand, had found this small tripod in a Storage Pouch of an unlucky person, studied it for a while, found it useless but very hard, yet he felt it was a good thing.

It had been in his hand for over ten years and hadn't been sold. Every time he came to West Sea City to purchase Materials, he would bring it to this market to set up a stall for a few days, but it had never been sold.

He didn't expect it to finally be sold today. Five thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones converted into Medicinal Pills would be enough for him to reach Foundation Establishment Completion.

However, when the vendor saw the Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch that Wang Bin handed over, his face immediately changed.

His Mid Stage Foundation Establishment Aura flashed and then disappeared, as if a strong wind was about to blow.

The main reason was that this was West Sea City, which had strict rules and order, not allowing him to be presumptuous, otherwise he would face severe punishment.

Moreover, the person opposite him was wearing the uniform of a West Sea Mountain Gate deacon, which made him even more hesitant to act rashly.

He suppressed the anger in his heart and gritted his teeth, saying to Wang Bin:

"Friend, are you playing tricks on me? Why are you taking out five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones? I said five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

"What? Five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones? Are you kidding me? A Magical Artifact whose function you don't even know, and you dare to sell it for five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Do you take me for a fool?"

Wang Bin pretended to be angry, flicked his sleeves, and left, feeling even more speechless.

Damn it, he's crazy for money. Is this still a bargain?

Five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! Even if he sold himself, he wouldn't be worth that much money.

And the main reason was that he didn't have that many Spirit Stones. He felt incredibly disappointed and angry, feeling that he had been deceived by the vendor.

After this unpleasant transaction, Wang Bin walked around this street.

He found that most of the items sold at these stalls were similar to those sold in shops, only relatively cheaper.

However, the items at the stalls had no quality guarantee; whether they were good or bad depended entirely on one's own discernment.

And this was precisely Wang Bin's weakness; he did not have that keen insight and rich experience to accurately judge the value of these items.

Moreover, he was truly short of funds and did not have enough money to risk buying those uncertain items.

At the same time, he also discovered a cruel truth.

Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, the basic unit of currency for items used by Cultivators was implicitly Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

According to this exchange rate, he now only had eighty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch.

Any item he looked at that might be a good thing was unaffordable, and the rest were Qi Refining Stage items, which were of little use to him anymore.

Forget it, let's go back!

Let's first gather the one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones for the White Cloud City Protective Array's core!

Wang Bin sighed helplessly, feeling a little lost, but he did not give up hope.

He knew that on the path of cultivation, opportunities always coexisted with challenges, and as long as he continued to work hard, he would eventually find his own treasure.

Ultimately, it all came down to one word: poor!