Daoist Ghost Market

After about another month, Fang Xing felt that the progress he had gained from refining the spirit stone earlier had weakened considerably. Finally, Pang Daoren brought good news; he had learned that a ghost market with around a dozen people was confirmed to open at a specific time and location. Fang Xing was immediately excited and treated Pang Daoren to a big meal, of course, paid for by Pang Daoren.

On the appointed day, Fang Xing prepared the things he wanted to bring in advance and took out the Wanluo Ghost Mask. After putting it on and infusing it with spiritual energy, he immediately felt a strange power surging from the mask, flowing into his body. His bones crackled, and his body forcibly stretched by three feet, making him similar in size to an adult, although his small stature made him look quite thin.

At this moment, Fang Xing appeared as a sharp-eyed young man, around twenty years old, neither handsome nor ugly, just ordinary and easily forgettable.

Fang Xing tried speaking and found his voice hoarse and deep, much like an adult. Satisfied, he nodded and put on the Daoist robe borrowed from Pang Daoren, swaggering towards the location of the ghost market.

In the valley, people came and went without paying much attention to someone entering or leaving.

The location of the ghost market was in a small valley about ten miles from the outer disciple area. When Fang Xing arrived, the moon had just risen. At the entrance of the valley, two masked cultivators stood guard, both at the Spirit Awakening stage, looking at Fang Xing suspiciously. One of them stepped forward and asked in a low voice, 'Senior Brother, what brings you here?'

Fang Xing was surprised by their vigilant attitude but soon sneered and said, 'Who would bother coming to this place without something to exchange? We're all sensible people here. No need to pretend. I hope today's ghost market won't disappoint me!'

The two guards exchanged glances, and one of them whispered, 'Senior Brother, keep quiet. If the sect finds out about this, none of us will have a good time...'

Fang Xing chuckled and said, 'If the sect wants to know about this ghost market, how can we hide it from them? They probably just turn a blind eye. Why be so nervous?'

The two guards were surprised by his understanding and relaxed a bit, allowing him to enter.

Fang Xing sneered at this. It wasn't difficult for him to grasp these principles; he had already learned enough from Pang Daoren.

Although the sect had strict rules, they never went to extremes. If the sect didn't want to intervene in the ghost market, they would turn a blind eye. Otherwise, sending an elder to deal with it would shut down the market.

Most of the people coming to this ghost market were new disciples who joined the sect about four months ago. At most, a few Spirit Awakening stage senior brothers would join. Higher-level disciples from Qingyun Sect would not be interested in this market. In short, the participants were all newcomers, although they appeared nervous and cautious, they were easily fooled.

After all, no one was familiar with this ghost market, making it difficult to verify identities beforehand.

Originally said to have about a dozen participants, there were now more than twenty people gathered in the valley, including Fang Xing and several other outsiders who had joined after hearing about it. Each person chose what they considered a safe corner, dressed themselves securely, fearing being recognized, their eyes sharp, watching the scene.

'Fellow senior brothers, there's no need for many words. We all know why we're here. If anyone has something to exchange, bring it out quickly. Let's not waste time. It's better to finish exchanging and leave as soon as possible!'

A masked young man stepped forward and spoke. He seemed knowledgeable about the market.

'Indeed, let me go first. Honestly, who would come to this place without anything to exchange? We're all aware that most of you newcomers lack spirit stones. Well, I happen to have six extra spirit stones on me, and I'm willing to sell them to you. The sect's exchange rate for spirit stones is one hundred gold pieces for one, but I'll sell them for eighty gold pieces each. Who wants them?'

A slim man walked into the scene and placed five or six sparkling red spirit stones on a large stone.

Immediately, there was a stir among the crowd, several people showing interest. After all, saving twenty gold pieces on each spirit stone was tempting.

'I... I need to inspect the spirit stones first.'

A chubby masked person raised his hand, drawing everyone's attention.

'Hehe, go ahead and inspect. Is there room for error?'

The slim man chuckled, showing a casual inspection gesture.

Fang Xing found his voice familiar and couldn't resist using his Yin Yang Demon Eye to take a look. He couldn't help but feel amused. It turned out to be someone he knew, the big rat spirit he had seen in the artifact pavilion a month ago. It seemed that only someone like him, in a lucrative position, would have so many spirit stones to sell!

Then he used his Yin Yang Demon Eye to glance at the others. Despite their efforts to conceal their appearance, their cultivation level was unchanged. Fang Xing quickly understood the situation. Most were at the Spirit Awakening stage, with a few at the Spirit Awakening stage II. The big rat spirit was the only one at the Spirit Awakening stage III...

'Good, the spirit stones are good. I'll take two!'

After inspecting for a while, the chubby masked person couldn't find any flaws and threw down a small bundle of gold leaves.

'Sixteen gold leaves in total, ten gold pieces each. Check them yourself!'

'No need, Senior Brother, I trust you!'

The big rat spirit glanced at it and confirmed the quantity was correct, then stuffed it into his arms, saying, 'Only four left...'

'I'll take three...'

'Leave two for me...'

Soon, everyone scrambled to buy them, and the six spirit stones were sold out.

However, there was no need to worry. Seeing the big rat spirit's successful transaction, others also brought out spirit stones to sell. Fang Xing observed quietly and realized that these people were mostly at the Spirit Awakening stage II, likely senior disciples from Qingyun Sect. They had somehow accumulated some spirit stones they didn't need at the moment and were ready to exchange them with the newcomers.

'It's my turn. I have something to exchange for spirit stones. I wonder if fellow senior brothers are interested!'

A masked young man stepped forward and suddenly waved his hand, revealing a red-glowing sword. Within the red light, golden sparks flickered, making it quite extraordinary. But what surprised people even more was how he retrieved the sword, directly appearing in his hand. Observant individuals quickly noticed a simple ring on his finger from which the sword was summoned.

'That should be the Heaven's Gate Ring, right? A newly promoted outer disciple has such a spiritual item...'

'That sword is also extraordinary, with such intimidating spiritual energy, it must be a mid-tier flying sword...'

The crowd whispered, clearly astonished by the extravagance of this young man.

The young man scanned the surroundings and said solemnly, 'Before joining the sect, I spent all my savings to buy this mid-tier artifact, the Nine Serpent Golden Flame Sword. However, I realized I bought it too early. My current spiritual energy is not enough to fully unleash its power. What I need most now is spirit stones. But since my home is far away, it would take two months for the silver to be delivered to Qingyun Sect. I can't afford to wait, so I'm exchanging this sword first to get some spirit stones for cultivation...'

The crowd fell silent, all impressed by the mid-tier artifact, yet unsure if they could produce enough spirit stones in exchange.

The young man glanced around and continued, 'I bought this sword for ten thousand gold pieces before joining the sect. To trade it now, I'd need at least a hundred spirit stones. I wonder if the senior brothers here can afford it? If not, it's okay. I hope you can prepare and come back next time for the trade. Of course, if you know anyone interested in this sword, please pass on the message. I'll definitely come back next time!'

The crowd realized the young man didn't intend to trade it this time, only to show it to everyone and let them prepare. Another purpose was to spread the word through them. His Nine Serpent Golden Flame Sword was indeed valuable, even Spirit Awakening stage III disciples would be interested.

In fact, such mid-tier artifacts were likely only usable by inner disciples at Spirit Awakening stage IV.

'Excellent. Junior Brother, don't worry. I'm indeed unprepared this time. I didn't expect such a good item in this novice-level ghost market. But I really like this sword. I'll make sure to prepare properly when I go back. Please keep the sword for me!' said the big rat spirit, his greedy eyes revealing his desire.

As the guardian of the artifact pavilion, he was naturally knowledgeable about such items. It was clear that this sword was extraordinary