Along the way, Yuan Wei also introduced Xu Ping to the current market dynamics.
The market was in disarray, with Demon Beasts lurking nearby, so most cultivators chose to form alliances and created various factions for survival.
Among them, the strongest forces consisted of the Linghu Gang, the Dragon Suppression Gang, the Four Directions Association, and the remnants of the Longevity Sect disciples.
The leaders of these four major forces, except for the leader of the Linghu Gang, were all at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation.
Even though the Linghu Gang leader's cultivation wasn't high, he was at Perfection of the third level of Body Refining, placing his combat power among the top three in the market.
Moreover, the new trading area was co-opened by these four, and almost no one dared to cause trouble there.
'It seems that the market is still maintaining the most basic order, which is better than having no order at all…' Xu Ping thought to himself.
...
...
The new trading area was located in a remote valley.
At the entrance of the valley, Xu Ping wrinkled his nose and stopped.
"What's that strange smell?" he asked while covering his nose.
He smelled something like sulfur, but more complicated.
"That's the smell of Beast Repellent Powder, it can ward off some poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, keeping them away from here," Yuan Wei pointed to the red and white powder on the ground not far ahead, explaining.
"This stuff seems useful, is it sold inside?" Xu Ping raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Yes." Yuan Wei nodded, "Beast Repellent Powder is exclusively sold by the Longevity Sect. It wasn't valued before, but now it's a hot commodity."
The valley entrance was quite narrow, like a natural checkpoint, but once inside, it opened up and became quite spacious.
As soon as the two entered the valley, they saw seven or eight roughly styled wooden houses built from stacked logs, with a few Loose Cultivators trading next to them in small groups.
"The ones who rented the wooden houses are mostly the remaining shops," Yuan Wei whispered a brief explanation.
In fact, the brutality faced by the disciples of the Longevity Sect was far less severe than what these shops endured.
These shops were the real targets, with Pills, medicinal herbs, talismans, Magical Artifacts... everything was available.
These Loose Cultivators had been eyeing them for a long time, and now that they had the chance, they naturally became wolves.
Of course, the shops that survived must have considerable strength.
"Fellow Daoist, I've brought you here, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now," Yuan Wei glanced cautiously at Xu Ping.
Walking with someone who looked fierce enough to take his life at any moment was indeed stressful!
"Thank you for leading the way and enlightening me," Xu Ping expressed his gratitude, then took a large chunk of Demon Beast Flesh from his storage bag and handed it to Yuan Wei.
Yuan Wei was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. He never expected this fierce-looking guy to have a good heart!
This large piece of meat was enough for him to eat for ten days.
"My name is Yuan Wei. If you ever need anything, just let me know." Yuan Wei took the Demon Beast Flesh with a look of joy.
This person is not only powerful but also kind-hearted, a good connection to have!
"Sure!"
Xu Ping nodded and turned to start searching for what he needed at the stalls.
Watching Xu Ping's departing back, Yuan Wei licked his lips and immediately left the valley.
...
After browsing around, Xu Ping found that the stall's items were of relatively low grade, mostly daily necessities.
Let alone Spirit Gathering Pills, even the materials needed for the second layer of the Nourishing Life Skill were hard to find.
"Looks like I'll have to check inside the wooden houses," Xu Ping thought to himself.
He came to a wooden house, next to which stood a wooden sign with white paper on it, written "Buying old Spirit Grass, various ores."
He entered the house and glanced around, finding it simply furnished with just a wooden table and two chairs.
A young man in a green robe was leisurely sitting on one of the chairs, holding a blue book.
Seeing someone enter, the young man put down the book and smiled warmly, "What can I do for you, Fellow Daoist?"
"I want to buy Spirit Medicine. Can you gather the materials on this list?" Xu Ping handed over a piece of white paper he had prepared, which listed the Spirit Medicines needed for the second layer of the Nourishing Life Skill.
"Let me see."
The young man took the paper, checked it carefully, and smiled, "You're in luck, our shop has all the Spirit Medicines listed."
"That's good. How much for a full set?" Xu Ping asked.
"Not expensive, eighty-eight Spirit Stones," the young man replied cheerfully.
"That's too expensive, is this place a black market!" Xu Ping was shocked.
This was fifty percent higher than usual prices. Did they think he was easy prey?
"You're kidding, Fellow Daoist. Nowadays, prices for everything, let alone Spirit Medicine, are on the rise," the young man said with a faint smile.
Xu Ping frowned slightly, calculated in his mind, and eventually spent eighty-eight Spirit Stones to buy the Spirit Medicines.
He knew there was a premium, but after searching around, this shop was the only one with the Spirit Medicine he needed. It couldn't be helped.
"Take care, Fellow Daoist!"
After the transaction, the young man saw Xu Ping out the door.
Watching Xu Ping's fading figure, he stroked his chin, thoughtfully: "This guy is really quite the catch!"
...
Leaving the wooden house, Xu Ping headed to his next destination – the Pill Workshop.
This wooden house was visibly larger, with two or three people inside selecting Pills.
As soon as he entered, a woman in a blue robe greeted Xu Ping, "Fellow Daoist, looking for any specific Pills?"
"Do you have any better Pills for cultivation?" Xu Ping asked directly.
The Qi Nourishing Pill had greatly diminished in effect for him, and he wanted something better.
"Certainly," the woman in blue smiled and nodded, "For someone of your cultivation, I would recommend the Spirit Gathering Pill."
"The Spirit Gathering Pill is a First Rank Mid-grade Pill with strong medicinal power, extremely effective for mid-stage cultivators, even beneficial for late-stage cultivators."
Xu Ping felt intrigued, "How much for a bottle?"
"Fifty-five Spirit Stones per bottle, and there are fifteen pills in each bottle," the woman responded with a pleasant smile.
"That's way too expensive!" Xu Ping shook his head, nearly double the cost of the Qi Nourishing Pill.
"The Spirit Gathering Pill has always been this price. Other shops have already raised their prices, but we haven't," the woman still smiled.
"If the price goes up, even fewer people will buy. There's hardly anyone buying Pills in the market now," Xu Ping reasoned.
"That may be so, but the Spirit Medicines for refining Pills are extremely scarce, mostly old stock. Once sold out, who knows if we can make more," she replied helplessly.
"Could you make it cheaper? I'm buying two bottles…"
...
A dozen minutes later.
Xu Ping wiped sweat from his forehead, leaving the Pill store.
In the end, he didn't get a discount, but they gave him a bottle of Beast Repellent Powder, which was alright.