After securing the parchment scroll, only two lonely green wooden tokens remained on the table.
"What is this thing?"
Xu Ping was puzzled; he had never seen such an item and had no idea what the wooden token was for.
He picked up the wooden token and tried to infuse it with a trace of Mana.
Buzz!
The black bead embedded in the middle of the wooden token emitted a gentle glow, and some information appeared automatically.
'Longevity Ship Ticket'
'Destination: Longevity City'
'Boarding Time: September 18th'
"This is... a ticket to leave Dongwu Market!!" Xu Ping was overjoyed, his heart racing.
Dongwu Market was extremely dangerous now.
Beast tide, malevolent spirits, and rogue cultivators made people's scalps tingle.
He had long wanted to leave this godforsaken place, but tickets were hard to come by!
He had not expected to acquire two tickets at once.
"This must be what Zhao Tao exchanged Contribution Points for by hunting Demon Beasts, but to exchange for two tickets, most likely others had become Zhao Tao's victims."
Xu Ping felt a chill, wondering how many had become victims of the two of them.
"Ah, people's hearts are unpredictable!"
"These people's acting skills are superb, completely unreadable." Xu Ping sighed helplessly.
He then turned his attention back to the ship tickets.
The boarding time and destination were very clear.
It was August 7th now, with forty-one days left until the boarding time.
The destination Longevity City, although Xu Ping had never been there, he had heard of it.
A city built at the foot of the Longevity Sect's mountain.
Its scale was much larger than Dongwu Market.
"But there are two tickets, and I only need one. If I sell one of them, I'd make a fortune."
A thought struck Xu Ping, and he silently put away the two wooden tokens.
These tickets were not registered, whoever held them could board the ship.
The price was two hundred Spirit Stones each, but if he were to sell one, the price would have to be a bit lower.
However, even if he sold it for a bit less, selling it for a hundred or so Spirit Stones would not be a problem.
The question was who to sell it to.
He didn't know anyone who could afford a ship ticket.
"I should go to the market to see if I can sell it, and while I'm at it, buy a Magic Sword." Xu Ping thought to himself.
Buying a Magic Sword wasn't just for show. The main thing was that, with a Magic Sword, he could start practicing swordsmanship.
...
...
Three days later.
A burly man with a face full of scars walked out of Xu Ping's room.
This appearance was altered by Xu Ping using the 'Nourishing Life Skill'.
As he improved in the 'Nourishing Life Skill', he discovered some tricks, like moving bones and changing appearances.
This time, since the ticket he wanted to sell was quite valuable, he opted for caution.
...
In the early morning, the market was sparsely populated, yet to reach the busiest time of day.
Without lingering in the market, Xu Ping headed straight for the 'Hundred Treasures Tower'.
'Hundred Treasures Tower' dealt in all kinds of cultivation-related items.
If he wanted to sell the ship ticket, it was clearly the best choice.
Upon entering the Hundred Treasures Tower, an attendant immediately approached: "What can I help you with, fellow cultivator?"
"Get your Shopkeeper, I have something to sell." Xu Ping's voice was hoarse, his manner rough, and he exuded a trace of Evil Qi!
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
The attendant hurriedly went to the back to get the Shopkeeper.
Although the visitor was only at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, given the current relentless beast tides, he might have something good.
It wasn't long before a male cultivator, dressed in purple robes, came out. Around forty years old, with a plump face full of kind laughter:
"What does fellow cultivator wish to sell? I'm Qiao Yue, one of the Shopkeepers of Hundred Treasures Tower. May I take a look?"
"It's not convenient here." Xu Ping said deeply.
Qiao Yue's eyes narrowed slightly, then he cheerfully invited Xu Ping into a room.
The room was traditionally decorated, with a carpet laid on the floor, and all necessary items were present.
Qiao Yue closed the door, invited Xu Ping to sit, and had the attendant pour a cup of hot tea for Xu Ping.
"I wonder what fellow cultivator plans to sell?" Qiao Yue asked.
"A Longevity Sect ship ticket." Xu Ping didn't waste time, showing the wooden token with a blank expression.
"A ship ticket?"
Qiao Yue was slightly taken aback, quickly picking up the wooden token to inspect it closely. Finally, he nodded, "It's indeed a Longevity Sect ship ticket!"
"This ticket… how does the guest intend to sell it?" Qiao Yue asked with a smile.
"Originally, a ship ticket was priced at two hundred Spirit Stones. I'm selling it a bit cheaper, one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones." Xu Ping said coldly.
"That's expensive." Qiao Yue shook his head. "Tickets with fixed times like this aren't easy to sell, and there are only forty days left. If it doesn't sell, it could be stuck in your hands."
"Then name your price."
"Ninety Spirit Stones."
"Shopkeeper Qiao, are you joking?" Xu Ping frowned.
This was entirely beyond his expectations.
"I wouldn't joke with a customer. Tickets with fixed times have always been like this, and the closer to the expiration, the lower the price. Think it over carefully."
Qiao Yue leisurely picked up his teacup and sipped, showing no urgency.
Xu Ping naturally didn't trust this nonsense; he understood the principle of no merchant without greed.
After another round of bargaining, they finally settled at one hundred and five Spirit Stones.
This price was almost half of normal, but there was no other way.
Qiao Yue did have a point; the closer the expiry, the lower the ticket price.
In a hurry to sell, Xu Ping had to accept a loss.
After the transaction, Xu Ping did not take all the Spirit Stones. He spent fifty-five Spirit Stones with Qiao Yue to buy some herbs required for the 'Nourishing Life Skill' and a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills.
Elder Yan didn't prepare many herbs, and they were almost used up, so he needed to restock.
The benefits of practicing the 'Nourishing Life Skill' were already evident to him.
He couldn't just give up like that.
As for the Qi Nourishing Pills, having experienced rapid cultivation, he couldn't tolerate the previous slow pace.
"Farewell!"
Once the transaction was completed, Xu Ping left immediately.
"Safe journey."
Qiao Yue escorted Xu Ping out of the Hundred Treasures Tower with a smile, saluting as he watched Xu Ping leave.
...
After leaving the Hundred Treasures Tower, Xu Ping disguised himself and sold off all his unused herbs and Magical Artifacts at the market stalls.
He only kept one Turtle Spirit Armor and a black net.
He was busy from morning until afternoon.
In total, he made a profit of over sixty Spirit Stones.
Afterward, he went to the Hundred Refining Workshop and spent ninety-eight Spirit Stones to finally acquire the Magic Sword he had longed for.
Xu Ping tested the Magic Sword in his hand and grew more fond of it.
The Magic Sword was named Qinghe, entirely green, weighing over twenty pounds, more than enough for his current physique.
Though Xu Ping hadn't practiced swordsmanship, holding the Magic Sword gave him a hint of a Sword Cultivator's demeanor.
It's true what they say, clothes make the man, just like a saddle makes the horse.
But his previously over two hundred Spirit Stones were now less than one hundred.
"Ah, Spirit Stones spend quickly!" Xu Ping sighed.
Yet his spending spree wasn't over.
He hadn't bought the materials needed to craft the Hundred Flowers Gu insect.
Among them, the most crucial was a Gu insect called the Polar Insect.