It turned out that the other day, while guarding the pass, Xiong Da had a sudden stroke of genius and figured out a way to improve the Strong Bow.
The modification could increase its power by nearly half!
To encourage the demon masses to actively make improvements and contribute to Langlang Mountain's war preparations, the Elders had immediately bestowed this reward upon him.
It must be said, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while!
'This Black Bear Demon, Xiong Da, looks so simple-minded. I didn't expect him to have such brains.'
"Not bad! Among our batch of demons, you're leading the pack."
Indeed, their batch consisted of forty-eight little demons in total, and the one with the highest cultivation was undoubtedly Xiong Da.
Well, if you didn't count Xu Chang'an.
Xu Chang'an and Xiong Da exchanged a few pleasantries, renewing their old friendship, before he left.
"Who is that Mouse Demon!? Why is Instructor Xiong speaking so gently to him?"
Watching Xu Chang'an's departing figure, the Black Chicken Spirit whispered to the Wild Boar Demon beside him.
"I don't know. He looks tiny. He's not as strong as me."
the Wild Boar Demon said simply.
"You idiot, we're demons now. You think strength is all that matters?!"
"Anyone who can talk to Instructor Xiong like that can't be an ordinary little demon!"
The Black Chicken Spirit slapped the Wild Boar Demon on the head and said with contempt.
"Huh? If not strength, then what do we compete with!?"
The Wild Boar Demon scratched the spot where he'd been hit.
"Look at the waist token he's wearing. That's the symbol of Hundred Arts Peak.
The demons from Hundred Arts Peak have mastered specialized skills; they're different.
Why the hell would he compete with you in strength!"
"Let me tell you, this..."
Before the Black Chicken Spirit could finish, he felt a sharp pain on his head.
"What are you two whispering about! Stop slacking off. If you don't finish, I'll beat you both."
Xiong Da brandished his large fists, bonking each of them on the head.
"Yes, Instructor Xiong."
The Wild Boar Demon and Black Chicken Spirit clutched their heads and quickly agreed.
The two little demons immediately ran to the side and hurried back to work.
...
The sun shone brightly down on Wave Valley.
At this moment, Wave Valley was exceptionally lively.
The open ground in the valley was already lined with stalls.
Goods for trade were laid out on display.
Besides the ordinary stalls, there were also special wooden huts to the side.
Those who could sell and trade inside the huts were a cut above ordinary little demons.
Even a Little Flag of average means would find it difficult.
At a minimum, they were of the Standard-Bearer or Vanguard rank!
This trade gathering was not only large in scale but also high in status.
Even Elder Level demons had appeared to sell and trade.
However, their trading spot was not in the huts.
Instead, it was in a stone pavilion located halfway up one of the valley's sides.
By the time Xu Chang'an arrived at Wave Valley, many demons had already gathered there.
There were those setting up stalls, those browsing leisurely, those both browsing and selling, and those just there for the spectacle...
"Did you hear? The Young Mistress came to the trade gathering."
"The Young Mistress is here! Really?!"
"Of course. If the Young Mistress wasn't in such high spirits, do you think so many Elders would have shown up?"
"So that's how it is."
"Hahaha, the Young Mistress is in the stone pavilion. I saw her."
"Shh, keep your voice down! Being so loud, aren't you afraid the Young Mistress's followers will beat you up?"
"..."
As Xu Chang'an walked among the stalls, snippets of conversation occasionally reached his ears.
The Young Mistress, Jin Ling'Er, was a direct descendant of Langlang Mountain's Foundation Establishment Great Demon, Jin Yuanba.
She possessed an Upper-class Bloodline.
Just a few months ago, her cultivation had broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
It was said that when she broke through, she hadn't used a single Tier-Breaking Elixir.
Having cultivated for just over twenty years without ever using a Tier-Breaking Elixir, her talent and potential were beyond question.
It was widely rumored among the demons that Jin Ling'Er had the makings of a Foundation Establishment Great Demon.
Today, Jin Ling'Er was not just the Young Mistress of Langlang Mountain.
By virtue of her own cultivation, she had been granted the position of an Elder!
Relying on elixirs to break through tiers caused medicinal residue to accumulate in the body.
This accumulated residue could be eliminated by spending a great deal of time.
However, the lost potential could never be recovered!
Therefore, any demon with aspirations would restrain themselves from using Tier-Breaking Elixirs.
Of course, this only applied to talented demons.
For the vast majority of demons, breaking through a tier without the aid of Tier-Breaking Elixirs was nigh impossible!
'They could barely manage the present, so why worry about the future!?'
Xu Chang'an browsed the market stalls in the open area but didn't head toward the wooden huts or the stone pavilion.
'I won't rush to buy anything. I'll sell off some resources first.'
Finding an empty spot, Xu Chang'an sat on the ground.
He took out the medicinal herbs and elixirs he had brought with him one by one.
The elixirs and herbs he displayed were all resources that could be accounted for.
These included the Healing Elixirs he had been previously rewarded with, and the Tier One Beginner Elixirs he had refined from herbs he'd purchased himself, such as Detoxification Pills and Muscle Regeneration Pills.
In addition, during his three years in the Alchemy Hall, Xu Chang'an had used his treatise on alchemy success rates to accumulate a considerable stash of "private goods."
However, it was naturally not a good idea to sell these private goods here.
If investigated, he would have no way to explain them.
He would have to wait for another opportunity to dispose of them.
Elixirs had always been highly sought after by the demon masses, especially the high-quality, low-priced Tier One Beginner Elixirs that Xu Chang'an was offering.
In just half an hour, the various types of elixirs he brought were completely sold out.
The medicinal herbs, on the other hand, attracted little interest.
Xu Chang'an didn't mind; they were mostly there for show anyway.
Including the Demon Stones from this sale, Xu Chang'an now had a total of fifty-one Demon Stones on hand.
He wanted to buy a suitable Magical Artifact.
He also wanted to buy a Storage Bag.
He had quite a few private goods on him. To offload them, he would inevitably have to venture outside.
Buying a Storage Bag was a necessary precaution.
He wasn't particularly optimistic about Langlang Mountain's future.
Converting his resources into Guarding Methods as soon as possible was the proper path.
An ordinary Little Flag wasn't even guaranteed to own a single Magical Artifact, let alone have one to trade.
When it came to Magical Artifacts, they naturally wouldn't appear at ordinary stalls. Those who could trade in Magical Artifacts were at least of the Standard-Bearer or Vanguard rank.
So, Xu Chang'an walked directly toward the wooden huts.
He casually entered one of the huts.
The previous demon customer had just stepped out, so it was spacious when he entered.
The proprietor was a skinny Black Sheep Spirit.
However, the waist token hanging at his hip ensured no demon would dare to underestimate him.
Vanguard!
The position of Vanguard could generally only be held by a veteran Old Demon at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
Xu Chang'an scanned the goods for sale and saw that both items he needed were available.
"How much for this Magic Sword!?"
Xu Chang'an asked, pointing to a Magic Sword.
"Forty-five Demon Stones."
the Black Sheep Spirit said with a chuckle. He seemed good-natured.
'So expensive!'
Xu Chang'an sighed to himself.
Generally, a Low-grade Magical Artifact started at a value of twenty Demon Stones. However, artifacts at that price point were usually of inferior quality.
Slightly better ones were priced at thirty Demon Stones or more.
Unless they had saved for many years or possessed a valuable skill, an ordinary little demon could never afford one.
His budget for a Magical Artifact was thirty Demon Stones, so this was a bit over.