Chapter 26: Serious Boys Shine

Such a scene was truly enough to make others green with envy.

A few people were particularly tasteless, drooling all over themselves.

Only Zheng Tuo secretly broke into a cold sweat.

It was a good thing the Bronze Treasure Mirror had a high enough grade; otherwise, he certainly would have been discovered by Chi Xiao.

That pupil-type divine ability was no small matter.

It had actually caused the Bronze Treasure Mirror to tremble.

It seemed he would have to be even more cautious in the future.

As Chi Xiao and the Green Dragon departed, a crowd of men immediately swarmed around.

"Junior Brother, I want ten of the same first-grade demon cores as Junior Sister Green Dragon."

"Me too! Give me ten as well!"

"Get in line, kid! Give me ten too!"

The crowd scrambled to surround him.

Seeing this, a smile played at the corners of Zheng Tuo's mouth.

He slowly held up two fingers.

"Two hundred low-grade spirit stones each. Supplies are limited; first come, first served."

Zheng Tuo was not about to pass up an opportunity to raise his prices.

"Damn! Junior Brother, you're being unscrupulous!" someone wailed.

"Exactly! You just sold one to Junior Sister Green Dragon for 120 low-grade spirit stones. Why is it 200 for us?"

Someone complained, drawing agreement from the crowd.

"Senior Brother, if you're not buying, then don't stand in the way of others. You think 200 spirit stones for the same demon core as Senior Sister Green Dragon is too expensive? I don't think it's too expensive; I think you're just looking down on her."

As soon as Zheng Tuo spoke, several sharp gazes shot toward the man.

"Fine! Give me ten!" the man barked, rushing to buy ten first-grade demon cores.

Subsequently, amidst the intense scrambling, Zheng Tuo finished selling all ninety-eight demon cores in his possession.

Including the 120 spirit stones from the Green Dragon, his total profit was 19,720 low-grade spirit stones.

Not bad!

Not bad at all!

Zheng Tuo was in a good mood.

He would certainly need first-grade demon cores in the future, but since the ones he had weren't perfect, it was better to sell them.

After all, the most pressing matter now was using spirit stones to acquire array materials.

It had been a year, and he hadn't been able to go home; it was quite miserable.

As noon approached, Zheng Tuo stood up.

The reasons he chose to sell demon cores were twofold: first, setting up arrays required materials, which had to be purchased with spirit stones; second, he wanted to experience the atmosphere of the Falling Immortal Sect market.

Now that he had enough spirit stones and had experienced the atmosphere, he packed up and headed to the market's exchange center.

The exchange center was the official trading platform of the Falling Immortal Sect.

Everyone needed to cultivate, and no one had much time to set up street stalls. One could come directly to the exchange center to trade for desired resources.

Of course, the prices at the exchange center were certainly slightly higher than those outside.

Zheng Tuo took out his prepared supply list.

At the same time, he brought out his unused talismans, array plates, poisons, and so on.

Although the senior sisters at the exchange center were all working to earn spirit stones in their spare time, one could clearly sense their professionalism.

"Hello, Junior Brother. Based on the assessment of the materials you require and the items you are delivering, you will need to pay an additional one thousand low-grade spirit stones."

The senior sister had a sweet voice, a beautiful face, and long legs.

However, to Zheng Tuo's ears, it sounded extremely reluctant.

He was, after all, a future of the Falling Immortal Sect.

He possessed a once-in-a-lifetime top-tier spiritual root.

Yet, when it came to cultivation resources, he still had to work with his own hands to ensure a comfortable life.

Sect Master Yun called it "unbreakable rules" and even fed him "chicken soup" for the soul, saying that spirit stones earned through one's own hard work taste better.

In reality, he was just stingy.

Zheng Tuo felt helpless.

Since that was the case...

"Senior Sister, can I inspect the quality of the materials?"

To be safe, he certainly had to check the quality. If the materials turned out to be problematic later, it would be too much trouble to keep swapping them.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother. Our materials have undergone ninety-nine strict screening processes. There will absolutely be no quality issues; you can use them with confidence."

The senior sister maintained her professional smile, explaining patiently to Zheng Tuo.

"You are you, and I am I. Just because you see no problem doesn't mean I won't see one."

To think he could just take them away without letting him inspect them—what a joke.

"Junior Brother, truly, you cannot. There is no such rule at the exchange center."

Although the senior sister maintained her smile, she was beginning to show signs of impatience.

"What is going on here!"

Elder Tie, noticing the argument, walked over from behind.

"Elder Tie, this Junior Brother wants to inspect the materials, but according to the regulations, no disciple is allowed to inspect them."

Elder Tie nodded in acknowledgment.

He turned to look at Zheng Tuo.

"This new disciple, you might not know the rules. You—"

Halfway through his sentence, Elder Tie paused, then said, "You can inspect the materials. Follow me. Xiao Lou, you come too."

Xiao Lou immediately wore an expression that said, *Elder Tie, why are you backing down?*

One must know that Elder Tie had managed the exchange center for over a hundred years.

He was famous for being upright, stubborn, and as hard and unyielding as a stone in a latrine. Even Sect Master Yunyangzi would not get any face from him if he chose not to give it.

The sun must have risen from the south today.

How could he bow his head to a new disciple?

Could it be...

Xiao Lou instantly thought of something!

Could it be... this Junior Brother is Elder Tie's... illegitimate son?

She harbored this suspicion but dared not express it.

She followed cautiously behind the two, observing closely in an attempt to verify her thoughts.

In the back room, in a certain chamber

"You can inspect them here. Xiao Lou, you are responsible for assisting the guest."

"Thank you, Elder Tie."

Zheng Tuo was very polite.

It seemed Elder Tie recognized the Bronze Ring and knew he was from Wudao Peak.

Just now, he had intentionally revealed the Bronze Ring for Elder Tie to see.

As expected, Elder Tie was observant.

Since he knew Zheng Tuo was a disciple of Wudao Peak, he must have received instructions from Sect Master Yun. Otherwise, Elder Tie would not have easily broken the rules to let him inspect the goods.

Zheng Tuo had long heard of the reputation of Tie Rulai of the Falling Immortal Sect.

His most glorious feat was publicly berating Yunyangzi in front of countless disciples, only for Yunyangzi to smile apologetically and apologize before the matter was dropped.

"Mhm."

Elder Tie nodded and then departed.

At this moment, only Zheng Tuo and Xiao Lou remained in the room.

"Senior Sister, please bring out the materials."

Zheng Tuo looked at Xiao Lou.

"Alright."

Xiao Lou took out the materials and placed them on the table.

Looking closely, they were all materials required for setting up first-grade arrays.

Although Xiao Lou did not understand arrays, she had been handling these items for a long time and was very familiar with them.

"Junior Brother, you are an Array Master!"

Array Masters were rare in the Falling Immortal Sect and belonged to a scarce profession.

Although this Junior Brother was a newcomer, he would surely become a mainstay of the Falling Immortal Sect in the future. If she could establish a good friendship with him, perhaps even... hehehe...

It would be of great help to her future cultivation. At the very least, she wouldn't have to work as a waitress here to earn spirit stones for her cultivation.

Her intentions were good, but...

Zheng Tuo ignored her entirely.

He took a pair of glasses out of the Bronze Ring.

This was a magical treasure he had specifically asked his master, Wudao, to refine for him. Its function was hundreds of times better than a magnifying glass and much more convenient to use.

He focused intently on inspecting the quality of the supplies.

To be safe, he could not allow even the slightest error.

Seeing that Zheng Tuo was ignoring her, Xiao Lou felt a slight sense of dissatisfaction.

She plopped down opposite him, resting her chin on her hands, staring at him with a beaming smile, trying to catch his attention with her gaze.

Clearly, it was all in vain.

Zheng Tuo's level of concentration was beyond imagination; he quickly entered a state of self-forgetfulness.

"He's just inspecting array materials, yet he's actually entered a meditative state? That's too exaggerated!"

Xiao Lou found it unbelievable, even absurd.

But she had to admit, a boy when he is serious really does shine!

*Slurp...*

(End of Chapter)