"Step right up, take a look! Selling barely-used Lower Grade Magical Artifacts for cheap!"
"All kinds of Demon Beast materials, cheap! Delivery available for bulk orders!"
Hearing something that piqued his interest, Zhao Zuo followed the voice to a stall selling Magical Artifacts.
He took a closer look. It was a Small Sword, about ten centimeters long and silver-gray in color. Three cracks ran almost the entire length of its blade. He figured it would snap with the slightest force and become worthless scrap.
'This...? And he has the gall to call it 'barely used'?'
Zhao Zuo shook his head slightly. 'What a blatant lie.' He quietly retreated behind the crowd, following the flow of people to the next stall. Nearly every stall had people stopping, squatting down to haggle over prices.
The items for sale at the stalls were varied, but the most common were Talismans, Pill Medicines, Magical Artifacts, and Demon Beast materials. One stall was even selling the rarer Spirit Wine, along with some Mortal Cultivation Techniques.
One of these was a technique called the Face-Changing Technique. According to the description, reaching Great Success in its Cultivation would allow one to alter their facial bones and muscles, achieving an effect akin to a complete face transplant.
Zhao Zuo was very interested, very tempted.
After all, it was a must-have Divine Skill for anyone who liked to play dirty. Still, he had a better method in mind.
Everyone browsing the street stalls was hoping to find an overlooked treasure. For any serious shopping, people would go to the more reputable and secure shops inside the Market proper.
Zhao Zuo didn't forget his goal. He quietly searched for a Lower Grade Magical Artifact that wasn't too severely damaged.
He wandered from stall to stall and found a few Lower Grade Magical Artifacts that fit his criteria. Unfortunately, the asking prices were far beyond what he could afford, so he couldn't make a deal.
On the market, a used Lower Grade Magical Artifact cost around seven or eight Spirit Stones. Even if it were completely wrecked, the raw materials could be extracted and refined, and would still be worth a few Spirit Stones.
'My targets should be small Magical Artifacts that aren't worth the cost of Refinement, like Flying Needles or darts.'
Zhao Zuo didn't get discouraged. He continued to weave through the stalls, and finally, his persistence paid off. At a stall near the interior of the Market, he found a suitable Lower Grade Magical Artifact.
On a meter-square piece of black cloth lay a scattering of bottles and jars. In the bottom-left corner were several Willow Leaf Darts, each about six centimeters long. They were shaped like his Sky-Breaking Saber, only much smaller.
These were a popular type of Lower Grade Magical Artifact. Due to their small size, they consumed less Mana to activate, and they were cheap and practical.
Zhao Zuo crouched down to inspect them. He was, of course, looking for used artifacts. Most of these Willow Leaf Darts were damaged and covered in nicks. The tip of one was even completely broken off.
"How much are these?" Zhao Zuo asked.
The stall owner glanced at Zhao Zuo, his voice a bit hoarse.
"One Spirit Stone each. The price is not negotiable."
Having said his piece, he fell silent.
"May I pick one up to take a look?" Zhao Zuo asked cautiously. Even though the stall owner wasn't exuding any particular aura, Zhao Zuo still felt an immense pressure from him.
"Go ahead."
Zhao Zuo paid no mind to the man's cold attitude. After all, the other party was strong, and he was weak.
He gently brushed the surface of a Willow Leaf Dart with his right hand.
[Level: Lower Grade Magical Artifact · Willow Leaf Dart]
[Experience: 0/200]
[Status: Not Upgradeable]
[Creation Point: 0]
He had already tested this at other stalls. As long as a Magical Artifact wasn't too severely damaged, it would trigger his transparent panel. An experience value of zero meant he could only gain EXP to upgrade it by using it himself.
These low-cost, low-priced Willow Leaf Darts were the perfect choice. Zhao Zuo did a quick check. Although the internal Spirit Patterns were slightly damaged, he figured he could probably still activate it a few times.
'A few times... That's all I need.'
"How about two for one Spirit Stone? If you agree... I'll buy four!" Zhao Zuo said, steeling himself. Even though the stall owner had said the price was non-negotiable, what was the point of shopping if you didn't haggle?
'I'm not just going to haggle, I'm going to cut the price in half!'
Upon hearing this, the stall owner looked at Zhao Zuo. He reached out and picked out a few of the darts that were in the worst condition, separating them from the rest and pushing them toward Zhao Zuo.
"These four. Take them or leave them."
Zhao Zuo's eyes lit up. He had been about to haggle more, but when he saw the stall owner's obvious displeasure, he quickly dropped the idea and put on an ingratiating smile.
"Thank you, sir! I'll take them!" he said, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect.
The stall owner accepted the Spirit Stones from Zhao Zuo with a lofty, cold expression, concluding the deal.
Having achieved his goal, Zhao Zuo wasted no more time. He went straight to a shop that sold Spirit Rice, spent two Spirit Stones on twenty-two pounds of it, and set off for home with the complimentary gray cloth sack on his back.
On the way back, Zhao Zuo was extra cautious, terrified that some masked brute would jump out and rob him of his Spirit Rice. If that happened, he would be forced to survive on coarse rice that contained no Spiritual Qi, which would absolutely slow down his Cultivation speed.
About fifteen minutes later, Zhao Zuo arrived back at his house. He wedged the wooden bolt firmly back into the door, poured the Spirit Rice into his rice crock, and then flopped ungracefully onto his wooden bed.
Hooo...
The journey had been uneventful, but it was mentally and physically draining. The constant tension had put him under immense stress, and now that he could finally relax, his legs felt a little weak.
'I'm a disgrace to all Transmigrators...'
Zhao Zuo sighed to himself. He took out a Willow Leaf Dart and began infusing it with his Mana to attune it to himself. After about three minutes, the bonding ritual was complete, and he immediately had it start flying in circles around his body.
In this world, the most basic Magical Artifacts only required nurturing with Mana to bond with an owner. Magical Treasures or Spiritual Artifacts, on the other hand, required a blood bond. There were even more intimate binding methods that prevented an item from being refined and claimed by another, even if it was stolen for a short period.
This Willow Leaf Dart weighed about a quarter as much as his Sky-Breaking Saber, so the length of time Zhao Zuo could control it increased significantly. He kept it flying for four minutes before his Mana was depleted, at which point he let it land on the table.
Excited, Zhao Zuo tapped his finger, bringing up the panel.
[Level: Lower Grade Magical Artifact · Willow Leaf Dart]
[Experience: 20/200]
[Status: Not Upgradeable]
[Creation Point: 0]
'It works! As long as I'm the one using it, I can gain experience points.'
'It'll be fully upgraded after about ten uses. That means just two days!'
'Once the Willow Leaf Dart is upgraded, it should transform into a brand-new state. Then I can sell it in the Market for five Lower Grade Spirit Stones. This is... a huge profit!'
'And all it cost me was two days of my time and half a Spirit Stone.'
Gazing at the Willow Leaf Dart on the table, Zhao Zuo could no longer hide his smile. This was a wonderful start. He would have an incredibly bright future, and he was full of confidence for the days to come.
It might have been just him trying to cheer himself up, but Zhao Zuo's mood truly did lighten considerably.
He rested for a few minutes before beginning to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power to replenish his Mana.
His life returned to the monotonous and dull routine of Ascetic Cultivation.
「Two days passed in the blink of an eye.」
The Willow Leaf Dart had finally reached the threshold for an upgrade.
...