Chapter 49 – 48 Setting up a Stall_1
In the southern district of Qianchuan Market, a large number of cultivators flooded into the bazaar. Within just half an hour, the number of people had quickly surpassed a thousand and continued to grow. The entire trading area was bustling with activity.

After starting his stall, Lin Tianming had waited for half an hour for a customer to arrive. Finally, a male cultivator at the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement came by.

This person, named Qin Yun, was a First Order Rogue Cultivator who frequented various big markets. He traded in spiritual medicine materials for a profit and had amassed quite a substantial wealth.

With the grand gathering at the market imminent, Qin Yun decided to sell the spiritual medicine he had accrued and planned to buy some elixirs for his cultivation. The elixirs in the large shops were all more expensive than those at the stalls, so he simply went to the stalls to try his luck, saving whatever money he could.

After visiting several stalls that sold elixirs and finding only Lingshen Pills with mediocre potency, which he suspected were crafted by just-emerging First Order Medium Grade alchemists due to their poor quality, he was not very impressed. They were priced at eight spirit stones each, which really was not a good value for the money.

It was not until he reached Lin Tianming’s stall and examined the elixirs that he judged the alchemist who made them to be extraordinary, certainly not comparable to the half-competent ones he’d seen before. Very satisfied with the elixirs, he was eager to buy and promptly asked about the price.

“Fellow Daoist, how much are you selling your Lingshen Pills for?”

Having waited half an hour for business to pick up, Lin Tianming stood up and replied with a calm tone.

“The price for a single pill is nine spirit stones, or twenty-five for three.”

Qin Yun hardly thought about it before cheerfully taking out fifty spirit stones and buying two bottles. Had he not been limited by the number of spirit stones he had, he would have liked to buy a couple more. Although they were one spirit stone more expensive than where he had asked previously, the potency of these Lingshen Pills was so good that it was hard to come by, making the extra cost worthwhile.

Lin Tianming received the spirit stones and handed over two bottles of Lingshen Pills to Qin Yun, who then left to continue browsing other stalls.

Finally making his first sale, Lin Tianming relaxed a bit. It would have been quite embarrassing if he had not sold anything. He was confident that with his high-quality elixirs, selling out shouldn’t be hard.

Within an hour after Qin Yun’s departure, Lin Tianming sold only a few First Order Spirit Grass, making a total of sixteen spirit stones. During this time, several cultivators with lower levels of cultivation had asked for prices but did not buy anything. Judging by the look of frustration and longing on their faces as they left, it was likely they didn’t have enough spirit stones and had no choice but to give up.

Wave after wave of Qi Refining Cultivators came to inquire about the prices but left disappointed. Almost all of them were persons of scant means, many from clans or low-ranking members of sects.

On the other hand, the Loose Cultivators were not so destitute. Although they lacked support, they also had no commitments to hold them back, living on the edge and tasting danger. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Those Loose Cultivators who survived were all people of considerable wealth.

Although Lin Tianming was from a clan, he was willing to face danger. Just by defending Qingfeng Town, he had become quite rich, and his cultivation had also progressed rapidly.

In contrast, those clan members and sect disciples with lesser talents, accustomed to a peaceful life and afraid to take risks, relied on benefits to get by, taking on only safe family tasks to earn spirit stones. Such a life, over the long term, could only lead to further moral decline.

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Tianming continued to wait for customers.

As noon arrived, the number of cultivators in the market reached its peak, with nearly every stall having at least one cultivator selecting suitable items.

At Lin Tianming’s stall, a muscular man with a bare upper body was perusing the items.

This man was tall and burly, towering over Lin Tianming by quite a bit. His bulging muscles were obvious, and he made no effort to conceal his aura. Astonishingly, he was a cultivator at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, and a Body Cultivator at that. His chest, hands, and arms bore more than a dozen scars. Although healed, faint traces still remained.

Many cultivators who were strolling around were attracted by this man. One of them, a cultivator in yellow robes, said in surprise,

’That’s Tie Feng. He’s a ruthless guy.’

Another cultivator, at the third level of Qi Cultivation, curiously asked, ’Who is Tie Feng?’

A number of people who had not heard of this man gathered around to listen as the cultivator in yellow robes spoke at length, his words tinged with a hint of wariness.

’Tie Feng is a ruthless man, a lone cultivator. When he was at the fifth level of Qi Practice, he would often search for medicine in the Fire Cloud Mountain Range. No one knows how many Demonic Beasts at the middle stage of the First Order he has killed. It’s said that he has even exchanged blows with Demonic Beasts at the late stage of the First Order and came back unscathed. Tell me, isn’t that ruthless?’

The onlookers, many cultivators among them, took a deep breath in awe and couldn’t help but reveal expressions of admiration and respect. They thought to themselves that they should be sensible if they ever encountered this man and try not to offend him.

The Fire Cloud Mountain Range was located more than eight hundred miles west of Qianchuan Market. It marked the boundary between the Demonic Lands and the territory of the Human Race. It belonged to the outer regions, housing numerous First Order Demonic Beasts and some Spiritual Objects. It was a place of experience for many low-level cultivators.

Tie Feng, hearing the conversations of the crowd, paid no attention. He carefully assessed the two massive hammers, which were Spiritual Artifacts, in his hands.

Swinging the hammers that weighed over a thousand pounds—smashing, chopping, quickly moving them back and forth more than a dozen times, stirring up a breeze with each motion—he felt very satisfied.

As his cultivation increased, his previous weapon, a big stick that was a low-quality Spiritual Artifact, with mediocre power, could no longer fully leverage his strength. Just so happened, he had luckily found a dozen or so High-Quality First Order Spirit Grasses in the Fire Cloud Mountain Range, sold them for more than a hundred Spirit Stones, and with the Spirit Stones he previously had, it was just enough to buy a good Spiritual Artifact to enhance his strength.

’Fellow Daoist, what are the names of these two hammer-type Spiritual Artifacts? How much are they selling for?’

Lin Tianming explained with an almost smiling demeanor,

’These two hammer-type Spiritual Artifacts are called the Sky Shaker Hammers. They are both at the Medium Grade of the First Order. Each hammer weighs a thousand pounds and is part of a set, extremely suitable for a Body Cultivator like Brother Tie, capable of unleashing the greatest power. I will sell the pair together. Seeing Brother Tie’s extraordinary strength, I will give you the lowest price—just one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.’

Tie Feng felt that the two Sky Shaker Hammers were indeed very suitable for him, capable of greatly enhancing his strength, and the price was fairly reasonable. Such Spiritual Artifacts would probably cost two hundred Spirit Stones in the shops of the West District.

He set down the Sky Shaker Hammers and picked up a bottle of Lingshen Pills to inspect. Pleased with the elixirs, he decided to buy a bottle to aid his cultivation.

Having decided on his purchases, he asked Lin Tianming to give him a better deal.

Lin Tianming was straightforward; he sold the two Sky Shaker Hammers and a bottle of Lingshen Pills for two hundred Spirit Stones, giving Tie Feng a five Spirit Stone discount. Tie Feng was very grateful and inquired about the next time Lin Tianming would set up his stall, deciding to become a long-term customer.

Lin Tianming bowed with an apologetic expression and said,

’Brother Tie, I must apologize. My name is Chen Tian, also a rogue cultivator who has no fixed abode and considers the four seas my home. However, I do come to Qianchuan Market quite often, so we could exchange contact methods. If fate allows, we shall meet again.’

Not insisting further, Tie Feng exchanged contact information with him and, after bowing, took his leave. Before departing, he did not forget to promote Lin Tianming’s stall, and many cultivators, hearing of the quality of Lin Tianming’s elixirs, rushed to purchase. In less than half a day, all of the elixirs and Spiritual Medicine had sold out, with even Xin Qing from the neighboring stall buying a bottle of Lingshen Pills.

Lin Tianming packed up his stall and left the Southern District, heading towards his cave dwelling.