Chapter 245 - 245 242 One Bead, One Cover, One Thorn (6000 words big chapter, also the one from the morning)
Chapter 245: Chapter 242 One Bead, One Cover, One Thorn (6000 words big chapter, also the one from the morning) Chapter 245: Chapter 242 One Bead, One Cover, One Thorn (6000 words big chapter, also the one from the morning) During their conversation, both men entered the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
The Divine Weapon Pavilion held a renowned reputation in the Southern Domain, and naturally, its scale within the market was considerable.
In fact, the main business focus of the Divine Weapon Pavilion wasn’t in the Beast Taming Sect area but more towards the War God Temple and Giant Spirit Sect.
After all, it was the Martial Cultivators and Body Cultivators who most favored using various Divine Weapons in combat, while cultivators from other sects primarily relied on Magical Treasures.
Though Divine Weapons and Magical Treasures differ completely in terms of crafting and usage methods, this posed no difficulty for the Divine Weapon Family, experienced in forging Divine Weapons for many years.
They had mastered the craft of using Divine Weapon techniques to refine Magical Treasures, thus creating various powerful Magical Treasures to meet the different needs of cultivators.
Unfortunately, the cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect favored Spiritual Beasts over all Divine Weapons or Magical Treasures, making this branch of the Divine Weapon Pavilion in the sect’s market the least successful.
…
But now things had changed with the influx of countless cultivators; Various Spiritual Objects in the market were being sold at skyrocketing prices, yet still in short supply.
Consequently, the Divine Weapon Pavilion flourished immensely.
Even the manager of the Pavilion’s branch had contacted his family to send a vast amount of Divine Weapons and Magical Treasures of all levels as quickly as possible to capitalize on the booming Spirit Stone market.
In just the past couple of months, they had earned more than the entire last decade combined.
To them, the greatest profit margins lay in various Spiritual Treasures, but the best sellers and most profitable were Magical and Spiritual Artifacts.
This was because in the expeditionary army, Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators outnumbered others, although individually, their purchasing power was much less than higher Realm cultivators.
However, their numbers were just too vast.
As for the high Realm cultivators, not only were their numbers small, but each had lived hundreds or thousands of years, accumulating enough over that time so that their equipment was relatively complete.
Thus, they needed few Magical Treasures or Divine Weapons, focusing instead on acquiring Spirit Elixirs for healing injuries.
Thus, the earnings from low-level cultivators in terms of Spirit Stones were considerably higher than from higher Realm cultivators.
Qin Feng and his companion walked into the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
Looking up, the first thing they noticed was not the cultivators moving in and out, nor the bustling attendants and managers, but a tall and plump woman.
This woman had a hearty voice and an oppressive aura, fervently swinging a hefty chain hammer as she tested weapons.
The head of the chain hammer was two or three times larger than a watermelon, covered in ferocious spikes several inches long, attached to a pitch-black chain as thick as an arm.
The entire hammer embodied a violent aura, and just the fearsome design of the weapon deterred any Foundation Establishment Cultivator from wanting to be struck by it.
But even more terrifying was the female cultivator adept at brandishing the heavy hammer.
Just seeing how the nearby cultivators avoided her made it clear no one wished to pass by her at that moment.
Even the attending clerks steered clear, fearing an accidental hit.
“Hey?”
Qin Feng laughed upon noticing this commanding figure.
He walked towards her, calling out loudly, “Senior Sister Baoshu is truly skilled!”
The woman turned upon hearing the shout—it was Xue Baoshu, who had given Qin Feng a challenging fight during the Outer Sect competition, barely securing victory after great effort.
“Junior Brother Qin?”
Xue Baoshu looked at Qin Feng with some surprise and asked, “Aren’t you cultivating at Heavenly Snake Ridge?
What brings you here?
Could it be that you’re also planning to purchase some Magical and Divine Artifacts for the war in the Otherworld?”
“You’re right, Sister.
That’s exactly why I’m here.”
Qin Feng smiled and then curiously remarked, “Sister, do you have a Wolf Fang Club?
Why are you interested in this Chain Hammer now?”
“Oh, that club was destroyed by me.”
Xue Baoshu nonchalantly delivered a statement that left Qin Feng and Liu Wuxiang speechless.
This woman—how strong must she be to have broken such a heavy weapon!
Qin Feng muttered to himself, though his Azure Dragon Daoist Body had achieved small success, he doubted his strength surpassed Xue Baoshu’s.
Owing to the Divine Bull Lineage specializing in certain Body Refinement techniques and their close association with powerful beasts such as bulls, elephants, and rhinos known for their great strength, many disciples of the Divine Bull Lineage possessed prodigious strength, earning a reputation as the strongest in their level within the Beast Taming Sect.
Xue Baoshu, who hailed from the Treasure Bead Peak, a branch of the Divine Bull Lineage, also specialized in enormous strength, a fact Qin Feng had experienced firsthand during their Outer Sect competition.
“Sister’s divine power is impressive.”
Qin Feng complimented her with a beaming smile.
Nearby, the Deputy Pavilion Master of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, Wang Qingshi, was sitting behind the counter, watching the lively scene in the hall with a satisfied smile.
His ears twitched upon hearing Xue Baoshu’s words, and his eyes brightened as he took a few more glances at Qin Feng.
As members of a Divine Weapon Family that sustains itself by dealing with Magical Treasures, living under the eaves of other powers, they necessarily paid great attention to all sorts of news about the local sects.
Thus, they quickly confirmed Qin Feng’s identity.
After all, Great Elder Ning Wuxu of the Beast Taming Sect’s Spiritual Snake Lineage had only four disciples.
The earlier disciples were cultivators who had cultivated for many years and held certain renown in the Cultivation World.
The only disciple in the Foundation Establishment Realm was none other than Qin Feng, who had recently become a True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.
Since Xue Baoshu mentioned that the young man was a disciple from Heavenly Snake Ridge, Wang Qingshi easily guessed Qin Feng’s identity.
Therefore, he stopped an assistant who was about to approach Xue Baoshu to inquire if she wanted to buy the Chain Hammer, intending to personally attend to these guests himself.
Although Qin Feng’s cultivation was still low, his identity as a True Disciple was sufficient to warrant enough respect from this deputy pavilion master of the Divine Weapon Pavilion branch.
Those from the Divine Weapon Family stationed around to handle affairs generally had mediocre cultivation aptitude and not much potential for weapon casting, managing only the family’s affairs.
Compared to a True Disciple like Qin Feng, with limitless potential, getting to know him more now would undoubtedly be beneficial for the future of their Divine Weapon Pavilion.
As an old Golden Core with not much remaining life span, he also wanted to do more for his family before his demise, allowing his descendants to live a better life within the family.
Therefore, he did not mind giving up his dignity as a Golden Core Cultivator.
He approached them with a kind smile, raised his hand in a greeting to Qin Feng and asked, “Is this the True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, Little Friend Qin Feng?”
“It is indeed, Junior myself,” Qin Feng nodded and returned the greeting.
“It really is Little Friend Qin.”
Wang Qingshi smiled, “I am Wang Qingshi, the Deputy Pavilion Master of the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
I had heard that Elder Ning’s disciple had become a True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, but I never had the chance to meet you.
Seeing you today, Little Friend truly lives up to the name of a genius.
Just now, I overheard you and your friends talking about personally participating in the battles in otherworlds.
I’m greatly impressed.”
Some cultivators nearby, upon hearing that there was a True Disciple from the Beast Taming Sect here, turned their heads to look this way.
After all, not only is the Beast Taming Sect a major school in the Southern Domain, it’s also a leader in this alliance meeting, thus making the True Disciples of the Beast Taming Sect worthy of attention from cultivators of all sects.
Indeed, some with quick wits were already thinking along the same lines as Wang Qingshi, planning to get to know this new True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect later.
Should they not forge a connection with this True Disciple while his cultivation is still low, rather than waiting until he reaches higher levels of cultivation?
By then, he might not even regard them.
“Senior, you flatter me,” Qin Feng replied.
He naturally felt the gazes of other cultivators around and slightly furrowed his brows; he wasn’t keen on being constantly approached for interaction, fearing it would delay him substantially.
Wang Qingshi, experienced and astute, noticed his expression and knew that Qin Feng, newly a True Disciple, hadn’t fully adjusted to his role yet.
Thus he chuckled and extended his hand, “Little Friend, is this your first visit to our Divine Weapon Pavilion?
I must give you a proper reception.
Come, come, let’s walk this way to an adjacent parlor where we can talk.”
Saying so, he led them to a nearby small hall.
Upon entering, the room’s Prohibitions immediately blocked out the noise from the larger hall.
Once they were seated, alert assistants promptly presented them with Spirit Fruits and poured Spiritual Tea.
“This is the Cloud Mist Tea, which I managed to obtain from a Daoist friend of mine at Spiritual Fog Mountain, quite a rare find.
Please, taste it and see how you like it,” Wang Qingshi chuckled as he raised his tea cup to invite them to drink together.
“Cloud Mist Tea?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng and the others’ eyes lit up.
Spiritual Fog Mountain was a sect quite distant from the Beast Taming Sect.
Although it wasn’t very powerful, the mountain was spiritually elegant, shrouded in mist year-round, especially at the main peak where the Spirit Vein was located, perpetually enveloped in spiritual fog, resulting in excellent Spiritual Tea.
Drinking it had some benefits of purifying True Yuan and cleansing the Divine Soul, quite extraordinary indeed.
“Thank you for the generous hospitality, Senior,”
Knowing this was Cloud Mist Tea, the group did not hold back and drank their teas right away, immediately feeling a warm sensation circulating within their bodies and a refreshing aroma piercing through to their spiritual senses, making their Divine Souls feel purified and clearer.
Wang Qingshi laughed, “My status doesn’t allow me to procure the finest quality of Cloud Mist Tea, just these relatively common ones.
As for the highest quality ones, I’m unable to acquire them, so the effects are quite typical.
Please don’t mind it, my young friends.”
Qin Feng quickly responded, “Senior, you’re too modest.
This Spiritual Tea is already marvelous for us.”
“Hehe…”
Wang Qingshi nodded; he knew that the only reason Qin Feng said that was because he had not yet truly exercised his status as a True Disciple.
Otherwise, with his status as a True Disciple, not to mention Cloud Mist Tea, even better Spiritual Teas would not be out of reach.
Even the Beast Taming Sect owned a few mountaintops where millennia-old ancient tea trees grew, producing top-tier Spiritual Tea.
“You young daoist friends must all be preparing for the Otherworld campaign—are there any Magical Weapons or Spiritual Artifacts you need?
Feel free to ask this old man.”
Wang Qingshi generously offered, “In my Divine Weapon Pavilion, whether it be Divine Weapons or Magic Artifacts, we have everything.
There’s also a batch of top-level Divine Weapons and Spiritual Artifacts that arrived three days ago and have not yet been displayed; would you like to take a look?”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up immediately.
Though they knew this old man was surely trying to curry favor with them, or more specifically with Qin Feng, they couldn’t help being somewhat tempted.
Qin Feng nodded, “If that’s the case, then we’ll trouble you, senior.”
“Don’t mention it, don’t mention it.”
Wang Qingshi chuckled, “May I know what kind of treasures you all are looking for?”
He was shrewd in dealing with people, and though he was connecting with Qin Feng, his words also included Xue Baoshu and Liu Wuxiang, making it easy for them to feel a liking towards this old man.
Qin Feng thought for a moment and said, “I have not yet decided what kind of Divine Weapon I want to purchase.
Could senior possibly allow someone to bring a few items like the Big Spear, Long Sword, War Sword, Iron Mace, and Long Whip for me to try out?”
“Sure, sure.”
Wang Qingshi readily agreed.
Qin Feng looked at Xue Baoshu and Liu Wuxiang beside him and added, “Additionally, senior, do you have a better War Hammer?
This Senior Sister of mine has enormous strength and prefers this type of heavy weaponry.
If possible, please bring some suitable ones for Senior Sister Xue to look at.”
“Of course.”
Wang Qingshi nodded cheerfully and looked over at Liu Wuxiang, smiling, “What about this young friend?
Do you need any Spiritual Artifacts or Divine Weapons?”
Liu Wuxiang was slightly startled; his cultivation of the Bone-Eroding Soul-Destroying Heavenly Evil Technique revolved around poison, essentially making him a potent weapon himself, so he rarely used other Spiritual Artifacts.
For him, using Spiritual Artifacts was less convenient than commanding a Spiritual Beast.
However, before he could decline, Qin Feng said, “Then, Pavilion Master Wang, could you please find one or two poison-containing Spiritual Artifacts for my brother here?
Junior Brother Liu practices the Bone-Eroding Soul-Destroying Heavenly Evil Technique of our Spiritual Snake Lineage.
You must have heard of this technique, haven’t you, senior?”
“Oh, is this young friend actually a disciple of Elder Zhong Wandu?”
At this, Wang Qingshi glanced at Liu Wuxiang and after a slight pause, a smile appeared on his face.
“Little Friend Qin, you have come at a timely moment.
If it were before, such kinds of Spiritual Artifacts and Magic Artifacts would rarely be seen in the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
After all, our Divine Weapon Family usually takes a very straightforward approach in forging Divine Weapons and consecrating Magic Artifacts, so items related to the Poison Dao are very rare.
However, because the Beast Taming Sect recently called for an alliance among the various sects, our Divine Weapon Pavilion’s business has been booming, bringing in various Spiritual Artifacts this time, some of which would suit this young friend Liu.”
With that, he turned to a clerk standing by and said, “Go, find the manager to meet these young friends’ requirements and bring the best selection of the Divine Weapons and Spiritual Artifacts we just talked about from the storeroom.
We wouldn’t want the guests from the Beast Taming Sect to think we are negligent.”
“Yes.”
The clerk, observant as ever, promptly responded and headed out.
As they awaited the items, Wang Qingshi, experienced and knowledgeable, kept them entertained with cheerful conversation, never letting the moment grow dull.
About fifteen minutes later, the clerk returned with several people carrying wooden cases.
When Wang Qingshi opened these wooden cases in front of them, Qin Feng and the others realized that these cases had been consecrated with Sumeru Prohibitions on their spaces.
Thus, these seemingly foot-long wooden cases could contain the Divine Weapons.
“Come, come, come—these are all prized Divine Weapons and Spiritual Artifacts from my Divine Weapon Pavilion’s collection, mostly forged from materials used for consecrating Magic Artifacts.
Should you young friends ever achieve the Golden Core and not want to switch weapons, simply add some materials and properly consecrate them, and they could be turned into Magic Artifacts.”
Under Wang Qingshi’s enthusiastic invitation, Qin Feng and the others gathered closely to inspect the items.
Among them, Xue Baoshu, ever so bold in character, immediately took a shine to the shape of the big hammer inside one of the wooden cases.
She threw aside the Chain Hammer she had been holding, took out the big hammer from the case, and admired it with great relish.
This hammer bears some resemblance to the chain hammer she had previously used, except that the head of this large hammer is forged from the skull of a rare exotic beast.
The pale skull has only a dozen bone spurs, far fewer than the iron thorns on her previous hammer.
However, the quantity of iron thorns is not the main point.
The main point is that this large hammer is indeed a rare top-level divine weapon, as Wang Qingshi stated.
Not only is the material of the exotic beast skull special, offering huge potential for advancement, but its power is also extraordinary.
It is capable of unleashing two types of attack spells, cold ice and shock, with a strength that is at least thirty percent greater than her previous hammer.
From her fond, reluctant-to-let-go appearance, it was clear she was very pleased with this war hammer.
Liu Wuxiang looked at the wooden box in front of him, which contained a bead, a shield, and a spike.
“This poison pearl is refined from the inner core of a poison toad exclusive to the Ten Thousand Poisons Valley and can release a Hundred Feet Poison Smoke with extraordinary power.”
Wang Qingshi pointed to the shield that resembled an upside-down jade bowl and introduced, “This treasure is called the Hundred Poisons Cold Light Shield.
It is an exceptional spiritual artifact, devised by a junior in our family imitating the refinement method of the Hundred Poisons Sect.
Once the opponent is enveloped by it, they will suffer from relentless poisoning.
“This spike, lastly, is made from the poisoned stinger of a nest of mature poison bees.
It has fused over a thousand poison stingers into one, capable of launching in a single strike with strong penetration power, good for breaking defenses.
“It can also be divided into hundreds of smaller parts for dispersed attacks.
Its power is quite impressive.
Little Friend, see which one you like.
If you like them all, feel free to take them all.”
Liu Wuxiang took out these spiritual artifacts one by one, inserting his divine sense into each to feel their power.
To be honest, he hadn’t planned to buy any spiritual artifacts, but having seen these deadly weapons, he couldn’t help but be a bit tempted.
Beside him, Qin Feng also took some divine weapons from the wooden boxes, weighing them in his hands to see which one suited him best.
“This war halberd, named Sky Battle, was originally custom-made for a genius disciple of the War God Palace as his lifebound divine weapon.
However, that disciple met with an accident decades ago, and the halberd had been stored in the warehouse for many years until this time when the Beast Taming Sect called for an alliance of the sects to conquer another realm, so our people took it out and brought it here.”
Wang Qingshi did not introduce the specific powers of the war halberd to Qin Feng, letting him feel it for himself.
Then pointing at other divine weapons, he explained, “This long sword, named Duanshui, has a sharp blade that is exceedingly cold.
A single slash can freeze a hundred feet area and block water currents, hence the name Duanshui.
“This war sword is called Chi Xiao.
It is not only suitable for close combat but can also emit red flames to burn the opponent.
This copper mace, infused with the Limitless Zen Shock divine power from Buddhism, is especially effective at breaking through defenses, like those of protective magic shields.
“And that whip, named Black Dragon, can be long or short, potentially stretching up to a hundred feet.
With a single lash, relying solely on the whip’s own strength, it can crack metal and shatter boulders.
If combat techniques and True Yuan are employed, its power increases tenfold.”
Qin Feng, quite intrigued, toyed with the divine weapons, swinging the long sword and maneuvering the war halberd, and also played with the other weapons for a while, but eventually couldn’t decide which suited him best.
It seemed that he had no particular preference, and the Azure Dragon Divine Technique’s associated combat skills could be executed with any weapon, though different divine weapons had different effects.
Seeing Qin Feng’s indecision, Wang Qingshi chuckled and said, “Little Friend Qin, don’t worry.
If you like them, as the head, I can simply give all these divine weapons to you.”
“Hm?”
Qin Feng turned to look at him and then smiled, “Senior, you are too kind.
I still understand the principle of not accepting rewards without merit.
If my master knew I had taken so many divine weapons from your pavilion without spending a single Spirit Stone, he would surely punish me, so you don’t need to be so generous.”
He paused, his gaze moving over the various divine weapons before picking up the Sky Battle halberd, “Let’s go with this one.
I can afford a few Spirit Stones, so I will graciously accept your good will.”
Seeing this, Wang Qingshi sighed silently.
In truth, he genuinely didn’t mind giving all those divine weapons to Qin Feng.
For the Divine Weapon Pavilion, befriending a true disciple of the Beast Taming Sect with just these few divine weapons used by Foundation Establishment Cultivators was absolutely worth it.
Unfortunately, the other party was not willing to take advantage of that offer.
“In that case, all right.”
Wang Qingshi pondered for a moment and said, “This war halberd is made from Heavenly Gold Sand and Star Sand, along with several other special materials, possessing strong demon-breaking power.
Little Friend Qin does not wish to take advantage of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, and neither can we really charge the inflated prices currently in the market.
“Here’s what we’ll do, I’ll give you a cost price as a token of appreciation from the Divine Weapon Pavilion for the Beast Taming Sect’s support over the years.
Two thousand Spirit Stones will do.”
Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged, but he couldn’t help his heart from skipping a beat inside.
If he didn’t know that Wang Qingshi would not trick him, he would almost curse the merchant inwardly.
It was just a top-grade divine weapon for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and the cost was twenty thousand Spirit Stones—this was indeed surprising.
The normal selling price would at least be doubled, and if calculated according to the current market rates, it would have to be multiplied by even more, making it…
oh, definitely unsalable.
Qin Feng was certain, no Foundation Establishment disciple would spend seventy or eighty thousand Spirit Stones on a top-grade divine weapon.
With that many Spirit Stones, what couldn’t be bought instead of a divine weapon for Foundation Establishment Cultivators?
Don’t be ridiculous!
He was sure that the Divine Weapon Pavilion hadn’t always kept the war halberd in the storage; it must have been displayed in other branches of the pavilion for a considerable time but remained unsold due to its price.
Now selling this divine weapon to him served dual purposes: it built a good rapport and solved the small issue of not being able to sell the item for the Divine Weapon Pavilion, truly killing two birds with one stone.