Chapter 72: Strolling Through the Shops

The group hurried to the front of an alchemy shop by the roadside.

This pavilion, crafted from spiritual wood, exuded a faint woody fragrance, mingling with the fresh scent wafting from the shop’s miraculous elixirs, creating an enticing aroma that drifted far and wide.

A simple sign hung outside the shop, suspended from a wooden post three fathoms tall, boldly proclaiming: “King of Elixirs.” Inside, several counters held an array of goods, and a few cultivator-looking figures were choosing their medicines.

Gao Jian approached the entrance, intent on going in, but was stopped by a young greeter, no more than fifteen or sixteen, clad in green.

“You’re all new warriors from the Immortal Village, aren’t you? Do you have spirit stones?”

The boy crossed his arms, eyeing the group with disdain and slowly asked, his tone laced with mockery. One glance at their attire and wide-eyed curiosity told him they were newcomers to Donglai Immortal Village—obviously penniless, without a single spirit stone.

“Spirit... spirit stones? What are those?”

Gao Jian, halted by the greeter, was taken aback; this was the first he’d heard of such a thing.

“Don’t even know what spirit stones are? Where did this country bumpkin come from? Get out of the way, don’t disturb the customers. If you want to gawk, go further down the street, there are some vendors outside, you can look all you want!

But even street goods require spirit stones; I’d advise you to return whence you came, don’t clutter up the place.”

The green-clad boy waved his hands impatiently, shooing the warriors away as if they were flies.

Gao Jian trembled with rage, mouth agape, but seeing the boy’s contemptuous and irritable expression, he finally closed his mouth and stepped aside, his face flushed and pale.

He, the foremost young master of Yan Kingdom, had been so scorned by a mere gatekeeper—it was a humiliation beyond measure.

“Bah! Judging people by their wealth!”

“A gatekeeper has nothing to boast about—he’s a warrior like us! Can’t even take a look if you don’t have spirit stones, what a snob!”

The warriors heard the boy’s words clearly and were indignant.

But since they couldn’t enter the alchemy shop, there was nothing they could do. In Donglai Immortal Village, territory of cultivators, they dared not stir up trouble.

“Cultivator goods are all purchased with spirit stones; I recall my grandfather mentioning this. Yuan Qi Pills are clearly a type of cultivator elixir—without spirit stones, there’s no way to buy them, gold and silver are useless!... I never expected even a shop boy to be so snobbish, refusing us entry outright,”

Mo Ling said, patting her head in frustration.

Ye Mo remembered his experience at the City Lord’s manor, where the lord had mentioned the distinction between mundane and spiritual goods—mundane goods could only be traded for other mundane goods, not spiritual ones.

“What do we do? We’re all warriors—none of us have spirit stones!”

Huang Yi said anxiously. Gao Jian’s treatment by the boy left her upset as well, but in Immortal Village, she dared not confront him.

The excitement the group had felt upon entering the village faded, replaced by gloom, and they all looked to Ye Mo.

Without spirit stones, they could not buy Yuan Qi Pills. For warriors wishing to cultivate their primordial spirit, these pills were essential; without them, it was nearly impossible. Even the most extraordinary martial artist would struggle to cultivate enough vital energy on their own.

With no solution at hand, everyone instinctively looked to Ye Mo—their only cultivator and leader.

Yet Ye Mo had no spirit stones either; facing their gazes, he was at a loss.

“Since there are street stalls further ahead, let’s go take a look! If we can’t enter the shops, we can at least browse the stalls. Let’s split up, three or four to a group, and try to familiarize ourselves with the village; it’s not convenient for so many to gather in one place. We’ll regroup on the sea vessel later. Also, remember, warriors hold little status here—be careful not to invite trouble.

This difficult situation was unexpected for me before coming here. But no matter how hard things get, we must at least understand the village, and learn to survive here.”

Ye Mo spoke resolutely.

“Ye Mo’s right! It wasn’t easy to reach Donghai Immortal Village, and we’re just getting started. We can’t retreat now.”

“We’ll regroup on the sea vessel.”

There were no objections; the group split up and went their separate ways.

Ye Mo and Mo Ling, Wang Hu, and Yang You walked together, while Gao Jian, Huang Yi, Xiao Thief, and others formed another group, and Lin Zhi, Wu Niu, and their companions went elsewhere.

The main street was lined with upscale shops; though many people came and went, few cultivators were genuinely shopping.

After walking several dozen yards to the other end of the street, the scene grew lively—like a marketplace. Hundreds of stalls stood close together, and the loud cries of vendors could be heard from afar.

Besides cultivators, many warriors were here as well, selling herbs for body-tempering, priced in gold and silver. Donglai Spirit Island was home to many warriors, all in need of cultivation.

“Come and see! The most commonly used low-grade Yuan Qi Pills for cultivators, the best pill for early-stage practitioners to advance their cultivation—one first-grade Yuan Qi Pill for just one spirit stone; buy twenty and get one free!”

A vendor shouted loudly.

Ye Mo happened to pass this stall.

“Fellow Daoist, want a bottle? These are top-quality Yuan Qi Pills, refined by the village’s alchemists, free of impurities!”

The stall owner eagerly promoted his wares to Ye Mo.

“I’ll take a look first.”

Ye Mo shook his head awkwardly, saying little lest he reveal his ignorance about cultivation.

“I also have practical low-grade spell imprints for Qi Refining cultivators—‘Fireball Spell’ rune imprint, only twenty spirit stones each!”

Spell imprint!

Ye Mo halted, surprised. So spell imprints were so expensive. He wondered what price his Water Arrow spell would fetch and how many spirit stones it might be worth.

“Fellow Daoist, interested in a ‘Fireball Spell’ rune imprint? Twenty spirit stones is a bargain. Once you master it, you can hunt monsters and quickly earn your investment back!”

The stall owner, shrewd as he was, noticed Ye Mo’s interest and immediately pressed his pitch.

“Twenty spirit stones is too expensive,”

Ye Mo replied, pondering.

“Then pick the cheapest one!”

The stall owner sized up Ye Mo, seeing he wasn’t wealthy, and took out a rune imprint from a dozen spiritual wood boxes.

“This is a ‘Water Arrow Spell’ imprint! Much cheaper than ‘Fireball Spell,’ only ten spirit stones!”

“Why such a price difference? Aren’t they both low-grade spells?” Ye Mo asked, puzzled.

“Fellow Daoist, you must be new! Spell runes are obtained by village cultivators hunting sea monsters. Donglai Immortal Village is surrounded by countless aquatic beasts, so water-based spell manuals are plentiful and thus much cheaper! Not just fire, all other elements are pricier than water.”

The stall owner explained.

“Thank you for clearing that up. I’ll look around some more,”

Ye Mo thanked him and moved on with Mo Ling, Wang Hu, and the others to another nearby stall.

“Various first-grade five-element spirit armors and swords, all available! One hundred spirit stones each, take your pick!”

This stall sold spiritual artifacts—armors and swords of every kind, dazzling with flowing spiritual light, bright and mesmerizing.

Ye Mo couldn’t help but long for them.

Indeed, his own golden sword was likely the lowest-grade first-tier spirit sword. The golden armor he owned was made from the shell of a young demon crab; compared to the spirit armors here, it was vastly inferior. The young demon crab’s immature shell offered far less defense than these spirit armors.

If he could change into a spirit armor, even alone against a true first-tier monster, he would have nothing to fear.

Alas, he had no spirit stones.

Ye Mo shook his head.

“Selling all kinds of spirit grains and beans, for personal use or feeding monsters—there’s something for everyone, come and choose!”

“Selling spell talismans—Fireball, Water Arrow, Wind Rider, Wind Blade, all kinds of first-grade attack, defense, and support talismans—just one spirit stone each!”

“Selling low-grade spirit beasts—spirit mice, spirit horses, golden demon crabs, ice gulls, water lizards—come have a look! Spirit beasts are incredibly versatile: mounts, combat, guard duty, scouting, all useful. With one, your strength multiplies—don’t miss out!”

Ye Mo walked on, listening to the vendors’ shouts, sometimes stopping to listen to cultivators bargaining.

The Immortal Village abounded in spiritual goods, each tempting Ye Mo deeply.

Yet all items for cultivators required spirit stones to purchase; only the mundane herbs for warriors were priced in gold and silver.

Ye Mo was helpless.

“Strange, there are suddenly so many people at today’s market, but hardly any buyers for spiritual goods! What’s going on?” a pill vendor complained to a neighboring spirit grain seller.

“Hey! Haven’t you noticed? All those extra people are ordinary warriors. Must be a new ship at the docks, bringing crowds to gawk.”

The grain seller looked at the warriors gazing longingly at the goods, a bit disdainful.

“Hm? I hadn’t noticed until you mentioned it! My throat is sore from shouting—wasted effort! I thought some of them might have spirit stones!”

The pill vendor grumbled.

“Let’s go. We’ve seen enough of the village’s stalls. Just looking without buying is pointless; better to ponder how to earn spirit stones! I saw some taverns and inns earlier, but I fear even lodging requires spirit stones. Let’s return to the ship and discuss plans with Gao Jian and Lin Zhi.”

Ye Mo, overhearing the vendors, felt awkward. He decided not to wander further and turned to Mo Ling, Wang Hu, and the others.