Chapter 205: How Could It Be Such a Small Shop?

Chapter 205: Chapter 205: How Could It Be Such a Small Shop?

Jiang Xu ignored the other cultivators.

Now that Jiang Xu was also at the Foundation Establishment Realm, he naturally had no reason to fear them. Besides, this was Duo Bao Pavilion’s territory.

Merchants valued making a profit through harmony. They would absolutely not tolerate anyone causing trouble on their turf.

Besides, when dealing with people like that, you couldn’t show any weakness. You had to keep them guessing about your true strength. The more confident and unafraid you acted, the less likely they were to bother you.

Arriving at the counter, Jiang Xu saw that the selection of Spiritual Materials was quite comprehensive. More or less, every type of material he needed was available.

He used his Divine Sense to convey the list of Spiritual Materials he required to a nearby attendant. She was visibly surprised, not expecting a senior cultivator to request such a large quantity.

She hurriedly asked Jiang Xu to wait for a moment in the guest room, then rushed behind the counter to gather everything he needed before returning.

...

Jiang Xu walked out of the Treasure Tower and patted his Storage Bag. Although the cost still stung a little, he was largely satisfied. He’d gotten everything he needed without a hitch.

’As expected of the main headquarters. Their stock is so complete. It’s nothing like that Duo Bao Pavilion in the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace, which had practically nothing. And even if they did have something, it was always low-level.’

’I’ve now bought all the Wood Attribute Spiritual Materials, as well as materials for Stealth, Escape, Defense, and Investigation. I even bought a few extra types. Now all that’s left is to figure out how to absorb and utilize them.’

The shopping trip had taken very little time. Jiang Xu glanced at the sky.

The sun was nearing the western horizon, but it looked like there was still enough time for him to go purchase some Magic.

However, after searching for a long time, Jiang Xu still couldn’t find a single shop selling Magic.

’What’s going on? This is so strange. Don’t tell me there isn’t a single shop in this entire Marketplace that sells Techniques and Cultivation Methods?’

In Jiang Xu’s mind, Magic and Cultivation Techniques were critically important, so of course the shops selling them would be quite large. That was why he had specifically been searching among the medium-sized and larger stores in the Marketplace.

Yet, he hadn’t found a single one after searching all over the Demon Communication Workshop.

’Things like Techniques and Cultivation Methods are a must-have in any marketplace. So, if the medium and large shops don’t have them... No way. Don’t tell me they’re sold in the small shops?’

Jiang Xu was dumbfounded.

The small shops in the Demon Communication Workshop were generally very niche establishments.

Even the Evil Demon Hall and Prajna Pavilion he’d seen earlier, and even the Xianlai Linlang Pavilion which sold musical instruments, were all medium-sized or larger.

The small shops Jiang Xu had seen included a Feng Shui shop specializing in Dragon-Seeking and Acupoint-Pointing; a Bedroom Technique shop for researching Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation, Yang Strengthening and Yin Nourishing; and, most bizarrely, an Antique Shop selling what looked like ancient relics but which Jiang Xu could tell at a glance were just "Ancient" forgeries.

’Were things like Magic really on the same level as this stuff?’

Unconvinced, Jiang Xu started searching through the small shops again.

This time, his goal was completely different.

He wanted to prove that there were no shops selling Magic in the Demon Communication Workshop.

As someone who had built his foundation on Magic, Jiang Xu simply couldn’t accept that a shop selling it would be on the same scale as those other establishments.

But the reality was crushing.

Because, amidst a cluster of tiny establishments, he did indeed find an inconspicuous little shop. Its name was simple: Cultivation Method Shop.

And it was the only one. Just this single shop.

Jiang Xu stared at the tiny, rundown shop before him, its facade clearly not having seen repairs in years. His mind was filled with immense doubt.

Back in the Profound Origin Sect, a place like the Scripture Pavilion was treated with the utmost importance. It even had a dedicated Elder standing guard, with another large group of Elders stationed inside at all times.

’So why was there just this one dilapidated little shop here in the Marketplace?’

’Was this some kind of parallel to that "World’s Number One Talisman" shop he’d seen in the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace?’

Filled with skepticism, Jiang Xu stepped into the shop.

Inside, the shopkeeper was slumped behind the counter, chin in his hand, dozing off. His head bobbed intermittently. It looked like he hadn’t had a customer in a long time; otherwise, he wouldn’t be in such a state.

Jiang Xu walked up to the counter and first used his Spiritual Eye Technique to check the shopkeeper’s Cultivation. After confirming he was just an ordinary Qi Cultivation Late Stage Cultivator with nothing special about him, Jiang Xu speechlessly rapped his knuckles on the wooden counter and called out:

"Hey! Wake up, shopkeeper! You’ve got a customer!"

"Huh?" The shopkeeper startled awake, looking around blankly. He was clearly still half-asleep. It took him a good moment to come to his senses. "A customer? Uh... S-Senior... What can I get for you?"

"I’m in your shop, so obviously I’m here to buy Cultivation Techniques and Magic. What else would I be here for?" Jiang Xu was getting impatient, his mood souring. "Just tell me what you have. What kind of Cultivation Techniques and Magic are you selling? Or any other Secret Techniques?"

At this, the shopkeeper’s spirits lifted.

"Senior, you’ve come to the right place! First off, our Five Elements Techniques are all here. For a Gold Attribute Technique, we have the Gold-Slaying Spell. For Wood Attribute, the Cangmu Skill. For Fire Attribute, the Blast Spell... And sir, if you have a Special Spirit Root, we also have techniques for the Thunder, Wind, and Ice Spirit Roots."

Jiang Xu’s brow furrowed.

The Cultivation Techniques the shopkeeper listed were all basic ones. At best, they could only take a person to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. They were purely for absolute novices just starting their journey, the kind with no backing, support, or particular talent.

The techniques for Special Spirit Roots were slightly better, but not by much.

Jiang Xu’s own technique was the Cangmu Skill. It had only shown a hint of its true potential after he’d raised it to the realm of perfection. Otherwise, it was just a simple tool for raising one’s Cultivation Realm.

And this was to say nothing of the True Inheritance Techniques from the major Golden Core Sects. Those were typically the techniques practiced by the founding patriarchs, almost all of them Ancient Techniques. The worst of them could still take a cultivator to the Golden Core Realm.

In a sect with a long history like the Profound Origin Sect, the True Inheritance Techniques could even lead one all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm.

However, learning these True Inheritance Techniques was restricted to True Disciples. And even then, they had to swear an oath on their path of cultivation, vowing never to leak the techniques, never to harm the sect’s interests, and to serve the sect for the rest of their lives.

Of course, Jiang Xu wasn’t naive enough to expect to find a technique of that caliber in the Demon Communication Workshop.

He was just looking for a Cultivation Technique that could help him advance to the next step of his Realm.

He had already reached the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and the Cangmu Skill had no further levels for him to cultivate.

What Jiang Xu wanted now was to find a technique that could be cultivated all the way to the Golden Core Realm.

If that wasn’t possible, he would settle for one that could get him to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

He just never imagined he’d end up in a situation like this.