Chapter 35: The Transaction

“Uncle, do you think this assassination attempt was merely an accident or…?” 

After ensuring their safety, Bai Haisang began pondering the truth behind the attack.

The merchandise they were transporting was great, with their storage bags filled to the brim and even requiring carts. But in the end, they were all items of the Acquired grade.

They indeed had Innate-grade merchandise within their trade caravan, but those were exclusively sold in Qianyan City, where their trading company’s headquarters were located.

This place was merely a branch.

Li Tan, one of the two Innate experts previously guarding the caravan, spoke up, “I’ve carefully investigated the identities of those attackers. They weren’t just ordinary rogues or bandits.” Li Tan’s expression turned solemn. “They’re members of the Ten Bandits active in this vicinity.”

“The Ten Bandits.” Bai Haisang paused, a look of sheer horror crossing his face.

Their Bai family trading company had an esteemed Elder at the True Core stage. They were one of the members of the Qianyan City Trade Alliance. However, in terms of both strength and influence, the Ten Bandits weren’t far behind the Bai’s trading company. They too had a powerhouse at the True Core stage.

What was even more terrifying was that the Ten Bandits were an active force nearby. If they planned harm, the company’s headquarters would be too far to offer immediate aid.

Furthermore, the Ten Bandits were notorious for their lawlessness and audacity. Once they received news of their members being killed, retaliation was certain.

Merely the thought of being targeted by the Ten Bandits left Bai Haisang breathless.

“Haisang, take deep breaths. The situation isn’t as dire as you think,” Li Tan consoled.

“Half a year ago, the leader of the Ten Bandits attempted to steal spiritual herbs cultivated by the Six-Sword True Monarch to break through to the next stage. He was discovered by the Six-Sword True Monarch and gravely injured. Currently, the Six-Sword True Monarch is relentlessly pursuing the leader of the Ten Bandits. Their key members are preoccupied with their own problems and don’t dare show their faces for fear of being hunted down.”

Hearing this, Bai Haisang finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, the looming threat of the Ten Bandits, like a hovering sword, still hung above their Baiwei Tower.

Bai Haisang felt a gnawing unease.

“But we must remain vigilant,” Li Tan added. “The Ten Bandits still have significant figures of the late stage Innate and several capable hands from the early and mid stage Innate. With our Baiwei Tower’s strength, resisting them won’t be easy.”

Li Tan couldn’t help but feel regret as he spoke. If only they could have persuaded that powerful individual who had saved them, none of this would be so troublesome. Sadly, Zhang Shen didn’t give them any window of opportunity to do so.

Bai Haisang too was deeply regretful about this missed chance.

Regaining his composure, Bai Haisang’s eyes turned cold. 

“Considering the predicament of the Ten Bandits, how did they know about our transportation route? My siblings seem quite eager to act,” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Bai Haisang was no fool. Even though it was his first time being directly embroiled in such power struggles, he had witnessed them many times before.

Li Tan’s eyes filled with murderous intent. After the death of his sister, who he had depended on for life, Bai Haisang became the only family he had. He was Li Tan’s taboo. Anyone daring to harm Bai Haisang wouldn’t be spared. Especially since Li Tan himself had nearly lost his life to the Ten Bandits. Whoever leaked their route had to pay with their life.

“Haisang, try to win over Bai Sen,” Li Tan suggested. “Although he only came to oversee Baiwei Tower, he was expected to meet us by the rules. He also almost died at the hands of the Ten Bandits. We can try to get him on our side.”

Bai Haisang nodded. He was keen on recruiting this expert, who was even more advanced in cultivation than his uncle.

***

Time flew, and three months passed.

Within a mansion, Zhang Shen was practicing a type of boxing technique. With his robust physical foundation, mastering this Acquired top-grade boxing technique felt as natural as a fish to water. The manual emphasized not to practice more than an hour a day.

However, Zhang Shen easily practiced for more than three hours. This was despite him having to split his daily time learning and cultivating other skills.

His fists cast shadows all around, causing the very air to tremble.

After a while, Zhang Shen finished his practice. 

“Excellent, another martial technique mastered to perfection.”

Zhang Shen accessed his system interface, adding this technique to the list of fully mastered martial skills.

As his physical body grew stronger and the martial arts techniques he practiced became more numerous, mastering these Acquired techniques became increasingly straightforward for him.

After a brief tidying up, Zhang Shen retrieved the storage bags he owned to reorganize them. Apart from the most treasured one that he obtained from the genuine True Core, the others were either small storage bags given to him when he left Hongyuan City or belonged to those who had fallen at his hands.

He placed all the valuable items into a purple silk storage bag.

As for the rest, he packed them up, planning to sell them. 

“If they’re of no use to me, I might as well trade them for resources I need.”

He had many duplicates and even some Innate artifacts which he found redundant. For instance, those two Innate members of the Ten Bandits who he had hammered to death had used all sorts of bizarre tools.

Moreover, he genuinely needed to exchange them for more useful resources.

He wasn’t lacking spirit stones. While cultivating, he extravagantly used mid-grade spirit stones. From the original 3,800 mid-grade spirit stones in the silk bag, he had consumed fifty in just three months.

The gains were undoubtedly significant, especially when paired with the Spiritual Floral Rotting Soil.

Now, his Mountain of a Thousand Layers technique was cultivated to the complete Acquired seventh layer.

Although his cultivation level remained unchanged, the Acquired internal energy became denser and more potent. 

What Zhang Shen was lacking now was materials like the Floral Rotting Soil. He had exhausted all three boxes of it over the past three months. Having enjoyed the rocketing speed of progression in his cultivation, he was struggling with the current snail-paced advancement. 

He urgently needed to procure more resources. That was why he was inventorying his belongings. All those unneeded could be traded.

“Perfect, two storage bags full to the brim, each a few cubic meters in size.”

One bag was full of artifacts, and the other, ores.  As for the rest, even if those spiritual herbs and pills were useless for his cultivation, he could still consume them directly, turning them into experience points for his body.

He also had some talismans. Zhang Shen felt they could be useful, so he kept them all.

Naturally, Zhang Shen kept some of the exquisite artifacts and ores for himself.

“These, which I don’t need, can be used by the people of Hongyuan City in the future. It’s absolutely worth it.”

Over the past three months, although the method of gaining experience wasn’t as overbearing as during the beast tide, the experience he gathered from techniques and martial arts was enough to elevate his physical level.

Innate Eighth Layer: 17%

“Excellent, my strength is steadily increasing.”

This was precisely why Zhang Shen wanted to exchange for a batch of resources.

In this short period, the Mountain of a Thousand Layers technique rose from the Acquired fourth Layer all the way to the seventh layer’s perfection, providing him with vast amounts of experience points. A significant portion of this rapid progress was attributed to the Floral Rotting Soil.

Before leaving his residence, Zhang Shen changed his appearance completely, even altering his aura.

Having mastered the mid-grade Innate technique Cultivation Concealment, not only could he hide his cultivation, but he could also change his aura to the point where there wasn’t the slightest resemblance to his original.

He wondered, “Why is it that I find practicing the Concealment Art so intuitive?” 

He had encountered no obstacles and smoothly reached its mastery. Could he truly have an innate talent in this area?

Over his disguise, Zhang Shen layered another one. Many of the items he possessed had questionable origins. Without an additional decoy identity, his primary alias, Lin Fanyun, might attract unnecessary trouble. That would be undesirable.

An elderly man with withered skin and murky eyes, but a spirit still vibrant silently left the residence.

Within the marketplace, only the shops run by major powers had the capacity to purchase the goods he held. Smaller branches like the Baiwu Tower couldn’t afford them.

After all, among the artifacts, there were several Innate-level ones. Emptying their coffers, these smaller shops still wouldn’t be able to cover the cost.

After careful comparison, the two largest stores–Four Seas Miscellaneous Goods and Linyuan Store No.3–stood out as the best choices compared to others.

“The Four Seas Miscellaneous Goods store sources products from all over, and they boast an extensive internal inventory. Yet, despite my efforts to gather information, the power backing it remains a mystery. In contrast, Linyuan Store No.3 is directly a subsidiary of the prominent human stronghold, Linyuan, in the vicinity.”

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Shen headed toward Linyuan Store No.3.

The interior of the store was serene. Though many martial artists were shopping for supplies, none made a ruckus. Everyone was well-behaved.

As Zhang Shen stepped in, a staff member promptly approached to serve him. Upon using the Cultivation Concealment technique, his aura immediately shifted, emitting the energy of the Innate third layer.

The attendant paused momentarily, then adopted a more respectful and enthusiastic demeanor.

“Elder, how may I assist you? Would you like a recommendation?”

Zhang Shen nodded, “I wish to sell a batch of goods and also purchase some resources.”

Realizing the potential scale of the transaction, the staff member promptly said, “Please, follow me.”

Such significant deals couldn’t be discussed out in the open. It would be best negotiated in a private booth.

Once inside, the attendant poured tea and then excused himself.

Shortly after, a manager named Xu Lu entered.

“My apologies for the wait, my friend,” Xu Lu greeted with a smile. 

As an Innate stage expert himself, negotiating with Zhang Shen didn’t pose any psychological pressure. “May I ask about the items you wish to sell and the resources you’re looking to purchase?” Xu Lu was a straightforward individual, avoiding unnecessary pleasantries.

Zhang Shen appreciated such directness, as he too preferred clarity in dealings. He produced two storage bags and set them on the table. “These contain the artifacts and ores I wish to sell. Kindly appraise them. As for what I wish to buy, I’d like to see a list of your Acquired treasures, from which I’ll make my selections.”

Xu Lu beckoned an elder. While Xu Lu was powerful, every profession had its specialists. This elder’s expertise in artifacts and ores surpassed his own. “Elder Sen, please appraise these items and provide an accurate valuation.”

Elder Sen stroked his beard in acknowledgment. Without leaving, he began his assessment right there in the booth.

Zhang Shen was very pleased with this approach. Everything took place right under his watchful gaze, ensuring there would be no chances of deceit or switching of items. He then picked up a small booklet to peruse.