Mortal: Reborn in Yellow Maple Valley, Awakening the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts

He then swiftly retrieved the storage bag, which landed steadily in his palm. With a light touch of his fingers, a slender, gleaming poisonous needle appeared out of thin air in his hand.

Old Ding slowly circled the corpse of the Black-Edged Poison Spider, carefully examining it. His eyes were filled with amazement, and he clicked his tongue in wonder.

He had handled countless Foundation Establishment demon beast materials, but he had rarely seen a Foundation Establishment demon beast corpse so well preserved. Its value far exceeded that of the remains.

After examining the needle, Old Ding turned to look at the poisoned needle in Chu Zifei's hand, took it, gently stroked the needle, and then brought it close to his nose to sniff it. His expression instantly became solemn.

"eccentric!"

He pondered in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the poisoned needle, and slowly spoke: "Although this needle is a high-grade magic weapon, not top-tier, the poison refined upon it is extremely strange. It can not only damage the physical body and meridians, but also corrode the soul!"

"A poison weapon capable of damaging the soul is extremely rare, making it a top-tier magical artifact."

Chu Zifei was slightly startled upon hearing this, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He only knew that the poison needle was insidious and domineering, with extremely strong killing power, but he did not know that it also had the characteristic of poisoning the soul.

In the world of cultivation, injuries are numerous. While injuries to the skin, flesh, bones, and muscles can all be healed with elixirs, damage to the soul is extremely difficult to repair.

Suppressing his astonishment, he casually asked, "In that case, how many spirit stones would you value this Soul Poison Needle in, sir?"

After a moment's thought, Elder Ding gave a fair price: "Although this item can damage the soul, its grade is limited; it's only high-grade. At most, it will be effective against mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, and only by surprise. Its effect on high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators is limited. I can only give you eight hundred low-grade spirit stones at most."

Upon hearing this price, Chu Zifei was quite satisfied.

Ordinary top-tier magic artifacts are priced at around eight hundred spirit stones, so this fine needle, which contains a deadly poison that infuses the soul, has sold for a price far exceeding expectations.

His gaze returned to the corpse of the Black-Edged Poison Spider on the ground, and he followed up with the question, "Then what is the value of this Foundation Establishment demon beast's corpse?"

Old Ding examined the corpse carefully again and said slowly, "Although it is only a demon beast in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the corpse is extremely well preserved, with only the head slightly damaged, which does not affect its use as refining material. This complete demon body is enough to refine a whole set of high-grade magic weapons, and I can give you 1,800 low-grade spirit stones."

While single high-grade magic artifacts are readily available, a complete set of high-grade magic artifacts is extremely rare. It is precisely for this reason that this early Foundation Establishment stage demon body can command such a high price.

As Chu Zifei pondered to himself, Old Ding's voice rang out again.

"If you are willing to sell both items to our shop together, I will take the liberty of packaging them together and giving you twenty-six mid-grade spirit stones."

Chu Zifei's heart stirred, and he immediately agreed.

In the cultivation world, the common exchange rate is one hundred low-grade spirit stones to one mid-grade spirit stone. However, everyone knows that mid-grade spirit stones have purer spiritual energy and are absorbed much faster than low-grade ones, making them a scarce and valuable currency.

Ordinary cultivators would never agree to a fair trade; on the black market, a mid-grade spirit stone could even be exchanged for 110 low-grade spirit stones. This bundled deal undoubtedly gave him a bargain.

  

Both sides were delighted, and the deal was finalized.

Chu Zifei carefully put away the spirit stones, then remembered another purpose of his trip: to purchase a durable magic robe. Without further delay, he immediately asked, "Elder Ding, does your shop sell top-tier magic robes?"

"Of course there are."

Elder Ding nodded slightly and calmly introduced, "Our shop currently has two top-tier robes: one is a top-tier spirit silk robe, and the other is a supreme top-tier azure smoke robe. Which one would you like, young friend?"

Chu Zifei pressed on, "What is the difference between the two?"

"The Spirit Silk Robe has only a purely defensive function and is priced at 1,300 low-grade spirit stones."

Elder Ding paused briefly before continuing, "The Azure Smoke Robe has an additional layer of concealment effect. It can automatically circulate spiritual energy to stabilize the protective shield and hide one's aura, making it extremely well-concealed. As for the price, it will cost two thousand low-grade spirit stones."

Chu Zifei suddenly realized something.

The two robes differed greatly in price, but he didn't need any concealment techniques. His own Sky-Waving Cloak and concealment skills were the key, far surpassing the concealment effect of ordinary robes.

He then asked the question that mattered most to him: "Are the defensive strengths of the two robes equivalent?"

"Protection? The power of the protective shields is almost the same," Old Ding replied.

That's not what I meant.

Chu Zifei gently shook his head and asked directly, "What I want to ask is, what's the difference in the materials of the two robes? In close combat and intense magical battles, which one is less likely to be damaged?"

Old Ding was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Having overseen the Wanbao Tower for many years, he had witnessed countless cultivators selecting their robes. Some prioritized defense, others effectiveness, and still others appearance, but this was the first time someone had prioritized the durability of the robes.

Although he found it novel, he patiently explained: "Both items are woven from superior spiritual materials, and are tough and durable, making them difficult to damage in ordinary combat."

Having received the reply, Chu Zifei had already made his choice.

There's no need for concealing one's aura or using supernatural powers; as long as the material is tough and durable, and not easily broken in battle, that's enough.

Chu Zifei hadn't even had a chance to hold onto those 2,600 spirit stones before he spent half of them.

He immediately chose the lower-priced Spirit Silk Robe.

In the blink of an eye, half of the two thousand six hundred spirit stones he had just acquired were gone.

But when she received the Ling Si robe and touched its warm, smooth texture, the slight heartache in her heart instantly vanished.

This spirit silk robe is made by blending spirit silkworm silk and spirit spider silk, weaving in layers of basic defensive runes, and adding dragon scale fragments and finely forged silver threads for added protection.

Its appearance is no different from that of an ordinary Taoist robe, but it feels as light and thin as a cicada's wing, transparent and agile.

Chu Zifei changed into the robe on the spot. The robe hung close to his body, light as a feather, and did not affect his movements or spellcasting in the slightest.

Upon seeing this, Old Ding couldn't help but praise, "Young friend, your demeanor is exceptional; you are truly a refined gentleman."

Chu Zifei readily accepted the praise.

After several rounds of body tempering and marrow cleansing, his skin turned wheat-colored, his facial features were sharp and distinct, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding heroic spirit and a strong masculine demeanor. In the world of cultivation where talents abound, his appearance can be considered one of the most outstanding.

Having achieved all his goals, Chu Zifei bowed to Elder Ding, took his leave, and walked straight out of the Huangfeng Valley market.

He sped along the road and soon arrived at the western side of the Taiyue Mountains, covered in dust.

Just as they approached the outer perimeter, a series of intense magical collisions suddenly came from the direction of Han Li's cave not far away.

Chu Zifei's gaze narrowed slightly. After a moment's thought, he immediately took out a concealing cloak and covered himself, hiding all his aura. With a swift movement, he silently approached.

Upon approaching the source of the sound, they saw seven cultivators dressed in different styles standing outside the barrier of Han Li's cave.

They had just stopped their attack and were shouting loudly into the depths of the cave:

"Listen up, you inhabitants of the cave! Hand over the person who escaped into your cave at once!"

"Hand over the person, and we'll leave immediately, without causing you any trouble! Why invite disaster upon yourself by offending the Thousand Bamboo Sect for the sake of an outsider!"