SWNOVELXO Ch. 29
Li An didn’t wear his Clear Sun Sect disciple robe today, opting for a plain blue outfit that blended into the crowd.
He wandered the market’s main street twice, ensuring no one tailed him. In an empty alley, he swiftly changed into drab gray clothes, donned a conical hat, veiled his face, padded his shoes to add height, and thickened his shoulders.
Even passing Tan Qingxue, she’d struggle to recognize him without close look.
He left the bustling main street for the market’s northern low-rise residential area, far quieter with sparse foot traffic.
Entering a modest house, he found four others already there—three men, one woman. He was the fifth.
Like him, the others hid their identities with hats or veils, except the burly leader, who likely wore a human-skin mask, Li An guessed.
“All here,” the leader said. “Per rules—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—we show what we’re trading or buying, one by one. After everyone’s done, we deal.”
Such trades were for cultivators avoiding exposure, so no names were used. They went by seat positions—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. Li An sat at Water.
The Gold seat held an older cultivator, gray hair at his temples, voice low. “I’m selling three High Grade First Rank meteoric iron pieces and three First Grade Recovery Pills. The iron needs a High Grade First Rank defensive tool or spirit stones.”
He displayed three black iron chunks and a small jade vial.
The Wood seat was a lean young man, voice hoarse. “I offer a High Grade First Rank tool—Thorn Armor. Strong defense, it releases spiritual thorns to counterattack when hit. I want restriction materials in exchange.”
A flash from his storage bag revealed a black metal soft armor.
Li An spoke, “I offer four First Grade Spiritual Herbs—Fire Spirit Fruits.”
He laid out the fruits.
Eyes turned to him, surprised.
The Fire seat, a woman in a white veil, eagerly asked, “Friend, got any Second Grade Fire Spirit Fruits? I’ll pay high for those!”
Fire Spirit Fruits were Second Grade, a known ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills!
Li An shook his head. “Sorry, just these.”
The woman sighed, disappointed.
“No interruptions, continue!” the masked leader at the Earth seat growled.
The Fire seat woman said, “I’m selling three Spirit Surge Pills for mid-Qi Refining breakthroughs. Accepting spirit stones.”
Finally, the Earth seat leader added, “I offer a High Grade First Rank treasure blade. Spirit stones will do.”
Then came the haggling phase.
“Friend, your Fire Spirit Fruits are top quality, nearly Second Grade. Sure you don’t have any?” the veiled woman pressed.
Li An replied, “Sorry, really don’t.”
She sighed. “Fine. How much for these? I’ll take it all.”
Li An said, “Fixed price, 200 spirit stones.”
“I’ve got 100 stones. How about one Spirit Surge Pill, valued at 100 stones?” she offered.
Li An agreed readily.
Deal done.
Li An turned to the lean youth at Wood. “Friend, does your Thorn Armor take spirit stones?”
He lacked tools, and common defensive ones were less effective than his Iron Tree Technique.
A High Grade First Rank tool would be ideal.
He eyed the Thorn Armor, intrigued.
The youth shook his head. “Sorry, only restriction materials, any type.”
Li An sighed. Restriction materials, used for arrays or barriers, were rare outside array or restriction masters.
But he sensed the youth’s aura was weak, mid-Qi Refining at best, unlikely to dabble in arrays or restrictions.
Those arts drained mental energy heavily. Early or mid-Qi Refining cultivators couldn’t handle it.
Late Qi Refining was the minimum to start.
Li An, versed in arrays from his past life, knew this well. Limited by talent, he’d focused on arrays and talismans, achieving mastery with resources in past life.
He wasn’t too shocked, though—the youth might be hiding his cultivation.
Li An glanced at him casually.
…
Trading wrapped up.
They lingered, swapping information.
“I’ve got exclusive news about demonic cultivators. Three days ago, a dangerous incident hit Liuyang River Market, targeting the Clear Sun Sect…” the Gold seat elder said gravely. “Five spirit stones.”
Information was currency.
If you wanted it.
The news piqued interest. Two paid for the elder’s secret note.
Li An, discreetly, bought one too. In this world, information was king.
Other news was trivial, and the meeting soon ended.
…
Leaving, Li An slipped into a deserted spot, swapped back to his blue outfit, and blended into the crowd, leaving no trace.
That night, at his residence, he opened the elder’s note.
The contents made his brow jump!
Three days ago, a demonic cultivator attacked the Clear Sun Sect’s Pill shop in Liuyang River Market!
The cultivator, undetected, clashed while buying pills, killed the person on the spot, and fled with a haul of spiritual herbs.
Crucially, they escaped!
Li An pondered. If true, even markets weren’t safe.
A demonic cultivator infiltrating suggested either Core Formation-level power or a unique technique.
Li An leaned toward the latter.
A Core Formation cultivator could raze a market!
What’s more, what worries him even more is that the other party actually robbed the Clear Sun Sect’s pill shop...
This is a bit outrageous.
They don't even give a face to Clear Sun Sect?
He sensed danger.
True or not, he couldn’t tell.
But preparation was key.
“My trump cards are too few…” Li An fretted.
Better safe than sorry.
He was cozy in the market, with zero tolerance for risks.
At Fourth Layer Qi Refining, even with all his tricks, he’d struggle against a cultivator who could rob Liuyang River’s shop.
He had a Spirit Surge Pill, but it was useless until he peaked at the Fourth Layer, boosting breakthrough odds.
“I need more lethal moves, at least to survive late Qi Refining threats.”
“Arrays suit me best!” he decided.
Arrays were devastating for low-level cultivators!
But they had downsides: costly, fixed to one spot, and pricey to maintain with spirit stones.
Only cultivation clans or powerful rogue cultivators with permanent bases used them.
…
The next day, Li An went out, selling his remaining Tree Spirit Mushroom and Parasite Spirit Vine fruits.
He kept the Second Grade Ghost Light Lotus—rare, strategic, not to be sold unless desperate.
He now had 420 spirit stones.
A small fortune.
He headed to the Clear Sun Sect’s array shop.
Over three years, he’d grown familiar with the sect’s local staff. The shopkeeper, Zhang Shouye, grinned. “Master Li, what brings you?”
“Friend Zhang, I want to see arrays,” Li An said directly.
Zhang Shouye lowered his voice. “Checking arrays too? Heard the news?”
Li An leaned in. “What news?”
“Don’t play dumb! Demonic cultivator hit Liuyang River Market. Today, several clan shops asked about arrays…” Zhang Shouye said.
Li An’s heart sank. Not just rumors, then!
“No need to worry. That cultivator’s fresh off a crime, probably hiding. Sect experts are patrolling. They’ll kill him soon…”
The array shop was quiet, so Zhang Shouye, a chatterbox, spilled more.
The demonic cultivator killed three in Liuyang River’s pill shop, including a Sixth Layer Qi Refining expert!
The market’s Foundation Establishment overseer sealed it with an array, searching days without finding the culprit.
…
Li An quickly assessed. The cultivator was at least above Sixth Layer, likely late Qi Refining, maybe peak.
They fled fast post-kill, likely with a secret technique to mask their aura.
The more he thought, the more he needed to prepare. “Got protective arrays? Let me see.”
Zhang Shouye pointed to the display. “Low-grade array, blocks early Qi Refining, 100 stones. Mid-grade, 300. High-grade, 900…”
High-grade arrays resisted late Qi Refining.
Li An wasn’t impressed, shaking his head. “I want top-tier.”
Zhang Shouye chuckled. “Master Li’s loaded, huh?”
He pulled a catalog. “Lowest tier, early Foundation Establishment array, 3,000 stones.”
The shop didn’t stock these. They required a deposit, custom-made by the sect.
Li An’s mouth twitched.
Seeing his reaction, Zhang Shouye smirked, stroking his beard. “For an old friend, I’ve got something special—high grade, cheap. Wanna see?”
Li An nodded, intrigued.
Zhang Shouye turned, digging in a display case, pulling out a dusty white jade array disk. Blowing off the dust, he handed it over. “Crafted by Array Hall’s Elder Luo when he became a Second Rank Array Master. Stronger than High Grade First Rank arrays, near-guaranteed kill for anything below Foundation Establishment!”
“Small catch—single use. But cheap!”
Li An frowned, inspecting it, chuckling inwardly.
Zhang Shouye wasn’t fooling anyone… only half the story.
The disk’s biggest flaw: it couldn’t defend or attack autonomously. It needed manual control!
That meant draining divine sense or mental energy. Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t bother, and Qi Refining ones couldn’t handle it.
It is very useless.
Zhang Shouye was trying to cheat him.
“The quality is not very good... How do you sell it?” Li An asked casually.
“For an old friend, discount: 800 stones!”
Li An turned to leave.
“Hey, Master Li, we can talk! 780 works…” Zhang Shouye called, but Li An was gone.
He wasn’t rushed to buy. Too pricey, and he lacked the stones. Plus, buying outright might raise suspicions.
That night, back at the talisman shop, Li An was crafting when a knock came.
“Junior Brother Li, you there?” Tan Qingxue’s voice called.
…
(Chapter End)