Chapter 162: Obtaining Spirit Stones

After Zhou Donghuang entered the wooden hut, many people began gathering outside the wooden hut, and as they discussed among themselves, they lowered their voices such that their voices became hushed and indistinguishable. After Zhou Donghuang entered the wooden hut, many people began gathering outside the wooden hut, and as they discussed among themselves, they lowered their voices such that their voices became hushed and indistinguishable. “The person initiating the transaction in the wooden hut is extravagant. The sign hung there earlier said, ‘A hundred spirit stones in exchange for completing the formula for a Qi-gathering core.’ Evidently, he intends to fork out two hundred spirit stones.””In the Shenguang empire, there couldn’t be too many people who can afford two hundred spirit stones, could there?””The people who come to the black market of the Shenguang empire are not just from there but also people from other empires. They cannot find someone in the black markets of the other empires who can solve this problem and so they come to the black market of the Shenguang empire.””Indeed.””To be able to produce two hundred spirit stones, if he is a lone individual, the person must be at least at the middle Primal Core stage or above. An individual at the level of the early Primal Core stage will find it very difficult to produce so many spirit stones, unless he is a core-forging master at the early Primal Core stage!””If he is not a lone individual, he must be someone with great power on Ziyun. If that power is not of the five great sects or imperial courts of the five empires, it must be one that has many Primal Core adepts.” Upon entering the wooden hut, Zhou Donghuang saw at once the person in black robes and hood sitting behind a wooden table. This person was of average build, and although he was sitting there looking straight at Zhou Donghuang, the lighting in the wooden hut was dim, and Zhou Donghuang could not even make out his features. Neither could he make out Zhou Donghuang’s features. Beside the wooden table stood a middle-aged man dressed in everyday clothes, and seeing Zhou Donghuang enter, invited him to sit down at once. “Please have a seat, sir.”Zhou Donghuang was not shy and sat down right away facing the person who initiated the transaction. “Let’s see the formula.”Zhou Donghuang said casually, not bothering to lower his voice because even if he was heard, no one would be able to identify him by his voice. He was not from the Shenguang empire. “Mm?”However, at the sound of Zhou Donghuang’s voice, the person facing him hesitated, and paused before replying, “Sir, from your tone, you seem rather young. Are you really confident?”The voice was old and hoarse, and obviously deliberately lowered. “What? Afraid that I’m too young to be able to complete that formula?”Zhou Donghuang smiled teasingly. “Sir, please don’t be offended. It’s just that I was startled when I heard your voice.”The person opposite Zhou Donghuang covered entirely by the black robe and hood was, from the sound of his voice, an old man. As he replied, he placed a piece of paper on the table. His hand did not look as old as his voice sounded, and looked like the hand of a middle-aged man, the result of his taking good care of himself. Zhou Donghuang took the paper the old man produced and glanced at it, shaking his head with a faint laugh. “You were careful enough.”What the old man took out was not the formula for the deficient Qi-gathering core, but only the portion which stated in detail the principles related to the deficient portion of the formula for the Qi-gathering core, to explain it to the reader. “If you are able to solve this problem, the formula for the Qi-gathering core will be complete,” the old man said. “Are you really confident?” the old man asked again. Zhou Donghuang did not reply but picked up a brush that was lying at one side of the table, as well as a piece of paper from the stack lying beside the brush. Swish! Swish! Swish! … Under the old man’s watchful gaze, Zhou Donghuang wrote speedily on the paper. Soon he put the brush down and passed the paper to the old man. When the old man finished reading the words on the paper, his eyes widened and there was an expression of shock and disbelief on his face. Of course, no one saw the old man’s expression because he was wearing the black robe and hood, and the lighting in the wooden hut was dim. In the stillness inside the wooden hut, however, the old man’s breathing could be heard clearly. An instant later, the old man finally spoke up, his voice trembling with shock. “You—how did you come to have this formula?”The words on the piece of paper he was holding matched exactly the formula he had. The deficient portions were still missing. The rest was identical. It was as though the person before him had a formula identical to his. “Since it is a Qi-gathering core, naturally they should reach the same conclusion. Seeing the missing portions of your formula, it was not difficult to fill up the rest of the formula,” Zhou Donghuang said matter-of-factly. As Zhou Donghuang finished, the old man slipped temporarily into a dead silence, evidently frightened out of his wits. “You … you can complete the formula?”The old man spoke again in a more respectful tone, evidently not daring to look down on Zhou Donghuang for his youth. “Of course.”As Zhou Donghuang replied, he took another sheet of paper from the stack at the side of the table, and spent some time writing on it before tossing it to the old man as though he were throwing rubbish. The old man received it like treasure, looking suspiciously at the youth who jerked his head away to avoid suspicion, before looking in earnest at the words on the paper, getting more excited the more he looked. Although his expression could not be seen clearly, his emotion could be seen from the way his body trembled with increasing violence. “How is it?”Zhou Donghuang asked casually, not afraid that the old man would play him out. If the old man said that the core formula was useless, the black market would naturally summon a core-forging master, and therefore ensure the absolute fairness of the transaction. “You are a genius.”The old man carefully kept the piece of paper in his pocket, and, containing his emotions by force of will, sighed repeatedly. At the same time, he glanced at the youth from the black market, “I am very satisfied with this transaction.”As soon as he had spoken, he took out a parcel from his black robes, and upon opening it revealed a pile of white gemstones which were obviously spirit stones. “Altogether, two hundred spirit stones,” the old man said to the youth from the black market, pushing the parcel toward him. The youth stepped forward, and after a short while he nodded. “Two hundred spirit stones; the number is correct.”The old man then picked out a hundred spirit stones from the pile, pushing them in front of Zhou Donghuang. “Sir, this is the payment from this transaction.”Zhou Donghuang did not reply and silently swept the hundred spirit stones into his pockets. He proceeded to stand up and turn around, preparing to leave the wooden hut. “Are you from the Shenguang empire?” the old man’s voice sounded from behind him. “No,” Zhou Donghuang replied casually, already opening the door of the wooden hut and leaving. “He’s out!””He’s come out!””Do you all think this transaction has been completed?””Need you ask? Most certainly not!” … Seeing Zhou Donghuang emerge so quickly, the several people outside the wooden hut who had still not left were still whispering, not believing that Zhou Donghuang had been able to fulfill his end of the transaction smoothly. However, when they saw another figure in black exit the hut after Zhou Donghuang, they were all stunned. “This … transaction was completed?””Not necessarily. Perhaps it’s just that the person who initiated the transaction was preparing to leave and did not intend to wait for someone to complete it.””But we don’t know if the one who left first was the one who entered to complete the transaction, or if the one who left later was the one who entered to complete it.” … While those people discussed, Zhou Donghuang made his way past several structures and decorations and was lost to the sight or hearing of the group. It was not because he wanted to lose himself that he passed by these structures and decorations, but because his route forced him to pass them. This was intentional on the part of the black market, allowing customers to lose themselves easily and escape surveillance. After rounding the other two corners of the black market complex, Zhou Donghuang prepared to leave because he did not have any of the items that were in demand by those with spirit stones to exchange. There were indeed several people who offered spirit stones in exchange for core formulas, but although Zhou Donghuang had those core formulas, the value of those core formulas was too great compared to the spirit stones being offered in exchange. Zhou Donghuang would not allow himself to be taken advantage of. “A hundred spirit stones are enough for now.” With this thought, Zhou Donghuang left the black market, entering an alley that led to the exit and taking off his black outfit, returning it to the girls stationed there before striding out. No one knew that when this youth in clothes whiter than snow left, he was carrying a hundred spirit stones in his pockets. When he returned to the inn, Zhou Donghuang saw that Su Mo had already returned. “Master, did you manage to get anything?” Su Mo, who was waiting in the courtyard, asked anxiously. “Let’s go in and talk.”Zhou Donghuang led the way into his room, with Su Mo following close behind. This guest apartment, besides having a spacious courtyard, also had two large rooms. Big Gold rested in the courtyard and Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo had a room each. Zhou Donghuang led the way into his own room. When Su Mo turned to shut the door, Zhou Donghuang leisurely took the hundred spirit stones from his pocket and put them on the table in front of the bed. “This.”Although it was Su Mo’s first time seeing spirit stones, it did not prevent him from recognizing them right away. “Master, how did you do it?” Su Mo asked with an expression of shock and disbelief. “I helped someone complete a core formula.”Zhou Donghuang had a nonchalant manner as he replied, and his voice was calm, just as though he was describing something inconsequential. “That formula was probably not a simple thing? Otherwise, the other party would not possibly have paid two hundred spirit stones.”There was a curious look in Su Mo’s eyes. “A core formula for a Qi-gathering core that increases the sense of qi by two thousand percent” Zhou Donghuang replied. “Ss—”As Zhou Donghuang finished, Su Mo exhaled a breath of cold air, shaking his head as he said, “Master, you have been taken advantage of.””As long as the price is suitable, a core formula for a Qi-gathering core that increases the sense of qi by two thousand percent could be used to forge Qi-gathering cores that would monopolize the whole market for Qi-gathering cores on the planet of Ziyun once they are distributed!”At the moment, the best available Qi-gathering cores on the market of Ziyun can only increase the sense of qi by a thousand percent.”