2 Exchanging Spirit Stones, Billions in Wealth

There was a flash of light, and 90% of the spirit stones turned into dust. This process left 12 glowing spirit stones behind.

They were now Medium-grade spirit stones.

The spirit energy contained in a Medium-grade spirit stone was 10 times that of a Low-grade spirit stone. Naturally, it was also 10 times more valuable.

Medium-grade spirit stones were rarer than Low-grade spirit stones in the cultivation world. In an exchange, one Medium-grade spirit stone could get you eleven Low-grade spirit stones.

Zhang Li pressed his hand down again. This time, nine of the twelve Medium-grade spirit stones shattered. They then fused into one fluorescent and translucent spirit stone.

It was now a High-grade spirit stone.

A High-grade spirit stone contained 100 times more spirit energy than a Low-grade spirit stone.

Most importantly, the spirit energy in High-grade spirit stones was abundant, and it could easily erupt. This was the foundation for the power commonly used when setting up various arrays.

All the sects used High-grade spirit stones as war resources.

At the market, a High-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for 12 Medium-grade spirit stones or 130 Low-grade spirit stones. However, there was usually no market for the latter.

Zhang Li left the small courtyard once again with three sparkling spirit stones in his hands—one High-grade spirit stone and two Medium-grade ones.

The Misty Cloud Sect was the number one cultivation sect within a one-million-kilometer radius. There were several hundred thousand disciples in the sect.

The trading market situated halfway up Misty Cloud Mountain stretched for 10 kilometers. Countless disciples and cultivators from all over the world were gathered there.

The Misty Cloud Sect amassed most of its wealth in this market. It was difficult to estimate the number of spirit stones traded here every day.

Zhang Li found a shop with few people and walked in. A moment later, he came out with a bulging blue cloth bag.

It contained 135 Low-grade spirit stones.

The market rate for High-grade spirit stones was higher than what Zhang Li had been told. He ended up receiving five more.

When he turned the corner, the bag in his hand was already empty.

All the stones had been fused into High- and Medium-grade spirit stones.

After he took a few steps, Zhang Li entered another shop.

An hour later, he looked at his palm nervously as he stood at the corner of a street.

Ten High-grade spirit stones were wrapped in a green light, and they began to slowly fuse.

Buzz!

With a soft sound, the High-grade spirit stones in his palm turned into powder and left a fluorescent crystal the size of a finger.

A Spirit Crystal was no longer a currency, but a real treasure.

Whenever Foundation Establishment experts broke through the sect's grand array, they required treasures with surging spirit energy, such as Spirit Crystals, to assist them.

Zhang Li had assumed that the Spirit Crystal was beyond his realm, but he unexpectedly succeeded.

It seemed that spirit stones were different from other treasures. The fusion of spirit stones was not restricted by one's realm.

If that was true, even a mortal could use it, right?

One Spirit Crystal could be exchanged for a thousand five hundred Lower-grade spiritual stones.

Half a day later, Zhang Li had a green bead the size of a pigeon egg.

The spirit energy in one Chalcedony Bead was equivalent to the total stored in ten thousand Low-grade spirit stones.

A peak Foundation Establishment expert needed to stabilize his soul as well as nourish his meridians and body. He would need this Chalcedony Bead the most.

As for Gold Core cultivators, the amount of spirit energy they required for a single cultivation was massive, and they also needed Chalcedony Beads.

One Chalcedony Bead could get them fifteen thousand Low-grade spirit stones at the market.

However, only a fool would exchange a treasure like the Chalcedony Bead for the most worthless Low-grade spirit stone.

Zhang Li heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the Chalcedony Bead in his hand.

It did not matter which shop he traded this treasure in. As long as he could help it, he would not bring it out, much less let outsiders know that he had it.

Previously, he had frequently traded with High-grade spirit stones and Spirit Crystals, but that kept him on edge.

One should not reveal his wealth.

With his current cultivation, he would probably be killed if others discovered that he had such wealth.

Now that he had the Chalcedony Bead, he was no longer afraid.

He soon swaggered into a large shop. When it was time for him to walk out, the shopkeeper personally sent him off with a smile.

In two days, Zhang Li visited all the big shops in the market.

There was an extra-large storage bag in his pocket that had a hundred cubic meters of space.

The storage bag alone was worth 100,000 Low-grade spirit stones.

It was a treasure that even the elite disciples of the sect could not afford.

Now, more than half of its space was filled with spirit stones.

His Low-grade spirit stones were the highest in number—three million.

On top of that, he had 100,000 Medium-grade spirit stones, 10,000 High-grade ones, and about 100 Spirit Crystals.

However, there were not many Chalcedony Beads, only a dozen of them. At present, Zhang Li did not have any use for such a high-level treasure.

Furthermore, he had used up all the 1,000 fusion opportunities he had accumulated.

Even if he had not used them up, he was not prepared to exchange them for more stones.

If he carried on, it would affect the circulation of spirit stones in the market, and he would risk being discovered.

The amount of wealth in his 100-cubic-meter storage bag was incredible. Ninety-nine percent of the Gold Core experts in the Misty Cloud Sect did not have such wealth even after a lifetime of saving.

Perhaps only the Great Elder, Master Yun Teng, had such a fortune?

A horse would not grow fat if it was not fed more grass at night.

In the same way, Zhang Li had to prepare enough resources for his 300 years of cultivation in the mortal world.

As Zhang Li walked on the street in the market, he raised his head and looked at a five-story pavilion before him.

It was the Red Moon Tower.

It was said to belong to a large sect, whose strength was not inferior to the Misty Cloud Sect. However, this sect started out as a merchant and emphasized harmony to generate wealth. It had a good relationship with the other sects.

It was obvious that it had strong connections since it could open a huge shop on Misty Cloud Mountain.

Although Zhang Li was wearing the robe of an ordinary outer court disciple from Misty Cloud Sect, the attendant who received him did not give him the cold shoulder. He was treated warmly when he entered the shop.

The Red Moon Tower was indeed different.

As the attendant accompanied him, Zhang Li looked around until he reached a remote counter. He raised his hand and took out a Jade Slip.

The attendant took it with both hands and pressed it on his forehead.

Jade Slips were magical items used in the cultivation world to record all kinds of information with spirit will.

Most cultivators were unable to release their spirit will before they reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. The shop attendant was only at Level 1 of the Spirit Refinement Realm, so he needed to press the Jade Slip on his forehead to detect its contents.

"This..."

The dense list in the Jade Slip made him tremble. He turned to look at Zhang Li, and his gaze fell on his robe.

"Sir, you need so many supplies…"

The Jade Slip listed the materials required for cultivation. They included unimportant items like Low-grade talismans that he could buy in stacks of 100 pieces per spirit stone as well as important items like war chariots that cost 1,000 spirit stones and could fend against the full-powered strike of a Level 3 Spirit Refinement Realm cultivator. The war chariot was pretty much as strong as a magic item!

There seemed to be hundreds of items on the list.

Moreover, many of them were in high demand.

This was a big business deal.

However, could a young outer court disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect make decisions related to such a huge business deal?

Zhang Li raised his hand and pressed a translucent bead against the counter. It sparkled and resembled Chalcedony.

"This is the deposit."

One Chalcedony Bead was worth 15,000 spirit stones.

These resources might seem like a lot, but most of them were not of high quality. Fifteen thousand spirit stones were more than enough as a deposit.

The fact that Zhang Li could produce a Chalcedony Bead meant he was not an ordinary person.

How was it possible that he was only wearing an outer court disciple's robe?

He was probably trying to deceive others!

"Sir, please wait a moment." The attendant dared not accept the Chalcedony Bead and ran upstairs with the Jade Slip instead.

After a while, a middle-aged man in light purple robes walked over quickly with a smile on his face.

"Young Master, haha. This way please, Young Master.

"I am Xu Zhaonian, the Red Moon Tower's assistant manager."

Xu Zhaonian led Zhang Li upstairs and smiled. "How should I address you?"

"Zhang," Zhang Li answered in a low voice. He sounded a little nervous as if he was trying to hide his identity. However, there was also a trace of arrogance in his voice, as though he was proud of his background.

From Xu Zhaonian's perspective, it was this junior disciple's first time going out on his own. He was both arrogant and reserved.

What was his realm?

There were a few Foundation Establishment cultivators with the surname Zhang in the Misty Cloud Sect.

However, a junior in the Foundation Establishment Realm could not have produced a Chalcedony Bead.

He had to be in the Gold Core Realm!

The elder in the Misty Cloud Sect's Enforcement Hall was called Zhang Wuben!

Xu Zhaonian looked at Zhang Li with a smile.

"You're purchasing quite a number of things, my friend. Is this for your own use?" Xu Zhaonian led Zhang Li to a quiet hall on the third floor and spoke casually.

"What do I need all this junk for? They're for my second uncle who's preparing to open a new sect…" Before Zhang Li could finish speaking, his expression changed.

Open a new sect?

Yes, open a new sect!

Xu Zhaonian's heart stirred, and he instantly became ecstatic.