"These are..."
Shopkeeper Xu bent down, picked up a white spider's leg, and examined it closely, a look of confusion crossing his face.
Clearly, although the old man was a master artisan, he knew very little about these rare exotic insects. So even though he could tell the materials were extraordinary, he was still completely puzzled.
Seeing this, Han Li smiled and began to explain:
"Most of these materials come from the shell and limbs of a white spider demon beast, while the rest are the forelimbs and wings of an enormous mantis. Both are rank-four demon beasts—the latter in particular is a peak rank-four demon beast and extremely dangerous. I hope you can make good use of these materials; obtaining them cost me a great deal of effort!"
"Rank-four demon beast materials!" The white-haired old man cried out in surprise, but then immediately became overwhelmed with elation.
After all, normally speaking, forget about rank-four demon beasts—even materials from demon beasts of rank two or above were things he seldom encountered.
"That's right, Shopkeeper Xu. However, I have some special requirements for this crafting job, and I need you to fulfill them all. Only if you can do so will I entrust these materials to you. As for payment, we'll follow the same arrangement as last time—you can keep a portion of the materials as your crafting fee," Han Li said with remarkable calm.
"Senior, please rest assured—no matter what the requirements are, this old man will absolutely carry them out! To personally craft something from such top-grade materials... my life's study of the artisan's path has not been wasted!" Shopkeeper Xu picked up an enormous mantis arm and stroked it gently, his eyes filled with a fervent, almost fanatical gleam.
Seeing this expression on the old man's face, Han Li was somewhat surprised but felt even more reassured. He said gently:
"The artifacts I want crafted this time are rather special. First, I'd like these spider limbs fashioned into a set of usable offensive artifacts. As for that mantis..."
...
An hour later, Han Li and Qu Hun walked out of the artisan's shop.
He had arranged with Shopkeeper Xu to let the old man study the materials first and come up with a crafting plan. Han Li would deliver the materials the next day for the actual work to begin.
Right now, Han Li wanted to take the opportunity to have a good look around the market. Because from the old man's words, he had finally confirmed something he had been thinking.
It turned out that news of the devastating defeat suffered by cultivators of the Yue Kingdom and the two neighboring kingdoms had already reached the Yuanwu Kingdom. Now, whether they were from cultivation families or rogue cultivators, everyone in the Yuanwu Kingdom was restless, each sensing a storm on the horizon.
Because of this, numerous cultivators had flocked to the market, bringing many rare and seldom-seen treasures to trade for things they urgently needed, all in order to bolster their own strength and weather the coming catastrophe.
As a result, within just a few short days, word of one exquisite artifact or medicinal pill after another appearing spread from markets across the Yuanwu Kingdom, drawing even more cultivators who acted on the news. This was what had caused every market to become so bustling and prosperous.
With such a wonderful opportunity before him, Han Li naturally had no intention of letting it pass.
With this thought, he began to wander through the various shops.
Sure enough, there were indeed far more good items in these shops now—even quite a few top-grade artifacts had appeared, which greatly surprised Han Li.
Although ordinary top-grade artifacts no longer held much appeal for him, the last time he had visited, shops that even had a single top-grade artifact on display were exceedingly rare.
After making a rough circuit, Han Li purchased a few types of rare herbs he had never seen before and called it a day. Then he headed straight for the market's center, to the "Star Dust Pavilion."
Having gained experience buying and selling at various markets, Han Li already knew that if you truly wanted to find good items, you should go to the large, well-established shops. Only they had the real ability to acquire and stock genuine treasures. Small stalls might indeed have a few decent items, but they simply could not compare to the collections of the big establishments.
He remembered how, back at the Huang Feng Valley market's "Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures," he had soon found all sorts of rare items!
With this in mind, Han Li led Qu Hun into the
The moment he entered the main hall, Han Li was taken aback.
The first floor's lobby was crowded with twenty or thirty cultivators, all gathered around several nearby counters, talking with clerics in red robes. Not a single one of them spared Han Li a glance.
Han Li scratched the back of his head, glanced at the staircase leading to the second floor, and then slowly walked toward one of the counters with a nonchalant air.
Three Qi Refining cultivators stood by this counter. One of them was holding a white formation flag, turning it over and over, examining it ceaselessly, muttering something to a clerk all the while, clearly quite dissatisfied.