"Eighteen generations of ancestral Heavenly Ebony beads, name your price, shopkeeper." Evan Chen wasn't much of a businessman, but he knew how to boast.
The shopkeeper weighed the Buddhist beads in his hand, then used Immortal Power to check the texture and age before quoting a price: "Altogether, they weigh three jin and twelve liang. The average price is this much."
The shopkeeper held up two fingers, leaving Evan a bit confused.
No way.
Only two Immortal Crystals?
Wasn't it said to be a rare material? How could it be worth so little?
A huge loss!
"Not selling!"
Evan was a bit frustrated and prepared to ask around at other shops.
"Don't be hasty, young master. Two Violet Immortal Crystals per liang is the market price. Your ebony is aged well and has a clear texture. I'll make an exception and raise the price a bit for you. If you're still not satisfied, there's nothing I can do. You know, our Immortal Treasure Pavilion is the safest and fairest place for business. Think it over," the shopkeeper advised.
So it was two Violet Immortal Crystals per liang!
Violet Immortal Crystals were of higher quality than Immortal Crystals, with an exchange rate of about one hundred to one.
In other words, the price of Heavenly Ebony was two hundred Immortal Crystals per liang!
Evan's string of Buddhist beads, weighing three jin and twelve liang, equaled a full sixty liang! It could be sold for a whopping twelve thousand Immortal Crystals!
Striking it rich!
Evan never dreamed he could make so much money in one go.
"Ahem, I know Immortal Treasure Pavilion is fair and honest. I'll sell them to you."
At this price, Evan was naturally willing to trade.
Of course, if he took it to the black market, the price might be higher, but it wouldn't be safe. He might earn money but not live to spend it.
"Good." The shopkeeper chuckled, took the beads, and asked, "Would you like Violet Immortal Crystals or Immortal Crystals?"
"Immortal Crystals, please. They're heavier and feel more substantial," Evan replied with a smile.
The shopkeeper immediately had someone bring a storage bag, "A total of twelve thousand five hundred Immortal Crystals. The extra five hundred is a premium. Please count them on the spot; we won't be responsible once you leave the counter."
Evan took the storage bag, scanned it with his mind, and found the count accurate. He then put the storage bag away.
Afterward, Evan asked the shopkeeper for a book that recorded material prices and then took his leave.
His heart raced with excitement, and his hands trembled.
A string of beads was worth twice his savings from years of mining!
"Cross-realm stone, oh cross-realm stone, thank you, ancestors of eighteen generations. You've changed my fate."
Evan was overwhelmed with excitement. Good days were finally here.
"Stop right there!"
Just as he stepped out of the trading area, a shout came from behind.
He turned around immediately and saw a familiar-looking young man with two seductive women in his arms.
It was none other than Jack Wang, the steward of the mining area where Evan worked, and a member of the prominent Wang Family.
"So it's Steward Wang. Are you calling me?" Evan greeted him timidly.
Jack Wang looked Evan up and down, "What are you doing at the market?"
Evan thought to himself, "Why the hell do you care where I go?" But he didn't dare to confront him, so he said, "Reporting to the steward, my home is far away. I have nowhere to go during my rest month, so I came to the market to gather some wild fruits and herbs."
Jack Wang didn't care about Evan's answer. In a commanding tone, he said, "Coincidentally, I have an errand for you. It'll take about a month. If you finish it, I won't dock your pay for the days you miss."
Evan frowned slightly.
Running errands for a month? Why?
This guy was just bullying him because of his status.
"Reporting to the steward, the toxic miasma in my body is acting up. I need to recuperate for more than ten days. I'm afraid I can't help you this time. Maybe next time."
After saying that, Evan bowed and turned to leave.
"Hey, you brat!"
Jack Wang grumbled but didn't make things difficult for Evan. "This idiot doesn't know a good opportunity when he sees one."
After Evan disappeared, one of the women beside Jack Wang spoke up, "Oh, Young Master Wang, that brat tricked you."
Jack Wang asked, "Why?"
The woman replied, "Didn't you see that brat has a Pure Sword Body? With that physique, he's not affected by toxic miasma at all. He clearly didn't want to help you."
Jack Wang suddenly realized, "That little punk dared to trick me! I'll deal with him next time I see him!"
***
Leaving the market, Evan went to a nearby restaurant for a good meal.
Passing by the Spirit Phoenix Pavilion, where James Li often went, Evan thought about experiencing it himself but feared running into acquaintances, so he gave up.
In reality, ordinary women in the Immortal World lacked spiritual charm compared to female cultivators who had ascended. Their aura was vastly inferior.
James had also complained about this to Evan.
"Some days have passed since the Cloud Dragon Realm. Shirley must have recovered by now. I'll visit her tomorrow and let her continue repaying her debt."
Back in his desolate cave.
Evan lay on a rock, unable to sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Shirley's white, trembling peaks, making it hard to control his desires.
"This is torture. When will I reach the True Immortal Realm? Then I can stay in the Lower Realm longer."
Advancing in realm was every Immortal World's citizen's dream.
However, without cultivating in a blessed land or cave mansion, one could at most maintain their realm. Advancing was impossible.
In ancient times, the Immortal World was filled with rich Immortal Energy, allowing even ordinary immortals to cultivate and attain the Dao.
But over generations, the upper families used Gathering Spirit Arrays to drain the Immortal Energy from ordinary areas, leaving common people with no chance to climb up.
Nowadays, to cultivate and advance, one needed either a large amount of Violet Immortal Crystals, a cave mansion, or to become a disciple of an Immortal Sect. There were no other ways.
"A lower-grade spirit cave costs at least 1.8 million Immortal Crystals. Sigh, still a long way to go."
After enduring for twelve hours, Evan finally couldn't wait any longer.
He eagerly took out the cross-realm stone, activated it with a thought, and a portal of light appeared.
***
When he opened his eyes again, he was dumbfounded.
Before him was a desolate land, devoid of any vegetation.
"How could this be? Only a few days have passed in the Lower Realm, how has it become barren?"
Evan was bewildered.
He quickly focused his mind on the cross-realm stone for answers.
"Damn it! The destination isn't fixed?"
Evan rolled his eyes. He finally understood that beneath the Immortal World, there were countless Cultivation Worlds.
The world he was transported to wasn't fixed. Unless he had extremely powerful mental strength, he couldn't lock onto a specific Cultivation World he had visited before.
But his mental strength was just average.
In other words, finding the Cloud Dragon Realm again among countless Cultivation Worlds was like finding a needle in a haystack.
"You can't do this to me! Shirley hasn't finished repaying her life-saving debt!"
Evan couldn't help but shout.
Frustrated and with nowhere to vent, he decided to explore.
"Fine, let's see if there's anything valuable in this world."
With no other options, Evan expanded his Immortal Sense, covering tens of thousands of miles. Every movement within that range was under his scrutiny.
"Not even an ant."
There was no sign of life for tens of thousands of miles, only desolate lands filled with petrified corpses.
Evan soared into the sky and flew for tens of thousands of miles, continuously searching.
Two days later, Evan was increasingly disappointed.
"This is a destroyed Cultivation World."
There was no other "Shirley," no needed materials, only pervasive toxic miasma and barren lands.
From the remnants, it was clear that a devastating war had occurred here, leading to its destruction countless millennia ago.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
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