"How can it be so expensive?" Though he understood how useful spent souljades were, there were much better things to use to resist negative energies. There was no need to reuse a paper cup, so to speak. Yet at the end of the day, the rarity of a material wasn't just down to its utility, but also its scarcity.

"Dear customer, do you wish to purchase the void spirit stone?" asked the shopkeeper warmly. Though she didn't think that An Jing could afford it based on her experience, she would never show any sign of that or look down on her customers. It wasn't just a matter of work ethic; it was caution born from her own experience.

The black market was filled with savage killers who wanted to hide their identities. Even if they didn't have the money, they were more than capable of taking lives. Though An Jing didn't seem to be stronger than her, there was no telling what sort of trump cards he had. If the shopkeeper wanted to risk her life, there were better things to risk it on than the lackluster joy of berating and offending a customer.

As those thoughts ran through her head, her eyes widened as she saw An Jing take out a semi-translucent white jade. "A void spirit stone?! How in the world..."

The customer that hid his appearance with the mantle whispered, "I wonder if your establishment offers trade-ins. If so, what price will this fetch?"

The shopkeeper of Ocher Hill wasn't qualified to purchase rare ingredients, especially not An Jing's souljade that was about two liang in weight. That amount was worth more than three thousand merits, which converted to 300,000 credits, enough for someone to live a life of comfort and luxury (accommodation not included).

Putting aside her commission and insurance fees, the shopkeeper's salary amounted to around sixty merits each month, and that was on the decent side. Three thousand merits was no doubt a huge sum for people in Deepnight City.

Soon, the manager came over. Her face was masked with a mosaic projection, but her curvy figure was visible from her light-brown fur coat. She wore her long, ashen hair in a simple ponytail. She was beautiful, but her every action seemed deliberate and practiced, making her give off an air of danger.

An Jing furrowed his brow at the scent of blood that came wafting from her. It was stronger than even that of the cultists. Her mere presence in the shop felt like a chilling breeze that made the shopkeeper shiver.

"Sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm," Yvelbane said with a hint of doubt. "She has stable foundations and should've broken through the midway point of that realm long ago and begun to nurture her soul in seclusion. Why is she stuck at this step?"

An Jing remembered Yvelbane's remarks right as the manager said, "Are you selling?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She had asked the shopkeeper to brief her on the situation. Then, she approached An Jing and looked at the void spirit stone in his hand. "First things first. The price we'll offer is very low. In exchange, we will not ask anything. Not about how you got it, or where you came from."

"I'll sell it." An Jing didn't hesitate since the manager was being so direct. "But I don't have a chip. How do you plan to give me all those merits?"

"A badlander?" The manager turned to look at him again. An Jing could tell that she was troubled even through her mosaic mask. "This large number of physical merit bills have to be obtained from headquarters. I assume you came to our shop because you had other things you wanted to buy too. How about we make up for a part of the price with actual goods?"

No problem at all! An Jing thought. He wanted to buy the jadeslice steel and didn't care about having actual merits. It didn't matter as long as he got his hands on the resources he needed. However, he hesitated as if he was giving it some thought so as to not let others get any leverage on him.

"Ask the arbitrator to come," the manager told the shopkeeper. These people were employed by the black market to bear witness to high-value transactions. Like An Jing had surmised, the black market was only called as such due to its legal status. However, they took transactions there seriously as they would never know what kind of big fish from Deepnight City swam in their waters, looking to make anonymous trades.

When the shopkeeper left, the manager approached An Jing and whispered, "You have more spirit stones."

An Jing's eyes widened, which would have revealed his panic if not for the mantle's hood. I really have to practice keeping things hidden. He snapped out of it soon enough. "Black market rules. You said you wouldn't ask about me."

"It's not about you, and I'm not asking. I was making a statement. It's not surprising for a badlander to discover a small spirit-stone vein in the badlands left untouched by corruption. The void spirit stone in your hand has been freshly used in the past half month. The core is yet to drain completely. It's completely different from the completely empty one that we have on display for the past half year.

"I will not ask about you. Instead, I only ask whether you have an unused one. I am willing to offer you a premium price for it. A personal transaction. But make up your mind quickly. When the others return, the trade is off."

An Jing remained silent while the manager waited calmly, knowing that the arbitrator and shopkeeper wouldn't come so quickly. Naturally, An Jing was mentally convening with Yvelbane.

"How long does a single spirit stone last for novice cultivators like me in your era?" An Jing asked. "I used a whole piece to reach the Spirit Awakening Realm and felt large amounts of spirit qi gather in my spirit roots. It doesn't feel normal. So, how long can that last for cultivation? Is there anything special about pure spirit qi from spirit stones?"

An Jing didn't ask about the price since it would no doubt have changed since Yvelbane's time. Spirit stones were no longer a common cultivation resource and were considered precious and strategic resources. They were rare even in Void Embrace, though they were not that wildly precious either if the vice apothecary of Direlife Manor could have two in his possession.

"For an average-quality one like the one you have, one will last a month during the Qi Refinement Realm. The spirit qi in them is typically used as a catalyst to aid the cultivator in absorbing the spirit qi from the surrounding environment and purifying it. As long as terrestrial veins still exist, spirit stones will continue to be produced. That's why they're not that precious unless they're of high grade.

"Cultivators in the Spirit Awakening Realm could earn enough to afford around three pieces for their cultivation needs and have some money left over too. Even non-cultivators of common households can earn enough to afford one piece with half a year's income. Back in my time, cultivators would use them as currency if they didn't have enough gold or silver to go around, so spirit stones are commonly circulated among the larger populace."