Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Spirit Fox Beast Taming

"I’d appreciate it if you could clarify something for me, Shopkeeper."

"Of course. Anyone who comes to my shop is a friend. It’s no trouble at all."

The middle-aged shopkeeper smiled. "If the families won’t sell, there’s a place that will: the Auction."

"In the Ruins District, an Auction is held every month specifically to sell items like Treasures, Treasure Skills, and secret inheritances. It’s held in the middle of the month."

"The items are either loot from robbery and murder or consigned by ruined clans. But you can rest assured, the organizers erase every last mark and Seal from them."

This was news to Lin Changheng, but he didn’t let it show. "Thank you, Shopkeeper."

"If you have any needs in the future, Fellow Daoist, you’re always welcome back at my little shop."

"Of course."

The middle-aged shopkeeper’s farewell followed him. Lin Changheng simply waved his hand before melting into the street crowd and disappearing from sight.

After finding a deserted corner in the Marketplace, Lin Changheng changed his disguise once more, then found an Immortal Inn to check into.

He used his *Spirit Detecting Skill* to check every one of the Spirit Stones he had just received.

They hadn’t been tampered with.

’Back in the shop, he had intentionally used the Middle Grade Spirit Stone as a test. If that shopkeeper truly had malicious intent, he probably wouldn’t have been so conflicted.’

’Instead, he would have been even more generous. After all, to achieve some ulterior motive, what’s the harm in temporarily parting with a Middle Grade Spirit Stone?’

’As it stands, the shopkeeper seems to be clean. Perhaps they could do business again.’

Meanwhile, back in the Alchemy Pavilion, a quiet conversation began after Lin Changheng had left.

"Shopkeeper, that man has so many Masterpiece Pills, and he probably has more. Shouldn’t we..."

The assistant, who had been all smiles just moments before, leaned in toward the middle-aged shopkeeper and suggested eagerly.

But a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

To his surprise, he received a cold glare from the middle-aged shopkeeper. "Hmph! A wicked heart only brings harm upon oneself. Isn’t that exactly how the last shopkeeper died?"

"But I am not him. We’re here to do business, so let’s do business properly. Stop thinking about this nonsense. It only brings ruin to others and ourselves!"

The middle-aged shopkeeper’s sharp rebuke immediately had the scheming assistant bowing in terror, stammering his agreement.

"Just do your job properly."

The middle-aged shopkeeper knew the old saying: a leopard can’t change its spots. He didn’t delude himself into thinking he could change the man, so he simply flicked his sleeve and walked away.

As he reached the door, he added one last thing. "You’re on your own!"

He left the assistant standing there, his face turning deathly pale, completely humiliated. It was impossible to know if he had taken the warning to heart.

...

「Inside the Immortal Inn.」

Lin Changheng sat at a table, calculating.

He currently had over six hundred and sixty Masterpiece Pills of three different types. They had to be sold, but he couldn’t sell them all at once.

’I have to be meticulous, take it slow.’

「And so, over the next few days,」

Lin Changheng used a variety of disguises to sell off over three hundred Masterpiece Pills in several batches at different shops.

He wouldn’t have dared to sell so openly if he hadn’t confirmed several times that the Marketplace was indeed well-ordered and quite safe.

The prices he got varied, but even the lowest was still higher than what the Xu Family had offered.

All told, he had acquired over nine hundred thirty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

Combined with what he already had, his total now exceeded one thousand.

But soon, Lin Changheng dared not sell any more.

For one thing, he had already made a round of all the larger, reputable Pill Shops in the market.

Selling any more would mean visiting the same shops twice, which would be a bad idea. It would be impossible not to attract attention.

For another, after one transaction, Lin Changheng discovered he was being quietly followed.

Someone had gotten greedy.

He managed to shake the tail with great difficulty, and the close call filled him with a sense of crisis. He decided to stop for good.

...

As for the Auction, he had already gathered clear information from multiple sources: eavesdropping in taverns, consulting with "Wind Messengers," and making personal inquiries.

There was indeed a chance that Pill Formulas would be auctioned. On one previous occasion, a complete Upper Grade Alchemy Inheritance had even appeared, sparking a bidding war among numerous Cultivation Clans who wanted it for their family’s foundation.

’I’ll go try my luck.’

So, Lin Changheng spent two Spirit Stones to purchase a spot at the auction.

Since the auction was still two days away,

Lin Changheng continued to make his rounds in the Marketplace.

He went to a Spirit Beast Cage.

Low growls immediately met his ears, and upon entering, he saw rows of iron cages, each holding a trapped beast.

Lin Changheng had assumed the place was like the old Li Family Spirit and Flesh Shop back in the Purple River District, selling Demon Beast Materials, but that wasn’t the case.

It was a shop that specialized in selling various Spirit Beast cubs and docile adult Spirit Beasts.

In reality, Spirit Beasts and Demon Beasts both fall under the category of demonic beasts, but humans have deliberately drawn a distinction between them.

The specific distinctions are as follows:

Spirit Beasts are relatively gentle-natured and can be tamed to aid a Cultivator in cultivation or combat.

They are commonly found among powers like Cultivation Sects and Noble Families, as well as lower-level Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation Clans. They can serve as guardian beasts, mounts, companions, or battle pets.

Demon Beasts, on the other hand, are different. They are mostly wild, ferocious beasts with violent temperaments. They survive and grow by devouring the essence of the sun and moon, along with all kinds of flesh and blood.

The Wilderness is full of Demon Beasts, which are hunted by "Demon Hunters" for their Materials—skinning them for Talismans, drawing their blood for Alchemy, and so on.

It’s hard to say which of the two has a higher potential. There are ancient examples of the former achieving a Transformed Form and becoming a massive boon to a Cultivator, while the latter can become a Demon King, a being of immense power.

...

Lin Changheng’s gaze swept across the iron cages.

There were Two-tailed Foxes, Long-tailed Rabbits, Cyan Armored Turtles, and Two-Horned Dogs.

They were all basically young beasts.

He casually asked a nearby assistant for the prices. The response made him click his tongue in astonishment—they all cost upwards of ten Spirit Stones.

Some of the rarer breeds were quoted as high as seventy or eighty.

That was enough to trade for a decent Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.

In terms of Tier One Lower Grade Masterpiece Elixirs, that was enough to buy more than twenty.

Used sparingly, that was a two-year supply.

Besides, raising a Spirit Beast was a considerable expense in itself.

’Lin Changheng was actually tempted to buy one. As a Pill Master, he had no shortage of Elixirs; after all, his Storage Bag was still full of Masterpiece Pills he didn’t dare to sell.’

’And by extension, he didn’t lack Spirit Stones.’

’He could afford one!’

But after looking around, Lin Changheng found no Spirit Beasts that caught his eye, so he had to give up for the time being.

...

After leaving the shop, Lin Changheng walked east for about a li.

A building, a third larger than its neighbors, came into view.

Spirit Fox Beast Pavilion.

Seeing the Spirit Fox symbol above the entrance, Lin Changheng knew this shop was opened by the Liu Family of Spirit Fox Mountain.

The very same Liu Family that had backed the Xu Family, taking half of the Spiritual Land’s share in a single appearance.

But Lin Changheng had no idea how the Xu Family had managed to get connected with the Liu Family. There hadn’t been any rumors beforehand, and he didn’t know if it had anything to do with that girl from the Mo Family.

Later, after the Chen Family was destroyed, a member of the Liu Family had come to the Xu Clan to discuss important matters. Lin Changheng had seen from a distance that this Liu Family member bore the very same symbol.

’Two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one family, and they’re a Beast Taming Clan on top of that.’

It was only then that Lin Changheng put it all together.

Lost in thought, he stepped into the shop.

"Fellow Daoist, what can I help you find?"

Just as Lin Changheng’s attention was captured by a corner filled with various well-preserved Demon Beast Materials, a smiling old man walked over.

The fluctuations of Spiritual Qi from his body placed him at about the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation.