"Well now, what brings Junior Brother Bai here? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time!"

Before the man arrived, his clear voice drifted over.

Bai Zichen looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a powerful, confident stride enter. His face was lean and his features sharp, and he currently wore a smile as warm as a spring breeze.

If anyone else had seen this, they would have been utterly shocked.

Steward Lang Zhongping, who was known for being stern and rarely smiled, was practically grinning from ear to ear at this junior disciple from the Sect.

"Greetings, Brother Lang. I’ve been in closed-door Cultivation recently. I only came to visit the Market after receiving your message, so I couldn’t come right away."

One doesn’t hit a smiling face, after all. Besides, this Steward Lang was the very person his own uncle had befriended. After Bai Zichen had entered the Sect, his uncle had specifically written a letter asking Lang Zhongping to look after his nephew.

"Brother Bai mentioned you in his last letter, Junior Brother Bai. He’s quite concerned about you!"

After the two sat down, Lang Zhongping quickly used Bai Jiu’an’s name to close the distance between them.

Ordinarily, a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator from the Ink Bamboo Bai Family, even one he enjoyed talking with, wasn’t someone he would pay much attention to.

But if that person also had a nephew who had become an Inner Sect Disciple with a boundless future, that was another matter entirely.

Lang Zhongping was well-informed and had long heard of Bai Zichen. Seeing today that he indeed had a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation, he had already adjusted his attitude accordingly.

Lang Zhongping had also been an Inner Sect Disciple in his youth, but he was too far from becoming a True Disciple and had given up on the True Inheritance Trial entirely.

He had slowly climbed from the position of an ordinary Steward to where he was today.

He knew very well what it meant for an Inner Sect Disciple who had not yet reached adulthood to possess a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation.

Barring any accidents, the status of a True Disciple was firmly within his grasp.

Moreover, at his age, he would be among the True Disciples with the highest hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment.

"My uncle led me onto the path of Cultivation and guided my growth. This kindness is as heavy as a mountain," Bai Zichen said sincerely.

His uncle, Bai Jiu’an, had sent a letter last month. He had finally broken through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer this spring, but unfortunately, he was already fifty-one years old.

Even with the help of a Purple Ginseng Pill, Bai Jiu’an had still failed to reach Qi Refining Great Perfection during the peak years of his vitality.

From now on, with every passing year, his hope of reaching Foundation Establishment would diminish.

The letter also mentioned that the Clan Leader, Bai Xianzhong, had nominated Bai Jiu’an to serve as the Bai Family’s Fourth Elder. By now, the clan’s public selection process had probably concluded, and his uncle was likely already seated in the Fourth Elder’s position.

"Brother Lang, you’re in charge of the Market and are familiar with the prices. I have a few things I’d like to sell, and I’d like you to appraise them for me."

After a few moments of small talk, Bai Zichen got back to the main topic.

When it came to the quality of Magical Artifacts for sale, the Sect’s shop couldn’t compare to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion next door, but there was no difference when it came to buying back items.

Last time he was here, Bai Zichen had regretted it. If he hadn’t been in a rush to buy those two Magical Artifacts, he should have first come to his own Sect’s shop to sell his items for Spirit Stones before going shopping at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Given his status, the buyback price might even have been a little higher.

"A small matter! I will certainly give you a fair price!"

Lang Zhongping waved his hand grandly, confidently taking charge.

Bai Zichen placed the two Poison Sacs taken from the Ghost-Faced Jade Spider on the table. They had only been simply processed, and a foul, fishy stench wafted out the moment he took them out.

"This poison is quite potent. What Demon Beast did you get this from, Junior Brother Bai?"

Watching the mucus from the Poison Sac corrode the jade tabletop, leaving it pitted and uneven, Lang Zhongping’s eye twitched. He took out a pair of Beast Hide Gloves and put them on before turning the sacs over.

"So it’s the Poison Sac of a Ghost-Faced Jade Spider. You have good luck, Junior Brother Bai... and great skill!"

Lang Zhongping was indeed knowledgeable and recognized the Poison Sacs’ origin at a glance.

When he saw the second, larger Poison Sac, he was even more astonished. This sac was superior in both size and toxicity; it could only have been obtained from a Tier One Peak Demon Beast.

’This Junior Brother Bai’s Cultivation speed is astonishing,’ he thought. ’I didn’t expect his combat prowess to be so strong as well. He isn’t a Cultivator who just focuses on bitter training.’

"The small one for fifty Spirit Stones, the large one for eighty... If you’re willing to part with them, Junior Brother, I can offer one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones for both. How about it?"

Bai Zichen knew this price was Lang Zhongping’s way of showing goodwill. It was an effortless favor, spending the Sect’s Spirit Stones to curry favor with one of their own.

"There’s also this Elixir. Could I ask you to take a look at it as well, Brother Lang?"

It was a blood-red Elixir with a fishy smell, something he had obtained from a Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivator years ago. His uncle had asked around but couldn’t identify its origin.

Since he happened to be here today, he asked about it to clear up the old mystery.

Lang Zhongping examined it carefully for a long time before slowly saying, "If I’m not mistaken, this should be the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Blood Boiling Pill. It can instantly boost one’s qi and blood to the level of a Tier One Perfection Body Refining Cultivator. But it only lasts for ten breaths, and it seems to require a specific Demon Path Technique to be used. It’s not very useful for us Righteous Dao Cultivators."

Bai Zichen noted the name, put away the Elixir, and sold both Poison Sacs to the Sect’s shop.

A subordinate Steward ran the errand, completed the transaction, and brought over the Spirit Stones.

Lang Zhongping was intentionally trying to befriend him, so the atmosphere was quite relaxed. He picked out interesting anecdotes about the Market to chat about, broadening Bai Zichen’s horizons.

"Oh, right, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you, Brother Lang. Among the Tier One Flying Swords for sale in the Market, which are the cheapest?"

Bai Zichen hadn’t given up and was asking about Flying Swords again.

"I’ve recently developed an interest in the Sword Dao and want to purchase a couple of cheap Flying Swords to practice my Swordsmanship."

"If you’re talking about good value for the price, the first recommendation would naturally be your family’s Ink Bamboo Sword, Junior Brother Bai. Regardless of market conditions, it’s always five hundred Spirit Stones a piece, and every time one is listed, it sells within a month or two."

Lang Zhongping chuckled, knowing this certainly wasn’t the answer Bai Zichen was looking for. He had a Steward bring over a thick ledger and flipped through it for a good while.

"Currently, the Sect’s shop has a total of seven Tier One Flying Swords for sale, all priced at five hundred Spirit Stones and up. The cheapest is... huh, well what do you know, there actually are two cheap Flying Swords."

"How cheap?"

Bai Zichen had only asked casually, not expecting a real surprise.

He had been scared off by the high cost of the Star River Sword Array, but he wasn’t willing to give up on it. He was planning to first gather twelve of the cheapest Flying Swords he could find and go from there. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He wasn’t concerned with the Flying Swords’ power; he just wanted to see if he could set up the Star River Sword Array at all.

"I’ll have someone bring them over for a look. You’ll understand then, Junior Brother."

Although Lang Zhongping didn’t understand why Bai Zichen wanted to buy cheap Flying Swords—and from the sound of it, more than just one—his main goal today was to foster a good relationship and secure a future ally in the Inner Sect, so he naturally wouldn’t pry into such minor details.

The disciples in the Market were extremely efficient. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a Merchant arrived, carrying two Flying Swords.

"The Ghost-Slaying Peach Wood Sword and the Demon Suppression Peach Wood Sword. They were made by the same Artifact Refiner. It was that person’s first time refining a Flying Sword, so he chose the cheapest option, a Wood Element Flying Sword. He succeeded in refining them, but unfortunately, their attributes are a bit poor, so they haven’t been easy to sell."

Bai Zichen took the two Flying Swords in his hands and finally understood why they hadn’t sold.

Both used hundred-year-old peach wood as their main material. The Ghost-Slaying Peach Wood Sword was fused with twenty-four Ghost-Suppressing Runes and was highly effective against ghostly creatures.

The Demon Suppression Peach Wood Sword was fused with twenty-four Demon Refining Runes and specialized in dealing with Demon Cultivators.

But beyond that, they had no outstanding features, whether for Sword Flight or for defeating enemies.

Compared to the Ink Bamboo Sword, these two Peach Wood Swords were twenty percent slower in Sword Flight and thirty percent weaker in killing power. Furthermore, the bodies of the swords themselves were much more fragile.

A Peach Wood Sword like this was a Flying Sword in name only. You’d be better off spending the Spirit Stones on two other Magical Artifacts.

"They are indeed a bit useless, no wonder they’re hard to sell... I wonder, how many Spirit Stones would it be to buy both of them together?"

Just when Lang Zhongping thought he was about to toss the Peach Wood Swords aside and look for other Flying Swords, Bai Zichen asked for the price again.

Bai Zichen was actually quite interested.