Qingyun Market District was divided into two areas: one was the Free Trade Area, also known as the Stalls Area, and the other was the Shop Area, where the auction hall was located.
The Stalls Area was noticeably smaller than the Shop Area, but conversely, it was livelier.
Cultivators came and went, constantly moving about and stopping.
Lin Shiming followed Lin Xianzhi to the Stalls Area. As a Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage, Lin Xianzhi naturally had little interest in the Stalls Area. After a cursory glance, he headed towards the Shop Area.
Seeing that Lin Shiming's gaze was wandering and he seemed quite interested in the Stalls Area, Lin Xianzhi raised his hand and said,
"I still need to meet a few old friends. You can stroll around by yourself."
"Thank you, Uncle-Great-Grandfather!" Lin Shiming quickly waved his hands, as he was just worried about finding an excuse to go buy that Beast Nurturing Pill formula.
After saying goodbye to Lin Xianzhi, Lin Shiming began to wander on his own. Since the system prompt was only a general indication, it still required some effort on his part to find what he was looking for.
The Cultivators in the Stalls Area were mostly Loose Cultivators, busily touting their treasures.
Some made a fuss about inheriting a Foundation Establishment cave dwelling, while others boasted about ancestral immortal treasures.
But with a sweep of his Divine Sense, Lin Shiming shook his head and walked away.
After browsing for a while, Lin Shiming indeed found some nice things, such as elixirs for cultivation, Spiritual Origin Pills, and even some seeds of Spiritual Medicines.
Although these items were not essential, the former could speed up cultivation while the latter improved the level of Spirit Plant Cultivation.
Lin Shiming paid for each of them with Spirit Stones, and the prices indeed were a bit cheaper than those at the major trade alliances.
However, what made Lin Shiming anxious was that from the beginning to the end, he hadn't seen any Beast Nurturing Pill formulas for sale, only some basic spells common in the Cultivation world, which he had mostly mastered when he was in his teens.
"Selling Spirit Beast Eggs, Spirit Beast meat!" Suddenly, Lin Shiming heard a shout.
Thinking of the Golden Winged Mantis Egg he had previously purchased, he was indeed quite interested in the stall selling eggs.
Approaching the stall, he saw a middle-aged Cultivator, wearing a black Spirit Isolation Mask, waving at the passing Cultivators.
"Fellow Daoist, I truly am interested in that Spirit Beast Egg, but I'm a bit short on Spirit Stones. How about we go to a nearby trading room? I can show you my treasures?" The moment Lin Shiming thought of the Beast Nurturing Pill recipe, he could no longer care about showing off.
He had to obtain the Beast Nurturing Pill at all costs.
"Sure, but you'll have to pay the rental fee for the trading room!" The middle-aged cultivator paused for a while before agreeing.
In the trading area, there were trading rooms for rent, designed to protect Loose Cultivators with valuable items during transactions.
However, they charged Spirit Stones for the rental, and the rate was slightly higher than the three Spirit Stones per hour charged for a stall space -- five Spirit Stones per hour.
Lin Shiming naturally nodded in agreement. The middle-aged cultivator quickly packed up his stall and, taking the rest of his items, followed Lin Shiming to the trading room.
Once they confirmed that both the Spirit Isolation Formation and the soundproofing spell were activated, Lin Shiming brought out a Magic Artifact in the form of a Jade Bottle, containing exactly one hundred pounds of Spirit Water.
In a sense, Spirit Water was a universally valuable item like Spirit Stones, after all, both could be used for Cultivation and restoring Spiritual Energy.
"I'm an Alchemist; all my Spirit Stones usually go toward purchasing Spirit Water. It shouldn't be a problem to trade with Spirit Water, right?" Lin Shiming handed the Jade Bottle over to the middle-aged cultivator for inspection.
"There isn't a problem per se. However, one pound of Spirit Water can only count as eight Spirit Stones!" The middle-aged cultivator, in need of Cultivation resources, was fine with either Spirit Stones or Spirit Water, but his tone betrayed an attempt to drive down the price.
"Are you joking, Fellow Daoist, or do you really think Spirit Water is a common item?" Lin Shiming, well-versed in these tactics, was not about to let him devalue his offer.
"The highest I can go is nine Spirit Stones per pound!" The middle-aged cultivator paused for a few breaths before finally speaking up.
"Fine, but you must have other treasures too, right? I'm an Alchemist, and I have plenty of Spirit Water!" Lin Shiming spoke casually, as if he truly was a wealthy Alchemist, though internally he was starting to get anxious.
If the recipe for the Beast Nurturing Pill wasn't there, or if he chose not to sell the recipe, it would complicate matters.
"I do!" The middle-aged cultivator responded without hesitation, taking out several items from his Storage Bag.
Spirit Beast cages, Spirit Beast hides, Spirit Beast meat, and after a pause, he also produced a Jade Slip.
"Fellow Daoist, all of my ancestral treasures are here!" The middle-aged cultivator showed each item to Lin Shiming one by one.
Lin Shiming kept nodding and praising aloud, but inwardly, he was utterly contemptuous; the reasoning was laughably poor—the residual energy of the Spirit Beast hide and Jade Slip were still fresh. His ancestor must be quite 'young' indeed!