Chapter 140

"You…" The big man looked furious, clenching his fists and stepping forward. WM. com

"What? You trying to force a sale? The Ye family isn't someone you can bully!" The vendor rolled his eyes and spoke bluntly.

"Hmph! The Ye family's so great!" The black-haired man didn't back down verbally, but he loosened his fists—he clearly feared the Ye family deeply.

The man seethed inside at the vendor using the Ye family to pressure him. As a tenth-layer expert, he was used to being fawned over; now humiliated, he longed to storm off—but he couldn't bear to let go of the "Whirlwind Bowl." This artifact perfectly matched his cultivation method; if he could acquire it, his strength would surge significantly. Yet all he carried besides this artifact fragment were essential items, and his spirit stones had been spent days ago, leaving him trapped between advance and retreat.

"Brother, how about selling this fragment to me? I'll offer ten spirit stones." From the watching crowd stepped a man in a loose gray robe. He approached the man, bowed respectfully, and spoke sincerely.

"Not for sale! If you want it, pay thirty spirit stones." The black-haired man shook his head like a rattle, refusing outright—this price was unacceptable.

"Cough! If this artifact fragment were just a bit larger, it might be worth this price. But it's simply too small—it can cover too few items!" Seeing the man wouldn't agree, the gray-robed man showed regret on his face and returned to the crowd without further argument.

"Twelve. Will you sell?"

"I'll offer thirteen?"

…

Many cultivators watching were tempted by the artifact fragment. Even if they couldn't use it, keeping it for gradual study might yield insights! Perhaps they could decipher something from it!

Soon, the price rose to twenty, offered by a round-faced, simple-looking young man.

At this price, everyone else fell silent. They all felt this was already high; going higher would be reckless. After all, most low-tier cultivators were lucky to have ten or so spirit stones. Those who had bid earlier were mostly disciples of powerful families—only they could afford such sums.

"Twenty?" The black-haired man's expression shifted—this price touched his limit. If he added just one more item, he might trade it with the vendor for the "Whirlwind Bowl."

"You're willing to offer twenty spirit stones?" The man turned to the round-faced youth with a gentle tone.

Yet the round-faced youth's face flushed red and pale in turns—he was visibly panicked.

"I… don't… have that many spirit stones!" The trembling words burst from the youth's lips, leaving the crowd stunned.

"What? Then why did you just bid? Are you mocking me?" The black-haired man roared in fury. His pent-up rage exploded, and the overwhelming spiritual pressure surged from him, pinning the youth down.

"I just thought it was fun to shout out when others bid—I blurted it out without thinking! Please forgive me!" The youth hurriedly defended himself. Sweat poured down his face in large beads. He was only a fifth-layer cultivator—how could he withstand such spiritual pressure?

"Who shouted nineteen just now? I'll give you an extra spirit stone for free—let you buy this!" The youth, thinking fast, cried out.

But the crowd remained silent—no one responded. It seemed the previous bidder had already changed his mind.

"What about the one who shouted eighteen?" The youth stared at the black-haired man's increasingly hostile face, nearly in tears. He was just a lowly lone cultivator, with only two spirit stones—earned through a year's hard labor.

Just as everyone expected a spectacle, "Wait!" A calm voice rang out. A man walked in from the edge of the crowd and stopped the black-haired man.

"What do you want?" The black-haired man glared at the newcomer. His patience was gone—if this man was here to interfere, he wouldn't mind taking him out too, even though the man was no weakling—a ninth-layer cultivator.

"I'm very interested in this item and wish to acquire it." The man pointed at the "cloth" and smiled at him.

The cultivator whom the black-haired man had mistaken for an interloper was none other than Han Li.

Originally, when Han Li heard this man say the artifact fragment could conceal invisibility and mask spiritual energy, a vague idea had sparked in his mind.

After the black-haired man demonstrated the hidden dagger, Han Li's idea became crystal clear—he became utterly determined to obtain this artifact fragment. Even if the round-faced youth truly had twenty spirit stones and intended to buy it, Han Li would still step in and snatch it away.

"How much will you offer?" The black-haired man paused, then softened his tone and asked.

"I don't intend to buy—I wish to trade." Han Li calmly pulled a talisman from his sleeve and placed it on the stall, clearly visible to all.

"Flight Talisman!" Someone who recognized it immediately exclaimed.

"It's a high-grade beginner talisman!" Other cultivators were astonished. High-grade beginner talismans had appeared only five or six times since the Tiannan Fair began—and each had fetched astonishing prices!

WM. com