Chapter 37: The Closed System Stole Too Much Mass from the Great World

Thirty-five spirit stones to buy a single piece of alchemy material.

This matter is basically impossible.

Wang Shi's favor with Wu Jinyan extends at most to him smiling and speaking with Wang Yulou, but it cannot make him lose spirit stones, not even a single one.

"Wang Yulou, you should also know that in recent years the prices of all kinds of spiritual objects and materials have risen terribly; thirty-five spirit stones definitely cannot buy a base material for alchemy.

How about this: if you have other things that can be exchanged for spirit stones, I can take a look. Ghost Market transactions don't require paying taxes to Qing Xi Fang, and I can give you the best price."

The economic system of the Wunan Cultivation World is extremely unique; slightly better cultivation resources are all in short supply, and spirit stones, serving as the currency of the Cultivation World, are also in short supply.

It belongs to a dual overlap of insufficient supply and insufficient demand.

But within the great families, the various large and small sects, and the Xian Alliance, there exists an exclusive internal circulation economic system. This kind of internal closed system, combined with Wunan's special governance model, creates an economic scissors difference between organizations and lone cultivators, and between large organizations and small organizations.

Applying this logic, when the Red Lantern Sect's Merit Hall branch was downgraded to the various Qi Refining stage markets under its vassals, in fact, a harvest by the Red Lantern Sect's internal closed system over all its vassals and lone cultivators within its sphere of influence appeared.

It can be understood as a harvest system centered on the closed system belonging to the Red Lantern Sect, which stole too much mass from the Great World.

A large amount of existing resources and future resources were exchanged for merit, becoming the Red Lantern Sect's harvest revenue, making the supply in the market even tighter.

And because the Shi Sect each has its own sphere of influence, taking Qing Xi Fang as an example, the guardian cultivators dispatched by the Red Lantern Sect manage even the Ghost Market extremely strictly.

The cross-regional circulation of goods from other powers is naturally restricted to death; wanting to transfer goods from the outside into the Red Lantern Sect's sphere of influence requires paying a huge amount of road tolls.

Perhaps great clans and certain Foundation Establishment cultivators can exchange resources from other places outside by physically carrying goods, subsidizing the closed system within their respective powers to reduce the backlash of the Red Lantern Sect wielding its scythe.

But most people cannot do it, and dare not do it.

Thus, resource supply is extremely tight, but demand has not disappeared.

The original relatively scarce stock of currency, under conditions of extremely tight resource supply, has resulted in relative surplus within the region.

Given such supply and demand relations, the price increase of hard currency has become inevitable.

(This model exists; the recent situation of xly is an example... many Third World countries are like this; their currency, like spirit stones, cannot actively expand its supply volume for various reasons.)

"Senior Wu, it's just... what materials do you have here, and what are their prices?"

Wang Yulou was very wary; since Wu Jinyan kept talking without quoting a price, he felt uneasy.

This is not being overly cautious; the Cultivation World is full of deceit and trickery, so being careless is simply not an option.

"Hahaha, there are two types of Grade Nine spiritual gold: purple copper and refined gold. Purple copper is one hundred thirty spirit stones per piece, and refined gold is more expensive, at one hundred forty spirit stones per piece.

There are three types of Grade Nine stone materials: mixed-color agate, green-blood stone, and tiger-pattern rock. These are cheaper, but even the cheapest mixed-color agate costs ninety spirit stones.

These spiritual materials are all in whole blocks; I cannot easily break them apart to sell."

After hearing the quoted prices, Wang Yulou was even somewhat shocked for a moment.

Compared to three years ago, the price of spiritual materials has risen by at least half!

Taking purple copper as an example, the price has almost doubled directly. Keep in mind that even inferior Grade Eight spiritual materials used to sell for around one hundred fifty spirit stones.

Red Eyebrow directly gave their brothers a piece of ink jade and a piece of blood-soaked purple copper as materials for the Alchemy assessment, and even gave them the alchemical artifacts they produced; one cannot say he was not generous.

"Senior, look at this purple copper bead; how many spirit stones can it be exchanged for?"

Taking the purple copper bead out from his robe, Wang Yulou handed it to Wu Jinyan.

After holding it up and studying it for a while, Wu Jinyan said.

"This purple copper bead is too small, and the six-layered prohibitions are not particularly high; it's neither high nor low. I'll count it as seventy-five spirit stones. How does that sound?"

Seventy-five spirit stones is slightly low, but not too low. Bead-shaped artifacts are the workhorses among artifacts, so this price is also reasonable.

But seventy-five plus thirty-five is only one hundred ten spirit stones.

One could only barter for the cheapest mixed-color agate or other stone materials, which would be a bit too awkward.

Stone-type spiritual materials are different from metal spiritual materials like cold steel and purple copper; they are not easy to cut open to refine into multiple low-grade artifacts...

With only one piece, if one accidentally refines it into an explosion, the loss would be huge.

Wang Yulou was not greedy; getting a piece of spiritual gold would suffice.

At that time, cutting it open to refine into multiple low-grade artifacts, even if the refining went wrong, would still result in two or three pieces that could be sold to earn some spirit stones to recover losses.

In this way, his and Wang Yuan's alchemy studies could reach a break-even point and be sustained for the long term.

One cannot keep asking the clan for subsidies; even the Wang Shi clan leader has started setting up a stall to sell talismans, and the Wang family's situation is no better, as the Red Lantern Sect cuts too ruthlessly.

He took out the golden cup given to him by the clan leader from his robe again and asked.

"What is the value of this golden cup?"

"Three-layered prohibitions, and it cannot be used for martial duels. The only redeeming feature is that it is forged from refined gold. I'll count it as forty-five spirit stones."

That makes one hundred fifty-five spirit stones.

Wang Yuan thought for a moment and also took out his own purple copper bead.

"Senior Wu, count this purple copper bead as well."

His thought was that he had to exchange for at least two pieces of spiritual gold-type materials; otherwise, buying just one would be too shabby.

"Five-layered prohibitions, with a market price of around sixty spirit stones. This way, you have two hundred fifteen spirit stones.

This is not a small sum. Which spiritual materials do you want?"

Hearing Wu Jinyan say that Wang Yuan's purple copper bead only had five-layered prohibitions, Wang Yulou looked at Wang Yuan in surprise, while Wang Yuan proudly puffed out his chest.

What are you looking at? I am your own brother; it's a small matter!

Suppressing his surprise, Wang Yulou asked.

"Senior, could you give me two pieces of purple copper? I will repay the forty-five spirit stones owed to you later, and at that time I can repay fifty."

"Credit... this matter, in principle, I cannot agree to, Wang Yulou."

Hearing Wu Jinyan say this, Wang Yuan became somewhat anxious; he took out his turtle shell, thinking he could use it as collateral.

While the foolish young man still didn't understand the situation, Wang Yulou had already figured it out.

"If the Senior can agree, Wang Yulou will surely be grateful in his heart and will continue to purchase spiritual materials from you in the future."

"In principle, no" means "yes."

In principle, yes, but no.

Wu Jinyan had wanted to agree to Yulou's request, and now that Yulou had put on a proper show of deference, he naturally took the easy way down.

"Hahaha, you are after all a Wang Shizi, and the prized disciple of Daoist Master Master Hongmei—I naturally trust you. Here, two pieces of purple copper, take them."

On the way back, Wang Yuan was already excitedly starting to calculate.

"Brother, I feel these two pieces of purple copper, we can cut them into ten portions.

Refine them into the simplest purple copper beads, the kind with three layers of prohibitions will do.

Master doesn't really refine these kinds of Special Low-Quality magical artifacts much anymore. If we refine them, we can also create a price-tier difference with the other magical artifacts at Huafeng Residence.

Every day plenty of loose cultivators come to browse Huafeng Residence, but many of them are terribly short on funds—they're the best customers!"

Yulou shook his head and analyzed.

"Purple copper itself is an awkward material, and bead-type magical artifacts are the hardest to sell at a good price.

Refining purple copper into beads is far from reaching the price of Master's Cold Bin Iron Flying Knives.

To fully bring out purple copper's properties, we should go the route of law-breaking purple copper magical artifacts to sell well.

Cut it into six portions, and refine in one extra layer of law-breaking prohibition—that way it's a law-breaking purple copper magical artifact with four layers of prohibitions.

If we refine two pieces we break even, refine three and we pay back all the spirit stones we owe Senior Wu, refine four and that's a big profit!"

Playing with the purple copper in his hand, Wang Yuan said worriedly.

"What if we ruin five pieces?"

Yulou answered with a smile.

"Then go borrow a batch of spirit stones from your father first... To improve at refining, you always need to refine more.

However, we can already refine mid-grade magical artifact embryos, so under these circumstances, refining low-grade shouldn't be hard.

Moreover, be careful when refining the fourth layer of prohibitions—if you can't get it up, abandon it in time, and you can preserve the original three layers. A three-layer purple copper magical artifact, even if it only sells for forty spirit stones, we won't lose.

Even if our luck is terribly bad and five pieces explode, gather up the wasted purple copper, together with the one piece we successfully refine, and we can still buy another piece of purple copper.

Therefore, you needn't worry at all."

Wang Yuan thought it over carefully—big brother was really right.

Six pieces, five broken, and they could still buy another piece to keep tinkering.

What's there to be afraid of?

Just refine!

Wang Yuan could barely hold himself back.

"Brother, let's go to Huafeng Residence right now and start refining."

Yulou replied.

"Hahaha, don't rush. Tomorrow Master is taking us out of Qing Xi Fang—remember to bring your Hundred-Li Free Roaming Talisman."

"With Master there, there shouldn't be any accidents, right?"

"Hard to say."