Chapter 309: Marketing Begins, Purchasing Spells (58k, Seeking Subscriptions)

Deep in the night at Southern Hub City, every place remained brightly lit. Some were cultivators who had finished a busy day and come out after work to stroll and relax, frequenting various establishments for spending that were rare or even non-existent in other cities.

Meanwhile, in certain corners, a piece of news was spreading, gradually becoming noisy and boisterous.

"Hey! Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"Du Youli!"

"Du Youli?"

The listener could not help but frown slightly; they held no good feelings toward Du En.

Because the recent rectification turmoil still had lingering effects, weighing on the hearts of the Nascent Soul and Golden Core stages.

The speaker did not mind and continued: "He broke through to the Nascent Soul stage today!"

"What? So fast?!"

The listener was quite astonished.

When they last heard of him, he was only at the Golden Core perfection stage and had won a sparring match against Tang Tiancai. How could he have already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage in less than a few years?

If he were only at Golden Core perfection, they, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Hub City, could still maintain a bit of pride, as they had the advantage of a major realm. But once he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, the situation would be completely reversed; they could not help but be surprised and cautious.

Then.

"You don't need to worry too much about that."

"... Are you pulling my leg?"

"No, it's that as soon as that person broke through, they went and took on three part-time jobs!"

"... You really are pulling my leg!"

The listener was instantly enraged and was about to drag this peer to the practice field to have a proper go at it!

For such a figure, although they held resentment and prejudice, they had to admit he was the real deal. And now you tell me he went off to do part-time work?

I'd sooner believe I could break through to the Deity Transformation stage than believe you!

Truly asking for a beating!

"No, no, I'm really not lying to you!"

Seeing that the person before them had such a volatile temper, the speaker dared not pause for effect or act mysterious anymore, and hurriedly said: "It's true, they seem to be very short on spirit stones, which is why they chose to take on part-time jobs: artifact refining, culinary arts, and herb gathering! If you don't believe me, you can go see for yourself; they've already started selling over there!"

"Hm? Is there really such a thing?"

The listener was half-doubting and uncertain.

"Hey! Such a figure might just have some quirks, just like that fellow Yang Dong. His craftsmanship is clearly that of a grandmaster, comparable to a great Deity Transformation cultivator, yet they have such disgusting words and deeds."

With Yang Dong as a local precedent, the listener immediately became a few parts more convinced.

Then, their heart stirred, and they subconsciously thought.

If this genius Youli is refining, cooking, and gathering personally, then if I go to buy, firstly, there surely won't be any quality issues, and secondly, if I tell people about this, I'll have plenty of face!

Heh!

To think that back then, that Du Youli even refined an artifact/cooked a meal/gathered herbs for me!

"Where is the place!"

"Over at the Three-Union Ward!"

"Good! Many thanks for the information!"

Upon hearing this, the listener hurried away immediately, fearing they would arrive late and miss out.

The Three-Union Ward, located near the three key departments of the Artifact Department, Culinary Spirit Department, and Appraisal Department, was the central area between the three parties. Various main roads converged here, hence the name.

When they arrived at the place where things were being sold, a specially cleared open space, many people had already gathered, basically all Nascent Soul cultivators who had heard the news.

And everyone was no fool; seeing each other gathered like this, they immediately knew that Du Youli must have employed people to stir up the situation in secret.

But that didn't matter at all, as long as the goods were authentic!

Besides, everyone knew and came here; if you were the only one who didn't, wouldn't you lose face when walking out in the future?

How could that be allowed?!

Even great cultivators care about face!

Thus, they became even more determined, silently crowding together.

And the three heads of the three departments who were cooperating with Du En, meeting all conditions and hiring him for part-time work, looked at each other, smiled, and spoke one after another.

"Everyone, don't be anxious, don't crowd!"

"Although Du Youli's daily output is limited, they guarantee that there will be some every day for the next period of time, so there is no need to be anxious or crowd!"

"Exactly so. To ensure quality, it is unavoidable, but I swear, it is absolutely authentic. If there is any fraud, you may report it to the great cultivators!"

The crowd went quiet for a moment, and then several people hidden within, such as Yang Xin, immediately responded.

"Who knows if our sect will urgently summon Du Youli in the future!"

"That's right! Buy first to have it; only when it's in hand can one be at ease!"

"I'll pay a ten percent premium, give it to me first!"

Once these words were spoken, those who had already bought couldn't help but feel smug, while those who hadn't were suddenly anxious, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

"I'll pay a fifteen percent premium!"

"I'll pay a twenty percent premium!"

"Damn it, I'll pay thirty percent, nobody fight me for it!"

"..."

It was as noisy as a vegetable market, and the great cultivators who had discovered the commotion and were secretly casting their gazes over could not help but look at each other.

"What kind of tricks is this Du Youli playing?"

"Is they really short on spirit stones?"

"Could the Counselor possibly short him on spirit stones?"

"As for Counselor Meng, it's really hard to say, isn't it?"

"Could it be that the conflict is difficult to resolve?"

"No, he just finished his side job and came over to my side to update his identity token permissions. After reporting it to the sect, the Counselor directly opened up the Nascent Soul stage exchange permissions for him. He should be in the treasure vault buying things right now."

The Executive of the Rites and Faith Department spoke across the space like this, revealing the situation he had just encountered.

This was mainly to prevent other colleagues from misunderstanding and taking rash actions that might implicate him and the overall situation.

So that's how it is; then it isn't a conflict that's hard to resolve!

The Great Cultivators all thought this to themselves.

They did not turn their gazes to look toward the treasure vault, because they could not see anything.

"So you're saying, he really is just short on spirit stones?"

"Having already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, yet still not leaving—doesn't this seem a bit strange?"

"Even if he were truly short on spirit stones, he shouldn't be using this kind of method. After all, if things get too out of control, once they calm down afterward, they will all more or less feel grumbling and resentment."

"Could it be that, without us knowing, he has already had some communication with the sect?"

"Are you trying to say that this is actually a response from the Counselor to us?"

"It is indeed possible..."

"What if he is acting on his own initiative, using his own methods? It's not like he wouldn't dare to do that."

"Indeed, although it can only affect the Nascent Soul stage level and seems irrelevant to the big picture, because it would involve too many people and cannot be distinguished in detail, the Counselor shouldn't have approved of it."

"Looking at it this way, perhaps he is once again going his own way?"

Xu Fengjiao, mixed among them, finally spoke up like this.

She felt very certain about this in her heart, because matters here at the Southern Pivot City were basically within her purview, and it wasn't yet time for Du En to do anything.

In other words, this time it was entirely him acting on his own initiative and doing as he pleased.

For a moment, she only felt a bit of a headache.

Although those at the Nascent Soul stage are not yet considered mid-level, they are at least somewhat presentable. If this continues and things really get out of control later, causing everyone to eventually harbor grudges, then it will have some additional impact on the future big picture.

But for now, she could not rashly do anything and could only watch the changes quietly, secretly feeling distressed and resentful.

Why are you still lingering here? Hurry up and go report to the sect!

Xu Fengjiao sighed helplessly.

The Great Cultivators, separated by space, were all looking at each other in dismay at this moment.

Because there were too many things for each of them to consider and worry about, for a time they were unable to deliberate or decide, not knowing whether they should or ought to take any action.

It has truly been a long time since I've had such an experience of being led by the nose and feeling indecisive...

Each of them shook their heads secretly, then moved their gazes away to avoid gathering for too long and accumulating too much, which would make it impossible to conceal.

Next, they continued to do what they were originally supposed to do.

Wait and see for now.

Because Du En's behavior did not overstep or violate any rules.

However, some Great Cultivators, while thinking to themselves, suddenly felt a stir in their hearts, and then, after deliberating, decided to quietly take their own actions.

And at this time, Du En was in the Pivot City treasure vault, just as the Executive of the Rites and Faith Department had said.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, appearing somewhat lost in thought.

Because the exchange prices for the treasures had actually increased!

For example, for top-grade spells, originally it should have been about the same as when he bought high-grade spells—one hundred top-grade spirit stones could buy three ordinary top-grade spells—but now, one requires at least one hundred and fifty, a full five-fold increase!

This was clearly not a situation created by Meng Changqing still holding a grudge against him and deliberately targeting him, but a genuine five-fold price hike!

"A massive price hike across the board? This situation is very strange, and it hasn't spread yet. Did it happen just recently? It seems the brewing matter that Great Cultivator Fengjiao mentioned has begun to have external repercussions."

"In that case, I cannot be lukewarm now. I need to go full throttle, seize the opportunity, hurry up with my side jobs, and use the window where the prices of various spirit items on the market are still at their original levels to engage in 'high-quality and inexpensive' sales, thereby draining the savings of the Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the city as quickly as possible."

Du En immediately had this plan in mind, adjusted his original schedule, and then considered other aspects.

First of all, this situation should not have been immediately noticed even by the Great Cultivators here in Pivot City; otherwise, it would have already triggered various effects and would have already impacted his side-job sales business.

Looking at it this way, it will likely take some time for this resolution to propagate its influence from the sect downward and fully affect the entire market, which is enough time for his actions.

"It is mainly because the major adjustments made by the various Pivot Cities internally and downward need to consider the external environment, that is, the other four Immortal Sects, so it is impossible to promote and cover the whole area right from the start."

In this way, it is naturally impossible for the news to reach the ears of the Great Cultivators directly, so as to avoid them all taking immediate action, leading to a situation of trampling, crowding, and total chaos.

Especially here in the South, which was just infiltrated by the Fu Dong Immortal Sect once again, and the Xiu Lin Immortal Sect has also been quite restless recently, which is why the Great Cultivators belonging to various factions were all unable to directly obtain the information.

In other words, True Person Zhenhong must have already received the report and also noticed the actions Du En is taking here.

However, this person was conflicted and ultimately did not act rashly, choosing to sit and watch from the sidelines.

Du En calmly pondered these things, nodded secretly, and planned to finish buying the spells first before going to engage in his full-throttle side jobs.

Based on his previous communication with Tang Wenren and his own browsing in the Scripture Library, he had long since decided on his preferred choices for switching spells.

For the upgrade to Giant Cannon Art, he chose Meteor Rock Art. Although this top-grade spell is similarly simple and crude, it can be said to be about increasing the size and boosting the power with all one's might.

But it also has other changes, such as the derived air pressure being more domineering, having a greater impact on the environment, and additionally carrying some evolution of the fire element. When practiced to perfection, it truly is like a meteorite falling from the sky, carrying terrifying mass, size, and scorching high pressure, crashing down violently to destroy objects at the impact point and shaking everything in all directions.

Previously, because he used Giant Cannon Art so skillfully, Tang Wenren had mistaken it for Meteor Rock Art and praised it highly when mentioning it, which clearly shows it also has quite a reputation.

Buy it.

For the upgrade to Sandstorm Art, he chose Sand Tempest Art. It still belongs to both wind and earth elements, capable of blowing up a violent sandstorm with stronger lethality and a wider coverage area.

Moreover, its effectiveness in disrupting divine sense and obscuring vision is more significant, and it can therefore significantly interfere with and block the spatial movement of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Buy it.

For the upgrade to Statue Casting Art, he chose Profound Armor Giant Statue, which is also a further improvement on the original foundation. At the same time, that so-called Profound Armor is not only a profound, pitch-black armor but also an armor with profound mysteries hidden within.

The reason Du En chose it is that it can adhere to the spirit body and transmit profound mysteries, thereby gaining strength that surpasses his current mastery stage when casting the giant statue and donning the armor.

In other words, as long as one can cultivate it to minor completion, it will be as hard as the spiritual body itself is!

At that time, the colossus itself is already quite terrifying, and once draped over the body, it becomes one plus one, directly granting two layers of physical defense, no longer the useless situation that always failed to keep up before.

Bought.

Regarding the Ice Breath Art, the superior secret art he favored was the Ice Soul Art, but unfortunately, it was not on the spirit stone purchase list, so it is mentioned no further; in any case, it is still sufficient for now.

Moving on.

For the superior spell of the Golden Flame Art, he chose the Phoenix Red True Flame, because the Golden Core had already vanished and transformed into a Nascent Soul, so the Golden Flame Art that relied upon it suddenly lost its profundity and became ordinary and common.

Therefore, given his own situation, he chose this true flame secret method, which is quite difficult to practice and requires being ignited by phoenix fire and continuously scorched to be kindled.

That's right, it is a secret method; it is a secret method that Du En only thought about how to acquire and actually practice to see how the proficiency bar specifically works just after he broke through during the day.

Moreover, according to the general description on the purchase introduction, its power when practiced to perfection is comparable to the Earth-grade Daoist arts among the four grades of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.

Originally, he had thought that even if the phoenix were extinct and the prerequisite requirements were difficult to meet, causing its value to drop significantly, it would definitely still be among the merit exchanges; but he did not expect that just as he was scrolling through the spell list, it jumped out on the purchase list itself, and it only required three hundred supreme-grade spirit stones.

"A bit strange, is it a special favor secretly granted to me by the resolution side?"

Regardless of whether it is or not, in short, the opportunity must not be missed, and he bought it on the spot.

Immediately, a cluster of scorching red flames jumped out, simulated into a phoenix with an elegant posture and carrying the five virtues, flapping its wings and chirping crisply, and it lunged directly toward him.

It was not a one-time jade slip format, but a one-time secret repository format.

Du En was not surprised and calmly accepted it.

Thus, the phoenix flew into the divine palace, elegantly leaving behind a method.

His body felt somewhat restless, originating from the lingering resentment of the red flames, and the mystery of endless life and growth realized through it was now triggered and naturally welled up.

Not a good thing, but a bad thing.

The phoenix's lingering resentment was also stirring; the main root of the Phoenix Blood Firmiana tree heart in the storage bag was currently producing a clear reaction, wanting to break out and fly away to directly incinerate this mystery of its own that had been intercepted and altered by an enemy.

Du En did not panic; his divine soul browsed rapidly, and a character disappeared as soon as he finished reading it. Finally, the inherited fire phoenix dissipated, he successfully obtained the method, and this restlessness lost its target and began to subside, not truly jumping out to cause trouble.

"So, this is both good intentions and bad intentions?"

He could not help but think this.

Whether the Phoenix Red True Flame is good or strong is naturally beyond doubt.

But the phoenix's lingering resentment is also a definite, major trouble; as long as Du En wants to learn this secret method and wants to utilize the main root of the Phoenix Blood Firmiana tree heart, he will inevitably trigger this lingering resentment in the future!

Therefore, the special favor suspected to be from Meng Changqing's side clearly carries such drawbacks.

"Wanting to lure me with profit again, to plot against me slowly? Hmm, very possible; at the same time, it is also possible that because of the limitations of the current situation, even granting a special favor, they could only grant this one with obvious drawbacks..."

So, what kind of resolution did the sect make that would cause the upper echelons themselves to become so constrained?

"The last possibility is that, based on the temperament and principles of the resolution, it is impossible for me to accept rewards without merit; therefore, because I just broke through and went to change the token information and permissions, they discovered I was purchasing here and chose to go with the flow. In fact, they want me to find a way to notify the Great Cultivator Feng Jiao about the current situation, so as to similarly seize the window of opportunity and make preparations to respond."

Du En thought of this key point again.

Thus, he immediately kept his attention on the current matter.

Once the matter at hand is settled, he will find a way to notify them.

Just now, buying three supreme-grade spells cost four hundred and fifty supreme-grade spirit stones.

Buying the secret method of Phoenix Red True Flame cost three hundred supreme-grade spirit stones.

Of the one thousand one hundred supreme-grade spirit stones he had on him, only three hundred and fifty remain now.

He does have some high-grade spirit stones saved up, but not many, so continuing to buy two more supreme-grade spells now is barely enough, and he won't need to come here again when distributing spirit stones later.

Du En is actually not short of spirit stones now, because as long as he seizes the empty window period, and this window period is long enough, he can easily obtain thousands upon thousands of supreme-grade spirit stones!

There are just so many Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the Southern Hub City, evenly distributed from geniuses to second-rate, numbering several thousand.

Not to say that everyone falls for his tricks, but at least sixty or seventy percent do, so these spirit stones are actually quite easy to earn, although they basically all have to be poured into the two big bottomless pits of the Ten Thousand Imperial Art and culinary cooking later.

"Earn a lot, spend a lot too..."

With this thought turning, he bought the other two spells he had already selected.

The superior spell for the Raw Wood Art he chose was Grass and Trees Become a Forest; as the name implies, it is grass and trees becoming a forest, further enhancing the power of the Raw Wood Art.

Bought.

The superior spell for the Dharma-Devouring Wood Spike he chose was Dharma-Devouring Spike Spirit; the name does not seem very different, but in reality, the difference is not small. The spikes it generates are extremely fine, their form can be present or absent, and they are still wood spikes normally, but they can actually hide in spiritual energy, spiritual meridians, and other spiritual carriers—truly hidden and insidious!

Bought.

Thus, another three hundred supreme-grade spirit stones were spent.

With no more supreme-grade spirit stones on him for the time being, Du En left with the five one-time jade slips.

According to his plan, he was in no rush to switch cultivation, but went to take on a side job first.

And so, in the days that followed, Du En no longer hid anything and went full throttle, revealing an efficiency that left the artifact refiners of the Artifact Refining Division dumbfounded.

He could refine over a hundred fourth-tier magical artifacts every day!

Heavens!

What kind of monster is this!

A normal cultivator, spending several years, stumbling along, being able to refine one with good quality is already considered very fast.

Professional artifact refiners can shorten the time to a few months or a year, and artifact refiners who are more proficient in refining can at most shorten the time to the range of ten days.

That is still under the condition of batch standardization, with sufficient prerequisites like artifact embryos.

The reason for this is actually that their cultivation, magic power, and divine soul/consciousness are not strong enough, so they cannot focus with high intensity, cannot control with high precision, and cannot output with high sustainability.

But for Du En, none of these are problems!

"Master! An artifact refining master!"

The artifact refiners exclaimed one after another, admiring him inexplicably and bowing to observe.

Even the Great Cultivator in charge of the division here was alarmed and could not help but observe secretly, sighing in admiration.

A genius in cultivation, a genius in combat, and now a genius in technique as well—is he heading in the direction of being an all-around genius with no shortcomings?

It was truly startling, and one could not help but begin to weigh anew where one should stand in the future!

Because such a Du En already faintly represented a future trend!

Then, these words were intentionally spread, immediately intensifying the atmosphere and sparking a buying frenzy!

Under these circumstances, the original main activities of cooking and gathering spiritual herbs transformed, becoming mere moments of rest for the master, appearing quite unremarkable.

But Du En still managed to set aside enough time to do them.

After all, he had plans for both sides, and he also needed to embed information within these goods to sell them intentionally to the craftsmen of the Construction Bureau, thereby fulfilling the secret instructions of Meng Changqing.

It took two or three days for Xu Fengjiao to finally notice that the situation had changed and rush to take action.

In short, everything was progressing in full swing and appeared very smooth.

But as things unfolded intensely, it was inevitable that some began to criticize.

(End of this chapter)