Chapter 172: Black Tortoise Overturning Sea Great Formation

At the entrance of the archway leading to Fangcun Mountain Market.

Several stationed cultivators, arrogant and haughty, were inspecting passing cultivators, but upon seeing the bearded burly man transformed by Qin Ming land, they immediately switched to a posture of humble subservience and obsequious flattery, bowing ingratiatingly toward him: "Senior, are you intending to enter the market?"

"May we ask how you should be addressed?"

"I will immediately process your registration."

The Qi Condensation cultivators waiting in line around them also sensibly made way, casting curious glances at this Foundation Establishment bearded burly man radiating an aura of killing intent.

"This humble one... is Daoist Long!"

Qin Ming replied in a muffled, resonant voice, instantly revealing a rough and coarse demeanor.

"Oh, oh! So it is Senior Long, please, please come in; this lowly one will immediately open the formation for you." After registering him, the gate guards promptly granted passage.

Once Qin Ming entered the market, merchant caravans bustling with trade filled the streets in an instant, cultivators of all shapes and sizes thronged like a woven fabric, and shops on both sides displayed a dazzling array of goods.

This was the largest immortal cultivation market he had ever visited, even several times larger than the Qingyang Market from before.

As Qin Ming walked straight along the main road toward the interior, surrounding cultivators, seeing such a formidable Foundation Establishment senior, all hurriedly stepped aside to avoid him.

He had no mind to admire the market's prosperity, nor any mood to browse the surrounding shops.

Instead, he headed directly toward the largest establishment within the market, the "Cloud Fire Pavilion"; without a doubt, this Cloud Fire Pavilion was one of Lei Yuanzong's assets.

"Senior, please come inside; kindly proceed to the fourth floor."

Upon seeing the arrival of a Foundation Establishment senior, the female greeter on the first floor immediately put on a professional smile and ushered Qin Ming upward.

The Cloud Fire Pavilion was immense, comprising eighteen floors in total; its construction and decoration were ancient, luxurious, and meticulously crafted with fine materials, fully displaying the grandeur of a powerful faction, with its prestige maximized to the utmost.

After Qin Ming went up, the numerous Qi Condensation cultivators dining on the first floor all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who is this senior expert?"

"I didn't expect a Foundation Establishment senior to visit this place today."

"This senior... probably isn't from the surrounding areas, is he? Why do I have no impression of him?"

"Shh, don't speculate blindly; some Foundation Establishment seniors are capricious in their joys and angers; beware of disaster coming from your mouth."

"Indeed, indeed, eat, eat the dishes!"

The room on the fourth floor was decorated in an antique style, elegant and solemn.

Half a teacup of time later.

A middle-aged cultivator appeared, wearing a large red brocade robe with a blue base and golden threads, radiating the fluctuation of mid-stage Foundation Establishment magic power; his every gesture revealed an air of unhurried composure.

After entering the private room, the middle-aged cultivator looked the rough-looking burly man up and down, cupped his fists, and said with a smile: "This humble one is Han Lin, the station master of Lei Yuanzong at Fangcun Mountain and also the chief Shopkeeper of this Cloud Fire Pavilion; greetings, Daoist Long!"

"I wonder which master Daoist Long studied under? Han makes many friends and basically knows all Foundation Establishment peers in the Wei State Immortal Realm, yet I have never heard of Daoist Long's great name."

"This humble one is merely a rustic villager from the mountains, rarely venturing out; it is perfectly normal that Daoist Han has not heard of me," Qin Ming replied indifferently.

Such a colossal entity as Lei Yuanzong possessed an intelligence network spanning the entire Wei State Immortal Realm, naturally keeping records of information on every Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, his fake identity had only appeared twice near Chu Tianhe Market and Qianye Spirit Island, so it was only reasonable that the other party was unaware of him.

"I see; since this is Daoist Long's first time at Fangcun Mountain, I wonder what you need to purchase? While I dare not boast about other things, the Cloud Fire Pavilion is indeed very rich in cultivation resources."

Han Lin's tone was steady, his words brimming with sincerity.

"This humble one heard that your pavilion sells third-tier formations, hence I traveled from afar specifically to seek you out," Qin Ming said, getting straight to the point.

At these words.

Han Lin, sitting opposite, looked astonished, clearly stunned for a moment, and re-evaluated the unremarkable bearded burly man before him.

After all, third-tier formations were unlike other cultivation items; aside from the requirement of a third-tier spiritual vein for deployment, their exorbitant cost was absolutely beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators to even covet.

Only great families and major powers, or sects with at least several Foundation Establishment cultivators, possessed sufficient spirit stone resources to purchase such items.

Ordinary rogue cultivators could not even afford to buy a single hair of a third-tier formation, let alone the formation itself.

"Heh! I didn't expect Daoist Long to be here for a third-tier formation; may I ask where your immortal homeland lies?"

"We at the Cloud Fire Pavilion do indeed sell third-tier formations, and I dare say that in the entire Wei State Immortal Realm, no more than three fingers' worth of entities have the capability to sell them."

Hearing this, Qin Ming replied: "Heh! Just a reclusive rogue cultivator, not worth mentioning; it's just that I recently heard rumors of an impending beast calamity, forcing me to spend my entire fortune to secure a chance of survival."

"Oh? It seems Daoist Long is quite well-informed; currently, this news is circulating only among the high echelons of various major powers." Han Lin couldn't help but show a trace of surprise.

This 'Daoist Long' was certainly no rustic villager; how could a villager possess such crucial intelligence? However, as long as there were spirit stones to be earned, all visitors were guests; provided they were not fugitive cultivators or demonic evildoers, transactions could proceed.

"Regarding this... transactions involving third-tier formations require us to presumptuously verify Daoist Long's spirit stones; one must possess at least one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, or one thousand mid-grade spirit stones, before proceeding to the next step of the transaction," Han Lin explained with a smile.

The bearded burly man transformed by Qin Ming smiled freely, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and immediately took out two bags of spirit stones, placing them before Han Lin. Han Lin nodded slightly to Qin Ming, then opened the two spirit stone bags, revealing that each bag conspicuously contained exactly five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

Having demonstrated his strength in spirit stones, Han Lin no longer doubted the other party's purchasing power.

Immediately, the smile on his face grew even broader; if this deal succeeded, it would be another great merit! Thus, he enthusiastically poured spiritual tea for Qin Ming and began to introduce: "Our pavilion currently offers three types of third-tier formations for sale."

"The first is the Hunyuan Star River Great Formation, a low-grade third-tier formation that can harness the power of mountains, rivers, and stars, offering both offense and defense, priced at eighteen hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

"The second is the Dutian Profound Spirit Great Formation, also a low-grade third-tier formation; besides its extremely strong defensive capabilities, it possesses the ability to teleport through void within the formation's range by consuming mid-grade spirit stones, priced at fifteen hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

"The third is the Black Tortoise Overturning Sea Great Formation... a mid-grade third-tier formation, renowned for its incredibly powerful defensive capabilities, easily blocking all attacks from below the late-stage Jin Dan realm."

"However, this formation possesses only defensive capabilities with no other functions, and it requires a mid-grade third-tier spiritual vein to unleash its strongest defensive effect."

"With merely a low-grade third-tier spiritual vein, the effect would be greatly diminished; I must make this clear to Daoist Long in advance; the price is twelve hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

After speaking, Han Lin gently lifted his teacup, took a sip of spiritual tea, and awaited Qin Ming's response.

"I wonder if your pavilion has any higher-grade, top-tier third-tier formations?" Qin Ming suddenly blurted out.

Pfft! "Cough, cough!"

Han Lin was so startled by the question that he spat out a mouthful of tea, then hurriedly wiped the liquid from his body.

He hadn't expected the 'Daoist Long' opposite him to make such a shocking statement.

"Cough! To be honest with Daoist Qin, our sect's mountain-protecting great formation is merely a top-tier third-tier great formation..." Han Lin's facial skin twitched involuntarily; he certainly couldn't sell Lei Yuanzong's mountain-protecting formation, could he?

"Heh! I see; this humble one was truly too abrupt," Qin Ming said with an awkward smile.

After pondering briefly, he ultimately chose the third-tier middle-grade formation, the 'Profound Turtle Overturning Sea Great Formation', from among the three options.

Qin Ming immediately took out another two hundred middle-grade spirit stones and handed them to Han Lin, causing the spirit stones on his person to shrink by more than half.

But he remained unperturbed; at worst, he could simply auction off another Foundation Establishment Pill.

Both parties exchanged money for goods on the spot.

Han Lin produced an object resembling a turtle shell along with several dozen earth-yellow formation flags and handed them to Qin Ming, then said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Long, please keep these safe; this is the formation hub of the Profound Turtle Overturning Sea Great Formation, and these are the formation flags."

"Oh, and there is also this item; this jade slip contains a detailed introduction to the method for setting up this formation. When the time comes, Fellow Daoist Qin need only follow the instructions therein; it is extremely simple and convenient."

Qin Ming stored the formation and the jade slip, unable to help but sigh that purchasing formations was the true gold-swallowing abyss; having achieved the purpose of his trip, he immediately cupped his fists to bid Han Lin farewell: "Shopkeeper Han, it was a pleasure doing business; I have urgent matters to attend to, so I will not linger."

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Long, do not be in such a hurry to leave; why not stay in the market for another couple of days?"

"Han would also like to fulfill his duties as a host and properly entertain Fellow Daoist Long." Han Lin racked his brains, trying to retain this super-valuable client.

Not just anyone could pull out twelve hundred middle-grade spirit stones without batting an eye to purchase a single formation.

With Han Lin's seasoned experience in managing the Cloud Fire Pavilion, he needed no second thought to realize that this Fellow Daoist Long likely possessed some skill in the Hundred Arts of Cultivation at an extremely high level.

Otherwise, the only remaining possibility would be that of a 'Robber Cultivator', but Han Lin had already secretly investigated using a special tool earlier, confirming that this Fellow Daoist Long indeed possessed no disguised aura.

Furthermore, he was not on the wanted list of the Wei State Immortal Realm, so his origins should be relatively clean.

"I appreciate Fellow Daoist Han's kind offer, but there will be plenty of opportunities in the future; I will surely share a drink and chat with the Shopkeeper another time," Qin Ming said, cupping his fists.

Seeing that Qin Ming had not directly refused, Han Lin asked eagerly, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Long belongs to any faction? Would you be interested in joining our Lei Yuanzong? Our sect has always treated Guest Elders with extremely high regard..."

Qin Ming was long accustomed to such recruitment attempts and rejected the other party in just a few words.

Han Lin felt quite depressed; he had intended to beat around the bush to inquire about the other's background, but this 'Fellow Daoist Long' was impervious to flattery or threats, his words leaving no loopholes whatsoever.

Although somewhat disappointed, this was after all their first interaction, so he could not be too hasty.

Moreover, having facilitated such a large transaction on the first meeting, and given Fellow Daoist Long's strength, there would undoubtedly be many future dealings with him.

Thinking of this,

Han Lin took a jade token from his robe and handed it to Qin Ming, saying, "Since Fellow Daoist Long has spent such a large amount of spirit stones in our pavilion at once, you qualify to become a VIP guest; if you have any needs in the future, feel free to come here and find Han."

"As long as it is within the scope of the Wei State Immortal Realm, there are few resources our pavilion cannot obtain, and we can offer Fellow Daoist Long a twenty percent discount."

Qin Ming accepted the jade token without standing on ceremony, saying, "Many thanks, then."

Subsequently, under Han Lin's respectful escort, he left the shop.

This caused the myriad cultivators on the street to stop and gather around to watch, for given Han Lin's status and position, there were indeed few cultivators worthy of being personally seen off by him.

After leaving the Fangcun Mountain Market, Qin Ming did not rush to return.

Instead, he frantically circled around the surrounding mountain peaks.

(End of Chapter)