After entering the capital city of the Shenguang empire and finding an inn, Zhou Donghuang left the Yuntai inn with Su Mo.
He had only one objective in coming to the Shenguang empire: to obtain some spirit stones.
Or at least to obtain enough to allow him to attain the Primal Core stage in the shortest time possible.
“The spirit stones of Ziyun are all from the five lodes of spirit stones on Ziyun: five lodes of spirit stones, controlled by the five great elite sects, including the Shenguang and Xuanyin sects.’
“Out of the five lodes of spirit stones, the one that has the highest output produces about two thousand spirit stones every year, and the one with the smallest output produces about one thousand three hundred spirit stones every year.”
“Because of this, the punishment agreed on by the five great sects for meddling in the black market, four thousand spirit stones, is a considerable sum to any one of the sects.”
…
After arriving in the capital city of the Shenguang empire, Zhou Donghuang had gained a better understanding of the availability of spirit stones on Ziyun.
The planet of Ziyun had only five lodes of spirit stones.
Moreover, they were all very small lodes.
The annual output of the five lodes of spirit stones combined did not exceed ten thousand spirit stones.
Because of this, spirit stones were extremely rare objects on the planet of Ziyun.
For any planet, the practicing environment created from the qi saturating the atmosphere also determines that planet’s endowment of spirit stones.
Zhou Donghuang thought to himself, “Although the practicing environment on the planet of Ziyun far exceeds at of Earth in its age without practice, compared to those planets with accomplished practitioners, it can only be considered average.
“Five small lodes of inferior quality spirit stones cannot produce intermediate quality spirit stones.”
“The five spirit stone lodes controlled by the Shenguang sect, Xuanyin sect, and the rest of the five great sects are also lodes of inferior-quality spirit stones and could not possibly produce intermediate-quality spirit stones.
“On some of the planets in the universe where there are greater resources of spirit stones, some of the medium- or large-sized lodes of inferior-quality spirit stones can sometimes produce some intermediate-quality spirit stones.
“The higher the quality of spirit stones, the more qi is accumulated in them. Moreover, the purity is also higher and is even more effective in aiding practice.
Of course, I cannot expect to find intermediate-quality spirit stones on Ziyun. But as long as I have enough inferior-quality spirit stones, I will be able to attain the Primal Core stage within nine months!”
Zhou Donghuang’s eyes gleamed with self-confidence, and he allowed Su Mo to show him the way to the meeting point of the black market of the Shenguang empire.
The black market of the Shenguang empire was in a large single-story building in the northwest corner of the capital city. It looked ordinary from the outside, and it was impossible to tell that it housed a business run jointly by the five great sects.
At one of the main entrances of the black market stood several stern-faced middle-aged men dressed in black, and they blocked Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo as one of them spoke.
“The entry fee for two people is two hundred liang of gold.”
When Su Mo heard this, he handed over a two-hundred liang gold note.
They were immediately allowed in.
“This black market is indeed black. Even entry is charged at a hundred liang of gold per person.”
Su Mo commented sarcastically as he followed Zhou Donghuang into the black market.
“Those people who come to the black market to do business will not miss that hundred liang of gold.”
Zhou Donghuang completely understood this principle. “Creating such a barrier avoids the problem of people entering to window shop. Only those people with real needs will be willing to pay the hundred liang of gold to enter.”
“That’s true, “Su Mo nodded.
After entering the main gate of the black market, they came into a long and narrow alley.
At the end of the alley, there were four prettily made-up girls standing on both sides.
They all carried a pile of black robes. “Sirs, you must put on these identical black hoods and robes to conceal your identities if you are entering the black market complex.”
When Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo heard this, they took a set of black outfits each and wrapped them so tightly around themselves that if they did not look closely, they would not even recognize each other.
As they passed through the alley, it suddenly opened up, and they found themselves in a plaza thronged with people.
There were many people gathered, and there were numerous constructs and decorations that blocked their view. If one stared at any of the people passing through, the next moment, he would lose them from view unless he followed his target closely.
It was apparent that even those who came together to the black market would need to separate once they entered and could not move around together.
In fact, when Zhou Donghuang and Su Mo had exited the alley, they had seen an attention-grabbing notice written in red ink on a prominent wall: “None may move together upon entering the black market complex. Offenders will be killed without mercy!”
Inside the black market complex, besides the people in identical black hoods and robes bustling around, were also some people dressed in normal clothes walking to and fro, keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings. These were the people who maintained order in the black market.
Some of these people were middle-aged men; others were old men.
“Master, I’ve heard that these people maintaining order in the black market of the Shenguang empire are without exception Primal Core adepts of the Shenguang sect. Of course, they are all early Primal Core adepts.”
Su Mo said to Zhou Donghuang before they split up, “The person in charge of the black market is apparently a Silver Core adept of the Shenguang sect!”
Silver Core adepts were also late Primal Core stage adepts.
“Mm.”
Zhou Donghuang nodded and replied, “Let’s go over.”
As soon as he finished, Zhou Donghuang took the lead and headed off into the black market, slipping through the crowds and the structures and decorations, lost in the crowd in an instant.
Even if Su Mo intended to find Zhou Donghuang, he would not be able to do it.
The black clothes and hoods given by the black market were loose and broad at the shoulders, and there was no way to identify a person from his back unless that person spoke up and revealed his identity.
But in the black market, there were very few people who would speak up.
Even if someone spoke, they would lower their voice because they would be concerned about revealing their identity and bringing disaster upon themselves!
After all, the goods that were exchanged in the black market were all very valuable goods.
Spirit stones.
After entering the black market, Zhou Donghuang wandered at random, eventually coming upon some small wooden huts.
The signs hung outside the wooden huts advertised the goods offered by the people within.
Zhou Donghuang passed by some wooden huts, looking at the prominent advertisements on the signs outside the wooden huts.
“Half a horn of a Connate-stage rhinoceros demon in exchange for a liter of the blood of a Connate-stage pangolin demon?
“The people inside have probably brought a whole horn to exchange, but they have to give the other half of the horn over to the black market upon a successful transaction,” Zhou Donghuang thought.
“Spirit stones?”
As he passed by two wooden huts, Zhou Donghuang halted because the people inside the huts were offering spirit stones for exchange. “One spirit stone in exchange for a pair of sharp talons from a supreme Connate-stage flying demon?”
The higher the level of practice of Connate-stage demons, the more powerful their bodies became.
Using the sharp talons of a supreme Connate-stage flying demon to forge a weapon would produce a weapon without equal, unless it faced a weapon forged by a Primal Core adept using the three Samadhi fires.
“Are spirit stones on Ziyun so expensive that just one can be exchanged for a pair of sharp talons from a supreme Connate-stage flying demon?”
Zhou Donghuang cursed silently to himself and moved on.
On some planets he had visited during his past life, a pair of sharp talons from a supreme Connate-stage flying demon could not be exchanged for anything less than five or more inferior-quality spirit stones.
Of course, Zhou Donghuang knew that the people in the wooden hut would fork out two spirit stones.
One of the spirit stones would be handed over to the black market after the transaction.
Even so, this still gave him a better understanding of the rarity of spirit stones on the planet of Ziyun.
“This wooden hut.”
The third wooden hut that Zhou Donghuang passed had a sign outside with a single line of words: “This hut is empty; guests can hang a sign and enter to conduct business.”
There were only middlemen from the black market in this wooden hut.
The fourth wooden hut had no sign outside. “There must already be people in the midst of a transaction inside.”
…
Although a good number of the more than a hundred wooden huts that traded in spirit stones, Zhou Donghuang did not have what they wanted.
“I’ll go look somewhere else.”
After threading through a row of structures and decorations that obstructed his vision, Zhou Donghuang came to another corner of the black market complex. Here there was another whole row of wooden huts.
There were many people dressed identically in black robes and hoods milling around in front of the wooden huts. Occasionally someone would halt and look at the sign hanging outside a wooden hut, but many of them merely slowed to glance before moving on.
He seldom saw people take down a sign and enter the wooden huts.
“Mm?”
After passing several more wooden huts, Zhou Donghuang paused in front of one.
There was a sign hung on the wooden hut with the words: “A hundred spirit stones in exchange for completing the formula for a Qi-gathering core that increases the sense of qi a full two thousand percent. The formula is thirty percent incomplete. Anyone with confidence may take the sign and enter.”
“A hundred spirit stones. This is a sufficient amount.”
Zhou Donghuang smiled casually and stepped forward, taking down the sign outside the wooden hut before pushing open the door and entering, turning to close the door behind him.
Zhou Donghuang’s actions attracted the gazes of several people who happened to pass by, and they halted as they looked at the wooden hut which Zhou Donghuang had entered. “Someone has entered?”
“A formula for a Qi-gathering core that increases the sense of qi a full two thousand percent. is there anyone who can fulfill that on the planet of Ziyun?”
“On Ziyun, the best Qi-gathering core can only increase the sense of qi by a thousand percent.”
“A hundred spirit stones are not that easy to obtain.”
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