Chapter 102: The Problem Lies with the Elixir

“Fairy, are you here to buy magical artifacts and talismans, or to sell materials?”

As Chu Xiner stepped into the merchant building adorned with the sign of the Pavilion of Treasures, a young attendant eagerly approached her with this inquiry.

“I have some magical artifacts and materials to sell. Might we discuss this privately?”

The slender elder’s black banner seemed mysterious, and Chu Xiner preferred not to reveal it amidst the many cultivators in the Pavilion’s main hall. Instead, she transmitted her words to the attendant through sound.

“No problem, fellow cultivator. Please follow me.”

The young assistant knew that cultivators who requested private talks usually had exceptional treasures to offer. Smiling, he nodded and led Chu Xiner upstairs.

In a secluded room free from interruptions, he smiled gently and said, “Fairy, there are no outsiders here. Feel free to take out your treasures. If I cannot appraise them properly, I will personally hand them over to the shopkeeper for inspection. Rest assured, you will not suffer any loss.”

The young man’s cultivation was strong; like her, he had reached the peak of Qi Refinement. Chu Xiner did not look down on him and promptly took out seven or eight magical artifacts along with the black banner.

Most of these were lower-grade flying swords, spoils from her battles against the gaunt elder, Huang Yipeng, Feng Liang, Gongsun Feng, and Senior Brother Wu. Among them were a Vajra Sword and a Willow Leaf Blade, which Chu Xiner herself had little use for.

“This sword is of mid-grade quality. I can offer you a thousand spirit stones for it. And these pair of black-gold hooks, though low-grade, paired artifacts are rare and quite valuable...”

The attendant appraised each item, quoting prices as he went. Yet, when he examined the black banner, his face suddenly paled with astonishment.

That banner resembled the Thousand Souls Banner of the Extreme Demon Sect, an artifact only cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage of that sect could forge. Chu Xiner, being only at Qi Refinement, wondered where she had gotten it.

“What’s the matter? Is there a problem with the black banner? Or do you fail to recognize its quality? If so, I won’t sell it and will just take spirit stones for the other artifacts.”

Seven or eight artifacts could fetch several thousand spirit stones, enough for her to refine two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills at the Spirit Herb Sect. Seeing the attendant’s unusual expression, Chu Xiner spoke at an opportune moment.

“You jest, Fairy. How could I not recognize this banner? It is indeed the Thousand Souls Banner of the Extreme Demon Sect. If you sincerely wish to sell it, I can offer you three thousand spirit stones.”

The forging method of the Thousand Souls Banner was cruel and wicked, yet its finished value far exceeded three thousand spirit stones. The attendant, unwilling to miss this chance, promptly quoted the price with a smile.

“No problem. Deal.”

Though surprised by the banner’s origin, Chu Xiner had no use for it. Whether or not it belonged to an Extreme Demon Sect disciple, she resolved to sell it immediately for spirit stones.

***

The Pavilion of Treasures was powerful and fair in its dealings. Once the price was settled, the young attendant quickly handed the spirit stones to Chu Xiner.

With seven or eight thousand spirit stones in hand, she wasted no time and headed beyond the outskirts of Luo Yao Market.

“Hmph, damn it! Could I have been marked with a tracking talisman?”

High above the mountains a hundred miles beyond Luo Yao Market, Chu Xiner stopped her flight and furrowed her brows, muttering to herself.

Despite her caution, the tail behind her would not shake off no matter how she altered her direction or accelerated.

Chu Xiner knew she must eliminate this threat; otherwise, any attempt to escape would be futile. Exhausting her spiritual energy would only give her pursuers an opportunity.

Thus, she halted and carefully examined herself.

However, after meticulously scanning her body with her divine sense, she found nothing amiss. At that moment, three figures in flight behind her gradually became clear: the middle-aged man who called himself Liang Fan, and the helpers he had invited.

“That’s him. I understand now.”

Upon recognizing Liang Fan’s face, Chu Xiner immediately realized the problem lay with the two spirit herbs she had purchased. Clearly, he had sinister intentions and had secretly embedded tracking marks using forbidden techniques.

She had been too careless. The world of cultivation was indeed fraught with danger; one could trust no one lightly.

But it was too late to fret over this now. Liang Fan and the burly man surnamed Bao, along with the lecherous old man Hua, rapidly closed in, encircling her in a pincer formation.

Whoosh—

With relentless pursuit, no room for negotiation remained. Chu Xiner was too weary to waste words. With a delicate snort, her flying sword blazed with spiritual light as she slashed toward the middle-aged man Liang.

“Brother Bao, Daoist Hua, engage! I, Liang, promise to uphold our agreement without fail.”

In the cultivation world, killing and seizing treasures was commonplace, but Liang Fan ran a shop in the market and did not want rumors spreading. He hoped to end this quickly and shouted as he activated his magical artifact to battle Chu Xiner.

Since the burly man and old Hua had come here, they would not stand idly by and also unleashed their artifacts.

The old man wielded a slender sword, roughly of the same low grade as Liang Fan’s flying sword. The burly man’s weapon, however, was unusual.

It was a dark, broad-backed great cleaver, half a zhang long, obviously heavy and powerful.

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

***

As expected, facing three opponents of equal rank, Chu Xiner dared not hold back. She hastily drew out the mid-grade Vajra Sword and Willow Leaf Blade, fully exerting herself to defend.

The other two opponents’ artifacts were manageable, but when clashing with the burly man’s dark great cleaver, her Vajra Sword nearly flew out of control.

“Huh, mid-grade artifacts. This girl must be quite wealthy.”

Liang Fan and his two companions were all at the peak of Qi Refinement. With numerical advantage, they held the upper hand. Upon seeing Chu Xiner wield two mid-grade artifacts, they were not fearful but rather delighted.

The richer their enemy, the greater the reward upon elimination—this was a truth everyone understood. The burly man and old Hua grew even more aggressive with their attacks.

“Xiao Wen, it’s all up to you now.”

Chu Xiner had to contend with three cultivators of equal rank, especially the burly man whose heavy artifact constantly suppressed her Vajra Sword.

At the same time, she had to divide her attention between old Hua and Liang Fan. This imbalance greatly drained her divine sense and spiritual energy. While manageable in the short term, it would be unsustainable over time.

If she had not sent Xiao Wenzi a secret message at the start to sneak in for a surprise attack, victory would seem impossible.

After this period of cultivation, although Xiao Wenzi had not broken through to the tenth Heaven, he had solidified his realm thoroughly. The drawbacks of relying heavily on pills before had mostly been overcome.

Now, like a transparent phantom, he silently approached the burly man from behind, as this individual posed the greatest threat to Chu Xiner.

It was just his misfortune. Since it was three against one, he did not even bother to raise a protective spiritual aura.

As Xiao Wenzi, empowered by concealment talismans, closed to within several feet behind him, the burly man remained oblivious, continuing to clash his great cleaver against Chu Xiner’s Vajra Sword.

“Die!”

When less than half a meter apart, Xiao Wenzi suddenly quickened his pace, a cold sneer in his heart as he raised both front claws high.