"Sure, I have Spirit Wine, but I'd like to choose something from your items as well," the sturdy and short cultivator said.
In front of the stout cultivator lay various items, including the iron mother ore.
Wang Hong wasn't particularly interested in any item; he just felt it shouldn't be too easy to agree.
"Alright, besides the iron mother ore, you can choose anything else," the stout cultivator replied after a moment of thought. He was heading to a dangerous place and having a pound of Spirit Wine to promptly replenish Spiritual Power would significantly enhance his safety.
Wang Hong, feigning seriousness, picked a piece of ore from the pile. He was utterly ignorant about refining tools and had no idea what kind of ore it was.
The stout cultivator took Wang Hong's Spirit Wine, inspected it, and sniffed it. It seemed decent, slightly better in quality than the usual second-tier low-grade Spirit Wine.
When cultivators spoke of second-tier Spirit Wine without specifying medium or high grade, they usually referred to second-tier low-grade Spirit Wine.
After the transaction, it was the turn of the next cultivator. After a few rounds, it finally came to Wang Hong's position.
In front of him were some Spirit Herbs and spirit fruits. Though not particularly precious, they were diverse.
"I wish to purchase East Departure Grass, Dragon Blood Grass, Golden Leaf Mushroom, Purple Leaf Orchid... I prioritize exchanging these materials for the Spiritual Objects in front of me," Wang Hong listed more than ten names of Spiritual Herbs, some needed for his cultivation techniques, and others deliberately added to confuse.
"Fellow Daoist, do you have any second-tier Spirit Wine?" a red-faced cultivator asked at this point.
"I do have some Spirit Wine. What do you intend to exchange for?" Wang Hong inquired.
"I have a 300-year-old East Departure Grass and want to exchange it for one or two second-tier Spirit Wines," the red-faced cultivator suggested reasonably.
"Alright," Wang Hong reluctantly took out one or two Spirit Wines, enough for an early Foundation Building cultivator to recover Spiritual Power once.
"Fellow Daoist, I also have the Purple Leaf Orchid you need, 300 years old. But I won't trade if you don't have Spirit Wine," another round-faced cultivator said. Initially disinterested in Wang Hong's Spiritual Herbs, he changed his mind after seeing the red-faced cultivator get Spirit Wine.
"I do have some, but a 300-year-old Purple Leaf Orchid is not as valuable as East Departure Grass. I can only offer half a pound of Spirit Wine," Wang Hong explained.
"No way! Half a pound is too little. Add a bit more. This Purple Leaf Orchid has excellent quality," the round-faced cultivator insisted, displaying a jade box with a purple Spiritual Herb inside for Wang Hong to inspect.
"Well, I'll give you half a pound of Spirit Wine and an additional two white crystal fruits. How about that?" Wang Hong proposed.
In the end, the two reached an agreement. Wang Hong traded half a pound of second-tier Spirit Wine and two white crystal fruits for the Purple Leaf Orchid.
Seeing the potential deals, other cultivators eagerly presented their Spiritual Objects, wanting to trade with Wang Hong. However, none had the specific Spiritual Herbs he needed. Wang Hong only completed two transactions, exchanging a total of one or two Spirit Wines.
Wang Hong felt a bit exhausted. Dealing with half or one pound of Spirit Wine was usually just a sip for him. Yet now, he had to haggle for such a small amount, not because he was stingy but because in the eyes of others, second-tier Spirit Wine was too precious, and he couldn't appear too extravagant.
He had to pretend that the Spirit Wine was very rare, to make it more reasonable.
It seemed that the pile of second-tier Spirit Wine in his Space could only be consumed by himself; selling them all would be challenging.
After spending half a day and wearing out his mouth, he managed to trade for several Spiritual Objects, but only sold a bit over a pound.
Other cultivators, unable to exchange for Spirit Wine, felt a bit regretful. However, considering that the other party had already traded for more than a pound, it made sense to retain some for emergency use.
The transactions continued, but Wang Hong chose not to participate further. He had already traded for what he needed, and the remaining items held no attraction for him.
After the trade, Xue Pu stepped forward again, offering a courteous bow.
"Thanks to the generous support of Fellow Daoists, this trading event has concluded successfully! If any Fellow Daoists still have treasures left untraded, you can register them here, leaving contact information. In the future, if there's a suitable trade, we will get in touch. Registration is free, and if a trade succeeds, we will charge a ten percent commission."
At this point, he took out a book-shaped Spiritual Weapon, executed a few Techniques, and created some illusions in front of the Spiritual Weapon.
"Please take a look, Fellow Daoists. These are the demands left by participants in previous trading events."
Wang Hong carefully examined each illusion, accompanied by textual descriptions.
"Seven Star Grass, 700 years old, excellent quality, seeking exchange for Nourishing Essence Pill."
"Thousand-Year White Sand from the Seabed, ten pounds, seeking exchange for a second-tier attack Talisman."
"I need this Four-Leaf Red Flower Grass, and I happen to have the Mysterious Yellow Stone he wants."
Some cultivators immediately discovered what they were looking for and informed Xue Pu. After confirming, Xue Pu sent out a Transmission Talisman.
Wang Hong thought this approach was reasonable. If a trade could be completed, it would be great; if not, there was no loss.
He registered his own Spiritual Objects and the items he desired, then left the trading venue.
He returned to Liu Changsheng's residence, a new one he had purchased for 900,000 Spirit Stone. Liu Changsheng had abandoned the previous houses he prepared; he was afraid of being exposed.
Although this residence was slightly smaller than the previous one, the Spiritual Qi was denser, making it a suitable cultivation haven.
Most of his subordinates didn't have Spiritual Roots, so the strength of the Spiritual Qi didn't affect them much. However, he planned to recruit new people here, and they would likely require Spiritual Roots for effective cultivation.
"Go to the Mortal Realm and find some children with Spiritual Roots. Bring them here for education and training," Wang Hong instructed Liu Changsheng.
Children with undeveloped minds were easy to educate and guide, making it easier to cultivate loyalty. Wang Hong always believed that loyalty and character were the most important.
"What qualifications do we require for the newly recruited members?" Liu Changsheng asked.
"Finding highly qualified individuals is too difficult and time-consuming. As long as they have four or more Spiritual Roots, they can be recruited."
Wang Hong knew that Mortals with Spiritual Roots were rare, and those with good qualifications were even rarer. Back at Qing Yang Academy, with so many people, he only saw Wang Yi with a Heavenly Spirit Root. There was another student with a tricolored light, but they weren't directly recruited.
Above three Spiritual Roots, there were only two individuals. If he demanded excellent qualifications for everyone, it would take ages to recruit them all.
He would rather save time and energy to train new talents.
It was just a matter of consuming a bit more resources, and resources were something he had in abundance.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]