In the past, as a key disciple cultivated by Taiyi Sect, Meng Zhang was only provided with ten jin of spirit rice per month. However, when he became the Sect Master of Taiyi Sect, there were too few disciples in the sect. To quickly improve the cultivation base of the disciples, he ordered a relaxation of the supply of spirit rice.
During this rare outing, Meng Zhang indulged himself a little and ordered a table of spirit dishes at Forest Spring Watch's restaurant. The chefs under Forest Spring Watch's command were indeed skilled, turning simple ingredients into exquisite delicacies that whetted one's appetite.
After enjoying the spirit dishes, Meng Zhang sat in the room of the restaurant and circulated his true qi, refining the absorbed spiritual energy. Since it was Forest Spring Watch's territory, he didn't worry about being disturbed.
Meng Zhang's refining speed was fast, and all the absorbed spiritual energy merged into his true qi. The remaining undigested spiritual energy from the consumed spirit dishes would slowly release and nourish his physical body in the following days.
For Refining Qi stage cultivators, absorbing spiritual energy through consuming spirit dishes was more effective than directly absorbing external spiritual energy. The saying goes, "Nutrition from food is better than that from medicine." Long-term consumption of spirit dishes not only provided sufficient spiritual energy for the body to absorb but also avoided issues like pill toxin residues and drug resistance that could occur from taking pills.
Of course, if one ate spirit dishes for every meal every day, even the cheapest ones, it would be a burden for an ordinary cultivator to afford.
Leaving the restaurant, Meng Zhang wandered around Singing Sand City's market, which was bustling with activity under the nighttime lights. Most of the shops wouldn't continue their business at night, leading to a somewhat deserted atmosphere in most areas. However, the northwest corner of the market, where Meng Zhang was heading, became more lively.
The northwest corner was known for hosting the Ghost Market, a famous place in the surrounding area for many years. The Ghost Market originally referred to a market operated by Netherworld ghosts. In most places, it was equivalent to a night market. The Ghost Market had no permanent shops; all were temporary stalls. These stalls were a mixed bag, with goods of varying quality, and most were counterfeit. Occasionally, there would be news of someone striking it lucky and obtaining valuable treasures from the market.
The management of the Ghost Market by Singing Sand City was somewhat lenient. As long as there was no blatant robbery or violence, the authorities generally turned a blind eye to its operations. As for those who bought counterfeit goods and were deceived, they could only blame themselves. After all, all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis, and once the deal was done, there was no going back.
Even so, the Ghost Market remained lively and bustling every night.
Following the crowd, Meng Zhang reached his destination—a vast and empty square that was now filled with stalls, leaving only a few narrow passages for pedestrians to pass through. The Ghost Market had some dim lights, making it appear rather gloomy. If it weren't for cultivators entering and exiting, it would be challenging to see the ground clearly.
Meng Zhang walked among the stalls and eventually found the right targets. He was looking for damaged magic tools that he could use with the Blood Refining Martyr Art. This spell had proven useful, helping Meng Zhang drive away Zhao Dong, a Refining Qi stage cultivator from Zhao Family.
Compared to talismans, the Blood Refining Martyr Art had much greater power. For example, a Refining Qi stage Talisman Master could create a First Rank high-grade talisman, which would have the power equivalent to their regular attacks. On the other hand, if Meng Zhang used the Blood Refining Martyr Art to refine a First Rank high-grade magic tool, the explosion's power would be comparable to a Refining Qi stage cultivator's full-force attack.
However, the Blood Refining Martyr Art had its limitations. First, the success rate of refining a First Rank magic tool during the Refining Qi stage was relatively high. But as the rank of the magic tool increased, it became much more challenging to refine successfully. Second Rank magic tools were challenging to refine, and for Third Rank magic tools, unless a miracle occurred, it was almost impossible to succeed.
As for damaged magic tools, they could also be used for blood refinement, but they couldn't be severely damaged. It was best if most of the structure remained intact.
For Meng Zhang, the Blood Refining Martyr Art was a powerful spell that he could use as a last resort. With his current Refining Qi fifth level cultivation base, he was much stronger than many cultivators at the same level, but he was still just a mid-stage Refining Qi cultivator. By using the Blood Refining Martyr Art to refine several First Rank high-grade magic tools, he could unleash attacks equivalent to those of a Refining Qi stage cultivator.
Using fully intact magic tools for blood refinement would be too extravagant for Meng Zhang; he couldn't afford the consumption of spiritual stones. Hence, he had come to the stalls in the Ghost Market to buy cheap items.
Meng Zhang used his Deception Breaking Eye to see through the external appearances of the items on the stalls and discern their true qualities. He found a small broken sword, its tip broken, hilt damaged, and the blade rusty. After seeing that the sword was usable, Meng Zhang approached the stall owner to negotiate the price.
Using his Mind Reading Divine Ability, he understood the owner's thoughts clearly and offered ten low-grade spirit stones for the item. The owner's bottom line was nine low-grade spirit stones, so Meng Zhang's offer made him feel uneasy. He had initially thought that Meng Zhang, with his young appearance, was an easy target to swindle.
However, he hadn't expected that Meng Zhang was quite experienced in bargaining.
In the end, Meng Zhang successfully bought the magic tool for ten low-grade spirit stones. With his Deception Breaking Eye, he could easily see through any counterfeits on the stalls. With the help of Mind Reading, he could also get a rough understanding of the stall owner's thoughts. No matter how eloquent the stall owners were in trying to attract customers, Meng Zhang wouldn't be deceived.
After a few more rounds, Meng Zhang spent another eight low-grade spirit stones to purchase a damaged white bead. Having roamed around the Ghost Market for a while, Meng Zhang was about to leave when he unintentionally glanced at an item on a distant stall. His footsteps paused for a moment before he casually walked towards that stall.
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