Jia Ren followed the hawking cries and arrived before a stall.
The owner was a thin man who, upon seeing a customer approach, quickly greeted him with enthusiasm.
"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to purchase bait?"
"The bait at this stall is of Supreme Grade quality. Do you know the big shot who caught eighty Spirit Fish the day before yesterday? He used this very Supreme Grade bait."
Eighty Spirit Fish caught the day before yesterday? Jia Ren wondered. Could it be that cultivator surnamed Shen who bought a hundred pieces of bait? Wait, who said he bought the bait from your stall? Isn't this false advertising?!
Most importantly, products of unknown quality could ruin the reputation of the Bait Tempting Technique.
Jia Ren was about to argue, but upon reflection, he realized that aside from making an enemy, it would be of no benefit. In the cultivation world, there were no copyrights or patents, and no relevant laws, so arguing was futile. It was better to win through product quality, competing openly and honorably.
Jia Ren was full of confidence in his bait; Grandmaster Level craftsmanship in bait making was unique. Not every Tom, Dick, or Harry could compete with his business.
Leaving the bait stall, he continued forward and encountered several other roadside stalls selling bait. Without a doubt, the bait business now had many more competitors.
Forget it. I'll keep setting up the stall and rely on the reputation I've built. Business won't be bad, he thought.
Jia Ren found an unoccupied spot in a corner of the West District Market, unrolled a piece of animal hide, and set up his stall. The price remained the same as before. He didn't intend to enter a price war with inferior products. High-end products should maintain a high-end image. There's no need to devalue his own brand.
The Wooden Plaque with the prices did have a slight alteration. An additional note was written in charcoal: "The only verified genuine product. Beware of counterfeits."
The stall's location wasn't ideal. Other bait sellers further ahead were diverting potential customers, and no business was coming his way. Jia Ren wasn't anxious. His Proficiency Level with the Wind Control Skill was skyrocketing; if no customers came, he would meditate and cultivate.
"Daoist Jia, you've finally arrived! Master Lü has been searching desperately for you!"
A familiar voice sounded. Jia Ren looked up to see the reseller who had previously bought goods from him. The reseller was truly dedicated, being the first to seek him out.
"Daoist Jia, where were you yesterday? Why didn't I see you all day?"
Sensing Jia Ren's imperfectly controlled Spiritual Energy fluctuations, the reseller hurriedly cupped his hands in congratulation. "So, Daoist Jia has broken through in his cultivation! Congratulations!"
"Congratulations to you too."
"Daoist Jia, how much bait do you have on hand? I'll take it all!"
All of it? Jia Ren thought. Truly 'splendidly' inhumane.
The reseller must have earned a significant amount of Spirit Stones; otherwise, he wouldn't be so extravagant. With such a major customer, Jia Ren could also save the time spent setting up a stall.
"I have a total of over nine thousand seven hundred pieces of bait. Are you sure you want them all?"
The reseller was momentarily stunned, not expecting Jia Ren to have so much bait. Could it be that he spent all of yesterday making bait?
Since the words were spoken, there was no taking them back. Stockpiling a batch of bait would also prevent a situation where he had no goods if Jia Ren disappeared again. He had just made a good profit from selling bait, so producing the Spirit Stones wasn't difficult.
"Let's count it as nine thousand pieces of bait, for a total of ninety Spirit Stones."
Finally, I have Spirit Stones to exchange for Cultivation Techniques and purchase Defense Artifacts—it's like going from a musket to a cannon! Jia Ren mused. He could also repurchase the Spirit Bud Elixirs he had just finished and continue cultivating by consuming Elixirs. The Insect Control Scripture would be put aside for now, as he was still short on Spirit Stones. Even with the complete version of the Insect Control Scripture, his combat strength wouldn't increase rapidly in a short time. For the time being, the incomplete version was sufficient. It was not too late to buy the complete one the next time he saved up a hundred Spirit Stones.
"Ninety Spirit Stones."
They exchanged Spirit Stones for goods. After confirming there were no issues, smiles appeared on both their faces.
"Fellow Daoist, in the future, you needn't set up a stall in the Market. How about you supply exclusively to me?" the reseller proposed. "I'll take however much bait you have, and I hope you can offer a more favorable price."
The reseller was no fool. He knew that monopolizing the bait business would be most profitable. By monopolizing the bait business, he could set his own prices. Jia Ren hadn't gone to Lake of Smoky Waves to sell bait, which proved he was unwilling to take risks. If Jia Ren wouldn't earn those profits, he would.
"That's a good proposal," Jia Ren agreed. The West District Market was crowded, and too many eyes were around. Acquiring a large sum of Spirit Stones would inevitably attract envy. Supplying exclusively to the reseller meant dealing with only one person, which greatly increased safety.
"Alright. We'll use Sound Transmission Talismans to communicate."
The two exchanged Sound Transmission Talismans and agreed to trade again in two days.
As he was about to leave, Jia Ren asked casually, "Fellow Daoist, why didn't you restock from other stalls?"
"Daoist Jia, your bait is incomparable. From now on, I'll only recognize your bait." The reseller's face fell; he had clearly suffered a significant loss due to inferior bait. During Jia Ren's absence, his bait business hadn't stopped. He had sourced some goods from several dubious stalls, which ended up ruining his reputation—no Loose Cultivators were willing to buy bait from him afterward. This was also why, upon seeing Jia Ren, he was eager to purchase a large amount of bait and establish a long-term partnership.
The shortest time at the stall, the most Spirit Stones earned, Jia Ren mused. If this continues, how could I not get rich? I wonder how much longer Lake of Smoky Waves can last...
The Spirit Fish were limited, and more and more Loose Cultivators were heading to Lake of Smoky Waves. Combined with the top-quality bait Jia Ren made, the day would eventually come when all the Spirit Fish were caught.
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. While the fishing business is still active, I need to earn as many Spirit Stones as possible, Jia Ren thought.
Jia Ren packed up his stall early. Having sold all his bait, he needed to restock materials to make more. He first went to Daoist Yang Bingzhi's stall, but the man hadn't arrived. He would have to find another source for Earth Dragon Worms and Spirit Rice.
Just after purchasing an ordinary-looking Yellow Essence Mushroom from a roadside stall, Jia Ren's senses tingled, as if he had a thorn in his back. He felt as though he was being watched.
Have I been targeted?
Did my ninety Spirit Stones get exposed?
If not for his breakthrough to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, which had sharpened his senses, he probably wouldn't have noticed. Jia Ren pretended to pick up an ancient mirror from the stall, using its reflective surface to stealthily observe the source of the 'potential danger.'
It was an ordinary-looking, dark-faced cultivator, unremarkable in appearance and unlikely to draw attention.
Were my ninety Spirit Stones exposed? Jia Ren pondered. But the crucial transaction was conducted via voice transmission, and the location was remote; no one should have discovered it. The reseller would still source goods from him, and they shared common interests. They wouldn't turn on each other in the short term.
Wait, he's observing what materials I'm buying, Jia Ren realized.
Jia Ren had a moment of clarity, vaguely understanding what was going on, and couldn't help but find the situation absurdly ironic.
So they were plotting to steal the Bait Tempting Technique formula!
In the West City District Market, there were many stalls selling bait, but the quality was often poor, making sales difficult. Once a Loose Cultivator was cheated, they wouldn't be fooled a second time. Therefore, those wanting to continue in the bait business were naturally quite interested in the Bait Tempting Technique formula. Bait-making, after all, is not Alchemy. The difficulty of imitation is lower. Even if they couldn't reach Grandmaster Level, it was still possible to produce an imitation bait that had two or three-tenths of the original's effectiveness.
Trying to steal my craft and seize my business?
Jia Ren pretended not to have noticed and went to buy five jugs of Fruit Wine.
I should purchase a Defense Artifact! Jia Ren thought. Having so many Spirit Stones on hand without spending them on Magical Artifacts to convert into strength left him feeling uneasy, especially now that he was being watched. The stronger his self-defense capabilities, the better.
Compared to Elixirs, there were far fewer issues with Magical Artifacts. However, one could inevitably encounter Magical Artifacts of questionable quality, sometimes containing 'backdoors.' The only advantage of stall-bought ones was that, compared to the Magical Artifacts sold in shops, they were cheaper by one-third to one-fourth.
"Can this Defense Artifact be tested?" Jia Ren's gaze swept over a dull yellow shield at a stall with interest.
"This is the Yellow Stone Shield, a Low-Quality Magical Artifact. Its defense is excellent among its kind. If fully activated, cultivators of the same level cannot break through its defense," the stall owner said, his words flowing non-stop as he saw a potential sale, eager to lavish praise on the Yellow Stone Shield.
Upon infusing Spiritual Power, the palm-sized, dull yellow shield rapidly expanded, becoming a giant shield the size of a door panel, blocking his front. However, its control felt sluggish, making it difficult to pivot deftly, and its defensive performance was unknown. The Magic Artifact didn't meet his expectations.
Jia Ren put the Magic Artifact down. Finding nothing else to his liking at that stall, he moved on to others.
"Fellow Daoist, how about this Flame Spirit Shield?" another stall owner offered. "Its defensive ability is not bad, and it even triggers a flame backlash when attacked."
Flashy but impractical; its defensive capability is inadequate, Jia Ren assessed. Defense Artifacts should prioritize pure defensive power. The retaliatory flame wave's might paled in comparison to even a Low-Quality offensive Magic Artifact, making it truly superfluous. Besides, Jia Ren intended to follow the path of Insect Control in the future. Using the Flame Spirit Shield would likely mean annihilating his own insects before even harming an enemy...
After another round of searching, he finally found a Defense Artifact he liked, but after multiple tests, he discovered it was a defective product.
I still need to go to a proper shop, he concluded.
Jia Ren discreetly glanced around and found that the pursuer was still following him, relentless.
"Wind Control Skill!"
With his Wind Control Skill already at the Master Level, Jia Ren sped away at an astonishing pace. The pursuer, realizing he had been discovered, decisively activated his own Wind Control Skill to give chase.
One fled while the other pursued. The dark-faced man could only watch helplessly as Jia Ren's figure disappeared into the distance, powerless to catch up.
Is this guy part rabbit? He can really run! the black-faced man thought, exasperated. We both use the Wind Control Skill; how can the difference be so vast?