116 The Cold Flood Dragon

*Netherworld Bone Scripture*, *Mysterious Yin Water-Control Art*, *Blood Demon Sutra*, *Heaven and Earth Six-Control Demon Sword Sutra*, *Divine Firmament Lightning Method*, *Maha Demon-Subduing Art*, *Primordial Demon Strategy*, *Supreme Clarity Precious Register*...

For Pang Yue, the cultivation techniques he had obtained in the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm were now of little more than reference value. The upper limit of these techniques was merely the peak of the Golden Core stage; they lacked true potential and offered almost no path toward the Primordial Spirit realm. This was because the Heavenly Dao of that world had been corrupted by Heavenly Demons; as cultivators there devised their arts, they were more or less influenced by that distorted Dao, leading them astray.

Pang Yue arranged the jade slips on the shelves and placed small jade plaques beside them, detailing the specifics of each technique. Once finished, he returned to the back room and stepped through the portal of light. Just as he left the shop, a clone manifested naturally, remaining behind. The clone moved to the counter, sitting in silent, meditative stillness, as motionless as a statue.

Seven or eight days passed. A figure appeared on the small street and wandered curiously into Shop Number Nineteen. The visitor wore a mask inscribed with the ancient seal character for "Thirteen." After a single glance at the shelves behind the counter, the visitor’s expression turned to one of disappointment, and they departed.

In the days that followed, other shopkeepers from the market would occasionally come to "scout" the store. Most came out of curiosity only to leave disappointed, while a few asked a couple of questions before wandering off with an air of indifference.

Pang Yue understood. These individuals—all seemingly at the Primordial Spirit realm—had no interest in such crude techniques. Just as he himself, having mastered the *Heavenly Demon Ten-Thousand Transformations Mysterious Change Sutra* and the *Secret Canon of Demon Talismans*, no longer cared for Golden Core-level arts, these Primordial Spirit masters were likely the same. Perhaps in their leisure, they could toss off a casual, improvised technique that was easily superior to these Golden Core-level arts.

There were nineteen shopkeepers in the Wandering Sky Market. All told, Pang Yue had met twelve; six had yet to show their faces. On this day, the shopkeeper wearing the mask for "Sixteen" walked in. He glanced at Pang Yue with curiosity, then looked toward the shelves, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist, how are these techniques priced?"

Pang Yue, sensing an opportunity, replied, "Which one has caught your eye?"

Sixteen pointed to one of the jade slips. "This *Divine Firmament Lightning Method*."

Pang Yue said, "Since we are neighbors, I will give you a friendly price: three hundred and fifty spirit stones."

Sixteen shook his head. "That is hardly a friendly price. A Golden Core technique outside this market costs at most three hundred high-grade spirit stones."

Pang Yue smiled. "Golden Core techniques outside are rarely traded. Everyone treasures their own arts; who would ever put them up for sale? To tell the truth, the value of a Golden Core technique is hard to measure in spirit stones. It all depends on the buyer and seller."

Sixteen pondered this. "Your price is still too high. Can you lower it?"

Pang Yue vaguely guessed that this person must be one of the two shopkeepers rumored not to be Primordial Spirit masters. By inference, this man was likely his only potential customer in the entire market.

Pang Yue feigned hesitation for a moment before saying, "Three hundred and twenty-five. I cannot go lower."

Sixteen’s eyes flickered as he calculated: *I do not know how this person possesses so many Golden Core-level techniques. If I could take them back to Taiyuan Immortal City, it would surely bolster our strength and attract more loose cultivators... When the Great War of a Thousand Cities begins three hundred years from now, it would add significantly to our odds of victory!*

*It is a pity that this man is so greedy, setting his price so high!*

Sixteen exhaled. "As you say, the price of a Golden Core technique is determined by the parties involved; there is no standard market rate. How about this? If I buy several, could you offer a discount?"

"Oh? How many do you intend to buy?" Pang Yue asked, curious.

Sixteen pointed to two other jade slips. "The *Heaven and Earth Six-Control Demon Sword Sutra* and the *Maha Demon-Subduing Art*!"

Pang Yue laughed. "It seems you have a particular fondness for offensive techniques!"

Sixteen offered a slight, noncommittal smile.

Pang Yue tapped the counter. "These three techniques are the cream of the crop in my shop. I will give you a final price: one thousand one hundred high-grade spirit stones!"

"Deal!"

Sixteen’s expression remained calm, but a massive weight lifted from his heart, replaced by a sense of relief and joy. He produced the spirit stones to complete the transaction and said, "Fellow Daoist, let me return to gather more spirit stones. I shall come back to purchase more from you soon."

Pang Yue smiled. "You are most welcome!"

A medium-grade spirit stone was worth one hundred low-grade stones, and a high-grade stone was worth one hundred medium-grade stones. After the transaction, Pang Yue had suddenly become wealthy.

Sixteen took the jade slips and probed them with his divine sense; his eyes filled with satisfaction. Before leaving, he asked, "Shopkeeper, besides spirit stones, do you accept trades?"

"That depends on what treasures you have," Pang Yue replied.

Sixteen took a stone box from his storage bag and placed it on the counter, opening it gently. Inside lay a cyan-colored giant egg, over a foot long! A rich, surging vitality emanated from it.

"What is this?" Pang Yue frowned.

"A Cold Dragon," Sixteen replied.

Pang Yue stared at the egg, silent.

Sixteen continued, "The Cold Dragon is an ancient dragon breed, possessing a trace of the bloodline of a true ancient dragon. It is born with the strength of the Dao Foundation stage. Once mature, it rivals a Golden Core cultivator. If nurtured with care, there is a certain chance it could advance to the Primordial Spirit stage."

"But right now, it is just an egg..." Pang Yue pointed at the stone box.

Sixteen was momentarily stunned, then took out another jade slip and handed it to Pang Yue. "If you can set up this formation, you can hatch it within a short time."

Pang Yue took the slip, swept it with his divine sense, and looked surprised. "To set up this array, I must find a vast ocean, and in the depths of ten thousand fathoms, condense boundless water-attribute essence..." He suddenly changed his tone and muttered, "I have practiced the Dao for a thousand years and have never even seen the ocean. Where do you expect me to set up this formation?"

When Sixteen heard that Pang Yue had practiced for a thousand years, he confirmed that he was indeed the Golden Core shopkeeper of legend. He smiled. "It seems you and I are the lowest-cultivation beings in this market. To be honest, I have been trying to sell this Cold Dragon egg here for fifty years, and no one has shown the slightest interest."

Even if a Primordial Spirit master had the means to set up the formation and hatch the creature, they lacked the patience to nurture it to maturity, let alone help it advance further. To put it bluntly, for a master of the Primordial Spirit, this egg was even less useful than the Golden Core techniques in Pang Yue’s hands.

This was the awkwardness of their situation. One at the Dao Foundation, one at the Golden Core, both accidentally mixed into a circle of Primordial Spirit masters—they didn't even share a common language, let alone find room for trade.

Sixteen took out another stone box, placed it beside the first on the counter, and said, "Fellow Daoist, two Cold Dragon eggs. How about we trade them for one of your techniques?"