Chapter 59: Bluffing

Behind the counter of the Black Moon Merchant Guild stood a man in his early thirties. He glanced at Yun Che as he entered, his eyes unwavering despite Yun Che's unusual attire. He said impassively, "Buying or selling?"

Yun Che didn't waste words. He raised his right hand and placed three fiery-red pills on the counter, saying in a cold voice, "Three Fire Spirit Pills. Name your price!"

These three scarlet pills were Fire Spirit Pills that Yun Che had refined from the Fire Spirit Grass he collected in the Blazing Dragon Cave.

"Fire Spirit Pills?" A hint of emotion finally appeared on the clerk's rigid face. He picked one up, felt it gently with his finger, and suddenly his expression changed. He blurted out, "Ten... ten-grade Fire Spirit Pills!"

The formation of a pill involves material collection and storage, selection of refining tools, temperature control, and refining techniques. All these processes can lead to the loss of medicinal potency. Especially during refining, it’s almost impossible for even the most advanced alchemists to prevent all potency from escaping. Therefore, a six-grade pill is considered superior, seven or eight-grade is a rare premium, nine-grade is an absolute masterpiece that only top alchemists from super sects might produce, and a ten-grade pill, even from a top alchemist, is one in ten thousand.

The higher the grade of a pill, the greater its medicinal power and the faster it is absorbed in the body, naturally leading to a higher price. Similarly, an eight-grade pill is at least twice as expensive as a seven-grade one. A nine-grade pill is almost impossible to find on the market, usually reserved for core sect disciples or used as tribute. As for a ten-grade pill, even the Black Moon Merchant Guild, which spans the entire Profound Sky Continent, rarely encounters one.

If only one pill was ten-grade, it would be understandable. But the clerk quickly discovered that all three Fire Spirit Pills were ten-grade, making his eyes widen in shock. Fire Spirit Grass is already hard to find, and refining Fire Spirit Pills is even more difficult. He had never even heard of a ten-grade Fire Spirit Pill. He could imagine that if profound practitioners who cultivated fire-attributed profound arts saw these three pills, they would be so covetous their eyes might fall out.

"Name your price!" Yun Che repeated coldly.

The clerk quickly snapped back to attention, then busily found a black wooden box to store the three Fire Spirit Pills, preventing any loss of potency. His demeanor towards Yun Che also became more respectful. Someone who casually produces three ten-grade Fire Spirit Pills and actually puts them up for sale! And to be so cold and arrogant within the Black Moon Merchant Guild! It was obvious to anyone that this was an important figure. He cautiously said, "Three ten-grade Fire Spirit Pills, the best of the best. As for the price... how about one hundred Purple Profound Coins per pill, for a total of three hundred Purple Profound Coins?"

"..." Yun Che was silent for a long time.

Yun Che's prolonged silence made the clerk feel anxious. He had decided that if Yun Che wasn't satisfied, he would not hesitate to raise the price. Three ten-grade Fire Spirit Pills were top-tier even at the main guild! There were countless sects on the Profound Sky Continent that cultivated fire-attributed profound arts, and if sold to those major sects, each pill would fetch an exorbitant price.

However, he clearly couldn't guess that Yun Che's silence wasn't because the price was too low, but because he was utterly stunned by it.

Three hundred Purple Profound Coins... My heavens! That was a whopping three million Yellow Profound Coins! Nearly a hundred years' income for an average family!

In his previous life on the Azure Cloud Continent, when he was with his master, his master always refined medicine to save people and never charged a single penny. After his master's death, he consumed the pills refined with the Sky Poison Pearl himself to improve his strength, so he had no clear concept of the market prices for various pills.

He had expected that a Fire Spirit Pill he casually refined would be quite good if it sold for one Purple Profound Coin. Selling three would be enough for him to splurge for a while. He never imagined the other party would offer three hundred Purple Profound Coins directly, leaving him speechless for a long time.

Pills were really this valuable!

On the Profound Sky Continent, good pills were indeed unbelievably expensive. This was because those premium pills were almost the only fast way to cultivate profound arts and profound energy. Sometimes, years of arduous cultivation by one person couldn't compare to a single pill swallowed by another.

Seeing Yun Che remain silent for so long, the clerk couldn't hold back anymore and said, "If you're not satisfied with this price, then..."

"Deal!" Yun Che interrupted him before he could finish, two hoarse words escaping his lips.

Seeing the other party agree so readily, the clerk was overjoyed. Buying them for three hundred Purple Profound Coins and selling them to major sects for a thousand Purple Profound Coins each would surely make them fight over them. He quickly put the Fire Spirit Pills away, then turned and busied himself for a moment before producing a shimmering purple card and handing it to Yun Che: "This is your Profound Coin Card. Please keep it safe. If you need anything else, please visit our Black Moon Merchant Guild again."

The purple Profound Coin Card indicated that the money inside exceeded one Purple Profound Coin. Yun Che took it and checked; it contained exactly three hundred Purple Profound Coins, not a single cent less!

Yun Che had never touched so much money in both his lives combined. In the sixteen years prior, all his savings amounted to just a little over a thousand Yellow Profound Coins.

Three hundred Purple Profound Coins! How long would it take to spend all that? Even Auntie would be shocked if she saw it.

Putting away the Profound Coin Card, Yun Che didn't leave immediately. He slapped the table with his right hand again, saying in the same cold tone, "One Profound Core, name your price!"

As Yun Che placed the crimson Profound Core on the counter, Jasmine's voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "What are you doing? Are you going to sell it? Are you insane?"

"No, no! Of course, I wouldn't sell it." Yun Che quickly denied, "Don't worry, I'm just trying to intimidate them and make things easier for myself later."

Jasmine didn't respond again.

"A Profound Core?" The clerk picked it up, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. Even the lowest-ranking staff at the Black Moon Merchant Guild possessed remarkably keen eyesight. Yet, he couldn't immediately identify which profound beast this Profound Core belonged to. He held the Profound Core in his hand, rubbing it for a moment, then suddenly his face changed dramatically, his eyes wide open, and both his hands trembled violently: "This... this... this... a Dragon Core! A Royal Profound Dragon Core!!"

"Hmph! Such a fuss, name your price immediately," Yun Che said with an impatient voice.

The clerk placed the Profound Core back on the counter, not daring to pick it up again for a moment. His gaze towards Yun Che had undergone an earth-shattering change. He cautiously said, "Distinguished guest, please... please wait a moment. This is too big a matter for a junior like me to decide..."

With that, he turned around and shouted upstairs, "Elder Pu, quick! Big business! Hurry!"

Not long after his voice faded, a rather thin old man slowly descended the stairs. The stairs were wooden, but he stepped on them without making the slightest creaking sound. His eyes appeared gentle, but the light within them was as sharp as a cold gleam. This man was Pu He, the Black Moon Guild manager, known to everyone in New Moon City.

"Big business?" Pu He walked over and glanced at Yun Che indifferently. His gaze was calm, yet subtly arrogant.

"Elder Pu, you... you look!" The clerk picked up the Profound Core, his hands trembling as he presented it to Pu He.

Pu He glared at him, saying with dissatisfaction, "Hmph, you're getting more and more useless. A small Profound Core can make you so excited! Could this be a Heaven Profound Core? Your behavior will make outsiders think that people in our Black Moon Merchant Guild have never seen the world!"

While Pu He reprimanded him with a cold face, he casually took the Profound Core from the clerk's hand. The moment it touched his palm, his voice abruptly stopped, and his entire hand trembled. He quickly leaned his eyes closer, carefully sensing the power within the Profound Core with his profound energy. After a few breaths, his entire body trembled again, his beard bristled, and he let out a cry of astonishment at least eight octaves higher than the clerk's: "Heaven... Heaven Profound... Dragon Core!!"

The clerk secretly rolled his eyes at him... You just said I was making a fuss, and now you're shouting even louder than me!

"Hmph! Just a Royal Profound Core makes you so surprised. The Black Moon Merchant Guild is truly getting more and more out of touch."

Amidst Pu He's extreme shock, a cold, hoarse voice reached his ears. He quickly composed his expression, looked at Yun Che, and after a careful appraisal, cautiously set down the Blazing Dragon Profound Core. A respectful expression appeared on his face: "Esteemed guest, may I... may I know your honorable name?"

When he first came down the stairs, he had glanced at Yun Che and seen his expressionless face, sneering inwardly because no one in New Moon City dared to act so brazenly in his Black Moon Merchant Guild. But now, Pu He felt that Yun Che's demeanor was perfectly normal. What kind of existence must a person who could produce a Heaven Profound Dragon Core be? Why would such a person need to show courtesy to the Black Moon Merchant Guild branch in a small city?

He had just carefully observed this "middle-aged man" and was secretly astonished, because the man's eyes were too deep and sharp. So deep that he couldn't discern the slightest detail, yet so sharp that it felt like nothing about him could be hidden in Yun Che's presence.

Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly, and both his gaze and voice suddenly grew colder: "When did your Black Moon Merchant Guild start inquiring about names as a business rule?"

At that instant, Pu He suddenly felt a hint of killing intent... Although it was extremely brief, it made all the hair on Pu He's body stand on end. He had killed many people in his life and had almost been killed by many, so he was very familiar with and sensitive to killing intent. But throughout his entire life, he had never felt such terrifying killing intent as just now. He couldn't imagine how many people one would have to kill to possess such terrifying killing intent... ten thousand? A hundred thousand... or even... a million, shocking gods and ghosts?

Perhaps even the legendary Asuras of purgatory would not possess more killing intent.

Pu He's heart completely seized up, and cold sweat streamed down his back. In all his years in New Moon City, this was the first time he had broken into a cold sweat. A person with a pale, cold face, terrifying killing intent, and who could produce a Royal Profound Core without batting an eyelid... What kind of realm was this person in! Such killing intent meant that killing might be as easy as eating or taking something from a bag for him. If he were to be displeased...

Thinking this, Pu He was drenched in even more cold sweat, and he quickly lowered his head, his expression becoming even more respectful: "No, no, Pu is absolutely not implying that. It's just that anyone who can kill a Royal Profound Beast, especially a true Royal Profound Dragon, is a peerless powerhouse to be revered. Pu was simply overwhelmed by admiration for a moment and spoke out of turn."

He desperately wanted to know what realm this "terrifying person" was in, but even if he had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to probe Yun Che's profound energy level.

"Hmph!" Yun Che let out a cold snort.

The killing intent vanished without a trace, and Pu He secretly let out a sigh of relief. He carefully asked, "A Royal Profound Core is immensely valuable. Not to mention New Moon City, in the entire Blue Wind Empire, one appears perhaps only once in a hundred years. May I ask, distinguished guest, why you would want to sell such a treasure...?"

"It's useless to me!" Yun Che said expressionlessly.

Useless to him? Pu He's heart pounded again... Disdaining even a Royal Profound Core, what realm must this person be in?

Pu He gave a bitter laugh and said, "Distinguished guest, Pu truly wishes to keep this Royal Profound Dragon Core, but I dare not conceal it from you: this Royal Profound Dragon Core is simply too valuable, its worth immeasurable. Even if Pu were to mortgage this entire Black Moon branch to you, it wouldn't be worth even a fifth of this Royal Profound Dragon Core."