On a secluded street in Jadecold City, a woman with an arrogant look stopped. She looked up at the gilded signboard: "Golden Depot."

She compared it with a name in her memory and blinked. Then she walked inside. An attendant stepped forward, but she spoke before he could begin.

"I have a batch of demonic beast parts. Do you take them?"

The attendant blinked curiously, then smiled. "We do, but if the grade's too low..."

Before he could finish, the woman flicked her wrist. A massive crab pincer appeared in her hand. At once, demonic energy surged and drew glances from nearby customers. The attendant's eyes widened. "Green Emperor Crab King pincers..."

"Are you buying these or what?"

"Yes! Of course!"

Demon King parts, and the best kind at that! They were perfect for crafting enchanted artifacts or even enchanted treasures. There was no way they would refuse.

Before the attendant could name a price, the woman tapped her storage pouch. "I've got plenty more. If the price is right, it's all yours."

There's more!? The attendant swallowed. This was way beyond something a mere Qi Refinement cultivator like him could handle. He didn't hesitate and gestured invitingly. "Senior, please accompany me. I'll call the shopkeeper, and he'll handle this personally."

The woman nodded and walked into the courtyard without concern. Before long, a ruddy-faced man hurried in. He straightened himself when he saw her and spoke with respect, "I am Qian Datong, shopkeeper of Golden Depot. How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"

"Heavenjade."

"Fellow Daoist Heavenjade, I hear you have quite a number of Green Emperor Crab King pincers?

Heavenjade did not answer and casually tossed them out. A series of heavy clonks sounded in the courtyard. Qian Datong stared blankly at the pile of demonic beast materials before him. Crab pincers and legs lay stacked together, piece after piece. They looked rather frightening, yet at the same time carried a strange beauty. Dense demonic energy gathered and churned, pressing upward and threatening to surge into the sky. If not for the isolation formation, it would have drawn countless eyes.

Even so, the sight shook him. Nearly ninety percent of the materials came from second-tier Green Emperor Crabs, and there were even some Crab King parts! The pile filled the courtyard to the brim. Heavenjade even seemed dissatisfied, as if she had more to offer.

Qian Datong steadied himself. "Fellow Daoist Heavenjade, did you slaughter the entire Green Emperor Crab clan?"

Heavenjade glanced at him. "Don't ask what you shouldn't and you won't get answers you don't like. Check the materials and name a price."

Qian Datong nodded but did not begin inspecting. Instead, he sent out a voice transmission in front of her. He then explained, "There's quite a lot here. I wouldn't finish counting even by nightfall on my own. I've called two people over to help. Please wait a moment."

Heavenjade did not object and clasped her hands behind her back. "Go ahead and start counting. I'll take a look around your shop. We can discuss once you're done."

Qian Datong was taken aback. Is she really this unconcerned?

If this deal went through, it would be worth over five hundred thousand spirit stones. Yet she acted as if it were nothing! But since she trusted him, he had no reason to refuse. He immediately had a Qi Refinement subordinate accompany her around the shop.

***

"Senior, this is called the Gold-Shattering Axe. It's a top-grade artifact, but its power is on par with those top-tier water, earth, and wood attack artifacts. The price is reasonable too, just four thousand low-grade spirit stones.

"And these are the Quicksand Horn Blades. One is for defense, the other for offense. Together, they reach the supreme grade. Weapons like this, with both offense and defense, are quite rare. Plenty of Initiates come asking about them, but the price is eight thousand, so most end up walking away. For someone like you, though, it's easily within reach."

Heavenjade nodded as she listened. Human cultivators have truly taken the use of external tools to an impressive level. It's far beyond what ordinary demons could match...

She paused. "Does your shop not have enchanted treasures?"

The attendant hesitated. "Well..."

Heavenjade frowned. "From what I know, you guys do business with several artifact creation workshops. Don't tell me you don't even have a single signature enchanted treasure?"

The attendant quickly waved his hands. Just then, he received a voice transmission. After listening, he visibly relaxed. "If you wish to purchase an enchanted treasure, it's not impossible. But you'll need to state your background and lineage."

"Hmm?" Heavenjade frowned slightly.

The attendant forced a smile. "Don't worry, we won't leak that information. It's just that there have been many outsiders lately, and fighting isn't restricted here. If raiding cultivators buy enchanted treasures and then turn around and kill the artisans, it becomes a serious problem, so we have to keep a record of buyers in case we need to trace things later."

A way for them to protect themselves? I see... Heavenjade did not respond directly and said, "Show me the items first."

The attendant let out a breath of relief and led Heavenjade to the second floor. Someone had already prepared two enchanted treasures, one water-element and one earth-element. Of the two, the water-element treasure was especially notable, as it could noticeably enhance the mana of an Adept.

After examining them carefully, Heavenjade waved her hand under the attendant's expectant gaze. "That's too bad. They don't suit me." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She paid no mind to his disappointment and went back downstairs. She was not lying; the enchanted treasures were indeed decent, but they did not suit her. As a Heavenjade Battle Gull, she was naturally attuned to wind, metal, and water. By human standards, she possessed dual metal-water spirit roots, along with a wind variant root. In theory, the water-element treasure was good for her. However, her cultivation had always favored wind, and after so much time practicing them, her strongest abilities were all wind-related—whether breezes, gales, or outright tornadoes. What she wanted was an enchanted treasure that could enhance her wind attributes.