While Heavenjade took the opportunity to browse the shop and broaden her horizons, the counting work in the back courtyard was almost done. Three Initiates stood around the neatly sorted piles, appraising them as they spoke in low voices.

"This is a huge haul! Once we get our hands on it, whether we supply it to those artifact creation workshops or sell it off at the trade fair, our family will make a fortune."

"We'll definitely profit, but how much we profit is another matter."

"Fifth Uncle is right. It all depends on how much she wants for all this."

"That woman... Fifth Uncle, you spoke with her. What do you think? Easy to deal with?"

Qian Datong, also known as Fifth Uncle, paused and thought for a moment before nodding. "Should be. From what I can tell, she doesn't have much experience. She didn't even set a price before taking everything out and she let us inspect it freely. No precautions whatsoever."

Another Initiate probed, "So we push the price down?"

Qian Datong nodded. "Of course. Otherwise, where's our profit? And we're already playing it clean. If this was some shady place, they might've killed her and taken everything by now."

The last man looked uneasy. "She managed to gather this many demonic crabs. She might have a strong force behind her. If we push too hard, we could be asking for trouble."

Qian Datong waved it off. "Nothing serious. You've handled this kind of stuff before. Most of it is second-tier demonic crabs. Any Initiate could hunt those. And look at the demonic energy. It's faded. These have been sitting around for years. Probably just some small force clearing out old stock while the trade fair is on. As for that Green Emperor Crab King... sure, not just anyone could take one down. But—"

The clan member still frowned. "What if she's backed by a major force?"

Qian Datong clicked his tongue and picked up a massive pincer. "Little Eight, look closely. These wounds weren't caused by human cultivators."

Little Eight leaned in and examined it carefully. Then his eyes lit up. "They are caused by a demonic beast!"

Qian Datong smiled faintly. "Good, looks like I didn't teach you for nothing. These marks clearly came from fights between demonic beasts. Most likely her force just got lucky and picked up the leftovers."

He straightened as confidence returned to his face. "Besides, our family is one of the major forces on Coldlight Island. We've got several shops in Jadecold City alone. Even if she does have a major force backing her, there's nothing to worry about."

The other two readily agreed. The Qian family did not fear other major forces. On Coldlight Island, aside from the reclusive Sage Jadecold, they had almost no rivals. By sect standards, they would count as a major sect.

After some discussion, the three began planning the negotiation strategy.

When Heavenjade returned, Qian Datong had already dismissed the others and began speaking with her personally about the deal.

"Four hundred thousand?!" Heavenjade frowned, and her good mood vanished. "Do you take me as a child who has no idea about business? How can you just throw out a number like that?"

Qian Datong remained calm and pointed at the materials. "I'm not trying to undercut you. They may look good at a glance, but they've been stored for years and not well preserved. The demonic energy has mostly faded, and there's a lot of damage. If we use them to create artifacts, there might be defects, which makes them harder to sell. And there are just too many of them. Even our family would struggle to pay hundreds of thousands of spirit stones at once. Fellow Daoist, you have to see it from our side too."

Heavenjade said nothing. She simply looked at him coldly. Under her gaze, Qian Datong suddenly felt pressure rise. He wiped at his brow, though there was no sweat, and kept talking. "You might not be familiar with artifact creation, but complete materials are always better. Look at this batch, it's all pincers and legs, no flesh, no core structure. And more importantly, the shells... Those are the best for defensive enchanted treasures. Without them, it's much harder for us to sell."

Heavenjade curled her lips. "I don't care about all that. What I do know is the Primordial Devil Sect has fallen, and the Northern Sea is in chaos. The righteous and devil forces are at war, rogue cultivators are taking advantage, and the Demon Sea is stirring. Prices for pills, formations, and artifacts are all on the rise."

Qian Datong's expression tightened. The woman clearly did not understand the finer details of crafting materials, but she also clearly grasped the overall situation. She was not easy to fool. With that, some of his earlier arguments were no longer suitable to use. He said seriously, "Then tell me, what price are you expecting?"

"Seven hundred thousand!"

"Impossible!"

Heavenjade took a slow breath. "Is it really?"

"Of course it's—" Qian Datong started to snap back, but before he could finish, his expression changed. Across from him, a surge of spirit pressure pressed down on him. It was far beyond anything an Initiate could produce.

His throat went dry. "Fellow Daoist Heavenjade—no, Senior! Let's talk this through."

Heavenjade withdrew the pressure from the demon core and said coldly, "There's nothing to talk about. Seven hundred thousand. Take it or I'll leave. Jadecold City is big, and your shop isn't the only one that can afford this. In fact, as far as I know, the Qian family has several shops here apart from yours. If you don't want it, do you think your cousins won't?"

Qian Datong opened his mouth, but no words came out. Now, he was really sweating.

***

Two hours later, Heavenjade left the shop under the personal escort of Qian Datong and an Adept from the Qian family who had come to deliver the spirit stones. As for how the Qian family judged the deal, that was another matter.

Heavenjade, however, gained some insight. Unlike the simple and direct exchanges among demonic beasts, dealings between human cultivators were far more intricate. Every bit of profit was contested, and schemes ran deep. Without sufficient strength, one would be swallowed whole.

Under the night sky, Heavenjade sat in a solitary wooden house in a corner of the valley. She thought, These things must be simple for Master. but he let me handle them. He must be training me. In that case, I cannot disappoint him.

The batch sold at the Golden Depot had brought back a full seven hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. Yet this was only the first batch. Heavenjade still had plenty more, and the most valuable demon cores had yet to be sold. Before Luo Chen entered seclusion, he had told her that he expected at least ten million spirit stones. She needed to put in more effort. She could not remain as careless as she had been today. She also needed to learn more to avoid being deceived.

"Ahhh, what a headache!"

Heavenjade rubbed her forehead, yet a trace of anticipation rose in her heart. This clash of words was no different from a battle, a form of cultivation in itself. This time, she would see it through perfectly.

***

In the days that followed, Heavenjade began moving frequently between shops across Jadecold City. Gradually, as she gained more experience, the materials did not get sold the same way as before. Second-tier demonic crabs were not particularly valuable to shops backed by major forces, and they had no interest in offering high prices. Thus, those were better sold to smaller shops. Though it took more trips and was more troublesome, the price would be higher.

As for third-tier materials, small shops could not afford them, and only large shops could take them in. Yet even among large shops, there were differences. Only a few major families could produce a million spirit stones in one go. Supporting their own cultivators consumed vast resources and left them lacking in liquid reserves. Sects, however, were different. They treated low-tier disciples as resources, and there was little concern for familial ties. Because of this, sects often held large amounts of spirit stones and could absorb materials in bulk.

With these insights, the demonic crabs in Heavenjade's hands sold faster and faster. The spirit stones in her possession steadily increased. One million, two million, three million...

Before she knew it, she had accumulated a considerable sum. The materials Luo Chen gave her were down to the final batch, and it was the most valuable one.

***

On the central street of Jadecold City, Heavenjade swept her senses through the materials in her storage pouch. It was full of Crab King pieces from the Green Emperor Crab clan, Overlord Crab clan, Demon Spider Crab clan, and even the Nine-Legged Poison King Crab.

"What a pity. I was short on time, and I didn't know much at the start, so I took quite a few detours. Otherwise, I could've sold all of this until now, and I could've brought back even more spirit stones for Master. Well... it is what it is. There aren't many forces in Jadecold City that can take this whole batch. If I want to sell it all in one go, this is pretty much the only place."

Heavenjade raised her head and looked at the most luxurious building on the central street, boasting nine stories. People streamed in without end. In just the short time she'd stood there, more than a hundred had already entered. Far more went in than came out, which showed that the place held enough to keep cultivators lingering. It was a place that devoured wealth and also the best place to sell things: the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance

They were the commercial branch of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, the Holy Land of the Central Continent. Similar buildings could be found across all five regions, but they were particularly plentiful in the Central Continent, where they originated, and the Northern Sea, which was full of good resources. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I don't have time to sell everything bit by bit. I'll handle the last batch here.

Heavenjade took a deep breath, suppressed her aura to the extreme, and stepped into the building. The moment she entered, a chubby cultivator on the seventh floor suddenly opened his eyes. Before him, a suspended black bronze mirror flared with light before it settled on a woman with striking features and a faint edge to her gaze.

The chubby cultivator's expression shifted in shock, and he blurted out, "A transformed demon cultivator!"