"Trade with me? Alright, I’ll trade with you!"

The fat man hadn’t expected such a good thing to fall into his lap and was so excited he nearly jumped to his feet.

To be honest, while the items he’d taken out were considered rare, they were naturally far less precious than a Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon!

"Yu Jie, a Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon is nice, but with your current strength, I’m afraid it might be too hot to handle!"

Seeing the fat man’s excitement, Guard Commander Liu Chen suddenly snorted.

Everyone wanted a Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon. This Yu Jie was only at the Peak of Armor Realm, making him the weakest in the group. If he obtained such a powerful weapon, it would probably be stolen by someone else before he could even fully refine it.

"This..."

Hearing Liu Chen’s words, the fat man, Yu Jie, fell silent, a troubled look on his face.

’It’s true. With my level of strength, I can’t possibly protect a Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon. Once it’s stolen, I’ll have lost everything!’

"Miss Tie Lan, I’m sorry, but I can’t trade with you..."

Yu Jie wore a conflicted expression before finally making his decision.

"No trade?" Tie Lan’s brow furrowed.

’I want to trade, but he doesn’t. If there’s no agreement, there can be no deal.’

"I’ll trade an Ultimate Venerable Talisman with you. You can’t protect a Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon, but an Ultimate Venerable Talisman can ensure your family’s prosperity for a hundred years!"

Tie Lan spoke, relaying the youth’s Sound Transmission.

"An Ultimate Venerable Talisman?"

An Ultimate Venerable Talisman was like an atomic bomb—its main purpose was deterrence. ’If anyone who previously had designs on my family finds out I have this, they’ll probably give up on the idea immediately.’

’As long as I get this treasure, ensuring my family’s prosperity for a hundred years will be no problem at all!’

Yu Jie was tempted once again!

"An Ultimate Venerable Talisman is a good thing... Yu Jie, you must be careful. Ah, that’s right. I seem to recall that your family’s marketplaces are all within the jurisdiction of the City Lord’s Mansion, aren’t they?"

Just as Yu Jie was about to make his decision, City Lord Liu Jifei suddenly spoke up.

"This..."

Others might not have understood Liu Jifei’s meaning, but Yu Jie did.

’It seems City Lord Liu Jifei is determined to get this Ultimate Venerable Talisman. If I try to take it, my family’s marketplaces will probably face pressure from the City Lord’s Mansion. When that happens, we’ll be ruined all the same!’

"I’m not trading!"

A man must bow his head when he’s under another’s roof. Yu Jie had no choice but to refuse again.

"Huh?"

Nie Yun hadn’t expected that even after offering a Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon and an Ultimate Venerable Talisman—both incredibly valuable items—he still couldn’t make the trade. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration.

’It seems I considered the value and the trader’s mindset, but I forgot about all the complex relationships within Jibei City!’

’Honestly, is it that Yu Jie doesn’t want to trade? He probably wants both of my items. But the relationships in Jibei City are just too complicated. Even if he wants to, he doesn’t dare!’

’Human hearts and human nature... neither can compare to connections, huh...’

Nie Yun felt helpless.

In his past life, although he had been powerful, he spent most of his time in solitary cultivation and wasn’t skilled at handling various relationships. To be honest, even now, he couldn’t understand why the human heart and human nature, even when combined, couldn’t measure up to a single connection!

"Your current strength is only at the Peak of Armor Realm, so it’s true you wouldn’t be able to hold onto those two items. However, if I could help you advance to the Qi Sect Realm in a short time... if I offered you the technique to advance to the Qi Sect Realm, would you trade with me then?"

He was determined to get the Purple Splendor Jade Seal. Even if Yu Jie wouldn’t trade for those two items, Nie Yun had other methods. He suddenly interjected.

"A technique to advance to the Qi Sect Realm? You have something like that?"

Yu Jie, who had thought all hope was lost, felt his heart stir once more upon hearing this.

’Because my strength is too low, I don’t dare say anything under everyone’s pressure. If I can really advance to the Qi Sect Realm, my status will definitely skyrocket!’

"His decision is my decision. You can rest assured!"

Seeing Yu Jie’s doubt, Tie Lan said with a smile.

"Alright, I believe in the promise of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps. I’ll trade..." Yu Jie nodded eagerly, but before he could finish his words, a faint, indifferent voice spoke up.

"A technique to advance to the Qi Sect Realm is no rare thing. If you want one, I can give it to you as well. It’s just that with your aptitude, succeeding in your advancement without the aid of elixirs would be quite difficult, wouldn’t it?"

The one who spoke was none other than the Alchemy Master who had been quiet until now, Liu Chengze!

No one had expected that just as Nie Yun was about to succeed in his trade, this Alchemy Master would suddenly interject!

Nie Yun hadn’t expected it either. He frowned and looked over, only to see Liu Yuan looking his way with a smug expression. It seemed Liu Chengze’s interruption was directly related to him!

’The Petrifying Tumor is a type of medicinal material. Liu Yuan probably recognized it from the start. He must have told Liu Chengze something just now, trying to force my hand and make me give it up!’

Nie Yun’s brow furrowed.

Although not many people recognized the Petrifying Tumor, since Liu Chengze was known as an Alchemy Master, it wasn’t surprising that his only son, Liu Yuan, would be able to identify it.

’It seems my eagerness to trade with this Yu Jie has already drawn the attention of others. They’ve figured out that as long as they can trade with Yu Jie, they can then trade with me...’

Nie Yun felt a wave of frustration.

’I had Tie Lan act with extreme caution, but it seems we still caught their attention.’

’It’s easy to imagine that once Yu Jie accepts Liu Chengze’s proposal, he’ll definitely trade his item with him. Then, they can use that item to trade with me for the Petrifying Tumor, the Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon, and even the Ultimate Venerable Level Talisman!’

"This... Yes, if Master Liu is willing to grant me an elixir, I will refuse the trade with the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps and trade with you, Master!"

If Nie Yun could figure this out, Yu Jie naturally could as well. His eyes lit up, and he spoke hurriedly.

"Heh heh, that’s simple. I have an Ultimate Venerable Spiritual Power Pill here. It can provide you with all the Spiritual Power needed to advance to the Qi Sect Realm. As long as you get the technique and take this elixir, your chances of advancing to the Qi Sect Realm will increase by at least twenty percent!"

Liu Chengze said with a smile, holding up a medicine bottle. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"An Ultimate Venerable Spiritual Power Pill? A twenty percent increase? I’ll trade with you..."

Yu Jie gritted his teeth.

A twenty percent increase in his chances of advancing to the Qi Sect Realm might not sound like much, but for Yu Jie, who had been stuck in the Armor Realm for many years, it was already the best breakthrough method he could hope for!

"Didn’t the City Lord say we had the first right to trade?" Seeing the fat man about to trade with Liu Chengze, Nie Yun hurriedly stopped him.

’What kind of joke is this? Once they trade, it’ll be even more trouble for me to get the Purple Splendor Jade Seal!’

"Heh heh, that’s right. You have the first right to trade. We can wait..." Liu Chengze wasn’t anxious. He gave a faint smile and said no more.

’In his eyes, he was the only one capable of refining an Ultimate Venerable Spiritual Power Pill. He wasn’t afraid of the fat man refusing him!’

"An Ultimate Venerable Spiritual Power Pill can indeed increase your chances of advancing to the Qi Sect Realm by twenty percent, but... if you trade with me, I can guarantee you will advance to the Qi Sect Realm one hundred percent!"

Nie Yun said. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)