Wan Bao Commercial Firm, rumored to have a presence throughout the cultivation world, was sometimes called Wan Bao Tower and sometimes Wan Bao Pavilion. It was a mysterious and powerful force in the cultivation world.
The Wan Bao Commercial Firm was located on the liveliest street in Star Moon City. Its grand and opulent entrance deterred ordinary itinerant cultivators with shallow pockets.
This was Xiao Fei's first time visiting the Wan Bao Commercial Firm.
Before leaving, he remembered to borrow the human-skin mask from Green Bean Eyes and put it on.
As soon as he entered the main gate of the Wan Bao Commercial Firm, a beautiful attendant came to greet him and accompanied him throughout his visit.
If Xiao Fei had been a little bolder, he would have discovered that these attendants had many hidden functions.
Of course, his mind was entirely on the Soul Nurturing Bead, leaving him no room to notice anything else.
"I heard there's a Soul Nurturing Bead artifact here. Take me to see it."
Xiao Fei directly ignored the dazzling array of goods on the shelves and got straight to the point.
"So, Young Master is looking for this! Please follow me!"
As the attendant spoke, she led Xiao Fei towards the stairs.
"The first floor of Wan Bao Tower only sells ordinary spiritual items, mostly tier one spiritual items. The second floor sells rare and expensive spiritual items, primarily tier two."
The attendant continued to introduce the establishment to Xiao Fei.
These attendants were ordinary mortals. The guests of Wan Bao Tower were all cultivators, and they could not afford to offend any of them, so they could only serve them diligently.
For the sake of classification, the cultivation world divided all spiritual items into different grades.
For example, the Enlightenment Fruits and Spiritual Grains that Xiao Fei planted in his space, as well as the stolen Profound Iron Ore, were all tier one spiritual items and relatively inexpensive.
However, Profound Iron Essence was a tier two spiritual item, very rare and expensive.
The number of goods on the second floor was much smaller than on the first, with significant spacing between each spiritual item.
Each spiritual item was presented in an exquisite wooden or jade box, laid out on a piece of silk, which immediately made them appear much more noble.
"Hello, the Soul Nurturing Bead you are looking for is here."
The attendant led Xiao Fei to a shelf. He saw a golden wooden bead, only the size of a thumb, carved with many mysterious runes.
Below the bead was a small plaque that read, "Soul Nurturing Bead, 2000 Spirit Stones."
"Does this artifact sell for 2000 spirit stones?"
"Yes, Young Master. This Soul Nurturing Bead is made from 500-year-old Soul Nurturing Wood and was meticulously refined by a master artifact refiner. The price of 2000 spirit stones is already very reasonable."
The attendant explained, fearing that Xiao Fei might find it too expensive.
If Xiao Lan hadn't absolutely needed this item, even if it were sold for 200 spirit stones, Xiao Fei would have found it expensive. But he had no other choice now.
"I don't have that many spirit stones on me at the moment. Can I use other spiritual items to exchange for it?"
He only had a few dozen spirit stones left.
However, he still had a large pile of Profound Iron Ore in his space, as well as a whole piece of ore about a zhang long, and another piece of Profound Iron Essence the size of a washbasin.
With these ores, it was more than enough. It was just that if he went to that artifact refining shop to sell them, it would take too much time, and with too many people handling it, the risk of his identity being exposed would increase.
"Exchanging other spiritual items for it is acceptable, but we can only buy them back at 80% of the market price."
Many cultivators might not have many spirit stones on them, but they might have other valuable spiritual items. Most merchants offered this kind of considerate service.
However, when they bought back spiritual items at market price, they always felt like they were losing money, so they would buy them back at a discount, and then make a profit by selling them later.
Xiao Fei did not want to quibble over these minor details now; his main goal was to buy the Soul Nurturing Bead as quickly as possible.
After agreeing on the price and transaction method with the attendant, she led Xiao Fei into a private room.
Once the door was closed, anything they did in the private room would not be known to outsiders.
The private room was decorated warmly, with tables and chairs, and even a soft bed, though it was unclear what it was used for.
Xiao Fei, imitating Green Bean Eyes' usual manner, waved his hand, and a small pile of Profound Iron Ore appeared in the private room.
He now knew that Green Bean Eyes possessed a treasure called a storage bag, a small bag that could hold many items, which was quite rare.
Now, to conceal the existence of his space, he could only pretend to have a storage bag as well.
Upon seeing the pile of Profound Iron Ore, the attendant's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Not many cultivators could produce thousands of catties of Profound Iron Ore, but even fewer could possess a storage bag.
Only disciples of great families and major sects had the opportunity to possess such treasures.
Although she was just an ordinary person, she had undergone pre-job training and possessed more knowledge of the cultivation world than Xiao Fei.
If she could get close to such a person, it would be equivalent to ascending to heaven in one step.
Xiao Fei, naturally unaware of the attendant's thoughts, sat behind the tea table and watched the attendant weigh the items by herself.
This attendant, though delicate in appearance, was quite strong. She quickly finished weighing the pile of Profound Iron Ore.
"Young Master, this Profound Iron Ore amounts to 3100 catties, valued at 2480 spirit stones. Besides the Soul Nurturing Bead, is there anything else Young Master wishes to purchase?"
"We'll talk about that next time. Please give me the remaining spirit stones."
Xiao Fei was in a hurry to return today. After this matter was settled, he would come back to look around again.
"Please wait a moment, Young Master."
The attendant left the private room and soon returned with the Soul Nurturing Bead and 480 spirit stones for Xiao Fei, as well as a small wooden box, the contents of which were unknown.
"Young Master, here is the Soul Nurturing Bead you requested, and 480 spirit stones. Please verify them!"
"Additionally, this small wooden box contains a Crimson Willow Fruit, a gift specially sent by the shopkeeper for Young Master."
As the attendant spoke, she placed the three items in front of Xiao Fei.
Xiao Fei took the three items, verified them, and put them away.
He had seen the name Crimson Willow Fruit in the ancestral books of the Huang family. It was a tier one spiritual fruit.
It could be eaten directly, and its effects should be slightly stronger than the Enlightenment Fruit.
More importantly, this spiritual fruit contained several seeds, which could be used as seeds.
In the future, his space would gain another valuable spiritual fruit.
What made Xiao Fei a little curious was that for such a large transaction, Wan Bao Commercial Firm was willing to let an attendant handle the entire process. Did they have any backing or immense confidence?
"May I ask Young Master's surname?"
"My surname is Lin. Why?"
Xiao Fei was not in his true appearance, so he naturally would not reveal his real name. It was better to use the Lin family's name, so that if any trouble arose, the Lin family would bear it.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if Young Master Lin would like to rest here for a while? This servant can attend to Young Master's rest."
"No need!"
After taking the three items, Xiao Fei turned and left the Wan Bao Commercial Firm.
As soon as he returned to the inn, he saw Green Bean Eyes suddenly attack him, a powerful divine sense enveloping him.
Before Xiao Fei could understand what was happening, Green Bean Eyes had plucked a small speck of light from his robes, crushed it in his hand, and it dissipated into the air.