Ning Cheng didn’t even notice what Peng Ruimei said. Although he didn’t bring out his spiritual consciousness, he could feel that many people in this hall could beat him. Moreover, the strength of a few people here didn’t lose to that red-haired man he had seen in the Grand Essence Sea.
But despite the many people seated in the hall, no one made even the tiniest noise. Even if they wanted to talk to their friends or people they knew, everyone used either voice transmissions or whispered in a quiet voice.
After half-an-incense stick worth of time passed, a middle-aged man dressed as a Confucian scholar walked onto the centre stage of the exchange hall, clasped his fists and spoke up. “Many thanks to the dao friends here for participating in the Dao Confirming Exchange hosted by my Grand Essence Quest Hall’s merchant house. We host the Dao Confirming Exchange every three years, and it usually involves a lot of treasure exchanges. Every Dao Confirming Exchange would produce many strong experts.”
“We hope that all the dao friends here can leave in contentment today and get what they want. This Dao Confirming Exchange will still follow the old rules; the merchant house will take a 1% cut out of every exchange between two parties.”
1% cut out of every transaction value wasn’t that much. Ning Cheng, who came from Earth, naturally knew that the merchant house’s primary purpose was not to earn points but to create popularity. In any case, just to enter this exchange meeting, one needed a silver card. And to get a silver card, one needed to spend a large number of points. Therefore even if the merchant house didn’t take a cut out of the transaction points, the more such exchanges they hosted, the better it would be for the merchant house.
“Everyone has a transfer station and a point transaction slot in front of your seats. I believe that all the dao friends know exactly how to do the transaction. So, I won’t say anything about it. The exchange sequence will start from the position marked ‘1’.” After the middle-aged scholar spoke, he cupped his fists before walking down the stage and sitting down on one seat.
Ning Cheng had already studied the square table in front of his seat. The square table contained a small transfer area, most likely to transfer items and spirit crystals. The table also had a slot just beside the transfer area, where one could put their Quest Card and then increase or decrease the points through the array formations and mutual agreement of the parties involved. Besides, the table also had a quotation screen, on which one could report the price and anything that you wanted to use in exchange for it.
One could say that this exchange table was a very advanced thing, purely from the point of view of similar exchange platforms. Moreover, it was controlled by several array formations, which was countless times more advanced than anything owned by a network from the technological world. At least Ning Cheng hadn’t seen any technology that had even a minute grasp over the Laws of Space. If such a technology could control the Laws of Space, it could eliminate the need for logistics in the technological world.
“The thing I want to exchange is a cultivation method, Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron. I’ll only accept points or Law Crystals and nothing else.” A deep and thick voice sounded out in the hall.
Ning Cheng then saw a golden aperture light up around one of the seats, and the number behind this seat was ‘1’.
Sitting at the seat numbered ‘1’ was a tall male cultivator. On the table in front of him was a book made out of unknown materials. The book also had several restrictions covering it, making so that no one can even peek into it. It was most likely the cultivation method ‘Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron’ that he had just mentioned.
Ning Cheng then took a look at the number on the table and saw the number ‘666’, but it had a grey colour. He then glanced at other seats and understood that only when he took out an item for exchange would his chair glow with a golden light.
Ning Cheng had a lot of Law Crystals, more than a hundred. Moreover, each of those crystals contained the Law of Space. However, he had no interest in this Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron and naturally wouldn’t compete for it.
Ning Cheng didn’t bid for it, but that didn’t mean others didn’t want it. Ning Cheng could see the constant price updates on the bidding screen, and at the same time, he also saw a lot of silver lights flashing throughout the exchange hall.
Ning Cheng quickly found out a pattern; the silver lights on a seat would fade away because the price put down by the cultivator ended up suppressed by a higher price. A new silver light would appear on the chair that quoted the higher price, while the lower bids’ silver lights would flash out.
The price also changed quite quickly. The offer for the cultivation method, Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron, increased to more than 30,000 points in just a short time. In the end, it finally came to a stop at 43,000 points. After reaching this level, no one placed any offers. Looking around the hall, Ning Cheng then saw a flashing silver light on seat number 411. It was a middle-aged female cultivator, and it seems she was the one who quoted the 43,000-point bid.
Ning Cheng’s heart started to race. He wasn’t a fool. He understood that the cultivator who took out the Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron was most likely a strong Dao Confirming expert. Such a person wouldn’t take out things of low quality, and he could see it from the competitive scene with just the first item.
Yet, one could still purchase such a good thing for slightly over 40,000 points. From this, Ning Cheng also understood that having 1.5 million points was quite a big deal.
After the price stopped fluctuating, a crisp female cultivator’s voice emerged, “The highest quotation on the screen is 43,000 points from No. 411. Is No. 1 willing to exchange?”
These exchange meetings were different from auctions. Therefore, even if someone outbid others and had the highest quote, the exchange would depend on the cultivator who owned the item. If the cultivator who possessed the item felt that the so-called highest price was still too low, he could choose to not go through the exchange. Alternatively, they could also choose to conduct the sale with any of the other bidders.
“Let’s exchange.” When the cultivator who owned the Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron finished speaking, he put the Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron Cultivation Method into the miniature teleportation array and then put his silver card on the groove right next to it.
The moment the Spirit Sifting Penta Cauldron got teleported away, 43,000 points suddenly appeared on this cultivator’s silver card. Ning Cheng sighed as he looked at this; this kind of approach to exchange was truly convenient and fast.
With the first transaction completed, the seat that next lit up was No. 3. Ning Cheng took a look and saw that there was no one seated in seat number 2.
Sitting on seat number 3 was a female cultivator with white hair. After her seat lit up, she raised a jade box and said, “What I want to exchange is a Dao Fruit containing wood-attributed laws, the Drifting Cotton Fruit. However, I will only accept points for it.
Dao Fruits were also of multiple types. Dao Fruits containing wood-attributed laws mainly would help cultivators comprehend the Laws of Wood. This kind of law was beneficial for understanding the Laws of Wood-related spirit techniques. It could even help cultivators proficient in alchemy and even help cultivate spiritual grasses to the spirit level. Of course, it didn’t have much effect on reaching Dao Confirming. Besides, only a few cultivators would rely on attribute-based Dao Fruits to enter Dao Confirming; such cultivators were barely even a handful.
A real Dao Confirming Dao Fruit was essentially different from an attribute-based Dao Fruit. Dao Confirming Dao Fruits contained not just a law-attribute, but also law-related dao charm.
But even if Drifting Cotton Fruit wasn’t a Dao Confirming Dao Fruit, it was still quite popular. Therefore, the moment this Drifting Cotton Fruit came out, someone quickly snatched it up for a high price of 92,000 points. Ning Cheng also understood that as long as it was a Dao Fruit, the cost would shoot up in a straight line.
It immediately lit up Ning Cheng’s eyes. No wonder Law Soil provided such high points. From the looks of it, a piece of Law Soil could help a Dao Fruit Tree grow a bunch of Dao Fruits. Just how many points would it fetch if one sold all of those fruits?
The things brought out from seat numbers 4 to 20 were all quite valuable, they were either top-grade raw materials, top-grade weapons, cultivation methods or some other treasures. Even Ning Cheng had taken a fancy to seven or eight of those items, but Ning Cheng didn’t make any moves. He came here for a purpose; he just wanted to buy the things truly needed, not the ones he fancied.
Eventually, the turn for exchange reached Seat no. 26. Sitting on this seat was a pale and thin man. He raised a jade box and said, “I also want to exchange a Dao Fruit, Falling Scar Fruit….”
As soon as he spoke the three words ‘Falling Scar Fruit’, it immediately caused a stir within the hall. Falling Scar Fruit was a genuine Dao Confirming Dao Fruit. More than 20% of the cultivators here came here for Dao Confirming Dao Fruits from its looks.
Ning Cheng also wanted such a Dao Fruit. But he knew that it wasn’t the right time. Since so many people here wanted the Falling Scar Fruit, it would paint a target on himself if he bought it. Maybe after this exchange got over, someone would follow him out to kill him. He had already offended the Beyond Heaven Path, so purchasing this Falling Scar Fruit, which he didn’t need right now, wasn’t a wise move.
He had already decided to use the points for things that could help him improve his strength immediately.
As soon as the Falling Scar Fruit came out, the competition immediately turned fierce. The price quickly rose to 360,000 points and still kept increasing. Although Drifting Cotton Fruit was also a Dao Fruit, it couldn’t compare to the Falling Scar Fruit.
Ning Cheng noticed the worried look on Kong Ning’s face, and he also observed that she had put in an offer of 330,000 points. However, someone quickly suppressed her bid, and the price of the Falling Scar Fruit reached 360,000 points. Kong Ning’s face turned pale when she saw this quote.
The Falling Scar Fruit price remained at 360,000 for a while before Kong Ning once again quoted a new price, 363,000 points.
Ning Cheng saw the price and Kong Ning’s expressions and understood that Kong Ning might not have enough points to buy this Dao Fruit.
Sure enough, in just a moment, the price of Falling Scar Fruit rose to 390,000 points.
Kong Ning hesitated before looking at her Senior Apprentice Sister Shan Yaocen who came with her. However, Shan Yaocen didn’t seem to notice her all. She kept staring intently at the bidding screen as if flowers were growing out of that screen. Ying Yongxuan, who sat not far away, also didn’t notice Kong Ning’s gaze asking for help, and set his eye on the bidding screen.
Ning Cheng felt a bit speechless at such actions. Being people from the same sect, how could she not even help her fellow sisters? Even if she didn’t want to help, at least don’t pretend to not know about it. Wouldn’t it be better just to say that you don’t have enough points and get over with it?
After seeing those two people’s demeanour, Kong Ning struggled for a while, before finally averting her gaze from them. However, she wanted the Falling Scar Fruit, so she then looked at Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng didn’t feel that his friendship with Kong Ning had reached the level to borrow her some points.
Kong Ning should have also known that the friendship between her and Ning Cheng wasn’t on such a level that she could ask to borrow some points. Especially at this kind of exchange meeting. Yet, even if that was the case, Kong Ning still looked at Ning Cheng, which showed her eagerness to obtain this Falling Scar Fruit.
Ning Cheng smiled at Kong Ning and said, “I still have some points, Junior Apprentice Sister Kong Ning, I can lend you some points. If I feel like I don’t have enough points, I will remind you of it immediately.”
Since Kong Ning used such a help-seeking gaze, Ning Cheng naturally wouldn’t pretend to know about it otherwise, unlike her Senior Apprentice Sister. If she didn’t want to borrow, he would also not talk about it. Ning Cheng wasn’t the type of person to feign ignorance anyway. Besides, as long as the points she wanted to borrow didn’t exceed 100,000 points, Ning Cheng could help Kong Ning. But if it exceeded that, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He came here to improve his strength, so he can’t go about lending others too many points.
