Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 161: Trade Fair on the Summit

"I\'m back again after three years," Han Ting said with a radiant smile, her eyes alight with excitement.

Pang Jian silently surveyed his surroundings.

Many meditation mats were laid out on the smooth stone floor of the summit. Each had a wooden stall in front for displaying items. Dozens of wooden towers, each several meters high, stood separated by the meditation mats and stalls. At the top of each tower sat a woman in white, a loyal subordinate of Old Monster Cao.

Hundreds of meditation mats and stalls were arranged in a circular pattern around the wooden towers. Rogue cultivators chose a meditation mat, sat down, and displayed their spirit materials, precious crystals, pills, techniques, and spirit artifacts on the stall.

Those interested in buying spirit materials strolled between the stalls, eyes scanning for items of interest.

After observing for some time, Pang Jian was stunned to realize the roles of buyers and sellers among the rogue cultivators were fluid.

Buyers would find an empty meditation mat and start selling their items after browsing for spirit materials and finding nothing of interest. Conversely, sellers would pack up their items and become buyers if they spotted something they needed at another stall.

Each cultivator held a token engraved with the character "Mang". Once a deal was made, both parties would inform a woman in white on the nearest wooden tower and each would pay ten percent of the transaction value in spirit stones. The tokens and the women in white overseeing the transactions ensured no one made deals in secret.

Pang Jian soon noticed no cultivators from the Blood Moon Sect or the Sinister Soul Temple were present. Only rogue cultivators and disciples from noble families wandered the summit.

He quietly asked Han Ting about it.

"The items being traded on the first three days aren\'t that valuable, and the trading halls aren\'t open yet," Han Ting explained, pointing to the wooden buildings. "More valuable items will appear inside the trading halls when they open. On the final day, Old Monster Cao will bring out rare treasures, which participants can acquire by drawing lots."

Pang Jian was puzzled. "Drawing lots? Isn\'t it supposed to go to the highest bidder?"

"The appeal of Old Monster Cao\'s trade fair is that the rare treasures on the last day aren\'t sold to the highest bidder but are given to those with luck," Han Ting explained, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "If it went to the highest bidder, the rare treasures would always end up with the Blood Moon Sect, the Radiant Sun Sect, the Sinister Soul Temple, or the Star River Alliance.

"Old Monster Cao is also a rogue cultivator, so he gives rogue cultivators a chance. The rare treasures he brings out on the last day are priced in advance. Those who want them draw lots and the winner buys it at the set price.

"The representatives from the five major sects and the disciples from noble families have no special privileges and can\'t break the rules by offering higher prices. This ensures rogue cultivators can obtain the spirit materials they desperately need at a relatively low cost."

"Is he doing it out of goodwill? Doesn\'t he want to earn spirit stones?" Pang Jian asked in surprise.

"He\'s already made plenty from the transactions in the first six days," Han Ting said patiently. "The fairness and value of the rare treasures on the last day is what makes his triennial trade fair so popular.

"He takes a twenty percent cut from every transaction on the first six days. That alone already fills his coffers." Han Ting looked enviously at the wooden towers and added, "Through these triennial trading events, Old Monster Cao earns enough spirit stones to meet his cultivation needs."

Pang Jian nodded in understanding.

The two then wandered around, browsing for items.

Pang Jian noticed Zhang Bin casting meaningful glances at them as they wandered. Each time Zhang Bin looked over, Han Ting would, intentionally or not, move a little closer to Pang Jian.

After exploring for some time, Pang Jian came across a stall selling stones with a radiant sunlight glow. Above the stones was a label that read "Solar Essence Stones".

Recalling how the Celestial Maiden from the Fifth World had highly desired these stones, he stopped to examine them closely.

The seven Solar Essence Stones were collectively priced at two thousand spirit stones. Below the price was a small inscription describing their rarity and uses.

Getting the attention of the stall owner, Pang Jian gestured to show he wished to purchase them.

"You\'ve got a good eye, young man," the short, stout stall owner said with a cheerful smile. He eagerly waved to a woman in white on a nearby wooden tower. "We\'ve made a deal here!"

He then led Pang Jian to the base of the wooden tower, where he handed over two hundred spirit stones as the transaction fee. The woman in white accepted the spirit stones with a smile before turning to Pang Jian.

Pang Jian handed over two hundred spirit stones and paid the stall owner his two thousand spirit stones for the seven Solar Essence Stones.

The stall owner then packed up his stall and moved to another stall to purchase something he had had his eye on. He had sold the Solar Essence Stones to get the two thousand spirit stones he needed for a particular item.

"Damn it!" the stall owner cursed, stomping his foot. "How long has it been? The technique I had my eye on is already gone?"

Han Ting interrupted Pang Jian\'s observation of the stall owner as she asked, "What do you need Solar Essence Stones for? Only the Radiant Sun Sect seems to need them."

Pang Jian did not answer and continued browsing.

Soon, he found more items the Celestial Maiden needed, such as Thunderstruck Wood and Gold Obsidian, and bought them with his spirit stones.

He spent three thousand spirit stones and twenty spirit jades in just two hours and was only left with 13 spirit jades. Even if one spirit jade could be exchanged for a hundred spirit stones, he only had one thousand three hundred spirit stones remaining.

Suddenly, he noticed someone selling Mind Soothing Pills. A bottle containing ten pills was three thousand spirit stones. He did not even have enough spirit stones to buy a single bottle, let alone cover Old Monster Cao\'s transaction fee.

Pang Jian hesitated in front of the stall before turning to Han Ting. "I recall you mentioned compensating me with spirit stones."

Han Ting was surprised. "You want Mind Soothing Pills?"

Pang Jian nodded.

"Alright." Han Ting sighed. Addressing the leering stall owner, she said, "I\'ll take a bottle of Mind Soothing Pills."

"Sure thing!" The tall, skinny stall owner led her to the nearest wooden tower.

After each paying three hundred spirit stones, Han Ting handed over the additional three thousand spirit stones for the Mind Soothing Pills and gave the bottle to Pang Jian.

"That\'s it for today," Pang Jian said as soon as he got the Mind Soothing Pills. He had no interest in further browsing due to his lack of funds.

"Is this really your first time here? You\'re just going to buy a few items and call it a day?" Han Ting asked in surprise.

The first time Han Ting had participated in the trade fair, she had wandered around the summit until nightfall, only leaving when the women in white announced its closure for the day.

Stall owners rarely displayed all their goods at once, and rogue cultivators could sit down and display their treasures at a whim.

"I’m short on spirit stones. I’ve already spent everything I have on the things I want," Pang Jian admitted.

Han Ting was taken aback. In her mind, disciples from the upper world always carried thousands of spirit stones.

How could this guy run out after spending just a few thousand?

After a moment of hesitation, Han Ting offered, "I can lend you some."

"No need." Pang Jian shook his head.

"Alright, then. You go ahead. I’ll keep looking around," Han Ting said without pressing further.

"Okay." Pang Jian left the summit and headed back to his cave dwelling.

After closing the stone door of his cave dwelling on the nineteenth floor, Pang Jian swallowed a Mind Soothing Pill and established a connection with the Giant Abyssal Serpent in the Fifth World.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent’s vision slowly came into focus.

A Vicious Beast, covered in thick ice, lay in a pool of blood. Curiously, the beast\'s blood was light blue and contained tiny ice crystals that sparkled like stars.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent was beside the massive Vicious Beast\'s corpse, greedily drinking its light blue blood.

The six-winged Celestial Maiden watched from nearby and murmured tenderly, "You’ve suffered during this time. Look at you. You’ve lost weight, and your bloodline advancement has stalled. It\'s my fault. I was stupid to think a Giant Abyssal Serpent would be a herbivore..."

Ugh, ark!

The Giant Abyssal Serpent choked on something in its throat and vomited violently.

"Solar Essence Stones! Thunderstruck Wood! Gold Obsidian!" Yu Xin flapped her wings excitedly and let out a delighted scream. "Xiao Hei, you\'re so good to me. I don\'t know how to repay you—"

"No! Wait! The ice beast\'s horn! You won\'t be able to digest it!" Yu Xin shouted in panic.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent had swallowed the severed horn in one gulp.

"This Ice Crystal Beast is a Rank Seven Vicious Beast! Its horn is extremely cold and sharp. It\'ll pierce your organs!" She frantically tried to stop him.

However, the Giant Abyssal had already swallowed the Rank Seven Ice Crystal Beast’s horn, transporting it from the Fifth World to the Third World, into the cave dwelling number fifty-six.