Chapter 214: Chapter 126: Top Grade Magic Tool, That’s How We Do It In The Black Market_2
Translator: 549690339
With Tian Xingzi’s words, Luo Chen’s heart thumped hard.
His gaze fell on the banner, revealing a longing in his eyes.
A top-grade magic tool!
As a pill refiner, Luo Chen was considered wealthy, possessing a heap of ascendant grade magic tools.
However, until now, he still didn’t have a single top-grade magic tool.
Even if it’s an offensive magic tool, which is relatively cheaper among the same-grade magic tools, it’s still top-grade!
In fact, not just him, ninety-nine percent of Qi Refinement Cultivators found it hard to own a top-grade magic tool.
The reason was simple, the price of top-grade magic tools was extremely high!
Starting from five thousand spirit stones, and with unique functions, some even approaching the price of magic items.
There was a reason why top-grade magic tools were sold at such high prices.
Speaking of which, one cannot help but mention tool casting from the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation.
Not considering the tool casting method, taboos, inheritance, etc., we talk about the quality order of the magic tools and magic items produced.
Magic tools and magic items are categorized into ascendant, middle, and lower grades, which is the most common classification, based on the compatible array, material, power, etc.
However, besides the ascendant, middle, and lower grades, there is an additional category called “top-grade”.
This concept of a top-grade magic tool is accepted by the general public, but is firmly denied by orthodox tool casting crafters.
Because there is no such thing as a top-grade magic tool in this world.
There are only substandard magic items!
When Tool Casting Masters craft tools, they usually aim at a preset direction.
They have an idea of the possible grade of the finished product.
Whether it’s lower grade or ascendant grade, it is all within their plan, with the final outcome being a success or a failure.
No Tool Casting Master would think about crafting a “top-grade” magic tool.
Because that is the most wasteful, most incompetent, and stupidest practice.
Every top-grade magic tool possesses more than three arrays and is made from superior materials.
One would realize upon pondering that there is only one thing comparable to it.
That is a magic item!
In fact, a top-grade magic tool is just a substandard product from the process of crafting a magic item.
Due to some special reasons, it is not completely destroyed and retains one-tenth of the magic item’s power.
Out of desperation, Tool Casting Masters can only sell it to recoup some losses.
Don’t underestimate this one-tenth power of a substandard magic item, as it is enough to surpass all ascendant grade magic tools.
Only the top-grade can confront the top-grade.
The reason why Qin Liangchen was able to defeat Bai Qi, who possessed a Sword Pill, was because he had a top-grade magic tool that could match a Sword Pill – the Purple River Taoist Robe.
Imagine a Qi Refinement Cultivator, using magic items like a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator or a Golden Core Ascendant Master, even though they are just substandard magic items.
The high price is therefore justified.
Actually, Luo Chen does have a substandard magic item on hand.
The Four Symbols Tripod!
Interestingly, just like the Five-Color Treasure Luo Pan, it is also crafted by the Tool Casting Master Hu Yanzhuo from Tian Fan City.
But why does the Four Symbols Tripod only have an ascendant grade and not a top grade?
Because at the time, Hu Yanzhuo was too whimsical, he actually wanted to create a magic item that could integrate five wonderful uses including attack, suppression, defense, pill refinement, and even tool casting.
As a result, four arrays were engraved on the Four Symbols Tripod.
In the end, when engraving the fifth array, he failed at the last moment.
Because of its special material, the Four Symbols Tripod was preserved.
However, because the fifth array was not engraved, it failed to form even the initial shape of the intended magic item.
Additionally, due to the conflicting arrays, the final product ended up being an ascendant grade tool.
Luo Chen heard much of this knowledge from Duan Feng.
Being part of a tool casting family, the Duan family knew much more about tools than he did.
Even if it was just hearsay, there was a rationale behind it.
“This Green Musk Aggregation Jiao Flag can summon three wood element dragons, each one has the power of a cultivator at the Ninth Level Qi Refinement.”
“Not only that, these dragons will emit a green musk fragrance, which can block your enemy’s spirit power without them realizing, significantly reducing their combat effectiveness.”
“But a glaring flaw is a common problem among top-grade magic tools, that it consumes a lot of spirit power.”
“A Late Stage Qj Refinement Cultivator can only use it once, and a cultivator at the Ninth Level Qi Refinement can use it twice.”
It has to be said that Tian Xingzi is very honest.
While he highly praised the power of the Green Musk Aggregation Jiao Flag, he also pointed out its shortcomings.
This way, even if someone purchases it and doesn’t find it effective, they can’t blame the Zhenlong Black Market for not warning them in advance.
However, this flaw is something no one really cares about.
After all, top-grade magic tools aim at being magic items, and the most basic prerequisite is strong spirit power.
Even though they are substandard, top-grade magic tools still retain this drawback.
Even Luo Chen’s Four Symbols Tripod has this flaw.
However, his Qi Power is profound and far exceeds that of his peers. As long as he doesn’t fight, he can use it normally.
During combat, he would mostly only activate one of its special uses to guarantee that his spirit power wouldn’t be greatly drained.
After listening to Tian Xingzi’s detailed introduction.
Luo Chen took a deep breath, with a burgeoning impulse to join the auction.
However, the first bid of six thousand spirit stones deterred him.
He only had a total of five thousand spirit stones, how could he compete with these people in bidding.
“Six thousand one!”
“Six thousand five!”
“Six thousand nine hundred spirit stones, I urgently need a handy magic tool for my journey to the Golden Core Ruins. Regardless of how much you bid, I must get this item!”
The speaker was a man wearing a black tiger mask.
His tone was impassioned!
Not only that, he voluntarily released spirit power fluctuations.
The domineering aura of someone who had reached the final stage of Qi Refinement instantly silenced most of the crowd.
Luo Chen’s eyelids twitched, the final stage of Qi Refinement!
This man was absolutely not a cultivator from the Great River District, but most likely an outsider with great influence.
It seemed the struggle for the Golden Core Ruins was becoming increasingly fierce!
Even cultivators from other areas had been attracted here.
Those cultivators who still wanted to bid, fearing his strong presence, held their tongues.
After all, this was only the first item for auction, there were still good things to come.
There was no need to antagonize him and force a bidding war.
Finally, the Green Musk Aggregation Jiao Flag, a top-grade magic tool, easily fell into the hands of the black tiger mask cultivator.
However, an awkward scene unfolded when it came time to exchange spirit stones.
He acutely wasn’t able to produce enough spirit stones.
Luckily, he took out several pieces of equivalent spirit materials to make up for the difference.
Seeing this, several cultivators who had previously stopped bidding secretly sighed in regret.
Although the man was high-ranking, he was embarrassingly short of funds, apparently stronger on the outside than the inside!
If they had continued to bid just a few more rounds, they might have been able to win it.
After gaining the top-grade magic tool, the black tiger cultivator was extremely satisfied, not even pausing to linger before he directly left the Zhenlong Hall.
“Pfft!”
“This guy is as cunning as a fox, clearly short on funds but feigning bravado, combined with his superior abilities to intimidate, getting a top-grade magic tool at such a comfortable price.”
“Once he got it, he was even afraid of being coveted, and quickly left.”
“What a despicable outsider!”
Hearing the derisive laughter nearby, Luo Chen suddenly realized the issue.
The black market auction was different from the regular auction at the Yu Ding Sword Pavilion.
Once one stepped out of the Zhenlong Black Market, they wouldn’t be responsible for whatever happened next.
It wasn’t just the cultivator next to Luo Chen who had opinions about the black tiger mask cultivator’s departure.
In other corners, there was private whispering.
And these things were meant to be heard by others.
The things that weren’t meant to be heard were mostly happening through sound transmission.
The auctioneer Tian Xingzi kept a neutral face, of course, as he was wearing a mask.
His fingers lightly tapped the wooden table as he said with a smile: “This is how our black market works, bidding for items only depends on your vision, wealth, and courage. If you’ve got the guts, you can also try to get good items for low prices.”
The true value of the Green Musk Aggregation Jiao Flag was at least around seven thousand five hundred spirit stones.
The absence of subsequent bidding rounds meant that the black tiger mask cultivator had definitely saved a large amount of spirit stones.
“Alright, moving on to the second item!
“Everyone, prepare to be excited!”
“Three bottles of Restoring Yang Water, starting bid five hundred spirit stones each, let’s start with the first bottle.”
Despite the low prices, they couldn’t curb the enthusiasm of the cultivators.
Almost as soon as he said those three words, the originally quiet Zhenlong Hall instantly buzzed with excitement.
“Six hundred!”
“Seven hundred!”
“Seven hundred fifty spirit stones!”
“I bid eight hundred spirit stones, anyone who dares to compete with me, be careful not to be able to leave this place.”
“Who are you trying to scare? This is the Zhenlong Hall, if you have the ability, try to start a fight. I bid eight hundred and one spirit stones.”
“You!”
The sounds of consecutive bidding rang out.
In the midst of them, many were shouting and cursing.
Amid the rising and falling tide of bids, Luo Chen, with an unwavering gaze and undeterred spirit, shouted two words.
“One thousand!”