Early the next morning, Wang Meiruo and Yu Yixiang wandered around the market for a long time, buying some strange and peculiar things.
There were also some specialty stores in the market, such as Qiandao Specialty, Kundaao Specialty, Luxury Stores, and Treasure Gambling Stores.
In Qian Duoduo's opinion, these stores were all disreputable, and he had never entered them.
However, Wang Meiruo and Yu Yixiang visited every single one.
After they left, Qian Duoduo successively received Magic Treasures from both of them.
Yu Yixiang's were exactly one hundred, no more, no less.
Although Wang Meiruo's were not a full hundred, there were several dozen, including three artisan artifacts and one Dan artifact.
He truly didn't know how she managed to get them from her Family—whether she cried, made a fuss, or acted spoiled and threatened to hang herself.
The store's warehouse was almost full.
The newly arrived materials, in addition to the Wang Family's, also included those from the Chu Family, Zhu Family, Shang Family, and other Families.
Chu Tianqi, Zhu Junliang, and others actively asked their Families for materials.
Qian Duoduo's promise to them was the same as to Wang Meiruo: split the profits fifty-fifty.
Having witnessed Qian Duoduo's Artifact Refining ability, they knew this was no different from picking up money.
With their Families' approval, their status also rose.
They became even more convinced of Qian Duoduo as the store's pillar.
Qian Duoduo refined at least twenty Magic Treasures a day, offering ten of them as the Refining Spirit Sect's daily special Magic Treasures.
High-grade Mortal Weapons, normally priced at forty thousand gold coins, were sold at a special price of only twenty-eight thousand.
Furthermore, only one item was sold per hour.
Coming to the Refining Spirit Sect's store to find bargains became a new habit for Cultivators in the city.
In the second and third months of the commercial war, the Refining Spirit Sect won again.
However, the counterattacks from the Shengling Sect and the Ba Ling Sect also began.
On this day, Zhu Junliang, who had gone out to gather information, returned, saying, “The Shengling Sect has transported ten carts of spiritual plants; it looks like they're planning something big.”
“Even if they send a hundred carts, they still won't be able to defeat us,” Chu Tianqi said dismissively.
Qian Duoduo had been immersed in Artifact Refining these past few days, and he also believed that the Ba Ling Sect and Shengling Sect couldn't cause much trouble.
He had been too poor before, and the joy brought by refining artifacts and selling them for money was now too great, reaching a point where he couldn't stop.
Sometimes, Liu Boli would look at his Artifact Refining disciple, whose eyes were gleaming, and wonder if he was obsessed with making money or with Artifact Refining.
In these two months, President Wang Shuhuo had visited the store several times, urging Qian Duoduo to take the second-grade Artifact Refiner examination.
Although Qian Duoduo really wanted to obtain the artisan artifact-level Hundred Item Recipes, he still declined, citing the need for more practice.
This was because Qian Duoduo always felt that the President was secretly observing him.
Qian Duoduo had once discussed with Liu Boli that the President had questioned who his Master was because of his Artifact Refining techniques.
Liu Boli remained silent for a long time before saying, “In the future, you should ponder more on your own and refine some strange things.”
Qian Duoduo understood the implied meaning of his words.
Be low-key, don't follow the conventional path, and prevent the President from discerning the origins of your Artifact Refining skills.
Following Liu Boli's guidance, Qian Duoduo refined many useless Magic Treasures, such as the Immortal Chair that allowed for quick sleep while lying down, the Cooling Fan that automatically produced wind when opened, and the Ever-Blooming Treasure Hairpin that constantly opened and closed when worn in the hair...
These strange Magic Treasures, which could neither be used for fighting nor for self-defense, were displayed on the counter by Chu Tianqi and the others, and surprisingly, they were sold.
Qian Duoduo inquired and found out that these items were bought by Cultivators to please their Family members, and it was said that the effects were particularly good.
This greatly increased Qian Duoduo's interest in Artifact Refining.
All things have spirits; naturally, all things can become treasures.
Whether something can become a treasure depends on the Artifact Refiner's skill.
Qian Duoduo refined whatever he saw.
Some succeeded, some failed, and Qian Duoduo recorded both the successes and failures.
The successfully refined strange Magic Treasures were organized into individual Magic Treasures.
Qian Duoduo had also created hundreds of his own Magic Treasures.
When he was engrossed in refining, Qian Duoduo even felt that everything in the world was worth refining with Artifact Refining techniques...
Qian Duoduo was studying how to modify a turtle shell tent when Chu Tianqi pushed the door open.
“The Shengling Sect's move this time is a bit formidable.”
“How formidable?” Qian Duoduo put down the spiritual locust wood in his hand.
“The spiritual plants brought over yesterday are not only of good quality and low price, but they also have a new game.”
“A new game?” The good quality of spiritual plants was the Shengling Sect's specialty, which couldn't be competed with.
The low price was their willingness to sacrifice profits to attract popularity, which couldn't be controlled.
But a new game was worth paying attention to.
“Every hour, they take a spiritual plant worth no less than forty thousand gold coins and let the customers of the sect store guess its price.
Whoever guesses the closest price gets to buy it at half price.”
“Hey, this is a new commercial strategy, brilliant!”
High-priced spiritual plants were already attractive.
Using a guessing method attracted the most people to participate.
When guessing the price, the winner was not the highest, nor the lowest, but the most accurate.
It tested both eyesight and luck.
“Are there many people?” Qian Duoduo stood up, deciding to go and see for himself.
“—Right now, more than in our store.
Of course, even more than in the Ba Ling Sect's.”
Qian Duoduo and Chu Tianqi arrived at the Shengling Sect's sect store, just in time for the guessing game of a spiritual plant.
In the crowd, Cai Fuxue stood behind the counter, his feet on a sandalwood table, holding a brocade box in his hand.
On the counter lay a three-foot-long piece of wood, covered with patterns resembling ghost eyes.
If one stared at the patterns, they would involuntarily feel dizzy.
“Now, we're guessing the Ghost-Eyed Sword Heart Wood!
It's worth forty thousand or more; everyone, please guess how much!
The price is written in the box, and whoever guesses the closest gets to buy it at half price.
Buying it means earning, and you can directly auction it in this store; this store charges no fees.”
The Artifact Refining Encyclopedia records that Ghost-Eyed Sword Heart Wood is a valuable spiritual tree that grows underground, taking a hundred years to mature, and only one root can be taken from each tree.
It is an essential material for refining Dan artifact soul swords.
A Formation was set up around the brocade box, so no one could use their Spiritual Awareness to see inside.
Cai Fuxue's lips seemed to be painted with rouge, and his floral skirt spread open like a blooming flower.
He immediately spotted Qian Duoduo, and his high-pitched voice immediately rang out again, “Brother Bu Huan is here; find a place to sit.
Who will give Brother Bu Huan a seat?
Oh my, business is too hot, and it's also worrying.
What did you say? It's good enough to have a place to stand.
That's my dear Brother Bu Huan, who can play with fire and refine artifacts.
If you talk nonsense again, Brother will burn your tongue and refine it into a toothpick...”
As Cai Fuxue spoke, he twisted excitedly, wishing he could turn around and show off his somewhat plump backside.
It must be said, the atmosphere in the store was indeed good.
One by one, the proud Cultivators, whether they knew each other or not, joked with each other like familiar neighbors in a village.
The assistants also brought out plates of free spiritual melon seeds and spiritual peanuts.
Feel free to crack and eat them.
Cultivators took spiritual papers unique to the Shengling Sect from the assistants and wrote numbers on them.
After writing, they signed their names, and the assistants collected the spiritual papers and pasted them on the wall.
Qian Duoduo casually wrote “46666” and handed it to an assistant.
“Anyone else who hasn't guessed?
Anyone?
Three—two—one!” The floral skirt bloomed, fortunately, there were long pants underneath, blocking Cai Fuxue's somewhat unmentionable charms.
The brocade box opened wide, and inside lay a spiritual paper.
Cai Fuxue took it out and held it high above his head.
“48998!”
Without the floral skirt speaking, the Cultivators in the store shouted out the numbers on it.
“Anyone who guessed correctly?” The floral skirt asked the assistants.
The assistants' eyes frantically scanned the wall, each shaking their heads.
“Who guessed the closest?” The floral skirt swung back sharply.
“Sheng Hailian, 48994,” an assistant shouted, pointing at the spiritual paper on the wall.
A Cultivator with a knife scar on his forehead stood up, dropping the spiritual melon seeds in his hand.
“Me, me, me, 48994.”
“Is there anyone closer than him?
No?
Good, congratulations to Sheng Hailian for purchasing the Ghost-Eyed Sword Heart Wood at half price.” The floral skirt took the Ghost-Eyed Sword Heart Wood in hand and injected Spiritual Qi into it; the ghost eyes on the wood's surface actually moved!
“Help me sell it.” Sheng Hailian threw a spiritual peanut into his mouth...
After another commotion, the Ghost-Eyed Sword Heart Wood was bought for over fifty-one thousand.
Sheng Hailian guessed a number correctly and earned over twenty thousand gold coins.
“Let's go.” Qian Duoduo patted Chu Tianqi, a plan forming in his mind.
“Brother Bu Huan, don't leave yet; stay and play a little longer.
Maybe the next lucky one will be you.” The floral skirt waved at Qian Duoduo.
That smug look was a harsh blow to Qian Duoduo's face.
Qian Duoduo sneered inwardly.
He could copy this guessing game as soon as he returned.
He had plenty of Magic Treasures; at worst, he'd just refine more.
The Shengling Sect wanted to win the commercial war with a guessing game? No way.
“The next item for guessing in this store is the Cold Flower Blood Crown Grass.” The floral skirt saw that Qian Duoduo was determined to leave and didn't try to keep him further.
However, the name of the spiritual plant he announced made Qian Duoduo's legs stop.
One foot was inside the threshold, one foot outside.
Cold Flower Blood Crown Grass was the raw material for making the Five Yin Soul Returning Pill.
If Master Liu Boli had the Five Yin Soul Returning Pill, his strength could greatly increase.