Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 188 Acquisition of Materials
Therefore, hundreds of thousands of years ago, in accordance with the rules of "Wanghai City", all the mortals were moved away.

Nowadays, in "Wanghai City", besides the army of cultivators guarding the city, there are also shops and staff doing business in the city.

As for the others, they were just like Li Yunjing and the others, people who had temporarily entered "Wanghai City".

There is no permanent residency right in "Wanghaicheng".

Whether it's sightseeing, entering the city to purchase supplies, or venturing into the sea to slay sea monsters and collect resources from the ocean, these are all cultivators.

They can choose to stay in a guesthouse or rent a house temporarily.

These houses all belong to the "Wanghaicheng" government, and the fees are renewed every ten years.

Short-term rentals are not allowed.

In any case, the cultivators who come here with different purposes are all temporary residents.

After Li Yunjing and his group entered the city, looking at the wide streets lined with eight rows of carriages and horses, and the sparse number of cultivators, they felt as if they were in a ghost town.

With a clear purpose in mind, Li Yunjing and his three companions headed straight for the shops in the city.

The number of shops in "Wanghai City" is huge, and unlike the small shops in the markets that Li Yunjing had visited, all the shops here are medium to large-sized, and there are very few small general stores.

The goods here are of a very high grade; there are very few items below the level of superior-grade magic artifacts, and spiritual artifacts are not considered the store's prized possessions.

Almost every mid-range shop sells low-grade spiritual artifacts, and some shops even sell mid-grade spiritual artifacts.

The large shops were even more impressive. Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi visited several large shops and discovered that they even sold top-grade spiritual artifacts.

As long as you have spirit stones, you can buy any good thing.

Even third-tier materials, the kind of magical artifacts used by Golden Core cultivators, are not unavailable for purchase.

This time, Li Yunjing and his group really learned a lot.

Along the way, Li Yunjing and his group saw shops and wanted to go in and take a look.

Besides the tasks of the "Seven Star Palace", they also gathered some useful things for themselves.

By evening, Li Yunjing and his companions had visited fifteen shops, spending over 300,000 low-grade spirit stones to purchase a large quantity of materials needed for the "Seven Star Palace".

However, this is still far from the number required for the "Seven Star Palace".

According to Li Yunjing's calculations, to complete this task, he would need to stay in "Wanghai City" for at least ten days to half a month.

In any case, the time given by the Void One Deacon is three months. With such a long time, riding on Yu Yunyi's "Azure Cloud Boat" and with the help of teleportation arrays in various places, Li Yunjing and his group will have enough time to travel all over the Ming Dynasty.

Li Yunjing has plenty of time.

That evening, Li Yunjing and his group found an inn and stayed there.

Given Li Yunjing's wealth, he naturally wouldn't just open a small room like some independent cultivators; he directly booked an entire courtyard.

In the backyard of "Yunlai Inn", Li Yunjing had taken over an entire courtyard. The innermost section had four rooms, and behind it was a garden.

Most importantly, the entire courtyard is very secure, as it is equipped with a set of formations.

After Li Yunjing paid 1000 low-grade spirit stones for ten days' rent, the innkeeper of the "Yunlai Inn" handed over two keys to Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi.

When Li Yunjing and the others arrived at the backyard, Yu Yunyi unlocked the door with her key, and the door creaked open as Li Yunjing pushed it open.

Both doors were made of spirit wood, hard and heavy, and inscribed with runes.

Many inscriptions lit up after the gate was opened.

The walls of the courtyard were covered with inscriptions, radiating a clear light.

If someone wanted to break in without disturbing the guests inside, it would be quite difficult.

Li Yunjing and the others understood that the guest had used a key to open the door, thus activating the formation in the three-courtyard complex.

The entire courtyard has a pleasant environment, surrounded by flowers, trees, and shrubs, creating a tranquil and suitable place to live.

After checking, no hidden door was found.

Yu Yunyi nodded. This courtyard was certainly not as good as Chaoyang Peak, and it was even worse than the place where the inner disciples of Shenxiao Daozong lived, but it was already much better than the living environment of the outer disciples.

Having such an environment while traveling already satisfied Li Yunjing and his companions.

After settling into their respective rooms, the four of them went to the backyard, left the cobblestone path, stepped onto the grass, and walked towards the gazebo in the garden.

“Let’s just have something to eat tonight. I have some turtle meat left, let’s make some barbecue.”

Li Yunjing smiled and took out a large piece of meat from the back of his black tortoise, weighing over a hundred pounds, enough for four people to have a meal.

Cultivators can naturally not eat, as they all possess "fasting pills," but they cannot give up the desire for delicious food.

Ordinary food is not suitable for cultivators, as it contains mostly residue and useless substances.

The meat of a second-tier Xuan Turtle is a top-grade ingredient, and it is a great tonic for cultivators.

"Senior Brother Li! Let's get started!"

Jin Shouyun and Su Guo took the pieces of meat. One cut the meat, while the other used fire magic to start a campfire in the middle of the grass.

Li Yunjing then took a fancy to a large tree and cut off a small portion of its trunk.

He drew his sword repeatedly, slicing it into wooden sticks.

After Jin Shouyun and Su Guo washed the meat with water using their magic, they skewered it and grilled it over a fire.

Before long, the aroma of meat filled the air.

Li Yunjing handed one of the strings to Yu Yunyi, and the four of them drank the spirit wine they had brought and ate the meat of a second-tier demon beast in the courtyard.

"This grilled meat tastes great!"

Yu Yunyi tasted it and exclaimed in praise.

"Yes! It seems you two are quite skilled at cooking!"

Li Yunjing tasted it and nodded. Suddenly, he smiled and said to Su Guo and Jin Shouyun, "If you can't make it here, you can become the head chef at 'Donghualou'."

Of course, that was a joke.

"Haha! Senior Brother Li is joking. How could we possibly be qualified to do this job?"

Su Guo smiled, picked up another skewer of tortoise meat, and started eating.

"Yeah! I'm good at fighting and killing, but I can't stand cooking in the kitchen for even a day!"

Jin Shouyun shook his head; this was not a good suggestion.

"Yunyi, next time, I'll research how to make even better barbecue and cook it for you myself!"

Li Yunjing was just joking, and he didn't think much of it. He looked at Yu Yunyi, who was nestled beside him, and chuckled.

"Hmm! It depends on your skill level!"

Yu Yunyi's smile carried a hint of shyness, sweetness, and helplessness.

There are other people around!

After one night, early the next morning, Li Yunjing gave Jin Shouyun and Su Guo 100,000 spirit stones each and told them to wander around the city and make purchases separately.

The team split into two groups, which greatly improved efficiency. After spending another three days visiting all the material shops in Wanghai City, Li Yunjing finally collected half of the materials.

Of course, it's not that "Wanghai City" didn't have more materials.

The reason is that some prices were not suitable and exceeded the budget, so we could not make the purchases.

Li Yunjing would never work for "Seven Star Palace" at a loss.

On the fourth day, Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi had just stepped out when a young man blocked their way.

This young man has an ordinary appearance; he's the kind of person you'd never remember in a crowd.

This person's cultivation level is not high, only at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

As soon as the young man approached, Li Yunjing smelled a fishy odor, indicating that this person had been frequenting "Wanghai City" for a long time.

This person could be considered a semi-native of this place.

"what's up?"

With only four days left and half the mission still to be completed, Li Yunjing was in a bad mood. He looked coldly at the young man with extremely unfriendly eyes.

The young man noticed Li Yunjing's displeasure and quickly said, "Fellow Daoists, I am Lin Kai, and I have always lived in 'Wanghai City'. I am extremely familiar with the city's thousand shops. If you two have any needs, I can act as your guide!"

After saying this, Lin Kai looked at Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi with a grin.

"Hmm? Tell me, how much will it cost?"

Li Yunjing glanced at him, a thought struck him, and he asked.

Upon hearing that there was a chance, Lin Kai's spirits lifted, and he quickly said, "Fellow Daoists, are you true disciples and inner disciples of the 'Divine Firmament Dao Sect'? Are you here in 'Wanghai City' on official business?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunjing frowned slightly, remained silent, and merely glanced coldly at the man. Holding Yu Yunyi's hand, he walked past the man and prepared to leave. Li Yunjing disliked that the guide was a cunning person.

He now needs an honest and reliable person to guide him and save him time.

Lin Kai looks like a seasoned veteran.

This little brat is treating himself and Yu Yunyi like virgins, trying to trick him into revealing information.

This made Li Yunjing feel disgusted with him, and he no longer wanted to talk to him.

Li Yunjing refused to believe it. In "Wanghai City", he had spirit stones, so why would he be afraid of not finding a local to lead the way?
Lin Kai's appearance was not a bad thing; it served as a wake-up call for Li Yunjing.

Perhaps we could try to find someone, offer some compensation, and complete this task as soon as possible.

With more time saved, Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi will have time to complete their trials.

This time, Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi hope to advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm through training.

The more time you have, the better.

He naturally didn't want to be tied up here and waste time because of the "Seven Star Palace" procurement task.

"Fellow Daoist, don't go! I have a reason for asking this! I'm not trying to trick you into revealing anything!"

Seeing that Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi were about to leave, Lin Kai became anxious and quickly said something.

Seeing that Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi showed no sign of stopping, he followed behind Li Yunjing, one step behind, and continued, "Fellow Daoist, you don't know that some shops already know about your large-scale material purchases in the city."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi were moved. They exchanged a glance, stopped in their tracks, and turned to look at Lin Kai, wanting to hear what else he had to say.

Seeing Li Yunjing and the other person stop, Lin Kai smiled, feeling somewhat smug, knowing that these two wouldn't escape his grasp.

Thinking of this, he smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to listen to my message?"

Li Yunjing remained calm and asked, "Tell me about it."

Lin Kai laughed and said, "I make money in this 'Wanghai City' by being well-informed, and that's how I make it..."

As he spoke, the man flicked his fingers, making a counting motion as if he were counting money; the meaning couldn't be clearer.

How many spirit stones do you want?

Li Yunjing raised an eyebrow and asked in a deep voice, "I hope my spirit stones won't be wasted!"

"Information about the shop, ten low-grade spirit stones!"

Lin Kai's expression remained unchanged in the face of Li Yunjing's threat. He added, "My price is very cheap! And very accurate! It will definitely be helpful to you, fellow Daoist!"

"Alright! I'll give you ten low-grade spirit stones!"

Li Yunjing sneered inwardly, but showed no sign of anything amiss on his face.

He casually tossed ten spirit stones, which flew towards Lin Kai.

Seeing that the other party had accepted the spirit stone, Li Yunjing asked, "Now, can you tell me the whole story?"

"This is what happened!"

Lin Kai laughed and moved closer to Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi before whispering, "You entered the city on the fourth day and visited over 240 shops, all of which purchased the same batch of supplies. Moreover, it seems that they are all related to formations!"

Seeing that Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi were listening attentively, he continued, "Many of these shops are connected and trade with each other."

"The shops communicate with each other, and some experienced people immediately deduced that you must have come from the 'Seven Star Peak' of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect."

Upon hearing this, both Li Yunjing and Yu Yunyi's expressions changed.

Unexpectedly, the merchants in "Wanghai City" were so cunning that they immediately figured out the details of their group.

This is not going to be easy!

Without Lin Kai needing to say anything more, Li Yunjing understood that someone was definitely colluding with various shops to uniformly raise the prices of these materials, intending to rip him off.

Of course, this price isn't particularly outrageous.

After all, the things Li Yunjing purchased were all Tier 1 materials. Even if he couldn't buy them in "Wanghai City", he could simply go to another city or market and continue to purchase them.

It is impossible for us to be controlled by others.

However, if these shops figure out my bottom line and stick to it, and then ask me to buy them all at once, should I trade or not?

The Void Deacon left himself a gap of ten or twenty thousand spirit stones!

This gap wasn't meant for Li Yunjing to embezzle!

Rather, they were taking advantage of Li Yunjing's lack of experience to make him lose ten or twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones!
If Li Yunjing is capable of acquiring this batch of supplies at the normal price, he could earn an extra 10,000 to 20,000 spirit stones.

Li Yunjing doesn't lack one or two thousand low-grade spirit stones!

However, this is the first task assigned by the "Seven Star Palace," and Li Yunjing must do it perfectly!
Otherwise, they would lose face in front of the higher-ups at the Seven Star Palace.

Those in power had the impression that Li Yunjing was talented but lacked practical skills.

This will affect Li Yunjing's future at the "Seven Star Palace".

If Xu Wuyi were to revoke his qualification to purchase materials, Li Yunjing would be devastated.

With his future at stake, Li Yunjing appeared relaxed and carefree on this trip, but in reality, he was anything but at ease.

Every night, Li Yunjing would carefully check the supplies that Jin Shouyun and Su Guo handed over each day to ensure that there were no problems with their quality and quantity.

He's not here to just coast along!

Because this mission was so important, Li Yunjing was unwilling to lose one or two thousand low-grade spirit stones under any circumstances!

At this moment, when news unfavorable to Li Yunjing came from the mouth of this young man named Lin Kai, it would be strange if Li Yunjing's expression remained pleasant.

As expected, Lin Kai then informed Li Yunjing that 178 shops in "Wanghai City" that mainly sold materials had been united together.

As for who organized this, Lin Kai didn't say much. According to him, if you want to know who the mastermind is, you have to pay 300 low-grade spirit stones.

Li Yunjing had no interest in this.

There's no way I could give Lin Kai 300 low-grade spirit stones!
Even if Li Yunjing knew who was behind it all, he couldn't do anything to them; instead, he only brought trouble upon himself.

Li Yunjing's failure to take the bait greatly disappointed Lin Kai.

"It seems this newbie isn't so easy to deal with after all!"

Lin Kai stood by with a smile, but in his heart he was plotting how to deal with Li Yunjing.

Li Yunjing thought for a moment and asked, "I don't care about that! I just want to know if you have any way to help me procure supplies at normal prices!"

"Hahaha! Fellow Daoists, if I dared to come to your door, I naturally have a way!"

Upon hearing Li Yunjing's words, Lin Kai's eyes lit up, and he patted his chest, speaking with great confidence.

Seeing Lin Kai's expression, Li Yunjing sneered inwardly, knowing that he would definitely have to pay this man a considerable amount of spirit stones.

Li Yunjing coldly asked, "Speak! I need a large quantity of supplies. You help me connect with the buyers and complete the transaction. How many spirit stones do I need to pay you?"

Li Yunjing has a bottom line!

I can pay Lin Kai a sum of low-grade spirit stones, but I absolutely will not allow the other party to make exorbitant demands!
"Hehe! I'll act as your go-between, and you'll successfully complete the transaction. I don't ask for much, just 5000 low-grade spirit stones!"

Lin Kai smiled slightly and said calmly.

"Farewell! Your price is too high, I can't accept it! If I can't acquire enough supplies in 'Wanghai City,' I'll just go somewhere else!"

Li Yunjing's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Yu Yunyi and started walking away.

This price isn't unacceptable, but in business, there's no such thing as not bargaining.

Li Yunjing thought this to himself, but in action, he had to put pressure on Lin Kai to let him know that he had reached his limit and could not squeeze any more money out of him.

Otherwise, these seasoned veterans are very difficult to deal with and will definitely find ways to raise the price!

Li Yunjing's hard work is all for the sake of making money for him.

Li Yunjing had seen many such things in his previous life.

I never imagined that such people existed in the cultivation world!

This was quite an eye-opener for Li Yunjing.

"Sigh! Sigh! Sigh!"

Seeing Li Yunjing about to leave, Lin Kai panicked. He quickly walked a few steps to Li Yunjing and said with a smile, "Let's talk business! We can discuss it! Why are you just leaving like that!"

"Hehe! Your price is too high! If I agree, not only will I not earn a single spirit stone, but I'll also have to give you a sum of spirit stones! What are you thinking? Do you think I would agree to such an unreasonable deal?"

Li Yunjing sneered and slowly began to explain.

(End of this chapter)