Only a few bottles of pills remained, the spiritual talismans were entirely sold out, and the few remaining spiritual swords would likely find no buyers for the time being.

Just then, a figure appeared before the stall.

Gu Changhuan focused his gaze and saw that it was the sole female cultivator among the group brought by the black-clothed youth earlier. She had gone and returned, evidently for a major transaction.

The veiled woman picked up a spiritual sword, pretending to examine it. Her voice reached him through a private transmission. "I hear you buy spirit wine recipes. I have one. What would you offer?"

Gu Changhuan understood instantly. It seemed she was cautious and preferred not to display her wealth.

He answered the same way. "I'll pay more if you sell it only to me, less if you intend to sell it to others as well. But first, let me see the ingredients. I need to know whether I want it."

The female cultivator frowned slightly upon hearing this, then handed Gu Changhuan a slip of paper, clearly having come prepared.

Gu Changhuan took the paper, reviewed it carefully, and formed a mental estimate.

"Well? None of the ingredients are hard to find. I'm not asking much: three thousand Spirit Stones, and it's yours," she transmitted.

Gu Changhuan nodded. The ingredients listed were indeed not exceptionally scarce, though they were numerous and varied. Yet this female cultivator certainly dared name her price! A First-Tier High Grade spirit wine formula intended for multiple resales, and she still demanded three thousand spirit stones.

Transactions among rogue cultivators typically involved asking an outrageous price and bargaining it down, so Gu Changhuan naturally had no intention of agreeing immediately.

"They may be easy to find, but there are so many. It can't be an easy wine to brew. Three thousand is too much. I'll give you eight hundred, no more."

The female cultivator had not expected Gu Changhuan to pinpoint the flaws in the spirit wine formula so swiftly. Hearing his offered price, she flared up in indignation and transmitted:

"Eight hundred? That's robbery! Two thousand five hundred. I won't go any lower!"

Gu Changhuan remained unhurried.

"Robbery? That's not a nice word to use here in Linyao Market. A thousand, and I'll throw in the sword you're holding."

The female cultivator dropped the spiritual sword onto the table with a sharp slap.

"I don't want your sword! Two thousand. That's my final price!"

Gu Changhuan sat down. "Fifteen hundred. That's as high as I'll go."

She hesitated behind her veil, then agreed. But she swore to herself that she would never sell the recipe so cheaply again.

With a smile, Gu Changhuan accepted the spirit wine formula from the female cultivator's trembling hand. After verifying its authenticity, he tossed a storage bag to her.

The female cultivator caught the storage bag, swept her Divine Sense through it to confirm the tally of spirit stones matched, let out a cold huff, and turned on her heel without looking back.

Gu Changhuan settled into his chair. A woman of principle—she wouldn't even take a free gift! All the better for him. He could still sell the sword for a few more stones.

A little over two hours later, Gu Changhuan prepared to close his stall.

Today's yield had been quite satisfactory, netting him a wine formula, a Bluebreath Grass seedling, and several spirit seeds.

The magical artifacts and spiritual talismans crafted during his earlier practice were practically gone. He decided to inspect other rogue cultivator stalls to see if any treasures remained.

One might stumble upon a bargain!

Gu Changhuan was filled with eager anticipation.

To be realistic, now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, discovering spiritual items worthy of his notice would prove difficult.

Even so, the likelihood of encountering items suitable for cultivation within the Xuantian Tower remained quite high.

As he wandered, he checked the Tongxian Map in his Sea of Consciousness. As expected, he found nothing above the second tier.

As he passed the stall of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a particular object caught his eye.

"May I ask what this contains, Fellow Daoist?"

He pointed to a translucent sphere about ten cun across.

Something appeared to be crawling within the translucent sphere. Could it be some variety of spirit insect? Gu Changhuan wondered.

"They are Black-Tailed Spirit Bees." The stallholder was a middle-aged cultivator with a thick beard and a cultivation base at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

Spirit bees! He could keep a colony inside the Xuantian Tower.

Spirit honey, produced by bees gathering spiritual floral pollen, offered immense utility to cultivators. It served in pill refining, removed pill toxin, aided cultivation, and rumor held that long-term consumption could even broaden one's meridians.

Whether those rumors held truth remained unverified, but utilizing spirit honey during pill refining unquestionably elevated success rates.

Black-Tailed Spirit Bees had black, venomous tails, just as their name suggested. Adults reached the second tier, low grade, and queens could reach the second tier, middle grade. They were relatively docile, making their honey easier to collect than that of many other spirit bees.

Capturing an intact Black-Tailed Spirit Bee hive proved exceptionally difficult, as their nests grew several times larger than those of other bees, housing a proportionately massive population. Once provoked, the onslaught of a black-tailed swarm was formidable enough to overwhelm even a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Yet judging by the modest dimensions of the spherical magical artifact, the bearded man's captured hive was evidently incomplete, leaving the survival of the queen questionable at best.

Even so, Gu Changhuan felt a stirring of temptation.

"Is the queen within this hive still alive?"

Noticing Gu Changhuan's interest, the bearded cultivator hastened to reply with evident eagerness:

"She's alive! We lost too many larvae to hatch a large brood any time soon, that's all. Eight hundred Spirit Stones, and the hive is yours."

An asking price of eight hundred spirit stones was hardly exorbitant. Gu Changhuan pondered the matter for a moment.

"You'll need to include some honey and royal jelly to feed the queen and the colony. If I can't find a place to keep them right away, they'll need something to eat, won't they?"

The bearded man sprang up, releasing his Foundation Establishment aura. "Eight hundred is already cheap, junior! Don't push your luck!"

Gu Changhuan let his own Divine Sense ripple outward without concealment.

"Come now, Fellow Daoist. You know I'm being reasonable. We both have our standing to consider. Why not settle this calmly?"

Clearly startled to discover that Gu Changhuan was likewise a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the bearded man's expression shifted uncertainly before he produced a small jar.

"Three liang of royal jelly. I've sold all the honey! Eight hundred Spirit Stones, as agreed. Not one less!"