"Are you sure you want it all?" Xiong Kun narrowed his eyes at Luo Chen, his tone filled with doubt.
Beside them, Tian Xingzi remained calm, serving as the intermediary between the two. By now, the black market trade had concluded, leaving only the three of them in the hall.
Earlier, at Tian Xingzi’s transmission, Xiong Kun had halted the auction of the demonic beast’s corpse, setting it aside as the final transaction of the night. Yet, he wasn’t worried, demonic beast corpses were always in high demand. Even if Luo Chen chose not to buy it, Tian Xingzi had the means to take it off his hands. Either way, he wouldn’t be at a loss.
Meanwhile, Luo Chen had already calmed his earlier excitement. Now, with a clear mind, he began weighing the benefits and drawbacks of this unexpected deal.
A second-tier demonic beast, relatively well-preserved. He wasn’t sure what methods Xiong Kun had used to take it down, but that hardly mattered now. What mattered was its value.
If he purchased it, he could use it as the primary material for Imperial Nectar. After all, the formula required only one crucial ingredient, the flesh, bones, and blood of the same demonic beast. If the demonic core was still intact, that would be even better.
He walked around the corpse, occasionally using Spirit Eyes to examine its condition.
As he inspected it, he couldn’t help but nitpick.
"The most valuable Blazing Cloud Wings, one is half-destroyed, severely reducing its worth!" he remarked.
"The flesh is well-preserved, but the demonic core has been overused. Its demonic power is nearly depleted."
After speaking, he looked at Xiong Kun.
"Senior, with the two most valuable materials damaged like this, I’m afraid I can’t offer the price you’re expecting!
Xiong Kun let out a cold snort. "You think just anyone can take down a flying demonic beast?
"Doesn’t matter the rest, just the name Blazing Cloud Roc alone is worth five thousand spirit stones. Besides, I haven’t taken a single piece from it, those materials alone add another five thousand!"
Luo Chen sighed. So he was dead set on ten thousand spirit stones, unwilling to budge?
He had nearly finished his research on Imperial Nectar, but his water-based alchemy technique was still short of true mastery, stuck at the crucial step of Cloud Transformation Hand.
Even if he bought this Blazing Cloud Roc, he wouldn’t be able to refine Imperial Nectar immediately.
Xiong Kun recognized Luo Chen, he was one of the two who had bought his incomplete cultivation technique last time.
He sneered through voice transmission, "Aren’t you planning to use this beast to train that incomplete Sky Roc Transformation?
"Ten thousand spirit stones, it's worth every bit!"
Luo Chen hesitated. He hadn’t actually thought of that.
He forced a smile. "But still, it’s just too expensive. At the end of the day, this is a dead second-tier demonic beast. Its value should be assessed as second-tier materials. Ten thousand spirit stones, that’s the starting price for enchanted treasures."
The price of second-tier materials had always fluctuated greatly.
Pills, for example, started at three to five hundred.
Herbs were priced similarly, even a breakthrough treasure like Heaven and Earth Root had only surged to a little over five thousand.
Ores, on the other hand, were usually sold in bulk.
Yet this Blazing Cloud Roc, despite its power, had its two most valuable parts severely damaged. Was it really worth ten thousand?
Ten thousand was truly excessive.
Xiong Kun frowned; he had thought he could corner Luo Chen into the deal. However, it seemed that Luo Chen wasn’t entirely determined to buy it, and with the back-and-forth haggling, both sides found themselves at an impasse. At this moment, Tian Xingzi, acting as the intermediary, stepped in to smooth things over.
"Young friend, five thousand is indeed too low. After all, Fellow Daoist Xiong risked his life for this," he said.
Luo Chen nodded, acknowledging this fact. Any materials obtained by risking one's life in the mountains to hunt demonic beasts were indeed worth a high price.
Tian Xingzi paused and then turned to Xiong Kun.
"But ten thousand is a price few can afford. Otherwise, you wouldn't have planned to turn my auction house into a slaughterhouse earlier, would you?" His words made Xiong Kun’s face turn somewhat awkward, because he had indeed considered doing just that during the auction.
Selling such a massive corpse without major sect-affiliated shops like Zhongding Restaurant, Spirit Source Pavilion, Spirit Herb Pavilion, or Treasure Pavilion purchasing it was difficult.
His plan had been to butcher it on the spot, selling pieces to whoever wanted them. Had that happened, the auction hall at Precious Dragon Black Market would have instantly turned into a bloody slaughterhouse.
Seeing this, Tian Xingzi struck while the iron was hot. "Even if I were to take this off your hands, converting it into spirit stones would take quite some time. If any complications arise in between, the final price may not be as satisfactory as you hope.
"Since that's the case, why not both sides take a step back and agree on a set price, leaving satisfied?"
Noticing both men waver, Tian Xingzi smiled slightly. "In my opinion, eight thousand is a good number, an auspicious one."
Xiong Kun hesitated; cutting two thousand off the price in one go was a lot. For a rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, it wasn’t a small sum. Unlike other cultivators in Dahe Market who had factions, families, or specialized skills, his cultivation resources depended entirely on hunting demonic beasts. He truly earned his living with his life on the line.
However, Tian Xingzi had a point, rather than selling the materials piece by piece, it was more efficient to settle the deal in one go. While the profit would be slightly lower, the time saved could be better spent on cultivation.
"Eight thousand it is. I am willing to concede," Luo Chen said, feigning reluctance.
Xiong Kun also begrudgingly agreed.
After all, both Tian Xingzi and Luo Chen had shown him respect in the negotiation, one side raising their offer by three thousand, the other lowering theirs by two thousand. In this way, respect had been subtly maintained.
Once the transaction was settled, Luo Chen didn’t linger and immediately took his leave, leaving only Xiong Kun and Tian Xingzi in the hall.
Watching Luo Chen leave, Xiong Kun cautiously asked, "Fellow Daoist, earlier you mentioned 'if any complications arise.' Does that mean something is about to happen?"
To this, Tian Xingzi remained evasive. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Have you given any thought to joining our side, Fellow Daoist Xiong?"
Xiong Kun hesitated.
After a long pause, he firmly shook his head. "No, I’ve grown used to my free-roaming life. The days may be tough, but at least I’m not bound by too many rules and restrictions."
Tian Xingzi didn’t push further. "If that’s your choice, I respect it. Even if I am no longer here in the future, you may use my token to trade in any Precious Dragon Black Market."
This effectively granted Xiong Kun a trade channel.