Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 243: Setting Up a Stall

“Fellow Daoist, what kind of goods are you hiding here?”

Qin Lu asked casually, squatting down to sift through the items cluttered across the burly cultivator’s stall.

The vendor, a man with a rugged, scarred face, barely glanced up before lowering his head again. His tone was indifferent. “Everything is laid out. Look for yourself.”

Qin Lu ignored the man’s cold shoulder. He continued to flip through the assortment of common Magical Artifacts, his expression unreadable. After a few moments, his gaze drifted to a small pile of scrolls tucked away in the corner.

“What’s the background on these scrolls?”

“One technique manual, two Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques, and the rest are just scribbles—experience logs from some artifact refiner,” the burly man replied flatly, not bothering to make eye contact.

“Which one is the technique?” Qin Lu asked, cutting to the chase.

Among the scrolls, cultivation techniques were useless to him. He had already committed to the [Heavenly Heart Sword Art]. As a premier sword cultivation method capable of guiding him all the way to the Golden Core realm, he had zero reason to switch paths.

As for artifact refining, he simply didn’t have the mental bandwidth to study it. There were too many techniques waiting to be upgraded, and he hadn’t even fully grasped the depths of alchemy yet. The path of the smith would have to wait.

That left only one target: the technique manual.

Hearing the direct question, the burly cultivator finally reached out, tapping a grayish-brown scroll.

“This is it. The [Spirit Control Technique]. Once learned, you can easily influence the minds of Qi Condensation cultivators. If you master it to a high degree, it can even exert control over those in the Foundation Establishment realm.”

A mental-type technique!

Qin Lu felt a surge of genuine delight.

This was exactly what he needed. He had never acquired a mental-type technique before. If he could learn this and grind it to the maximum level, the panel would likely allow him to [Awaken] a mental talent.

That would provide a massive, fundamental boost to his ability to learn and comprehend all other techniques in the future. Furthermore, mental attacks struck directly at the consciousness. Against a cultivator with weak mental defenses, such a technique was essentially unblockable.

Qin Lu picked up the scroll, carefully probing it with a thread of Spiritual Qi. Once he confirmed the contents were authentic, he looked up.

“How many Spirit Stones?”

“Three thousand five hundred.”

Qin Lu’s brows shot up. “That expensive?!”

“You know as well as I do that mental-type manuals are rare,” the burly man said, his tone shifting from indifferent to matter-of-fact. “That price is already a bargain.”

“Don’t try to fleece me, fellow Daoist. I know the market rate for Foundation Establishment techniques. Your price is inflated.” Qin Lu shook his head. “Two thousand five hundred.”

“Hey, hey! Are you here to smash my sign?” The vendor scowled. “What kind of Foundation Establishment technique can you buy for that pittance? I’ll knock off a hundred, max!”

“I’m a sincere buyer, but your price is just…”

“…”

After a fierce round of haggling, they finally settled on a price: three thousand one hundred Spirit Stones.

Handing over the heavy bag of stones, Qin Lu felt his purse lighten significantly, but his mood remained high. He tucked the [Spirit Control Technique] into his [Storage Bag], turned, and vanished into the crowd to find a spot of his own.

It was time to switch from buyer to seller.

He had observed that setting up a stall in this trading area required no fees; it was a free-for-all market. After wandering for a bit, Qin Lu found a vacant patch of ground.

He pulled out a large black cloth, spreading it neatly over the dirt with practiced ease. Then, he began to unload his inventory—specifically, the Magical Artifacts seized from the evil cultivators during the war with the Raging Waves Sect.

Sabers, spears, rods, axes, hooks, and forks—the weapons were varied and menacing, their conditions pristine enough to fetch a good price.

Once everything was arranged, Qin Lu sat down cross-legged behind his wares.

Looking at the black cloth spread before him, he let out a long, quiet sigh. A wave of nostalgia washed over him.

It had been a long time since he sat on the ground like this, hawking goods to passersby.

Ever since Manager Yan of the [Sky Book Pavilion] in [Wuji Market] had approached him for that talisman partnership, he hadn’t needed to run a street stall. After moving to the [White Jade Market] and advancing to Foundation Establishment, he barely even visited the low-level bazaars, conducting most of his business privately with other high-level cultivators.

Sitting here now, amidst the noise and dust, reminded him of his early days as a novice talisman maker.

Back then, he was destitute, crushed by debt, and living day-to-day with his life hanging by a thread. Times had been truly hard.

Now, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His strength had skyrocketed, and his social status had leaped forward by lightyears. The contrast between the shivering novice and the man sitting here now was stark enough to make anyone emotional.

However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on the past. A customer had arrived.

It was a young man, a Qi Condensation cultivator. He approached the stall with a reserved, almost nervous demeanor, keeping his head low as he scanned the array of weapons.

The artifacts on Qin Lu’s stall were spoils of war. Not all were second-grade artifacts meant for Foundation Establishment experts; there were plenty of high-quality first-grade weapons suitable for Qi Condensation disciples.

The young man’s eyes were glued to those first-grade items.

After a moment, he pointed a trembling finger at a spear. He looked up, his expression cautious. “Senior, what is the price of this Magical Artifact?”

Qin Lu glanced at the weapon, pulling its details from his memory.

“That is the [Fire Shock Spear]. It contains an internal Fire Affinity array. Upon impact, it unleashes a burst of flame. It’s a First-Grade High-Grade artifact. The price is four hundred Spirit Stones.”

“Ah… that expensive…”

The young man’s face fell, a look of distinct trouble clouding his features.

Seeing the customer hesitate, Qin Lu immediately went into sales mode. “The power of this artifact is no joke. It might seem pricey, but it’s absolutely worth it. Go ahead, pick it up. Feel the weight and the spiritual flow.”

Hearing this, the young man crouched down and grasped the red shaft of the spear. He closed his eyes, sensing the energy within. The longer he held it, the brighter his eyes became.

He clearly loved it.

Reluctantly, he looked back at Qin Lu. “Senior… could you lower the price a little? I… I really don’t have enough Spirit Stones on me.”

“How much do you have?” Qin Lu asked, his voice calm but probing.

The young man unhooked a small cloth pouch and opened it, showing the contents. “I only have three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. Senior, please look…”

“That won’t do. You’re short by too much.”

Qin Lu refused instantly. But after a brief pause, he softened his tone. “However… check your pockets. If you have anything of value, I might accept a trade to make up the difference.”

The young man’s face lit up. He frantically began searching his robes.

Moments later, he produced a small pile of miscellaneous items, laying them out for Qin Lu to inspect.

Qin Lu swept his gaze over the junk. Most of it was useless—common materials worth practically nothing. But then, his eyes snagged on a glimmer of gold.

It was a bracelet. The craftsmanship was surprisingly delicate, with a refined, elegant aesthetic.

Gu Yue likes this sort of thing, Qin Lu thought, a rare warmth touching his pragmatism. If I bring this back as a gift, she’d probably be happy.

He made up his mind.

Qin Lu reached out and picked up the delicate golden bracelet, feigning a casual air. “Alright. I’ll take this little trinket to cover the rest. The spear is yours.”

The young man was overjoyed. He hurriedly dumped the Spirit Stones onto the cloth and bowed repeatedly, thanking Qin Lu profusely before grabbing his new spear and scurrying away.

Qin Lu watched him go, then tucked the bracelet into his robes. He settled back into his meditative pose, waiting for the next fish to bite.