Zhang San led Wang Hao through an intersection and spent ten Spirit Stones at a carriage shop to hire a ride. Zhang San took the reins personally, taking Wang Hao on a leisurely tour of the city.

“This is the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion,” Zhang San explained, pointing to a lavish building. “Most second-tier treasures can be found here, though the prices are relatively high. They also have third-tier items needed by Golden Core cultivators, but those are just ordinary goods. For rare treasures, you’ll have to wait for an auction!”

He flicked the reins, guiding the carriage down the wide avenue.

“This is the City Lord’s Manor. Senior, if you wish to rent a cave dwelling or a shop, you must come here to register and purchase the rights! You can even rent a small island to become its lord.”

Zhang San lowered his voice slightly. “However, the seas are teeming with demonic beasts. Without the protection of a Golden Core Senior, it’s impossible to occupy the important islands. If you only rent in the vicinity of Wanxiang City, relying on the city’s deterrent power, it might be possible… but the nearby resources are already depleted, so it’s not a good choice!”

Zhang San drove swiftly while providing a steady stream of introductions. The carriage seemed specially designed for travel within the city—fast and incredibly stable.

In just two hours, Wang Hao had toured all the main roads, successfully unlocking the map of Wanxiang City in his system.

“Senior, is there anywhere else you’d like to go?”

“Let’s visit an alchemy shop,” Wang Hao replied.

He wanted to inquire about pill prices and check the purchasing rates for spiritual herbs. If he wanted to exchange his resources for Spirit Stones, he would need to sell his goods eventually.

The Divine Pill Hall was located on a main street in the eastern part of the city. The shop had three floors and covered an area of several thousand square meters. A plaque inscribed with the three characters “Divine Pill Hall” in bold, flowing calligraphy hung above the entrance.

The calligraphy exuded grandeur and an aura of sharpness that seemed to pulse.

Standing beneath the plaque, Wang Hao sensed that these three characters were likely left by a Golden Core cultivator. Ordinary, petty individuals would feel a chill at first glance and dare not entertain any improper thoughts.

As soon as the two entered, a beautiful young woman approached them. After glancing briefly at Zhang San, she dismissed him and bowed directly to Wang Hao.

“Welcome, Senior, to our Divine Pill Hall. What might Senior need?”

Wang Hao nodded slightly and waved his hand. “I’ll look around on my own first. If I need anything, I’ll call for you.”

“Yes, Senior. Please feel free.”

After bowing, the young woman turned and walked away. Although she was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, she remained neither subservient nor arrogant in front of Wang Hao—courteous without being obsequious.

Wang Hao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; indeed, a large establishment was extraordinary.

With his hands behind his back, Wang Hao strolled slowly through the first-floor hall.

Bone Forging Pill: A second-tier body-refining spiritual pill. Effects enhance physical strength.

Wang Hao glanced at it and moved on. He had his own spiritual liquid for body tempering and didn’t particularly need it.

Black Moon Pill: A sacred antidote medicine. Effects are similar to the Clearing Rhyme Pill, mainly targeting poisons found in the sea.

“Foundation Establishment Pill? Can such an item really be bought and sold like ordinary pills?” Wang Hao muttered, spotting a sign.

“Senior, I’m afraid Foundation Establishment Pills cannot be purchased directly,” Zhang San said, pointing to the ‘Out of Stock’ marker below the sign. “If Senior wishes to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill, you’ll probably have to attend an auction!”

Wang Hao nodded, recognizing the commercial tactics from his previous life.

The Divine Pill Hall displayed this sign to show they had the capability to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills—it was a lure to attract customers. As for whether one could actually buy one, it likely depended on the customer’s status. For their major clients, they might make an exception.

After briefly scanning some ordinary pills, Wang Hao arrived at the spiritual herb section. Most were displayed inside protective shields, with many being hundred-year-old specimens.

“Hmm? Soul-Falling Flower.”

Wang Hao’s gaze fell upon a counter where a small purplish-red flower sat inside a protective shield. His eyes gleamed with interest.

This was one of the spiritual herbs required for the Mind-Concentrating Pill. Consumed alone, it also had effects that nourished Divine Consciousness. The Wang Family had been searching for herbs related to the Mind-Concentrating Pill for several years. Currently, they only lacked two ingredients: the main herb, the Spirit-Nurturing Fruit, and this Soul-Falling Flower!

“I’d like to purchase this item. How many Spirit Stones are required?” Wang Hao asked the young woman standing nearby.

Before she could speak, a richly dressed young man beside her let out a light exclamation.

“This Soul-Falling Flower has excellent quality; it looks at least three hundred years old. I want it—name your price.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao’s expression changed slightly. He hadn’t expected to encounter such trouble.

Is this some kind of protagonist’s aura at work? Does arriving at any new location inevitably mean running into arrogant young masters?

But the Soul-Falling Flower was important to him; he had to fight for it.

“Fellow Daoist, I already asked about the price first. Your approach seems somewhat unreasonable.”

“You haven’t bought this Soul-Falling Flower yet; why can’t I purchase it?” The man smiled, his eyes playful.

A follower beside him, exuding the aura of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, spoke coldly. “Something my Young Master Ye has taken a liking to—how dare you compete for it? If you know what’s good for you, get lost quickly! Otherwise, beware of fatal consequences!”

These words caused several other cultivators in the shop to freeze. Sensing the mid-Foundation Establishment spiritual fluctuations suppressing the room, no one dared to speak up. Several customers even put down the items they were examining and slipped out.

Wang Hao felt no hatred or resentment, nor any urge to eliminate them immediately—he just found it absurd. He was simply shopping peacefully; how did he end up in such a cliché?

Such arrogant young masters usually lacked brains entirely. Wang Hao was confident he could kill this dandy with his own strength, but the problem lay with the forces behind him.

At that moment, an elderly man in gray robes slowly descended from the second floor. His aura was fiery, as if he had just been refining pills. Seeing the standoff, he snorted with displeasure.

“Today, I am overseeing matters at Divine Pill Hall! Anyone who dares act violently shows disrespect toward our establishment! If both of you continue like this, don’t blame me for expelling you!”

As he spoke, the elder unleashed his aura, revealing himself as an eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Young Master Ye remained calm, speaking indifferently. “I wouldn’t do evil deeds like bullying others and bringing shame upon my Old Ancestor! Since we both fancy this Soul-Falling Flower, let us bid fairly.”

That was what he said, but his gaze toward Wang Hao was blatantly provocative.

The gray-robed elder nodded in satisfaction. Without waiting for agreement from Wang Hao, he reached out, summoning the Soul-Falling Flower into his hand.

“Three-hundred-year-old Soul-Falling Flower. Marked price: one thousand Spirit Stones! Both gentlemen, please bid!”

“Two thousand Spirit Stones.” Young Master Ye revealed a hint of arrogance, doubling the opening price immediately.

Even a clay figurine has a temper!

Wang Hao saw that Young Master Ye was determined to overpower him with wealth. The shopkeeper appeared fair but was intentionally ignoring the queue order to drive up the price.

Wang Hao decided to play along. “Three thousand!”

“Four thousand,” Young Master Ye said, looking mockingly at Wang Hao as if finding the whole affair an amusing game.

“Five thousand!” Wang Hao shot back.

“Six thousand!”

“Fine! Young Master Ye is impressive indeed!” Wang Hao chuckled lightly, stepping back. “Spending six times the price on a single spiritual herb is truly admirable! This Soul-Falling Flower belongs to you now!”

“You understand then? How dare you compete against Young Master’s wealth?” the follower sneered sarcastically. Despite being a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, he willingly acted as a lackey to someone weaker—truly shameless.

However, the follower failed to notice the expression turning livid on Young Master Ye’s face.

Ye realized he had been played. He was not a fool; quite the contrary, he was a direct descendant of a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor and highly talented. He merely lacked experience. He had originally come to the market seeking fun, but due to momentary carelessness, he had become the joke.

With a pale face, he glared at Wang Hao and spat out his words coldly. “Fine… very well indeed! You actually set a trap…”

The Divine Pill Hall manager also sensed something amiss. It seemed like a collaborative trick, but since Young Master Ye was backed by a Nascent Soul ancestor—and he suspected Wang Hao might be as well—he saw no need to explain further. Profit was profit.

“Young Master Ye, please watch your words carefully!” the manager warned.

Though not many witnessed the farce, none dared to involve themselves in a dispute between several Foundation Establishment cultivators. They suppressed their laughter, which only made Young Master Ye increasingly furious.