Chapter 1440 - Not For Sale

The old man popped the "mud pellet" into his mouth in full view of the crowd.

Judging by its appearance and scent, the "mud pellet" looked ordinary, leaving everyone with the impression that it was nothing more than a clump of mud rolled into a ball.

He closed his eyes, quietly sensing the "mud pellet" in his mouth. Unlike ordinary spiritual pills that dissolved the instant they entered, this one bounced around like a jumping bean, darting about inside his mouth.

As soon as it entered, a rich fragrance burst forth, condensing into liquid that flowed along his meridians and rushed straight toward his brain.

The old man's features relaxed as his expression shifted from doubt to pure enjoyment, and the entire change took place in less than a fraction of a breath. The remaining energy coursed down his throat and spread into his body.

His limbs began to draw in the energy, and even his physique strengthened under the pill's nourishment. Cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain focused on tempering the soul sea, which left their bodies as their weakest point.

In a battle of souls, cultivators of the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain could probably not withstand them, but neither side truly surpassed the other; they walked different cultivation paths, after all.

The Divine Alchemy Sect's pills could indeed increase soul energy, yet they carried a glaring flaw—medicinal residue would damage one's body.

Liu Wuxie's pill, however, not only fortified the soul sea but also nourished the physique at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

Most crucially, Liu Wuxie's pill delivered far superior results. When the liquid poured into his soul sea, it didn't stir up a faint ripple but instead churned it into a roaring tide.

He could hardly put the sensation into words; it felt indescribably comfortable, and more importantly, there were no hallucinations. That alone proved the pill carried no side effects.

The onlookers grew increasingly restless, all of them desperate to know the actual effect of those "mud pellets." Yet an entire hour slipped by, and Liu Wuxie had still only sold a single pill.

Five minutes later, the old man finally opened his eyes, lingering satisfaction written across his face as if he were reluctant to leave that blissful state.

"Senior Huang Li, how was it?" asked a middle-aged man from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain.

"Great!" Huang Li said, turning to Liu Wuxie with blazing heat in his eyes.

"I'm willing to offer one astral crystal for five of your pills, and I want three hundred," Huang Li continued, giving his valuation without the slightest hesitation.

One astral crystal could buy ten pills from the Divine Alchemy Sect, yet he offered it for only five of Liu Wuxie's pills.

An uproar exploded the instant his words fell. Huang Li had offered to purchase three hundred because that was precisely how many mud pellets sat before Liu Wuxie; he intended to sweep them all in one go.

Feng He's heart plummeted when he heard that, and it was far too late for him to interfere. The surrounding cultivators were no less stunned.

When it came to the Grand Unity Sect's Soul Stones, five astral crystals could barely be exchanged for a single piece, and that price still made sense given their value. Yet no matter how they looked at it, a single astral stone could easily refine hundreds of 'mud pellets' like the ones in front of Liu Wuxie, and that ratio alone made everyone's scalp tingle.

"How is this possible? Don't tell me that those mud pellets are actually some heaven-defying treasure?" Both the Spirit Martial Astral Domain's cultivators and those from the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain were equally dumbfounded.

Zhuge Ming had already anticipated a shocking outcome, but he still couldn't help being taken aback by Huang Li's answer. One astral crystal for five pills was a price unseen in centuries, and even the best deals in the past had only reached one astral crystal for seven pills.

"Not interested," Liu Wuxie replied, calmly rejecting the offer in front of everyone.

Zhuge Ming nearly choked on his own saliva. If Liu Wuxie had accepted, he would have earned three hundred astral crystals in one stroke and easily won the bet. By refusing Huang Li, he had effectively invalidated the transaction, and no one could figure out what he was trying to achieve.

Feng He's group of three, whose expressions had sunk into despair at Huang Li's bid, suddenly saw hope rekindled when they heard Liu Wuxie's refusal.

"He's insane!" many people exclaimed, pounding their chests. They itched to rush over and smack Liu Wuxie. In their eyes, there was no way he could suffer a loss at that price. If Liu Wuxie somehow lost out in that deal, then the other sects might as well slam their heads into beancurd.

"Did I mishear? Did he really refuse the offer?" Quite a few cultivators rubbed their ears, wondering if they had misheard. But judging from the stunned expressions around them, no one had misheard; Liu Wuxie really had turned Huang Li down.

The Grand Unity Sect's elders all wore grim looks. They had no idea what Liu Wuxie was planning beneath his composed exterior, and neither did anyone else around them.

It was evident to many by now that Liu Wuxie was pushing to raise the price, and by rights, Huang Li should have snorted and stalked off. Strangely, however, Huang Li showed no anger at all; instead, he gazed at Liu Wuxie with growing admiration.

After all, it was only natural for a seller to push upward and a buyer to press downward, with both sides bargaining until they settled on a price that satisfied them.

Huang Li had obviously tried to suppress the price as low as possible so he could purchase all three hundred pills in a single sweep.

"Senior Huang Li, that brat is too arrogant. Our Divine Alchemy Sect is willing to work with you at a ratio of one astral crystal for twelve pills," Zhang Li said, stepping forward under Feng He's instructions in an attempt to drag the price even lower.

However, Huang Li didn't even twitch at the offer. His gaze remained locked on the "mud pellets," and his hand lifted several times as if he wanted to snatch them up, only for him to sigh each time when he saw Liu Wuxie's harmless-looking smile.

"One astral crystal for three pills," Huang Li conceded.

If people had only been shocked before, they were now utterly stunned. The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier had no weak cultivation; he stood at a high level in the Earth Immortal Realm. He picked up a pill and tossed it into his mouth without hesitation.

Just like Huang Li, his expression shifted from puzzlement to excitement, and the entire process finished within a single minute, unlike the pills from other sects that required a full hour to test. These "mud pellets" could be refined and verified in a minute.

"Senior Huang, I'm sorry. I'm willing to offer one astral crystal for two pills. I want two hundred," a middle-aged man said, turning to Liu Wuxie.

Once again, the outcome exceeded everyone's expectations. Moments ago, the price had been one astral crystal for five pills, then three pills, and now it had jumped to two pills for one astral crystal.

More importantly, the buyers were the ones actively raising the price. In past years, sects would slowly increase their prices only when their stocks began to run low near the event's end.

Yet this year, buyers themselves bid higher on the very first day, completely overturning everyone's expectations.

Huang Li frowned, yet he knew he couldn't blame the middle-aged man for competing with him.

"Not for sale," Liu Wuxie answered. His reply didn't change as he refused both Huang Li and the middle-aged man.

Bi Gongyu and the others were driven to the brink of madness by that response, clawing at their hair in frustration. With two-thirds of the time already gone, they had no idea what their master was trying to do.

Han Feizi and Qiao Bian could only exchange wry smiles. They were genuinely impressed by Liu Wuxie's composure; if they had been in his place, they would have accepted the deal long ago. Even after the price rose to one astral crystal for two pills, he still turned them away.

Feng He's party felt as if their emotions were being dragged over a cliff's edge and hauled back again, driven half-insane by Liu Wuxie's choices.

"For heaven's sake, stop tormenting us already!" the patriarch of a small clan at a nearby booth wailed, dropping to his knees as if he could no longer bear it. None of their own goods were sold, while Liu Wuxie repeatedly refused to sell despite all the offers. That contrast alone nearly drove them mad with envy.

Many of those who had called Liu Wuxie crazy began to reconsider. They now understood that the "mud pellets" had to be frighteningly precious; the cultivators of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain were no fools. There was no way they would spend astral crystals so freely on worthless trash.

Even in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, astral crystals served as hard currency. By this point, most of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain's cultivators had gathered around, eager to see exactly what made these pills so special.

Zhang Li and Wang Lai, meanwhile, were silently counting the time, praying for the two hours to end as soon as possible. Yet the closer they drew to the deadline, the more unbearable each passing breath became.

Almost every other booth halted its trade as everyone turned their eyes here. Circles of people gathered around the Heavenly Dao Society's stall, layer upon layer. No one could have predicted that the Heavenly Dao Society would become the very center of Nightmare City's attention.

Feng He already regretted everything bitterly. If not for them, no one would have paid this much attention to Liu Wuxie. They had thought they could use this opportunity to humiliate the boy, only to end up helping the Heavenly Dao Society advertise its products instead.

Huang Li and the middle-aged man both hesitated. Their astral crystals were limited, and they had to stretch every stone as far as possible to obtain more resources.

Behind Liu Wuxie, Xu Lingxue gently nudged him, signaling for him not to push things too far.

If he overplayed his hand and they failed to sell a hundred pills within the two-hour limit, the Heavenly Dao Society would be the one to suffer in the end.

Liu Wuxie waved his hand, gesturing for her and the others to remain calm.

"Young friend, you've won. I'm willing to pay one astral crystal for one pill," Huang Li said at last, taking a deep breath. After wrestling with himself countless times, he finally chose to concede.

Even at that price, he would not lose out; in fact, he would still profit handsomely. If he could secure two pills for one astral crystal, it would be a windfall.

All eyes were fixed on Liu Wuxie, waiting for his answer and wondering if he would finally accept. They knew that if he refused again, Huang Li might truly give up.

The reason Liu Wuxie kept forcing the price upward was not to show off or inflate his own value. Even at a rate of five pills for one astral crystal, he would still walk away with a fortune, but that was not the result he wanted.

He understood that if Huang Li bought in bulk, the man could make an even greater fortune reselling the pills in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain.

If that happened, what meaning would the Heavenly Dao Society's hard work hold?

The arrangement would turn them into mere suppliers while Huang Li pocketed the lion's share of the profit as a middleman. From the start, Liu Wuxie's true aim had been to cut off that middleman profit.

Had he accepted the offer of five pills for one astral crystal, Huang Li could have easily resold them at a higher price back home. At one astral crystal for a single pill, however, resale profits would be almost nothing; only those who desperately needed the pill could pay two astral crystals for one, and such buyers were rare.

No wonder Huang Li admitted that Liu Wuxie had won. This had been a silent contest from the very beginning.

If Liu Wuxie had accepted his first offer, Huang Li would undoubtedly have followed up with an attempt to secure a long-term supply agreement on the spot.

Of course, only a few sharp-eyed onlookers managed to see through the unspoken struggle between the two of them.