Chapter 675: Chapter 266: The Silver Rat’s Surprise: Inheritance Jade Scroll (2)

After all, most Cultivators would never use such a high-quality item, and it wasn’t as if an ordinary Talisman Brush was unusable.

And those Cultivators who could afford it wouldn’t necessarily want to use a second-hand item with a questionable origin.

"Alright, we’ll do it your way."

Xiao Chen handed back the last Spirit Contract and took the two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Since there were still over two hours until Midnight, he returned to the foot of the staircase and began browsing the items for sale at the stalls.

You had to admit, the stalls in the Black Market were entirely different from those outside.

First, there were none of the loud, somewhat annoying shouts of vendors. All the stall owners were silent, waiting for customers to approach them.

Second, the goods on the stalls were also relatively disorganized.

Outside, stalls that sold Elixirs would only sell Elixirs, and stalls that sold Spirit Grass would only sell Spirit Grass.

But here, you could see several different kinds of items at a single stall.

Some stall owners would roughly sort their wares, while others looked as if they had simply dumped everything out into one big pile.

This wasn’t entirely due to laziness; there was an unwritten rule at play.

The well-organized stalls mostly belonged to resellers who bought items cheap elsewhere to sell them for a high price here.

The jumbled piles, on the other hand, mostly belonged to the original sellers.

They would pile together things they had gathered themselves—or things they had outright stolen from those they’d killed—and let buyers pick through the lot.

Many Cultivators actually preferred this feeling of picking through the goods themselves.

Of course, this wasn’t an absolute rule. In a place like the Black Market, it wasn’t just difficult to tell whether items were genuine; stall owners themselves might be faking their identities.

"Huh?"

As Xiao Chen continued his way, he was surprised to see a peculiar stall.

Aside from a wooden sign placed in the very center, the stall was completely empty.

He drew closer and saw what was written on the sign—Buying Golden Cores for a High Price!

What?

He’d seen his fair share of people fencing stolen goods.

But this was the first time Xiao Chen had ever seen someone buying up Golden Cores.

’The real question is, what use could he possibly have for them?’

"Are you here to sell a Golden Core, Fellow Daoist?"

The stall owner noticed his gaze and spoke up. "No need to look around. I’m the only one in this line of business here."

"Go on, take it out so I can see its quality. I guarantee you a fair price."

Xiao Chen shook his head. "I don’t have one on me right now."

"If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of prices are we talking about? And would you be willing to share what you use them for?"

Normally, one shouldn’t ask the latter question, but he was truly curious.

As expected, the stall owner immediately shook his head. "The exact price depends on its quality. As for the use... no comment. I’d ask you not to inquire further, Fellow Daoist."

’Just as I thought. A question like that was bound to go unanswered.’

Xiao Chen made a mental note of the encounter, then continued on to browse the other stalls.

He hadn’t gone far before he saw a stall up ahead with a huge spread of Storage Rings laid out on the ground.

This stall was much larger than the others, occupying two spaces by itself.

On a large, red cloth, five neat rows of assorted Storage Rings were displayed, numbering over a hundred in total.

If one were to calculate their value at fifty thousand Spirit Stones per Storage Ring, this collection alone would be worth a staggering five million.

Even if some of the Storage Rings were stolen goods being sold at half price, it was enough to prove the stall owner’s immense wealth, far surpassing that of a typical sect’s True Inheritor.

’This world is truly full of hidden masters,’ he thought. ’To think one could encounter such a remarkable individual at a Black Market stall.’

A sign was also posted in front of this stall.

It explained the stall’s rules.

All the Storage Rings on display were left behind by other Cultivators, their Restrictions intact and unbreached.

Regardless of style or condition, each was sold at a flat price of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Customers were free to choose any ring and inspect its Restriction, but all sales were final.

"Care to pick one and try your luck, Fellow Daoist?"

The stall owner began his pitch enthusiastically. "Many of my Storage Rings here come from Secret Realms or Relics."

"Many of your fellow cultivators have found great things inside them before."

"One person found over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, and another even got a Dao Crystal."

Xiao Chen immediately realized what this was. ’Isn’t this just gambling!’

’Well, I’ll be. I’ve never seen anything like this. Guess I’m more sheltered than I thought.’

Now that he’d encountered such a novel scheme, his interest was piqued.

He took a closer look. The rings on the stall were a mix of new and old; a few even had caked-on dirt or dark red bloodstains that hadn’t been cleaned off.

However, it was impossible to deduce what might be inside the rings from these clues alone.

Considering his own luck, Xiao Chen couldn’t help but hesitate.

’Sigh,’ he thought. ’If only I had the Eyes of Golden Flame right now, I could see right through them and know what was inside.’

"Go on, Fellow Daoist, pick one," the stall owner’s voice was deep and rich, sounding like that of a simple, honest man who couldn’t tell a lie. "One hundred thousand Spirit Stones isn’t that much."

He gestured toward the stall. "These rings here would sell for sixty thousand Spirit Stones apiece in the Marketplace, and those older ones over there are worth at least forty thousand."

"As long as you find a single Spiritual Artifact inside, you’ll make your money back right there."

"If there’s anything else inside, every extra item is pure profit."

"And if you happen to find a Tier Four Spiritual Object, you’ll make back your investment several times over in an instant."

HISS—!

’What he’s saying... actually makes some sense.’

A glint appeared in Xiao Chen’s eyes.

’They say the best way to win is not to gamble, but... what if I find something good?’

’The odds are low, sure, but what if *I’m* the lucky one?’

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.