Yun Ze quickly looked at the three pieces of blue ancient gold on the stall, finding that two of them contained white light, while only one shimmered with a faint green light.
The ten pieces of green ancient gold were slightly better, with seven showing white light, two green light, and one shimmering with a faint purple light.
As for the remaining white ancient gold, it was a sorry sight. Out of over a hundred pieces, there was only one with purple light, one with blue light, and three with green light; the rest were all white.
The only piece with purple light was in his hand.
He really had good luck to have picked up the only white ancient gold that shimmered with purple light with just a casual grab.
Yun Ze withdrew his spiritual energy from Xin Jue and looked up at the vendor. "How much spiritual stone for this piece in my hand?"
"This piece?"
The vendor was taken aback and then gave a wry smile. "Senior, I wouldn't want to cheat you. Let me explain a bit more.
Besides the color indicating the grade, the size of the ancient gold is also a factor.
According to the records of Bogu Tower, the size of the ancient gold is related to the size of the spiritual treasure within. The longer it has existed, the more spiritual energy it absorbs, and the larger its volume becomes.
Once it exceeds a certain volume, the outer layer of ancient gold will shed, leaving only the evolved ancient gold of the next color within.
The piece you picked is too small, less than one-tenth of a cubic meter. It's not only young but also small in volume, so it's unlikely to yield anything good.
I'm just displaying it here to make up the numbers."
"So, it's worth one spiritual stone?"
Yun Ze was quick with his calculations and had already taken out a spiritual stone.
After all, he hadn't truly opened any ancient gold yet. Although he had seen something with Xin Jue, he wasn't sure if it was accurate and needed to verify it.
A piece of ancient gold worth one spiritual stone was naturally the most suitable.
"Ah, forget about one spiritual stone."
The vendor waved his hand. "Senior, pick another piece of green ancient gold, and I'll consider this one a gift."
"That works."
Yun Ze raised his hand and pointed to the only piece of green ancient gold shimmering with purple light on the stall. "This one, how much spiritual stone?"
"Alright, let me calculate for you."
The vendor picked up the green ancient gold, examined it, and then smiled at Yun Ze. "Senior, it's exactly one and a half cubic meters. I'll give you a 10% discount, so that's one hundred and forty-five spiritual stones."
Yun Ze said nothing more, took out spiritual stones from his spatial ring, and handed them to the vendor.
He held up the white ancient gold in his hand. "This piece is mine as well?"
"Naturally."
The vendor accepted the spiritual stones and said respectfully, "Does Senior wish to open it now?"
"Yes, how do I open it?"
"It's simple. Senior just needs to absorb the spiritual energy from the surface of the ancient gold, and its surface will directly disintegrate, revealing the spiritual treasure within."
The vendor then cupped his hands towards Yun Ze. "I wish Senior great fortune, to find purple and gold!"
Yun Ze didn't say much and, in one breath, absorbed all the spiritual energy attached to the white ancient gold.
The amount was less than one-tenth of a first-grade spiritual stone.
In an instant, a purple light burst forth before their eyes!
It wasn't just them who saw it; people at the surrounding stalls naturally did too.
And in the next moment...
"It's purple! What's going on today, purple and gold appearing consecutively?"
"Quick, quick! Let's see who it is again!"
"Damn it! Why isn't it me who got purple!"
In no time, Yun Ze was surrounded by people.
Although not as many as before, it was close.
And he was currently staring at the purple light cluster in his hand, his eyes filled with excitement!
Not because of the mysterious existence within the purple light cluster, but more for the future...
He could see through ancient gold!
If that was the case, wouldn't spiritual stones come rolling in endlessly!
Yun Ze's heart was filled with excitement, but he didn't dare to open the green ancient gold yet.
Once could be considered a coincidence, but twice in a row would surely draw attention. He had to proceed slowly!
He looked at the vendor and spread his hands. "My luck for today is used up. Fellow Daoist, give me that ancient gold, and I'll open it when I get back."
The vendor couldn't help but swallow. He honestly handed over the green ancient gold and then looked at Yun Ze. "Fellow Daoist, aren't you going to see what's inside this purple treasure?"
"Of course, I will."
Yun Ze casually shattered the spiritual barrier, and a wave of spiritual energy instantly spread out!
A metal object the size of a head landed in his palm.
Yun Ze weighed it slightly and found it to be as light as nothing, with no discernible weight.
"Hong Yu Silver!"
A hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
Yun Ze turned and saw the old man who had walked away in disappointment returning.
He looked at Yun Ze, his face filled with excitement. "Fellow Daoist, are you willing to sell this silver to this old man? I'm willing to offer ten thousand spiritual stones!"
"Second grade?" Yun Ze was startled.
If it were truly ten thousand second-grade spiritual stones, that would be a second-tier spiritual weapon!
The old man quickly shook his head. "Naturally, it's first-grade."
"No discussion."
Yun Ze refused without a second thought.
He had just witnessed the old man haggling. The item the old man had sold for five hundred thousand second-grade spiritual stones had initially been offered at only one hundred thousand.
With a five-fold difference, Yun Ze wasn't that foolish.
He put away the Hong Yu Silver and walked out, intending to buy more ancient gold and then visit the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
"Hey! Fellow Daoist, don't be in a hurry!"
The old man directly blocked Yun Ze. "Fifty thousand! At most fifty thousand spiritual stones! Although Hong Yu Silver is the main material for second-tier spiritual weapons, it requires a large amount of auxiliary materials to become an artifact. Fifty thousand spiritual stones is already a high price."
"Hong Yu Silver, one of the main materials for second-tier spiritual weapons."
Before Yun Ze could speak, Zi Ji said from the side, "This silver is known for being as light as a feather, but it cannot be forged with a second piece of Hong Yu Silver, or its properties will be destroyed.
Therefore, the price of Hong Yu Silver increases exponentially with its volume. For Hong Yu Silver of this volume, the market price is at least one hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones."
Yun Ze heard this and turned to look at the old man, saying nothing, just watching him quietly.
The old man saw this and didn't reply, just looked up at the sky and silently squeezed through the crowd, walking away into the distance.
"One hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones..."
The person who had sold spiritual stones to Yun Ze earlier exclaimed.
He looked at Yun Ze's retreating back, pondered for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "Fellow Daoist, please return this silver to me!"
"Huh?"
Yun Ze turned to look at the man. "What did you say?"
"Return my item! That was my ancient gold! The purple treasure that came out of it should naturally belong to me!"
The man's face gradually contorted. Even though he knew Yun Ze was in the Foundation Establishment stage, he dared to shout.
That was one hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones!
Usually, even if a purple treasure was found in white ancient gold, its price would be at most around thirty thousand spiritual stones. He could have endured that.
But this was one hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones! And at least!
If he had these one hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones, it would be enough to buy Qi Condensation Pills, or even Foundation Establishment Pills!
This wasn't just spiritual stones; it was his future!
No matter what, he had to take a gamble!
Since this guy hadn't paid the spiritual stones, he still had a chance!
The crowd that had already started to leave saw that there was entertainment and most of them turned back, wanting to see what was going on.
Even the old man who had left earlier turned back.
"Ridiculous."
Yun Ze sneered. "You said that as long as I bought the green ancient gold, you would give me this white ancient gold. Are you going back on your word now?"
"When did I ever say such a thing? Do you have proof!"
"Heh."
Yun Ze let out a soft chuckle but didn't intend to dwell on it. He casually took out a first-grade spiritual stone and tossed it to the man. "Then consider this as me buying it."
*Bang!*
The man casually flung the spiritual stone away. He directly grabbed Yun Ze's sleeve and shouted, "I'm not buying it! Return the Hong Yu Silver to me! Otherwise, I'll report it to the Immortal Mansion!"
Yun Ze frowned. "Let go."
"No!"
The man turned to look at the old man from Bogu Tower and directly said, "Senior, if you help me get the Hong Yu Silver back, I'll sell it to you for one hundred thousand spiritual stones!"
Although blinded by greed, he knew that he was facing someone in the Foundation Establishment stage! A true immortal!
He could only find another Foundation Establishment cultivator to help!
The old man looked at the two of them, did not express his opinion, but remained silent, just watching.
"I'll give you one more chance."
Yun Ze looked at the man. "If you don't let go, don't blame me for taking action."
"You stole something and you dare to take action!"
The man heard this and quickly shouted, "Immortal Mansion! Immortal Mansion, where are you! Someone is forcibly robbing goods!"
"Who is making such a commotion here!"
A questioning voice rang out, and a middle-aged man in purple robes flew over and slowly landed in the crowd.
He scanned everyone and then his gaze fell on the two of them. "You two, what are you arguing about?"
Core Formation?
It seemed the specifications of this Immortal Gathering were indeed different, with even the administrators being Core Formation realm powerhouses.
"Reporting to sir, the situation is as follows..."
The man quickly recounted the story he had prepared.
The administrator then turned to Yun Ze. "Is what he said true?"
"Naturally not."
Yun Ze then recounted the events from the beginning.
The administrator looked at the two of them. "Do you have any evidence to support your respective accounts?"
Both of them shook their heads. This place was remote, and not many people came here, so how could there be any evidence?
The administrator then looked at the crowd. "Does anyone here know the full story?"
Everyone shook their heads, but one person stepped forward.
"Since that is the case, we shall proceed according to the rules."
The administrator first turned to the man. "Hong Yu Silver is worth one hundred and fifty thousand. If you are lying, then according to the rules, it is an attempted theft of another's property, and you will be liable for double compensation.
If you cannot afford it, you will have to go to the ruins to work off your debt. Do you understand this?"
"I understand!"
The man responded. He had called the administrator out with this possibility in mind, so he would not back down.
"Good."
The administrator nodded and then turned to Yun Ze. "If you are lying, it is considered forcibly robbing goods, and you will have to compensate three times the spiritual stones. Do you understand?"
Yun Ze nodded.
He was curious to see how this administrator would handle the matter.
"Very well."
The administrator nodded, turned, and walked towards a corner. "You, come with me first. Everyone else, disperse."
Yun Ze followed behind the man. As they reached the corner, the administrator extended his spiritual sense, isolating the surrounding sounds!
This was a skill only possessed by Core Formation cultivators.
Yun Ze, in the Foundation Establishment stage, did not yet have spiritual sense.
"Two hundred thousand spiritual stones."
The administrator spoke, uttering four words.
"What?" Yun Ze was confused.
"Take out two hundred thousand spiritual stones, and this Hong Yu Silver will be yours. You will also receive thirty thousand spiritual stones in compensation.
Otherwise, you will not get the Hong Yu Silver, and you will have to prepare four hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones."
"...Heh."
Yun Ze was truly amused to the point of laughter.
He looked at the man, sizing him up, and said, "They say officials in the mortal world reach into coffins for money, desperate for it even in death.
It seems it's different in the cultivation world. They've become robbers with knives from within coffins, snatching money even in death!"
"You mean... you're not giving it?"
"No."