Chapter 15: Psychological Gaming, Deal is Done

Hearing the elder's offer, Arius was slightly surprised. The value of the century-old Spirit Purification Herb leaf far exceeded his expectations.

But after a moment's thought, he quickly understood why.

In the Immortal Market of the Albigensians Sect, while such leaves were rare and precious, they could still be purchased if one was willing to part with enough spirit stones.

However, within a hundred, or even several hundred miles of Purple River City, no faction had the means to cultivate century-old treasures like this.

The cultivation of such herbs required not only a cultivator's meticulous care but also superior spiritual farmland—resources far beyond the reach of most powers in this region.

As a result, a century-old Spirit Purification Herb leaf was essentially priceless within this vast area.

Realizing this, Arius didn't respond to the elder immediately. Instead, he maintained a calm demeanor, furrowing his brow slightly as though dissatisfied with the offer.

Every negotiation was a battle of wits.

Only by seizing the upper hand could one maximize their gains. This was true in the cultivation world and in the mundane one as well.

Seeing Arius's silent, discontented expression, the elder didn't rush.

As the manager of Blue Pavilion, he had dealt with all sorts of customers and could easily recognize when someone was holding out for a better offer.

After a brief pause, he spoke again, raising the bid:

"How about this, Fellow Daoist? Let's consider this a gesture of goodwill between you and Blue Pavilion—thirty-five spirit stone fragments, a fixed price."

"While the century-old Spirit Purification Herb leaf has some value, it doesn't serve much practical use in your hands…"

"Even if you were to consume it directly, it wouldn't significantly increase your cultivation and would waste much of its medicinal properties. But if you exchange it for spirit stones, you could purchase refined pills or cultivation techniques that would be far more beneficial."

Despite the elder's raised offer and persuasive reasoning, Arius remained impassive, his expression calm and unaffected.

Thirty-five spirit stone fragments was already a generous price, but Arius knew it wasn't Blue Pavilion's best offer.

As the elder observed Arius's composed demeanor, he began to feel a twinge of frustration. But instead of increasing the bid again, he shifted his approach, testing the waters.

"Fellow Daoist, thirty-five spirit stone fragments is the absolute limit Blue Pavilion can offer."

"If you're still not satisfied, perhaps you could name a price yourself? As long as it's reasonable, we can negotiate."

The elder emphasized the word "limit," making it clear that he was approaching the boundaries of what he could offer.

This was part of the negotiation game.

In the Immortal Market of the Albigensians Sect, a century-old Spirit Purification Herb leaf might fetch no more than twenty spirit stone fragments.

But in the Purple River region, where such leaves were essentially unavailable, Blue Pavilion could easily sell it for 100 spirit stone fragments or more through their auction network.

By transferring the power to set a price back to Arius, the elder was probing for Arius's bottom line.

In any negotiation, strategically ceding the initiative could often pave the way to gaining even greater leverage.

But Arius, a cultivator with over a century of experience and now 110 years old, wasn't so easily manipulated.

"Eighty spirit stone fragments. Anything less, and I won't sell it," Arius stated flatly, naming a bold figure.

Eighty fragments was a steep price—approaching the value of an entire complete Spirit Purification Herb.

After all, a whole century-old Spirit Purification Herb might only sell for three or four lower-grade spirit stones.

And what Arius offered was merely a single leaf.

As expected, the elder's expression shifted subtly at the mention of eighty fragments. A hint of helplessness crept into his eyes.

All his usual negotiation tactics had proven useless against Arius.

"Fellow Daoist, surely you jest."

"Let's compromise. How about we meet in the middle—sixty spirit stone fragments?"

"This price is already three times the market value for a leaf of century-old Spirit Purification Herb. Even if you were to visit other trading houses, you wouldn't get a better deal," the elder said with a sigh.

Sixty spirit stone fragments was indeed the highest price Blue Pavilion could offer.

While Blue Pavilion could potentially auction the leaf for one hundred fragments or more, every transaction's profit required giving a thirty percent cut to the Albigensians Sect.

Not just Blue Pavilion, but the entire Immortal Market—and every cultivation force in Pyrenees Mountain County—was obligated to surrender thirty percent of their profits to the sect.

Failure to comply would mean facing the wrath of the sect and annihilation.

In Pyrenees Mountain County, the Albigensians Sect was the absolute ruler.

"Not enough."

"Unless you add three copies of Organ Tempering cultivation techniques and one bottle of Spirit Purification Pills," Arius said flatly.

Hearing this, the elder didn't argue and quickly agreed.

Organ Tempering cultivation techniques weren't particularly rare; Blue Pavilion had hundreds of them in its collection. Printing three copies for Arius wasn't an issue.

As for the bottle of Spirit Pills, it contained six pills and was worth no more than two spirit stone fragments.

Once the deal was finalized, the elder wasted no time. He ordered someone to retrieve the three copies of the Organ Tempering techniques, along with a bottle of Spirit Purification Pills and sixty spirit stone fragments, which were promptly handed to Arius.

In return, Arius passed the century-old Spirit Purification Herb leaf to the elder.

With the transaction completed, the elder smiled warmly and spoke again.

"Fellow Daoist, is there anything else you need?"

"Our Blue Pavilion offers a wide range of premium artifacts, refined pills, and other treasures."

"If there's something you're interested in, we can offer you a special discount—ten percent off this time!"

The elder's tone was eager, trying to capitalize on Arius's willingness to spend.

Arius didn't refuse.

He had come to the Immortal Market precisely to stock up on pills, talismans, and arrays for his upcoming confrontation.

"Shopkeeper, I'll take ten Fire Talismans, three Spirit Poison Bottles, and ten bottles of Body Tempering Pills," Arius said casually.

Fire Talismans were among the most basic types of talismans.

A single Fire Talisman's power was so limited that it couldn't even harm a Bone Tempering cultivator.

Yet their price wasn't cheap—one Fire Talisman cost a full spirit stone fragment.

Of course, while a single talisman might be ineffective, throwing hundreds—or even thousands—of Fire Talismans at once would force even an early Level one cultivator to retreat.

Arius's purchase of Fire Talismans had a clear purpose: to deal with the Ashfell family's Organ Tempering patriarch.

Though Fire Talismans were weak in their base form, Arius planned to use the Mirror of Immortal Appraisal to enhance and upgrade them.

Similarly, the Spirit Poison Bottles served as another basic offensive tool.

Each bottle contained a concentrated toxin derived from treasured herbs. When thrown at an enemy, it could inflict temporary paralysis.

However, low-grade Spirit Poison Bottles were only effective against cultivators at the Body Tempering stages.