Shengwu Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Grand Era City, was bustling with activity.
After leaving the Prodigy Tower, Lin Xiao, Ling Xiao, Ling Hu, and Purple Spirit quickly made their way to Shengwu Street.
The other youths, including Purple Dragon, did not join them.
With a Martial Emperor present, they wouldn’t feel at ease, likely not daring to waste a moment, making it unsuitable for them to come along.
Of course, Lin Xiao and Purple Spirit had no such concerns.
Stepping onto Shengwu Street, the wide road was lined with stalls displaying a dazzling array of items. The crowd was endless, and the cacophony of voices filled the air. Though it was evening, the atmosphere felt feverishly vibrant.
“Crimson Flame Orchid, harvested from Zhaoyao Mountain, its value immeasurable!”
“Fire Spirit Lotus, a sacred herb for fire-attribute cultivators!”
“Mysterious artifact, obtained from an ancient tomb, possibly a peerless treasure!”
Shouts rang out from all directions, each vendor passionately hawking their wares. The lively scene was almost theatrical, as if every stall held an Emperor-level treasure, deceptively enticing.
Lin Xiao’s gaze scanned the medicinal herbs. The so-called “mysterious artifacts” held little value in his eyes.
“Is that a pile of Four-Leaf Ginseng? How much?” Ling Xiao stepped forward, pointing at a stack of wooden ginseng.
Lin Xiao was speechless. It was indeed Four-Leaf Ginseng, known for purging impurities from the body.
However, its effects were weak, only useful for low-level Heavenly Martial or Martial King cultivators.
If others knew Ling Xiao was a Martial Emperor, they’d likely scoff.
A Martial Emperor buying items meant for Heavenly Martial or Martial King realms?
“There’s over a hundred Four-Leaf Ginseng here, one thousand Martial King Origin Pills in total,” the old vendor said, casting a disdainful glance at Ling Xiao. The ginseng wasn’t valuable, merely displayed to make his stall look well-stocked. He hadn’t expected this middle-aged man to ignore pricier items and pick the ginseng.
Still, selling a whole pile could earn a small profit.
“I’ll take it,” Ling Xiao said decisively.
Lin Xiao was dumbfounded. Four-Leaf Ginseng had some use for Martial Kings, but its effect was less potent than a single Martial King Origin Pill, just different in function.
A hundred ginseng roots for a thousand Martial King Origin Pills was a rip-off outside this setting.
But for a Martial Emperor, this was pocket change, negligible even for Lin Xiao.
They typically used Cyan Spirit Stones, where one stone equalled fifty Martial Venerable Origin Pills, or twenty-five thousand Martial King Origin Pills.
Anything priced in Martial King Origin Pills was hardly expensive.
So, Lin Xiao said nothing.
Besides, while these items were useless to them, they were valuable for the younger members of the Ling family.
Ling Xiao was clearly thinking of his family’s benefit.
And probably only a Martial Emperor in his forties would personally buy such items.
“What’s that? Magnolia Flower? And that’s Rain Spirit Grass? Clear Vine Wood? How much for the lot?” Ling Xiao pointed at another pile of herbs.
“For all that, just one Cyan Spirit Stone,” the old vendor said, his attitude improving noticeably.
“Pack it all up,” Ling Xiao instructed.
Soon, the vendor handed over a large bundle of herbs to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao continued his spree, sweeping through stalls. Each had valuable items, some priced at hundreds of Cyan Spirit Stones.
Yet Ling Xiao focused on the cheapest items, spending over a thousand Cyan Spirit Stones on herbs, pills, and various goods.
If he emptied his storage ring, the items would likely form a small mountain.
A thousand Cyan Spirit Stones was a fortune even for Lin Xiao, who had only about a hundred from swindling the three great families.
That Ling Xiao spent so much on low-tier items left Lin Xiao at a loss for words.
Those Cyan Spirit Stones were likely gifts from factions near the Ling family.
Otherwise, even the entire Ling family couldn’t afford such a sum.
As a newly minted Martial Emperor, Ling Xiao lacked such deep reserves.
But one could imagine that with this haul, the Ling family’s strength would greatly improve.
The onlookers, unaware Ling Xiao had spent a thousand Cyan Spirit Stones, saw him buying cheap items and cast disdainful glances, whispering scornfully.
Ling Xiao ignored them, continuing his shopping.
He only stopped before a resplendent hall adorned with the bold words “Myriad Pavilion Trading Venue.” Spanning dozens of feet with three luxurious floors, it was clearly the Myriad Pavilion’s trading venue.
Compared to the street stalls, the Myriad Pavilion’s venue was clearly of a higher calibre.
As Lin Xiao and the others looked up at the pavilion’s sign, three youths, around twenty-four or twenty-five, brushed past them.
One, dressed in lavish brocade, glanced over haughtily and sneered, “Bunch of bumpkins!”
With that, he tilted his head, casting a scornful look before strutting into the Myriad Pavilion Trading Venue with an air of arrogance.
“This Grand Era City sure has all sorts. Not even sparing low-grade herbs, how pathetically weak. People like that tarnish the city’s standards,” another youth scoffed.
“Exactly. They should raise the cultivation limit to keep riff-raff out,” the third added.
All three swaggered into the trading venue, dismissing the street stalls’ wares as worthless.
Lin Xiao and Purple Spirit were stunned. Those three dared to mock a Martial Emperor?
What would their faces look like if they knew Ling Xiao’s identity?
Though their cultivations—one at ninth-tier Martial Venerable, another at first-tier Martial Lord—suggested they were summit participants, reaching such levels didn’t justify their arrogance in Grand Era City.
And to mock a Martial Emperor to his face? That was practically begging for trouble!
“Ling Hu, feel like teaching them a lesson?” Ling Xiao, momentarily taken aback, asked Ling Hu.
Others had scorned them before, but not to their faces or so brazenly, so he’d ignored it.
Now, with direct insults, it was different.
“Absolutely!” Ling Hu cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing as he geared up for a fight.
“Let’s give the Myriad Pavilion some face. Wait till they come out, then give them a thrashing. If their elders show up, thrash them too,” Ling Xiao said.
“…” Lin Xiao was speechless. Was Ling Xiao planning to beat up a Martial Emperor?
If so, this was going to escalate.
At the same time, Lin Xiao felt a pang of sympathy for the three youths. They were in for a world of trouble.
