Chapter 181: The Out-of-Place Market.
The qualifying rounds for the Tiandou Division of the Soul Guide Prototype Soul Master Competition were held at the Tiandou Royal Hunting Grounds, and no spectators were allowed.
The Royal Hunting Grounds were located fifty kilometers southwest of Tiandou City. On ordinary days, civilians were strictly prohibited from entering.
However, during the qualifying rounds, things were different.
Today, the last day before the qualifying rounds began, the Shrek Eight Devils were still ten kilometers from the Royal Hunting Grounds, but they had disembarked from their carriages. The moment they disembarked, Xiao Wu was taken aback by the scene before her. She exclaimed, "Wow! I didn't expect there'd be a market like this right next to the Royal Hunting Grounds!"
"Yes, this is the market outside the Royal Hunting Grounds. How is it? It's huge and bustling, isn't it?" As the eldest daughter of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong was no stranger to such scenes.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm!"
Xiao Wu nodded frantically, her eyes sparkling. If she hadn't been forcing herself to stop, she would have rushed out for a stroll.
At this time, Tang San glanced around and asked his doubts, "But then again, isn't the royal hunting ground not far from here? How come there is such a large market?"
"Of course it is not allowed to exist on weekdays."
Ning Rongrong heard this and replied, "But it's different during the promotion period. After all, in this situation, a market specially created for spirit masters will bring huge benefits, so no force can easily let go of this opportunity. Then, facing pressure, the empire can only let it go."
"This... Can the Heaven Dou Empire really tolerate it?"
Tang San couldn't help but be shocked, because other places are okay, but this royal hunting ground is different. If the major forces do this, it is tantamount to slapping the face of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"What's so intolerable about that? Besides, the Tiandou Empire also made a killing at the market during this period."
Ning Rongrong had barely finished her words when Xuan Mo interrupted her. "The world is bustling with people, all driven by profit. Xiaosan, compared to true profit, reputation is just a dispensable fig leaf for powerful forces, not worth mentioning at all. Besides, this market isn't even inside the Royal Hunting Grounds, but only ten kilometers away."
"I see."
At this moment, Ning Rongrong suddenly slid into the crowd and said mysteriously, "Let me tell you, this market is actually famous for the soul bone trade."
"Soul bones!"
Everyone at Shrek was shocked, including Xuan Mo. After all, soul bones are something you only come across, but never seek. They hadn't expected to see soul bone trading at this market.
"If only we could meet someone selling soul bones!"
Oscar muttered, his eyes gleaming with longing.
Upon hearing Oscar's words, Ma Hongjun immediately undermined him, saying disdainfully, "Selling soul bones? Why do you want to buy them? Do you have enough money? I don't think even buying you would be enough."
"Fatty, are you going to undermine me like that?!"
"What? You got a problem? If you do, come and hit me! Hey, hey, you can't beat me anyway."
Ma Hongjun wore a face that looked like he was asking for a beating, and he twisted his butt towards Oscar, not giving him any face.
"Fatty, I'll bite you to death!"
Oscar, infuriated by Ma Hongjun's despicable behavior, charged forward viciously, determined to bite off a piece of Ma Hongjun's flesh at all costs.
"Alright, calm down," Xuan Mo grabbed Oscar, his face filled with resignation.
"Old Mo, let me go! I'm going to bite him to death."
Xuan Mo, feeling a headache, held his forehead and said, "If you charge like that, you'll end up like a roasted sausage... Don't be impulsive."
With that, he grabbed Oscar by the back of his collar and, with a slight force, lifted him up.
Then he looked at Ma Hongjun, his face filled with rage. "What a jerk! I'm thinking of gouging my own eyes out and pretending I don't know this guy!"
The other six nodded in agreement.
By this point, the commotion at Shrek had already attracted many people's attention. Seeing this, Xuan Mo, feeling he couldn't afford to embarrass him, stepped forward and kicked Ma Hongjun hard in the butt.
"Hurry up! Don't you think you're embarrassed enough?"
Just then, a vendor's voice rang out, "Premium gemstone! It's said to be beneficial for cultivation, only 500,000 gold soul coins!"
This shout immediately caught Ning Rongrong's attention. "Huh? What gemstone? It's so expensive!"
He said, and headed in that direction.
Seeing this, Xuan Mo ignored Ma Hongjun and hurriedly caught up with Ning Rongrong. After all, she was only a support-type soul master, and Xuan Mo didn't want her to get into trouble.
At this moment, Xiao Wu's attention was also drawn to the goods nearby. "Brother, let's go take a look over there." Then, Xiao Wu pulled Tang San in another direction.
So, "The competition starts tomorrow, so let's split up today! Meet at the location designated by the teacher tonight!"
Seeing Xuan Mo and Tang San being pulled by their respective girlfriends, Ma Hongjun muttered and crossed his arms. "Hmph! How disloyal! Ignore them! Boss Dai, Zhu Qing, how about we go find something to eat?"
But it was clear the two ignored Ma Hongjun. Zhu Zhuqing turned and walked away without a word, leaving only a "Goodbye." Seeing this, Dai Mubai immediately chased after her, saying flatteringly, "Zhuqing, wait a minute, I'll stay with you."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun were now the only two singles left. They exchanged a disapproving glance, snorted, and walked off in separate directions.
"Miss, would you like to take a look at these jewelry?"
Ning Rongrong arrived at a treasure shop. The owner, seeing a customer, began to offer his sales pitch. Noticing Xuan Mo standing beside her, he eagerly said, "If you like them, how about having your boyfriend buy them?"
Xuan Mo glanced at Ning Rongrong, trying to see what she liked. But Ning Rongrong acted completely indifferent, casually picking up a gem on display and examining it.
But Xuan Mo quickly realized that Ning Rongrong's eyes were completely unimpressed.
"This one's gray and not good... As for this one over here, it's covered in too many magazines, so it's obviously not pure enough..."
She finally picked up a lustrous gemstone necklace, but after just a glance, she sighed in disappointment.
She then placed it back on the counter. "This one's actually a knockoff! You're totally wasting my time!"
The boss quickly smiled apologetically, realizing that Ning Rongrong's discerning eye wasn't as easily deceived as other spirit masters.
"Boss, if you don't have something genuine, we'll be leaving."
As soon as Xuan Mo said this, the boss immediately grew anxious. In his eyes, Xuan Mo and the other two were two fat sheep. How could he let such a thing slip away?
After a feigned sigh, he slowly pulled an item from his spirit storage device, saying, "Yes, of course I have. I've finally met a master today, so I'll show you something truly special."
With that, the boss completely unsheathed something that looked like a knife, but wasn't.
"This is the prototype of a soul guide created by a master craftsman using items he obtained from a secret realm. Take a look..."
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(End of this chapter)