Star Dust Pavilion

Chapter 358: Star Dust Pavilion

Seeing how anxious the old man was, Han Li gave a faint smile. He casually took out the storage pouch containing the materials and pointed its opening toward the ground. With a soft puff, a flash of white light later, the White Spider and mantis materials spilled across the floor in a pile.

“These are…”

Shopkeeper Xu bent down and picked up a White Spider leg, examining it closely with a focused gaze. A flicker of confusion appeared on his face.

Clearly, although the old man was a master of tool refinement, he was unfamiliar with these rare exotic insects. Even though he could see the materials were extraordinary, he was still at a complete loss.

Seeing this, Han Li gave another faint smile and began to explain.

“Most of these materials are from the outer shell and legs of a White Spider demon beast. The rest are the forelimbs and wings of a giant mantis. Both are Grade Four demon beasts. The latter, in particular, was a peak Grade Four beast and extremely dangerous. I hope you will make good use of these materials. It took no small amount of effort to obtain them.”

“Materials from a Grade Four demon beast!” the white-haired old man exclaimed in surprise, but immediately fell into a state of ecstasy.

Normally, he rarely even saw materials from Grade Two demon beasts, let alone Grade Four.

“That’s right, Shopkeeper Xu. But this time, I have some special requirements for the refining process. Only if these conditions are met can I entrust these materials to you. As for payment, we’ll follow the same method as before. You may keep a portion of the materials as your refining fee.” Han Li said this with an unusually calm tone.

“Rest assured, Senior. Whatever the requirements, this old man will certainly comply! To be able to personally refine such顶级 materials, I can die knowing I didn’t waste my life studying the art of refinement!” Shopkeeper Xu picked up another giant mantis forelimb, gently stroking it, his eyes filled with fanatical fervor.

Seeing such an expression on the other’s face, Han Li was a little surprised, but inwardly he felt even more reassured. He spoke to the old man in a gentle tone.

“The magic tools I want refined this time are quite special. First, I’d like you to refine these spider legs into a set of attack magic tools. As for the mantis…”

…

An hour later, Han Li walked out of the tool refining shop together with Qu Hun.

He had arranged with Shopkeeper Xu that the old man would first examine the materials and conceive a refining method. Tomorrow, Han Li would deliver the materials again so the actual refining could begin.

For now, Han Li decided to take the opportunity to browse the market thoroughly. From the old man’s words, he had finally confirmed what he had suspected all along.

It turned out that news of the disastrous defeat suffered by the cultivators of the Yue Kingdom and the other two nations had already spread to Yuanwu Nation. Now, whether they were from immortal families or were rogue cultivators, everyone in Yuanwu Nation was restless, each sensing the impending storm.

As a result, numerous cultivators had flooded into the markets, bringing out many rare and precious items that were seldom seen, trading them for the resources they urgently needed to bolster their strength in preparation for the great calamity.

Thus, within just a few days, reports of one precious artifact, pill, or other treasure after another appearing in various markets across Yuanwu Nation had spread. This in turn attracted even more cultivators who had caught wind of the opportunities, creating such bustling activity in every marketplace.

With such an opportunity before him, Han Li naturally would not let it pass.

With this thought, Han Li began to stroll through the various shops.

Indeed, the quality of goods in these shops had improved significantly. Quite a few top-grade magic tools had even appeared, which greatly surprised Han Li.

Although ordinary top-grade magic tools held little appeal for him, during his last visit, shops that had such items were few and far between.

After making a rough circuit, Han Li only purchased a few types of rare medicinal herbs he had not seen before, then stopped. After that, he headed straight for the “Star Dust Pavilion” at the center of the market.

Having experienced a few rounds of market trading, Han Li now knew that if he truly wanted to buy good items, he should go to the large, well-funded shops. Only they had the resources to genuinely collect rare treasures. As for the small stalls, they might have a few decent items, but they could never compare to the collections of the big establishments.

Think back to when he had gone to the “Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion” in the Yellow Maple Valley market—hadn’t he found many precious items there?

With this thought in mind, Han Li led Qu Hun into the Star Dust Pavilion of the Heavenly Star Sect, a towering building over twenty or thirty zhang high.

As soon as he entered the pavilion, Han Li was taken aback.

The hall on the first floor was bustling with twenty to thirty cultivators. They were all crowded around several counters, speaking with some shop assistants dressed in red robes. No one even glanced in Han Li’s direction.

Han Li scratched the back of his head and looked at the staircase leading to the second floor. He slowly walked toward one of the counters, wearing a casual expression.

At that counter, three Qi Condensation cultivators were standing. One of them was holding a white formation flag, flipping it over and over as he examined it. He was muttering something to a shop assistant, looking rather dissatisfied.

The Star Dust Pavilion assistant, however, kept a full smile on his face, not seeming the least bit bothered, and kept explaining something.

When these cultivators saw Han Li and Qu Hun approaching, they immediately fell silent.

Clearly, they harbored great wariness toward unfamiliar cultivators.

The cultivator holding the formation flag hastily took out several dozen spirit stones from his person and handed them to the assistant. Then, clutching a set of formation flags, he and the other two quickly departed.

Han Li watched their retreating figures with some frustration, feeling a bit bewildered.

Just then, the shop assistant spoke to him politely.

“Senior, my apologies. This is the first floor, and I’m afraid there is nothing here suitable for a person of your standing. If Senior truly wishes to make a purchase, please proceed to the third floor or above. Those floors are specifically for receiving high-level cultivators.”

Hearing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned. But his expression quickly returned to normal, and he asked in a calm tone.

“How many floors does your Star Dust Pavilion have? Give me an introduction.”

The assistant looked slightly surprised but still replied respectfully.

“Of course. Since Senior is visiting the Star Dust Pavilion for the first time, it is only proper to give you an introduction.”

“Our Star Dust Pavilion has a total of nine floors. The first seven are open to the public, while the last two are off-limits to outsiders. Among the front seven floors, the first through third are for receiving low-level Qi Condensation cultivators. The fourth through sixth are for high-level cultivators like yourself, Senior. As for the seventh floor, it is only open to Core Formation cultivators.”

The assistant gave a brief, efficient introduction. Han Li nodded after hearing it and, without another word, headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor.

The second and third floors were each slightly smaller than the one below, but their decor was noticeably more luxurious and elegant. It seemed that the higher the floor, the more valuable the goods should be.

With this thought, Han Li did not stop on these two floors. He even walked straight past the fourth floor and arrived at the fifth.

When he tried to go up to the sixth floor, he was stopped by a young attendant in red robes standing at the top of the stairs.

“Esteemed guest, according to our pavilion’s rules, permission from the steward of the fifth floor is required to enter the sixth,” the handsome young attendant said, his expression blank. Although he was only at Qi Condensation, he showed no fear whatsoever toward Han Li’s Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Han Li frowned but did not lose his temper. Instead, he followed the instructions and entered the main hall of the fifth floor.

The hall was not large, but several young, pretty maids were in attendance. When Han Li entered, a man and a woman were already there, engaged in relaxed conversation.

The man appeared to be around thirty-five or thirty-six, with ordinary features. The woman was about forty, possessing the charm of a noble lady, and it was clear she must have been a great beauty in her youth.

Both were at Foundation Establishment. In particular, the middle-aged woman was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, which immediately put Han Li on alert.

“Fellow Daoist, is there something this humble woman can help you with?” The middle-aged woman turned her head and gave Han Li a brilliant smile upon seeing him approach. Her voice was crisp and extremely pleasant to the ear.

“I wish to purchase some genuine treasures—be they magic tools, talismans, or other such items. Do you have any here, Madam?” Han Li glanced at the noblewoman and spoke in a cool tone.

Hearing Han Li’s somewhat bold claims, the man looked at him with a hint of surprise.

“Hehe! If you wish to buy treasures, Fellow Daoist, you have truly come to the right place. As long as you have something to offer in return, we can certainly ensure you leave completely satisfied.” Though the middle-aged woman was no longer young, her laughter was as charming as a young girl’s.

“As it happens, this other Fellow Daoist is also here to purchase treasures. Please wait a moment, both of you. I will bring out some items for you to peruse,” the woman said with a beaming smile.

She then turned her head and, with a stern expression, gave an order.

“Zi Lian! Serve tea to our two distinguished guests!”

“Yes, Madam!” The maidservant standing behind the woman replied with a respectful expression.

Following this, the woman calmly walked out, while the maidservant, smiling brightly, poured a cup of clear tea for Han Li and the other man.