To be honest, Han Li was quite curious about the shopkeeper on the sixth floor. Madam Lan on the fifth floor was already a cultivator of considerable strength, so could the sixth floor possibly be home to a Core Formation stage senior?
Han Li felt a little hopeful in his heart!
Standing behind Madam Lan, Han Li was completely stunned when he saw the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl before him.
The girl was dressed simply, with delicate features that were only slightly above average at best. But the shopkeeper of the sixth floor turned out to be this mortal girl who possessed not a shred of magic power? This was far beyond Han Li's expectations.
What surprised him even more was that the moment the girl saw Madam Lan come up, she immediately walked over happily and grabbed the woman's arm, calling out "Auntie Lan" repeatedly. She was incredibly affectionate with the woman and didn't even spare Han Li a glance, which left him somewhat depressed.
"All right, Xiu'er! There's a guest here!" Madam Lan said these words, but the doting tone in her voice was unmistakable to anyone who heard it.
"A guest!" The girl finally glanced at Han Li with a casual, indifferent expression.
"Yes, this Fellow Daoist Han wants to buy pill formulas and the set of magic treasure we received last time. So I've brought him up to the sixth floor and left him in your care. I need to go back down—there might be other guests on the fifth floor!" the woman said with unusual tenderness.
"Is that so? Then when Auntie Lan has free time, you must come up and keep me company," the girl said reluctantly.
Madam Lan smiled kindly at these words and went downstairs under the girl's gaze.
"What kind of pill formula are you looking for? I have seven or eight formulas here, but only two are suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage, and their prices are frighteningly high. You can't take them away with just a few hundred spirit stones." The girl finally turned back and looked at Han Li coldly.
Hearing the girl's tone, Han Li wasn't angered. Instead, he smiled.
"As long as the formulas are genuine, price isn't an issue," Han Li replied with surprisingly generous words, which made the girl pause slightly and size him up with a more serious look.
"Then wait a moment. I'll have someone bring the formulas and that set of magic treasure," the girl said, her expression softening. After all, a customer who appeared generous was always welcome.
Han Li watched as she took out a small copper bell from her person, shook it gently several times in a regular pattern, then casually sat down on a wooden chair with no intention of attending to him.
Han Li was slightly surprised but calmly pulled over a chair and sat down on the other side of the girl, with only a wooden table separating them.
His actions made the girl frown slightly. Although she looked displeased, she ultimately said nothing.
After a moment, a young female cultivator walked in, carrying two jade boxes—one large and one small.
"Place them here. That's fine," the girl said expressionlessly, pointing to the table beside her.
"Yes, Miss!" The female cultivator replied respectfully, placed the jade boxes on the table, and then withdrew on her own.
Seeing the female cultivator show such deference to the mortal girl, a flash of surprise crossed Han Li's eyes.
"The formulas and magic treasure are here. Feel free to examine them yourself. If you're satisfied, I'll tell you the price," the girl said calmly, gently pushing the jade boxes toward Han Li.
Since she had said this, Han Li didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and picked up the smaller jade box, then lifted the lid to reveal one red and one white jade slip inside.
Han Li took out both jade slips, then gently closed his eyes and slowly extended his spiritual sense into the jade slips.
Seeing Han Li examining the pill formulas within the jade slips, the girl took out a pure white silk book and began reading it with both hands, paying him no mind.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
One of these two formulas was actually the ancient "Spirit Gathering Pill" formula that Lei Wanhe had once provided—it was no longer of any use to him. The other was not an ancient formula but one called the "True Essence Pill." The medicinal ingredients required for its refinement, apart from needing longer cultivation years, were actually quite easy to gather, making it perfectly suitable for him.
However, the price of this formula would probably be several times that of the "Spirit Gathering Pill" ancient formula. After all, Han Li now knew very well the difference in value between ancient formulas and ordinary formulas in the cultivation world.
Thinking this, Han Li placed both jade slips back into the box with a neutral expression, then picked up the larger box and opened it.
The magic treasure inside made Han Li pause in surprise, because the jade box actually contained thirteen brilliantly glowing red needles.
The needles were only about an inch long, but their entire bodies were fiery red, with a faint luminescence flowing through them.
"Flying needle magic treasure?" Han Li couldn't help but mutter in astonishment.
Although Han Li was considered knowledgeable when it came to magic treasures, he had truly never seen flying needle magic treasures before, nor had he seen anyone use them. Immediately, his interest was greatly piqued.
The girl heard Han Li's self-muttering and couldn't help but look up at him, a flash of displeasure crossing her face. But then, with an expressionless face, she continued reading the silk book in her hands.
At this moment, Han Li was holding one of the red needles between two fingers, examining it closely with focused attention, and didn't notice the girl's expression. Of course, even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have paid any attention to her spoiled young lady's temper.
His eyes were half-narrowed, his expression extremely solemn.
Although Han Li hadn't seen other types of needle magic treasures, he had often heard rumors about the vicious and sinister nature of flying needle magic treasures.
It was said that while flying needle magic treasures had slightly lower attack power than ordinary magic treasures, their small size and high speed made them the perfect tool for sneak attacks and ambushes. Therefore, many cultivators called flying needle magic treasures "yin weapons," and their reputation in the cultivation world was quite formidable!
Of course, due to their small size, not only were the materials for crafting flying needle magic treasures quite special, but the crafting difficulty was also several times that of other magic treasures. Such treasures were extremely rare in the cultivation world. Even cultivators who possessed flying needle magic treasures regarded them as their trump cards and were reluctant to let outsiders know about them.
And now, thirteen of them had appeared before Han Li all at once! How could he not be thoroughly shocked?
"This young lady, does this set of flying needles have a name?" Han Li asked the girl suddenly, his heart filled with surprise and joy, though his outward appearance remained composed.
"Red Thread Escape-Light Needles," the girl said flatly, setting down the book in her hands upon hearing Han Li's question.
"Good, I'll take this set of flying needles and the True Essence Pill formula!" Han Li said without hesitation.
"Huh? You really want this set of magic treasure?" The girl's face showed a peculiar expression, and she asked with some disbelief.
"What? Does your esteemed pavilion have some defect with this set of magic treasure, or do you simply not want to sell it?" Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a bit displeased.
"You've misunderstood, sir. Although these Red Thread Escape-Light Needles are extremely precious, they're not something our Star Dust Pavilion can't bear to part with. The reason I asked is because I must inform you beforehand that this set of flying needles is quite different from ordinary sets of magic treasure. They don't have a parent-child relationship. To control them, you must simultaneously unleash all thirteen flying needles together; otherwise, you cannot activate them," the girl said coldly, fixing Han Li with an icy gaze.
"Simultaneously unleash them?" Upon hearing this, Han Li suddenly understood. No wonder this rare set of flying needle magic treasures hadn't been bought until now—it was because of the high spiritual sense requirement.
"Yes. Originally, Auntie Lan was also interested in this set of magic treasure, but because her spiritual sense could only control eight to nine needles, she gave up on it," the girl continued without a smile.
"Thirteen of them?"
Han Li let out a soft laugh, then suddenly extended one hand toward the remaining flying needles in the box. Immediately, a flash of red light occurred, and all the needles floated up simultaneously. Then they transformed into over a dozen faintly visible red threads, weaving rapidly around Han Li at high speed, instantly forming a delicate red silk net.
Seeing this scene, the girl's small mouth opened slightly, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
Han Li then waved his hand, and all the red threads flew back into the jade box, revealing the original forms of the flying needles once more.
"I suppose I can buy this magic treasure now?" Han Li said in a deep voice, his expression unchanged.
"Since you can use them, of course you can! Including the True Essence Pill formula, the total is four thousand spirit stones," the girl said, her expression returning to normal and her tone once again devoid of warmth.
"Four thousand spirit stones!" Han Li rubbed his nose as he looked at the girl. This price was indeed somewhat higher than he had expected.
"The formula is one thousand five hundred, and the flying needles are two thousand five hundred," the girl quoted without hesitation.
Truthfully, four thousand spirit stones wasn't considered expensive in this girl's eyes. After all, both items were rare treasures in the cultivation world. If it weren't for the recent great defeat of the Demonic Path by the three allied nations, no one would have offered them for sale!
But just at this moment, Han Li suddenly straightened in his seat, a solemn expression surfacing on his face as he asked: "I wonder how your esteemed pavilion purchases thousand-year spirit medicines?"