Spirit-Attracting Crossbow

Three days later, at the third quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM).

In my previous life, it was called 5:45 PM.

For the past three days, Chen Lu has been cultivating in the cultivation room, where the concentration of spiritual energy is higher than outside, making cultivation naturally faster.

As before, he chose room number 8 of the "B" character, which required two spirit stones per day.

That's not just about getting stronger faster, but also about stabilizing your realm and building a more solid foundation.

On the fourth day, he waited near the Minghui Lingbao Pavilion at noon.

The divination indicated a very specific time, meaning that if he wanted to seize the opportunity, he had to enter on time.

If you don't focus on it and don't have the ability to seize the opportunity, then it's all just empty talk.

To be honest, he had strong doubts about the quality of the ritual implements sold in the market.

Most of the items in the market are old goods discarded by the Immortal City, and they all have some flaws.

In addition, the Immortal Law stipulates that all newly developed magical artifacts, elixirs, etc., are not allowed to be sold in Immortal Cities, Sects, or Immortal Clans without prior testing, but it makes no mention of marketplaces.

The nearest city, Chizhu Immortal City, set up the testing ground in Fenglinfang.

Therefore, there are frequent reports of cultivators dying from poisoning after using test products, or magical artifacts exploding and turning against their owners.

Over time, if you wanted to buy truly good goods, you had to ask the escort agency to purchase them from "Red Bamboo Immortal City".

They'd rather pay a little more money than be at a disadvantage in a future battle of wits.

As for most ordinary cultivators, they had no choice but to buy refurbished or defective goods transported from the Immortal City to the market, secretly praying that they would not have any flaws.

Therefore, these Lingbao Pavilions and Lingyao Pavilions are major clients of the Wang Family Escort Agency.

Some cultivators don't have much money but still want to use the best magical artifacts from the Immortal City. In that case, there is another option.

In the black market of Xiancheng, there are often stolen goods, which are often sold at very low prices because people are eager to get rid of them.

By going back and forth, one can make a lot of money; in my previous life, it was called making money by exploiting information asymmetry.

However, these kinds of magical artifacts cannot provide purchase records or invoices, so they cannot be encountered by law enforcement monks; otherwise, they will have to pay an unexpected income tax of 30% of the artifact's market value.

The only magical artifact Chen Lu possessed was a full-body spiritual armor he had acquired from the black market in the Immortal City, which was roughly equivalent to a low-grade magical artifact.

Because it's a familiar customer, it's 5% cheaper than new stock.

If you don't encounter law enforcement, just keep using it. If you do encounter them, just find some excuse, and as long as you pay the tax, there won't be any trouble. In the end, it's still much cheaper than a brand new one.

Chen Lu waited quietly until the third quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM), then he quickly ran into the Minghui Lingbao Pavilion.

"Hey! Young Master Chen! Feel free to browse! We're old acquaintances, and I'll give you three free maintenance services for your magical artifacts if you buy anything!"

Upon entering, the shopkeeper, who was calculating the goods, heard the arrival of guests, looked up, and took the initiative to greet them.

"Thank you very much, shopkeeper!"

Arriving at the counter, Chen Lu looked around and asked:

"Shopkeeper, do you have crossbows?"

"Yes! Look! The Azure Steel Crossbow, extremely powerful, capable of piercing gold and splitting stone, it can break through ordinary spirit armor in one shot! Its range is twice that of a bow!"

Chen Lu didn't take in all the nice words the shopkeeper said. Instead, he automatically filled in the blanks in his mind—non-body cultivators should never choose this option.

Metal parts can withstand greater tension and wear, so in order to maximize their performance, the crossbow string used must have extremely high tension.

Unless one is a physically strong cultivator, it takes considerable effort to raise the scepter.

The crossbow is simple, easy to operate, has a long range, and high accuracy, making it extremely advantageous.

However, there is one thing that can never be compared to a bow: the rate of fire, which is about five times faster.

One of the difficulties is the difficulty in cocking the crossbow; now that it's a metal crossbow, the rate of fire has to be reduced.

The shopkeeper noticed Chen Lu's hesitation and turned to introduce another product.

According to the divination, Chen Lu asked a few questions, took the opportunity to express his demands, and then pretended that there were no suitable options and prepared to leave.

The shopkeeper looked around and, seeing no new customers, quickly tried to stop them from entering:

"Wait! Brother Chen, would you be interested in testing the new products produced in Red Bamboo Immortal City?"

I'll give you a 7% discount! I'll return the discount to you in six months.

"New product?"

Chen Lu feigned doubt.

"Hey, the new product that Red Bamboo Immortal City came up with is called the 'Spirit-Attracting Crossbow'."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper darted back into the storeroom, and upon returning quickly, retrieved a strangely shaped crossbow.

"Look, this is a one-to-one replica of the Thousand Machines Sect's top-grade magic weapon, the 'Spirit-Chasing Crossbow'!"

Although it is currently only at the level of a low-grade magic weapon, its performance is equivalent, but its price is only 30% of that.

It has a lens attached to it, infused with spiritual energy, which can zoom in and out of the field of vision.

Furthermore, it perfectly replicates the eccentric wheel of the Thousand Machine Sect, and with the assistance of a lever, even a child who has just begun practicing Qi can wind it up with a gentle pull!

And its power is almost the same as that of the steel crossbow!

Chen Lu's eyes lit up when he heard this. This configuration was practically the modern crossbow from his previous life!

But if it were really that amazing, why would it be sold here as a test sample?

The shopkeeper sensed Chen Lu's suspicion, gave an awkward smile, and whispered:

"These things are all pirated and counterfeit without authorization from the Xuanji Sect."

The materials used aren't the best, and there are a few minor flaws, but other than that, it's almost perfect!

Chen Lu didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, appearing impatient.

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, and considering it was an acquaintance, the shopkeeper had no choice but to pull Chen Lu aside and whisper an explanation:

"Last time, a total of 10 were sold, and as a result, the wrists of 7 people were shattered by the crossbows, and the eyes of 2 people were also injured by broken strings."

However, don't worry, that weapon-refining workshop was reported by the Thousand Machines Sect, and the Xuanqing Sect sent law enforcement cultivators to destroy it.

"This one was made by a new weapon-refining workshop, so the quality is guaranteed!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Lu already had the idea of ​​leaving.

Given the danger, he didn't think he was lucky enough to be one of the lucky ones who would escape unscathed.

However, since the divination said so, he decided to believe it this once.

"Then... take me to the storeroom, I want to choose for myself."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed. He called over a nearby employee to watch the door, and then led Chen Lu into the backyard storeroom.

The heavy shelves held various magical artifacts, all wrapped in animal hides soaked in spiritual liquid for preservation.

The only redeeming quality of this Lingbao Pavilion is that it uses high-quality spiritual liquids, and even after long-term storage, the spiritual energy patterns inside the magical artifacts remain as new as ever.

Generally speaking, warehouses are prohibited from being sold to outsiders, but for these people in the escort agency, there is no need to prohibit it.

Since most of these goods were escorted by the escort agency where Chen Lu worked, he knew exactly what they looked like and what kind of goods they were.

The shopkeeper walked to the shelf on the first floor and pointed to the dozen or so spirit-summoning crossbows in front of him:

"Brother Chen, we're old acquaintances, so of course I wouldn't cheat you. I've personally inspected this batch of goods, there's no mistake!"

The Thousand Machine Sect's Spirit-Seeking Crossbow costs over 2 Lower Spirits, while our Spirit-Attracting Crossbow only costs 5000 Lower Spirits!

I'll give you a 7% discount, only 3500 spirit stones! We're old friends, so I'll also throw in 20 extra crossbow bolts!

Chen Lu was somewhat surprised, as the original price of the Spirit-Guiding Crossbow was actually 6% higher than that of an ordinary low-grade magic weapon!

However, after considering the potential consequences, he suppressed the urge to leave.

He looked at each one first, and after choosing for a while, he picked up the 7th spirit-summoning crossbow.

Looking at the complex fuselage and the powerful crossbow string, he felt a surge of excitement and couldn't wait to test its power.

Can I pay in installments?

He could easily pay the full amount, but he wanted to keep some in case of unforeseen circumstances.

The shopkeeper looked troubled: "You should know that these counterfeit products cannot be purchased in installments."

This spirit-summoning crossbow is a little pricey, but its power is more than worth it!

"Considering we're both long-time customers, I'll give you a 3-year installment plan, and I'll waive the interest."

"Thank you, shopkeeper!"

The shopkeeper took out two contracts, wrote on them for a moment, and handed them over.

The magical artifact purchased above is not called the Spirit-Attracting Crossbow, but a different magical artifact.

This is because stolen goods are not protected by the laws of the gods, so any loan agreements signed with them are naturally invalid.

Without much thought, he signed the contract, which then transformed into a wisp of profound spiritual energy that entered his sea of ​​consciousness and disappeared without a trace. It would automatically dissipate once the loan was repaid.

Then, the shopkeeper took out his identity token and recorded the consumption and loan details.

If they breach the contract in the future, not only will their cultivation be affected, but they will also be put on a bounty list and arrested by law enforcement cultivators.

The shopkeeper returned to the front desk and asked the waiter standing nearby.

"Did any cultivators come to buy anything when I went to the backyard?"

The shop assistant who was maintaining the ritual implements looked up and pointed to a receding figure outside the door.

"That guy wanted to buy a good bow, and I recommended the most expensive one to him. He didn't even try to bargain, and he just bought it."