Becoming an immortal against the will of heaven

"Eh, could it be that you've come to buy something?" The shop assistant paused for a moment after hearing this and asked.

Chen Tian gave a bitter smile and said helplessly, "That's right. Since it's my first time here, I don't know the proper etiquette. I hope you'll forgive me if I've broken any of your store's rules."

Upon hearing Chen Tian's words, the shop assistant, who had been somewhat impatient, instantly withdrew his disrespect and said with a friendly smile, "Hey, if that's the case, you should have said so earlier! I thought you were one of those guys who come here to fence stolen goods!"

This shop assistant had been helping out in the store for over ten years and had witnessed countless evil cultivators committing misdeeds. He felt quite indignant towards their behavior, so he had spoken disrespectfully to Chen Tian after mistaking him for that kind of person.

Now that Chen Tian wasn't involved in any crooked dealings, the shop assistant naturally wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for him. He changed his attitude and said with a smile, "Esteemed customer, you've come to the right place! Our Qizhuang Bazaar has everything you could want, I guarantee you'll be satisfied! What do you need?"

Hearing this flattery, Chen Tian smiled slightly and said, "I need some demon cores. Do you have them here?"

"Yes, we have plenty!" Hearing that Chen Tian only needed demon cores, the shop assistant immediately smiled and said, "We collect the most of those! We have everything from Rank 1 to Rank 7. If you need Rank 8 or higher, we have those too, but I'm afraid the price might be beyond your means."

The shop assistant sized up Chen Tian. Although it was difficult to ascertain his true cultivation level, based on his years of experience, he could guess that Chen Tian was definitely not a Spirit Gathering stage cultivator or higher.

And demon cores of Rank 8 and above were rare in the world, each one worth a fortune, so the shop assistant subconsciously assumed that Chen Tian definitely couldn't afford them.

"Of course, I don't need anything as expensive as Rank 8 or higher. I only need Rank 3 to Rank 5," Chen Tian said rather modestly.

Chen Tian's words were indeed as the shop assistant had expected, which made him somewhat smug. He smiled and said, "Alright, esteemed customer, tell me, how many do you need? I'll go get them for you right away."

Chen Tian smiled calmly, not saying the number directly, but instead moving his lips and using sound transmission to whisper a number into the shop assistant's ear.

Hearing Chen Tian's words, the shop assistant finally recovered from his shock, but his attitude towards Chen Tian became extremely strange.

The shop assistant carefully sized up Chen Tian, then frowned and pondered for a moment before replying, "Esteemed customer, to be honest, this is the first time I've met a customer like you. I can't make a decision on this matter. How about you wait a moment, and I'll go call out our shopkeeper and let you talk to him?"

"That's fine too. Sorry for the trouble, young man," Chen Tian cupped his fist and said with a smile.

"Alright, esteemed customer, please wait."

The shop assistant finally didn't dare to underestimate Chen Tian anymore. He bowed and said a sentence, then 'thump, thump, thump' walked up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

Chen Tian was bored, so he continued to wander around the store.

Chen Tian didn't have to wait long. Soon, the shop assistant 'thump, thump, thump' ran down the stairs again, and behind him was a middle-aged man with a refined look and dignified temperament.

"Shopkeeper, this is the customer who wants to buy demon cores!" After walking in front of Chen Tian, the shop assistant pointed at him and said to the middle-aged man behind him.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man also quickly walked up to Chen Tian, cupped his fist, and said, "Fellow Daoist, do you really need that many demon cores?"

Without rushing to answer, Chen Tian released his spiritual sense and sized him up, discovering that this middle-aged man's strength was not to be underestimated either. He was already in the late stage of Spirit Guiding, close to being a Great Perfection.

Chen Tian clasped his fist and smiled, "That's right, I do need so many demon cores, if your store has them!"

While Chen Tian was speaking, the middle-aged man kept a close eye on him. Seeing that his expression didn't change and his tone was serious, the middle-aged man was convinced that Chen Tian wasn't joking.

After frowning slightly, the middle-aged man spoke again, "Esteemed customer, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go to Shop Number Three to discuss the details. That's where we entertain distinguished guests."

"Shop Number Three?" Hearing this, Chen Tian was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately understood.

Outside, Chen Tian had seen that there were four stone houses here, the last two being more exquisite.

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Chen Tian realized that the last two were used to entertain distinguished guests.

However, it could also be seen that the middle-aged man's attitude towards Chen Tian was very respectful.

Thinking of this, Chen Tian smiled and nodded, agreeing.

Seeing Chen Tian's appearance, the middle-aged man also breathed a sigh of relief, then instructed the shop assistant standing aside, "A'Chen, you stay here and watch the store. I'll accompany the guest to the back. If there's nothing important, don't come and disturb us, understand?"

The shop assistant had been in the store for over ten years and was no longer surprised by anything, so he nodded immediately upon hearing the instructions.

The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction, then led Chen Tian towards the third stone house.

The interior of this third stone house was indeed decorated very luxuriously. Many graceful women were carved on the surrounding walls. These women wore light veils and held various musical instruments, playing and dancing, looking lifelike.

Unlike the previous stone house, which was full of shelves, this place seemed very empty, with only a stone table and two stone chairs in the middle, and nothing else.

Chen Tian took a quick look, but he was a little puzzled.

The middle-aged man seemed to have noticed Chen Tian's puzzled expression, and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, these four stone houses in our Qizhuang Bazaar each have their own purpose. The first one is set up to entertain Qi Awakening stage cultivators, the second one is set up to entertain Spirit Guiding stage cultivators, and the third one where we are is set up to entertain Spirit Gathering stage cultivators. Actually, strictly speaking, we should have gone to the second stone house, but firstly, Fellow Daoist, you have already cultivated to the Great Perfection of the Spirit Guiding stage, only one step away from the Spirit Gathering stage, and secondly, the items you want to buy this time are too precious, so I made an exception to entertain you in this third stone house."

This middle-aged man was obviously very good at doing business, using treatment beyond the standard to win Chen Tian's favor.

Chen Tian smiled after hearing this and said, "Then, does that mean the fourth stone house is to entertain Transformation Spring stage cultivators and above?"

"Not entirely," the middle-aged man shook his head and denied, "Ordinary Transformation Spring stage cultivators are not qualified to enter the fourth stone house."

"Hmm?" Chen Tian was a little surprised after hearing this and asked in confusion, "Then may I ask, what conditions are required to enter the fourth stone house?"