Lu Ye observed the spiritual light emanating from the passing cultivators for a while, then compared it with his own, roughly deducing their cultivation levels.
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In general, most of the cultivators were at the second or third level of the Spirit Stream stage, with fewer at the first level, and they were mostly solitary cultivators.
Although cultivators who reached the first level of the Spirit Stream stage were qualified to cultivate and travel on the battlefield, major and minor sects would naturally wait for their disciples to reach a higher level of cultivation before letting them leave the sect's base, thus giving them a better chance of survival.
On the other hand, solitary cultivators, with no support, found the battlefield dangerous but full of opportunities. To live comfortably, they naturally ventured out early to strive for a better life.
This was somewhat like the difference between children from poor families and those from wealthy families.
There were also cultivators at the fourth level of the Spirit Stream stage, but they were in the minority, with only one or two out of every few dozen cultivators reaching this level.
Lu Ye even spotted someone who seemed to be at the fifth level of the Spirit Stream stage. That person's perception was extremely sharp. The moment Lu Ye looked at him, he turned his head, his blood-red eyes like those of a beast, giving off a great sense of pressure. Lu Ye instantly felt a chill all over his body.
After this observation, Lu Ye had a better idea of the situation.
Recalling the Yang Manager and Zhou Cheng he had killed in the mine, Lu Ye only knew at the time that their cultivation levels were not high, but he didn't know exactly what level they were at.
Now, it seemed that the Yang Manager was likely at the third level of the Spirit Stream stage, while Zhou Cheng was at most at the second level.
However, the Yang Manager's spiritual power was interfered with by the magnetic field, making it difficult for him to use his full strength, and Zhou Cheng was severely injured, allowing Lu Ye to take advantage of the situation. By now, their graves were probably overgrown with grass.
Lu Ye also felt that the spiritual light emanating from his body was clearer than that of other cultivators at the first level of the Spirit Stream stage.
As he was observing, a person suddenly squatted in front of him, picked up a piece of ore from Lu Ye's stall, and asked, "How much for this thing?"
Lu Ye had no idea how to price it. He had placed these pieces of ore here to test the waters, so he had prepared his response: "You name the price, and if it's reasonable, I'll sell it."
At the same time, he probed the other person's cultivation level. From the spiritual light, the person seemed to be at the second level of the Spirit Stream stage, but his spiritual light appeared much more turbid than others.
Lu Ye suddenly realized that this might be the "obscured spiritual power" mentioned by the sect leader. If so, it meant that this person had recently taken too many spirit pills, causing a buildup of pill toxins in his body.
The person then quoted a price: "Two spirit stones!"
"Get lost!"
Although Lu Ye didn't know the exact value of the ore, he could tell that the person was trying to get a bargain, so he didn't need to think too much about it.
The person didn't get angry. He had only come over to see if there was a chance to get a good deal, and upon confirming that Lu Ye wasn't an easy target, he naturally didn't want to unnecessarily offend him. He put down the ore and left.
After that, several more people came to ask about the prices, and Lu Ye let them name their own prices, but no transactions were made.
What caught Lu Ye's attention was that the magnetic ore was asked about the most, and the highest price offered was twenty spirit stones, by a cultivator at the fourth level of the Spirit Stream stage.
It seemed that this ore was indeed quite valuable, no wonder both the Yang Manager and Zhou Cheng had used their positions to privately stash some of it.
For cultivators at their level, such valuable items were a significant wealth.
Lu Ye's stall didn't do any business, but the female cultivator's stall next to him was constantly selling out. She was selling herbs she had mined from the Green Cloud Mountain, which had a wide range of buyers, and she sold out in less than half a day.
As she was packing up to leave, she asked Lu Ye, "You want to know the value of these ores, right?"
She had been watching for a while and could easily see Lu Ye's intentions.
"Yes," Lu Ye nodded, "Sister, do you know how much these are worth?"
The female cultivator shook her head, "I don't have much knowledge about ores. I can't identify what these stones are, so I don't know their value. But if you really want to sell them, you can go to the Tian Ji Merchant Alliance. Although their buying price is slightly lower than the market price, it's generally fair. The cultivators here aren't very wealthy, so selling small items isn't a problem, but for something like your magnetic ore, there aren't many people with the financial means to buy it, and the prices they offer won't be very high."
Lu Ye had already noticed this issue, but he hadn't planned to sell his ores here. After hearing the female cultivator's advice, he naturally followed it: "Thank you, Sister."
"Good luck!" The female cultivator smiled warmly at Lu Ye, walked a few steps, and disappeared into the crowd.
After the female cultivator left, Lu Ye also packed up his stall.
He hadn't set up the stall to sell items but to observe other cultivators more conveniently and find a way to judge their strength.
Now that he had achieved his goal with the female cultivator's help, there was no need to waste more time.
A short while later, Lu Ye stood in front of a huge circular building, looking up at it.
In the chaotic and unplanned market, this building was a prominent landmark.
This was the Tian Ji Merchant Alliance, and the building itself was a testament to its deep roots and vast wealth.
The alliance's sign hung above the main gate, which was wide open like a beast's mouth, with countless cultivators coming and going. On either side of the gate were golden couplets, with "Welcoming Guests from All Directions" on the left and "Rejoicing in Wealth from All Directions" on the right, and the horizontal scroll read "Welcome All Guests!"
Lu Ye followed the crowd into the hall, and strangely, despite the many cultivators coming and going, the hall was extremely quiet.
A beautiful and slender female cultivator with furry ears on her head immediately greeted him with a bow, "Greetings, Brother."
Lu Ye returned the bow and couldn't help but look at her furry ears.
This was another demon cultivator, and an incomplete one at that. According to the fat cultivator, when demon cultivators reached a high level of cultivation, their beastly features would gradually disappear, making them indistinguishable from ordinary people.
So, it wasn't unusual to see many demon cultivators with beastly features here, as the cultivators' levels were not high.
Although she noticed Lu Ye's gaze, the female demon cultivator was used to it and didn't show any discomfort. She asked warmly, "Brother, are you here to buy, sell, or just browse?"
It seemed that different choices led to different services. Lu Ye composed himself and said, "To sell."
The female demon cultivator smiled and gestured, "This way, Brother."
Lu Ye followed her in that direction, where there seemed to be many private rooms, and he could vaguely see people sitting inside, negotiating.