novelden Chapter 762. The Formation Hall is closed?
Chapter 762. The Formation Hall is closed?
"How about two thousand contribution points?"
The red-lipstick senior sister finally snapped out of her daze and quoted a price.
Tyler almost laughed.
"Why don’t you ask for twenty thousand while you’re at it?"
The senior sister coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem. Junior Brother, let’s discuss this properly. The corpse itself is technically mortal, but it was discovered inside an ancient ruin. That alone increases its value significantly. One low-grade spirit stone is worth around fifty contribution points. Twenty spirit stones would be roughly one thousand contribution points. I’m already giving you a friendly price."
Tyler glanced at the sleeping beauty inside the glass coffin.
One thousand contribution points.
That wasn’t a small amount.
At his current rate of earning contribution points, it was certainly affordable, but he didn’t want to spend that much at once.
After thinking for a moment, he proposed,
"I can pay five hundred contribution points and ten spirit stones."
The senior sister’s eyes immediately brightened.
Although contribution points were useful inside the sect, spirit stones were even more convenient. Many disciples secretly preferred spirit stones during private transactions.
"Deal."
She agreed so quickly that Tyler felt he might have overpaid.
Still, the transaction was already settled.
"Can you deliver it to my cave?"
The senior sister immediately nodded.
"Of course."
She even asked for his cave location and promised to bring the coffin personally that evening.
For someone from the Inner Court, she was surprisingly enthusiastic about business.
After finalizing the deal, Tyler left the graveyard market.
He originally planned to return to his cave, but after thinking about Ah Hai’s earlier report, he decided to visit the Formation Hall first.
According to Ah Hai, joining the Formation Hall wasn’t particularly difficult. One simply needed to demonstrate sufficient talent. Tyler was already interested in formations anyway. In his opinion, becoming a formation disciple would be a perfect excuse for his rapid cultivation speed.
Soon, he arrived near the Formation Hall.
The Pill Hall stood nearby, and fragrant medicinal aromas drifted through the air. Various disciples moved in and out carrying herbs, pill furnaces, and jade bottles.
However, when Tyler reached the Formation Hall itself, he froze.
The doors were closed.
Not just closed.
Sealed.
Several restriction flags had been erected around the building.
"What happened here?"
Tyler stared blankly.
After a moment, he stopped a passing disciple.
"Senior Brother, why is the Formation Hall closed?"
The disciple shrugged.
"I heard they were testing some formation three days ago."
"And?"
"They shut the hall down afterward."
Tyler blinked.
"That’s it?"
The disciple nodded.
"That’s all I know."
Then he walked away.
Tyler became even more confused.
What kind of formation test could close an entire hall for three days?
After standing there for a while, he gave up trying to guess.
He would simply return another day.
Leaving the Formation Hall area, Tyler walked through one of the stone paths leading toward the Outer Manor. Before long, he spotted two familiar figures descending from the hillside cave district.
Lee and Louch.
The moment they noticed him, both instinctively hid a bundle behind their backs.
Tyler narrowed his eyes.
That reaction was suspicious.
Only after realizing it was Tyler did the two finally relax.
"Senior Brother Tyler."
Tyler looked between them.
"What are you doing?"
Lee coughed, "Nothing."
"You’re hiding something."
Louch sighed, "We got caught."
Then he pulled the bundle out.
Inside were several items along with a small pouch containing spirit stones and silver.
Tyler looked puzzled, "What are those for?"
Lee scratched his head, "We’re planning to visit the Dark Market."
Tyler’s eyes immediately lit up, "There is a Dark Market?"
Lee nodded.
Apparently, a mysterious marketplace occasionally appeared somewhere within the Dark Forest. Nobody knew its exact location beforehand. It would appear for a short period before disappearing again.
Many rare items could be found there.
Some came from wandering cultivators.
Some came from rogue cultivators.
Some probably came from sources nobody wanted to discuss.
"The market doesn’t appear every month in the same place," Louch explained. "Sometimes it’s near the mountains. Sometimes it’s near rivers. You need a token to locate it."
"We don’t have one."
"So you’re carrying everything and hoping to get lucky?" Tyler was amused.
The two immediately looked embarrassed. That was exactly what they were doing. Not only them, many disciples did the same thing.
Every month countless outer disciples wandered around hoping to encounter the Dark Market. Many inner disciples participated.
Tyler rubbed his chin. A token.
That immediately attracted his interest.
If he obtained one token, duplicating it would be easy, "Find someone willing to lend us a token."
Lee laughed bitterly.
"If it were that easy, everyone would already have one."
"Just try."
Tyler wasn’t worried. The problem wasn’t obtaining multiple tokens. The problem was obtaining the first one.
After giving them instructions, Tyler continued walking.
Not long afterward, another familiar figure suddenly appeared. It was Maximus. The dark-skinned youth practically ran toward him.
"Senior Brother Tyler!"
"What now?"
"I finally saved enough contribution points."
Tyler immediately understood, "You are finally buying a corpse?"
Maximus nodded excitedly. He wanted Tyler’s help selecting one. Soon the two returned to the graveyard market.
Unfortunately, the red-lipstick senior sister wasn’t present this time. Another senior brother was managing the stall instead.
After half an hour of bargaining, comparing corpses, and listening to Maximus ask ridiculous questions, the poor senior brother finally completed the sale.
Maximus happily purchased a corpse. "I’ll use it to grow Corpse Mushrooms." He looked extremely satisfied, "The harvest should earn me contribution points."
Tyler nodded. Compared to buying expensive cultivation resources, Corpse Mushroom farming was indeed one of the more affordable paths.
Afterward, the two visited the cafeteria before eventually heading back toward their respective caves.
By the time Tyler returned, the sky had grown even darker.
However, someone was already waiting outside his cave. The red-lipstick senior sister waved enthusiastically. Beside her stood the glass coffin.
"Delivery." She patted the coffin proudly.
Tyler’s eyes immediately brightened. The ancient ruin corpse had finally arrived.
After checking the contents, he transferred the remaining payment. The senior sister counted everything before smiling happily.
Then she leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Junior Brother." Tyler felt a bad premonition. "Remember to use a cleaning talisman before enjoying it."
Tyler’s mouth twitched. The misunderstanding still wasn’t resolved. Before he could explain anything, the woman had already left.
Tyler watched her disappear into the distance before shaking his head helplessly.
Then he grabbed the coffin and carried it into the cave. The stone door slowly closed behind him.
Not far away, perched upon a dead tree branch, a black crow silently watched everything.
Its feathers looked lifeless. Its crimson eyes reflected the image of Tyler carrying the glass coffin inside. The crow remained motionless. Only after the cave entrance completely closed did it slowly tilt its head. Then, without making a sound, it spread its wings and disappeared into the darkness.