Qin Xiao had just finished muttering to himself when he realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Wasn't that rather disrespectful?
The atmosphere immediately grew awkward. Who would discuss someone else's name right to their face, especially in front of several senior elders?
"Haha, I never expected Young Friend Qin to know about gentleness, goodness, respect, restraint, and yielding. Actually, there are six of us brothers, and I am the sixth, which is why I took the character for propriety. Wu Rang is my fifth older brother, but he is currently in secluded cultivation at the Qingzhou branch, so only the five of us are stationed here."
Qin Xiao's soft muttering naturally could not escape the ears of these Soul Formation late-stage cultivators. To clear the air and bridge the gap from their previous encounters, Wu Li spoke up to ease the tension.
"So that is how it is. This junior was thoughtless; please do not take offense, Senior Five."
Qin Xiao wanted to slap himself across the face for voicing his internal thoughts so carelessly, especially when these experts chose not to make an issue of it.
"So you are Qin Xiao. Even though I rarely manage outside affairs, I have heard quite a bit about you lately. Truly a talented young man."
Qin Xiao's sudden rise had naturally drawn the attention of the Immortal Dao Merchant Association. As a major power with an extensive intelligence network, they quickly identified him. Knowing who he was, Wu Wen shed his earlier worries, recalling how the young man had casually produced one hundred drops of Spirit Liquid and four High Grade Spirit Stones during the last auction.
"I never imagined my humble name would reach the ears of Seniors. I am truly ashamed."
Qin Xiao knew his anomalies could not remain hidden forever and had never deliberately tried to conceal them, yet he had not expected the news to spread this fast.
"Enough pleasantries, let us get down to business. Here is one billion Low Grade Spirit Stones. Exchange them all for Middle Grade Spirit Stones."
Before the two could continue trading polite remarks, Ling Ruoxue cut in. She was eager to complete the exchange and immediately placed a storage bag on the table in front of Qin Xiao.
Although Qin Xiao had made bold claims, she decided to test the waters with one billion spirit stones first. If that succeeded, they could proceed further.
"Very well. Though... it seems there is a small problem. I cannot use storage bags, so trading might be a bit troublesome."
Interrupted by Ling Ruoxue, Qin Xiao suddenly remembered that he had no way to manipulate storage bags.
"Then how do you propose we trade?"
Ling Ruoxue looked puzzled. If he could not use storage bags, how had he produced the Spirit Liquid earlier? Did he simply carry them loose in his pockets?
"Wait, let me try something."
Qin Xiao stared intently at the storage bag before him until a prompt suddenly appeared in his mind, asking whether he wished to store the item into the System Space.
Without hesitation, he confirmed. The storage bag vanished from the table and instantly materialized within his System Space.
When he focused on the storage bag inside the space, two options appeared: an open button and a deposit button.
He clicked open. In an instant, his total spirit stone count in the system increased by over one hundred million.
Proceeding to the exchange function, he entered one hundred million, converting the sum into one hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones.
"It actually works? Then my earlier antics of dumping spirit stones all over the floor made me look like a complete fool."
Qin Xiao had not been certain it would succeed, and remembering his previous clumsy display, he felt like an utter idiot.
Next, he selected the empty storage bag within the system and chose the deposit option. After inputting eighty-three thousand three hundred thirty-four Middle Grade Spirit Stones and confirming, the figure on his interface adjusted accordingly.
"Done. I rounded it off for you. There are exactly eighty-three thousand three hundred thirty-four Middle Grade Spirit Stones in here. You may inspect them."
With everything settled, Qin Xiao withdrew the storage bag from his system space and handed it back to Ling Ruoxue.
Since he had already pocketed over sixteen thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones as a byproduct, he had no interest in bickering over minor details.
"It is truly done?"
Ling Ruoxue picked up the storage bag with lingering disbelief.
The five elders of the Wu family gathered around as well, still harboring their own doubts.
"These are indeed Middle Grade Spirit Stones, and the count is completely accurate. Young Master Qin is truly an honored guest of our Immortal Dao Merchant Association."
Once Ling Ruoxue verified that everything was correct, a bright smile appeared on her face. Next came the exchange for High Grade Spirit Stones.
While Middle Grade Spirit Stones were not commonly used for everyday transactions, the association maintained a substantial reserve, so parting with a portion was entirely manageable.
High Grade Spirit Stones, however, were a different matter altogether. They rarely appeared in circulation, which meant trading for them using Middle Grade Spirit Stones carried an exchange rate of one thousand five hundred to one.
Qin Xiao gave little thought to the exchange rate; his current priority was purchasing a batch of storage bags. Had he known earlier that he could use them through the system, he would not have played the fool for so long.
"Do you happen to have a large stock of storage bags here? I would like to purchase some in bulk."
After a brief moment of thought, Qin Xiao voiced his request.
"There is no need to speak of buying. How many does Young Master Qin require? I will simply gift them to you."
Ling Ruoxue assumed it was a trivial matter. Storage bags were hardly worth mentioning; she could easily give away a few as a gesture of goodwill.
Primary storage bags held roughly ten cubic zhang of space and sold for one thousand spirit stones. Middle Grade Storage Bags offered around one hundred cubic zhang, starting at ten thousand spirit stones, while High Grade Storage Bags exceeded one thousand cubic zhang, starting at one hundred thousand. Prices scaled according to internal capacity, though they were typically measured in zhang.
Even if she gifted him ten Middle Grade Storage Bags, it would only amount to one hundred thousand spirit stones-a negligible sum compared to the massive transactions they were conducting.
"Master, aren't you unable to use storage bags? Why would you need them now?"
Yun Man asked with a hint of curiosity.
"That was before. I can use them now."
Unable to explain his past ignorance, Qin Xiao simply claimed mastery over them in the present.
"There is no need for gifts. Just inform me of the sizes and prices available. I will be needing quite a few."
Unwilling to take advantage of her hospitality, and planning to hoard a substantial supply, Qin Xiao declined the offer.
"Primary storage bags generally provide one zhang of space for one thousand spirit stones. Middle Grade Storage Bags offer three zhang or more, starting at ten thousand spirit stones. High Grade Storage Bags begin at ten zhang, with prices starting at one hundred thousand. Everything is priced according to capacity."
Seeing that he refused her charity, Ling Ruoxue detailed the specifications and costs.
"In that case, provide me with one thousand Middle Grade Storage Bags."
After a quick mental conversion, Qin Xiao decided that ten cubic was too small and one thousand cubic was too large, making one hundred cubic just right and reasonably priced.
"What? One thousand? What could you possibly want with so many storage bags?"
Ling Ruoxue had expected him to ask for a handful at most, not an entire thousand.
"Why do you need to know what I do with them? Just tell me if you have them. If you have plenty, make it five thousand."
Thinking it best to stock up to avoid future inconveniences, Qin Xiao raised his demand.
"Um, our usual stock only runs around two to three thousand. You had best stick to one thousand; we need to keep some for sale to other customers."
Fearing he would push the number higher, Ling Ruoxue quickly agreed to one thousand. Their reserves were hovering around that mark anyway, as supplies were only replenished every six months.
More importantly, sourcing five thousand bags on short notice was impossible, and manufacturing them in time was out of the question. Selling one thousand was the most practical course.
"One thousand it is then. Right, do you still wish to continue the exchange?"
Since they only had one thousand, Qin Xiao dropped the matter and turned his attention back to the spirit stones, intending to inquire about body-refinement medicinal ingredients next if they were finished.
"Yes, of course! We have nineteen more bags here, each containing one billion. We wish to exchange all of them for High Grade Spirit Stones. Can you handle that volume? If there are not enough High Grade Spirit Stones available, give us as many as you can and convert the remainder into Middle Grade Spirit Stones."
Prompted by Qin Xiao, Ling Ruoxue hastily laid out her terms.
She knew High Grade Spirit Stones were scarce, but she was willing to take whatever she could get, with Middle Grade Spirit Stones serving as a backup for the balance.
"Another nineteen billion, is it? Calculate how many High Grade Spirit Stones can be covered after these two batches, and I will supply the rest accordingly."
Recognizing that their true objective was acquiring High Grade Spirit Stones while using the lesser stones to test his limits, Qin Xiao bypassed further discussion and let them handle the figures.