Chapter 95 - 72 : The Cultivation shop (2)

Chapter 95: Chapter 72 : The Cultivation shop (2)

The front was open to the street, with several shelves visible from outside. Unlike the temporary stalls around it, the shop had been built from proper wood and stone. A faint spiritual fluctuation passed through the doorway whenever someone entered or left.

Ethan glanced inside.

Clothing hung along one wall, most of it plain enough to pass for ordinary garments. Yet when the light caught the fabric, faint lines of spiritual energy could be seen moving through the stitching.

Ethan’s gaze lingered on them before dropping to his own robe. Dirt covered the lower half, while dried blood stained the fabric in several places. The damage from the previous night’s fight was still obvious, even though the wounds themselves had already disappeared. He had been thinking about changing clothes ever since entering the gathering.

Now, it seemed he had found the right place.

Ethan stepped inside.

The change was subtle but immediate. The constant noise of the street faded behind him, replaced by the softer sounds of fabric shifting, quiet footsteps, and the occasional clink of something being placed on a wooden counter. Even the air felt different, carrying a faint mixture of dried herbs, ink, and something metallic that he couldn’t quite place.

Shelves lined the walls, each divided into neat sections. One held folded robes, their fabrics varying in color and texture. Another displayed bundles of talismans sealed inside thin wooden cases. Further inside, small boxes containing what appeared to be refining materials were arranged carefully along the shelves. Several polished stones rested beneath a glass-covered counter, each giving off a faint trace of spiritual energy.

Ethan’s eyes moved slowly across the shop, taking it all in. There was nothing particularly extravagant about the place, yet every item seemed to have a purpose. Even the ordinary-looking robes carried traces of refinement that separated them from the clothes he had been wearing.

Behind the main counter sat a woman who looked to be in her early forties. She wore a dark green robe with simple silver stitching around the sleeves and collar, the style plain enough for everyday wear but neat enough to show that it had been carefully maintained. Her black hair was gathered loosely behind her head, with a few strands falling naturally around a calm, oval-shaped face. There was nothing striking about her features at first glance, though the steady look in her dark eyes gave her an unusual sense of composure.

She was flipping through the pages of a thick account book, one hand resting beside a small wooden abacus. Ethan’s gaze settled on her for a moment, and almost instinctively, his Blood Perception brushed against her.

The vitality within her was steady and dense.

Mid-stage Qi Refining.

Roughly the same level as himself.

Ethan’s attention returned to her face just as she turned another page. A moment later, perhaps sensing his presence, the woman looked up from the book and met his eyes, then briefly moved over his clothing before returning to his face.

"Looking for something?"

"A robe."

The woman nodded toward the wall.

"Everyday robes are over there. The ones on the first two shelves are the simplest."

Ethan walked over.

The robes were mostly plain, coming in shades of gray, dark blue, brown, and black. Nothing about them was particularly distinctive, which suited him just fine.

He picked up a dark gray robe and ran his fingers across the fabric. It felt softer than ordinary cloth, but there was something else beneath the surface.

A faint spiritual current moved through the threads, subtle enough to be missed at a glance but clear to Ethan’s senses.

Ethan turned the robe slightly in his hands, studying the faint spiritual current moving through the threads. He had an inkling of what it might be, but he wasn’t certain. His fingers traced the stitching once more, following the subtle flow of spiritual energy woven into the fabric.

"So these are...?"

The woman’s hand stopped halfway through turning a page.

She looked at him for a moment, a hint of puzzlement appearing in her eyes as though she hadn’t expected the question.

"Formations," she replied.

Ethan paused.

So these were formations.

His eyes returned to the robe, and this time, he looked at the stitching with a clearer understanding.

"What type of formation is woven into it?"

The woman glanced over.

"Dust-Cleansing Formation."

Ethan looked at her.

"It cleans the robe?"

"It keeps dust, dirt, and ordinary stains from remaining on the fabric. You circulate a little Qi through the formation and it activates."

She pointed toward the collar.

"The formation is woven into the robe itself. No need to carry a talisman around for it."

Ethan looked at the robe again. He can almost imagine it usefulness.

His gaze moved to another robe hanging beside it.

"And this one?"

"Same formation."

The woman took it down.

"Body-Fitting Formation as well."

She held it out toward him.

"Once worn, it adjusts itself to the wearer’s size."

Ethan accepted it. He could see why cultivators would use something like this. A robe that cleaned itself and adjusted to the body meant less time spent washing clothes or replacing them whenever one’s body changed.

"What about those?"

Ethan pointed toward another section. The robes there looked similar, but faint patterns were visible around the sleeves and chest.

"Those have Guard Formations."

The woman placed the robe back.

"Basic protection. Enough to block a single attack from a cultivator within the formation’s limit. Nothing impressive."

"How much?"

"Three low-grade spirit stones."

Ethan glanced at the simpler robe in his hand.

"And this?"

"One low-grade spirit stone."

The price made him pause. Not because it was expensive, but because he had heard those words before.

Spirit stone.

Ethan’s mind briefly returned to Earth. Stories, games, novels : cultivation had always been filled with things like spirit stones, crystals containing spiritual energy that cultivators used to cultivate, refine treasures, power formations, and trade with one another. Back then, they had been nothing more than fiction. Here, however, he had already confirmed that spiritual energy truly existed. He had felt Qi flowing through his own body and had even broken into Qi Refining.

But until now, he had never actually needed to use a spirit stone as currency.

Ethan looked at the robe again.

"Do you accept silver?"

The woman shook her head.

"No."

"Gold?"

"No."

"We don’t exchange mortal currency for spirit stones here either." She said it casually, as though the answer should have been obvious.

"Spirit stones are used directly."

Ethan was silent for a moment.

Then he remembered something.

His eyes narrowed slightly as his thoughts returned to the six cultivators. After the fight, he hadn’t simply left their belongings behind. He had searched through them while gathering their bodies, though his attention at the time had been focused mainly on their blood and how it might help his cultivation. Because of that, he had only given their belongings a quick glance.

That was when he had noticed the strange stones among the possessions of the broad-shouldered leader. He had sensed the spiritual energy within them but hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now, looking back, Ethan finally understood what they were.

Ethan reached beneath his robe.

His fingers found the storage pouch he had taken from the dead cultivator. He opened it and looked through the few miscellaneous items inside until his fingers found the stones.

Ethan pulled one out. It was about the size of a small coin, though thicker, with a pale, translucent surface. Faint spiritual energy flowed within it, and the moment he held it, recognition settled in.

This was what the woman had been talking about.

"A spirit stone?"

The woman’s eyes settled on it then him. There was a brief, strange look in them, as though she found the question somewhat difficult to understand.

"Yes," she replied.

Ethan looked at the stone for another moment.

So these were spirit stones.

The cultivators he had killed had been carrying them, and he had five in total. He had simply never given the strange stones much thought, despite sensing the spiritual energy within them. Now that he knew what they were, he couldn’t help wondering how much they were actually worth. Ethan rolled the stone back into the center of his palm and looked at it again.

"I’ll take two."

The woman nodded.

"Two robes?"

"Yes."

She selected another dark gray robe from the shelf and placed it beside the first.

"Both have the Dust-Cleansing Formation and Body-Fitting Formation."

Ethan examined them briefly.

There was nothing flashy about either robe, and that was exactly what he wanted. They looked like something an ordinary cultivator could wear on the road without attracting attention.

He placed the two robes on the counter. The woman extended her hand, and Ethan placed two spirit stones into her palm. She checked them briefly before putting them away.

"Do you need a storage pouch?"

"Not at all."

She nodded and said nothing more.

Ethan took the robes and stepped toward the rear of the shop, where a small changing area had been separated by a wooden screen. After a short while, he emerged wearing one of the new robes.

The fit changed almost immediately.

The fabric tightened slightly around his shoulders and waist before settling into place. The sleeves adjusted to the length of his arms, and the robe stopped just above his boots.

Ethan looked down at himself.

It felt different from ordinary clothing, though not heavier. If anything, it felt lighter. Ethan ran his fingers across the sleeve, feeling the faint spiritual energy woven into the fabric. It was almost unnoticeable unless he deliberately paid attention to it. He circulated a strand of Qi through the robe, and a subtle ripple passed through the material. The dirt gathered along the fabric loosened and vanished from the surface.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. That was convenient. His gaze shifted to the old robe he had removed. Blood still stained it, and the damage from the night was obvious. He folded the torn robe and placed it into his storage pouch along with the rest of his belongings, then stored the second new robe inside as well. With everything packed away, there was no need to carry anything by hand, leaving him lighter and less restricted as he prepared to continue his journey.

Ethan glanced once more toward the section

The defensive robe would cost three spirit stones for a basic Guard Formation. Ethan could afford it, but he had no reason to buy it. If something strong enough to seriously threaten him appeared, a single low-level defensive formation woven into his clothing was unlikely to change the outcome. He would rather keep the spirit stones.

Ethan adjusted the collar of his new robe. The dark gray color was common enough, and nothing about it stood out. That was all he needed. As he walked back toward the entrance, his eyes passed briefly over the shelves of talismans, refining materials, and other cultivation goods. There were many things he still didn’t recognize, and Ethan was beginning to see how much of the cultivation world existed beyond cultivation itself. People needed clothes, weapons, pills, talismans, materials, transportation, food, and countless other things. Cultivation had created an entire way of life around itself, and this busy gathering was only one small part of it.

Ethan stepped back into the crowd, and the noise of the market swallowed him almost immediately. He pulled his hood into place and continued walking. At least now, he no longer looked like someone who had just walked out of a bloody fight.