I have the face of a great demon.

Liu Xingchen and his group only had 26 spirit crystals, which wasn't enough to buy the storage bag.

They could have asked their master for the money, but the two were too proud to do it themselves and insisted on solving the problem without relying on their master.

In order to buy the storage bags, Liu Xingchen began to pester the stall owner relentlessly.

"Senior, look at our poor, inexperienced appearance. We only have 26 spirit crystals on us. Please do us a favor and sell them to us."

The stall owner said with a bitter face, "It's not that I don't want to help you young people, it's just that my business is so small, I can't make much money. I only make 4 spirit crystals selling a storage bag. If I give it all to you, what am I supposed to earn? I can't even cover my travel expenses."

Despite Liu Xingchen and Ren Xingchen's best efforts to persuade the stall owner, the stall owner remained stubborn and refused to budge.

He had so much money that he just stood there laughing.

You two were so stubborn just now, now you're getting a taste of what it's like to fail at bargaining, aren't you?

Seeing that Liu Xingchen and his group were unable to negotiate a lower price, they began to raise their offer, even planning to help the stall owner with his work in order to secure the storage bag.

Just then, Qian Duoduo finally made his move.

"You two lads, stop begging others. Everything in this world has a price. If the money isn't right, no amount of begging will help."

"It's you again." Tie Zhu didn't give him a friendly look as soon as he saw him. He had already labeled the fat man a "liar" in his mind and felt that this guy was definitely trying to take advantage of them.

"Don't be so quick to give me attitude. I'm here to help you." Qian Duoduo seemed completely unconcerned about Tie Zhu's attitude and said with a smile.

What can you do to help us?

"I can help you buy this storage bag."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xingchen immediately suspected that the fat man was up to some trick again. Worried that Tie Zhu wouldn't be able to handle it, he quickly interjected:

"Fellow Daoist Qian, what price do you expect us to pay for this?"

Tie Duoduo's fat face jiggled, and he laughed heartily:

“It’s so much easier to talk to smart people. I’ve said it before, everything in this world has a price. I’m buying this storage bag for you, and you’re working for me, that’s the price.”

"No way," Liu Xingchen replied decisively. He didn't want to work for this kind of person; who knew if he'd be tricked?

"If you're not willing to pay that price, we can make a bet." Qian Duoduo changed his strategy.

"It's not worth gambling for a storage bag that costs 30 spirit crystals," Liu Xingchen shook his head.

"Then I'll raise the stakes a bit more: two storage bags, one for each of you, and they're still large storage bags worth 50 spirit crystals each, how about that?"

Qian Duoduo's expression at this moment was like that of the Big Bad Wolf, doing everything she could to tempt the two of them.

With this offer, Liu Xingchen was tempted.

Small storage bags aren't worth the gamble, but large storage bags are a different story.

The small storage bag was a bit too small. It was fine for holding his black robe, but not for the divine sword; it was too long to fit inside.

The large storage bag is much bigger; when enlarged, it's like a modern backpacker's oversized backpack, easily accommodating a divine sword.

Moreover, since they gave him two storage bags, he didn't feel indebted because Tie Zhu had worked hard for half a day but got nothing, and all the profits went to him.

Tie Zhu was already impatient, his mouth watering, just waiting for the betting to begin.

So Liu Xingchen asked further, "How do you want to bet?"

Qian Duoduo saw that the two had taken the bait, and his eyes narrowed even more.

"As for the betting method, it's easy. I won't bully you. I can see that your cultivation levels are not high, one is at the second level of Qi Refining and the other is at the third level of Qi Refining."

"How about this? I have a spirit pet, a mighty earth ape, whose cultivation level is equivalent to the third level of Qi Refining in a human cultivator. It's fair for it to fight you."

Liu Xingchen and Tie Zhu exchanged a glance; this was too fair.

The Mighty Demon Ape, as its name suggests, possesses considerable strength. Iron Pillar, on the other hand, is born with superhuman strength, far exceeding that of an average Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator. Even Liu Xingchen dared not challenge Iron Pillar's strength.

This mighty demon ape is practically asking for trouble.

“Okay, we can bet. How do you want to bet?” Liu Xingchen asked.

"It's just a contest, no need to fight to the death. So, the two sides will fight hand to hand, without using weapons or magical treasures, relying entirely on their own abilities."

"If you win, you can take the two large storage bags. If you lose, you'll have to work for me for a year."

Liu Xingchen and his companion whispered among themselves for a while, deciding they were unwilling to work for this fat man for a year; they still needed to cultivate with their master.

However, Tie Zhu was convinced that he would not lose, and Liu Xingchen also felt that others underestimating Tie Zhu's strength was a great advantage, and it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

So they agreed, but since the amount of money was too much, they added another condition.

“The bet between us is not fair. I have put up 100 spirit crystals, which is a considerable amount, more than the combined labor of the two of you for a year.”

"To be fair, you must stand still and not dodge, and take all three punches from my Demon Ape."

This request was excessive, and even the stall owners who were watching from the sidelines were furious.

The Mighty Demon Ape is not to be trifled with. If you take three punches from it, you'll be half dead, let alone able to fight back.

The reason for not mentioning this condition at the beginning was to lure the two people in little by little, making them believe that they could succeed if they just persevered a little longer, and thus making them unwilling to give up the opportunity.

As expected, after discussing it for a while, Liu Xingchen and the other person agreed.

They also had another trick to deal with this powerful demon ape: the Vajra Talisman.

With the Vajra Talisman, Tie Zhu is like a human tank, with amazing defensive capabilities. He should be able to withstand three punches from the demon ape without any problem.

The other party agreed that if they had too much money, they would be taken to the village's gambling arena.

This is a common facility in places where cultivators gather.

There are often conflicts and duels among cultivators. Building such a place can resolve these conflicts and also provide a spectacle for them to enjoy.

The gambling arena in the trading area is, to put it simply, an open space enclosed by wooden stakes—simple yet practical.

On this site, there was a notary in charge. He was one of the Yu brothers who managed this transaction venue, and was known as the Third Brother Yu.

Qian Duo generously handed over two spirit crystals to Old Man Yu as a reward.

Thus, after the notary nodded, the betting contest officially began.

Before the betting match even began, the news had already spread throughout the small trading town.

While waiting for the auction, the cultivators were already bored out of their minds. When they heard that there was a gambling match to watch, they naturally flocked to the scene, and no one wanted to miss this good show.

In no time, the cultivators gathered in small groups, discussing amongst themselves, and all rushed to the arena, eager to witness the spectacle.

Hua Laodao was meditating and cultivating deep in the forest when he kept hearing people talking about a "big guy" who wanted to compete with the Mighty Demon Ape.

Hua Laodao's heart tightened, and he thought to himself, "Could this big guy be talking about my disciple Tiezhu?"

He hurriedly left the woods and looked at the place where his two apprentices had set up their stall, but sure enough, the two were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no!" Old Hua's heart sank, and he rushed towards the gambling arena.