noveltune Chapter 28 Martial Arts Market
Chapter 28 Martial Arts Market
"What's wrong? Do you also need fighting skills crystal cards or martial arts crystal cards?"
"I can have your dad buy it for you," Feng Yuelan asked.
"I don't need this for the time being."
Chen Lie shook his head.
After eating something, Chen Lie left home.
He arrived at a bus stop not far from his home and boarded a flying bus.
He remembered that there seemed to be a martial arts market in the very center of the provincial capital, which sold a wide variety of martial arts items. However, most of the items sold there were for martial artists, and there were not many items suitable for the Qi and Blood stage, but there were still some available.
The air shuttle bus was very fast, and after about an hour, Chen Lie got off in the center of the provincial capital.
After making several inquiries, Chen Lie finally confirmed the location of the Martial Arts Market and set off for it.
Upon arriving at the Martial Arts Market, Chen Lie glanced at the introduction on the signboard in front of the market. It was a large market covering an area of 20,000 square meters.
As Chen Lie walked in, he looked at both sides of the market. Finally, he saw a sales point for spirit energy crystal cards and went inside.
"Boss, how many Star Coins does a set of these Spirit Energy Crystal Cards cost?"
When Chen Lie walked in, the shopkeeper immediately stood up from his chair and introduced, "It depends on which type of crystal card you want. The most basic fighting technique crystal card costs 5800 star coins per set. A D-grade martial arts crystal card costs about 20,000 to 60,000 star coins per set. A C-grade martial arts crystal card costs 80,000 to 120,000 star coins per set, and so on."
"Oh." Chen Lie nodded and asked, "How are your spirit energy crystal cards manufactured?"
"Of course, it is made of special materials, polished through a process, and finally empowered with spiritual power, in order to finally create a crystal card."
"That's what the shop owner said."
"This place must just be a distribution point for crystal cards, right? I wonder how many star coins a set of martial arts crystal cards costs?" Chen Lie asked.
Why are you asking this?
The shop owner's gaze toward Chen Lie became somewhat wary.
"I was just asking around, I had no other purpose," Chen Lie said.
The shop owner said directly, "Why are you asking so many questions, you're just a kid? If you really want martial arts crystal cards, have your parents choose one for you."
Chen Lie said, "Are you being so tight-lipped here because the cost of martial arts crystal cards is too low? For example, a set of crystal cards that costs tens of thousands of star coins can yield a profit of over ten thousand star coins when sold?"
"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting here? These psionic crystal cards in my shop may not seem like many, but I spent tens of millions of star coins to buy them."
So, according to you, my set of D-grade martial arts crystal cards only cost a few thousand star coins to buy, right? Come on, I'll buy them from you for tens of thousands of star coins. I'll take as many as you have!"
"Don't be angry, boss, I was just joking."
"Go away, if you're really that bored, there's a virtual reality experience center across from the market. Don't waste my time here!"
The shop owner, with a cold expression, started to shoo people away. Having been in business for over a decade, he could clearly tell that Chen Lie wasn't the seller, so naturally he didn't want to argue with Chen Lie any further.
Chen Lie, however, showed no sign of leaving and continued, "Boss, calm down. I really have something to discuss with you. Since there's no one else in your shop right now, why don't you talk to me and relieve your boredom?"
The shop owner sat down in the chair behind the counter, his eyelids drooping, and said, "What do you want to discuss with me?"
"My business isn't urgent. I'd like to ask you about the high price of a set of psionic crystal cards. Is it the materials used in card making, or the subsequent manufacturing process?"
"Nonsense, although the materials used to make crystal cards are rare, how many grams does a single crystal card weigh? The material cost for a set of crystal cards is at most a few hundred star coins."
As for the manufacturing process, those are mass-produced items, and no matter how advanced the technology is, it's not worth much.
In my estimation, the total cost of a set of combat skill crystal cards, including manufacturing materials, manufacturing process, and subsequent storage and distribution, would not exceed two thousand star coins.
The manufacturing process and materials of D-grade martial arts crystal cards are more precious, but the cost of a set of crystal cards will not exceed five thousand star coins.
The cost of a C-grade martial arts crystal card is no more than 10,000 star coins. The most expensive part of a martial arts crystal card is the spiritual energy empowerment; inscribing spiritual energy on the crystal card is the most expensive step in the entire crystal card manufacturing process.
"Only a Spiritual Master can empower others with spiritual power. Have you ever heard of a Spiritual Master?"
Chen Lie nodded and said, "In that case, if your purchase price for a set of C-grade martial arts crystal cards worth 100,000 star yuan is 60,000 star yuan, but the actual cost is less than 10,000 star yuan, the crystal card manufacturer's net profit is 50,000 star yuan, while your profit is 40,000 star yuan."
"How dare you spout such nonsense, you brat? According to your calculations, all those spiritual masters can do is starve, right?"
I don't think you're a seller, so I'll tell you the truth, but you can't tell anyone else. This set of C-grade martial arts crystal cards that I sell for 100,000 star coins, including the Storm Leg crystal card, cost me over 80,000 star coins to buy.
While the card maker's profit appears to be as high as 70,000 star coins, the Divine Sense Master takes the lion's share, so the card maker's net profit is definitely less than 30,000 star coins. Do you understand?
"Got it!" Chen Lie said, "Boss, I can tell you're an honest person. To tell you the truth, I'm just a mind-manipulator. How about we make a deal?"
"You? A mind control master?" The shop owner stared at Chen Lie for a long time before finally saying, "That's bullshit!"
Do you have any blank crystal cards here, the kind that haven't been infused with spiritual energy yet?
"What do you want to do?" the shop owner asked.
"Just take it out. Don't worry, if it causes you any losses, I will compensate you accordingly," Chen Lie said calmly.
Upon hearing this, the shop owner stood up from his chair, bent down, took out an ornate box from the bottom of the counter, and placed it on the counter.
"When I went to Lingfeng Group to purchase goods last time, their staff mistakenly gave me blank crystal cards that had not been empowered by spiritual power, thinking they were finished martial arts crystal cards. I was planning to exchange them next time."
"That's what the shop owner said."
Chen Lie took the fancy box, opened it, and immediately saw two crystal-clear cards with the words "Lingfeng Group" written in red on the front.
He picked up the crystal card and weighed it in his hand. Each crystal card weighed about fifty grams, was about the size of his palm, and was made of a very special material, like crystal.
Chen Lie closed his eyes and channeled his mental energy into his sea of consciousness, using his palms to empower the crystal card.
Suddenly, with a "bang," the crystal card in his hand shattered into pieces.
The shop owner was immediately shocked: "How did the crystal card suddenly break? What did you do, you brat? Do you know that I bought this crystal card at the price of a D-grade martial arts crystal card, worth over 20,000 star coins? How am I supposed to reorder it from Lingfeng Group now that it's in pieces?"
Chen Lie, without changing his expression, picked up another crystal card. Seeing that the shop owner was about to snatch it away, he said, "Don't worry, it's broken, it's broken. I'll compensate you according to the price!"
Upon hearing this, the shop owner immediately calmed down. Since he wouldn't have to spend any money, as long as someone was willing to compensate at the original price, it wouldn't matter if all the blank crystal cards were smashed.
Chen Lie held the crystal-clear card in front of his eyes and examined it for a while.
At the same time, he secretly wondered why this crystal card was so fragile.
Could it be that I was too rough with the mental energy I just infused, and the crystal card couldn't withstand such strong mental power?
With this in mind, Chen Lie began to circulate his mental energy outside. This time, he was exceptionally careful, carefully imprinting his mental energy onto the crystal card through his palm.
Gradually, the crystal-clear card changed color, from its original crystal-clear color to bright yellow.
"Huh? What's going on?"
The shop owner was puzzled when he saw this.
In less than half a minute, Chen Lie finished infusing the spiritual energy into the crystal card. He returned the crystal card to the shop owner and said, "Boss, place the crystal card between your eyebrows and feel it carefully."
The shopkeeper was puzzled, but he did as he was told. He placed the crystal card between his eyebrows, calmed his mind, and carefully sensed it.
Suddenly, his mind went blank, all his thoughts stopped instantly, and he saw a figure practicing a footwork in a boundless world.
In just a few seconds, the image of the person in his mind flashed, as if it had merged with him, and he was able to wield that image, performing a light and agile maneuver.
In the boundless, pure white world, he took a step forward and appeared in the far distance ahead like wisps of smoke and floating clouds, every frame of his movement exceptionally clear.
He used his footwork to create dozens or even hundreds of phantoms in an instant. Gradually, more than a dozen phantoms overlapped with him.
Less than ten minutes later, the shop owner snapped out of his daze, utterly shocked.
"What... what's going on?"
Chen Lie said, "Didn't I just tell you? I am a spiritual master. The blank crystal card in your hand has become a real martial arts crystal card because I empowered it with my spiritual power."
"You...are you really a mind control master?"
The shop owner stared in disbelief at the crystal card in his hand, which had turned from bright yellow to pale yellow. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.
He didn't know what a Divine Sense Master was, but he was absolutely aware of their rarity and prestige.
Are there any spiritual masters in Dongchuan Province? Maybe, but he's never seen one.
"I inscribed a C-rank martial art called... Cloud Shadow Step on that crystal card with my mental power. How many star coins would I sell it for here?"
Chen Lie pondered for a moment. The so-called Cloud Smoke Step, although it still looked like Cloud Smoke Step on the surface, had actually been completely changed by him. The core of the martial arts was completely different, so it should no longer be called Cloud Smoke Step, but should be renamed Cloud Shadow Step.
"A C-grade martial arts crystal card for a set of footwork techniques is definitely worth 120,000 star coins. However, why have I never heard of the martial art 'Cloud Shadow Step'?"
"The martial arts from other provinces are not the same as those prevalent in Dongchuan Province," Chen Lie said.
"If that's the case, this martial art won't sell so well. I've been in the business of selling spirit energy crystal cards for over ten years, and I know that many people first learn a martial art to a near-perfect level, and only use martial arts crystal cards after they're just one step away from mastering it."
Therefore, students' purchase of martial arts crystal cards is absolutely purposeful. If they have already mastered the "Breaking Void Fist" technique promoted in high school martial arts courses to a certain level, they will only buy Breaking Void Fist crystal cards and definitely will not buy any others.
Only crystal cards inscribed with martial arts techniques popular in Dongchuan Province can achieve high sales.