A mediocre manual sold for twenty-five to forty spirit stones, from the merchant on their way here. But are they paying for the art, or transitively paying the art's supply chain for the expected devaluation from its spread, or bribing Senior Ning to turn a blind eye, or bribing everyone who needs to clear the loan to turn a blind eye?

Or the man is simply squeezing them for whatever he can get on whatever pretext on a floating price scale, for the second time.

She'll let Wen negotiate.

"I'm well aware that this is a venerable and high quality art, and not so widespread as ones like Martensite Crucible."

"Plus," Ning adds, "It's a core cultivation manual, not merely an additional technique."

Wen nods pleasantly. "Indeed, a much higher class of art than most. Though I would hesitate to place it on the same level as formation or alchemy manuals. The Three Jades Sect is, after all, not the only ones who have it..."

"I think you'll find anyone else selling this manual to be in much the same constraints as us. You're lucky if you have the chance to get it for spirit stones at all."

A fierce round of polite haggling ensues; Wen takes the strategy of fussing over details of the non-proliferation oath, which she relents on after Ning starts getting frustrated.

"...Fine. It's not like we lack spirit stones. One thousand five hundred to the sect plus a favor of two hundred fifty to the technique hall directly is acceptable, if we can adjust the usual oath as we discussed. We're going to be travelling far, and returning for dispensation from it would be troublesome."

"I sense your sincerity and righteousness, and I'm sure my Elder will agree to this adjustment."

"Here, the first part of the payment ahead of time."

And then there's going to be some fussing with oaths and security seals and weights and scales and Wen scoffing at a patronizing compliment of 'beasts having learned civility' from the stone-auditor.

And then they have a large scroll - not merely a paper manual - sealed with some sort of talisman, and can leave.

Steep. Worth it, she supposes, even for one not overflowing with riches. She wonders what the "technique hall" is. Independent institutions or sect departments dedicated to research and development of cultivation arts?

She accedes to the oaths and inspections.

"How do most cultivators gain access to techniques like this?" she asks once they're out. "Do they just save up? Or are there easier ways for sect members, apprenticeships, rewards?"

Or the answer is "they don't".

"They join a sect properly amd earn it from inside, or fate favors them and they find an inheritance with a potential method, or they win some tournament or another, or they have phenomenal talent and get recruited, or they just don't."

Sounds irritating.

Is it past lunchtime yet? Where's the Earthblood Pavilion from here; do they need to get a move on?

They probably do; The weapons training lasted for a surprisingly long while.

Well, if they're running short on time, she can always find food in her pockets in the blink of an eye.

The Kun family welcomes them to the arena. There's a smiling attendant who feels like he's not just a pretty face. Something in the way he carries himself. And how everyone else gets out of the way, for all that he has the demeanor of a secretary or servant.

Shun Kun is fighting ten on one, if Rebecca is keen to observe. He stays in constant, furious motion, not pausing even for a moment. Spins and twists and heaves and trips and punches and the occasional qi technique, roots entangling his legs to give himself extra leverage, or a punch being accompanied by a bloom of brown-green energy that makes it hit much harder.

His opponents are no slouches though, and ten on one is a difficult thing to overcome when the ten are actually trying to coordinate. Eventually, they get him pinned, and an announcer ends the match. The crowd- Much bigger than last time- Cheers, and money starts changing hands at the brokers.