Every year, winter was always the hardest time to endure in Dahe Market.
The Lancang River froze over and heavy snow sealed the mountains, directly cutting off the main source of income for most cultivators.
Beyond that, for rogue cultivators living in the outer city, there was even the danger of starving demon beasts prowling out of the mountains to prey on humans.
Yet this year, things seemed a little different.
Walking along the streets of the inner city, Luo Chen was surprised to find crowds weaving through the thoroughfares, far livelier than back in autumn.
Gu Caiyi thoughtfully explained, "It's because of the Dao Discussion Platform on Fallen Phoenix Mountain."
Luo Chen was sharp-witted, and with a few brief pointers from her, he quickly understood the reason.
The opening of the Dao Discussion Platform on Fallen Phoenix Mountain had ignited a craze of combat among cultivators.
Ordinarily, only some late Qi Refining experts and clan cultivators bothered to spend effort there.
However, as the weather grew increasingly bitter and earnings from the mountains dwindled, some cultivators who could no longer make ends meet finally set their minds on competing on the platform.
As long as one stepped up for a match, win or lose, there was an appearance fee!
Moreover, with Foundation Establishment cultivators watching over the ring, there was at least no danger to their lives.
And if they won, they could earn extra rewards—spirit stones, pills, dharma artifacts, and more.
Because of this, Dahe Market had not grown deserted this winter. Instead, everyone was eager to show off their prowess.
Naturally, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion was more than happy to see this.
From the massive influx of registered cultivators, they could select participants with higher cultivation realms and stronger combat skills.
Then, they advertised the selling points of each battle to the public.
Be it the contest for the top mid Qi Refining expert, disputes over resources, or duels between fellow disciples—even irreconcilable neighborhood quarrels brought to the platform to settle right from wrong—all kinds of dramatic bouts were staged.
Whenever a death match arose, it would spark a frenzied viewing craze.
If nothing else, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion was already making a fortune on ticket sales alone.
"If I didn't have a craft of my own, I might have taken a turn on the platform myself!"
Luo Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly, fully understanding the rogue cultivators flocking to the stage.
According to Gu Caiyi, even some members of the Mountain Breaker Gang's three combat halls had signed up to compete.
Who would have thought that the martial spirit the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion wanted to foster among cultivators would receive such a massive boost from the winter season?
It was easy to imagine that once winter passed, cultivators who had grown accustomed to making a living from the Dao Discussion Platform would hardly abandon the habit.
"Let's go watch a match when we're free," Luo Chen said casually.
Ticket prices for the Dao Discussion Platform were no longer as expensive as in the beginning.
After all, not every day featured death matches, Foundation Establishment experts, or Tier 2 demon beasts.
With tickets costing anywhere from one to ten spirit stones, most people could afford them.
Gu Caiyi blinked and said sweetly, "Sure! But you're paying for the snacks!"
Luo Chen rolled his eyes. "Shall I get you milk tea too?"
"Milk tea? What's that?"
Gu Caiyi paused, perplexed.
Luo Chen was taken aback for a second before breaking into a grin.
"The Chenyue Snack Stall is about to get a new item!"
He had already thought of the slogan: *The first cup of milk tea in winter, warming your frozen Dao heart!*
***
Braving the wind and snow, flanked by two bodyguards who showed up rain or shine, Luo Chen arrived at Crescent Moon Valley.
As soon as he entered the valley, he noticed some changes.
Sheds had been erected over several medicinal fields.
Yuan Dongsheng, the spiritual farmer he knew, was walking among them, casting a spell from time to time.
Seeing Luo Chen looking his way, Yuan Dongsheng paused his movements.
"Curious about this spell?"
"A bit. Weren't the herbs in this patch only supposed to grow during milder seasons?"
"See, that's where you don't know. With the spiritual farming technique Eternal Spring, seasonal herbs can be grown even in winter. Want to learn? I can teach you!"
Luo Chen quickly shook his head.
As he walked off, he muttered something about greenhouse farming under his breath.
The longer he lived in the cultivation world, the more he realized the people here were far from primitive.
Major sects monopolized businesses and leveraged their strengths to scale up.
Lesser figures possessed their own cleverness; recently, some rogue cultivators had even copied his ideas, jumping on the trend to sell various snacks.
As for spells, they were far from stagnant.
Beyond normal combat arts, various everyday spells and vocational skills were remarkably well-researched.
*Perhaps I've underestimated the people of this world all along.*
*Those top-tier cultivators who live for hundreds or thousands of years—how could their wisdom fall short of the world I came from?*
*Take the Cleansing Art that the original host knew from the start; that alone is telling. A spell that contributes nothing to the Great Dao is known by almost everyone, which shows that spell refinements have been popularized for a very long time.*
Thinking of the Cleansing Art, Luo Chen remembered its proficiency was almost at Master level.
Perhaps he could take some time to push it over the threshold in one go, just to see what changed at Master level.
At worst, it wouldn't be any less useful than Carefree Wandering!
With these thoughts in mind, Luo Chen arrived at the Pill Hall.
Today was another day of alchemy, a routine everyone had grown used to.
Kindling the fire, unsealing the furnace, and adding the medicinal ingredients, Luo Chen personally presided over the refining process.
Now that only two pill chambers were operating, his workload had become significantly lighter.
Luo Chen was also curious: wasn't Mi Shuhua deeply invested in the Jade Marrow Pills?
Why hadn't he bought a new furnace even though nearly a month had passed?
Could he have been bled dry by Luo Chen?
No, buying a brand-new low-grade pill furnace only cost a few hundred spirit stones; Mi Shuhua could certainly afford that.
Then what was the reason?
"Collecting the pills!"
Putting aside his wandering thoughts, Luo Chen opened the pill furnace.
Forty plump, gleaming white Jade Marrow Pills came into view.
Ten low-grade, thirty mid-grade.
Sure enough, without reaching Master-level proficiency, concealing his true skill was no easy feat.
Luo Chen sighed inwardly, then secretly pocketed ten of the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills.
"Come in and collect the pills!"
At his call, two pill tenders stepped in from outside.
One held a tray, while the other wore plain white gloves.
The gloved pill tender's eyes lit up upon seeing the pills.
"Hall Master's alchemy has improved once again! You actually refined twenty mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills this time!"
Luo Chen waved his hand dismissively. He had no patience for such heartfelt flattery.
He was already vexed enough about how to conceal his alchemy skills.
Stepping out of the chamber, Luo Chen remembered something and caught Sikong Shoujia as he walked past.
"Where's last month's dividend? Has the Merit Hall still not sent it over?"
With the auction just around the corner, having more spirit stones on hand was always better.
"Not yet. They said payouts are delayed this month; it's the same for everyone."
"Ah, in the dead of winter, I'm still counting on those spirit stones to put rice in my pot," Luo Chen complained.
Sikong Shoujia rolled his eyes. Within the Pill Hall, Luo Chen earned the most, yet he still cried poor.
Only Luo Chen could utter such shameless words with a straight face.
"Do you know how many spirit stones the Myriad Wonders Pills and Jade Marrow Pills brought in last month?"
"That I do know!"
Sikong Shoujia gave a figure. Luo Chen calculated quickly; his share should come out to around six hundred spirit stones.
Most of it came from the Myriad Wonders Pills.
Yet upon recalculating, he felt something was off.
"We produced quite a few mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills last month. The total shouldn't be just this much, right?"
Luo Chen was furious. Someone higher up was embezzling!
And they were embezzling *his* spirit stones!
Back when they only made low-grade Jade Marrow Pills, the Mountain Breaker Gang was definitely running at a loss.
There was no question about that; the material costs were fixed, and low-grade pills couldn't fetch high prices.
Recently, however, Luo Chen had genuinely refined over a hundred mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, pushing his proficiency to Perfection.
Though he had secretly kept a portion for himself, the hundred pills handed over should have sold for several thousand spirit stones at least.
He ought to have received a cut of that.
Yet according to his rough calculation just now, the dividend didn't include any of those spirit stones.
"Embezzling from anyone else is one thing, but to steal from me!"
Fuming, Luo Chen headed straight for Mi Junping.
However, when he reached the Merit Hall, he found not only Mi Junping, but also Mi Shuhua.
"You're asking about the proceeds from the Jade Marrow Pills?"
Smiling, Mi Shuhua pointed to a row of shelves across the room.
Luo Chen glanced over and realized they were packed with the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills he had refined.
"Wait, you haven't put them up for sale?"
"Cultivation pills that can barely be considered mainstream aren't so easy to sell."
Not easy to sell?
How could that be!
Luo Chen had absolute confidence in his alchemy.
Besides, he was the first to test the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills; their efficacy was genuine and undiluted.
"I miscalculated back then. The profit margins on low-grade Jade Marrow Pills are too slim, so going forward, our main focus must be on mid-grade pills."
"Therefore, how we sell these requires long-term planning."
Mi Shuhua spoke calmly, but the expression on his face appeared thoroughly confident.
As Luo Chen mulled over his words, a key realization struck him.
Perhaps it wasn't that no one was buying the pills, but that someone wasn't allowing them to be sold!
Chief among them would be the Spirit Herb Pavilion, which dominated the pill trade, and the Medicine King Sect behind it!
Regardless of what Luo Chen was thinking, Mi Shuhua said with a smile, "Head back for now. Don't worry about the rest; just focus on refining pills."
"When the time comes, you won't be shorted a single stone of your dividend."
"Oh, right. The auction begins the morning after tomorrow. The venue is on Fallen Phoenix Mountain."
***
With the auction approaching, Luo Chen intended to go merely to broaden his horizons.
Even so, that didn't mean he had no thoughts of his own.
Auctions in Dahe Market were divided into two types.
One was a large-scale auction held once every ten years, primarily catering to Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
The other was a smaller annual auction, mainly targeting Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Strictly speaking, one had already been held half a year ago when the Dao Discussion Platform opened.
However, that had been a special occasion and hadn't accommodated cultivators who regularly attended the yearly auctions.
Thus, according to tradition, this year's small-scale auction was still being held at the onset of winter.
Though called a small-scale auction, considering the daily influx of rogue cultivators into Dahe Market and the growing number of nearby cultivation clans, its actual scale would hardly be modest.
Since this auction was aimed at crowds that included Qi Refining cultivators, there was a good chance something Luo Chen needed might appear.
To prepare for potential bids, Luo Chen took stock of his wealth beforehand.
The count left him sighing.
He truly was still a pauper!
His total net worth amounted to only fifteen hundred spirit stones.
That meager sum was barely enough to buy an entry-level high-grade dharma artifact.
In truth, Luo Chen had anticipated this before counting.
Over the past few months, he had been buying Spirit Calming Incense and Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid like mad, while occasionally stocking up on Qi-Nourishing Pills, running up monthly expenses of around five hundred spirit stones.
His monthly dividend from the Mountain Breaker Gang left him with only a tiny surplus.
The reason he still possessed this modest fortune was thanks to the snack stall run by Yuan Xiaoyue.
That stall now had a proper physical location, complete with an official signboard.
Its name was simple: Chenyue, taking one character each from Luo Chen and Yuan Xiaoyue.
To encourage Yuan Xiaoyue to work hard, Luo Chen gave her a five percent share of the profits on top of her fixed wage.
It wasn't out of sheer benevolence; Yuan Xiaoyue was genuinely dedicated and capable, keeping the Chenyue Snack Stall running entirely on her own.
By contrast, Luo Chen neither managed sales nor handled production, having delegated the preparation to the Pill Hall staff.
He only provided the snack recipes, delivered the goods each month, and collected the spirit stones.
Such a sweet arrangement even tempted Luo Chen once more with the idea of opening chain stalls.
"What a pity the Pill Hall dividend hasn't come through. Otherwise, if I could scrape together two thousand spirit stones, it would be just enough to buy an offensive high-grade dharma artifact."
Luo Chen sighed. It seemed that in two days, he would truly be nothing more than a spectator.
***
Time dragged when one was filled with anticipation.
Yet when one knew they were destined to be a mere bystander, time flew by in a flash.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Early that morning, Luo Chen hurried out the door into the falling snow.
By the time he reached the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, Mi Shuhua and the others had already arrived.
A glance revealed familiar faces: Mi Junping, Sikong Shoujia, Luo Wudi, and Wang Yuan.
Counting Luo Chen, virtually all of them were late Qi Refining cultivators.
Seeing Luo Chen, Luo Wudi chuckled. "Quite the dashing look! You make the rest of us seem out of place."
Luo Chen wore a snow-white fur coat, Cloud Treading Boots on his feet, and a jade hairpin in his hair.
In his hand, he casually twirled the folding fan gifted to him by Qin Liangchen.
Anyone seeing him would assume he hailed from a prominent clan or a prestigious sect.
Luo Chen cupped his hands and asked curiously, "What are you all doing?"
Sikong Shoujia explained, and Luo Chen learned they were consigning items for sale.
The auction was hosted by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, and the primary auction lots came from them as well.
However, that didn't mean others were restricted to buying without selling.
Foundation Establishment cultivators like Mi Shuhua had already handed over their auction items to the Sword Pavilion two days in advance.
Qi Refining cultivators like them received no such privilege.
Consequently, they had to consign whatever they wished to sell before entering the venue.
Supposedly, after a brief appraisal, these goods would be auctioned in a separate segment.
Naturally, upon every successful sale, the Sword Pavilion took a transaction fee.
To this, Luo Chen could only mentally lament the ways of these "profiteers."
Having nothing to consign, Luo Chen could only watch the others submit their goods.
He had never noticed before, assuming everyone led scraped-together lives, but each of them actually managed to produce notable items.
Luo Wudi brought out a large haul of demon beast materials, among which were valuable parts bordering on Tier 2.
Sikong Shoujia, an old man who usually kept a low profile, surprisingly produced a Tier 2 spirit herb, though no one knew where he had harvested it.
Mi Junping's lot was unremarkable—mostly ordinary goods collected by the gang, though impressive in volume.
It was Wang Yuan's consignment that drew everyone's sidelong glances.
Dharma artifacts! Dharma artifacts! Nothing but dharma artifacts!
Artifact after artifact, some bloodstained, others damaged, made even Mi Shuhua's eyelids twitch.
Facing everyone's shock, Wang Yuan merely offered a brief comment:
"The newly opened waterway is teeming with plunderers."
In other words, these dharma artifacts were essentially spoils of war gathered while leading the Flood Dragon Hall on the waterways.
Luo Chen watched with keen interest. Normally cloistered in the Pill Hall, his days were tranquil.
Yet the lives of other cultivators were certainly neither as safe nor as placid as his.
From the items they presented, one could faintly glimpse that their cultivation journeys were fraught with thrilling and perilous trials.
"Alright, let's head in!"
Once everything was settled, Mi Shuhua swept his wide sleeves and led the way through the main entrance.
The auction venue was set inside Fallen Phoenix Mountain.
It was neither the Dao Discussion Platform nor the Chizhu Prison, but a massive circular palace hall excavated specifically for this purpose.
Almost immediately upon entering, the expressions of the five Qi Refining cultivators shifted.
Strands of spiritual sense were sweeping across the hall without the slightest restraint.
Normally, low-tier cultivators like them wouldn't perceive the presence of spiritual sense.
Yet the owners of these senses were so brazen, and their numbers so great, that the Qi Refining cultivators naturally felt the pressure.
"Senior Mi, your private box is Number Eight. Please follow me."
Hearing the number "Eight," Mi Shuhua frowned imperceptibly.
Guided by a cultivator clad in Sword Pavilion robes, Mi Shuhua's group stepped into the box.
Once inside, the discomfort caused by the sweeping spiritual senses finally dissipated.
Only then did everyone relax.
Luo Chen remarked with a sigh, "As expected of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. Even an outer disciple dispatched here is at the early late Qi Refining stage."
Away from their home base, the gang members felt far fewer barriers among themselves.
Mi Junping sighed as well. "That's how it is for disciples of major sects. Late Qi Refining cultivators like us might count for something in Dahe Market, but inside a sect, we'd be nothing more than probationary disciples among tens of thousands. Without hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, one can only become an outer miscellaneous chore disciple."
"What if they do have hope?" Luo Chen asked, curious.
Mi Junping gave a wry sigh. "Even with hope, they still have to establish their foundation! And even after Foundation Establishment, they're merely ordinary inner disciples; as they grow older, they'll be posted away as local deacons. Perhaps only by becoming a true disciple and being designated a Golden Core Dao Seed can one stand out from the fierce competition."
Probationary disciples, outer miscellaneous chores, inner disciples, Foundation Establishment deacons, Foundation Establishment true disciples, Golden Core Dao Seeds...
Listening to these strictly demarcated tiers, Luo Chen felt a headache coming on.
So surviving in a sect wasn't easy either!
He had always thought the life of a rogue cultivator was hard, never imagining sect cultivation was equally grueling.
Those who managed to stand out amidst such fierce competition had to be veritable prodigies!
Involuntarily, he thought of the names on the Prodigy Roll.
Han Zheng, the top Qi Refining cultivator from the Luoyun Sect, was probably being groomed as an inner disciple or even a Foundation Establishment true disciple.
Lin Qingxuan, the top Foundation Establishment cultivator, was undoubtedly a Golden Core Dao Seed of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
As for Ren Pingsheng, ranked first among Golden Core cultivators, with Nascent Soul experts remaining secluded, he could roam the Jade Cauldron Domain virtually unopposed.
These were truly the titans of the age!
As they chatted in awe, Mi Shuhua cleared his throat softly.
Seeing everyone turn to him, he gave a slight nod and gestured toward the private boxes outside.
"There are eighteen boxes. Six belong to the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the six major sects."
"The remaining twelve are occupied by Foundation Establishment cultivators from forces like the Great River Gang, the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, the Duan family, the Nangong family, and the Li family."
"When you conduct business outside, keep your eyes open and never offend these Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"Furthermore, there are hidden Foundation Establishment cultivators from other markets present. When you see them bid later, take note of their general appearance and build so you don't cross them in the future."
"The auction will proceed in five stages: two dedicated to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, one for rogue cultivator lots, one for local factions, and one for the major sects."
"If there is an item you wish to bid on, raise the plaque for Box Eight."
"If a bidding contest reaches a stalemate, tell me how important the item is to you, and I will decide whether you should press on."
"If..."
Mi Shuhua shared many instructions, one after another, sounding much like a nagging elder.
Yet everyone listened with rapt attention.
Luo Chen in particular took it all to heart; this was his first time attending a formal auction, and he knew nothing of the taboos or unspoken rules.
Mi Shuhua's advice spared him from being entirely in the dark.
Even if he was only broadening his horizons as an onlooker today, what about the future?
The day would come when he would walk into such auction halls with wealth aplenty.
Amidst this atmosphere of instruction and attentive listening, the auction finally got underway.
At the very center of the circular hall's lowest floor, a platform carved from white jade stood out prominently.
A man whose posture was straight as a drawn sword walked onto the jade platform.
"I am Luo Tianhong, a Foundation Establishment true disciple of Jade Cauldron, overseeing this Dahe Market auction. I trust everyone will give me face and bid in harmony!"
"Without further ado, here is our first lot: the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel!"
"A low-grade magic treasure inscribed with five formations: the Tier 3 Whirling Moon Formation, the Tier 2 Armor Piercing Formation, the Tier 2 Mystic Light Formation, the Tier 2..."
"Flawless in condition and fully potent, it can unleash three hundred and sixty whirling moon chakrams. It also features self-repair capabilities, among other wonderful utilities that I will not detail one by one. Whichever fated buyer claims it may study it at their leisure."
"Most importantly, this magic treasure hails from Tianfan City!"
"Starting bid: ten thousand low-grade spirit stones."
Almost the moment Luo Tianhong uttered the words "magic treasure," the clamorous auction hall fell dead silent.
Strands of spiritual sense surged eagerly toward the chakram in Luo Tianhong's hands.
"Fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones!" someone called out from the Nangong family's box.
Luo Tianhong smiled faintly without speaking, knowing full well more bids would follow.
"Twenty thousand!"
"Thirty thousand!"
"Fifty thousand!"
Inside Box Eight, Luo Chen was utterly awestruck.
In his daily life, he haggled over a few or a few dozen spirit stones.
Even after his wealth had surged recently, he had marched over to argue with Mi Junping for the sake of a few hundred spirit stones.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly witnessing a massive transaction starting at ten thousand spirit stones.
The shock to his worldview was immense.
Not just him—nearly every Qi Refining cultivator in the hall held their breath, watching the spectacle with reverent awe.
Beside Luo Chen and the others, a soft sigh broke the silence.
"A magic treasure... the only thing that can directly and drastically elevate a Foundation Establishment cultivator's strength. This item rightfully belongs to me!"
Mi Shuhua set aside his usual approachable smile. His gaze turned grave as he calmly called out a figure.
"Eighty thousand!"
Chapter 103