High-End Black Market, Buying Used Dharma Artifacts!

Luo Chen knew a story—or rather, a story many people knew. Somewhere, a mountain of gold or a rich gold mine was discovered, and countless people swarmed there, trying to strike it rich panning for gold. Did those people strike gold in the end? Perhaps quite a few lucky souls did! Yet the ones who truly made a fortune were the clever sorts who sold shovels, sold food, sold clothes, and provided lodging. Not only did those clever people make money, but they also avoided all the hazards and injuries one might suffer while prospecting. Of course, when it came to cultivation resources for Foundation Establishment or Golden Core formation, they could not be measured in mere gold. Still, the underlying logic was always the same. There was no need for Luo Chen to play the prospector; he could simply seize this opportunity to rake in a hefty pile of spirit stones. That day, as soon as his pill-refining duties concluded, he hurried back to the inner city. He personally bought some of the ingredients for the Blood Burning Pill and had Yuan Xiaoyue purchase the remaining primary ingredients for him. He planned to refine some Blood Burning Pills in secret, then put them up for auction on the black market. In such volatile times, Blood Burning Pills would fetch an astronomical price without fail! Having procured the materials, Luo Chen stayed the night at the quadrangle courtyard. The next morning, before he even stepped outside, he heard arguing from the courtyard. Pushing open his door, a scene of pulling and tugging greeted his eyes. "Little Duan, don't go. Truly, please don't go." "A ninth-layer Qi Refiner has already died out in the Guyuan Mountain Range. Why must you wade into these murky waters?" "Take Sister Xia's advice. That place is no land of blessings!" Luo Chen, Gu Caiyi, Murong Qinglian, Qin Liangchen, and Bai Meiling each leaned against their respective doorways, watching the scene unfold. Feng Xia clutched Duan Feng's sleeve, her eyes brimming with tears. Duan Feng said not a word, his gaze resolute beyond measure. *I knew it, you two have something going on!* Luo Chen thought. Paying no heed to the others' stares, Feng Xia spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded as though she were weeping blood. "Do you know that this clash over the ruins is no longer limited to the Qi Refining stage? Dahe Market's Foundation Establishment cultivators have already begun making their moves, and Foundation Establishment cultivators from several neighboring market towns are already en route." "What do you have to compete against those true Foundation Establishment cultivators?!" Faced with those final words, Duan Feng's eyes grew colder still. Gently yet firmly, he brushed Feng Xia's hand away. "I know. I know all of that." "Yet time waits for no man!" "That old dog doesn't have many years left to live. If I do not reach Foundation Establishment soon, how will I ever personally avenge my mother?!" Those low, grim words left Feng Xia helpless. Nearby, Murong Qinglian sighed and advised, "Little Duan, you truly must think twice before acting!" Qin Liangchen curled his lip. "I don't know about other things, but Old Man Mi has mobilized the Mountain Breaker Gang's full strength to rush toward the ruins. Just among the ninth-layer Qi Refiners under his banner, fifteen have assembled—and men like Luo Wudi and Zeng Wen are hardly any weaker than you." Duan Feng froze, showing hesitation for the first time. He was neither reckless nor stupid, so he naturally connected the dots. If the Mountain Breaker Gang was going this far, what of the Great River Gang? What of the Xuanyi Society? What of the five Foundation Establishment clans backing the Xuanyi Society? And what of all the sect forces stationed throughout Dahe Market—would they not be stirred to action as well? Surrounded by a pack of wolves, could a solitary ninth-layer Qi Refiner like him seize a share of that fortune? Yet if he didn't go, would he ever have another chance to reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime? Feng Xia cast a grateful look at Qin Liangchen and his wife. She truly did not want Duan Feng to throw his life away in the Guyuan Mountain Range. Yet she noticed that Duan Feng's momentary wavering was already beginning to harden into resolve once more. "Heh." A soft chuckle suddenly drifted over. Duan Feng frowned, only then noticing Luo Chen squatting on the threshold, heartily munching on a Tianyang fruit. "Why are you looking at me? Only fools gamble their lives to compete." "Do we cultivators not fight the heavens for the Dao?" Duan Feng asked. Luo Chen waved his hands frantically. "Stop, stop, stop. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry talks about fighting the heavens for the Dao and defying the will of heaven. Heaven never provoked any of you in the first place." "Besides, isn't cultivation just about earning resources?" "It isn't as if you lack skills. You have such a golden opportunity to earn a massive pile of spirit stones right before your eyes, yet you haven't even noticed it. Calling you a fool is being gentle." "An opportunity?" Duan Feng blinked. Patting his hands to dust off the Tianyang fruit juice, Luo Chen stood up. "Seeing as you joined my Pill Hall a few days ago, this Hall Master shall point you toward a bright path!" ... That afternoon. At the foot of Mount Qinghe. As the largest and safest entrance into the Guyuan Mountain Range, this place had always seen the heaviest foot traffic. It was also Luo Chen's first time visiting. Beyond Mount Qinghe, rows upon rows of shops lined the area. The bustle was not in the least inferior to the small commercial streets in the outer city, falling short only of the Rogue Cultivator Market in the inner city. Sellers of talismans, eateries, buyers of medicinal herbs, medical clinics treating external trauma—there was no shortage of any. Luo Chen even spotted a branch established here by the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, set up purely to buy fresh heavenly treasures at the earliest possible moment. "Seems quite a few people share my train of thought!" Luo Chen remarked with a sigh, then nodded to Duan Feng, Feng Xia, and the others behind him. Duan Feng looked a bit uncomfortable, but he gritted his teeth and got to work. From his storage bag, he produced a massive pile of miscellaneous items. A forging hearth, large sledgehammers, small hammers, tongs, carving knives, rulers... A pool of an eerie-blue, viscous liquid, and several large buckets of murky fluids of various colors bearing a foul, fishy stench. A palm-sized compass, several transparent glass mirrors. And a massive banner standing three zhang tall. With Feng Xia's help, the two bustled about. Before long, an open-air smithy was set up. Not only that, but the brass-colored banner was also hoisted upright. Upon it were inscribed four large characters, accompanied by rows of smaller characters written in bright-red liquid: "Fenghai Smithy!" "Specialized repairs for low- and mid-grade dharma artifacts; refurbishment, maintenance, and modification for superior-grade dharma artifacts." "Buying secondhand dharma artifacts at top prices; terms negotiable in person!" Fenghai Smithy—that was the name of this little stall, coined by Luo Chen himself! It subtly incorporated Duan Feng's name, while immediately letting passersby know what the shop did. And if anyone still didn't understand, the smaller rows of characters beneath made it plain as day. Luo Chen held a stake in this shop, after all! Most of those tools and implements had been purchased by him on Duan Feng's behalf. And that was not all! "Here are five low-grade dharma artifacts and two mid-grade dharma artifacts to put up for sale." "In addition, I'm giving you two thousand spirit stones as starting capital to buy up semi-damaged artifacts at low prices." From his storage bag, Luo Chen pulled out a large pile of loose spirit stones and shoved them into Duan Feng's hands. Between his advance dividends, the earnings from his two small shops, and the spoils looted from those three bands of bandit cultivators, his net worth had once surged to seven thousand. Taking out two thousand spirit stones in one breath hardly hurt him now. Duan Feng asked, puzzled, "Didn't the sign say buying at top prices?" "If it's higher than Wanbao Pavilion, isn't that a top price?" Luo Chen replied as though stating the obvious. *Uh...* Well, Duan Feng was choked for words. When Wanbao Pavilion bought artifacts, they always halved the price right off the bat. Even if you bought an artifact one moment and took it right back the next, they would dare offer you half-price. If an offer was higher than half-price, it truly could be counted as a "top price." "Once you buy them, Little Duan, do some minor repairs, then resell them at a price slightly lower than Wanbao Pavilion's." "No, wait—artifact prices have risen now. Sell them at Wanbao Pavilion's old retail prices." "If a customer balks, you can do a 'bloody cutthroat discount' and pretend you're selling it at a loss." "Cutthroat! Remember that—it must be cutthroat!" Duan Feng listened earnestly, nodding from time to time. He truly had no clue about such business know-how. Yet seeing Luo Chen speak so convincingly, he figured there must be profound wisdom in it. "Don't let severely damaged artifacts slip by, either. You can buy them up for just a few spirit stones." "Don't you know the Gold Melting and Iron Smelting Technique? Smelt them down, and the recovered casting materials can be used to repair artifacts, or resold to Wanbao Pavilion or Xianzhu Residence." "Superior-grade dharma artifacts involve more formations. If there's something you don't understand, don't take it on rashly, lest you ruin your reputation." ... *Profound wisdom?* Truth be told, what profound wisdom was there in those words? It was nothing more than basic commerce: buy low, sell high. Coupled with Duan Feng's genuine craftsmanship, it was entirely feasible. If one said cultivators didn't understand this? That would be absurd. Yet understanding was one thing; having the technical skill was another. And even with technical skill, so what? One still needed starting capital! Without Luo Chen planning it all out and providing a huge sum of spirit stones, an ordinary rogue cultivator could never pull off this business. Even if one had all that, so what? If one ran into unreasonable bandit cultivators who simply killed and looted, it would all come to naught in the end. Yet Duan Feng had no fear of such threats. His ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivation and combat prowess, which had once ranked in the top three of the Prodigy Roll, were more than enough for him to handle any enemy below Foundation Establishment with ease. Furthermore! "Catch!" Duan Feng hurriedly reached out, catching a token tossed by Luo Chen. Looking closely, the front bore the archaic seal character for "Mountain Breaker," while the reverse bore the character for "Pill." "This is the Mountain Breaker Gang's Pill Hall token. It can command the cultivators of the Mountain Breaker Gang's nine halls." Duan Feng's eyes widened. *That formidable?!* Luo Chen gave a light cough. "Of course, having the authority to command is one thing; whether they listen is another. Still, most cultivators will show some deference upon seeing this token." Luo Chen was not lying. Back when the Pill Hall was first inaugurated, Mi Shuhua had gathered most of the gang's late-stage Qi Refiners. When Luo Chen distributed the Fasting Pills to those late-stage cultivators, Mi Shuhua had told everyone to give Luo Chen ample support. At that time, those men had all "readily agreed." Later on, a batch of profound iron tokens was specially crafted for the Pill Hall. Yet so far, only Luo Chen, Sikong Shoujia, and Gu Caiyi held them. Since Duan Feng had joined the Mountain Breaker Gang a few days ago, giving him one was perfectly justified. Luo Chen held immense hopes for this artifact repair shop and secondhand scrap recycling station! He valued it far more than the Chenyue Snack Stall or Mixue Ice City! It was second only to his primary trade of pill refinement! The timing was ripe; artifact prices were climbing with the tide. Ordinary cultivators were reluctant to purchase brand-new artifacts, and with Fenghai Smithy right there, who wouldn't want to patch things up and squeeze out another three years of use? Take Luo Chen himself, when one of his seven Jasper Sabers had been damaged. Unable to form a complete blade storm, its power had been severely crippled. If Duan Feng hadn't repaired it for him, the set of flying daggers—comparable to a superior-grade artifact when arranged in formation—would have lost half its might. That had been Duan Feng doing it for free, but even if it had cost several dozen spirit stones, Luo Chen would certainly have paid. Old Chu, the Foundation Establishment elder from Wanbao Pavilion, had once remarked offhandedly that ordinary rogue cultivators only knew how to fight and kill, knowing nothing of artifact maintenance. In other words, artifact repair was naturally an enormous market. If Duan Feng managed it well moving forward, Luo Chen had no idea how many spirit stones he would reap! "Right, artifact forging is just like pill refinement—it requires fire. Where is your fire?" ... ... Only now did Luo Chen notice that Duan Feng hadn't purchased a large supply of firewood or coal. Duan Feng said in surprise, "At Mount Qinghe, fire is the one thing never in short supply." "Hm?" Next, Luo Chen watched as Duan Feng ran into the Lianyun Merchant Alliance branch behind them. When he emerged, he held an armful of green grass stems. "Qinghe demon, a Tier-1 wood-element demon spirit. Once ignited, its flame power is immense, not in the least inferior to earth fire." "What's more, the intensity of the flame can be freely controlled simply by adjusting how much of the Qinghe demon's body is fed into the hearth." As he spoke, Duan Feng demonstrated by sliding a Qinghe demon stem into the forging hearth. *Snap!* Flicking a small fireball, the tail end of the Qinghe demon began to burn steadily. With a gentle push from Duan Feng, a large section of the Qinghe demon went in, and the flames roared up instantly. He pulled it back a fraction, and the fire diminished noticeably. Faintly, a shrill, crisp wailing sound could be heard. "Yikes!" "You people are so cruel!" Yet Luo Chen's eyes lit up! Having not visited the Guyuan Mountain Range for so long, to think such good stuff existed! When had it been discovered? If used for pill refinement, what kind of results would it yield? Furthermore, this thing was dead, wasn't it? Why was it still shrieking? "It was discovered just last summer," Duan Feng said, looking slightly awkward. "In the past, these nearby mountains were covered in Qinghe demons, harmless wood-element demon spirits, which was why this route became the main passage into the mountains." "Last summer, however, a passing Foundation Establishment cultivator found them an eyesore and blasted them with Foundation Establishment True Fire. The resulting blaze nearly burned down an entire Qinghe Mountain." "Only then did people realize this Qinghe demon stuff burned remarkably long." "Yet when Qi refining rogue cultivators got their hands on it, they couldn't get it to ignite no matter what." "Later, the Lianyun Merchant Alliance researched a special technique to kindle the Qinghe demons. They put up a bounty for rogue cultivators to catch Qinghe demons and sell them to the alliance." "Once acquired, they processed them slightly and sold them elsewhere at much higher prices." Hearing this explanation, Luo Chen understood completely. No wonder he hadn't noticed it before—it turned out this stuff required special processing through Foundation Establishment means to unlock its true utility! Suddenly, looking at Duan Feng's awkward expression, Luo Chen thought of a possibility. "Don't tell me... you used to catch these things too?" Duan Feng shifted uncomfortably. "Whenever I went into the mountains to hunt demon beasts, I would routinely catch a few Qinghe demons on my way back and sell them to the Lianyun Merchant Alliance." "And now you're buying them back at a higher price? Without even haggling?" "Uh, looks like it." *Damn it!* *There are merchants even more unscrupulous than me!* *Lianyun Merchant Alliance, I'll remember this!* Exasperated by his lack of business sense, Luo Chen told Duan Feng, "When you buy Qinghe demons in bulk in the future, remember to haggle." "Oh!" "'Oh' what? Use buying Qinghe demons as an excuse to build good relations with the Lianyun Merchant Alliance cultivators. In a pinch, you can borrow their influence." "Also, if you run into danger, flash that token and give my name, Danchenzi. If that doesn't work, give the name of the Mountain Breaker Gang's Mi Shuhua. Avoid fighting if you can." After nagging him with a few more reminders, Luo Chen finally left with his bodyguards. As for the rogue cultivators streaming in and out of Mount Qinghe, heading straight for the Guyuan Mountain Range, he didn't spare them a single glance. Foundation Establishment spiritual items? Opportunities for Golden Core formation? How could mere rabble dream of such things? After he left, Duan Feng stood in place, feeling somewhat at a loss. In his early years in the Duan family, he had focused mainly on learning artifact forging. After his mother died, he had severed ties with the Duan family and come to Dahe Market, where he made a living purely by fighting. Now, having to run a shop was truly something he wasn't accustomed to. Standing beside him, Feng Xia let out a sigh. "Little Duan, don't let Luo Chen's good intentions go to waste." Duan Feng nodded. He had seen all of Luo Chen's contributions with his own eyes. Purchasing numerous smithing tools, providing five low-grade artifacts and two mid-grade artifacts, and even handing him two thousand spirit stones as working capital. He had even generously provided his Pill Hall token, which represented his identity. To claim he felt no gratitude would be lying to himself. Furthermore, back when he had been gravely injured, Luo Chen had generously gifted him a bottle of Mending and Nourishing Meridian Liquid. "So, sometimes you must learn to adapt, to change." "Not just for Luo Chen, but for yourself." Feng Xia looked intently at Duan Feng, her hoarse voice saying, "Do you remember how Yuan Xiaoyue usually does business?" *Yuan Xiaoyue!* That young girl who depended on her disabled grandfather to survive. Recalling the scenes of her at White Stone Square, Duan Feng's throat involuntarily swallowed hard. "Be brave, Little Duan!" Hearing the hoarse yet gentle voice at his ear, Duan Feng squeezed his eyes shut, circulated his spiritual power, and opened his mouth. "Fenghai Smithy is open for business!" "Specialized repairs for damaged artifacts, polishing and maintenance, custom modifications! Fenghai Smithy is your warmest logistical support on the path to the Great Dao!" "Come take a look, don't pass it by!" "Can this stuff really be used for alchemy?" Listening to the faint, eerie wailing, thoughts raced through Luo Chen's mind. Inside the pill chamber, several fire tenders also found it quite chilling. When the Hall Master returned today, he had handed them a Qinghe demon stem, and once ignited, it proved remarkably easy to use. It was just that the faint, weeping sounds filtering into their ears made their skin crawl. "Still, the price is far higher than ordinary firewood." Whether it worked was one thing; the cost was another. Luo Chen began pondering how using the Qinghe demon as pill fire could provide the greatest value. "Neither the Myriad Wonders Pill nor the Jade Marrow Pill actually requires this kind of demon fire." Luo Chen termed the flames produced by the Qinghe demon "demon fire." "Given its massive and easily regulated flame intensity, one could consider using it to refine Tier-2 pills, but the cost would likely be exorbitant." It was, after all, a Tier-1 wood-attribute demon spirit, which could be categorized under Tier-1 demon beasts. Even if it was the weakest, utterly harmless, and previously considered devoid of value, buying a single stem still cost ten spirit stones. It made sense for artifact forging, because certain ores and metals required extremely high temperatures. Forging typical dharma artifacts usually demanded the use of earth fire. The Qinghe demon offered a clever shortcut. Furthermore, the profit margin on an individual dharma artifact far exceeded that of pills. Pills, however, did not require such blistering heat; the melting points of medicinal herbs were far below those of mineral ores. After some study, Luo Chen couldn't help but sigh in regret. This was indeed fine material, but unfortunately, it was rather useless to him right now—a chicken rib of an asset. As he stood, he couldn't put it to good use. "Wait, what if I use it to refine Blood Burning Pills?" The fuel previously used for Blood Burning Pills wasn't common azure steel wood or peach wood, but sweet candle wood. Sweet candle wood got its name because a certain Tier-1 demon beast would leave mucus on it while hatching and molting. The mucus tasted sweet, and once dried, it closely resembled the wax tears left by a burning candle, hence the name sweet candle wood. In the pill recipe he had deduced, one of the primary ingredients for the Blood Burning Pill happened to be explosive ape demon blood. Pill fire containing a trace of demon power was ideal for facilitating the fusion of the authentic explosive ape demon blood with the other main ingredients. Compared to sweet candle wood, the demon fire produced by burning a Qinghe demon was far purer! "A single Qinghe demon stem can burn for an exceptionally long time, and it makes it easy for me to adjust the heat on my own." "Perhaps I can give it a try?" At once, Luo Chen's interest was piqued. Better to act than to ponder! That very night, all alone, Luo Chen fired up his superior-grade dharma artifact, the Four Symbols Cauldron. He added four batches of raw materials at once, using the Qinghe demon as fuel. After the raging flames subsided, Luo Chen withdrew the Qinghe demon, which was less than half-consumed. "Isn't this thing dead?" "Why does it still wail when burned?" Luo Chen was certain that the Qinghe demons bought from the Lianyun Merchant Alliance were not alive. Living Qinghe demons were lively and nimble, often frolicking among forest foliage. Yet what he held resembled withered grass, definitively dead. Luo Chen couldn't fathom the mechanism behind it, chalking it up to residual instincts lingering in its limbs and tissues after death. He impatiently opened the cauldron lid. Unlike other pills, the aroma released by completed Blood Burning Pills was burnt and pungent. For other pills, such an odor almost always meant failure. For the Blood Burning Pill, however, it signaled a high likelihood of success. As the lid lifted, seven blood-red, low-grade pills lay resting inside. "Seven pills!" Luo Chen froze. He quickly inspected the slag, and after a thorough check, confirmed that three-quarters of the batches had failed; only one batch had succeeded. In other words! "The fixed yield of the Blood Burning Pill has increased from five pills to seven!" *Hiss... Just changing the pill fire caused the yield to shift. Doesn't that mean pill recipes can be influenced by pill fire as well?* "Did I just optimize the Blood Burning Pill recipe?" Luo Chen knew better than anyone what an increased pill yield meant. It meant he could produce them for sale on a larger scale. Of course, costs had to be factored in. Burning less than half of a Qinghe demon stem was enough to process four batches of raw materials. Averaged out, a whole Qinghe demon stem was sufficient to support the refinement of ten batches of Blood Burning Pills. Spread across each batch, that added one spirit stone, bringing the cost per batch to around twelve spirit stones. Yet the improvement was undeniable: as long as a batch succeeded, it yielded two additional Blood Burning Pills. Naturally, one couldn't only count successes; at a ten percent success rate, that meant an extra cost of nine spirit stones across failed attempts. "Can those two extra Blood Burning Pills earn back the additional nine spirit stones?" The answer was an emphatic yes! Even if they couldn't offset the entire cost, covering those extra nine or ten spirit stones was child's play. Moreover, the increased pill yield served to accelerate proficiency gains. On the panel, Luo Chen's Blood Burning Pill proficiency reached 【13/100】. "I still have plenty of Qinghe demons. Moving forward, I can practice refining Blood Burning Pills more often." Lately, most of the Mountain Breaker Gang's cultivators had been deployed to the Guyuan Mountain Range, which naturally meant fewer eyes surveilling Luo Chen. Besides, those who remained behind had their minds glued to the ruins. Luo Chen could afford to be slightly bolder now. Days flowed by like water! While cultivating and refining pills, Luo Chen kept a close eye on news regarding the Golden Core ruins in the Guyuan Mountain Range. Because the Mountain Breaker Gang enjoyed home-field advantage, much of the intelligence was firsthand, free from baseless rumors. For this expedition to the Guyuan Mountain Range, Mi Shuhua had mobilized a massive force, assembling a five-hundred-man rogue cultivator army. The three combat halls served as the vanguard, supported by cultivators from the Mining Hall and Medicine Hall. Ninth-layer Qi Refiners were deployed almost down to the last man. Aside from Luo Wudi, Zeng Wen, and Yang Wei, even Ke Yuelin, the Beast Hall Master, had set aside all affairs of his hall to go in person. By all rights, such a formidable contingent should have easily cleared the field. In reality, however, progress had not gone smoothly. The Xuanyi Society, which had long been overlooked, suddenly stood tall and proud this time. Though the five Foundation Establishment clans backing them possessed only three Foundation Establishment cultivators in total, they had united, suppressing the Mountain Breaker Gang in high-end combat power. "Wait, what do you mean by 'the five Foundation Establishment clans possess only three Foundation Establishment cultivators'?" Sikong Shoujia replied matter-of-factly, "Because the other two Foundation Establishment clans have no Foundation Establishment cultivators in their ranks!" "Without a Foundation Establishment cultivator, how can they call themselves Foundation Establishment clans?" Luo Chen asked, confused. "They used to have Foundation Establishment ancestors, but their lifespans ran out and they passed away. Unable to stay in their original homes, they relocated to Dahe Market." Sikong Shoujia explained in a half-hearted manner. "Although their Foundation Establishment ancestors are gone, certain methods passed down in their clans can still unleash Foundation Establishment combat strength." "You've heard of talisman treasures, haven't you? And bloodline magic treasures?" "I know about talisman treasures—aren't they just talismans sealing one-third of a magic treasure's power?" Luo Chen flaunted his broad knowledge, then curled his lip. "As for an inherited treasure after a blood sacrifice, does that even deserve to be called a magic treasure?" Bloodline magic treasures could also be called blood-sacrifice magic treasures, falling under blood dao methods. Luo Chen was no stranger to blood dao methods. Back when Wang Yuan had slain the blood dao cultivator Xiao Wuyan, he had obtained a substantial legacy from him. During their occasional chats, Wang Yuan had generously shared such information with Luo Chen, likely hoping the knowledge would help Luo Chen refine the Blood Fiend Pill better! Among that knowledge were blood sacrifice techniques. This was a technique applied to magic treasures, widely practiced in the cultivation world today and not regarded as a demonic method. A high-ranking cultivator would bind a magic treasure to their own bloodline. Only cultivators sharing the same bloodline could inherit and command it. That way, even after the cultivator passed away, the magic treasure would not draw the covetous eyes of outsiders. Yet the price was severe—even more tragic than that of a talisman treasure. A talisman treasure merely sealed one-third of a treasure's might, causing damage to the original treasure that could eventually recover with long-term nourishment. A bloodline magic treasure, however, directly dropped in grade once bound to a bloodline. If it was a low-grade magic treasure, it would plummet directly to the level of a supreme-grade dharma artifact, capable of unleashing at most twenty percent of the original magic treasure's power. Compared to talisman treasures, its advantage was that it could be used indefinitely, but its sheer power fell short even of a talisman treasure's. Furthermore, even if future generations broke through to Foundation Establishment or Golden Core, they could never restore the treasure's grade. It was permanent damage! Very few people ever did such a thing. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators nearing death who lacked the means to craft talisman treasures would resort to such a self-defeating measure. "Never mind whether it still counts as a magic treasure or not! Combined with their bloodline, the power it unleashes surpasses supreme-grade dharma artifacts, which definitely qualifies as a Foundation Establishment method!" Sikong Shoujia snapped impatiently. "Hey, what are you getting mad at me for?" Luo Chen looked at him curiously. A trace of worry was faintly visible on that aged face. Suddenly, the reason dawned on him. "Don't tell me your son went into those ruins too?" Sikong Shoujia sighed and nodded in silence. Had Mi Shuhua not strictly ordered him to remain at the Pill Hall, he would have loved to rush to the Guyuan Mountain Range himself to join the fight over the ruins—whether for a slim hope of Foundation Establishment or for his married-away son. Seeing the old man like this, Luo Chen refrained from pressing him further. After a brief chat, he hurried home. ... Accompanied by his five bodyguards, he entered the inner city, and under Dongfang Liang's personal escort, returned to the quadrangle courtyard. Then! Activating his near-Perfect Breath Concealment Art, Luo Chen—now meticulously disguised and dressed in a change of clothes—quietly slipped out of the courtyard. Leaving the inner city, Luo Chen headed straight for the outer city. Weaving through countless alleys and taking twist after twist, he entered an ordinary tailor shop. "What kind of clothes are you looking for, customer? Please feel free to look around." An old woman sewing garments inside spoke without even lifting her head. By the dim light, Luo Chen carefully sized her up, then spoke in a slightly stiff manner: "I want the Nine Dragon Crown, cotton robes, and willow sashes." The old woman's hand paused slightly as she sewed, then she shook her head. "An emperor's crown hardly suits commoner garb." "It suits it fine if paired with a Zhenlong embroidered ball." Hearing this final line, the old woman raised her head, her cloudy eyes fixing on Luo Chen. "How should I address you?" "Murong Yuan." "Mhm. This way, please!" The old woman gestured with an open hand, and toward the back room, a faint shimmer of light flickered. Luo Chen stepped forward as directed, and in a daze, he seemed to pass through a light barrier. Walking along, the path felt as though it was sloping steadily downward. Suddenly, before a heavy door, he was stopped. "Token!" "Here!" Luo Chen handed over a Zhenlong embroidered ball. As spiritual light shimmered faintly, the glow subtly repelled Luo Chen. Noticing this repulsion, the black-robed cultivator raised an eyebrow. "Is this your first time at the Zhenlong Black Market?" "Yes." "Do you know the rules?" "Yes." "Fine, here is your Zhenlong mask. When you leave later, we'll give you an embroidered ball of your own." Luo Chen accepted an archaic-style mask carved with a flooding dragon and slipped it over his face. He was already disguised and concealing his aura; donning the mask made him even more elusive. Watching the black-robed cultivator push open the heavy door, Luo Chen couldn't help but grumble inwardly. *A token should have been enough, yet they had to come up with secret passphrases too.* *And the passphrase lacked any poetic flair.* *They could have at least gone with something like 'The earth quakes upon the high ridge, a mountain stream shines eternal!'* *Besides, I'm fairly renowned in Dahe Market, and the name Danchenzi is widely spoken of. Why didn't anyone ever come to my door to deliver an embroidered ball?* *Even Zeng Wen and Wang Yuan had tokens personally delivered to them back then.* *Who are they looking down on?!* Yet when he stepped through the door and felt the piercing gazes locking onto him, his heart tightened instantly. *Damn it, I walked into the wrong place—this is a high-end black market!*