The Black Market

A so-called spirit spring object was the medium upon which a spirit spring formed. Nourished day and night by the spring water, these everyday items underwent a metamorphosis, enduring in the world as the foundation of the spirit spring. If a spirit spring sprang from a piece of tree root, that root would transform into a spirit spring object. If it emerged from a rock, that rock would become one. Of course, there were also spirit springs born out of the void, which possessed no spirit spring object at all. When a spirit spring was destroyed for some reason or dried up, its spirit spring object might remain. Though spirit springs were rare, over countless years, no small number had been discovered. Indeed, a few depleted spirit spring objects circulated throughout the cultivation world. Such depleted spirit spring objects could neither be used for artifact refining nor pill brewing. Yet due to their unique origins, they were treated as curiosities, and many people were willing to collect them. The author of the text had conjectured that such an object could be used to mature a spirit spring. Unfortunately, while he had acquired one, he had never managed to find an unformed spring. This was because, although the birth of a spirit spring was exceedingly difficult, the transition from inception to full formation did not take very long. Cultivators could afford to wait. Furthermore, from the moment a spirit spring appeared, the spiritual power within an immortal's cave would become remarkably dense, more than enough to sustain a cultivator's training. Qin Sang was a special case. His situation demanded a regimen combining cultivation with frequent, intense combat. In the Yuncang Great Marsh, the demon beasts all hid beneath the waters; venturing out to hunt them invariably cost a great deal of time. Sparring with fellow disciples, on the other hand, was restrained and cautious, yielding virtually no benefit. Aside from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, few places could satisfy his needs. *** Wenyue Cultivation Market, Tianhen Tower. Tianhen Tower was the most renowned establishment among the four major cultivation markets near Shaohua Mountain. Behind it stood the Yu family, the largest cultivation clan in Wenyue Cultivation Market. That the Yu family could grow so dominant was, of course, inextricably tied to their murky connections with Shaohua Mountain. Tianhen Tower was most famous for its monthly auctions, which drew countless rare treasures and gathered high-level cultivators. However, Qin Sang had not come for the auction. The moment Qin Sang stepped inside Tianhen Tower, an attractive young woman promptly came forward to greet him. She, too, was a cultivator, though only at the third level of the Qi Refinement stage. "Xiaohuan greets the young master. How may I be of service? Are you looking to purchase goods or sell treasures?" Before her words could settle, an elderly man in a gray robe hurried out from deep within the hall. The gray-robed elder bowed apologetically to Qin Sang, then quietly waved his hand to dismiss Xiaohuan. "Please forgive her, Senior. The young maid lacks discernment. The items in the main hall are all mundane goods, hardly worthy of your esteemed notice. If Senior desires, please follow this junior upstairs to a private chamber to speak in detail." Qin Sang had not concealed his cultivation. The gray-robed elder was at the thirteenth level of the Qi Refinement stage, so he naturally could tell that Qin Sang was extraordinary. Glancing left and right, Qin Sang saw display cases lining the ground floor of Tianhen Tower, filled with jade slips, spiritual materials, medicinal pills, and magic tools. Indeed, none of them were of substantial value. He nodded and said, "Lead the way, Fellow Daoist." The gray-robed elder stepped aside to guide him, offering an obsequious smile. "This junior is surnamed Zhang, humbly serving as a deacon of Tianhen Tower." Once inside the private chamber, Qin Sang did not wish to waste time and went straight to the point. "Deacon Zhang, I require two types of artifact-refining materials: ghost eagle feathers and moon locust heartwood. For the ghost eagle feathers, it is best if they were freshly harvested within the past three years. The moon locust heartwood must be at least five hundred years old. Does your esteemed establishment have them in stock?" Seeing his brisk demeanor, Deacon Zhang put aside any thought of currying favor and responded gravely, "Senior, please wait a moment." With that, Deacon Zhang took hold of a jade pendant, his lips moving faintly in a silent transmission. A moment later, he gave a slight nod. "Reporting to Senior, our shop indeed possesses both materials. The moon locust heartwood is six hundred years old, which fully meets Senior's requirements. However, we do not have fresh ghost eagle feathers—only older feathers aged several decades or more. I wonder if those might suffice?" Qin Sang reflected that refining a baleful corpse required extracting the yin fire from the ghost eagle feather. As this was his first attempt, he was unfamiliar with the process, and the yin fire on an aged feather would have severely dissipated. It likely would not do, but something was better than nothing, so he decided to buy it first. With that in mind, Qin Sang nodded. "Deacon Zhang, please have someone bring the items up. In addition, I would like you to check whether a depleted spirit spring object can be purchased here." *** Leaving Tianhen Tower, Qin Sang's brow was slightly furrowed. A depleted spirit spring object was far more elusive than he had imagined. Deacon Zhang had contacted branches in the other three cultivation markets, but none had any news. Qin Sang could only leave behind some spirit stones and ask Tianhen Tower to keep an eye out for him. However, Deacon Zhang had admitted that in all his decades of serving as a deacon there, he had never once encountered such an item. *Do what man can, and leave the rest to fate. If I truly cannot find one, I will proceed according to my original plan,* Qin Sang sighed inwardly, quickening his pace toward Shopkeeper Wu's shop. Shopkeeper Wu happened to be inside. As they chatted and Qin Sang mentioned his troubles, Shopkeeper Wu could not help chuckling. "Fellow Daoist Qin, wanting to buy fresh ghost eagle feathers at Tianhen Tower—it is only natural you couldn't find any. First of all, the ghost eagle is an evil beast that dwells deep within Tianduan Mountain, in places where yin qi is thickest, which is the domain of demonic cultivators. Second, a ghost eagle feather is plucked from the crest of a ghost eagle and carries a peculiar yin fire, making it a rare material for artifact refining. However, that yin fire is of little use to orthodox cultivators and can even damage magic tools. Older feathers with the yin fire completely dissipated are far more popular. My master left me several channels for sourcing materials. If Fellow Daoist Qin needs them, I can help place an order for a batch. But since you need them urgently, the price may not be low." Qin Sang was overjoyed. "Then many thanks, Fellow Daoist Wu! As long as they can be obtained, the price is not an issue, and I will be sure to reward you handsomely." He might as well mention the matter of the depleted spirit spring object to Shopkeeper Wu as well. "The item you seek... if it cannot be found even at Tianhen Tower, legitimate shops will hardly have it either. However, beyond that, I do know of two other avenues..." Shopkeeper Wu vigilantly shut the shop doors, leaned in close, and whispered, "One of them is the black market." "The black market?" Qin Sang had heard of it as well. It was said that rare goods frequently surfaced there, sometimes surpassing what was auctioned at Tianhen Tower. However, the origins of many items were dubious; in other words, the black market was a place to fence stolen goods. Among Wu Yuesheng's magic tools, there were several Qin Sang had no use for, yet he could not sell them in Wenyue Cultivation Market. To do so would be showing utter contempt for Shaohua Mountain; fencing stolen goods would have to wait until he entered the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Baiyun Shanren's items were all commonplace magic tools, perfectly safe to sell openly, but of modest quality—the black market would not look twice at them. Therefore, with no hot goods he needed to fence and his attention devoted entirely to cultivation without any pressing needs, Qin Sang had never sought it out. Shopkeeper Wu was a veteran of Wenyue Cultivation Market, so it was only natural that he knew of the black market. Still, a depleted spirit spring object possessed little practical value; even the black market might not have one for sale.