Chapter Twenty: The Market of Trades (Part One)

After exchanging contact details, Shen Yihuan offered a few more words of caution before finally departing. The threat posed by the Shen family, which Shen Yihuan had mentioned, was not something Liu Junhuai could discuss with him. Even if the Shen family managed to track him down, the existence of the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion meant there was no real danger. In fact, having the Shen family’s attention focused here could actually benefit Liu Junhuai; the lines between open and hidden threats might blur, and by placing himself in the light, Uncle Huan would also be kept safer.

Composing himself, Liu Junhuai entered the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion. He had resolved to first achieve the rank of a Level Two Formation Master. There were just over two years left before the day of his revenge, and only by elevating his strength to the Foundation Establishment stage could he ensure his own safety. If he advanced to Level Three and accelerated his formation mastery, the benefits to himself would be immeasurable. However, he was progressing too quickly in cultivation, and a shaky foundation would hinder his future advancement.

On the third floor’s formation chamber, the Level Two formation token contained several diagrams and incantations. By immersing his spiritual sense, each formation’s runes and techniques would be revealed, with every sequence automatically unfolding its positional steps and underlying principles. Mastery of each formation, thoroughly practiced, would allow for deduction and comprehension of related arrays, reaching the level of small accomplishment. To create a new, analogous formation based on these would be considered great accomplishment.

The research progressed smoothly. In less than a month, Liu Junhuai was able to set up the Primordial Array and the Yin-Yang Array independently, going beyond rote learning to cultivate his own insights and even deducing similar minor formations. With the third formation token vibrating, he successfully became a Level Two Formation Master.

The third formation token also contained several diagrams and rune techniques. The difference was, it included a new form of comprehension exercise: while the first three levels were foundational, achieving Level Three allowed for a certain understanding of the Dao. This comprehension exercise was a consolidation of the previous stages—only after completing it could one naturally progress to more advanced arrays such as the Four Symbols, Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces, and their various derivatives, truly embarking on the path of the Great Dao and harmonizing with heaven and earth.

Among the formations, Liu Junhuai was pleased to find a time acceleration array, which could be set up according to his cultivation level, with a minimum time ratio of one to six.

Three days later, having mastered the time formation, Liu Junhuai left the formation chamber and entered the Crimson Flame Valley.

Inside a cave in the Crimson Flame Valley, he arranged the time formation, took out the dark green Metal Essence Stones, and after they swelled with heat, the stones were easily absorbed. Once two were consumed, the metal-fire spiritual energy within him reached saturation.

Guided by the “Nine Transformations Heart Method,” his meridians frantically absorbed and refined the energy, while the true essence cyclone in his dantian spun at astonishing speed, the gray true essence growing denser and heavier.

Threads of golden light from the Mud Pill Palace passed through the Yintang and Baihui points, gradually being separated and refined by the golden sphere in his sea of consciousness.

The days of closed-door cultivation blurred together; aside from the slow but steady progress in his cultivation, there was little to distinguish one day from the next.

In the blink of an eye, eighteen months passed. Liu Junhuai, now brimming with vitality, stepped out from the cultivation chamber.

Eighteen months inside amounted to only three months outside. In this time, Liu Junhuai had advanced from the peak of Qi Refinement Stage Seven to the late stage of Qi Refinement Stage Eight.

During this period, his spiritual sense, wrapped around his true essence—what he now called ‘Metal Essence’—had condensed several clusters, which he stored in his sea of consciousness.

His spiritual sense had expanded its range of perception to sixty miles, the greatest gain being the power of attack it now possessed after merging with his divine sense and evolving into ‘Heavenly Sense.’

His Heavenly Sense had become increasingly sentient, able to autonomously refine and store energies when his true essence was full. All he lacked now was a technique for Heavenly Sense attacks, and then he would possess an art rivaling the Nine Transformations.

Leaving the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion, he arranged a “Misty Illusion Diagram” at the base of the cave to conceal the entrance.

That night, Liu Junhuai quietly returned to the Shen family’s villa, to the residence of Shen Yihuan. He taught Shen Yihuan the incantation to enter and exit the “Misty Illusion Diagram,” inquired about Shen Duoduo’s exact whereabouts, and left before dawn.

Shen Duoduo was currently in Yunluo City, one of the four great cities of the Western Region, adjacent to Pingdu City and less than ten thousand miles away, separated only by a few small towns.

Among these towns, one was particularly renowned: Chuyun Valley. Located at the foot of the Yunluo Mountains by the shores of Jinze Lake, it was home to the mighty Haitian Pavilion, a super sect of the Fengling Kingdom.

Jinze Lake was originally the site of the ancient Wuyin Pill Sect. After the sect’s demise, the area gradually became a hub for the trade of medicinal pills, a necessary stop for countless sects and rogue cultivators seeking advancement. Haitian Pavilion, established by those with power, rose to prominence within two centuries thanks to its strategic location.

Liu Junhuai planned to gather cultivation resources in Chuyun Valley and look for opportunities to acquire secret martial arts manuals. More importantly, the pill refining chamber in the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion was his next cultivation goal, but he lacked the necessary herbs for another round of seclusion.

Though only thirteen, Liu Junhuai’s rapid advancement meant he was taller than most of his peers and, with his prematurely matured mind, gave off none of the immaturity one might expect.

Concealing his cultivation at the fourth stage of Qi Refinement with his Heavenly Eye, keeping his storage ring close, and carrying a small bundle, he was indistinguishable from a young outer disciple of some ordinary sect, out on a journey to temper himself.

After half a month of traveling by day and cultivating by night, Liu Junhuai arrived at Chuyun Valley. Paying ten low-grade spirit stones for entry, he finally set foot in this city of trade.

A city of trade—meaning a city centered on commerce, but one for cultivators. The city was filled with shops and auction houses, and even more with makeshift street stalls, making it convenient for cultivators to barter for all manner of items.

Liu Junhuai did not seek lodging. Despite the city’s rule against private fighting, danger was ever-present, and the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion was the perfect refuge to conceal his whereabouts—portable and discreet.

Asking around, he found his way to the busiest marketplace and was stunned by the endless rows of shops and stalls stretching for miles.

A broad avenue paved with blue stone stretched ahead, lined on both sides with shops, while two rows of stalls ran down the center, vanishing into the distance. The thoroughfare bustled with cultivators, the air abuzz with the cries of vendors and the clamor of haggling. Among the crowd, Foundation Establishment cultivators were everywhere, and Qi Refinement practitioners were as common as dogs.

What reassured Liu Junhuai most was the frequent sight of guards dressed in matching blue-violet uniforms—Haitian Pavilion’s enforcers—maintaining order and ensuring the smooth operation of the marketplace.

“What a heady fragrance of pills!” As soon as he entered the market, Liu Junhuai was drawn by the rich scent. Bone-Washing Pills, Quhuang Powder, Rejuvenation Pills, True Essence Pills, Advancement Pills, Detoxifying Pills—countless medicinal pills were piled high like grains of sand, presenting a striking spectacle.

However, this stall offered only basic pills: those for washing marrow, healing, restoring vitality and true energy, or aiding advancement. Pills like Foundation Establishment or Soul Nurturing Pills, which were essential for breakthroughs or spiritual cultivation, were not to be found. Even so, Liu Junhuai’s eyes were widened by the variety.

Thanks to Shen Yihuan’s guidance and the records in the library, Liu Junhuai was well-versed in pill theory, but seeing the actual products was an entirely new experience.

He gained knowledge but did not spend any spirit stones. Soon, he would be an alchemist himself and would have his own supply; he only needed herbs, unless he stumbled upon a rare or urgently needed pill.

As he wandered, Liu Junhuai came to a stall selling Seven Star Grass, an ingredient for Essence-Nurturing Pills. He had once picked a three-hundred-year-old specimen in Qingyun Hollow, but here the oldest was just a hundred years, though there were more than a dozen available. The stall-keeper asked for 130 low-grade spirit stones apiece. As Liu Junhuai examined one, someone bumped into him and snatched it away.

“This Seven Star Grass is mine. Count your stones,” declared a young man in ornate robes at the sixth stage of Qi Refinement, tossing a storage pouch to the stall-keeper with a sneer, not sparing Liu Junhuai a glance.

It was rare to find an herb he needed, and being robbed irked Liu Junhuai. He reached out and reclaimed the Seven Star Grass without a word, simply fixing the youth with a steady gaze.

The youth’s anger flared; he swung a slap at Liu Junhuai and spat, “Where did this brat come from? You dare fight me for my things?”

Liu Junhuai stepped back to dodge and retorted, “There’s such a thing as first come, first served. I’ve never seen anyone so overbearing in business before.”

“A mere fourth-stage Qi Refinement runt dares challenge me? This is the first time I’ve seen someone so blind in this market.” As he spoke, the youth drew a white flying sword and advanced.

The stall-keeper quickly pulled Liu Junhuai aside and, with a meaningful look, snatched the Seven Star Grass and handed it to the young man. “He’s just a child, Young Master Qi. Please forgive him. Take these Seven Star Grasses, and pay me later if you wish.”

Seeing Liu Junhuai make no further move, the young man continued to grumble, “I’ll spare you this once for Shopkeeper Zhang’s sake—otherwise, you’d be dragged before my Qi family.” With that, he took the storage pouch and the Seven Star Grass and swaggered away.