"So this is Liuyun Marketplace. It doesn't seem as bustling as the rumors say," the travel-worn Song Changsheng muttered, looking at the cluster of buildings in the distance.
"Is this your first time here, Fellow Daoist?"
Song Changsheng looked toward the source of the voice and saw a large, fair-skinned man walking toward him. The man was dressed in golden brocade, with a round face and small eyes that gave him a simple and honest appearance.
'I can't even see through his cultivation.' Song Changsheng narrowed his eyes, his guard instantly raised.
The man looked to be about his age, but his aura seemed to be concealed by something, making it completely indecipherable.
"What can I do for you, Fellow Daoist?" Song Changsheng asked coolly, cupping his hands in a polite gesture.
"My name is Zhu Yiqun. I mean no harm. I simply saw your extraordinary bearing and outstanding temperament, Fellow Daoist, and wished to befriend you," Zhu Yiqun said with a simple and honest smile.
'Zhu Yiqun... sounds like 'a herd of pigs.' Who would have a name like that?' Song Changsheng's expression grew strange, but he smoothly lied, "I am Shen Changsong. A pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist, but my elders are waiting for me in the Marketplace, so please excuse me."
With that, Song Changsheng turned decisively and walked toward the Marketplace.
Although the large man didn't seem malicious, making friends with him was out of the question.
It was like walking down the street one day when some old geezer suddenly jumps out, grabs you, and says you have a unique bone structure and extraordinary talent, wanting to take you as a disciple.
Wasn't that just complete nonsense?
If he hadn't been unable to see through the man's cultivation, Song Changsheng wouldn't have even bothered talking to him.
Zhu Yiqun watched Song Changsheng's departing figure and stroked his round chin. 'He's young, yet he's at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. His Spiritual Power is exceptionally potent, too. He can't be a Loose Cultivator.
But around Ling Province, I've never heard of a young genius with the surname Shen. Shen Changsong... Interesting. I hope we can become friends the next time we meet.'
After a moment, he too headed for the Marketplace, his large belly preceding him...
Liuyun Marketplace covered a large area and was generally circular in shape. It had an entrance in each of the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—all leading to wide, straight, stone-paved streets.
The sides of the streets were lined with various shops and inns, but they were all very quiet at this time, not at all as bustling as the rumors claimed.
There were only a few people on the street, which instantly made Song Changsheng lose any interest in browsing. Recalling the map in his mind, he headed straight for his clan's shop.
The clan once owned over twenty percent of the shops in the Marketplace, but they had all been traded away for various reasons. Now, only twelve remained.
But these shops were all located in the prime areas of the Marketplace, bringing in nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones in revenue for the clan each year, making them one of the clan's main economic pillars.
'Treasure Hunting Pavilion. This is it.' Song Changsheng glanced at the name on the plaque, and after confirming it was correct, he walked inside.
The shop was quite spacious, with three floors in total. In the center of the first floor was a mahogany counter, which was presumably the checkout area.
Surrounding the counter were several half-height Liuli display cases, somewhat similar to the layout of a jewelry store on Blue Star.
Various goods were displayed inside. To the left were mostly finished Magical Artifacts, as well as various refined Metal Ingots and ores.
On the right were materials from Demon Beasts, all processed and ready to be used directly for artifact refining.
These items were all intended for Qi Cultivators. The goods sought by Foundation Establishment Cultivators were generally on the second floor. However, the Immortal Dao did not flourish in Ling Province, making Foundation Establishment Cultivators a rare sight. Months could pass without a single one appearing.
Compared to the quietness elsewhere, this place was a bit better. As he looked around, he could see a dozen or so cultivators in various attire browsing the goods.
Three cultivators in clan attire were assisting the customers by introducing the products. They were probably too busy, as no one noticed him for a moment.
Song Changsheng wasn't in a hurry and walked over to the display cases by himself to take a look.
The shop offered an extremely rich variety of goods.
They were subdivided into more than ten smaller categories based on different properties like attack, defense, and support. Song Changsheng had never seen many of the uniquely shaped Magical Artifacts before, and they gave him a lot of inspiration.
However, the quality of these Magical Artifacts was relatively low. Most were Tier One Low Grade and Middle Grade, and many of them didn't even have an Array inscribed on them.
This situation usually had two possible causes: either the shop's Artifact Refiners were not skilled enough, or their main customers were Loose Cultivators.
After all, only cash-strapped Loose Cultivators would choose such low-quality Magical Artifacts.
As he was engrossed in his viewing, a few young cultivators in black robes walked in from outside. The leader, a dark-skinned young man, had barely stepped inside when he shouted brazenly, "Shopkeeper! Where's the Shopkeeper?"
A female cultivator who looked to be in her twenties immediately went up to them and said in a somewhat cold tone, "Members of the Qiu Clan, please do not shout. You'll disturb the other customers in the shop."
The moment Song Changsheng heard they were from the "Qiu Clan," his brows furrowed instantly.
In Ling Province, there were a total of Six Great Influences. Besides the Song Clan and the Earth Fire Sect, there were also the Qiu Clan, the Wang Clan, the Li Clan, and the Yu Clan.
Among them, the Qiu Clan and the Yu Clan were aligned with the Earth Fire Sect. 'They've never gotten along with the Song Clan; even exchanging a single word is a waste of breath. For them to show up at a Song Clan shop now... no matter how I look at it, they're up to no good.'
"Alright, alright, I get it," the dark-skinned young man agreed readily, but his voice didn't get any quieter.
"The Steward is not in today. If you are not here to purchase goods, please leave," the female cultivator blocking their way said, her tone turning hostile.
"Hey, Fellow Daoist Song, you're mistaken. We're here to place an order for a Magical Artifact to be refined. What, is your Treasure Hunting Pavilion going to kick us out?"
the dark-skinned young man said to Song Changqian with an exceptionally exaggerated expression.
Song Changqian suppressed her anger. "We're open for business, so of course we wouldn't turn customers away. What kind of Magical Artifact would you like to have refined?"
A playful smile appeared on the dark-skinned young man's face. "I've long heard that the Treasure Hunting Pavilion's Artifact Refining skills are superb. I want to have a Tier One High-Grade Treasure Bead refined, but it needs to have three properties: offense, defense, and recovery.
"As long as you can complete it according to my requirements, I'm willing to pay five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."
"Possessing three different properties simultaneously? Qiu Wenxiu, are you joking?" Song Changqian said coldly.
"Joking? It's that you can't do it, isn't it? So the famous Treasure Hunting Pavilion is nothing special after all," Qiu Wenxiu said loudly and provocatively.
The other customers in the shop immediately adopted expressions of people ready to watch a good show.
"Hmph. Besides the Eight Directions Pavilion, there are only five Tier One High-Grade Refiners in all of Liuyun Marketplace. I've never heard of any of them being able to do that," another male cultivator from the Song Clan said indignantly.
The onlookers all nodded silently. Even though they weren't Artifact Refiners, they knew that most Magical Artifacts could only have one property. Each additional one increased the difficulty more than tenfold.
To have three properties simultaneously, one would generally need to commission a Tier Two Refiner.
"Is that so? Then take a look at this!" Qiu Wenxiu casually took out a cyan Treasure Bead. With a surge of Spiritual Qi, three distinct, layered Arrays instantly became visible.
"It really does have three abilities!" The crowd was stunned.
"This was refined by a very young Artifact Refining Master from the Earth Fire Sect's Hundred Treasures Pavilion. You said it was impossible, so what is this?
"The way I see it, your Song Clan has an undeserved reputation! You even claim your Artifact Refining Technique is unparalleled in Ling Province. You have no shame!" Qiu Wenxiu began to mock them loudly.
Seeing Song Changqian's shocked expression, Qiu Wenxiu gloated internally. He had investigated long ago; none of the Artifact Refiners in the Treasure Hunting Pavilion could accomplish this feat.
He was going to make the Song Clan lose all face, as the most powerful counterattack against their trade sanctions!
...