South Foothill Gathering

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Today, with only the faintest hint of dawn and a thin layer of mist still shrouding the Li River, the South Foothill Market was already in a complete uproar.

Just as Chen Shi Shi had said, the monthly South Foothill Gathering had arrived.

Above the market, streams of colorful light weaved through the air. Cultivators, piloting flying boats, Wind-Riding Talismans, and all sorts of peculiar flying magical artifacts, descended one after another, merging into the crowds on the main street.

On both sides of the street, in addition to the fixed shops with their doors wide open, rogue cultivators setting up stalls were packed densely, occupying almost every inch of available space, leaving only a narrow path in the middle for people to pass.

Shouts, bargaining, laughter from old acquaintances catching up, and even arguments over stall locations intertwined, forming a buzzing, droning wave of noise that was clearly audible even through the thick wooden doors of the Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

Today's South Foothill Market was truly bustling.

Inside the Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion, Chen Ming Hui and Li Tong had already nimbly wiped all the counters spotless, and the magical artifact display cases gleamed with radiance.

The items, originally arranged neatly and orderly, now seemed to possess an even more alluring luster under the intense gazes scanning them.

The shopkeeper, Chen Xing Shan, personally stood at the entrance, observing. A rare hint of seriousness and anticipation flickered across his usually kind face.

He turned back to Chen Heng, who had just emerged from the back hall, and Chen Shi Shi, who was helping out, saying, "See? This is the South Foothill Gathering! For our artifact pavilion, today is crucial! Our sales for half a month usually happen in these one or two days."

"Ming Hui, Shi Shi, perk up! Ming Hui, Li Tong, keep your eyes sharp!"

Chen Shi Shi's small face was flushed with excitement; it was clear he had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Chen Heng's expression was calm, merely nodding slightly. This scene was even more impressive than what he had heard about in the clan.

Most of the cultivators were in the Qi Refining stage, dressed in various styles. There were both rogue cultivators and clan disciples. Foundation Establishment true cultivators were indeed, as the shopkeeper said, basically nowhere to be seen.

The air was filled with a mixture of spiritual energy, the scent of sweat, medicinal herbs, and ores, blended with the faint moisture from the distant Li River, creating a unique and potent market atmosphere.

"Open for business!"

At Chen Xing Shan's command, Li Tong forcefully pushed open the heavy wooden door of the artifact pavilion.

A more boisterous wave of heat, accompanied by a surge of people, flooded in.

Barely a moment after the shop door opened, several groups of customers had already entered the Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

Some came directly to select magical artifacts, others brought damaged old artifacts asking if they could be repaired, some brought strange materials seeking appraisals or wanting to sell them, and more than a few were simply rogue cultivators looking to broaden their horizons.

Chen Ming Hui and Li Tong shuttled between the common magical artifact section and the materials section, attending to rogue cultivators primarily looking to purchase finished artifacts or sell common treasures.

Chen Ming Hui was eloquent and handled customers with ease; Li Tong was quick and agile, moving artifacts, seating guests, and serving tea and water, busy but not flustered.

Under the shopkeeper's direction, Chen Shi Shi helped out, his eyes occasionally darting towards Chen Heng.

His position had been specifically arranged by Shopkeeper Chen Xing Shan. It seemed leisurely, but in reality, it carried greater responsibility.

It was reserved for handling higher-value, more complex requests, such as large orders, special customizations, and the appraisal and repair of difficult items.

Chen Heng sat by the large square table in the inner private room, his gaze calmly sweeping over the incoming crowd.

A middle-aged rogue cultivator, dressed in coarse linen, with a weathered face and a cultivation level of about the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, walked in.

He clutched a tightly wrapped parcel to his chest. He navigated through the noisy crowd, scanned the interior for a moment, and finally his gaze fell upon Chen Heng's relatively quiet corner.

He seemed hesitant and timid, but still mustered the courage to walk over.

"This... manager?" the rogue cultivator ventured, his voice a little hoarse, "I... I have something I'd like someone to take a look at, and see if it can be repaired... but I've asked several places, and they all said no..."

Chen Heng nodded slightly, gesturing for him to sit opposite. "No problem, just take it out and let me see."

The rogue cultivator carefully placed the parcel on the smooth, dark red wooden tabletop. He peeled off the layers of tightly wrapped coarse cloth and animal hide, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.

What was finally revealed was a metal tube-like object, about half an arm's length. Its surface was covered in rust, but the few twisted and dim strange patterns remaining on the body of the tube still exuded an ancient aura.

Chen Heng reached out and picked it up; it was quite heavy.

One end of the tube was sealed, while the other end had clearly been connected to something, now only showing irregular fracture marks.

The rogue cultivator nervously rubbed his hands. "This... I found it in an abandoned cave dwelling deep in the mountains. It looks like an old item."

"When I found it, one end of this thing was still attached to a spear-like tip. Unfortunately, that day I ran into a troublesome bear, and while I was escaping, I hit a rock face. The spear tip broke off and fell into a deep ravine, and I couldn't find it... There's something stuck inside the tube, and I didn't dare to mess with it, nor could I get it out..."

Chen Heng's spiritual sense slowly probed into the damaged tube.

The internal structure was quite intricate. Indeed, several rusted metal components of varying sizes were stuck inside, twisted and interlocked, completely blocking the passage.

Faint patterns, similar to those on the outside of the tube but more complex and dim, remained on the inner wall of the tube.

In a moment.

Chen Heng's mind instantly flashed through fragments of records on the forms and patterns of ancient magical artifacts in the Chen Family Record of Artifact Refining.

"This item should be a base component of a certain ancient combined magical artifact," Chen Heng said, putting down the broken tube and tapping his finger unconsciously on the tabletop.

"The patterns on the tube are incomplete, faintly resembling ancient patterns of the 'Gathering Fire' and 'Solidify Gold' types. The inner cavity is severely damaged, and the blockage consists of fragments from the front components."

"To separate the remaining items inside requires extremely fine and gentle force. Otherwise, it is very easy to destroy it completely, and the ancient patterns on the inner wall may also be completely ruined."

Upon hearing this, the rogue cultivator's face immediately fell, and the spark of hope in his eyes dimmed. "Ah? It can't be done again... This... this is my last hope..."

The "last hope" he spoke of clearly referred to being able to exchange this "lucky find" for some Spirit Stones.

Chen Heng caught the despair in the other's expression and felt a stir in his heart.

Although this damaged artifact was severely damaged and of limited value, for a rogue cultivator struggling at the bottom of resource acquisition, it might represent enough cultivation resources for a period of time.

Moreover, his newly refined Water-Fire Treasure Gourd could be put to good use.

"It's not entirely hopeless," Chen Heng said calmly.

The rogue cultivator suddenly looked up, a flicker of hope rekindled in his eyes.

Chen Heng waved his hand at his waist, and the yellow jade-colored Water-Fire Treasure Gourd was already in his palm.

The gourd's warm yellow light subtly resonated with the heart-turning artifact patterns on its surface.

He channeled his true essence, lightly commanding at the gourd's mouth, "Out!"

The gourd's mouth trembled slightly, and a stream of warm, clear mist, containing faint spiritual energy, sprayed out like a trickling stream, precisely covering the broken section of the tube.

This was the ordinary mountain spring spiritual water he had stored in the gourd earlier.

"Chen Heng... nephew?" Chen Xing Shan, who had just seen off a guest, caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye. He was puzzled, wondering why Chen Heng would waste his mana using a new magical artifact on a remnant piece that clearly had little value.

The fine stream of spiritual water silently seeped into the rusted tube, moistening the rusted and stuck metal fragments.

Chen Heng was not acting recklessly; he was testing a prepared method.

Spiritual water was inherently gentle, and the subtle spiritual energy it contained could slightly penetrate and soften the rusted connections.

His eyes closed slightly, and he extended a thread-like wisp of divine sense, carefully guiding this extremely weak water spirit energy to flow and permeate within the confined space.

This required extremely strong divine sense control and precise mastery of the magical artifact.

Time ticked by.

Beside him, Chen Shi Shi put down the ore he was holding, held his breath, his small face filled with tension and curiosity.

Chen Xing Shan also stopped his steps, observing with a slight frown.

He admitted Chen Heng's artifact refining talent was exceptional, but this method... seemed too "gentle"?

Although using strong fire or brute force to clear the blockage carried a greater risk of damage, how much effect could this spiritual water penetration achieve?

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Crack!

An extremely faint, almost inaudible crisp sound came from within the tube.

To everyone's astonished gaze, a dark, irregular lump of metal, about the size of a fist, wrapped in damp mist, was slowly "pushed" out of the break by the weak stream of spiritual water.

It fell onto the red wooden tabletop with a "plop"!

Almost simultaneously, several clearer ancient rune carvings remaining inside the tube were exposed. Under the moisture of the water vapor, their luster seemed to have softened.

"It... it worked?!" The rogue cultivator was so excited he almost jumped up, his face full of disbelief.

"It actually... pushed it out?" Chen Xing Shan was also taken aback, a hint of brilliance flashing in his eyes.

He instantly understood the key: using gentleness to overcome hardness! Chen Heng's method, though seemingly weak, had cleverly avoided damaging the already dilapidated and ancient structure!

This thoughtfulness and control were truly remarkable!

Swish!

With a thought from Chen Heng, the spiritual water instantly retracted, the mist dissipated, and was collected back into the gourd.

He picked up the metal lump that had been "washed" out, weighed it, finding it extremely heavy. He carefully examined its dark luster and material density.

"This is a piece of [Sand-Sinking Profound Iron], a high-grade first-tier material, containing earth and metal energies. Although it was covered in dirt and rust, its body is undamaged. It's quite heavy, about three catties."

Chen Heng looked at the rogue cultivator. "The remnant tube itself is worth very little, but this piece of Profound Iron, the shop can take it. I'll offer one hundred and fifty low-grade Spirit Stones. What do you say?"

The rogue cultivator was somewhat dazed by the figure, then ecstatic. "Sell! Sell! I'll sell it! Thank you, manager! Thank you! You've helped me immensely!"

One hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!

For a low-level Mid Qi Refining rogue cultivator, this was an absolute windfall! Far exceeding his original expectations!

Seeing that the matter was resolved satisfactorily and the item's value was assessed fairly, Chen Xing Shan nodded approvingly at Chen Heng, then signaled the shop assistant Li Tong to take the rogue cultivator to the counter to complete the Spirit Stone transaction.

Chen Shi Shi looked at Chen Heng with eyes practically overflowing with admiration.

He had been diligently studying for a long time just to identify basic ores, while Senior Brother Chen Heng could solve difficult problems with such an ingenious method with ease!

"Well done!" Chen Xing Shan praised softly. "This new use for the Water-Fire Gourd is quite novel."

Just as Chen Heng was about to respond, a commotion, clearly filled with flippancy and mockery, erupted from the entrance of the Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

"Yo! Isn't that Shopkeeper Chen!"

"I heard your Chen family recently got a formidable artifact refiner? Where is he?"

"Bring him out so our Luo family can feast our eyes!"