Yellow Sand Dog

Evening.

The three bade farewell.

After some discussion,

Xu Fugui and Sun Yulan both decided to wait a little longer.

If there was no great danger in the Secret Realm, they would go in again and try their luck.

"The greatest danger in the Secret Realm is actually the cultivators exploring it alongside you."

Li Chang'an spoke earnestly and offered them several more reminders.

Wealth moved the heart.

When faced with treasures,

even blood brothers might turn against each other.

In an environment like the Secret Realm, killing and plundering treasures would certainly be common.

"Perhaps this Secret Realm will also bring me a great opportunity."

After watching the three leave, Li Chang'an pondered for a long while.

Although he would not enter the Secret Realm himself,

there would always be cultivators who brought its treasures out.

Sure enough.

It was not long before

a special area for selling Secret Realm treasures appeared in the Marketplace's Trading Area.

Large numbers of Rogue Cultivators gathered there,

laying out all kinds of treasures they had obtained in the Secret Realm.

Damaged magical artifacts and spirit artifacts, pills of unknown effects, bizarre materials, and so on...

The wares dazzled the eyes, and their prices varied.

But most of them were useless.

They merely looked attractive on the outside; their insides had already completely decayed.

"No matter how fine a treasure is, the erosion of time will eventually leave it dull and lusterless."

Li Chang'an walked around the Trading Area once and sighed with feeling.

That night.

At the Midnight Hour.

A new Hexagram Image appeared.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination: Neutral]

[You went to the Trading Area to stroll around, attempting to find a bargain, but returned empty-handed]

Seeing the contents of the Hexagram Image, Li Chang'an could not help smiling.

"The Secret Realm has only just opened. Perhaps there will be hope of finding a bargain later."

Of course.

Whether he found a bargain or not did not affect his mood.

It would be best if he did.

If he failed to find one, so be it.

Time flew.

Before he knew it, three months had passed.

Within the Marketplace,

the many Rogue Cultivators' interest in the Secret Realm had not diminished. Instead, it had grown more intense.

That was only because some people had gained a Great Opportunity during those three months.

"I heard someone obtained a Legacy of a skill, while someone else found an Ancient spirit pill that had lost very little of its medicinal effect..."

All kinds of rumors circulated through the Marketplace.

Another night.

Li Chang'an sat cross-legged, silently waiting for a new Hexagram Image.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination Result: Auspicious]

[You went out to inquire about news and heard that the Beast Tamer "Wang Hu" had encountered danger in the Secret Realm and been afflicted with cold poison. He urgently sought an Earth Fire Stone to dispel the cold, so you went to trade with him and obtained a mid-stage First-tier Spiritual Beast]

"Spiritual Beast!"

Li Chang'an's eyes lit up.

At last, he had received another auspicious divination—and one of exactly the kind he needed!

At present, his cultivation was his greatest weakness.

"A mid-stage First-tier Spiritual Beast has strength comparable to a Human Cultivator at the mid Qi Refining stage!"

Moreover, Spiritual Beasts were bound by Spirit Contracts.

There was no need to worry about their loyalty.

As long as he could obtain one,

it would be equivalent to gaining a loyal mid Qi Refining-stage guard!

"I never imagined the Earth Fire Stone would bring me such a great benefit."

Li Chang'an took out the Earth Fire Stone and rubbed it slowly.

He had originally planned to exchange it for a Wood treasure, but a Spiritual Beast was clearly better.

If Wu Yun had possessed a mid-stage First-tier Spiritual Beast to protect him back then, he would not have died such an ugly death.

At the thought of this,

Li Chang'an could not help sighing.

"Alas, Fellow Daoist Wu really was a good person."

Not only had he given him Spirit Stones, pills, and magical artifacts,

he had even given him a mid-stage First-tier Spiritual Beast!

"If Fellow Daoist Wu can come back to life, I will certainly thank him properly."

A smile touched the corners of Li Chang'an's lips, and his mood was good.

The next day.

After eating breakfast,

Li Chang'an left for the Marketplace's Trading Area.

The Trading Area had originally been the busiest part of the Marketplace, where cultivators came and went most frequently. After the Secret Realm appeared, it became even more bustling.

People milled about shoulder to shoulder, just like a market in the Secular World.

"Ancient Spiritual Medicine and Ancient spirit pills for sale!"

"One Qingyue Eagle egg! Once grown, it can rival a mid Qi Refining-stage cultivator! Cheap!"

"Black Gold Bear Demonic Beast flesh and blood! A great tonic when eaten..."

Calls of hawking and chatter rose and fell one after another.

Quite a few people were like Li Chang'an.

They had no specific goal in coming here, merely hoping to find a bargain.

Some came only to exchange information.

They sought the latest news about the Secret Realm.

"Did you hear? Two more late Qi Refining-stage seniors died in the Secret Realm."

"That Secret Realm is truly perilous!"

"Even the Zheng Family lost a Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Elder..."

All kinds of news reached his ears.

With a calm expression, Li Chang'an passed through the noisy Trading Area.

That Senior Wang Hu's residence

was just behind the Trading Area.

Along the way,

Li Chang'an heard some news about him.

"Senior Wang Hu was injured too!"

"The cold poison entered his body, and he is seeking to purchase a Fire Element Treasure."

However, most of the Fire Element Treasures in the Marketplace had been bought up by the Zheng Family.

That was because the Zheng Family was a Pill Refining Family.

Forging Alchemy Furnaces, nurturing Alchemy Fire, refining pills, and so on all required Fire Element Treasures.

For some reason,

Wang Hu had not sought the Zheng Family's help. Instead, he was buying from the Marketplace's Rogue Cultivators.

Li Chang'an fell into thought.

Soon, he arrived outside the courtyard where Wang Hu lived and knocked on the gate.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

A moment later,

an old man with a pale complexion opened the courtyard gate.

Wang Hu was a mid Qi Refining cultivator and a Mid-grade First Tier Beast Tamer!

"What brings you here, young friend?"

"Senior, I have an Earth Fire Stone."

Li Chang'an got straight to the point.

At these words, Wang Hu's body shook.

"Young friend, please, come in!"

The two entered the courtyard.

Li Chang'an took out the Earth Fire Stone and handed it directly to Wang Hu.

A hint of excitement immediately appeared in Wang Hu's eyes, but he did not take the stone. Instead, he looked Li Chang'an over several more times.

"Young friend, you actually trust this old man so much!"

He could not help sighing.

In the Cultivation World, there were far too many schemes and betrayals.

When a transaction involved a High-grade First Tier treasure like an Earth Fire Stone, no amount of caution was excessive.

Yet Li Chang'an had actually handed it over so openly.

"Young friend, if you ever have another transaction like this, you must be exceedingly careful."

Wang Hu offered the reminder.

He felt that Li Chang'an was most likely the sort of cultivator with a simple mind.

He devoted himself wholly to seeking immortality and knew nothing of the human heart's treachery.

At this thought,

he immediately developed a favorable impression of Li Chang'an.

Cultivators like this were already rare.

Little did he know that Li Chang'an dared to act this way purely because of the Hexagram Image.

"Senior, are we still trading?"

Li Chang'an asked, somewhat puzzled.

Wang Hu stroked his beard and smiled, his manner gentle.

"Naturally, we are. Young friend, come with me."

He led Li Chang'an to the rear courtyard, where he kept his Spiritual Beasts.

There were more than a dozen Spiritual Beasts in the courtyard.

Most were early-stage First-tier, and only three had reached the mid-stage.

"Young friend, this old man is willing to exchange this 'Yellow Sand Dog' for the Earth Fire Stone in your hand. What do you think?"

He raised a hand and pointed to the strongest of the three Spiritual Beasts.

Peak mid-stage First-tier!

Comparable to a Human Cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining!

Li Chang'an froze for a moment and asked, "Senior, aren't you the one taking the loss?"

He had originally thought he could exchange for, at most, one that had just entered the mid-stage.

That Yellow Sand Dog's value far exceeded that of the Earth Fire Stone.

Wang Hu smiled and shook his head.

"Young friend, you have a pure heart and shallow cultivation. You need a capable helper, or you will find it difficult to take even a single step in the Cultivation World."

At first, he had indeed planned to trade away the weakest of those three Spiritual Beasts.

But the slight favorable impression that had just arisen caused him to change his mind.