Underground Market

Years flew by.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Lin Fan refined large quantities of Yang Yuan Pills and Yang Hardening Qi every day.

His cultivation had also broken through from the mid-stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm to the peak of the mid-stage Heavenly Yuan Realm.

Once he cultivated to the peak of the Heavenly Yuan Realm and balanced the Yin Yang Energy within his body, he would be able to condense a Yuan Pill.

It was now the end of the month, which happened to be the day of the Qingyang Town Trade Fair.

The Trade Fair was located in North Square of Qingyang Town, a place where the various factions intersected.

Because there were too many disputes and no one could claim it alone, the fair was jointly organized by Qingyang Town's major powers.

Early that morning, Lin Fan went to find Qing Tan and Lin Dong.

Lin Fan said to the two of them, "Let's go. We're heading to the trade market now!"

"Yay!"

Qing Tan jumped three feet into the air, her eyes curving into crescent moons, sweet enough to make one swoon.

She was at an age full of youthful energy and loved lively places crowded with people.

Of course, she liked going even more when Lin Fan accompanied her.

The three mounted their horses and headed straight for Qingyang Town.

By the time they reached the entrance of the Trade Fair, the place inside was already packed with people, and cries of vendors hawking their wares soared into the sky.

The sheer popularity was truly frightening.

There was a place near the entrance specifically for watching horses, so the three temporarily left their mounts there.

"Come on, let's go in!"

As Lin Fan spoke, he reached out and took Qing Tan's little hand.

Naturally, both Qing Tan and Lin Dong noticed this.

Lin Fan explained, "There are too many people here. I'm afraid we'll get separated."

Lin Dong asked teasingly, "Then why aren't you holding my hand, Lin Fan Bro?"

Lin Fan rolled his eyes. "Are you a grown man worried about getting lost?"

"Tch!" →_→

Lin Dong curled his lips, his face full of disdain.

Inside the Trade Fair, shops stood in rows and goods filled the stalls, dazzling the eye.

Although the streets were quite broad, they still felt somewhat crowded.

After visiting only two streets, the three were already drenched in sweat.

Not because they were tired, but because there were simply too many people and it was too hot.

Qing Tan, however, remained in high spirits.

Her delicate little face had turned rosy from excitement, making her especially adorable.

Her crisp, charming laughter rang out from time to time, drawing countless gazes.

Everyone who saw the girl, with features as picturesque as a painting and skin fairer than snow, was struck by her beauty.

However, once they saw Lin Fan holding Qing Tan's little hand, they immediately looked away.

The people of Qingyang Town already knew how formidable Lin Fan was. Since he could even kill someone at the peak of the Heavenly Yuan Realm, naturally no one dared provoke him.

"I want to take a look at the Underground Exchange!"

Lin Fan looked at Lin Dong and asked, "Do you know where the Underground Exchange is?"

"I do. Follow me."

Lin Dong nodded and led Lin Fan and Qing Tan straight toward the Underground Exchange.

The Underground Exchange was one of the area's defining features. Most of the items sold there came from unknown sources.

However, because there were quite a few good items within, and no one would question where the goods came from, many people came there to buy things.

They turned twice along the street before entering a black door.

Behind the door was a long passageway, with many tightly shut or half-open doors on either side.

From time to time, people wearing black bamboo hats entered and exited. These were all places that purchased underground trade goods.

Lin Fan had not come to sell anything. He wanted to see whether he might come across a method for condensing rune seals.

After passing through the corridor, the three arrived at the Underground Market.

This was where all the stalls were. Whether vendors or customers, nearly all of them wore black bamboo hats.

Lin Fan quietly spread out his divine sense and rapidly scanned the various stalls.

Before long, as his divine sense passed over one particular stall, it suddenly trembled faintly.

Lin Fan immediately stepped forward and walked toward that spot.

On a stone platform lay a great many items.

Yet Lin Fan's gaze did not fall upon the Fourth Grade Spiritual Medicine placed at the very center. Instead, he looked toward an ancient piece of wood covered in moss in the corner of the stall.

Although it was blanketed in moss, Lin Fan could still vaguely make out a few blurred runes.

The instant he saw the ancient wood, Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

He immediately looked at the Black-Robed Man behind the stall and asked, "How much is this?"

Hearing this, the Black-Robed Man wearing a bamboo hat raised his head.

When he saw that it was Lin Fan, he said, "One hundred Yang Essence Stones."

"Fine!"

Lin Fan could not be bothered to haggle. He was not short on money anyway, so he agreed directly.

Seeing Lin Fan agree so readily, the man was first stunned. Then he said, "I misspoke just now. I thought you were asking about the spiritual medicine. This thing is related to Symbol Masters. How could it be worth anything less than two... three hundred Yang Essence Stones?"

Seeing the other party shamelessly jack up the price, a cold glint flashed through Lin Fan's eyes.

He might not lack money, but he had no intention of being treated like a fool.

Pfft!

With a flick of his finger, a burst of force pierced through the Black-Robed Man's brow.

After killing him, Lin Fan swept his sleeve and collected everything on the stall, along with the man's Cosmos Sack.

Once he was done, he directly said to Lin Dong, "Let's go. We're leaving!"

"Alright."

Lin Dong nodded.

Not a single person nearby dared to step forward at the sight of the three of them killing someone and taking his treasures.

On one hand, none of them knew the Black-Robed Man. On the other, they felt that he had brought it upon himself.

They had all recognized Lin Fan. This was a ruthless man who had even dared to kill the head of the Lei Family.

The man had dared to go back on his word and shamelessly raise the price for Lin Fan. Wasn't that simply courting death?

After leaving the Underground Market, the three wandered around the trading market for a while longer before departing.

Upon returning to Ironwood Village, Lin Fan entered a room, tightly shut the door, and took out the ancient wood.

He first wiped away the moss on it, then unleashed his Divine Sense, sending it surging toward the ancient wood in full force.

Boom!

Under the assault of Lin Fan's Divine Sense, the ancient wood immediately let out a humming sound.

Soon after, the spiritual barrier on its surface was broken.

When that spiritual barrier vanished, the ancient wood suddenly emitted a faint cracking sound as a fissure split open.

A trace of light burst forth from the crack. As it continuously gathered, it eventually formed into a beam of light that shot into Lin Fan's brow.

The next moment, Lin Fan clearly felt a peculiar stream of information rapidly pouring into his mind.

"Ancient Vortex Talisman, Talisman Formation Method."

Upon seeing those words, Lin Fan was instantly overjoyed.

He had finally obtained this Talisman Formation Method.