Bustling Myriad Heavens Market

There were many rules listed on the light screen, but the first one, pinned right at the top, contained only eight words:

1: Voluntary dealings, free trade.

The second rule was even simpler:

2: Fighting and conflict prohibited.

As for the rest, none of them were overly strict, yet they ensured the market's basic order and Song Chi's own profits.

3: Every transaction in the market requires a transaction tax of 10% of the transaction value.

4: If language is a barrier, the Universal Translator at the market entrance may be used for a fee of 1 Tier 0 Life Core per use.

100: This market session will last 24 hours. Remaining time: 23:58:27.

After arranging everything, Song Chi entered the market himself. Rather than presenting himself as its owner, he pretended to be a curious youngster fortunate enough to enter the market, looking around here and there.

Before long, a faint spatial fluctuation suddenly came from the market entrance. A creature with a human body, an ox head, and a thick spiked club stepped out of one of the spatial gates, its eyes filled with vigilance.

As the market's owner, Song Chi received an alert from the market immediately.

However, he did not turn around. Instead, he continued strolling through the various shops. Since this was the market's first opening, he naturally had to set an example himself, lest the creatures entering later have no idea what to do.

As expected, after the ox-headed humanoid finished reading the string of rules displayed on the light screen at the entrance and saw Song Chi wandering through the shops, it quickly understood. It hurriedly followed suit and began inspecting the goods sold by each shop.

While discreetly observing the other party, Song Chi consulted the Encyclopedia of Star Sea Civilizations and Lifeforms stored in his communication wristband. Before long, he found the creature's origins.

Race Name: Ox-Headed People

Description: A common half-beast race in the Shattered Star Sea. Most of this race remains in the primitive tribal civilization stage.

Racial Strengths: They worship strength and possess astonishing individual combat power.

Racial Weaknesses: Their technological development is almost nonexistent, and they rely far too heavily on their physical bodies.

Song Chi raised a brow, relief filling his heart.

Looks like at least one of the ten spatial gates has opened onto a Star Sea Floating Continent of unknown rank. Not bad. At least I won't come up empty-handed.

From the information he had obtained about the Myriad Heavens Market, he knew that the spatial gate deployment platform was completely random. The gates would not necessarily open onto a Star Sea Floating Continent; they could also appear in the desolate starry sky, uninhabited asteroid belts, and other such places.

Therefore, during previous market openings, there had been awkward occasions when no creatures entered at all. This was especially likely during the Tier 0 market stage, when there were only ten spatial gates.

As his thoughts wandered, the Tier 0 Ox-Headed Person entered the shop displaying the Basic Gene Optimization Potions. When it saw the light screen in the center of the shop explaining the potion's effects, its expression immediately turned ecstatic.

However, vigilance soon returned to its face.

"%@%]/@"

It suddenly spoke, and Song Chi, who was in another shop some distance away, heard its voice as well.

Song Chi did not look puzzled. What the other party had spoken was not Kindling Human Language, but Star Sea Common Tongue. Having received more than twenty years of higher education, he naturally understood it.

Its meaning was simple: "How can I be sure these Gene Optimization Potions work?"

Song Chi pondered for a moment, then shifted his thoughts. The information on the light screen in the middle of the Gene Optimization Potion shop quickly changed into a fluent sentence in Star Sea Common Tongue.

"A deposit may be paid for a personal trial."

Seeing the words on the light screen, the Ox-Headed Person's expression tightened. As an elite warrior of the Azure Ox Tribe, it valued its life greatly. Naturally, it was unwilling to personally consume such an unfamiliar potion. Who knew whether this so-called Gene Optimization Potion was real or fake, poisonous or harmless?

As it hesitated, a commotion suddenly arose outside the market. The Ox-Headed Person immediately grew anxious. It knew that other creatures had entered the Myriad Heavens Market.

In its urgency, it could no longer afford to hesitate. It directly took out fifty Tier 0 Life Cores from its body as collateral for the shop, then picked up a potion and downed it in one gulp.

The next second, it felt a vast yet gentle current of heat spreading continuously through its body. The current flowed through every inch of flesh and blood, constantly repairing and transforming every cell throughout its body, while intense pain surged from all over.

Two minutes later, when the Ox-Headed Person opened its eyes again, the sharp gleam in them could no longer be concealed. Feeling the seemingly endless strength within its body and its physical qualities that had nearly doubled, the Ox-Headed Person had never felt so powerful.

Coming back to its senses, it spoke rapidly.

"I'll take all ninety-nine remaining Gene Optimization Potions."

As it spoke, it was about to take out more Life Cores. As an elite warrior of the Azure Ox Tribe, it had quite a few Life Cores on it.

However, footsteps sounded behind it at that moment, followed by a fluent voice speaking in Star Sea Common Tongue.

"Wait. I want to buy these Gene Optimization Potions too."

Turning around, it saw that the creature entering the shop had an extraordinarily massive head. Two antennae supported a head that accounted for more than ninety percent of its body weight, making it look utterly bizarre.

This creature's attitude was very clear: it wanted to purchase Gene Optimization Potions as well. Although it had not yet tested their effects, the Ox-Headed Person's urgency made it obvious that the potions' effects had to be astonishing.

At that moment, a new message appeared on the virtual light screen in the center of the shop.

"Each customer may purchase a maximum of ten potions at a time."

On the street not far away, Song Chi had failed to find any information on the big-headed creature in the Encyclopedia of Star Sea Civilizations and Lifeforms. He immediately understood that this was an entirely new lifeform never before discovered by the Kindling Human Civilization.

However, that was not the important part. Song Chi was feeling somewhat regretful. Had he known the Basic Gene Optimization Potions would be so popular, he would have bought another batch. A fivefold price difference—was there any faster way to make money?

Helplessly, he could only add the rule that each person could purchase no more than ten potions. There were only so many in stock anyway. Rather than selling them all at once, it was better to use them to attract more customers.

Just as he had expected.

After learning of the purchasing limit, the Ox-Headed Person and the big-headed creature each bought ten potions before hurriedly leaving the market, clearly intending to summon more of their kind.

P.S.: New book seeking recommendations and follow-up reads.