Local Cultivators, Swindlers and Cheats

Er Niu's meaning was almost obvious. The Beast-Taming Zhou Family had a talisman-making inheritance. But thinking about it, that made sense—the Beast-Taming Zhou Family possessed foundations built over several centuries.

Gazing at the night outside, Lin Chang'an frowned, then finally let out a sigh.

"I never thought that not even half a year ago, I was still running myself ragged for Spirit Crystals. Now I'm already considering First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman-making techniques. Human nature truly is greedy."

Lin Chang'an smiled and shook his head. First-tier Low-grade Talismans represented a leap from Spirit Crystals to Spirit Stones.

The leap for First-Rank Mid-Grade Talismans was even greater, starting at three Spirit Stones.

"It's not as if there are none outside, but they're controlled by only a handful of cultivators. Some Auctions also occasionally have them."

"However, relying on a cultivation lineage means sacrificing some freedom. Still, with the Market making such a grand move for Land Reclamation this time, these next two or three years probably won't be peaceful. At a time like this, the terms offered by the major lineages should be more generous."

Lin Chang'an secretly analyzed the situation, though his hands did not rest.

He continuously controlled the Green Bamboo Sword, making it enter and leave the Storage Bag again and again.

Only after the night had grown deep and the Market had fallen silent did Lin Chang'an raise his head and look outside.

"I'll visit the Black Market first. I might as well try my luck. More importantly, I need to exchange for some Spirit Crystals."

Then Lin Chang'an put the thick stack of First-tier Low-grade Godly Travel Talismans he had drawn during this period into his Storage Bag.

He also stored the Green Bamboo Sword away. These days, he had repeatedly practiced making the magic artifact enter and leave the Storage Bag in his spare time, not merely because it was novel.

He was doing it to become familiar with the best placement, so he could draw the magic artifact at the first possible moment.

"Selling some First-tier Low-grade Talismans used by poor bastards—would that damned Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivator even care about these? Only if he were poor out of his mind."

Staring into the mirror, Lin Chang'an smiled. Yet in the next moment, his facial muscles began to squirm, and even his build changed somewhat.

A face covered in thick flesh emerged, along with a fiercely sinister appearance, utterly different from his original looks—as far apart as north and south.

Looking at the skill he had not used in a long time, Lin Chang'an revealed a satisfied smile.

"With this, going to the Black Market will be much safer."

Before entering the Cultivation World, he had cultivated martial arts in the Mortal Realm. As the saying went, "Learn the arts of pen and sword, then sell them to the emperor's house." He had chosen to enter the capital.

Unexpectedly, through a twist of fate, he met Elder Lu, Immortal Master Lu, within the Royal Mansion. That was how he came to have the twenty years of cultivation that followed.

"Still, I can't let my guard down."

After using the Proficient Breath Concealment Technique, he suppressed his aura to the Qi Refining Second Layer.

With this method, Lin Chang'an was confident that unless the other party was a cultivator above the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, ordinary Qi Refining Fourth or Fifth Layer cultivators would be unable to see through him.

Looking over his appearance, Lin Chang'an nodded in satisfaction. He changed into black robes and a bamboo hat, and before leaving, he took a Mortal Realm sword he had previously bought from beside the door.

Under the cover of night, quite a few figures had already gathered in a shantytown on the outskirts of the Market.

This was the so-called Black Market. Besides selling goods that could not see the light of day or things their owners feared others would covet, there was another, more important reason people came here: the stall fees were extremely low.

Monster Beast Meat, Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and even magic artifacts could be found here.

Everyone who came hurried along with their heads lowered, remaining silent. They would quietly buy what they wanted and leave immediately. After all, the extremely low stall fees corresponded to relatively poor safety.

Thus, everyone here did their utmost to conceal themselves.

The Black Market only existed for two hours each day. Once dawn broke, the place would be emptied, leaving not a soul behind.

There were no cries of sale, only placards erected before each stall.

[Monster Beast Meat: twelve jin per Spirit Crystal]

[Fireball Talismans: two Spirit Crystals each, six for ten Spirit Crystals]

Lin Chang'an was no stranger to the Black Market. After paying one Spirit Crystal, the fierce look beneath his bamboo hat made many who saw him lower their heads. He also set out a placard before his stall.

[First-tier Low-grade Godly Travel Talismans: two Spirit Crystals each, six for ten Spirit Crystals]

Talismans were consumables. In particular, Godly Travel Talismans and defensive types that increased one's chances of survival had always been in short supply.

"Six!"

Lin Chang'an had only just set up his stall when, less than a moment later, a figure wearing a bamboo hat approached. Without wasting words, the person lowered his voice and tossed down ten Spirit Crystals.

Lin Chang'an said nothing as well, merely coldly taking out six Godly Travel Talismans.

The first transaction was complete.

He knew that if he priced them at seven for ten Spirit Crystals, they would sell out in no time. But that would too easily draw attention.

Standing out from the flock required the strength to back it up.

When one lacked the ability to resist, blending in was the way to survive.

"Sure enough, quite a few people have come to the Market recently."

While tending his stall, Lin Chang'an secretly observed the figures around him.

He had once lived here for five years before making his way out, so he was quite familiar with this place.

Clearly, the Market's Land Reclamation had attracted many Rogue Cultivators. Their numbers had increased by at least threefold, causing goods in the outermost district to sell especially quickly.

In less than half an hour, Lin Chang'an's Godly Travel Talismans had sold out. Yet he did not feel the slightest relief. Instead, worry weighed heavily on his heart.

More cultivators meant goods were easier to sell, but it also meant more outsiders.

And the greatest problem with outsiders was that they did not follow the rules.

"I just hope this time doesn't bring too much turmoil."

Having lived here for twenty years and experienced several such incidents, Lin Chang'an could be considered an old hand. He secretly shook his head, fortunate that he had long since stopped living on the outskirts.

He then packed up his stall and headed deeper into the Black Market, hoping to try his luck and see whether there might truly be a First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman-making manual.

After making a round, Lin Chang'an's mouth twitched. Sure enough, he had thought too beautifully. It was not that there were none—it was that there were too many.

There were talisman-making manuals, alchemy Pill Recipes, even Artifact Refining manuals and formation diagrams. Their prices, however, were absurd: the cheapest cost several Spirit Crystals, while the expensive ones went for more than ten Spirit Stones.

"Sure enough, with more outsiders around, the old hands of the Market have also started setting up stalls to cheat people."

If outsiders were the ones who did not follow the rules, then the local cultivators were swindlers and cheats.

Who would dare buy such things carelessly? No one could guarantee they were genuine, and this was the Black Market. If you were deceived, you would not even be able to find the culprit afterward.

Of course, those with experience only needed to inspect the revealed contents to tell at a glance.

But what people feared were the professionals—those who showed you a genuine portion, while everything afterward was fake. That was the Black Market; all manner of strange things existed here.

Even so, every year, countless new cultivators still threw themselves into the Cultivation World, dreaming of riding flying swords through heaven and earth and becoming a Foundation Establishment great cultivator ruling one region.

"I looked through a whole pile, and they were all fakes."

He had hoped to rely on his experience to perhaps find a hidden treasure, but Lin Chang'an secretly shook his head. Sure enough, those tales of casually finding hidden treasures in the Cultivation World existed only in stories passed around.

"First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman-making manuals truly are scarce goods."

Unwilling to give up, he made another round, but in the end, Lin Chang'an could only abandon the idea helplessly.

Even if one could not stumble upon a bargain, the Black Market was not without goods that could not see the light of day.

Perhaps some unlucky Talisman Master—or his descendants or inheritors—had been killed and stripped clean, allowing such illicit goods to appear in the Black Market. Such cases were not unheard of.

But unfortunately, Lin Chang'an did not have that kind of luck.

Before dawn arrived, Lin Chang'an shook his head and left the Black Market.

"I should keep my feet on the ground."

Yet the moment Lin Chang'an left the Market, someone set their sights on him.

Under the night curtain, three figures emerged from the Black Market one after another.

"Big Brother, it's that kid. I've watched him for a long time. He made three rounds and didn't buy anything."

The three figures silently nodded.

No one came to the Black Market just to wander around. If he bought nothing, there was only one possibility: his pockets were empty.

Empty pockets meant a poor bastard.

A poor bastard meant low cultivation.

Low cultivation meant easy to bully.

He could be slaughtered!