Storm at the Trade Fair

Midnight, in the basement of the Old Apothecary.

Night lay dark as ink, and the mountain behind the Sacred Orchid Institute was utterly still.

The midnight bell rang out slowly, like a signal opening the gates to a mysterious world.

Dressed entirely in black and carrying his carefully prepared goods, Xiao Tianhao quietly made his way to the basement of the Old Apothecary. There, a Trade Fair brimming with opportunities and uncertainties was about to begin.

The basement entrance was cleverly concealed behind an old wall. Following the instructions Nie Li had given him, Xiao Tianhao gently turned a protruding stone. The wall slowly opened, revealing a deep, shadowy passage.

Candle flames swayed inside the passage, their flickering light and shadows seeming to whisper secrets unknown to the world.

By the time Xiao Tianhao stepped into the basement, it was already bustling.

New and senior students from the institute chatted in small groups or carefully inspected the goods at the stalls.

The basement was small, but stalls of every kind filled it, displaying a dazzling assortment of goods.

Nie Li was already busy at a stall in the corner. Several scrolls of Pill Formulas and a few low-level Cultivation Method manuals with an air of antiquity were neatly arranged on the table before him.

Seeing Xiao Tianhao enter, Nie Li gave him a slight nod.

Xiao Tianhao quickly found a spot nearby and took his goods out of his Space Ring, setting them out one by one.

The refined Demon Beast blood essence gleamed enticingly. Modern appliances such as an air conditioner, a refrigerator, and a generator shone with a strange metallic luster in the candlelight, drawing plenty of curious glances.

"What's this?" a new student asked, pointing curiously at the air conditioner.

Xiao Tianhao explained with a smile, "It's a wondrous device that regulates indoor temperatures. It cools the room in summer and heats it in winter." The listeners looked skeptical, though a trace of curiosity remained in their eyes.

Before long, a burly senior student approached Xiao Tianhao's stall. His gaze settled on the Demon Beast blood essence, and greed flashed in his eyes. "What do you want for this blood essence?"

Xiao Tianhao's interest stirred. "I'm interested in maps of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, Silver Rank Demon Crystals, the high-grade herb soul-sealing grass, and other medicinal herbs. If you have any of those, we can talk."

The senior student frowned. "A map of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range? Those are far too rare. I don't have one. I do have a Silver Rank Demon Crystal, but a few drops of blood essence won't be enough to trade for it."

Xiao Tianhao considered for a moment. "What if I throw in this refrigerator? It can preserve all kinds of things for a long time, keeping them as fresh as ever."

"But this refrigerator needs something called a generator to power it. I have one too, but you'll have to add some medicinal herbs to the trade."

"All right. Will these two herbs, scorpion grass and a bone-tempering flower, do?"

"Good. Those two it is."

Hearing this, the people nearby gathered around, discussing the refrigerator and generator.

The senior student hesitated, then finally nodded. "Deal!" He took a Demon Crystal glowing with silver light and two medicinal herbs from his Space Ring and handed them to Xiao Tianhao.

Xiao Tianhao accepted the Demon Crystal and examined it carefully. Once he confirmed that everything was in order, he handed over the generator, refrigerator, and Demon Beast blood essence.

Meanwhile, Nie Li's stall had attracted quite a crowd as well.

A new student holding a folding fan looked at Nie Li's Pill Formula, his eyes full of longing. "Would you trade this Pill Formula for a high-grade medicinal herb, fellow student?"

Nie Li smiled faintly. "Your herb is good, but it isn't enough. Do you have anything else?"

"I'll add a Silver Rank Demon Beast's pelt. That should do, right?" The new student gritted his teeth and finally agreed to the exchange.

"Good. Deal." Nie Li readily agreed as well.

Trading continued, and the entire basement filled with the sounds of bargaining.

Xiao Tianhao kept an eye on his surroundings as he waited for someone with a map of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range to appear.

Just then, a small, skinny student with shifty brows and ratlike eyes approached Xiao Tianhao's stall and asked quietly, "You really want a map of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range?"

Joy stirred in Xiao Tianhao's heart, but his expression remained unchanged. "Of course. As long as it's genuine, the price is negotiable."

The student glanced around, then pulled a worn piece of parchment from inside his clothes. "Supposedly, this is a map to a Legend-rank expert's cave abode somewhere in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, but I'm not sure whether it's real."

Xiao Tianhao took the map and studied it closely.

It depicted part of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, marking the location of a mysterious cave abode, with several strange symbols around it.

His interest stirred. Although he could not verify the map's authenticity, he felt it was worth a try.

"What do you want in exchange?" Xiao Tianhao asked.

The student's eyes darted. "I want all your remaining Demon Beast blood essence, plus one of those wondrous devices that can cool and heat things."

Xiao Tianhao silently cursed the fellow's greed, but said, "You can have all the blood essence, but not the air conditioner. I'll throw in a few packs of specially made, high-calorie compressed ration biscuits instead. They need no preparation and can be eaten straight away. They're excellent for quickly restoring your stamina."

The student hesitated, then finally nodded. Xiao Tianhao handed him the blood essence and compressed biscuits in exchange for the map.

Just as Xiao Tianhao thought the Trade Fair was nearly over, the basement door was suddenly smashed open, and a group of people dressed in black charged inside.

Their leader was a young man with a grim expression. His gaze swept the room before finally settling on Xiao Tianhao and Nie Li.

"Hand over all your valuables!" the young man shouted arrogantly, unleashing the pressure of a four-star Bronze Rank cultivator.

Panic swept through the crowd, and many people hurried to protect their stalls. Nie Li frowned and stepped forward. "Who are you? How dare you cause trouble at the Sacred Orchid Institute!"

The young man sneered. "The Sacred Orchid Institute? No, no, no. This has nothing to do with the Sacred Orchid Institute. It's just a gathering a bunch of students organized themselves. If you know what's good for you, hand over your goods quietly, or don't blame us for getting rough!"

Fury burned in Xiao Tianhao's heart. He quietly slipped a hand into his pocket and gripped a homemade Poison Injector, something he had made for fun in his spare time.

He still did not know how effective these modern items would be in combat in this world, but now he could only try treating a dead horse as though it were still alive.

"You've picked the wrong targets!" Light flashed in Nie Li's hand, and a longsword appeared. Runes flickered along its blade, making it clear that this was no ordinary weapon.

Seeing this, the black-clad intruders drew their weapons and charged at Nie Li, Xiao Tianhao, and the others.

Seizing his moment, Xiao Tianhao hurled the Poison Injector at the foremost attacker.

The injector struck the attacker squarely in the arm, instantly injecting its contents into his body.

The attacker froze for a moment, then began trembling violently. Pain twisted his face, and his weapon fell to the floor with a clang.

"What the hell is that thing?!" The other black-clad intruders stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at their companion writhing on the ground.

Taking advantage of the opening, Xiao Tianhao drew a Tactical Dagger and charged at them.

The dagger gleamed coldly in the candlelight. Moving like lightning, he plunged into the melee in an instant.

The intruders varied in cultivation. The weakest had not even reached Bronze Rank, while the strongest among them were only at one to three stars of Bronze Rank.

Nie Li refused to be outdone. He swung his longsword, sending streams of sword energy cutting through the air and driving back every attacker who approached.

However, the black-clad intruders were numerous, and they soon surrounded Xiao Tianhao and Nie Li.

Xiao Tianhao fought desperately to hold them off while thinking of a way to escape.

Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he remembered that he still had several packets of medicinal powder.

He quickly took the powder from his Space Ring and threw it at the attackers.

The powder scattered through the air, forming a cloud. Its pungent smell sent the intruders coughing, while its sting made their eyes water, greatly reducing their ability to fight.

"Go!" Nie Li seized the opportunity, grabbed Xiao Tianhao, and rushed toward another exit from the basement.

The two ran through the maze of passages, with the intruders' curses occasionally ringing out behind them.

After running for an unknown length of time, they finally shook off their pursuers.

Xiao Tianhao and Nie Li stopped in a grove of trees, gasping for breath.

Nie Li looked at Xiao Tianhao with approval in his eyes. "Tianhao, those strange things of yours are pretty useful."

Xiao Tianhao smiled. "They were just emergency measures. Someone ruined the Trade Fair this time. It looks like someone behind the scenes deliberately stirred up trouble."

Nie Li's brows knitted tightly. "I'm afraid this isn't so simple. We'll have to be careful. Still, we gained quite a lot today. You got a map of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range. Even if we don't know whether it's real, it's worth investigating."

Xiao Tianhao nodded. "That's what I think too. There might really be treasures in that cave abode. Once I'm better prepared, I'll head to the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range and find out."

They discussed their next steps a little longer, then decided to return to the institute and wait for the right opportunity to act.

After returning to the institute, Xiao Tianhao did not rest immediately. Instead, he carefully studied the map to the Legend-rank expert's cave abode in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range and the stalk of soul-sealing grass.

He knew full well that the exploration ahead would be fraught with danger, but he was confident that, with his abilities and the resources of two worlds, he could carve out a place of his own in this world.

Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened. A new day was about to begin, while the curtain had only just risen on Xiao Tianhao's legendary journey.

He knew countless challenges and opportunities awaited him, and he was ready to face every unknown adventure.

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