Abysswall Market

"Gurgle."

Watching the Golden Egg bouncing around on the table, Chen Dong and Huang Xiaoling fell silent.

After a long while, the couple exchanged a glance, then both turned to look at Chen Beiwu.

Huang Xiaoling coughed twice and tactfully asked, "Isn't there a better Companion Beast in the Spirit Beast Pavilion?"

As a Water True Spiritual Root cultivator, she knew very well the Golden Scale's shortcomings and how difficult it was to advance. Saying it was hated by both people and dogs still didn't go far enough.

By contrast, cultivators with dual Metal and Water Spiritual Roots tended to favor the Golden Scale.

"The Golden Egg is the Companion Beast that suits me best," Chen Beiwu said softly.

Huang Xiaoling froze. The words of advice she had been about to offer caught in her throat.

Chen Beiwu wasn't a child. Rather than question him, perhaps what she should do was trust him.

Chen Dong cut off the conversation. "Let's eat first."

A Companion Beast Contract was difficult to change once made. No matter what they said now, they couldn't change reality.

Besides, he didn't believe his son would cut off his own Dao Path. This Golden Scale might have some unique merit.

At the dinner table, Chen Dong steered the conversation elsewhere and began asking about Chen Beiwu's cultivation.

When he heard that his son planned to cultivate at home by himself, he didn't object. Instead, he exchanged a glance with his wife and brought up another subject.

"The Tile Factory just happens to be on break. Your mother and I are planning to go to Fallen Dragon Prefecture for a trip this month."

"How long will you be gone?" Chen Beiwu suddenly remembered that the family had been short on money recently.

"About half a month," Chen Dong said hesitantly.

The Heart-Severing Cold Syndrome was difficult to cure at its root, but the treatment surgery wasn't especially difficult; it counted as a minor operation.

Normally, three days would be enough, but to prevent a relapse, he planned to let his wife rest at the Immortal Hospital for a few extra days and recuperate.

"Are we still short on Spirit Stones? I have some Spirit Origin left," Chen Beiwu said with concern.

"We're not. That Bloodface Vine sold for nine hundred and fifty Spirit Origin. You just made a Companion Beast Contract, so you're the one who needs Spirit Origin now," Huang Xiaoling refused decisively.

After dinner, Chen Beiwu returned to the Cultivation Room on the second floor, and his body vanished in an instant.

In the Chaos Land, a giant gate propped up the sky.

Fortune was unpredictable and traceless. Ordinary cultivators couldn't sense changes in their own Fortune at all. But Chen Beiwu was different; he could use Nine-Breath Chaos to see the changes in his Fortune.

When he saw a wisp of golden light appear beneath Nine-Breath Chaos, delight flashed in Chen Beiwu's eyes.

His guess had been right after all.

After contracting the Golden Egg, his Fortune had also undergone a transformation by riding its momentum. But the wisp of Crimson Calamity Aura that had quietly appeared to the right of Nine-Breath Chaos made much of the joy fade from Chen Beiwu's face.

Fortune and Misfortune Rely on Each Other. As Golden Fortune came into being, a wisp of Crimson Calamity Aura representing great misfortune had also appeared on him. Its quality far surpassed that of the gray bad-luck aura that had appeared before, as if some bloody disaster were about to strike.

I can't let this Crimson Calamity Aura keep building up, lest disaster turn into calamity.

With a thought, Chen Beiwu circulated the Nine-Breath Qi Ingestion Divine Ability and directly activated the fourth breath to draw in Fortune and dissipate the calamity.

"Bzz!"

At his command, a thread of Blue Fortune charged into the Crimson Calamity Aura with fearless momentum, dimming its light slightly.

Not enough? Chen Beiwu shifted his gaze to the five strands of Green Fortune.

"Bzz!"

As the five strands of Green Fortune coiled around the Crimson Calamity Aura like snakes, the crimson bloodlight radiating from the latter gradually faded, replaced by a layer of hazy gray bad-luck aura.

Chen Beiwu breathed out a mouthful of turbid air and opened his eyes in satisfaction.

Gray bad-luck aura didn't count as calamity. At most, it would make him unlucky and cause him to run into a few inconsequential mishaps, like fishing without a bite or running into a little bird that crapped on him while he walked. There was no need to waste more Fortune dissolving it.

I can save this strand of Golden Fortune to suppress my Fate Pattern and fortune. The most important thing now is to take advantage of the differences between the two worlds to earn my first pot of gold as quickly as possible and gather enough Spirit Stones to buy the Myriad Laws Return to Flow Jianmu Heavenly Book.

At this thought, Chen Beiwu looked toward the magnificent giant gate in the Chaos Heaven and Earth, beyond the power of words to describe.

A day later, a handsome young man joined the crowd lining up at the entrance to Abysswall Market.

They're mostly Qi Refining cultivators. Chen Beiwu scanned the people around him and thought to himself.

Abysswall Market sat on a major traffic route between the Three Kingdoms. It had a wide flow of visitors and a large scale. On top of that, it had a good reputation, making it the most famous Cultivator Market near the Marshland Kingdom. Even Foundation Establishment Bandit Cultivators didn't dare cause trouble there, so many ordinary Qi Refining cultivators were drawn to settle there.

Chen Beiwu had decided to head to Abysswall Market after reading the diaries Lin Yu and the others had left behind.

There was no other reason: it was relatively safe!

The Cultivation Lineage that controlled Abysswall Market was the Cloudsea Shen Household, a famous Foundation Establishment Lineage in the Marshland Kingdom. Three Foundation Establishment experts held the clan in place, and the surrounding Cultivation Lineages all feared its power.

But what appealed to Chen Beiwu even more was the Cloudsea Shen Household's impressive backing: it relied on Mirror Moon Palace, one of the Earth Evolution Realm Five Great Sects. Every five years, Mirror Moon Palace recruited a batch of Outer Sect Disciples at Abysswall Market.

Moving along with the line, Chen Beiwu looked up and saw a tall, majestic archway. The plaque above it was carved with the four ancient characters "Abysswall Market," which radiated an imposing aura that was hard to ignore. It was clearly the work of a powerful cultivator.

At the entrance to the archway, two cultivators in Azure Daoist robes stood with stern expressions. One was responsible for registering cultivators entering the market, while the other handed out Jade Slips.

"Get lost, beggar. You don't even have two Spirit Stones, and you still want to enter the market?" the gatekeeper snapped without the slightest courtesy.

"Fellow Daoist, could you make an exception? I have an Exotic Herb I can put up as collateral..."

The shabbily dressed Rogue Cultivator hadn't finished speaking when the gatekeeper snatched the Exotic Herb from his hand and kicked him away.

"Rules are rules. They can't be broken. If you don't have Spirit Stones, get lost," the other cultivator said coldly.

The Rogue Cultivator glanced reluctantly at the Exotic Herb in the gatekeeper's hand, gritted his teeth, and staggered away.

Seeing this, the cultivators waiting to enter the market were already used to it. They didn't even bother to lift their heads for a glance.

The market's gatekeepers are this brazen, and this place is still considered safe? Just how chaotic is the Southern Wasteland's Earth Evolution Realm? Chen Beiwu's heart sank.

The gatekeepers had openly robbed a Rogue Cultivator of his Spirit Materials, and no one cared. They took it for granted.

In the Immortal Alliance, even a Foundation Establishment Rogue wouldn't dare openly rob an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, let alone attack one.

"Esteemed senior, one Spirit Stone will do," the Daoist-robed cultivator said, bowing slightly with respect in his voice.

Chen Beiwu asked no questions. He handed over a Spirit Stone and accepted the Market access Jade Slip from the other gatekeeper.

He hadn't walked far when he heard a string of angry curses behind him.

"Get lost! You dare pass off Spirit Sand as Spirit Stones? Old geezer, are you looking to die?"

Chen Beiwu kept walking without turning back.

The strong preyed on the weak-that was the world's rule. It was just more blatant, more bloody, and more absolute in the Southern Wasteland.

He couldn't do anything for others; he could only look after himself.

(End of chapter)