Dragon Marsh Market, There Is a Law Artifact Pavilion

As Zhang Jing watched, dumbstruck.

The Ice Condensation Edge-Forming Technique, imbued with a trace of nether flood dragon devouring the void Dao rhythm, seemed to become a nimble little ice-crystal snake in midair. As it swam, it constantly swallowed the surrounding spiritual qi, its glinting edge already condensed to the utmost.

Without a sound.

The Ice Condensation Edge-Forming Technique easily sliced through the cultivation room's stone wall, then continued flying forward without losing momentum.

A slash mark even more astonishing than the last appeared before Zhang Jing's eyes.

One, two, three walls! he counted silently.

This time, the Ice Condensation Edge-Forming Technique only vanished after breaking through the fourth stone wall, its spiritual power completely spent.

The exact same Law Technique.

Yet the difference was so great simply because one had the support of Dao Rhyme and the other did not.

Zhang Jing could not help sinking into thought.

What exactly was Dao Rhyme, then?

From what he had seen so far, it already demonstrated the ability to draw upon and mobilize spiritual power and amplify the power of Law Techniques. And this was merely a nether flood dragon devouring the void Dao rhythm with an unknown amount missing.

Without the corresponding inheritance, Zhang Jing could only use the incomplete Dao Rhyme mechanically for now.

Of course.

He had also tried activating the Mind’s Eye Dao Seed at full strength to analyze and comprehend the incomplete nether flood dragon devouring the void Dao Rhyme, but unfortunately, he had gained nothing.

He knew that it worked, but not why.

That was Zhang Jing's current state.

"I still need an Upper-Grade Cultivation Method."

After letting out a lingering sigh.

Zhang Jing sat back down on the meditation cushion and closed his eyes.

After using the Ice Condensation Edge-Forming Technique twice in succession, only an exceedingly faint wisp remained of the spiritual power he had just cultivated in his Dantian.

Yet Zhang Jing discovered that this wisp of spiritual power was undergoing some kind of change, with dim points of spiritual light occasionally drifting out of it.

He immediately realized that this was one of the effects of Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light.

The spiritual power within his Dantian was being purified by Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light, and the progress was quite apparent.

Of course, this was also because there was so little spiritual power in his Dantian.

Still, this offered a glimpse of Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light's efficacy. If this trend continued, Zhang Jing had no doubt that, given enough time, he could cultivate straight from the first level of Qi Refining to Qi Refining Ninth Layer, without any bottlenecks obstructing him.

For no other reason than the utmost purity of his spiritual power.

Whew-

Only after stepping into the Qi Refining Realm did the powerful effects of Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light truly reveal themselves to Zhang Jing.

Considering its long-term effects, he even felt that Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light was not much inferior to the Mind’s Eye Dao Seed.

This also made Zhang Jing look forward even more to what skill effects would appear when [Pure Origin Breath-Absorbing Visualization Method] reached level four. And level four was not a particularly distant goal.

The instant he came back to himself.

Zhang Jing remembered something else that was equally important.

His gaze shifted.

[Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary · Uninitiated (65/70)]

His heartbeat involuntarily quickened, and he then immersed his entire mind in cultivation.

At midnight.

Under Zhang Jing's strenuous cultivation, the last five experience points were finally filled.

His body trembled slightly.

A wealth of insights instantly flooded his mind, concerning the conscious spirits of the five viscera, the mutually generating cycle of the five elements...

Zhang Jing instinctively began circulating [Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary].

In an instant, the illusory image of a strange great river, its head joined to its tail, slowly appeared within his body. It connected the five viscera and spanned the six bowels, seemingly seeking to unite them into a single whole.

Wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy were swallowed into his belly.

In the blink of an eye, they flowed into that great river, which seemed to run without end.

Black, yellow, blue-green, red, and white-the five colors of the five elements circulated ceaselessly. The watery radiance finally settled into pure black, emanating a trace of profound significance.

The spiritual qi in the room was absorbed completely.

A wisp of ink-black spiritual power slowly flowed into his Dantian.

The pure white spiritual power originally cultivated through the Pure Origin Breath-Absorbing Visualization Method began to be silently assimilated by the black spiritual power, before merging with it.

So this is the water-aspected spiritual power cultivated through the Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary? How domineering! Zhang Jing marveled inwardly.

The mysterious Jade Talisman flickered faintly.

[Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary · Level 1 (1/150)]

Skill trait: five-law spirit river (intermediate)

Dawn had yet to break.

Zhang Jing awoke from cultivation. Sensing the fluctuations of spiritual power within his Dantian, he unconsciously broke into a radiant smile.

It truly lived up to its superior compatibility.

When he cultivated [Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary], it felt as effortless as moving his own arms and fingers. Moreover, as a Middle Grade cultivation method, its efficiency far surpassed that of a basic cultivation method.

After just one night of cultivation, Zhang Jing felt a small but extremely clear improvement in his cultivation.

He stood up.

Only then did he remember that he was going to the Market District today to purchase Law Artifacts.

His gaze unconsciously turned toward the pouch on the table.

It contained forty-five Spirit Stones altogether. Twenty-five were his share of the wager Ji Bochang had won, while the remaining twenty were the Spirit Stones Wu Mingyuan had offered as an apology yesterday.

"He really was generous," Zhang Jing remarked.

Twenty Spirit Stones were worth nearly as much as a Law Artifact. Although it would be one of the lowest grade, they had still directly eased Zhang Jing's financial straits considerably.

At the very least, they gave him many more options when purchasing a Law Artifact today.

"Should I buy a defensive Law Artifact first, or an offensive one? Logically, staying alive takes priority, so I should decisively choose a defensive Law Artifact. But a flying sword seems like a good choice too."

"Staying alive, staying alive-if I really encounter an enemy, rather than thinking about saving my own life, I might as well slash them until they beg for theirs!"

"Ah, if someone agonizes over what to choose whenever they buy something, it must be because they're poor. Like-me!"

Just as Zhang Jing was agonizing back and forth.

Knock, knock-

"Brother Zhang, are you awake? We should get going," Ji Bochang called loudly from outside.

"Wait a moment. I'll be right there."

After checking things briefly, Zhang Jing headed straight outside.

"Brother Zhang, you-you've achieved Qi Induction?!"

"Just luck, just luck!"

"Luck?!" Ji Bochang's voice abruptly rose to a shrill pitch. "You call this luck? Fucking luck again?"

"No... Brother Zhang, you haven't taken resources from anyone else's mission team, nor have you had resources provided by your family. Just cultivating in your little courtyard, relying on that one lousy Spirit-Concentrating Meditation Cushion, you... you actually broke through to the Qi Refining Realm in just these few days?"

At this moment, Ji Bochang suddenly felt that his spirit had suffered a heavy blow.

"Brother Zhang, tell me honestly. Back at the Seventh Temporary Academy, did you deliberately conceal your progress in the Visualization Method? Was I not actually first, but-you were?"

"You're overthinking it," Zhang Jing said with a smile.

"Brother Zhang, to tell you the truth, I originally wanted to share some good news with you. After seeing this today, rest assured, I'll pester Senior Sister until she agrees!"

"Brother Ji, where exactly is that Dragon Marsh Market?"

"Dragon Marsh Market neighbors Dragon Lake Dao Academy, a sacred land of the Immortal Dao. They say a powerful figure from the Dao Academy stands behind this Market District, so very few Bandit Cultivators dare cause trouble here."

"Lad, the two of us are safe!"

An old man over sixty, with a thin face, spoke softly.

Beside him walked a boy of four or five, his head slightly lowered and his face looking utterly haggard.

Hearing the old man's words, the boy immediately raised his head to look into his eyes and asked cautiously:

"Grandpa, you're not lying to me again, are you?"

"Hahaha!" The old man could not help laughing at this. "Why would Grandpa lie to you? Look for yourself!"

He pointed ahead and to the right.

The boy looked in the direction the old man indicated.

What greeted his eyes was an enormous gatehouse a full hundred feet tall, towering and imposing, faintly exuding a weighty aura as immovable as a mountain.

Through the gatehouse, he could see buildings stretching for over a dozen li beyond it, bustling with people coming and going.

And in the center of the gatehouse.

The four great characters for "Dragon Marsh Market" resembled roaming dragons dancing wildly, or a qilin descending to earth.

After only a few glances from afar, the boy dimly saw a terrifying giant sword appear in his vision and slash straight down at him. Frightened, he hastily lowered his head.

Seeing this.

The old man scolded, "You little lad, don't stare at those four characters for too long. They were written by a sword immortal from the Dao Academy. Look too long, and you'll stir the sword intent within them."

"I understand, Grandpa," the boy answered obediently.

"Lad, would you like to become as powerful as the sword immortal who wrote those characters?"

Then the old man stroked the boy's head and asked with a smile.

"Ming'er would!"

"Hahaha!"

The old man laughed heartily again. One hand touched a bundle tucked against his chest as he said earnestly, word by word:

"Grandpa will definitely get you into the Dao Academy to cultivate!"

"When that happens, our lad will really be someone. Grandpa could die with his eyes closed."

"Don't die, Grandpa! Ming'er's father and mother are gone. Ming'er only has Grandpa left." The boy hugged the old man's leg, his voice immediately taking on a tearful tone.

"All right, all right, Grandpa won't die. Grandpa still has to watch you marry an immortal maiden!"

As they spoke.

The old man had already led the boy into the Market District.

Only then did his taut heart gradually relax.

Now they were truly, completely safe.

Next, he needed to find a way to contact a powerful figure from the Dao Academy and offer up this ancient inheritance, in exchange for an opportunity for his grandson to enter the Dao Academy and cultivate.

As for why he did not cultivate this inheritance himself, then teach it to his grandson.

Naturally, although the old man was an early-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator, his cultivation method was not only crude beyond measure but also incomplete, leaving him entirely unable to comprehend the true intention of the precious inheritance in his possession.

Cultivating it was even further out of reach.

The old man had also considered seeking guidance from other cultivators.

But he had soon abandoned that plan.

Everyone he knew was a Rogue Cultivator, and among Rogue Cultivators, anyone possessing a complete cultivation inheritance was invariably a mighty figure in their own domain.

Wealth stirred people's hearts, let alone a precious cultivation inheritance.

Thus, after much consideration, the old man ultimately decided to hand this inheritance to some powerful figure from the Dao Academy. He believed it would be enough to secure his grandson an opportunity to change his fate!

Although his grandson had already practiced a Visualization Method and developed Spiritual Sense, failing to meet the requirements for entering the Dao Academy.

But that-hadn't it all been to stay alive!

And not far behind the old man.

Four icy gazes were fixed intently on the grandfather and grandson inside the Market District.

"What now? They've entered the Market District. We can't attack in there."

"We absolutely cannot give up the inheritance!"

"...We'll risk it! Eldest Brother, I'll enter the Market District first. Once I find them, I'll work out a way to force them outside, then we'll seize the inheritance. As long as one of the four of us can bring it back, it'll be a thousand-year achievement for the Yu Lineage!"

"Good, that's what we'll do!"

Directly in front of Dragon Marsh Market.

Zhang Jing lowered his head and could not help rubbing his aching neck, a lingering trace of shock still in his eyes.

"What a tall memorial arch-no, gatehouse!"

And-

Zhang Jing glanced at Ji Bochang ahead of him, inwardly speechless.

So Dragon Marsh Market was right beside the Dao Academy.

From their residence to the Market District, the journey had taken only two double-hours. Using spiritual power to travel would make it even faster; even a round trip would take less than one double-hour.

And to think he had assumed a trip to the Market District would be measured in days.

"Brother Zhang, do you know who stands behind this Market District?" Ji Bochang's smug voice came from ahead.

Ever since becoming convinced deep down that Zhang Jing's cultivation talent far surpassed his own, Ji Bochang had changed. Now he would show off his knowledge of the cultivation world to Zhang Jing at the slightest opportunity, as though only this could restore a little sense of balance within him.

And Zhang Jing was happy to let him do so.

After all, who could turn down a free guide?

"Please enlighten me, Brother Ji!"

"Outside cultivators have all sorts of theories about the existence behind Dragon Marsh Market. There are even rumors that the Market District's backer is some powerful figure from the Dao Academy."

"Isn't that the case?"

Zhang Jing asked curiously.

Stretching more than a dozen li in every direction, with cultivators coming and going by the tens of thousands, the profits involved were easy to imagine. Could anyone but a major figure keep the place under control?

"Uh, actually, that's not wrong. There really are major figures behind it—just not only one. My senior sister told me that our Outer Court's ten mission teams are behind the Market District."

"You mean-"

"Exactly. Those behemoth teams ranked in the top ten, along with the senior brothers and sisters who entered the Dao Academy's inner sect from those teams."

"No wonder..."

Understanding immediately dawned on Zhang Jing.

But just then.

Tap, tap-

Footsteps suddenly sounded behind him, growing more and more hurried.

Then Zhang Jing saw two figures, one large and one small, flash past him.

His gaze swept over the two figures.

At first glance, he spotted the problem.

An unstable foundation and impure spiritual power. Either there's something wrong with the cultivation method, or... something went awry during cultivation. And how has this child awakened Spiritual Sense?

What's going on with this person?

Puzzled, Zhang Jing nevertheless asked no further questions and continued following Ji Bochang.

Suddenly.

"Brother Zhang, how about I take you to look at a place that sells law artifacts first?"

Ji Bochang turned back and asked Zhang Jing.

"Sorry for the trouble, Brother Ji."

"It's no more effort than lifting a hand."

Then, with Ji Bochang leading the way, the two headed straight into an alley beside them as soon as they entered the Market District, turning left and right as though navigating a maze.

A long while later.

"We're here, Brother Zhang." Ji Bochang pointed to a quaint, old-fashioned shop ahead. "The law artifacts here are reasonably cheap, and the quality is decent too. They'll be good enough to tide you over during this assessment."

"Once you formally enter the Outer Court, you probably won't think much of the Law Artifacts sold in the Market District anyway."

Hearing this, Zhang Jing looked in the direction Ji Bochang indicated.

There Is a Law Artifact Pavilion?

He silently mouthed the name, then could not help laughing aloud.

The shopkeeper is quite an interesting person.

P.S. I'm a total loser. I'm still writing the four thousand words for the extra update, and I probably won't be able to post them until well into the early morning. You can all come back tomorrow morning. Crying my eyes out~