The Western Territory of Spirit Firmament, above the Heavenly Abyss.
Qin Yu, dressed in Qingyi, stepped alone into the cloud path, and before him appeared the colossal shadow of the main city, a sight capable of chilling the soul.
--The Firmament Vault Heavenly Palace.
This is the main city of the Thousand Realms Sect, and also the supreme residence of one of the nine great realm sects of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm. The city is like a celestial crown, and the gate towers are like realm towers. Its main body is not located on the ground, but is suspended in the air and stabilized on the Broken Realm Vein by 100,000 Realm Lock floating stones.
Looking up, the Firmament Vault Heavenly Palace is divided into nine layers of heavenly streets, three thousand floating workshops, and twelve thousand world houses. Each layer has different Dao Qi and laws converging. Five-colored world streams flow in the air, forming rivers of rules that drift and rotate in mid-air, their halos like waves.
The outer shell of the main city seems to be constructed of azure crystal, its radiance penetrating to the bone. Every inch of the boundary wall is inscribed with "Boundary Suppression Locks," with countless sealing patterns that are awe-inspiring at the mere sight of it.
This is no ordinary city; it is the "Heart of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm", which transcends all rules.
Even Qin Yu, who came from the Divine Abyss Realm, was deeply shocked at this moment.
"This single main city already subtly surpasses all the main temples of the Divine Abyss."
He murmured to himself as he stepped through the gate.
Amidst the shifting clouds, he changed into the outer sect visitor token given to him by Qian Ruishan, and was then guided by the Boundary Seal Bridge to the Seventh Floating Pavilion.
The floating workshops were filled with a sea of people. Each cultivator carried a boundary mark of a different level, and their auras were distinct. The lowest level was no less than the "Initial Yuan Realm", and many more were beings who surpassed the "God Lord, Dao Lord, Emperor Soul, and Heavenly Emperor" of the Divine Abyss.
Qin Yu put away the outer sect token and, as Azure Ring had instructed, went alone to a place called --
The location of the "Heavenly Cosmos Auction House.
This is an auction tower that hangs upside down between the Sixth and Fifth Realms, its body cast from "Realm Gold Star Bone". It hangs upside down like a sword, piercing the bottom of the Heavenly Abyss.
Beyond the clashing of lights, the boundary light flows, and the six-character boundary seal floats serenely above the pagoda gate:
[The source value is not a physical object; the Realm Spirit is the command.]
Qin Yu stepped into the tower gate. The gatekeeper neither inquired about his cultivation level nor asked for his name, but only sensed his "Soul Rank Authority." He then tossed him a gray visitor's seal and said indifferently:
"Gray-level visitors are limited to the observation layer and are not allowed to participate in the competition."
Upon entering, an extraordinary scene unfolds before your eyes.
--There are no actual artifacts on display here.
Above the hundred-story circular corridor, thousands of "illusory realms" float within. Each illusory figure is formed from incantations, alchemical diagrams, array patterns, and seals. They cannot be touched or held; one can only perceive their "right to comprehend" and "right to temporarily use."
Qin Yu glanced around, and countless ancient words quickly flashed through his mind:
"Source Value Rights, Tier 3, Three-Mark Realm Bone Pill, Six-Hour Soul Refining Window, Starting Price: One Realm Spirit."
"Source Value Right - Tier 4 Lower Grade - Void Nether Breath-Sealing Array - Half-Day Array Deployment Right, Starting Price: Three Realm Spirit."
"Source Value Right, Fifth Tier, Nine Seals of Soul Awakening, One Form of Manifestation Right, Starting Price: Seven Realm Spirit."
"... Indeed, it's different."
Qin Yu's heart stirred slightly.
In the Spirit Firmament Great Realm, what truly has value is not the resources themselves, but the short-term right to access the "rules of resource operation".
And all of this is built upon the only universally accepted currency of the Spirit Firmament —'Spirit Realm Spirit '.
He walked to a side hall and saw a Realm Spirit Exchange Center.
In the hall, colorless soul crystals floated, their inner essence burning like starlight.
The inscription on the side is clear:
"A third-tier World Pill can be exchanged for one Realm Spirit."
"A five-patterned soul bone can be exchanged for one Realm Spirit."
"Spirit stones, divine crystals, and spiritual essence cannot be exchanged."
He took out the extremely precious "Yuan Fire Soul-Returning Pill" from the Divine Abyss, but it didn't even cause any exchange fluctuations.
This world... has absolutely no connection to anything from the past.
Qin Yu chuckled softly, put away the pills, and stepped into the side path.
Just then, he paused slightly, as he suddenly caught a distant, hushed whisper:
"The Soul Awakening Bureau has issued a notice that 'extraterrestrial species' have been suspected to have appeared on the outskirts of the Thousand Realms."
"Its body has no identification number, its soul is not marked, and its boundary bones are not listed; it is indeed a remnant of a strange soul."
"The Soul Hunting Army is laying the groundwork. Once discovered, capture them alive and send them in; a reward of three thousand Realm Merits will be given."
Qin Yu turned his head.
Not far away, on a stone seat, three people wearing black and gold bone-patterned armor robes were exchanging secret messages with the tower guards, and the insignia on their backs was clearly the special emblem of the "Soul Hunting Army".
He neither moved nor went far.
He simply watched quietly as the "Realm Spirit" floated in the air above the Sky Tower.
The Black Bone Spear in his hand remained unsheathed, but the Azure Ring deep within his consciousness trembled slightly, as if in silent response:
"You already knew all along."
He turned and left.
His steps were steady, his clothes silent, but he knew:
--Everything Heavenly Cosmos Auction House was merely a ripple before he truly stepped into the torrent of destiny in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm.
Just as Qin Yu was about to turn and leave the auction house, a detached yet clear and melodious female voice drifted from behind him:
Where did you get that pill?
He turned his head slightly, and with just one glance, a slight tremor ran through his heart.
The newcomer was strikingly elegant, her robes flowing gracefully, as if she were standing atop a snow-capped peak or a moonlit summit. She wore a light silver shimmering gauze dress, her shoulders like carved jade, her neck like celadon, her skin as delicate as snow, her lips like the first frost of dawn, yet her eyes held a coldness that even the ages dared not look upon.
The term "fairy" represents the mortal's imagination of extreme beauty.
The woman before them was none other than Ling Jingxi, a woman so beautiful that even fairies would feel ashamed of themselves and dare not stand in the same realm as her.
This name is known to everyone in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm.
She is not only Realm Lord Realm Fifth Stage Perfection, a direct descendant of the Heavenly Extreme Sect, but also one of the "Three Rulers of the Heavenly Cosmos," second only to the Sect Master of the Thousand Realms Sect.
At this moment, she personally appeared in the ordinary gray-level visitor area, just to inquire about a "Yuan Fire Soul-Returning Pill" refined by Qin Yu.
Qin Yu glanced at her quietly and said, "Self-refining."
Ling Jingxi raised her eyebrows slightly, clearly not expecting this answer.
How old are you?
"Eighteen."
Her eyes flickered slightly, and then a faint smile appeared on her lips.
That smile, like a frozen river thawing, like the first melting of frost, carried a warmth amidst the extreme cold:
"A boy who can refine a resurrection-level elixir at the age of eighteen is indeed... worth betting a thousand Realm Spirit on."
She raised her hand.
A thousand-pattern boundary seal quietly appeared, hovering in the air before landing steadily in Qin Yu's hand. He whispered:
"It's not about buying, it's about exchanging."
"Let's try another possibility."
Qin Yu traced the boundary seal with his fingertips, said nothing, and calmly nodded. "Alright."
Ling Jingxi turned around, her skirt sweeping the ground like moonlight reflected on water and clouds, without looking back, only whispering:
"Floating Mist Immortal Pavilion, atop the Eastern Quarter."
"If you don't mind the trouble, then come."
The next instant, she stepped onto the Bridge of Boundaries and vanished through the gates of the auction house's upper levels.
Her identity was not revealed in the auction hall. But imperceptibly, all the high-level beings automatically made way for her.
Because she is one of the three rulers of the Heavenly Cosmos.
Qin Yu lowered his eyes, looking at the thousand Realm Spirit Seals in his hand, his gaze calm and unwavering.
But he knew that from this moment on, it wasn't just the Soul Hunting Army searching for him, nor was it just the Soul Stele waiting for him—
Even the entity that dominates the core of the Spirit Firmament's trading hub has begun to pay attention to him.