The Imperial Capital was unlike any place the disciples had seen, as it was filled with people from every corner of the Tianxuan Continent:
Sword cultivators garbed in white robes, their auras sharp enough to cut through the air. Beast tamers with their huge spirit wolves padding silently behind them.
Excitedly, the disciples were whispering to each other, "Look!
"Look! Those are the disciples of the Divine Sword Pavilion!"
"And that group in dark-gold robes… that's the Iron Mountain Sect!"
"I count more than ten big sects already!
"This is too much… I have never seen so many young geniuses gathered together."
Above the streets, imperial guards in pitch-black armor silently patrolled. Each was armed with spears forged from Cold Star Iron, and their weakest soldier exuded True Spirit realm strength.
"Scary." A disciple murmured.
The farther in they walked into the Trade Fair District, the more exaggerated the sights became. Merchants shouting from floating platforms:
"Ancient Demonic Beast eggs! Hatched under Saint-level supervision!"
"Pure Yang Dragon Flame! Limited quantity!"
"Remnants of Saint King runes-only one chance!"
Disciples were pulled in every direction, some stopping to buy small treasures, some to test pills, and some haggling fiercely with the stall owners.
While Lin Chen was looking carefully around him under the system, threads of fate were drifting around some people like pale smoke. But still not enough.
It wasn't until almost half an hour of wandering through crowds of excited cultivators that true disciple Bai Ruoyan finally pointed towards the tallest structure in the Trade Fair District.
"Holy Son, there is the Stone Tower over there. That is the most famous spot in the fair. People go there at least once."
Lin Chen looked up.
A huge, black pagoda, nine storeys high, pierced the sky and was forged from some unknown metal that absorbed all the light. Ancient runes crawled up its sides like a living serpent. The deeper they walked, the stronger the atmosphere became.
Crowds surged toward the tower. Young geniuses argued fiercely. Merchants shouted prices that made ordinary mortals faint.
"Stone gambling, stone gambling! One cut may make you rich—one cut may make you bawl!"
"Ancient battlefield stones! Straight from the Fallen Immortal Ruins!"
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
These stones came from a primordial battlefield, where the upper-realm beings fought, their remains compressed into mysterious boulders by Time, dust, and shattered laws. Not even divine sense and soul sense could penetrate them.
That alone was enough to attract countless fortune-seekers.
The group stepped into the giant entrance of Stone Tower. The first floor was a gigantic hall well over one hundred meters tall.
The hall was immense, running several thousand meters in each direction, but it felt even more vast with the oppressive weight of millennia-old, antiquated laws hanging in the air. Dim lanterns fashioned from the bones of beasts hovered in midair, lighting rows and rows of stone platforms.
Every platform was occupied.
Some by merchants with luxurious robes. Some by unshaven rogue cultivators with eyes like starving wolves. Some by minor sect disciples trying to get lucky.
Here, status meant nothing.
You could set up a stall in the Stone Tower as long as you could afford the price.
A middle-aged rogue cultivator barked loudly:
"Thirty high grade spirit stones! Thirty only! This ancient bone came from a Divine Beast—look at the lines!"
"You liar! That's just a mutated boar rib!"
"Boar your ass!" he yelled back, with veins bursting on his forehead.
Dozens of young cultivators surrounded a stall nearby.
"Saint-level herb root! Really?!"
"Cut halfway during extraction… still priceless!
"Move aside! Let me see!"
Bai Ruoyan whispered to Lin Chen:
"Holy Son, do not judge the rogues here lightly. Most of them risked their lives venturing into forbidden zones. They may be crude in their ways, but the treasures they possess are indeed real.
"Hmm." Lin Chen walked with his hands behind his back, but his attention wasn't on the stalls. He was waiting for finding some targets.
__________________________________________________________
Somewhere on first floor of Stone tower,
Ten disciples in crimson robes embroidered with golden phoenix feathers also looking up to good treasures. Their presence instantly drew attention.
"Scarlet Phoenix Holy Land's disciples!"
"Move aside, don't provoke them!"
"They have both saints and saintness present today…"
The crowd parted instinctively. At the front walked a young man with black hair tied high, sword-straight posture and eyes filled with the confidence of someone blessed by Heaven itself.
He carried himself with smug ease, gaze sharp and proud, the faint aura of a True Dragon coiling behind his back showing him out of crowd.
He look at his side and said with smile," xuner, do you see any good thing you like."
Beside him walked a stunning girl in phoenix-red robes.
Her long crimson hair swayed like burning silk. Her eyes held the cold arrogance of someone born noble, raised noble and destined for greatness.
She is Su xuner, saintness of Crimson Phoenix Holy Land. Her beauty was like a divine flame breathtaking, but difficult to approach.
She stood close to Ye Chen, but there is not much affection in her eyes.
"There is not any good things on first floor, most of good things should ne on higher floors."
"That's right. These things only attracts those rogue cultivators that had not seen treasure. Let's go to second floor."
Ye chen smile gently but his eyes could not hide his lust in his eyes.
She noticed Ye Chen glancing at her with burning eyes far too often. Hmph. This man… always thinking improper thoughts…
Still, she did not voice her irritation.
Untill she see something- Then she raise her voice for few more points as said with her sweet voice.
"Brother Ye, It seems that those rogue cultivator you are talking about is also include some desolate palaces."
It seems like she is talking to him but her looking in one direction and loudly voice, instantly draw attraction of many passerby. This made people talking in himself.
"Who is saintness talking about? "
"Who can, see that group infront of them! "
"Holy cow! They are from Nine Nether Palace."
"This is good show. Who does know that Nine Nether Palace and Scarlet Phoenix Holy Land Has not good relation in recent years."
Until now, disciple of Nine Nether Palace also know that someone is insulting them by calling them rogue cultivator.