The youth finished reading the jade scroll and agreed to the trade.
Both parties got what they wanted and were very satisfied.
Fang Cheng had just gotten 700 Creation Points from the youth for free, so he was in an excellent mood.
After they finished their transaction, the youth asked, "Do you... have any other Spells?"
A thought struck Fang Cheng. He had just tried to peddle Secret Techniques for the Sensing Stage elsewhere, all to no avail. 'Why is this youth different?'
'That's it, his Cultivation is far below that of the other stall owners!'
'Just because those people looked down on it doesn't mean it's worthless.'
After some haggling, Fang Cheng used the remaining Secret Technique Jade Scrolls from the old Tribulation Cultivator to trade for the Soul Race youth's unknown Fierce Beast Leg Bone as well.
After the trade, the two began to chat.
According to the Soul Race youth, several decades ago, a patch of ghostly mist appeared near his tribe. After his people went in to explore, they discovered a separate space inside—a desert more than ten li in radius.
There, his people encountered members of the Soul Race from other tribes tens of thousands of li away!
Upon asking, they learned that the ghostly mist had also appeared where the others lived. It seemed the mist could connect to the Void, allowing people from different regions to gather in this small desert after entering it.
There were even some outsiders from other World Heavens, though their numbers were extremely small.
Furthermore, the ghostly mist had its own Celestial Dao Rules that forbade combat and killing. Seeing this, the Soul Race tribes from various lands extinguished their desire for conflict and began to barter and trade exclusively.
The Soul Race youth's tribe traded for many specialty goods from other regions, reselling them for five to ten times the profit, and thus became wealthy.
But the good times didn't last. The existence of the ghostly mist attracted the covetous eyes of other powerful experts. The Soul Race youth's tribe was attacked by another, and they eventually declined and perished.
The Soul Race youth was one of the few remaining scions of his tribe.
In recent years, the ghostly mist seemed to be shrinking. The great powers of the Soul Race all speculated that the Ghost Market would probably disappear completely in a few years.
As they talked, the hourglass beside Fang Cheng ran out.
A cloud of gray mist suddenly descended from the sky, enveloped Fang Cheng, and vanished before the Soul Race youth's eyes.
The next moment, Fang Cheng appeared outside the ghostly mist, in front of the floating Light Sect.
A powerful repulsive force washed over him, forcing him involuntarily through the Light Sect and back to the Yinluo Sect Marketplace!
Back in the Ghost Market, the Soul Race youth watched Fang Cheng leave, his gaze growing resolute.
The Secret Technique Fang Cheng had brought him had opened a new door on his path of cultivation.
'Perhaps... revenge isn't hopeless after all!'
...
Yinluo Sect Marketplace.
Spirit Wind Lane, Jia Shen No. 19 Courtyard.
Inside the room, Fang Cheng stepped out of the Light Sect. The spiritual light behind him dissipated, and the Light Sect vanished completely.
He stood in the room, looking at the familiar furnishings, feeling as if he were in a daze.
The hour he had just spent in the Void Ghost Marketplace felt utterly surreal!
He tried to continue visualizing the Stone Sect and channel his Magical Power to sketch out the portal, but this time, that profound and mysterious feeling was gone. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't outline the portal that could traverse the Void.
"Just as I thought. The next time will have to be ten years from now..."
Fang Cheng sighed.
'Wang Xingzhi, Wen Qianqian, and the others would never have guessed that the true treasure in the Dragon Elephant Wanderer's Earth Palace was actually that stone wall relief!'
'Then again, maybe Wen Qianqian knew...'
Fang Cheng guessed inwardly. But Wen Qianqian didn't have a Golden Finger. Even if she knew the Void Ghost Market Observation Method, she likely couldn't cultivate it for now.
He walked out of the room and stood in the small courtyard, looking up at the clear, blue sky above the Abyssal Marsh. He felt an urge to roar at the heavens to vent his emotions.
His greatest gain from this trip to the Void Ghost Marketplace was undoubtedly the Creation Points!
First, he got 1,700 Creation Points from the Soul Race stall owner who bought the wine recipe, and then another 700 from the Soul Race youth, for a total of 2,400 Creation Points!
He immersed his consciousness in his sea of knowledge. The characters on the Golden Talisman had already changed—
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
One Qi Technique·Minor Achievement (200/200)
Cyan Profound Swordsmanship·Great Success (0/1200)
Nameless Gu Technique·Minor Achievement (65/300)
Li Hen Demon Light·Beginner (1/2000)
Nine Heavens Cold Ice Technique·Beginner (1/2300)
Joyful Zen Skill·Beginner (1/1900)
Void Ghost Market Observation Method (200/200)
Creation Points: 2500
"I can't upgrade the Cyan Profound Sword Technique any further. My Magical Power is too low right now, so even the most brilliant Swordsmanship is useless... I could try the Li Hen Demon Light and the Nameless Gu Technique, though."
Considering how to improve his life-saving abilities, this was indeed a good choice.
And then there was the new Soul Race Body Refining Technique he had acquired, the Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique!
Fang Cheng activated the restrictive ward on the courtyard, cutting it off from all external energy sensing. He then calmly sat down at the stone table and took out his gains from the Ghost Market to examine them closely.
One strange Spirit Fruit.
One Tier Two Poisonous Python Corpse.
One unknown Fierce Beast Leg Bone.
One copy of the Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique.
The Poisonous Python Corpse could be used to cultivate Poison Gu and Vajra Gu. The Fierce Beast Leg Bone was of no use for now, so he could sell it... There were many Disciples in the Yinluo Sect who cultivated the White Bone Relic; this leg bone should fetch a good price in Spirit Stones.
Fang Cheng had previously asked the Soul Race youth about the strange Spirit Fruit. It was called a Cyan Spirit Fruit and had the miraculous effect of cleansing the marrow, strengthening one's vital energy, blood, and bones. It was an excellent medicinal treasure for Soul Race Cultivators to train their physical bodies!
With this fruit in hand, Fang Cheng prepared to focus all his efforts on cultivating the Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique.
He didn't lack for Attack Techniques, but he had a major weakness when it came to defense.
In comparison, cultivating the Li Hen Demon Light could be put off until later.
...
「In the Quiet Chamber.」
Fang Cheng sat cross-legged on the couch, a beast-skin scroll spread out before him. On it was the Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique.
Unfortunately, the latter half had been torn off, leaving only the first three scrolls.
Fortunately, at the very beginning of the beast-skin scroll, a great sun was drawn—this was the technique's Visualization Diagram!
To cultivate this technique, one had to visualize a blazing sun and draw down the celestial fire from beyond the Nine Heavens of the Void to temper their physique, blood, and vital energy. The goal was to achieve a body as tyrannical as a fierce beast's and even cultivate fire-based abilities akin to a fierce beast's Talent Divine Techniques.
Fang Cheng cultivated for a while, then looked inward at the Golden Talisman in his sea of knowledge.
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
...
Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique·Beginner (1/1000)
Creation Points: 2500
"Add points!"
The Golden Talisman trembled, and the characters changed—
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
...
Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique·Minor Achievement (1500/5000)
Creation Points: 0
A strange and incredibly profound perception flowed from the Golden Talisman, flooding into Fang Cheng's sea of knowledge and soul.
SCREECH!
The high-pitched, thunderous cry of a bird echoed through Fang Cheng's sea of knowledge.
At the same time, an insight from an unknown source surfaced in Fang Cheng's mind and resounded in his sea of knowledge!
Celestial Fire Body Forging!
Red Gold flames burned fiercely. A giant, as majestic as a mountain, stood within them, its body radiating a brilliant treasured light that illuminated the endless land.
The giant threw a punch toward the Void. Immediately, heavy, ancient, golden Flame Runes appeared on its body. An immense power erupted, and wherever the fist's light passed, space collapsed and all things were annihilated!
For an instant, Fang Cheng felt as if he had possessed the giant, gaining its boundless might, experiencing the circulation of Magical Power within its body, and receiving its insights and experience.
「In the Quiet Chamber.」
He sat in a meditative posture, his hands forming a seal. He naturally began to circulate the Celestial Fire Body Forging Technique. From the void, invisible, colorless motes of fire emerged, landed on Fang Cheng's body, and then disappeared.
A faint golden light appeared on the surface of his body, and a golden Rune shaped like a flame pattern materialized on his chest.