"Don't worry, this blood is useful to me. Fire Crows are hard to catch, so it's not something we can be picky about."
Lin Changheng glanced over the twenty-eight vials of Essence Blood. He saw that the blood ranged from thin to thick, marking the difference between juvenile and mature specimens, and nodded with a smile.
Su Shuangjiang let out a sigh of relief. She had bought all this Pan Mountain Turtle Essence Blood on a whim and had been worried that Lin Changheng might deem it useless and refuse to take it.
After all, acquiring such a large quantity of a new type of Essence Blood had been her own decision.
Fortunately, Brother Lin wasn't picky.
Afterward, Lin Changheng asked about the price of the Pan Mountain Turtle Essence Blood and was told it was one Spirit Stone per vial.
This was because Pan Mountain Turtles usually hid in mountains or beneath rocks. Although they were also Lower Grade Demon Beasts, they were much harder to find than Fire Crows.
Furthermore, hunting them required breaking through mountainsides and rock, which took more effort and specialized methods, hence the higher price.
Lin Changheng understood the reasoning.
Fire Crows, despite being wild, could ultimately be domesticated. This drove their price down, preventing it from getting too high.
But Pan Mountain Turtles were different. They couldn't be domesticated—or rather, humans had not yet figured out a way to do so—so their price was justifiably higher.
"That's acceptable."
Lin Changheng agreed.
Of the lot, there were nineteen vials of Essence Blood from mature Pan Mountain Turtles and nine from juveniles. The total cost came to twenty-two Spirit Stones. Including the Fire Crow Essence Blood, Lin Changheng owed a total of twenty-seven.
By this calculation, he would actually have to give her three Spirit Stones.
But he was happy to pay, more than willing, in fact!
For him, the more Demon Beast Essence Blood, the better!
The two chatted for a while longer before Lin Changheng suddenly asked if she knew where he could get his hands on some Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts that offered good value for the price.
He felt a lack of security and needed more ways to protect himself. Since the female cultivator traveled often, he thought she might know.
Su Shuangjiang thought for a moment. "If you're talking about the best value, that would have to be the Black Market."
But Lin Changheng shook his head with a smile. "Fairy Su, I know the Black Market is an option, but it's chaotic outside the Marketplace. I'm afraid it's too dangerous."
Upon hearing this, Su Shuangjiang gave him a surprised look. She studied Brother Lin for a few moments before covering her mouth with her hand and letting out a soft laugh. "Brother Lin... are you always this prudent?"
"Ahem." Lin Changheng heard the teasing in her tone but still nodded calmly. "Cultivation is like walking on thin ice. If one isn't prudent and careful, how can one ever hope to reach the other side?"
"You've taught me a valuable lesson."
Su Shuangjiang smiled charmingly, then her expression turned serious. "However, I did hear a rumor. It seems that in half a month, the Black Market will do something unprecedented—it's relocating. It'll be held in the shantytown just a hundred zhang outside the Marketplace. I was planning to go check it out myself."
'Huh? Is that even a Black Market anymore? The shantytown is theoretically still within the Marketplace's jurisdiction, under the protection of its patrols...'
'Is it becoming a "white market," an open one?'
Lin Changheng was also taken aback.
"The rumor is that the master of the Black Market is also the Master of the Market. With all the chaos outside the walls now, business has been greatly affected, which is supposedly why this is happening."
"I see. That makes sense."
'The Qingfeng Ridge Wang Family must be connected to the Black Market, or perhaps they opened it at someone's behest. Now that they're evacuating too, are they just dropping the pretense?'
"When the time comes and you have more concrete news, I'll have to trouble Fairy Su to let me know. It would be best if we could go together."
Lin Changheng said with a smile, secretly hoping to get the female cultivator to act as a free bodyguard.
"Very well." To Su Shuangjiang, this was a trivial matter, so why would she object?
As they settled the matter and he was seeing Su Shuangjiang out the door, a thought occurred to Lin Changheng. He decided to reveal the definitive news that the Purple River District was going to be abandoned, hoping she could make preparations sooner rather than later.
"I understand."
Su Shuangjiang's expression changed slightly. She had already suspected as much, but there was a significant gap between suspicion and confirmation. "Thank you for the warning, Brother Lin. I will plan accordingly."
As Lin Changheng watched the female cultivator hurry away, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly. 'If something were to happen to the Marketplace, Loose Cultivators would undoubtedly be the ones most deeply affected.'
'They would be losing the only safe harbor for their paper-thin boats.'
After seeing the female cultivator off, Lin Changheng hurried back to his room and set about absorbing the Fire Crow Essence Blood to perform Spirit Stealing.
A flash of light.
[Fire Crow Treasure Seed·Second Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 24/100]
'Not bad! I wonder what Lifebound Talents the Pan Mountain Turtle has, and what kind of Abnormal Technique it will bring me.'
Filled with anticipation, Lin Changheng plunged his hand into a small basin of Pan Mountain Turtle Essence Blood that glowed with an earthy-yellow light, his mind connecting with the Primordial Cauldron.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, the rich Essence Blood vanished, leaving only a shallow layer of clear water behind.
And in his sea of consciousness, at the Tripod Mouth of the Primordial Cauldron, a radiant glow surged once more as an illusory, earthy-yellow Treasure Seed slowly came into being.
[Pan Mountain Turtle Treasure Species - Spirit Stealing Metamorphosis]
[Spirit Stealing: 11/100]
[Utility: Mixed Grade Demon Beast Bloodline, innately possesses the Earth Attribute. Contains the Lifebound Talents: Earth Escape, Shield Opening, and Longevity. Upon Spirit Stealing Success, one may be chosen and Refined into the host.]
Lin Changheng's pupils contracted!
'Wait, what? What am I seeing?'
'Longevity! It's actually Longevity!'
His heart started to pound.
'There's the old saying, "Though the tortoise blessed with long life..."! A single tortoise can be passed down for three generations. People come and go, but the tortoise remains!'
'I never thought I would come across a method for Longevity this early on, and from a turtle, no less—a Demon Beast renowned for its long life!'
'They always talk about "attaining long life and eternal vision" or "becoming an immortal ancestor." One of the two ultimate goals of cultivation is already slightly within my grasp!'
Lin Changheng took several deep, deliberate breaths, forcing the frantic pounding in his chest to slow to a steady rhythm.
'Excitement clouds reason, and impulse leads to misjudgment!'
Still feeling it wasn't enough, Lin Changheng went straight to the courtyard and doused himself with cold water. The shock finally cleared his head completely, and he began to think again.
'I can put Longevity aside for now. I'm only in my early thirties and still have plenty of my Lifespan left. It seems a bit early to be so focused on extending it.'
'Especially with the frontier about to open up. There are dangerous undercurrents, and the entire region is turbulent and chaotic. It's extremely dangerous, so survival has to be my priority. After all, no matter how long your life is, you'll still die if someone kills you! Any extra Lifespan would be worthless, all for naught!'
'Earth Escape!'
'I'll get my hands on Earth Escape first to bolster my survival options. I can pursue Longevity later!'
'The foundation for everything else is staying alive!'
After this internal debate and straightening out his priorities, Lin Changheng had a plan.
The time he and Su Shuangjiang had agreed upon arrived quickly.
The two changed their clothes, disguised their appearances, and set out together.
Su Shuangjiang had confirmed the rumor was true and informed Lin Changheng, which was why they were now on their way.
At dusk, while the sky was still light, the pair arrived at the shantytown. They could vaguely make out numerous figures moving about inside—it was quite crowded.
They had to pay ten grains of Spiritual Sand each before they were allowed to enter.
Once inside, they found that everyone was moving with a sense of urgency. When bartering at the stalls, people either pointed silently or were extremely terse, determined not to reveal any personal information.
They were all afraid of their identities being exposed and attracting malicious attention.
Lin Changheng and Su Shuangjiang exchanged a knowing glance and, without a word, split up.
They had already agreed to finish their own business, return to this spot to wait for each other, and then head back together.