146: Chapter 146 To harvest leeks, you first need to find a good spot.

[Tang Xun did not visit those grand and opulent shops; instead, he led Zhang Ruowei through many twists and turns into an underground trading market known as the "Ghost Market."]

[The environment here was even more chaotic than yesterday's market; the light was dim, and the air was thick with a strange scent of blood mixed with medicinal herbs.]

[Most of the passing Cultivators wore cloaks to hide their faces and figures, and they spoke in hushed, raspy voices, full of vigilance.]

["Stay close. If you get killed here, they won't even find your corpse."]

[Tang Xun's voice rang in Zhang Ruowei's ear, causing her to instinctively grab the corner of his robe.]

[The items displayed on the stalls here were even more varied, and Zhang Ruowei could tell at a glance that some were ill-gotten loot.]

[A section of Yao Beast bone still streaked with blood, an ancient-looking Storage Ring, several tattered pages of Cultivation Techniques...]

[Tang Xun's footsteps stopped before an inconspicuous stall.]

[The stall owner was an old man as thin as a bamboo pole, with cloudy eyes and a half-dead appearance.]

[Only a few pieces of pitch-black Ore were laid out on his stall.]

["Boss, how much for this Profound Iron?"]

[Tang Xun casually picked up a piece, weighed it in his hand, and pretended to be an expert.]

[The old man lifted his eyelids slightly and said listlessly, "Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones a piece, no bargaining."]

[Zhang Ruowei clicked her tongue in the background. Fifty Spirit Stones for such a broken rock? The items in this Ghost Market were indeed terrifyingly overpriced.]

["Too expensive." Tang Xun shook his head, making a move to leave.]

["Buy it or don't." The old man didn't care at all and closed his eyes again.]

[Tang Xun turned back, a pained expression on his face.]

["Fine, fine. I just happen to need a material for refining a Flying Sword, so I'll consider myself cheated. I'll take this one."]

[He picked the most inconspicuous piece and tossed a Storage Pouch to the old man.]

[The old man took the Storage Pouch, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and then ignored Tang Xun.]

[Holding the "Profound Iron," Tang Xun pulled Zhang Ruowei and quickly left the Ghost Market.]

[It wasn't until they returned to the inn and closed the door that Zhang Ruowei couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, is that broken rock really worth fifty Spirit Stones?"]

[In her view, Tang Xun had lost big on this deal.]

[Tang Xun smiled without speaking, simply pressing his two fingers together as a wisp of crimson li fire sword Qi emerged from his fingertips.]

[He used the Sword Qi to lightly scrape the surface of the black Ore.]

[A layer of stone skin fell off, revealing a core as brilliant as the stars.]

[It was a deep black, yet dotted with countless silver-white points of light, as if a small patch of the starry sky had been condensed within it.]

[A surge of extremely pure metal-elemental Qi instantly filled the entire room.]

["This... what is this?"]

[Zhang Ruowei was stunned by the magnificent sight.]

["star iron," Tang Xun said calmly. "One of the main Materials for refining High Grade Magic Treasures or even Spirit Treasures. A small piece like this would sell for at least five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones at a major auction house."]

[Five thousand... Low-Grade Spirit Stones?]

[Zhang Ruowei felt like her brain couldn't keep up.]

[Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones had turned into five thousand in the blink of an eye—a hundredfold difference.]

[She finally understood what Tang Xun meant by "harvesting leeks."]

[This wasn't just harvesting leeks; this was pulling them out by the roots and scraping off a layer of soil!]

["That... that old man, did he not know this was star iron?" Zhang Ruowei asked stutteringly.]

["Of course he didn't." Tang Xun toyed with the star iron in his hand, feeling quite good. "This thing is wrapped in a layer of 'Chaos Stone Skin' that blocks Divine Sense. Only specific methods or pure fire-attribute Sword Qi like mine can reveal its true face. That old man likely inherited it by chance, thinking it was just a harder piece of Profound Iron. It passed through several generations, and today it's my gain."]

[This was the dimensional strike brought about by an information gap.]

[In the vast world of the Central Continent, treasures were everywhere, but so were fools who didn't recognize them.]

[As long as one's eyes were sharp enough and means high enough, Spirit Stones were like weeds by the roadside, ready to be harvested at will.]

[The way Zhang Ruowei looked at Tang Xun had completely turned into worship.]

[This method of earning wealth she couldn't imagine in a lifetime while chatting and laughing was even more shocking to her than slaying a Yao King with a single sword strike.]

["Young Master, what do we do next..."]

["No rush." Tang Xun put the star iron away. "To harvest leeks, one must first find fertile ground. A place like Mud City is a mixed bag where the water is too deep. Picking up a bargain occasionally is fine, but staying too long makes it easy to be targeted by the big fish."]

[He was as clear-headed as a mirror.]

[On the surface, he was currently at the Late Core Formation Stage, but in a place like the Central Continent, that really wasn't top-tier combat power.]

[In the Eight Great Sects, who knows how many Nascent Soul Old Monsters there are. If he were targeted by some old fellow, his meager assets wouldn't be enough to protect him.]

[Therefore, he needed a stable, safe, and large rear base where he could develop as he pleased.]

[A base where he could peacefully "farm" and slowly accumulate strength.]

[He definitely couldn't go to a major Sect. There were too many rules and regulations; he'd have to act like a subordinate, which didn't suit his personality.]

[As for those second-rate Sects and clans, their internal relationships were intricately intertwined; it would be harder than reaching the heavens for an outsider like him to intervene.]

[After much thought, the best choice was to find a third-rate small School that had already fallen from grace and was on the brink of collapse, yet still possessed some heritage.]

[Such a School was like a ripe peach—strong on the outside but hollow within, easily pierced with a light poke.]

[As long as he displayed enough strength, he could easily take over the nest, turning the entire School's resources and Legacy into his own.]

[Furthermore, with the title of a Sect Elder, he would have a legitimate identity while traveling the Central Continent, saving him a lot of trouble.]

[This was the "torn net" he had spoken of.]

["For the next few days, we will stay in the inn and go nowhere."]

[Tang Xun instructed Zhang Ruowei.]

["Cultivate well and raise your cultivation level as quickly as possible. I will handle the other matters."]

[After saying that, he sat cross-legged again, his mind sinking into his Sea of Consciousness.]

[He was waiting.]

[Waiting for the right moment, and also for an annual opportunity.]

[According to his calculations, today was exactly his one hundred and fifteenth year.]

[The annual "trait" extraction had arrived again.]