26: start

Looking at the Nine Dragons Flying Boat suspended in the air, surrounded by spiritual light, and the entrance radiance clearly reserved for high-level Cultivators, Gao De felt a trace of regret in his heart, but he soon felt at ease.

His cultivation was insufficient, and some things could not be forced; he still had this much self-awareness.

Fortunately, the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce was thorough and did not completely ignore the needs of low-level Cultivators.

Just below the hundred-zhang flying boat, on the lake's surface, a massive and stable floating platform had been constructed out of thin air at some point, relying on some profound Formation.

On the platform, phantoms of pavilions and buildings emerged, dividing it into neat stall areas, effectively becoming a temporary but large-scale floating market.

Countless streaks of light from Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators landed excitedly in this market like bees returning to their hive.

Among them were many Yao Race members with Rank Two strength, capable of briefly changing their size or shrinking their true forms to appear in public.

This was the stage that belonged to someone at Gao De's level.

Gao De restrained his aura, maintaining the form of an ordinary one-foot-long black fish, and quietly blended into the current, approaching the floating market.

As soon as he entered the market area, the clamor rushed toward him, forming a sharp contrast with the solemnity and gravity of the auction above.

"Come and take a look! 'Seven-Heart Lotus' just gathered from the edge of Yunmeng Marsh, an auxiliary herb for refining foundation establishment pills, top-notch quality!"

"Ancestral Magical Artifact 'Green Edge Sword,' containing three wind-attribute runes, its speed doubles when controlled, only eight hundred Spirit Stones!"

"Buying all kinds of Yao Beast Materials—hides, bones, Essence Blood—fair prices, no cheating for young or old!"

"Fellow Daoist, please stay a moment. This poor Daoist sees that your forehead is dark; you may face a bloody disaster soon. This 'Golden Light Protection Talisman' is only fifty Spirit Stones..."

The cries of hawkers, the sounds of bargaining, boasting, and even arguments mixed together, filled with the mundane atmosphere of a marketplace.

The items on the stalls were a dazzling array, from common Low Grade Spiritual Plants, Ores, and Magical Artifacts to some strange-looking, broken objects of unknown origin; everything was there.

Cultivators moved through the crowd, their sharp gazes searching for the resources they needed.

Gao De, like a calm observer, slowly swam through the gaps in the bustling crowd.

He was in no hurry to trade, instead observing carefully first.

He discovered that although the market seemed chaotic, it actually had rules.

The stalls brought by the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce occupied the best positions.

Some Disciples clearly from large Sects had slightly inferior stall positions, but their goods were relatively refined, and their expressions carried a hint of superiority.

The stalls of Loose Cultivators were a mixed bag, where it was hard to distinguish the real from the fake, requiring even more discernment.

The Yao Race mostly gathered in another area, trading mainly in spiritual Materials, flesh essence, or the special Ores they required.

This was a treasure trove where information and resources converged, but it was also riddled with traps.

Gao De's goals were clear:

Sell part of his accumulation in exchange for Spirit Stones.

During his years of hunting, besides absorbing Essence Blood, he had also accumulated many unusable Yao Beast Materials, such as certain sturdy shells, special poison glands, and bones containing unique Spiritual Qi.

These things were useless to him, but here they could be exchanged for the hard currency—Spirit Stones.

With Spirit Stones, he might be able to indirectly obtain benefits through other means during the upcoming auction.

Gather information; any kind of intelligence regarding this world would do, regardless of whether it was ancient or modern.

Markets were places where all sorts of people gathered, and one could often hear unexpected news.

Finally, see if he could find a hidden gem. What if there was something inconspicuous that happened to be useful to him?

He swam to a stall specializing in buying Yao Beast Materials; the stall owner was a shrewd-looking Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a goatee.

Gao De used the Water Control Art to manipulate the current, lifting several shell fragments of an Iron-Armored Snapping Turtle that shimmered with faint spiritual light and several discharge bone spurs from a One-Horned Electric Eel out of the water.

The stall owner's eyes lit up as he took the Materials and inspected them carefully: "Oh? This snapping turtle shell has extraordinary hardness, and the electric eel's bone spurs have pure lightning power. The two Yao Beasts you hunted, Fellow Daoist, are of quite good quality!" He sized up Gao De and tentatively offered a price.

Gao De transmitted a dissatisfied thought through his Divine Sense.

After a silent round of "bargaining," they finally settled on a price slightly lower than the market rate but acceptable, exchanging the Materials for over five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Gao De knew the other party had definitely made a profit on the price difference, but he didn't care. He quickly completed the transaction and stored the Spirit Stones in his internal space.

Carrying his first "fortune" in life, Gao De continued to move through the market.

He deliberately wandered near the groups discussing the auction, expanding his Divine Sense perception to the maximum; they might have martial brothers or friends who followed their elders inside to gain experience.

"...I heard the first item, a Thousand-Year Blood Coral, was auctioned off at a high price by the Green Wave Sect. They really are wealthy!"

"Heh, the main event is still to come! It's said the finale includes a 'Crystal Condensation Pill' that can assist in Core Formation!"

"That's nothing! I heard there's also a damaged Ancient Treasure! It even caught the attention of several Golden Core Old Ancestors!"

"Did you notice that Flood Dragon? My god, it hasn't moved an inch since the beginning, nor has it made a single bid. What exactly is it here for?"

"Who knows... how can we speculate on the thoughts of such a being? But with it there, it feels like those fellows like Old Demon Bone-Shadow have behaved themselves quite a bit..."

"Look! A fight broke out over there! It seems like two Loose Cultivators are fighting over a piece of 'Void Gazer Stone'..."

Fragments of information flowed into Gao De's mind, giving him a general understanding of the situation above.

At the same time, he noticed that the market was not entirely peaceful.

To fight for resources, bickering and disputes occurred from time to time, and even small-scale battles occasionally broke out. However, they were quickly stopped and the participants expelled by Cultivators wearing Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce uniforms who were maintaining order at the market's edge.

Gao De became even more cautious, trying his best not to attract any attention.

Just as he swam past a remote stall displaying various underwater Materials, the 81% Dragon Fish Bloodline within his body suddenly sent an extremely faint, almost imperceptible throb!

This throb originated from an inconspicuous, mud-covered dark red stone in the corner of the stall. The stone was irregularly shaped and rough-surfaced, with no spiritual energy fluctuations, as if it were just an ordinary stone from the bottom of the lake.

Gao De's heart skipped a beat.

To be able to trigger a reaction from his Dragon Fish Bloodline, this thing was definitely not ordinary!

He suppressed his excitement and pretended to swim away nonchalantly, lingering nearby for a moment to confirm no one was paying attention to the stone before slowly swimming back to that stall.

The stall owner was a drowsy Rank Two Turtle Demon, who might even have some Bloodline connection to Demon King Fushui, but there was nothing decent on the stall.

Using his Divine Sense, Gao De transmitted a simple thought, pointing at several ordinary Water-Accumulating Grasses nearby: "Exchange, for this."

The old turtle opened its cloudy eyes, looked at the worthless Water-Accumulating Grasses, then at the "rotten stone" Gao De pointed at, and muttered: "A strange fish... fine, you can have it for ten Spirit Stones."

After the Spirit Stones were paid, he casually pushed the stone in front of Gao De, seemingly not caring at all.

Suppressing his wild joy, Gao De used the water current to wrap the dark red stone and quickly left.

He found a secluded corner and sensed it carefully.

That's right!

The closer he got, the more obvious the throb in his Bloodline became!

Although it was still faint, it was unmistakable!

Inside this stone, there must be a secret related to the Dragon Clan hidden!

"I didn't expect that in this low-level market, there would actually be an unexpected harvest!"

Gao De was excited. This might be his Opportunity!

He carefully put the stone away and was about to continue exploring when suddenly, the entire floating market, along with all the Cultivators and Yao Race in the airspace above, was drawn by a grand voice coming from the flying boat:

"Next item, ten tianji mirror (Sub-Mirrors)! This is a miraculous item jointly created by our Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce and the Western Shu Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Its functions are profound, allowing for instant communication and exchange of information within ten thousand li... Starting price, ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones each!"

The tianji mirror, a Magical Artifact comparable to the internet of his previous life, had finally made its appearance!

And Gao De knew that the climax of this auction might have only just begun.

He gripped the dark red stone in his possession and looked at the flying boat above once more.

Even if he couldn't enter, he would obtain as much profit and information as possible on the edge of this vortex.

On the path to dragon transformation, one must not let go of any possible Opportunity.