192: black market

It could fight, possessed intelligence, could withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, and could even grow stronger on its own.

Isn't this clearly the strongest pet?

Plus, it didn't need much feeding and provided all sorts of companionship.

It could even protect and ward off disasters?

Gu Changan felt wonderful inside!

He immediately used the Spirit Infusion Heart Sutra to awaken the intelligence of the lightning ball!

The entire lightning ball came to life, rushing out of his Dantian, darting left and right, having the time of its life.

Everywhere it passed, everything was scorched black.

Gu Changan hurriedly controlled it in his palm: "I'll call you Little Thunder!"

"Behave yourself. Look at what you've done to the Immortal Cave!"

The little lightning ball was still a bit defiant, crackling with electric arcs all over its body.

Yet Gu Changan felt no pain at all; he actually found it quite fun.

Finally, with a serious expression, he tucked it back into his Dantian.

It was placed alongside the various life-bound Magical Artifacts he had previously awakened.

Before he knew it, evening had arrived, and he figured the black market in Tianbao City must be open.

After tidying up his things, Gu Changan quickly left.

He headed straight for Tianbao City, and upon entering through the south gate, his eyes lit up.

During the day, Tianbao City didn't need any lighting at all, as the light reflected off the various buildings was dazzling enough.

But at night, it was a completely different scene.

On both sides of Tianbao Street, a row of ten-foot-high stone pillars had risen, each carved with Dragons and Phoenixes.

Most importantly, atop each stone pillar was a small cauldron, burning some unknown substance.

It illuminated the entire street exceptionally brightly.

Both sides of the street were packed with dense rows of small stalls, one right next to the other.

Judging by their figures, there were people of all heights and sizes, though most wore black Daoist robes.

Their faces had also been treated; some wore masks, others wore cloaks.

The street in the middle was crowded with all sorts of onlookers.

As soon as Gu Changan entered the city gate, he caught a scent. After observing the environment, he realized the fragrance was wafting from a nearby stall.

Stepping forward, he saw a small cart filled with several buckets.

The fragrance was indeed wafting from the buckets, and there were a few baskets of fruit on the table beside them.

However, he couldn't recognize what kind of fruit it was.

The stall owner was a slender figure, and as Gu Changan approached, a woman's voice drifted out.

"Fellow Daoist, care to take a look?"

"Freshly brewed Spirit Rice porridge, it smells divine!"

"The Spirit Rice is home-grown; every grain is large and plump, no need to worry about the quality!"

Gu Changan couldn't help but stop whenever he saw food, let alone Spirit Rice porridge.

He hadn't even heard of it before; he had always just swallowed Medicinal Pills directly. How could he have ever eaten immortal spirit food?

"Give me a bowl to try!"

The slender figure nimbly lifted the lid, scooped a bowl of Spirit Rice porridge into a small bowl made of folded lotus leaves, and handed it to Gu Changan.

"That will be 10 Spirit Stones!"

Gu Changan's eyebrows twitched; he didn't know if that was expensive or cheap.

But if it were daytime, or at the Gourmet Hall he had eaten at before, it would definitely cost more than this.

In that case, the night black market provided some work for these Loose Cultivators.

It allowed them to use such methods to make a living in Tianbao City.

After paying the Spirit Stones, Gu Changan began to drink it. It really felt as if he had returned to his previous life.

In his previous life, it was the same, a bowl of white porridge every morning—it was so comforting!

But the Spirit Rice porridge in front of him was even more comforting. Pure Spiritual Qi flowed down his esophagus and spread throughout his body.

His entire chest felt warm; not only was he nourished by the Spiritual Qi, but he was also enveloped in a sense of satisfaction.

The slender figure could also tell that Gu Changan was a foodie.

She hurriedly began to promote the fruit baskets beside her.

She picked up a palm-sized melon seed and handed it to Gu Changan.

"Want to try?"

"Wood Spirit Fruit, it's already roasted and can be eaten directly!"

Gu Changan was shocked to see a palm-sized melon seed. Was it mutated?

Or was it really a melon seed?

How could the same thing exist in two different worlds?

"Give me one to try!"

"How do I eat it?"

The slender figure was somewhat surprised!

This person hadn't eaten a Wood Spirit Fruit before?

She quickly peeled off the outer shell and handed it directly to Gu Changan.

"That will be 10 Spirit Stones!"

Gu Changan didn't haggle. The flesh inside was actually round and had a mealy texture.

It was just like eating roasted chestnuts.

Once in his stomach, a burst of pure Spiritual Qi began to be released.

The five elements ring in his Dantian vibrated slightly and absorbed the Spiritual Qi completely.

To satisfy his curiosity, Gu Changan bought one of every spirit fruit to try.

He still had the other person peel them for him.

There were only four types of spirit fruit in total, and most were nuts.

However, most of the spirit fruits were sweet, fragrant, and contained abundant Spiritual Qi.

Gu Changan sighed with emotion; he couldn't even move past the first stall.

Let alone all the stalls behind this one.

Before entering the night market, Gu Changan had changed his appearance and was wearing a cloak over his face.

So when he was eating earlier, he hadn't revealed his face.

But now that he thought about it, he felt a bit scared. Earlier, he had been completely driven by curiosity to eat the Spirit Rice porridge and spirit fruits.

What if these things had been tampered with?

He must not be so reckless next time!

He had just taken two steps when he suddenly stopped.

He had curiously tasted everything, but he didn't have any stock of them.

Any delicious food should definitely be duplicated with the treasure gathering basin!

That way he could eat it whenever he wanted in the future!

There would be no need to buy it at all.

Gu Changan felt that he still maintained an ordinary mindset toward things; he had completely forgotten about the treasure gathering basin.

It might also have been caused by his cautious mindset.

He turned back to that stall and had everything packed up again.

Only then did he leave with satisfaction. He hadn't walked two steps when a shocking wave of Spiritual Qi spread out.

Gu Changan bore the brunt of it and was enveloped by this Spiritual Qi.

His nose caught a faint, fresh fragrance mixed with the pungent smell of sulfur, and the scorching heat in the air.

Taking a breath, he felt his entire nasal cavity become extremely dry.

Gu Changan swept his Divine Sense across and saw a huge stall at the corner of the street, about ten times the size of the others.

It was packed with people standing densely; everyone was silent, staring at something in the middle.

Gu Changan swept his Divine Sense over and discovered a young white-robed Cultivator sitting next to a furnace in the center.

Beneath it, unknown stones were burning, and blue flames engulfed a one-foot-sized cauldron above.

The small cauldron rolled up and down in the blue flames.

The lid on top was rattling, looking as if it were under immense pressure.

The Spiritual Qi from just now had come from here; could it be that this was Alchemy?

Gu Changan also cautiously approached to observe Alchemy in the Cultivation World and see what difference it had from cooking.

He saw a space over ten feet wide in the very center, with four white-robed Cultivators standing at the four corners.

They had cordoned off a space about two zhang in size in the middle.

They were also maintaining order, preventing other Cultivators from getting close to the Alchemist in the center.