Chapter 23: The Ghost Market

Li Zhen had ascended to the second layer of Qi Refining. His mother, after years of cultivation, had also only reached the second layer of Qi Refining. This starkly illustrated the paramount importance of spiritual root talent in cultivation.

Activating his identity bracelet, Li Zhen’s retinal display revealed his updated information: his realm had indeed advanced to the second layer of Qi Refining, and his spiritual power now stood at 10.1.

The increase in spiritual power was merely one aspect of progressing to the second layer of Qi Refining. He could sense a newfound clarity in his mind, a testament to the enhancement of his spirit.

As for his physical body, it remained largely unchanged due to the influence of the dragon heart. It already far surpassed the strength expected of a cultivator at the second layer of Qi Refining.

In the first layer of Qi Refining, ten points of spiritual power marked the limit. Upon reaching the second layer, this threshold expanded to thirty points. This expansion allowed for greater reserves of spiritual power, enabling more potent spellcasting—a significant leap from the constraints faced in the first layer.

Even in his magic foundation classes at school, he was still immersed in theoretical knowledge, with no practical application yet introduced. The primary reason for this was the limited spiritual power among first-year students, insufficient for practicing spells.

Having concluded his cultivation session, Li Zhen found himself unable to drift off immediately. Instead, he retrieved the Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web and the Nine Heavens C045 Mid-Grade Flying Sword.

Now at the second layer of Qi Refining, he could wield the Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web—an inferior-tier magical item—with ease, a task that had proven arduous when he was merely in the first layer of Qi Refining.

The Nine Heavens C045 mid-grade flying sword remained enigmatic even when in use; he suspected it wouldn’t fully reveal its power until his Qi Refining practice reached the intermediate stages.

He then refined both magical artifacts once more. Until he obtained better ones, these two items would serve as his primary means of self-defense. It dawned on him that he still lacked a dedicated defensive artifact.

Eh?! Having finished everything, he was about to retire for the night when suddenly, voices from outside caught his attention.

Perhaps due to fusing with the dragon heart, his hearing had become extraordinarily keen.

Gently descending from his bed, he cracked open the door just enough to peek out.

His eyes fell upon Father Li conversing with Mother Li. He barely recognized Father Li, who wore a black hooded robe that draped over him like a second skin.

“You’re not the sprightly youth you once were,” Mother Li cautioned fretfully. “It’s been years since you’ve engaged in any combat. Be exceedingly careful and avoid conflicts at all costs!”

“It’s just a trip to the ghost market, still within the city limits. Nothing untoward should happen!” Father Li reassured her with a reassuring smile.

Li Zhen froze. Father Li is heading to the ghost market this late?

His knowledge of the ghost market came solely from Yu Nan’s tales. It was an illicit trading hub, a place where one tread lightly.

How could Father Li and Mother Li, honest spirit farmers, have any connection to such a place?

As he pondered this, Father Li had already left, and Mother Li sighed before retreating to her room.

Li Zhen turned and found a set of black clothes in the wardrobe, then opened the window and leaped out.

The smart housekeeper Mei Yun only alerted against external intrusions; Li Zhen secretly leaving at night was unprecedented. Neither Father nor Mother Li had configured Mei Yun for such scenarios, so although Mei Yun noticed Li Zhen’s departure, it didn’t inform Mother Li.

Li Zhen tailed behind his father. Instead of driving, Father Li took out a ‘Lightening Talisman’ and activated it.

A flash of light illuminated Father Li’s legs, which quickly vanished, dramatically increasing his speed. Each stride now covered about five meters.

This put Li Zhen in a tough spot. He also possessed a Lightening Talisman—a mid-grade one—but hesitated to use it for rushing, as even a mid-grade talisman seemed too valuable for such haste.

Moreover, he believed his own speed wasn’t inferior and should be able to keep up with his father.

Father Li chose routes that were quite secluded, with minimal foot traffic and no surveillance cameras.

Li Zhen mentally mapped the path while striving to maintain pace, all while ensuring not to let his father detect him.

Despite Father Li’s impressive strides covering five meters each, swiftly moving forward, Li Zhen managed to stay surprisingly close.

Li Zhen’s breathing remained steady. While he couldn’t match the five-meter stride of his father, covering three to four meters per step posed no issue. By intentionally quickening his pace, he managed to stay abreast of Father Li.

He soon realized his stamina was remarkably robust. The Lightening Talisman enhanced speed by reducing the user’s weight. In theory, at similar speeds, Li Zhen should have been expending more energy than his father.

Yet contrary to expectation, Li Zhen felt no strain. Instead, he found himself becoming increasingly invigorated as they ran.

Upon reaching a narrow alley near the northern city wall, Father Li concealed his face with a veil.

“Remember the rules,” a voice boomed from the shadows. “One hundred credit points for anonymous entry, and all transactions require a broker’s presence with a ten percent fee!”

Father Li wasn’t new to this; he activated his identity bracelet to pay the entrance fee.

Thirty seconds after Father Li’s departure, Li Zhen followed suit, paying one hundred credit points to enter the alley. Anonymous payments ensured his information would remain hidden.

As soon as he stepped into the alley, Li Zhen noticed his identity bracelet could no longer connect to external signals. This alley was either protected by an array or some technological means had blocked all transmissions.

Initially concerned, he quickly relaxed upon seeing numerous people in the alley, realizing these were simply the Ghost Market’s rules.

He first scanned the crowd, locating Father Li among them.

Dividing his attention, he kept an eye on Father Li while strolling through the ghost market.

Stalls lined both sides of the alley, each illuminated by dim lights that made it challenging to clearly see their wares.

Li Zhen, however, didn’t need his eyesight; he could accurately discern the quality of items on display using spiritual senses alone.

“Daoist friend,” a stall owner called out upon noticing Li Zhen standing still, “all my treasures here were brought back from the battlefields of the Yao Kingdom! Prices are very reasonable!”

Li Zhen took two quick steps away without approaching the stall.

Among the twenty or so items displayed, he sensed only three with any spiritual essence. One barely qualified as low-grade first-rank, comparable in quality to his own practice sword.

The other two genuine low-grade first-rank items seemed too few for such a large selection.

This was a cultivator’s ghost market, not a street fair for ordinary people.

On the other side, Father Li had squatted down at a stall, engaged in conversation with the vendor.

Before long, the vendor summoned another cultivator marked on the arm—a mediator likely overseeing transactions within the ghost market.

The mediators’ role was crucial for facilitating transactions; with the ghost market’s identity bracelets shielded from detection, credit point payments required a mediator to temporarily unblock signals.

Moreover, the most important task of these intermediaries was collecting transaction fees—every cultivator trading at the ghost market had to pay ten percent of their deal value to the organizers.

Father Li completed his purchase and prepared to leave.

“Attention! The Security Bureau will arrive in two minutes. All cultivators, please evacuate!” Suddenly, a voice boomed from the alley entrance.

This voice employed a secret art, ensuring every cultivator within the lane could hear it clearly.

Simultaneously, the ghost market cultivators opened the previously sealed entrances on one side of the alley. While one end bordered the city wall, the other led to multiple exits that had been blocked by formation arrays until now.

Panic surged through the crowd. Though the ghost market operated with a certain level of tacit acceptance, it remained illegal nonetheless.

While being apprehended by the Security Bureau wasn’t life-threatening, hefty fines in credit points were inevitable—a fate no one desired, given how hard-earned those credits usually were.

Li Zhen stared after Father Li, who had already slipped away through the newly opened entrance into another alley.

He hurriedly followed, noting that several other cultivators had chosen the same escape route before him.

As he was about to enter an alleyway, he sensed a large number of spiritual objects nearby. He cast a quick glance and saw a cultivator carrying a bundle of goods leaping over a wall into a courtyard.

Li Zhen paused for two breaths, mentally noting which courtyard the cultivator had entered.

Other people’s courtyards weren’t so easy to access. Every home had its own smart system; any unauthorized entry would immediately be detected and monitored, with footage automatically sent to the Security Bureau.

If one were truly caught trespassing on someone else’s property, they could expect the Security Bureau to issue a wanted notice.

So this cultivator who’d entered the courtyard was most likely a resident there. Moreover, given the number of spirit artifacts in his possession, Li Zhen suspected that this person might have ties to the ghost market—or perhaps even be from the ghost market himself.

Li Zhen slipped into the alleyway, keeping his eyes fixed on Father Li as he followed closely behind.

By now, his identity bracelet was functional again. He opened up the map—it seemed he no longer needed to worry about losing Father Li, since the direction he was heading was right back along their original route.

The sounds of the Security Bureau’s alarm echoed from the direction of the ghost market, accompanied by the clamor of many voices. It looked like quite a few cultivators would be apprehended by the authorities this time around.

Father Li was lucky—the spot where he stood was near a hidden exit, giving him the chance to leave ahead of the others.