Chapter 30: Inventory Check

Li Zhen arrived at Going Beyond Swordplay for his lesson, which was to be instructed by Curator Zhang himself.

Instead of dispatching Li Zhen with a single strike as he could have done, Curator Zhang engaged him in combat.

If the fight were to be decided in just one or two moves, there would be little for Li Zhen to learn from their encounter.

“Li Zhen, focus on your practice,” Curator Zhang admonished sternly. “With your current state of mind, you’d be better off resting!” His sword sent Li Zhen reeling back.

During their sparring match, Li Zhen had allowed himself to become distracted. Though he tried to stay concentrated, even the slightest lapse did not escape Curator Zhang’s keen senses.

“I’m sorry, it was my mistake!” Li Zhen bowed his head apologetically.

After all he had experienced recently, it wasn’t surprising that he struggled to maintain full concentration.

Following Curator Zhang’s rebuke, Li Zhen marshaled all his mental faculties to face off against the master. This time, he avoided any further criticism.

While Li Zhen attended class at Going Beyond Swordplay, a thorough investigation into the ghost market incident was already underway.

All cultivators who had approached the ghost market recently were now under scrutiny, revealing the immense power wielded by the forces behind this shadowy bazaar.

Within hours, several suspicious individuals had been identified.

Naturally, Li Zhen was not among them; his twelve-year-old age served as the best possible cover.

Moreover, the investigators doubted that such thefts would occur during daylight hours. They surmised that the pilfering likely took place early yesterday morning, when darkness still clung to the world after the ghost market closed.

Moreover, the thefts weren’t committed by an individual cultivator but rather a group—an explanation for why multiple establishments were robbed simultaneously.

Another crucial point excluded lower-tier cultivators like Li Zhen from suspicion: The thieves must have possessed at least late-stage Qi Refinement strength.

Only a cultivator in the late stages of Qi Refinement could steal spirit artifacts from a safe without causing any damage.

A cultivator at this level can project their spiritual sense beyond their body without relying on magical artifacts. By combining technology with spiritual sense, they could effortlessly open a semi-mechanical device like a safe, leaving no trace behind.

Of course, the investigation revealed many peculiarities. Notably, there wasn’t a single clue left at the scene. Even the cultivators resting just meters away remained completely oblivious—something even a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator couldn’t achieve.

The inquiry into the ghost market also hit roadblocks. While some suspicious individuals had been identified, the influx of out-of-town cultivators made it impossible to rule out the involvement of powerful outsiders.

Upon returning home, Li Zhen maintained his routine: cultivating as usual, then having dinner, showing no signs of disturbance.

Once he was back in his bedroom, he immediately asked Mei Yun to turn on the TV, tuning in to that day’s news broadcast.

The news made no mention of the incident at the ghost market, as if it had never occurred.

Li Zhen was not surprised; this confirmed his suspicions.

The ghost market operated outside official recognition. If incidents there were reported to the Security Bureau or other government agencies, it would spell the end for such markets.

Li Zhen chose the ghost market precisely because, regardless of any losses incurred, it wouldn’t be considered unlawful.

He had no intention of breaking Xian Nation laws. Given his circumstances, he was certain he could achieve great success in the future. There was no need to create obstacles for himself down the line.

In truth, if he cared little for consequences, he could have secretly taken all spirit artifacts from the physical cultivation shops just like those at the ghost market.

However, he wouldn’t resort to such methods. Should he do so, he’d immediately face investigation by the Xian Nation’s Security Bureau.

Whether their inquiry yielded results or not, it would leave a record on file. Later, once his ability to collect spirit artifacts came to light, these cases would instantly be linked to him.

Considering the Xian Nation’s stance against crime, unless his power allowed him to disregard its laws entirely, past offenses would become significant troubles for him.

For an entire day, he refrained from checking his Dragon Heart Space, fearing any unusual behavior might draw attention. Instead, he decided to wait until nightfall when he’d be alone before taking stock of his gains.

The Dragon Heart Space had been filled with a vast array of items.

When collecting them, Li Zhen hadn’t bothered to discern what they were; he simply gathered anything that wasn’t a standalone spiritual object into his space.

After using the Dragon Heart Space for so long, he’d gained some experience in how it handled spiritual objects.

For instance, refined spirit artifacts couldn’t be directly stored unless he first touched them with his hand.

Li Zhen sorted all the spirit objects by category: materials, magical tools, talismans, pills, and miscellaneous items.

Among the materials, there were six sets of spirit components—four being low-grade first-rank, one mid-grade first-rank, and the last rather special—a high-grade first-rank lightning attribute spirit material.

Finding even one high-grade first-rank spirit material came as quite a surprise. Such items were rare in Yunxi County, primarily because only a limited number of cultivators reached the later stages of Qi Refining, keeping overall demand relatively low.

What he didn’t know was that due to the annual auction drawing numerous cultivators to Yunxi County, the forces behind the ghost market had expended considerable effort to bring in higher-quality resources from elsewhere. Their aim was simple: to capitalize on this opportunity and make a killing.

This high-grade first-rank lightning attribute spirit material was just one such item. Who could have guessed it would be stolen before it ever hit the shelves?

If a magical tool were crafted using first-class high-grade lightning attribute spirit material, the finished product would at least be a first-class high-grade magical tool. Coupled with its lightning attribute, such a tool’s power would undoubtedly be formidable.

Unfortunately, not only could he not afford to have someone craft a magical tool from this first-class high-grade lightning attribute spirit material, he didn’t even dare to submit it for identification on the cultivator network, lest he reveal any clues about its origin.

It wasn’t just these spirit materials; he couldn’t risk exposing any other spiritual items either. The threat of making an enemy of the ghost market was simply too great.

Among the magical tools, there were eleven in total—mass-produced second-hand items of inferior or mid-grade quality. Since these couldn’t be revealed, Li Zhen saw no point in examining them further.

The talismans were most numerous: fireball talismans, diamond talismans, ice arrow talismans, earth thorn talismans, entanglement talismans, and lightening talismans—all varying in quantity.

Seeing these talismans, Li Zhen wanted to store them in his talisman case for future use. However, he hesitated. These ghost market talismans might well have been drawn by local scribes, risking recognition if used elsewhere.

Currently, his strength was minimal, far too weak to contend with the ghost market forces. It was best to stay cautious and avoid losing sight of the bigger picture over small gains.

The number of medicinal pills was limited, falling short of Li Zhen’s expectations.

The medicinal pills included three mid-grade healing pills, six mid-grade spirit recovery pills, and one mid-grade hundred antidotes pill. Analyzing the variety and quantity of these pills, it seemed Li Zhen had obtained them for personal use as a cultivator, not as merchandise for sale.

It was clear he hadn’t found any cultivators selling medicinal pills at the ghost market this time, resulting in the smallest haul of such items.

Li Zhen let out a helpless sigh; acquiring medicinal pills was his top priority. With enough cultivation-enhancing pills, he could rapidly advance his realm.

Finally, he turned his attention to the miscellaneous category. This section contained numerous spiritual artifacts whose purposes he couldn’t discern. However, there was one item among them that he did recognize: a contract written on golden spirit paper.

Such contracts were used to bind pacts with monster beasts, transforming them into loyal companions known as spirit beasts—often considered the most faithful assistants a cultivator could have.

Of course, simply possessing such a contract didn’t guarantee one could forcibly bind any monster beast or claim ownership over it. If it were truly that simple, every human cultivator would already have their own spirit beast by now.

In truth, regardless of the method employed, contracting with a monster required a measure of luck. The highest chance of success lay in forming bonds with newborn monsters.

However, encountering such creatures was no easy feat. Every species protected their young fiercely. Once a monster survived its first few days, it ceased to be considered a newborn and became a juvenile instead. At that point, the difficulty of contracting with it multiplied many times over.

This meant that one must strike while the iron is hot—literally within the first few days after a monster’s birth.

Nevertheless, even if one managed to secure a contract, its value remained immense. In Yunxi County, there were no public channels for sale; perhaps an auction might occasionally feature one.

Li Zhen pondered briefly before instructing Dragonheart Space to devour all materials, magical artifacts, miscellaneous items, and everything except the contracts.

After all, these spiritual objects couldn’t be openly used anyway. It made more sense to enhance his innate spiritual roots with them.

This was precisely why he had risked so much danger to steal numerous items from the ghost market.

Dragonheart Space had never consumed this many spiritual objects at once. As each item transformed into shimmering light, its essence was absorbed by the space.