Hum—

The flying boat launched smoothly, yet its velocity was terrifying.

Xu Changshou cast a glance toward the stern. A propulsion Formation, patterned like a Bagua diagram, was engraved upon the deck. The Formation plate bore a full eight Spirit Stone recesses.

Four of these recesses currently housed Spirit Stones. This indicated the vessel was not unleashing its full power; if all eight slots were filled, its speed would be unimaginable.

Naturally, under ordinary circumstances, no one would force a flying boat to travel at absolute maximum speed; the spiritual drain was far too severe.

Cultivators sat in scattered clusters, the various small factions chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

The atmosphere within Xu Changshou's party was noticeably different. Yang Jieyuan and Su Miaomiao practically radiated hostility toward one another.

Xu Changshou maintained a natural demeanor, carefully avoiding taking sides. More importantly, he thoroughly understood Li Linhao's roots.

Li Linhao, meanwhile, seemed entirely unbothered by the venom between Su Miaomiao and Yang Jieyuan. He cared just as little for Xu Changshou's neutral stance, treating the entire situation with sheer indifference.

This profound calm proved that Li Linhao possessed absolute confidence in his own strength, or perhaps held a terrifying trump card.

Whatever the truth, Li Linhao would be an absolute nightmare to cross. A descendant of a Golden Core almighty could never be weak.

Sweeping his gaze over Li Linhao, Xu Changshou smiled and asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, for what purpose do you travel to Wanxian Market?"

Li Linhao paused for a fraction of a second before smiling back: "It is nothing significant. This poor Daoist wishes to refit his flying boat. I heard rumors that the upcoming auction at Wanxian Market will feature an exquisite propulsion array disk, so I decided to peruse the wares."

A propulsion array disk?

Xu Changshou nodded slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.

Every flying boat required a core plate to govern its propulsion Formation, universally known as a propulsion array disk.

Such an artifact was far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

First and foremost, the price of a propulsion array disk was astronomical.

Even an average disk accounted for half the total value of a flying boat.

A high-tier propulsion array disk could cost more than the vessel itself.

Costing hundreds of Spirit Stones, it was naturally a luxury the common cultivator could never dream of touching.

Hearing Li Linhao intend to purchase a propulsion array disk, Su Miaomiao's eyes flickered with calculation. Anyone seeking to buy an array disk certainly owned a flying boat. Among all the Qi Condensation cultivators she knew, those possessing personal flying boats invariably hailed from terrifyingly wealthy lineages.

Li Linhao shifted his gaze to Xu Changshou, asking with a polite smile, "Fellow Daoist Wang, what business draws you to Wanxian Market?"

Xu Changshou replied with perfect calm, "I seek a specific material to forge a Pseudo-Artifact. The resources in Wanxian Market are far more complete, so I came to search. Naturally, I also plan to attend the auction."

He mentioned only the pursuit of a forging material, carefully omitting the exact name.

Li Linhao turned his attention to Su Miaomiao: "And you, Fellow Daoist Su?"

Su Miaomiao replied smoothly, "I journey primarily to liquidate my late Dao companion's remaining inheritance, hoping to exchange it for Cultivation Supplies."

"Mm."

Xu Changshou gave a subtle nod.

She had previously claimed her Dao companion was dead. Once a cultivator perished, their personal armaments and spiritual items naturally lost their master. It was entirely logical for a widow to sell off her deceased husband's estate.

"And Fellow Daoist Yang?" Su Miaomiao cast her gaze toward Yang Jieyuan.

"Hmph!"

Yang Jieyuan merely snorted coldly, refusing to utter a single word.

Li Linhao offered a placating smile to cover the slight: "Junior Brother Yang travels here in search of a specific spiritual herb."

Having roughly laid bare their intentions, the palpable tension amongst the group eased. They slowly began to converse and laugh, feeling slightly less like strangers.

Nevertheless, the venomous divide between Su Miaomiao and Yang Jieyuan remained entirely unbridged.

The voyage to Wanxian Market was vast. Having long prepared various spiritual meats and wines, the party suffered no threat of hunger during the flight.

Six days later.

The flying boat descended smoothly into an impossibly massive trading hub. Xu Changshou swept his gaze over Wanxian Market; calling it a mere market was an insult. It was a sprawling, formidable city.

Stepping off the vessel and passing through the gates, he found avenues broad enough to allow dozens of warhorses to gallop shoulder-to-shoulder.

Towering pavilions and multi-storied palaces flanked the thoroughfares.

Merchants peddling Pills, armaments, cultivation manuals, spiritual herbs, Dharma robes, Formation plates, and spirit talismans filled every corner.

Shop after shop stretched into the distance, arrayed in a dizzying yet immaculate order.

Hawkers and ground stalls were strictly forbidden on these main avenues. Rogue Cultivators wishing to set up stalls were relegated to a designated street.

What a terrifyingly vast market.

Xu Changshou was secretly astounded. It truly lived up to its title as the premier market under heaven, its scale easily dwarfing Pingyang Market by tenfold.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Su, the auction does not commence for another seven days. Shall we rendezvous at the gates of Wanxian Tower in seven days' time?"

Li Linhao asked with a warm smile, cupping his fists in salute.

"Excellent. Until karmic winds reunite us!" Xu Changshou returned the gesture with a smile.

Li Linhao turned and strode away with sweeping steps. Yang Jieyuan followed immediately, the two vanishing into the surging sea of cultivators in the blink of an eye.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, we shall meet in seven days."

Su Miaomiao offered a graceful salute, formally taking her leave of Xu Changshou.

Upon arriving at the market, the party naturally fractured to operate independently. Each harbored hidden agendas that could not be exposed to outsiders.

Xu Changshou was no exception; he possessed his own secretive tasks to execute.

"Fellow Daoist Su, until seven days from now."

"Farewell!"

Su Miaomiao gave a slight wave before gracefully melting into the dense crowd.

They had sworn to reunite in seven days precisely because they all intended to brave the auction.

During the auction, they would once again require the safety of a united front.

Attending an auction inherently meant acquiring valuable treasures. The instant a predator locked eyes on a newly purchased prize, the threat of murder and robbery became absolute.

Thus, clinging together for mutual defense was paramount. A lone cultivator clutching a heavy purse was nothing more than walking prey.

A consolidated faction deterred the vast majority of bloodshed.

Left entirely to his own devices, Xu Changshou began to wander the sprawling avenues, ostensibly aimless.

Whenever he crossed paths with a pavilion hawking forging materials or a massive comprehensive emporium, he would step inside to browse.

Tragically, despite scouring numerous establishments, he failed to locate a single Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn. It seemed Ye Shanhu had not deceived him; the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn was genuinely a rare treasure.

Suddenly, within a shadowy shop specializing in the acquisition of Magical Artifacts, he spotted a familiar silhouette.

It was Su Miaomiao.

At this moment, Su Miaomiao was withdrawing a massive, pitch-black spear from her Storage Bag.

Forged from extraordinary materials, the spear was a heavy-class Pseudo-Artifact—a weapon unmistakably wielded by a muscular male cultivator.

Xu Changshou's mind raced. Channeling his True Essence into the Thousand Faces Talisman, he instantly morphed into a red-faced, burly middle-aged man before slipping silently into the shop.

"Excellent, truly excellent!"

The shopkeeper, a fiercely shrewd elder, nodded in deep satisfaction as he appraised the spear: "This is a masterpiece Pseudo-Artifact forged by the Wanchui Sect. I will give you seventy Spirit Stones."

"Fellow Daoist, appraise this as well!"

Su Miaomiao offered a dazzling smile, extracting a golden mechanical wooden horse from her Storage Bag.

"The Golden Steed crafted by the Mo Clan of Fulong Ridge. Capable of traversing one thousand five hundred li in a single day. Splendid workmanship. Twenty Spirit Stones for this."

Worthy of the Fulong Ridge Mo Clan. To travel one thousand five hundred li a day... it leaves the Red-Scaled Horse in the dust.

Xu Changshou clicked his tongue in silent marvel.

"There is more!"

Su Miaomiao slapped her Storage Bag, unleashing a cascade of treasures onto the counter.

Out came a Pill Furnace, a flying sword, a scholar's fan, and a menacing ghost-head broadsword.

This...

Xu Changshou stared in sheer disbelief.

Every single one of these items was a high-value Pseudo-Artifact. More importantly, their elemental affinities and martial styles were completely contradictory. They could not possibly belong to a single cultivator.

Could Su Miaomiao's deceased husband truly have possessed so many distinct Pseudo-Artifacts?