One day, rogue cultivators coming to Linyao Market discovered that many tree stumps had suddenly appeared nearby. Judging by the marks, these trees had recently been chopped down by someone.

Yet these trees were merely mundane objects without rank; what use was there in chopping them down besides making fire? Even for making fire, there was no need to fell entire trees when there were so many fallen branches lying about.

Although that rogue cultivator felt some doubt, this ultimately wasn't a major matter and was soon pushed to the back of his mind.

The one who had caused this desolate scene was none other than Gu Changhuan.

At this moment, Gu Changhuan was sitting behind his stall, holding a carving knife and meticulously sculpting a piece of wood.

Several ape-shaped wooden carvings of various shapes rested on the stall.

They were beginning to look almost... apelike.

Realism at last. He had moved beyond abstract art.

Finishing another carving, Gu Changhuan congratulated himself on using ordinary wood for practice. Ironwood would have made a serious dent in his savings.

Wielding his carving knife while tending to his stall over the past few days had yielded decent results.

Only the customers dampened his satisfaction. Their eager faces fell as soon as they saw their free carvings.

His work was clearly much better now! Anyone could tell it was an ape!

Gu Changhuan carefully examined his newly finished sculpture and decided he could finally attempt other shapes.

Just then, a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Condensation appeared before his stall.

He looked up at a burly man in purple robes. The face seemed familiar. Had he spent so long here that everyone was starting to look familiar?

Thinking this, Gu Changhuan smoothly delivered his welcoming spiel:

"Have a look, Fellow Daoist! Quality goods, fair prices! Spend fifty Spirit Stones or more and get a fine wood carving free. Don't pass up a bargain!"

The purple-robed man warily glanced around, confirming no one was paying attention to them, before moving his lips to transmit his voice: "I am not here to buy goods. I am here to conduct business with Fellow Daoist."

Gu Changhuan's mind stirred. Business? That sounded interesting.

He answered through voice transmission. "Do you have rare seeds or seedlings? Pill formulas? Wine recipes?

"But don't bother with common herbs or ordinary pill formulas. I don't buy just anything."

Gu Changhuan spoke deliberately.

A trace of smugness flashed across the purple-robed man's face.

"Is a Foundation Establishment Pill Formula considered an ordinary pill formula?"

The formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill! The Gu Clan still had no copy.

Gu Changhuan's expression tightened. He waved his sleeve, causing a Formation to rise and shroud both the stall and the purple-robed man.

"What are you doing? This is Linyao Market! There are Foundation Establishment cultivators here. Don't try anything!" The man looked alarmed.

He had observed the stall for several days, noticing that previous patrons had traded without incident, which was why he decided to approach. Furthermore, he had informed a friend of his whereabouts before coming. If anything befell him, Gu Changhuan would certainly face severe consequences!

Gu Changhuan glanced at him and smiled. "Fellow Daoist, do not be alarmed. It is merely a Sound-Isolation Formation."

Sound-isolation methods were common enough in the rogue cultivator square; after all, no one enjoyed having their transactions overheard. Given the immense importance of the Foundation Establishment Pill, standard voice transmission was simply too unreliable, leaving him little choice but to use a Formation.

The man coughed, embarrassed. "You still haven't answered me."

"If it is genuine, of course I want it. But let me see part of it first."

This was the standard rule among rogue cultivators: a portion of the goods had to be shown to verify authenticity.

It was also a test of the buyer's discernment, as rogue transactions lacked a guarantor. Purchasing a counterfeit meant swallowing the loss in silence.

The purple-robed man retrieved a slip of paper from his bosom and handed it over.

"This lists the spirit herbs required to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill along with one-third of the refining method. Have a look, Fellow Daoist!"

Gu Changhuan studied the names of the herbs and worked through the refining method in his mind. Finding no problems, he nodded and began considering how to buy the formula as cheaply as possible.

The man grew impatient as Gu Changhuan considered it. "Well? It's genuine, as you can see. Thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and it's yours."

With just two more sales of this formula, he would gather enough spirit stones to purchase an actual Foundation Establishment Pill! The mere thought made his heart race with anticipation.

"Thirty thousand spirit stones?" Gu Changhuan chuckled. The formula was indeed worth that much, but its value depended entirely on the seller.

"Never mind where you got it for now. For thirty thousand, would I be the only buyer?"

He stared intently into the man's eyes as he spoke. Sure enough, a flash of panic crossed the purple-robed man's face at the mention of the formula's origins.

"If so, swear it on your Dao Heart. Unless you have already sold it to someone else, of course. No need to trouble your Dao Heart with a false oath."

He was sure the man wanted to raise enough money to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill. That meant he would need to sell the recipe to more than one buyer—and gave Gu Changhuan a reason to bargain.

The man's face darkened at the demand for a Dao Heart oath. "Are you making a fool of me?"

Gu Changhuan smiled calmly.

"You know it's worth less if you sell it to several people.

"Ten thousand Spirit Stones, and I'll throw in a Meridian-Protecting Pill. How about it?"

The purple-robed man lowered his head in thought for a moment before replying, "Your bargaining is far too ruthless. Final price: fifteen thousand spirit stones. Do we have a deal or not?"

"Deal." Gu Changhuan smiled, delighted despite the sting of the price.

Fifteen thousand spirit stones! Excluding high-grade stones, this constituted nearly his entire personal reserve!

He rummaged through his Storage Bag, gathering fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones.

He accepted the formula and checked it carefully once more. Everything looked right. Wincing at the cost, he handed over the storage pouch.

At least he had saved the Meridian-Protecting Pill. And when he handed the formula over to the clan, they would reimburse him in full.

The purple-robed man accepted the storage bag and vanished swiftly into the bustling crowd.