Lin Changheng bought out the shop’s entire stock of Earth Fire Lizard Essence Blood and Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Essence Blood.

To capitalize on the upcoming grand Auction, the Liu Family had specially transferred a large quantity of Demon Beast Essence Blood, Materials, and Spirit Beast cubs from their shops in other Marketplaces.

They stocked up their store, hoping for a massive sell-out.

This included over two hundred and thirty portions of Earth Fire Lizard Essence Blood.

There were also just over a hundred portions of Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Essence Blood.

Additionally, there were large quantities of Mortal Filth Essence Blood from White Spirit Sparrows, Golden-crowned Pheasants, and many others.

Seeing the desperate hope in Shopkeeper Liu’s eyes, as if he wished Lin Changheng would buy out the entire lot, Lin Changheng nonetheless stuck to just the two types he wanted.

"As I said before, the blood of Mortal Filth is useless to my people. But if you have other types of Muddy Evil Essence Blood, I will purchase those as well."

"If your shop can procure Muddy Evil Essence Blood from other channels, I would find a slight price increase acceptable."

Lin Changheng reiterated his needs, attempting to motivate Shopkeeper Liu by offering a premium price in Spirit Stones.

His mention of a price increase wasn’t just a literal offer to pay more for goods from other channels; it was also a hint that selling to him would be more profitable than selling to other wealthy patrons.

"Take care, valued customer."

Shopkeeper Liu Fengxiu was lost in thought over Lin Changheng’s words. When he finally snapped out of it, he saw Lin Changheng was already at the door and hurried over to see him off.

...

As Lin Changheng weaved his way through the crowd, he suddenly heard a burst of flirtatious calls.

He looked up. Where a Spirit Wine Tower once stood, the building was now draped in red gauze that danced in the wind, creating a seductive atmosphere.

By the railings of the upper floors, a flock of beautifully and ostentatiously dressed women were beckoning to customers with sweet, delicate voices.

"That’s the new branch of Tingxiang Pavilion, just opened in the Ruins District. The ’Fairies’ inside are masters of music theory, especially skilled with wind instruments. They also have special Cultivation Techniques and Skills. It’s a fine place to... cultivate one’s temperament. A truly soul-stealing, bone-melting experience."

"What do you say, brother? Should we go have a contest? Pit our Skills against each other, see who measures up?"

Lin Changheng overheard their hushed discussion as they paused nearby, and the nature of the place finally dawned on him.

’So this is a brothel in the Cultivation Realm.’

"Fine, let’s go!"

"You think I’m scared of you?"

"What about our plan to set up a stall at the Black Market outside the district?"

"We’ll get to it later, later..."

The two, both competitive by nature and unwilling to back down, entered shoulder to shoulder, determined to see who would come out on top.

’Interesting.’

Watching their eager backs disappear behind the red gauze, Lin Changheng turned to leave, his mind already pondering the Black Market they had just mentioned.

He had been to a Black Market before, back when he was in the Purple River District.

It had been located on the edge of the Marketplace and was surprisingly orderly. A neighbor who was also at the Middle Stage Qi Cultivation had gone with him for protection, so nothing unexpected had occurred.

’Now that I’m at the Middle Stage myself, with numerous Treasure Seeds and a wide array of techniques, I can consider checking it out.’

’Besides, with the endless stream of people coming to the Ruins District, there’s a good chance some valuable items have found their way into the Black Market.’

’Especially Demon Beast Essence Blood. I wonder if I’ll be able to find any there.’

As for the specific location and time of the Black Market—

He went straight to a bustling teahouse, ordered a pot of tea, and listened in on the surrounding conversations for half an hour. By then, he had all the information he needed.

Noon tomorrow, in a valley five li outside the Ruins District!

’Five li is acceptable. With the Earth Escape Technique: Tongming, I can travel about a li with each use. That should be enough to evade most dangers.’

’Then I can activate my Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Flying Cloud Boots, and use a Middle Grade Wind-controlling Talisman to sprint the other four li back to the district. That will be foolproof.’

Lin Changheng was very cautious, and his planning was meticulous.

After determining the risks were manageable, he made his decision: he would go.

...

Lin Changheng was up at the crack of dawn the next day.

He felt refreshed and invigorated, in peak condition.

The previous night, he had finished the Spirit Stealing process on over two hundred portions of Earth Fire Lizard Essence Blood.

He had also nurtured a new Treasure Seed.

[Earth Fire Lizard Treasure Seed - Fourth Layer]

[Spirit Stealing: 18/100]

[Can be further refined with the Demon Race Lifebound Talent: Fire Extinguishing]

As the Treasure Seed was absorbed into his Divine Soul, Lin Changheng felt himself fall into a strange state of perception. It was as if he could, with a mere thought, block all heat—he could touch fire without pain, be engulfed in flames without harm.

It was a wondrous feeling.

[Obtained: Fire Extinguishing Technique - Ascension]

Lin Changheng was itching to test it out, but the space inside the Immortal Inn was too cramped. He couldn’t risk accidentally burning the entire building down, so he suppressed the urge.

He also performed Spirit Stealing on the Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Essence Blood he had purchased.

[Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Treasure Seed - First Layer]

[Spirit Stealing: 41/100]

He had intentionally left twenty portions in reserve.

Since the Earth Fire Lizard Treasure Seed was now at the Fourth Layer and would soon reach Spirit Stealing Perfection and undergo Metamorphosis, it was necessary to save a sufficient amount of high-level Essence Blood for it.

This would allow him to complete its Metamorphosis the very instant its Essence Blood requirement was met.

Even if the Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Treasure Seed were to approach the Second Layer of Spirit Stealing first, he could simply use the reserved blood for it instead without any issues.

...

Lin Changheng always made thorough preparations before heading out.

With a series of unsettling CRACKS and POPS, his body expertly stretched and contorted, growing taller and thinner while his facial features simultaneously twisted and shifted.

In just a few moments, a man with a completely different appearance stood in his place.

After examining his new reflection with satisfaction in a Copper Mirror, Lin Changheng applied a Human Skin Mask to his face, then donned a wide black robe and a bamboo hat.

This was the result of completing the First Layer of Spirit Stealing for his Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Treasure Seed: the Illusionary Appearance Shifting Technique: Peeping Path.

It allowed him to make initial changes to his build by contracting and expanding his skeleton, and to alter his appearance by shifting his muscles.

Not even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could see through this Disguise with their Divine Sense.

Because it was all real "flesh and blood."

On top of that, he added two more layers of protective Disguise to lull any enemies into a false sense of security.

See through the first layer of disguise? The second is also fake.

See through both layers? Then this must be the real him, right?

Wrong. The third layer is fake, too.

No matter which layer an observer penetrated, they would never see his true face. With this level of Disguise, Lin Changheng was finally satisfied.

...

At Noon, the sun hung high in the sky.

Pedestrians could be seen heading, from time to time, toward a valley outside the Ruins District.

Legend had it that a hundred years ago, this valley was a massive Demon Beast lair, a labyrinth of countless intersecting tunnels. It was said that hundreds, if not thousands, of Demon Beasts lurked within, and the air was thick with various types of poisonous fogs and miasmas, making it incredibly dangerous.

It had been a particularly tough nut to crack during the initial reclamation of the area.

The Cultivators tasked with the job were stumped; they knew the risks and dared not press forward at the cost of their lives. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

In the end, it drew the attention of a Core Formation Master from an Upper Sect. He unleashed a Magical Treasure, the Heaven-Overturning Seal. With a deafening RUMBLE, it smashed down, and as golden light descended, the entire mountain lair collapsed.

It became the valley it was today.

Not a single Demon Beast within escaped. All were flattened into meat paste and buried solidly amidst the Mountain Stone.

And so, the reclamation efforts were able to continue.

As Lin Changheng stepped onto the dark-red ground of the valley, he saw that everything was stained red—the ground beneath his feet and the cliff faces on both sides.