Chapter 206: Baili Grand Bazaar · Vital Energy Core False Core

Chapter 206: Baili Grand Bazaar · Vital Energy Core False Core

Lu Zicong willingly stepped back, and Gao Chang Geng, though not relenting aggressively, exchanged a few polite words before turning away with his junior sect sister.

Xiao Chen couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. Why didn’t they fight?

Earlier, Shouyuan Zhenren had mentioned that spells and spiritual artifacts in the Eastern Territory were particularly formidable. Xiao Chen had been eager to witness a spectacular duel. Since arriving here, he’d yet to see a Golden Core cultivator’s battle firsthand, making it hard to gauge his own combat strength.

Lu Zicong’s failure at the critical moment was frustrating—how could he endure mockery on his own turf without retaliating?

Though Pill Forging Masters were generally weak in combat, their connections were formidable. Yet Xiao Chen noted that the man, despite his displeasure, seemed uninterested in rallying allies for revenge.

What a shame.

A new Pill Forging Master ascended the stage to showcase their craft, but the crowd thinned rapidly. Some had already seen better performances, while others, frustrated, left outright.

Considering the time, the afternoon market should have opened. Xiao Chen joined the flow of people heading east.

To celebrate the Sea Spirit Festival, a grand street had been built decades ago—36 zhang wide (about 120 meters) and stretching as far as the eye could see. The entire street spanned 100 li (50 kilometers), with 20 li (10 kilometers) of shops inside the city walls and 80 li (40 kilometers) of open-air stalls outside, collectively known as the Baili Grand Bazaar.

Besides the Sea Spirit Festival, the bazaar was also used during major events like the opening of the Baicao Forbidden Realm, making it a renowned landmark of Hundred Grasses Island.

As he walked, Xiao Chen overheard snippets of conversation:

“Do you think solitary cultivators will fight over stall spots this year?”

“Obviously! For the past three years, clashes over prime locations near the gates have been brutal.”

“But this year, the city lord’s adding patrol teams.”

…

Most vendors outside the city were Foundation Building cultivators—rarely Golden Core. Xiao Chen had little interest in that section and focused on the city’s shops first.

Yet the moment he entered the first store, startled gasps filled the air, nearly all exclaiming the same thing: “Too expensive!”

He glanced at a mid-grade magic artifact, a Flying Sword, priced at a staggering 1,600 spirit stones.

Hmph! What kind of price was that? Adding just 400 more stones could buy a slightly flawed high-grade Flying Sword.

Most cultivators, after all, struggled to afford even Foundation Building Pills—let alone splurge on weapons.

Of course, the sword wasn’t without merit. It had spirit stone slots to conserve mana, and its power nearly matched a superior-grade artifact. For wealthy cultivators, wielding it could let them dominate peers in battle.

Its primary purpose was to be worn as an accessory, flaunting one’s status and Background Influence.

Luxury item, Xiao Chen mused, his gaze lingering.

This alone confirmed the Eastern Territory’s reputation—truly superior to the Southern Domain by leaps and bounds.

That said, the sword itself wasn’t extraordinary to him. But the very existence of such luxury items spoke volumes.

In the Southern Domain, where cultivators split every spirit stone into halves, cost-effectiveness reigned supreme. Luxury items had no market, save for rare Golden Core Zhenren commissioning artifacts as decorative status symbols.

Here, though, such items were openly sold in shops.

Earlier, in Xi Lai Country’s Ten Thousand Immortal Pavilion, Xiao Chen had doubted the Eastern Territory’s famed prosperity. Now he understood—the Wanxian Alliance catered to solitary cultivators, making its stores seem ordinary.

But here, in the true land of opulence, he finally grasped the meaning of excessive extravagance.

A high-grade magic shield, merely prettier in design, demanded an extra 500 spirit stones. A Magic Robe embroidered with a first-stage Bright Light Art pearl dared to charge 1,000 stones more.

Hastening to the second floor, he found a jade belt engraved with cloud patterns and peach-shaped lingzhi motifs, priced at 100,000 spirit stones.

The plaque below noted it was a Third Stage Spirit Ornament, listing sixteen rare Third Stage materials used in its crafting, forged by multiple Forging Masters.

Yet Xiao Chen’s sharp eyes saw its primary purpose: aesthetic appeal.

It bore minor spells—Fire Resistance Art, Cold Avoidance Art, Soul Calming Art, Dust Removal Art, and eight more. Seven inherent traits included “Permanently Unbroken,” “Smooth as Fat,” and “Lustrous as a Mirror.”

To Xiao Chen, the only truly useful trait was its indestructibility, perhaps usable as a flexible whip. The rest? Flashy but shallow.

In the Southern Domain, pricing it at 10,000 stones would be highway robbery.

Thankfully, not everything was absurd. The store likely displayed such sensational items prominently to draw attention. The rest were far more reasonable.

Take the Youth Preserving Pill, claimed to grant eternal youth with one dose—20,000 spirit stones.

Or the Eastern Territory’s specialty: a portable formation disk embedded with the Third Stage defense formation, the Nine Aperture Linked Formation—240,000 stones.

Even the mystic light Cloud-Plated spirit shield, requiring sixty true mana to wield and bearing the Spirit Ascension Form, was priced at 320,000 stones.

Still expensive, but far more practical.

Xiao Chen set his sights on the formation disk. As a solitary cultivator, he had no sectmates to guard him while resting or cultivating.

Though he had Night’s Blade as an ace, he couldn’t rely on it entirely. A defensive formation at his resting place would significantly boost his safety.

He visited several more shops, marveling at Spirit Ornaments, spirit beasts, and spirit wines.

“Ah, White Jade Xiao Qinglong!”

In a renowned old distillery, he found the Wanxian Archipelago specialty, famed for aiding true mana refinement.

It wasn’t expensive—300 stones for a small gourd, 2,000 for a large jar. He bought eight jars without hesitation. With the Han Hai Ring’s vast storage space, carrying them posed no issue.

By the time he finished these, he might finally brush against the Golden Core Middle Stage.

Come to think of it, he should start preparing for his minor cultivation bottleneck now.

If one didn’t want to get stuck at the Golden Core Initial Stage like countless other cultivators for decades on end, they needed to start gathering Spirit Herbs that aided cultivation early.

The cultivation process at the Golden Core Stage had one major difference compared to the Foundation Building Stage.

There were no longer nine minor cultivation stages—only the Initial, Middle, Late, and Perfect Completion stages.

Well, not entirely.

According to the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, once cultivators reached the Golden Core realm, only heaven-grade cultivation manuals and some earth-tier ones still retained the nine minor cultivation stage divisions.

All mystic rank and yellow rank cultivation manuals had been streamlined into just four stages.

The advantage was obvious—cultivators no longer needed to painstakingly breakthrough each minor stage. By following their cultivation manual methodically, they could directly advance their current stage to Perfect Completion.

But there was a drawback. Without the layer-by-layer breakdown, the difficulty of breakthroughs accumulated onto the subsequent minor cultivation bottlenecks.

While this didn’t make breakthroughs impossible—cultivators could still grind through them with time—many practitioners still found themselves stalled for decades, even centuries, at these minor bottlenecks.

Some even encountered accidents midway, getting permanently stuck without making an inch of progress.

Xiao Chen, regarding his so-called "unmatched talent" and "world-shaking cultivation aptitude", didn’t place much hope in them.

He knew full well that if he wanted to breakthrough quickly, he’d better prepare in advance.

Hopefully, this trip to the Baicao Forbidden Realm would bring him decent luck.

Besides the Purple-Gold Bodhi, he also hoped to find a suitable Third Stage Wood-Type Spirit Herb.

Moreover, the Eastern Territory had many forbidden realms.

Besides the upcoming Baicao Forbidden Realm, there were countless other promising locations.

In the future, he shouldn’t confine himself to secluded cultivation—he needed to venture out more.

Making contact with fellow cultivators and actively seeking opportunities was the way to go.

"Ah, what’s that?"

Just as he was thinking about cultivation, Xiao Chen caught sight of a six-foot-tall stone stele from the corner of his eye.

As he approached for a closer look, he realized this artifact had quite the pedigree.

It was a Sword Stele left behind four thousand years ago by the famous Silver-Faced True Sovereign of the Divine Soul Sword Pavilion.

The several imprints on it were personally carved by the sovereign, each containing a fragment of Sword Intent.

If a sword cultivator could comprehend this Sword Intent, it would greatly benefit their cultivation.

Though the True Sovereign’s artifacts imbued with Sword Intent weren’t particularly rare, they weren’t exactly common either.

Precisely because of this, the price listed beneath the Sword Stele wasn’t exorbitant—only forty thousand spirit stones.

"What a coincidence!"

Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up immediately. This was a treasure!

He had already successfully awakened the Spiritual Mechanism for his Wind-Thunder Pair Swords, but due to time constraints and a lack of suitable Spirit Herbs, he hadn’t completed the sacrificial refinement process.

Now that he’d encountered this Sword Stele, he couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity.

Soon, he’d likely have two additional spiritual artifacts at his disposal.

Speaking of awakening Spiritual Mechanisms, Xiao Chen suddenly thought of his false core.

After breaking through to the Golden Core, the mana within his dantian had completely transformed into true mana.

The problem was that the mana stored within his original false core hadn’t changed—it had instantly become nearly useless.

The false core’s original purpose was to provide a cultivation path for Foundation Building cultivators who had no hope of forming a Golden Core, giving them an alternative direction for advancement.

The reason why so few southern domain cultivators possessed false cores wasn’t just due to the high cost.

Many cultivators with heavenly spirit roots—those with exceptional potential—wouldn’t waste time forming a false core. They’d directly aim for the Golden Core.

"Almost forgot the main matter."

Since he had already formed a false core, Xiao Chen naturally wasn’t willing to let it go to waste. "Since today is the grand market, I should look around and see if there’s any solution."

While he hadn’t heard of any methods to resolve this issue in the southern domain, the Eastern Territory was more developed—perhaps there was a solution here.

With this thought, he quickened his pace.

Though he still glanced at the dazzling array of items at the fair to broaden his horizons, he no longer lingered to examine them in detail.

However, after visiting dozens of shops in succession, he still couldn’t find any secret techniques related to false core advancement.

Even in the Eastern Territory, few people studied how to elevate a false core.

During his search, Xiao Chen also made an unexpected discovery—he hardly saw any Spirit Herbs related to cultivation.

Spiritual materials like Crimson Flame Marrow and Lingji Zhuque Bi were visibly scarce.

It wasn’t just the top-tier spiritual materials that were rare—even common Third Stage spiritual materials were hard to find.

As for Third Stage Spirit Herbs, he hadn’t seen a single one. Even the Second Stage ones were scarce, mostly consisting of unusual varieties with specialized effects.

"Fellow cultivator, may I ask why I haven’t seen any Spirit Herbs in your shop?"

Curious, Xiao Chen approached an attendant to inquire. "If I wanted to buy Third Stage Spirit Herbs, where should I go?"

The attendant looked at him curiously. "Is the honored guest a Pill Forging Master?"

"If you wish to purchase Spirit Herbs for pill refinement, you can go to the Hundred Grasses Hall across from the city lord’s mansion."

"If you only need pills, we carry common varieties here. For rare ones, we also offer custom-made options—you can discuss the details directly with our shop’s Pill Forging Master."

"Thank you, but no need."

Xiao Chen waved politely and left.

Right, this was Hundred Grasses City—of course, they’d refine all the Spirit Herbs into pills.

How could he, a Pill Forging Master himself, not realize this sooner? He really hadn’t paid enough attention to this craft lately.

Actually, it wasn’t that he neglected it—it was just that he hadn’t had the time.

Once he had free time, he’d definitely need to study formation arrays and alchemy more thoroughly.

After finishing his survey of the city’s shops without finding any solution for his false core, Xiao Chen realized his chances were slim.

"Since I’ve come this far, I might as well try my luck outside the city."

Standing beneath the eastern city gate, Xiao Chen decided to do his best before leaving the rest to fate.

Beyond the city walls, the luxurious shops disappeared, replaced by one open-air stall after another.

Loud cries of hawkers filled the air.

"Come one, come all! Fire-Refined Yellow Sand from the Huangsha Forbidden Realm—cheap sale!"

"Fellow cultivators, look this way! These are premium pills refined by inner sect disciples of Hundred Grasses City—excellent quality, fair prices, no cheating young or old!"

"Stone-Milk Dragon Saliva Fragrance—only one hundred spirit stones per piece! Rare opportunity, don’t miss out!"

Though he still couldn’t find any Spirit Herbs, the variety of spiritual materials outside the city was noticeably greater.

Moreover, the prices were mostly in the range of dozens to hundreds of spirit stones.

Earlier, Xiao Chen had spent over an hour wandering the city’s shops, where prices often reached thousands or even tens of thousands.

Now, seeing items priced at just hundreds of spirit stones, he actually felt they were quite cheap.

He shook his head vigorously, dispelling these strange thoughts.

Then, he resumed his focused search for secret techniques.

"Ah, I should’ve learned forging back then."

As he continued walking, Xiao Chen saw countless varieties of spiritual materials—but still no secret techniques.

Perhaps to create their own unique appeal and attract more customers, many stalls began focusing on spiritual materials.

Spiritual artifacts were too expensive, spirit pills required connections, and spirit herbs were difficult to preserve.

Spiritual materials, however, were cheap, easy to obtain, and required no special storage conditions.

After all, metals like gold, silver, copper, and iron, or gems like jade and emeralds wouldn’t decay even after centuries.

Moreover, spiritual materials were far cheaper here than in the Southern Domain. This even led to speculation that the Eastern Territory must have a large number of artifact forging masters, since cultivation costs were significantly lower.

“No secret techniques left. Looks like there’s really no hope,” muttered Xiao Chen as he reached the end of the Baili Grand Bazaar. Scanning the area, he found no stalls selling secret techniques or Jade Slips nearby.

It seemed the matter of advancing from a False Core would have to be postponed.

Still, since he’d come all this way, he decided to check out the remaining open-air stalls to clear his mind.

As he approached the last stall, however, a familiar figure hurried over.

Before even standing steady, the man pulled a large red cloth from his bosom and swish—spread it across the ground.

Quickly and efficiently, he placed four stones to pin down the corners, setting up a new stall.

His movements were practiced and efficient, clearly not his first time doing this.

What’s more, he looked vaguely familiar. A closer look confirmed it—Ling Tianyi, the sword disciple who’d previously accompanied Mo Jiao to earn spirit stones.

“What’s he doing here?” Xiao Chen’s curiosity piqued as he walked over to see what the other was selling.

“Hey there, fellow cultivator! Looking for something special?” Ling Tianyi grinned while pulling items from his Storage Ring. “The stall just opened—you’re my first customer! Whatever you buy, I’ll give you a ten percent discount.”

Xiao Chen glanced at the wares—mostly various spiritual materials. There were a couple of fresh items, but nothing he needed.

“No thanks. I’m just browsing,” he said, shaking his head.

He’d thought Ling might be selling something unique, but now it seemed he’d overestimated.

“Don’t be like that!” Ling Tianyi refused to let a customer slip away. “Fellow cultivator, since you’ve come to the market, you must be looking for something. Why not tell me? Who knows—I might just have it!”

He’d already sized Xiao Chen up with a quick glance. Though the man looked like an ordinary middle-aged cultivator, the Han Hai Ring on his finger hinted at vast wealth. People like this rarely left the city for no reason.

Xiao Chen’s heart stirred. If anyone else said this, he’d dismiss it outright. But Ling Tianyi was the current sword disciple of the Dangmo Sword Pavilion, as Gao Chang Geng had mentioned. He’d likely been exposed to the Pavilion’s Scripture Pavilion and had broad knowledge. Perhaps he truly did have a solution.

Sighing lightly, Xiao Chen said, “A friend of mine formed a False Core years ago. After breaking through to the Golden Core, the False Core became useless, but he couldn’t bear to discard it. Do you have any suggestions?”

Ling Tianyi immediately grinned. “Ah! What a coincidence—I do have a solution!”

“This method not only lets you utilize the False Core effectively but also has an additional profound benefit. See? This is fate!”

“Wait—really?” Xiao Chen pressed. “What’s the method? And how many spirit stones does it cost?”

He’d heard the Dangmo Sword Pavilion’s legacy was vast, even if diminished—countless secret techniques remained within their sect.

“This technique isn’t expensive by itself—only fifty thousand spirit stones. But…” Ling Tianyi paused, then shifted tone. “Fellow cultivator, this technique involves some of my sect’s inner secrets. Normally, it’s not easy to pass it on.”

The meaning was clear—three words: price goes up!

Xiao Chen felt a twitch of annoyance. “Let’s skip the act. How much?”

Ling Tianyi hesitated. He wanted to ask for a high price but wavered.

Truthfully, this False Core advancement technique was indeed profound, but it was ancient—its origins lost to time, at least hundreds of thousands of years old. It had two major flaws.

First, the cost was steep, requiring vast quantities of spirit herbs.

Second, the cultivation conditions were harsh. Either the cultivator had to be under a hundred years old, in their prime vitality years, or possess a Body Cultivation foundation with abundant vitality.

The second requirement stemmed from the technique’s origins—it evolved from the ancient Body Cultivator’s Vital Energy Core Formation method.

Ling Tianyi glanced at Xiao Chen. The man appeared middle-aged—likely around two hundred and fifty years old. Slim build, pale hands—no signs of Body Cultivation.

Selling this technique at a high price would practically be fraud. As for the “friend,” well… everyone understood.

After a pause, Ling Tianyi honestly explained the drawbacks.

“Fellow cultivator, if you’re not deterred by these two flaws, I’ll sell you the technique for fifty thousand spirit stones. But we must agree upfront—if the cultivation fails, there’s no going back.”

“No problem.” Xiao Chen nodded firmly. “But I’ll need you to swear a Dao Heart Oath—not concealing any core secret techniques intentionally.”

While a Dao Heart Oath held little weight for ordinary cultivators, it was a serious matter for prodigies nearing Nascent Soul Formation.

“Agreed!” Ling Tianyi readily complied, swore the oath, then inscribed the technique onto a blank Jade Slip.

“Warning: this Jade Slip can only be read once before it self-destructs. Ensure a safe environment when using it.”

Xiao Chen handed over the spirit stones. “Thanks for the reminder. Noted.”

With the secret technique secured, he’d already circled the entire Hundred Grasses City. He returned directly to his courtyard inn and arranged the Nine Aperture Linked Formation as per the formation diagram.

Activating the Jade Slip, a stream of information flowed into his spirit sea.

“Vital energy fusion… embracing True Yang…”

Soon, Xiao Chen’s eyes snapped open. “So this is it! What an exquisite design!”

The technique, True Yang Into Core True Method, was nearly a Body Cultivator’s Stage Breakthrough secret art.

It not only resolved the False Core issue but could also advance his Body Cultivation cultivation realm.

Though he already had the Nine Transformations Dragon Ascension Formula, breaking through to the Body Cultivation Third Stage required further accumulation.

Now, with this technique, Vital Energy Core Formation was within reach.

For the next half-month, Xiao Chen spent every waking moment cultivating True Yang Into Core True Method, storing vitality. He even ate raw sea fish with spirit wine to save time.

By the eighteenth day, his vitality was fully refined, yang energy gathered throughout his body.

The conditions for breakthrough were met. It was time to attempt merging the False Core.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end